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Marrying the CEO
Chapter 11
"Come on, we could've brought Nico back with us," I whined as Gideon and I returned to the castle.
"No, your punishment isn't over yet, so Nico is going to stay with Kieran for another two weeks," Gideon responded, taking the stairs with me following behind him.
"I can take care of my brother much better than Kieran can," I argued.
"Yes, but Kieran is taking care of Nico just fine, you've seen it with your own eyes," Gideon said.
It was true, Kieran was taking better care of Nico than I thought he would. Kieran made sure that my brother had everything he wanted or needed. Nico had everything there, from toys to games to medicines and food.
When Gideon and I arrived at Kieran's loft, Nico had rushed over to me and threw himself at me. I was more than happy to catch my little brother. We had some food, and Gideon wasted no time in breaking the news about me being pregnant to Kieran; even when I told Gideon and Kieran that it was too early to tell, it didn't stop Kieran from shouting to the whole world how he was going to be an uncle.
After two hours Gideon and I took our leave from Kieran. Nico asked me when I was going to come and visit him next, but I did not have an answer for that, so I was more than happy when Gideon told Nico that he would come live with us after two weeks, which had Nico beaming.
I begged Gideon to let Nico come with us now, but he was adamant and said that my punishment was not yet over and that we needed to spend time to get to know each other. I did not see the point of getting to know each other, since Gideon called me a whore and all, but arguing with him was pointless.
So here we were, back in our castle, without my brother, with me sulking and Gideon being the same as he was. We made it to our bedroom and my eyes zeroed in on the bag sitting on the bed which Gideon had brought earlier. I wondered what was in it.
"What's in the bag, Gideon?" I asked him.
"Oh, I forgot, I bought a dress for you," Gideon answered, handing me the bag which looked as if it belonged to some expensive clothing store.
A smile flitted across my face before it died as I gazed at the bag in my hands. The word whore kept resonating in my mind as I stared at the bag.
"I can't accept this, Gideon, but thank you anyway," I told him, putting the bag back on the bed.
Gideon frowned as he discarded his jacket. Coming over to me, he gripped my shoulders gently. "Why? Do you not like it? I can always exchange it and buy a dress that you like," he said to me.
My anger reared its ugly head as I looked at Gideon. "Do you buy clothes for all your whores?" I spitted out.
"What?" Gideon asked flabbergasted. "No, why are talking like this?" Why was he acting so clueless?
"Did you forget that you called me a whore?" Did he suffer from a memory dysfunction?
"Little dove, stop saying that word. In fact, you are not allowed to swear or say any sort of a bad word for the rest of your life," Gideon stated.
"What, why?!" I shrieked.
"Because you're pregnant with my baby, and if you swear then the baby is going to learn how to swear, so I forbid you to swear from now on," Gideon explained.
"That's absurd, and you called me who—" Gideon cut me off by placing his hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me. I thrashed and struggled to get out of his grip, but he was too strong as compared to me and my small frame.
"You say that awful word one more time and you'll know what'll happen," Gideon warned. My eyes widened when the real meaning of his words sank in. Gideon was going to extend Nico's stay with Kieran if I didn't do as he said.
Removing his hand from my mouth, Gideon enveloped me in a hug. His actions took me by surprise, and when he begun kissing my forehead, my cheeks and then finally my lips I was frozen in shock. What was wrong with this man? One moment he was calling me a whore and the next he was shutting me up whenever I said that word. If he kept up with this kind of behavior, I had a feeling that the next eleven and a half months were going to be no less than a roller coaster ride.
"Never say that word again, or any bad word, okay? You're not…that," Gideon told me.
"I'm not what?" I questioned, teasing him. I knew what he meant but it was fun irritating him.
"You know what. That word you said…the thing that I called you, you're not that," he answered.
My heart bloomed with happiness at hearing Gideon say that. He did not think I was a whore. I smiled as I inhaled his scent, my husband did not believe I was a whore.
"Thank you, Gideon, that means a lot to me," I told him, feeling happy.
"You're welcome, little peach," Gideon murmured, kissing the top of my head.
Releasing me from his embrace, Gideon took a step back. Grabbing the bag from the bed, he handed it to me once again. Hesitantly, I removed the box from the bag, then proceeded to open it. Inside the box was a gorgeous, royal blue dress. It was a halter neck with a brooch in the shape of a flower right below the breast. I put the dress against me and saw that it fell just half an inch below me knees. It was beautiful, and expensive.
"Gideon, this dress must be so expensive, why did you buy it?" I ran my hands over the soft material, feeling privileged that Gideon bought such an expensive dress for me.
"It was not expensive at all…at least now that I think about it, this dress was not expensive at all." Gideon muttered the last part to himself.
"What do you mean?" I gazed at him with a smile on my face.
"Nothing, go try it on," Gideon urged.
"Um, maybe later, I want to talk to you about something." The only reason I didn't want to try the dress on was because I was afraid I might ruin the dress; I never had anything this expensive.
"Of course, what is it, little fairy?" Gideon sat down on the edge of the bed next to me.
"Have you found a cardiologist for my brother?" I questioned.
"Yes, I have found two cardiologists that are known to be the best in the United Kingdom, we can go and talk to them about your brother, and whoever you think is better we'll ask him to operate on Nico," Gideon told me, instantly easing my worries.
"Thank you so much, Gideon, you are so kind," I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Sure, anything else?" Gideon was being so sweet, I wished that once this contract was over and Gideon and I were finished, I would find a man exactly like Gideon, except for the part where he was filthy rich. I wanted my boyfriend or husband to be well off but not filthy rich like Gideon, I wanted someone of my standards.
"Yes, when can we go meet the doctors?" I wanted to get Nico's surgery done as soon as possible.
"Whenever you want," he answered.
"How about day after tomorrow," I suggested.
"Okay, I'll get an appointment with both of the doctors and then we'll go meet them," Gideon told me.
"Okay, thank you," I said.
"Okay, now I'm going to go to my study, I've got some work to do, while you can go see the library or go out in the garden, whatever you feel like doing," Gideon stated, standing up.
"There's a library, where? I want to see it." The fact that there was a library here filled me with excitement. I loved libraries and books, and it was a good thing for Nico, too.
"Yes, the library is on the sixth floor, I can have one of the maids take you there," Gideon answered.
"No, don't bother the maids, I'll find the library myself," I told him.
"Okay, but only read the good books in the library, and make sure you are in a comfortable position, don't even think about using the ladder to reach the higher shelves, use the staircase, understand?" Gideon instructed.
"Why read only the good books? And what was wrong with taking a ladder?" This man gave some strange instructions at times.
"Because you are pregnant now, so using a ladder is dangerous is for you, you might fall and hurt yourself and the baby. And you must read only the good books because if you read the bad books then it will have a negative impact on the baby." He was talking as if the baby was already here, or the baby had supernatural powers where he or she would know what I was reading.
But I did not want to argue with Gideon, especially when he was being so sweet to me. So even though his instructions seemed a little ridiculous to me, I nodded with a smile.
"Okay, sure, as you say, by the way, which books are categorized as good?" I had to know which books were good because if Gideon caught me reading a book which was not good I would be in trouble.
"Encyclopedias, dictionaries, history books, basically any sort of educational books…other than that, fairytales with happy endings and nursery rhymes, stuff like that," he answered.
I was not going to spend my time reading nursery rhymes. "How many books do you have in the library?" It would be absolutely amazing if Gideon had a huge library.
"The library takes up three floors of the castle, you'll know once you go there," he informed me.
"Which floors does the library occupy?" I enquired.
"Fifth, sixth and seventh," Gideon replied, striding to the door.
"Are the books divided into aisles or something?" I queried.
"Yes, don't bother going to the fifth floor, it's the archives, you can roam around the sixth floor," Gideon responded. He was so patient when answering my questions, never ones did he show any sign of annoyance or irritation.
Opening the door, Gideon exited the bedroom, leaving me pondering things about the library. Placing the dress back in the box, and carefully sliding the box back in the bag, I put the box in the closet and left the room.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached the sixth floor in no time. Immediately, my eyes fell upon the metal gate that barred me from going to the seventh floor and figuring out who the woman in the portrait was and the mystery of the floors above. Glaring at the electronic keypad, I vowed to myself that I was going to find out the passcode and go up to the seventh floor.
After getting my breathing back to normal, I wandered around the sixth floor until I came in front of a set of giant double doors. All the doors in this castle were huge and thick, but these ones took the cake. Made of the same dark wood as the rest of doors, the double doors had an intricate carving on them. The door knobs looked to be made of some heavy metal—maybe brass, I did not have any knowledge about metals.
Grabbing hold of a knob, I twisted it and pushed the door open. My heart leapt with excitement when my olfactory senses detected the smell of new and old books. Wasting no time standing outside, I entered the library and closed the door behind me.
It was like I had died and went to heaven as I gazed upon the library for the first time. I looked everywhere, trying to absorb every tiny detail all at once. A smile curved my lips as my eyes took in the numerous levels of the library. I tilted my head all the way back as I followed the shelves all the way to the top. There were reading nooks and alcoves, along with desks and cushioned chairs. There was not a single spot that was free of books. Shelves upon shelves were cramped with books. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. Reading lamps were placed in every corner and on every table, casting a soft glow around the room. The stairs were supported by a banister which had an intricate pattern, similar to the one on the door, on it. The library was every bookworm's fantasy, and I got to live that fantasy.
Not heeding Gideon's instructions, I made my way down the stairs and entered the archives. Dust ruled the air as I took my first breath in the archives and immediately started coughing. After coughing like a total maniac, I begun to walk around the archives. There were numerous shelves here as well, but as compared to the shelves above, these shelves were dusty and looked as if no one had touched them in years. I thought the archives would have boxes with useless files, but over here the archives looked like a hardly visited library.
My eyes widened when I saw an aisle with Kieran's name on it. I was about to rush over to it but I stopped when my eyes landed on Gideon's name. There was an aisle dedicated to my husband. Flitting my eyes over all the aisles I came to know that all the members of the Maslow family had an aisle which was dedicated to them.
I wondered if there was an aisle dedicated to the woman in the portrait. But even if there was, how would I know, I didn't know her name. Sighing in frustration, I went over to the aisle that was dedicated to someone named Julia.
Numerous books lined the shelves from top to bottom. I wondered what was so important about this woman that she had so many books in her aisle. Placing my fingers on the first book my eyes landed on, I pulled it out. The book came out easily along with a cloud of dust that nearly sent me into another coughing fit. Sitting down on the floor with my back against the wooden shelf, I opened the book.
Diary of Julia Marie Maslow
1821-1824
Reading the title had me gasping. This was a diary?! Quickly flipping through the pages, I came across diary entries of three years, one for each day. This Julia woman had recorded her life in her diary. Fascinating.
Feeling like I had stumbled upon a historical treasure, I put the diary back in its place and took out another one from another shelf. Reading the first page, I got to know that it was another diary. After going through different books in Julia's aisle I came to know that all of them were diaries; recordings of their lives. Planning to read about Julia some other time, I left her aisle and thought about which aisle to visit next.
A frown marred my face when I saw an aisle without a name. Curious, I strode over to it, and saw an aisle similar to that of Julia's. I thought this aisle would be empty since it had no name on it but I was wrong.
Without thinking I grabbed the first book that I got my hands on off the shelf and opened it. Instead of finding an inscription on who this diary belonged to, a picture fell out. Bending down, I picked up the photograph and the face that I saw had me gasping.
It was the woman in the portrait.
Marrying the CEO
Chapter 12
Staring at the photograph for a few minutes, I looked at every single detail. The photograph was colored, which meant it was from this century. The lady looked to be very young, no older than 17, and was standing next to a woman—probably a friend since they looked to be about the same age. She was wearing a very pretty baby pink gown with a gorgeous matching hat. Her friend was wearing a green gown with a matching hat. I flipped the photograph to see whether there was a name written of who was in the photograph—usually there was—but the backside was blank.
Putting the photograph back inside the diary, I flipped through the contents of the book but found nothing. It was the blank, empty, not a single word or even a drop of ink was present in the diary. I thought there might at least be a name telling me who this diary belonged to, but no, the whole journal was empty.
Not giving up, I put the empty journal back on the shelf and took out a couple of other journals. Quickly flipping through them I was disappointed as they were empty, just like the first one. Checking out a few other journals but finding them empty, I sighed in disappointment. Other than the photograph, there was nothing about the woman. Somebody had obviously worked hard to hide her…or maybe erase her.
Glancing at the clock, my heart jumped in my throat when I saw it was 1:30 pm. It was almost lunch time and if Gideon found me over here, he was not going to be happy. Deciding to come down here some other time, I dusted my hands and went upstairs to the sixth floor; however, my mind was still stuck to the fifth floor. There was no way I was giving up on finding about that woman. I had one year to figure out who she was; 365 days to find out the truth.
Jogging over to a random shelf on the sixth floor, I plucked a random book and sat down on the fluffy cushion which was right next to the shelf. The title of the book told me that it was a book about plants, boring. I didn't like studying about plants, they bored me to death. Even when I was in high school, I prayed that the chapter on plants would be over soon so we could move on to the human body, I liked the human body much better than plants.
However, I decided to read the book anyways; not because I had developed a sudden interest in various green plants, but because if somebody came looking for me, they'll see me reading a book on plants, and not rifling through the archives like bee on a mission. Maybe I'd go down to the archives and search more about the mystery lady. I knew she was related to the Maslows, that much was obvious from her features. But what kind of a relationship did she exactly have? And why was there no sign of her, other than the portrait in the circular room and the photograph down in the archives? Was she dead? I hoped not, she had to be alive.
"Mrs. Maslow." I jumped at hearing the sudden voice. Raising my head from the book I saw none other then Helga standing a few feet away from me. Great, no other maid could come.
"Yes, Helga?" I tried to be polite, and tried very hard. I did not like this woman.
"Lunch is ready and Mr. Maslow is requesting your presence," she told me.
"Okay, I'll be down in a couple of minutes, thank you." I smiled at her.
"No, you come with me now," she said.
"Helga, I said I'll be in the dining room in a couple of minutes," I repeated.
"No, you must come with me now, you should not make Mr. Maslow wait, he is your husband." And now I really did not like her. Just because she was the head housekeeper did not mean she was my boss and could tell me what to do.
Yes, but you must do what she says or Gideon is going to be upset with you. There is no way Gideon would listen to what you have to say when it comes to his loyal maid and her loyal words, so don't waste your words and just follow the old hag to the dining room. It was one of those rare times when my subconscious was right and chose to be supportive.
Closing the book with a sigh, I stood up and slid the book back in its place. Dusting myself a bit to make sure there was not a speck of dirt on me so no one would get suspicious, I gestured for Helga to lead the way. She turned and strode out of the library with me following behind. Helga kept looking back periodically to make sure I was following her, but did not utter a single word which I was grateful for. I couldn't stand her ordering me to obey Gideon like the women in the 70s.
When we entered the dining room, I walked towards Gideon who was sitting in his usual place swiping away on his cell phone. Taking my seat next to him, I put a spoonful of stew on my plate, then put some salad next to the stew. I didn't say anything to Gideon, I figured he was too busy as he hadn't looked up from his phone once since I entered the dining room.
Stabbing the chicken with my fork I begun eating, my mind coming up with one explanation after the other about the lady. It was confusing that these people would go to such lengths to hide the existence of one person and yet they did not get rid of all the evidence; it was like they wanted to erase this person from the world but they couldn't. But at the end of the day, the question still remained, just who was that woman?
It would be wonderful if Gideon decided to go on a business trip or something, I would then spend the whole day in the archives and try to find something about the mystery woman by reading someone else's journals, because her journals were blank. There should've at least been a name, like in Julia's journals, but no her journals were brand new.
Why don't you give this mystery girl a name, you can't call her Mystery Woman in the Portrait forever. My subconscious suggested.
I agreed with her but what could I call her. She was delicate and looked like one of those royal princesses who did nothing but looked at shiny jewelry all day. She was pretty, though; maybe I could name her after a flower, it would be easier.
"Little peach…"
Maybe I should call her Rose, because she was pretty and was wearing a pink gown; or maybe I should call her Daisy, since she looked so delicate; or maybe Lily was the perfect name for now for her, since she looked so pure. Yeah, maybe Lily was perfect. I would call her Lily until I found out her real name.
"Little dove…"
Satisfied that I had gotten the name for the mystery girl, my mind switched to the metal gate on the sixth floor staircase and the keypad. I needed to be sneaky about that keypad, and I needed to figure out what the passcode was, but first I had to check how many digits were needed in order to unlock the gate.
"Alice!"
"Huh, what?" I looked at Gideon who was giving me a strange look. "Gideon, I'm sorry did you say something?" I did not want Gideon to be suspicious of my activities.
"Yes, but it looks like you're preoccupied with something, is everything okay?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
I nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, everything is fine, I was just…thinking about…something that I read in the library," I told him. I knew Gideon wouldn't rest until I told him what I was thinking about, and since I couldn't tell him the actual reason I was lost, I decided to go with the half-truth.
"Oh? What did you read?" I knew he was going to ask that.
"About…plants…they are so fascinating; don't you think?" I couldn't believe I was going to have a conversation on plants.
"I guess so." Gideon gave me a quizzical look. "But if plants are what has your mind so occupied, why don't you write about them," he said.
Now it was my turn to give him a quizzical look. "What? What do you mean?"
Gideon shrugged. "It's sort of a…Maslow thing…everybody in the family writes."
"Write, like a journal?" So writing was a tradition, no wonder everybody had shelves full of journals here.
Gideon nodded. "Exactly that, every member of the family pens down his or her thoughts in a journal, I suggest you should do the same thing," he told me.
"But, I'm not exactly family, I'm only here for a year…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
"You're family for now." Came a new voice. I turned my head to see Brenton, Gideon's youngest brother, entering the dining room. I hadn't seen him since our wedding, I wondered where he was.
"How much of that did you hear?" I enquired.
"Enough to know that I agree with my brother." Brenton took a seat across from me next to Gideon. "Gideon, why don't you order a journal for her, I guess a small one," Brenton said.
"A small one?" Did the journals come in sizes? The ones I saw in the archives were big and thick ones.
"Yeah, one with 365 pages, since the contract is only for a year," Brenton informed me. These people were so matter-of-fact it was crazy. They talked in facts, like the contracts and facts were set in stone and nothing could change them. Like, if my contract with Gideon was for a year, then nothing could change that. But a lot of things could change that. If I died in the next couple of months, then they contract would be over, if I was unable to give Gideon an heir then the contract would be terminated before a year…so many possibilities.
"I'll call the paper company in a couple of hours and give them the order to have the journal delivered by tomorrow so she can start writing," Gideon said.
"Wait, I don't want to write, my stuff is personal, what if somebody read it?" If Gideon insisted on me writing, then I would make sure not to write about Lily, I couldn't trust the people in this castle, especially that old hag, Helga.
"Don't worry, the journal would have a lock on it. And if it didn't, I assure you that no one is going to read your journal, not me not anyone else, it's your journal and only you are going to have the right to see it," Gideon replied.
"Oh, what if I still don't want to write?" I queried.
"You don't have a choice, you are a Maslow now, even if you're just a temporary Maslow you still are a Maslow, and it's a family thing, so I'm afraid you are going to have to write, even if you don't want to," Brenton informed me.
"Are you okay with a standard hardback journal or would you like a customized one?" Gideon questioned.
I shrugged. "I'm okay with whatever, I just have to write in it, I don't care about the look of the journal," I answered.
Nothing much was said after that. Gideon and Brenton discussed business while I finished my lunch. The thought of writing a journal made me feel kind of nervous, I didn't know why. I never written in a diary before, so writing down my thoughts and secrets was alien to me, since I was used to mulling things in my mind whether good or bad, I didn't know if writing was a good thing or a bad one.
Once I was finished eating, I excused myself from Gideon and Brenton, eager to go to my room and think more about Lily and the passcode and the prospect of me writing in a journal.
As soon as I exited the dining room, I heard their voice loud and clear. Curious, I decided to listen in on their conversation. I had no intention to eavesdrop, but my curiosity got the best of me.
"Why is there a gate on the sixth floor staircase?" Brenton asked Gideon.
"Alice accidentally went up there, so I had a gate installed in case she decided to go up there again," Gideon told him.
"Well how am I supposed to go up there and see her now?" Brenton questioned.
What the hell? Brenton was allowed to go up there and I wasn't. And who did he want to see? Lily in the picture? He wanted to go up there and look at a portrait?
"I'll give you the passcode, just use it and go see her, but do it when Alice is not there, she is a curious one and I don't want her tangled in something that is of no concern to her," Gideon said.
That was not fair, Brenton got the passcode and I didn't. Oh please, God, please let Gideon yell out the passcode so I could get it, please. And who was he to decide what was my concern and what wasn't. I might be his wife for a year but that did not mean he had sort of a territorial right over me, I was my own person; I decided what I would and wouldn't concern myself with.
"You do know it's only a month away," Brenton said to Gideon. I frowned in confusion. What was a month away? Brenton's birthday? Their father's birthday? Somebody's death anniversary?
"I know, we'll go to the cemetery together," Gideon said. So it was somebody's death anniversary, but whose?
"Sure, let's go and work on that contract, I'll call my client and set up a meeting," Brenton said.
The scraping sound of chairs being pushed back was my cue to leave. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached my bedroom in no time. Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath, my mind a jumbled mess. This family had a lot of secrets.
And I intended to uncover all of them.
Marrying the CEO
Chapter 13
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Gideon, closing the door to our bedroom. Gideon was sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard, with a troubled look on his face.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," he replied, but I could tell from the dismal look on his face that he was anything but fine, I wondered what was wrong. He seemed perfectly fine yesterday with Brenton, but today he was acting all quiet and serious.
He's always quiet and serious, my subconscious stated.
I disagreed. Gideon was quiet and serious, yes, but not like this. And half the time, he laughed and made jokes. Right now, he looked…sad, and that did not sit well with me. Why was he upset? Was it something to do with the person whose death anniversary was coming up? Or was it something else?
Getting on the bed, I crawled over to Gideon and sat facing him. Taking his hand in mind, I gave it a soft squeeze to get his attention. When Gideon looked at me, I knew I had succeeded in getting his attention.
"There is something bothering you, I can feel it," I said.
"It's nothing," Gideon muttered.
"You want to tell me what's bothering you?" I rubbed my thumb over his hand.
"And why would I want to tell you?" He was acting like that Gideon, the one who called me a whore.
"Because…I am your temporary wife," I stated.
"Yeah, you are temporary not permanent, if you were my real and permanent wife I might consider telling you, but not now," he answered.
"So there is something bothering you," I confirmed.
"If I say yes will you leave me alone?" Wow, whatever was bothering him was serious, Gideon never spoke to me like this in all the time we had been married, which had been about three weeks.
"No, I made a vow in front of God to stay with you during the good and bad times, I don't plan on going back on my word," I told him, scooting closer to him, until my face was a few inches away from Gideon's.
"Yeah, well it's a fake marriage, so the vows you made don't matter, get out of here," he said bluntly.
My heart clenched at hearing his words. He was being so rude, what was the matter. But I wasn't going to leave. Not only had I made a vow to stick with Gideon through thick and thin in front of God, Gideon was also paying me one million pounds in order to be a good wife to him, and I was going to make his money worth. I would not make Gideon feel as if he had wasted his money on me.
"This marriage might be fake, but the vows I made were real, I'm not leaving you when you are distressed," I told him firmly.
"Well I guess then you'll just have to waste your time sitting here because I'm not telling you anything," he stated, turning his head to look out the window.
Without saying anything I rested my head on Gideon's chest and wound an around his waist. Gideon might be telling me to leave him alone, but I knew he didn't want that; or maybe he did, I wasn't sure because I didn't know him that well, but whatever it was I wasn't going to leave him. I knew what it was like being alone, with no one to talk to, no one to hug. I had Nico but he was a kid, and a sick kid. I couldn't talk to him about my financial problems or any problem for that matter, so I knew how it felt like being utterly alone. And even if Gideon did not tell me what was bothering him, at least he would know that he had me by his side, he wouldn't feel alone.
"Don't touch me." Gideon tried to push me away, but I held on to him.
"You are my husband, I have the right to touch you…for a year I have the right to touch you, you can't steal my rights away from me when you are the one who gave them to me," I stated.
"You know, with you blabbering on about this marriage, I'm starting to regret marrying you," he snapped.
Calm down, it's not him talking, it's that negative emotion that's ruling his mind at the moment that's saying all sorts of nonsense. He doesn't mean it, he doesn't.
"Well, you made a mistake, now you must deal with it," I teased, trying by best not to get affected by his words.
"Remind me again why I married you?"
"I would love to tell you why you married me, except…you haven't even told me why you married me, despite me constantly asking you," I responded, trying my best to stay strong.
"Shut up," he snapped.
I sighed deeply, trying to maintain my composure. "Gideon, if you can't tell me what's bothering you as a wife, then maybe you can tell me what's wrong as a friend?" I suggested.
Gideon scoffed. "Friend? Do you even know how to be a friend?"
"Yes," I answered.
"I don't think so, you never had any friends, how would you know how to be one," he snarled.
"I know how to be a friend, it's just I never had time to make friends when I was in high school, but I know how to be a friend," I told him softly, my head still on his chest and my arm still around his waist.
"Friends know when the other wants to be left alone," Gideon stated.
"Friends also never leave their friends alone, especially during the bad times," I argued.
"Friends know when the other doesn't want to talk," Gideon said.
"Friends also talk to each other because talking helps," I countered.
"Friends know when to shut up," Gideon snapped.
"Friends also know when to push their friends into telling them stuff," I stated.
"I don't have friends," Gideon said.
"I can be your friend. I'll listen to you without judgment; I'll try my best to find solutions for your problems; I'll stay with you no matter what; and when this year ends and the contract is over, and you marry the girl that's right for you, I'll be your friend and support you in your decisions; I won't just be your friend for a year, I'll be your friend for life," I told him with utmost sincerity.
"Those are difficult promises you are making, you sure you'd be able to handle it all?" Gideon didn't know that I had dealt with far worse, but I wasn't going to tell him that, a good wife never burdened her husband.
"I promise you, Gideon, I would never break these promises," I told him while looking in his eyes.
"You got a big mouth for someone so small," Gideon commented.
"Size does not matter," I countered.
Gideon sighed then fell silent. I put my head back to its original place—on Gideon's chest. It was okay if Gideon didn't tell me what had him in such a mood, at least now he knew that he had a friend…me.
"It's…my mother, it's her death anniversary next month," Gideon stated. His voice held so much sadness and despair, I involuntarily tightend my grip on him.
"I'm sorry, Gideon, would you like to talk about it…about her?" I queried.
"She was the most amazing woman I knew." Gideon's lips curved in a sad smile. "She had the most beautiful smile and the kindest heart. She tried her best to make sure everyone was smiling, there was never a sad moment when she was around. She made all of us feel like we were her favorite child, but the truth was, she loved us all equally. And when she didn't smile, I felt as if the sun hadn't risen," Gideon told me.
"She sounds like an amazing woman," I told him truthfully. I imagined a beautiful woman with gorgeous sea green eyes and shiny, golden hair that had the most beautiful curls. In my mind, Gideon's mother looked like a queen, beautiful and royal.
"Hmm she was, I thought I would never lose her, I thought she would never leave me…but she did." Gideon murmured the last part.
I rubbed his chest in a soothing manner. "Would you like to tell me what happened to her?" I was not going to force Gideon to tell me something which was already a painful thing for him as it was.
"She…got in an…accident, some years ago." That was all Gideon said, and I was okay with that.
"I'm sorry to hear that, it must be difficult for you to visit her in the cemetery," I said.
Gideon nodded looking forlorn. "Yes, I go with my brothers because I don't have the strength to go there alone, to face her like this." Gideon eyed the ceiling with bitterness. "You must think what a pathetic, weak man I am; who runs a multinational business yet he can't even visit his own mother in her grave alone."
"No, that's not what I think. I think you are a very strong man, who despite suffering from such a great loss still manages to run such a successful business. If it were someone else instead of you, and loved their mother like you did yours, they would've succumbed to depression and their business would have gone down the drain," I told him.
"Really, you think that?" Gideon questioned, his eyes searching my face for any sign of deceit or fabrication.
"Yes, I really do." I made sure to convey my sincerity and honesty with my eyes. I raised my head and kissed Gideon's cheek.
"The thing is…I want to visit her grave, like right now, but I can't…I can't find the strength to go and see her right now," Gideon told me.
"Where is her grave?" I was afraid I might've asked a sensitive question, but I was glad I was wrong.
"It's here, on the estate grounds," Gideon answered.
"If you want…I can come with you," I offered.
Gideon gave me a strange look; a look that said that he was unsure whether I actually meant what I said or not. I kissed him in response, assuring him that I meant what I said.
"You'd really go with me?" Gideon asked.
"Yes, I want to meet the woman who raised such a fine man," I said with a smile.
"She is buried, you can't exactly see her," Gideon stated.
"You know what I mean." I playfully punched his chest.
Gideon chuckled, a sound which had me sighing in relief. Finally, he was smiling, I had made him smile. My heart fluttered in happiness when I saw Gideon smiling.
"Okay, let's go then," Gideon stated, detangling himself from me and jumping out of bed.
"Wait, right now?" I looked at the clock to see it was 6:00 in the evening.
"Yes, unless you don't want to go…" Gideon looked unsure for a moment, but I wasn't going to disappoint him.
"No, I do, let me get my shoes." I hopped out of bed and jogged inside the walk-in closet. Grabbing a pair of black slippers, I slipped them on then exited the closet and joined Gideon.
"I'm ready." Gideon took my hand and led me out of the bedroom towards the cemetery.
I was starting to regret my decision of coming to the cemetery in the evening. I was so excited earlier, but now, all that excitement had well and truly deserted me as thoughts of wandering spirits filled my mind. The cemetery wasn't exactly my favorite place as my parents were currently residing in a cemetery as well, but I agreed to this because of Gideon and I wanted to meet his mother. If only Gideon had decided to visit his mother in the morning.
It was awfully silent except for the rustling of the leaves; the crickets were quiet as well, which was strange as they were always making noise. The sun had nearly set, casting an orange purple glow. The trees were huge, their foundation solid. Cold breeze was caressing our skin, and I was sure my nose was turning pink.
Gideon was silent next to me, just walking further and further in the forest, his grip on my hand never loosening. I held on to Gideon's hand tightly, not wanting to let go and get lost in this dark forest.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of walking on muddy, slightly uneven land, we exited the forest and entered what I was sure was the Maslow cemetery. There were hundreds of tombstones, all lined horizontally and going all the way back. All the graves were neat, nothing looked out of place—just white tombstones standing on lush green grass.
Without a word, Gideon took me to the left side of the cemetery. He didn't stop to introduce me to any of his dead relatives and ancestors, just kept walking straight ahead.
After another ten minutes, Gideon finally stopped in front of a large tombstone. The tombstone was not round at the top but flat, like a rectangle. The ink on the tombstone looked fresh. The words on the tombstone were inscribed with black ink.
Teresa Rose Maslow
1962-2006
Beloved mother and wife
"This is my mother, Teresa," Gideon said.
"Would you like me to give you some privacy?" I asked.
"Uh, can you stand over there?" Gideon gestured to a space which was five feet away from where we were standing.
"Sure." I smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. "I'll be here if you need me." I went to where Gideon instructed me.
I was glad Gideon didn't send me far away, I didn't think I would've survived roaming around a cemetery in the dark. Trying not to let my mind worry about the dead bodies surrounding me, I focused my attention on my husband.
Gideon knelt in front of the gravestone, not caring that his pants would get dirty. I felt his lips moving but couldn't hear what he was saying. Raising his hand, Gideon caressed the ground, a lone tear escaping his eye.
My heart cracked at seeing Gideon like this. The man looked untouchable to the world, and yet here he was, kneeling in front of his mother's grave, lowering his guard, crying for his mother who was no longer here. Despite what I read about Gideon Maslow being ruthless and savage, I knew that Gideon was nothing like how the world portrayed him. He was kind, he was generous, and most of all…he was human.
After quite some time, Gideon stood up and turned his head to look at me. I gave him a warm, reassuring smile. He held out his hand for me to take, which I did after two seconds of hesitation. Gideon brought me face to face with the gravestone, and when he smiled while looking at the white marble, I felt like I was intruding.
"Mum, this is Alice, my wife," Gideon said. "She is pregnant, we are going to have a baby soon, I wish you were here to see and hold your grandchildren," Gideon spoke to the gravestone.
"I'm sure she can see her grandchildren from heaven, and I'm sure our baby would have a guardian angel." I looked at the gravestone when I said the last part.
However, Gideon's next words made my heart soar; when he looked at the marble slab and uttered the words I didn't know I had been longing to hear.
"She is also my friend, my only friend.
Marrying the CEO
Chapter 14
I tried to tie my shoe laces but my trembling fingers made it difficult for me to do so. Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my heartbeat and my fingers, but the thoughts swirling in my mind made it nearly impossible for me to calm down. Gideon was going to be here any minute, and if he saw that I wasn't ready he would not like it; he had already cancelled his meetings for the day for me and if I wasted any more time I should just jump off a cliff.
"You ready to go, little dove?" Gideon entered the bedroom, slipping his hands in his pockets.
"Yes, I'm ready, let's go," I replied, praying with all my might that Gideon does not see the loose laces of my shoes.
But when Gideon lowered his gaze to my feet, I cursed my luck. "You haven't tied your shoe laces." He observed.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter, we're going to be late…I'll tie them in the car." I added the last part when I saw that Gideon did not look convinced of my explanation.
"Okay, let's go." Turning around, Gideon strode out of our bedroom, I sighed and followed after him, my heart still drumming against my chest in anxiety. I was trying so hard to calm down and not to make it sound like a big deal, but it was a big deal, and I couldn't do anything about it.
Gideon and I were going to visit the two cardiologists today, in which I'd pick one to perform on my brother. And I was so nervous about it, that I barely had any breakfast. I just couldn't believe that something I had been yearning for all my life was finally in my reach, and that was something that both excited and yet scared me. I was excited that my brother was going to be all right now, and would go to school and play with kids his own age, but I was scared that I might lose him, or the surgery might not go right.
As soon as Gideon and I reached the car, I frowned when I saw an older looking driver, with silver hair and pale skin. Where was Bernard? He was our usual driver. The driver opened the door allowing Gideon and I to settle inside. Once the door closed, I allowed myself to ask Gideon about Bernard.
"Where is Bernard?" I questioned.
"I have assigned him to other duties, he will now take me to work and bring me home," Gideon replied, his eyes suddenly turning hard.
"Why? Why did you do that?" I enquired.
"I don't want Bernard around you, once was more than enough." He gritted out.
"Why? What's wrong with Bernard being around me?" I queried.
Gideon just glared at me in return. "I don't trust you around him, you are…unpredictable," he muttered.
Confusion reigned for almost five seconds before I realized what Gideon was talking about. Guilt and shame overtook my mind; I blushed and looked away. Gideon was still mad about the whole Bernard thing, even though I promised him I would never do anything like that ever again.
"I'm sorry, I promise you I won't do anything like that ever again, you don't have to change Bernard's post because of me," I told him.
"Doesn't matter, it's already done, and stop worrying about Bernard, it's not like he is getting paid any less than what I was already paying him," Gideon responded dryly.
I bit my lip to stop myself from arguing with him. Instead, my fingers found their way to my necklace as I contemplated how the meeting with the doctors would go. I just wanted Nico's surgery to be successful and less invasive. After searching online about VSD treatments and other surgeries, I now prayed that my brother's surgery would not be invasive, as invasive surgeries made the body prone to all sorts of infections.
"You're nervous," Gideon commented, making me jump.
"No, I—I'm fine," I lied, my heart hammering against my chest the closer we got the hospital.
"You are fiddling with your necklace, and your shoe laces are still loose." Gideon observed.
"I play with my necklace all the time," I said, trying to cover my lie.
Gideon shook his head. "No, you only touch your necklace when you're nervous. By the way, you shouldn't twist the chain so much, the necklace is old, the chain might break," Gideon told me.
"It's a strong chain…just like my brother." I smiled sadly, but didn't stop twisting the chain around my finger.
It took me by surprise when Gideon took my hand in his. Calm spread through me when I felt how warm Gideon's hand was. I liked warm hands, they gave me comfort like no other. I wished that once this year was over and I would look for a husband, he would have warm hands too.
"Tell me what's bothering you," Gideon prompted.
Shaking my head I smiled. "Nothing Gideon, nothing is bothering me, I'm fine," I fibbed again.
"If there was nothing bothering you, then you wouldn't be sitting like this," Gideon argued.
"Sitting like what?" I queried.
"Stiff…taut…like a bow ready to shoot the arrow; so come on, tell me what's on your mind, little peach," Gideon stated, rubbing my hand.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. By the way, thank you," I said to him.
"Thanks for what?" Gideon questioned.
"For everything, getting the doctors' appointments, cancelling your meetings and all…it means a lot to me that you would go through so much trouble for a stranger, so thank you," I told him.
"This stranger is not a stranger." Gideon flicked my nose. "This stranger is my wife…and my friend," he stated.
My heart bloomed with happiness upon hearing Gideon calling me his wife and friend. It was the first time he hadn't used the word temporary before the word wife, and him calling me a friend had me doing a happy dance in my mind. However, I prevented my heart from feeling blissful. Even though Gideon's words made my heart flutter, which resulted in me falling just a little bit for my temporary husband, I tried my best not to let his words faze me. I had to be careful around Gideon, he knew exactly what to do and say to make me happy, and I couldn't afford to fall for him; it would only end in disaster.
"I'm fine, really," I repeated. I was not going to tell him what was worrying me, I was just not comfortable. Gideon had already gone through so much trouble for me, I was not going to burden him with my problems. I was not used to it, and did not plan to get used to sharing my problems with anyone anytime soon.
All of a sudden, Gideon left my hand and turned his head away to look out the window. The loss of contact had me feeling cold, which was strange because it never happened that I would miss the warmth someone's hands brought me.
"Gideon, what's wrong?" I asked, worriedly.
"Nothing is wrong, why would anything be wrong," he snapped.
I tried to make him look at me, but he only shrugged me off, his face still turned away from me. Removing my seatbelt, I crawled on Gideon's lap, which took him by surprise. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I laid my head on his chest.
"Tell me what's wrong, did I do something wrong?" I inhaled Gideon's rich scent, which brought my heart from hammering to throbbing against my ribcage.
"I was right when I said you'll make a horrible friend," Gideon stated.
Frowning, I looked up at him. "What do you mean?" I was now worried; I wanted to be a good friend to Gideon, so him saying that I was a bad friend made me feel horrible.
"You said friends talk about stuff because talking helps; I talked to you about my stuff and what was bothering me and now you are not doing the same…you are a hypocrite," he complained.
I sighed before laying my head on Gideon's chest. "I'm just not used to talking about my problems with anyone," I told him.
"And you think I am. I had never confided in anyone in my life, except for my mum; you were the second person who I had talked to about my problems and you are the only one who knows how I feel when visiting my mother's grave alone, and you are not showing me the same courtesy, that's not fair, Alice," he shot back.
Guilt stabbed my heart. "I'm sorry…I'll try to tell you about my problems, but it won't be easy for me, and I don't want to burden you with my problems. You have given me so much, you offering your companionship is just too much, you shouldn't be so nice to me," I said.
"You said you are my friend for life, well that means I am your friend too, so tell me what's going on," Gideon prodded.
"It's silly, no need to get yourself tangled in my mess." I sighed.
"I will tell you one more time to tell me what's going on, if you don't then you can forget that we are friends," Gideon stated.
"Okay fine, I'm just nervous about what the doctors would say regarding Nico's surgery. All my life I had prayed to God for this day—the day my brother would have his surgery and be perfectly fine, and now that it's here, I am terrified…what if something goes wrong. I can't live without Nico, he is my only family; I'd die if something happened to him," I said, tears pricking my eyes. But once the words were out, I felt relaxed; the tightening in my chest was no more.
"Little fairy, believe me when I tell you that I will make sure that your brother gets his surgery and lives his life like a normal ten year old. Nothing is going to happen to Nico, I promise you," Gideon stated.
"You said that the doctors we are meeting are the best, right?"
"Yes."
"But then, they would ask for a lot of money in order to perform surgery on my brother, I only have fifty thousand pounds…would that be enough?" I asked.
"We'll know when we'll meet the doctors," Gideon answered.
The car finally stopped letting us know that we had arrived at our destination. The driver opened the door and Gideon got out while I was right behind him. I had tied my shoe laces, which was a good thing because then I would be tripping and stumbling over my own feet. Taking my hand, Gideon led me inside the hospital.
As soon as I entered, the sterile white walls reminded of the numerous times I had been here. These walls supported me when my father fell ill and left the world. These walls were my constant when my mother fought against her disease and lost. And these walls were what greeted me every time I had brought my brother in the hospital. No matter where I was, which ever country I was in, the white walls of the hospitals would always be there—familiar. It was sick to think that I had started to consider hospitals as some sort of a friend…even though I had lost half of my family here, maybe hospitals were my frenemy.
This hospital was luxurious. The floors were sparkly clean, and maybe it was just me and my crazy imagination, but the smell of disinfectant in the air seemed rich to me, like it was expensive. The chairs in the waiting area were clean and smooth, the nurses bustling around were neatly dressed. I bet this hospital served amazing food.
Gideon led us to the reception desk, and after asking the forty something years lady about Dr. Hallaway, he led me to the second floor. Knocking on the door, which had a plaque nailed to the door with the name Dr. Paul Hallaway M.D, he entered the room.
Dr. Hallway's room was big and neat. There was a desk which looked to be made of oak against one wall, with Dr. Hallaway sitting behind it in a swivel chair. His desk had a few files and papers on it, and a few stationary items. The rest of the room consisted of a couch, a coffee table and a plasma screen against one wall.
The doctor himself looked to be in his early forties, with slightly graying hair, warm blue eyes, pale skin, and full lips which were curved in the warm, welcoming smile. He was about 6 feet, a couple of inches shorter than Gideon. He was dressed in the usual doctor's attire, with a pristine white coat with black slacks and a light blue shirt.
"Mr. Maslow, it's a pleasure to meet you, please sit down," Dr. Hallaway greeted Gideon. He had a deep voice, but it was warm which made me comfortable around him.
"Thank you Dr. Hallaway, this is my wife, Alice; Nico is her brother," Gideon said to the doctor.
"Right, nice to meet you, Mrs. Maslow, how are you?" Dr. Hallaway asked me.
"I'm good, thank you for your time, Dr. Hallaway," I responded politely.
"Alright, let's talk about your brother, shall we?" I was glad that Dr. Hallaway did not waste time in small talk but went right down to business.
"Yes please." My hand once again flew to my necklace.
Dr. Hallaway removed a file from the pile on his desk and opened it. My heart resumed its usual pounding when I saw Nico's name on the file. This was Nico's case file; everything from the first time he was diagnosed with VSD to the last time he visited the hospital was in that file. It had everything in it, from our family history to the numerous medications prescribed to Nico.
"So, I have gone through your brother's file—Mr. Maslow had brought me his file two weeks ago, and I can assure you that the surgery is not risky. There are three ways I can close the hole in your brother's heart, whichever way you feel comfortable with, I'll use that way," Dr. Hallaway said. When he said that the surgery wouldn't be risky, half of my worries flew away.
"Could you please tell me the three ways," I requested. Grabbing Gideon's hand, I gave it a squeeze, nerves taking over me once again.
Dr. Hallaways nodded with a smile. "Certainly. The first procedure is known as surgical repair. This procedure usually involves open-heart surgery under general anesthesia. We are going to use a heart-lung machine; I'll make an incision in the chest, and will use a patch to block the hole or just stitch the hole close," he informed me.
"What is the second procedure?" The first one involved an open-heart surgery, which was invasive, if the second and third option did not involve an open-heart surgery, I would opt for that.
"The second is known as the catheter procedure. For this I would not need to open the chest, but I will insert a thin tube inside the groin and guide that tube to the heart and close the hole by using a mesh," he told me.
"And what is the third one?" I liked the second option, it didn't involve an open-heart surgery.
"The third procedure is called the hybrid procedure. This procedure involves both the surgical and catheter procedures. I'll get access to the heart by making a small incision and we would not need to stop the heart or anything. I'll insert the closing device through the catheter by placing the catheter in the incision," Dr. Hallaway answered.
"Which procedure is better?" I enquired.
"All three procedures have good odds, but the hybrid procedure has a quicker recovery. And of course, I will be doing a follow up from time to time to make sure the VSD stays closed," Dr. Hallaway responded.
I nodded and let his words sink in. The doctor had fully explained to me how the surgery would take place, and there was no worry or anything like that on his face, which eased my worries about the surgery. However, I would not make any decision until I had met the other doctor.
"Can we go meet the other doctor, then I'll make my decision," I said to Gideon, who nodded and stood up.
"Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Hallaway, we'll think it over and let you know what procedure we'll decide to go with," Gideon said. After shaking the doctor's hand, Gideon took my hand and led me out of Dr. Hallaway's room.
I thought we'll go to a different hospital, but Gideon took me up to another floor and into another room, that looked like a lounge. There were a couple of couches and plants in every corner of the room. In the middle of the couches sat a beautiful glass table. Sitting on one of the couches was a man who was dressed similar to Dr. Hallaway, but where Dr. Hallaway had slightly graying hair, this man had silver hair like our new driver. He was wearing wire rimmed glasses which showed his brown eyes clearly. He had a small beard and his face held a few wrinkles.
"Dr. Loft, good to see you," Gideon greeted.
Dr. Loft stood up and shook Gideon's hand. Unlike Dr. Hallaway, Dr. Loft gave us a tight smile, his posture was not relaxed or welcoming, it was professional and detached. I did not feel comfortable in Dr. Loft's presence likd I had in Dr. Hallaway's.
Without a word, Dr. Loft sat down on the couch while Gideon and I sat across from him. Dr. Loft opened Nico's file and began telling us all the procedures and the survival rate of each procedure. The problem with this doctor was that he was using way too many medical jargons which I couldn't wrap my head around, and instead of easing my worries about the surgery, he first told me all the problems that could occur during the surgery and then told me the how safe the surgery was. I had a feeling not many people were comfortable with this doctor, he was not nice.
But this doctor made my decision easier. After talking to Dr. Loft for twenty minutes, my mind was made up. I was going to have Dr. Hallaway perform on my brother. Sure this doctor was professional, but how could I pick the doctor that constantly had me worried with the information he was giving me, then the doctor who gave me facts but also eased my worries. Dr. Hallaway was my choice, and I'll let Gideon know as soon we went home.
Thankfully, the meeting with Dr. Loft ended quickly. I was only too happy to get away from him. I breathed a sigh of relief when Gideon and I were settled back in our car, and the driver drove out of the parking lot.
"Dr. Hallaway," I said.
"What?"
"I want Dr. Hallaway to do the surgery, I did not like Dr. Loft, too professional and cold. Dr. Hallaway had more successful surgeries than Dr. Loft, right?" I questioned.
"Dr. Hallaway and Dr. Loft are both excellent doctors, but okay, I'll let Dr. Hallaway know that we have decided to go for the surgery and ask about other details," Gideon replied.
I smiled knowing that a good doctor would be dealing with my brother. "Gideon, why were both the doctors in the same hospital?"
"Dr. Hallaway works in the hospital and I requested Dr. Loft to come to the same hospital so we didn't have to waste time in making the trip," Gideon answered.
I nodded and fell silent, thoughts of Nico and his upcoming surgery invading my mind. I felt peace after such a long time, knowing that my brother was actually going to have a future.
Marrying the CEO
Chapter 15
The two weeks passed by in a flurry of activity. As soon as Gideon called Dr. Hallaway telling him about our consent to the surgery, the doctor requested us to bring Nico to the hospital for tests and other medical stuff. In those two weeks we made numerous trips to the hospital, getting all sorts of crazy tests done; then four days ago Dr. Hallaway told us to get Nico admitted in the hospital and to proceed with payment for the surgery, which cost me around twenty thousand pounds. And now, tomorrow was the day Nico would finally have his surgery.
"What time are we going to go see Nico?" I asked Gideon.
"As soon as we have lunch, we'll go see Nico," he replied with a smile.
I nodded but my heart didn't relax. I wanted to go to my brother, who knew how he would be feeling all alone in the hospital. Kieran was with him, but I would feel better knowing I was with my brother. He had called me an hour ago asking when I was going to come, I just told him I would see him soon.
After so many years, so many dreadful hospital visits the day had finally arrived when Nico would have his surgery. I never thought I'd see the day when my brother would get his surgery and be perfectly alright. Now, if all went well and Nico's surgery was a success, he would be able to live his life without the fear of heart failure, and he would finally be a doctor. I'd make sure to send him to a medical college with the remaining fifty thousand pounds and I would get a job as well so I could pay for his tuition. Nico and I just needed to get through tomorrow.
"Can we have lunch early today?" I queried, eager to go to the hospital.
Gideon gave me a look that told me he understood the reason for my restlessness. Closing the file, he was holding in his hands, he made his way over to me. Taking a hold of my shoulders, Gideon turned me to face him. Giving my shoulders a reassuring squeeze he pecked my cheek.
"Nico is fine, little peach; Kieran is with him and trust me he is keeping an eye on your brother. So trust me and trust Kieran, and we'll go see your brother after a couple of hours. It's midday right now, at exactly 2:00 pm, we'll go to the hospital, okay?" He pecked my forehead and gave me a warm hug.
"Okay, it's just…I'm so nervous. I never thought that Nico would get his surgery and have his heart fixed, and now that he is getting surgery and there is a strong possibility that he would be alright…I just…" My hand clutched my necklace tightly.
"I know, little dove, I know," Gideon muttered, running his hand through my hair.
"Thank you so much, Gideon, you have done so much for Nico and me, I can never repay you." I looked up at him. "You know, you can ask me for anything, anything at all and I'll give it to you. I'll give you not one but ten babies if it is what you want; honestly Gideon, you just have to tell me what you want or need from me and I'll give it to you without hesitation," I stated with sincerity.
"Really, I might hold you to your promise, little fairy," Gideon told me, caressing my cheek.
I smiled as my heart skipped a beat. "That's why I made this promise, I want you to hold me to it."
Gideon gave me one those cryptic looks, the one which told me nothing except that he might be thinking hard and deep about something. Kissing my lips, Gideon lightly pinched my cheek and exited the bedroom.
Sighing, I plopped on the bed, my anxiety reaching new heights. I knew Kieran was keeping an eye on my brother; not to mention, there were numerous doctors at the hospital who could take care of my brother much better than I could, but I just couldn't relax knowing that I wasn't with my brother.
When my eyes flitted to the clock, I couldn't help but glare at the stupid ticking machine. The clock read 12:10 pm, the second hour moving with excruciating slowness. No matter how much I willed the machine to move faster, it continued at its snail pace, making me growl in annoyance.
After taking a few deep breaths, I ventured out of my room and in the kitchen. My foul mood only increased when I saw Helga standing, cutting fruits on the counter. I needed time to move faster and the only way to do that was to distract myself. So, I was going to cook something, and I didn't care if anybody had a problem with it.
"You're not supposed to be here, Mrs. Maslow," Helga stated, coming to stand in front of me.
"Helga, I want to cook, so please get out of my way." If this woman did not behave then I wasn't going to either.
"Mr. Maslow has not given you permission to enter the kitchen," she said.
"I don't need his permission, get out of my way." I gritted out.
"If you do not leave this kitchen I would have no choice but to go to Mr. Maslow," she threatened, but what she didn't know was that she could go to the Queen herself and I still wouldn't leave the kitchen. I wanted to cook and I was bloody well going to!
"Fine, go ahead," I said, pushing past her, I made my way to the counter to cook. And when the kitchen door closed behind me, I sighed in relief. Finally, the evil witch was gone.
Taking out a bunch of ingredients from the large pantry I took a few minutes to think about what I wanted to cook. Finally, I decided to go with Chinese rise with chicken almond curry. Quickly chopping up the vegetables, I set about to make lunch.
Throughout the time I was in the kitchen, I did not see Helga, other than when I first came here. It was nice not seeing the evil hag and I finished preparing my meal in no time. I didn't care if Gideon did not like me working in the kitchen, I needed a distraction and no amount of books or even Lily could distract me from my brother's impending surgery—except cooking.
After I was done, I headed out of the kitchen towards the dining room with my rice and curry in hand. Placing the dishes carefully on the table, I sat down on my designated spot and waited for Gideon to join me.
I didn't have to wait long. After twenty minutes, Gideon entered the dining table and sat down in his usual spot. I waited to see if he would say something about me going in the kitchen but he remained quiet, or so I thought.
"Helga told me you were cooking lunch, is it true?" Gideon asked.
"Yes, I needed to distract myself that's why I cooked lunch. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," I replied.
Just then Helga entered followed by a couple of other maids holding a bunch of dishes. As soon as Helga put the dish of food in front of Gideon he spoke up.
"Thank you, Helga, but today I'll be eating what Alice made, you can take this back," he told her.
Helga shot me a glare but didn't say anything, just nodded and exited the dining room. I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. I thought Gideon would not eat what I made, but he rejected Helga's cooking over mine. Maybe Gideon was being my friend or maybe he wanted to see how I cooked, whatever his reason was, I was glad that for once he favored me over Helga.
"You really want to eat what I made?" I couldn't help the happiness dripping from my words.
"Yes, I want to see how my wife cooks. If your food is really delicious I would ban you from cooking in this place," Gideon stated.
"Why would you ban me if my food is delicious?" I questioned with a frown.
"Because I don't want to get used to your cooking, it would be awful if I get addicted to your food and then you leave," he responded, filling his plate with rice and curry.
I chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm your friend now, I'll stay with you forever…maybe not under the same roof but I'll be your friend forever and I'll cook you stuff," I said.
As soon as Gideon took the first bite, he closed his eyes and moaned out loud. The sound had me blushing and my core tightening, it was so erotic. I smiled as I saw him chewing and swallowing the first bite, his eyes still closed.
"That's it, you are officially banned from cooking," Gideon stated, taking another mouthful of the rice and curry.
"The good ban or the bad ban?" I enquired, wanting to know if he liked what I cooked or not.
"The good ban, definitely the good ban. You have magic in your hands, this is truly delicious, little peach," he complimented.
"Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it," I told him.
"I should thank you for cooking me this delicious meal." He smiled and continued eating.
Grabbing the spoon, I put some rice and curry in my plate. After taking a few bites I resumed the conversation.
"Gideon, can we stay the night at the hospital, since tomorrow is Nico's surgery?" I enquired.
Gideon shook his head in response. "I'm sorry, little dove, but we can't; I have a very important meeting tomorrow and I need a good night's sleep," he said.
"You mean, you won't be there with me tomorrow." My heart in sunk knowing I would be alone while my brother is in the OR. "Don't say that, Gideon, you have to be there tomorrow, please," I pleaded.
"Sorry, little fairy, but this meeting is very important, I can't cancel," he responded looking guilty.
Why are you acting all needy?! You have been alone your whole life, you have dealt with horrifying things all alone, so why are you begging him to be there for you?! You are strong. Plus, don't bother him, he has much more important things to do than to hold your hand while the doctors operate on your brother. He has already done so much for you, be thankful to him. My subconscious reprimanded me.
"It's okay, I understand, your work is more important," I said.
"Thank you."
"If you're done eating, should we go to the hospital?" Gideon queried.
I nodded and stood up. "Yes, I'm ready, let's go." Taking Gideon's hand, I led him out of the house. Just one more day, then Nico would be with me.
Yesterday passed by in a blur. When we arrived at the hospital, I spent five hours with Nico while Gideon was busy talking on cell phone or to his brothers. Brenton had come to visit Nico as well along with Mr. Maslow, Gideon's father; they had brought balloons and a couple of stuffed bears for Nico who couldn't stop smiling the whole time. Usually kids are afraid of hospitals but not my brother; he was so exicted that he would be getting his surgery, he couldn't stop talking about it. Due to his immense knowledge on the heart he asked the doctors a lot of questions, resulting in the doctors asking me if he really was only ten years old.
Today was the day when Nico and my life would change once again. Today my brother was going to get a new life and would be able to look forward to a future where he would be helping people.
I had barely slept last night. If it wasn't for Gideon and his meeting I wouldn't have returned from the hospital. But Gideon was my husband and I had to be a good wife to him, so I had left my brother and came back with my husband.
"Can you please hand me my coat, little peach?" Gideon requested.
Grabbing his coat, I helped Gideon slide it on, my mind thinking about Nico's surgery that was due to take place in two hours. I was glad I didn't have to make breakfast for Gideon because today as I was in no condition to cook.
"Hey." Gideon cupped my chin. "Stop this, I'm promise you Nico is going to be fine, he has the best doctors looking after him, okay?" He kissed me tenderly.
I nodded and smiled at him, but my mind was still thinking about Nico. "All the best for your meeting, have a good day," I said to him.
"Let's go, we don't want to be late," Gideon stated, and together we both left the castle to go to our different places.
Once Gideon dropped me off to the hospital, he kissed me deeply and told me to stay strong and to think positive. He then slid inside the car and went to work, while I made my way inside the hospital.
"Hey Nic, how are you?" I said as soon as I entered Nico's room, to see Dr. Hallaway and a few nurses.
"Alice, I'm going to have my surgery in a little while," he stated with a grin.
"Yes you will." I turned to Dr. Hallaway. "Are you taking him for surgery now?" I enquired, seeing the nurses beginning to wheel the bed out the room.
"Yes, we're taking him for surgery now. The surgery is going to take a little while and if all goes well, Nico will have a normal functioning heart by the end of this day," Dr. Hallaway told me with a warm smile.
"This surgery is going to be a success, right?" My anxiety was back full force, my fingers tangling in my necklace once again.
"We have high hopes for this surgery. There is a strong possibility that Nico will make it out of this surgery with a fully functioning heart. You just pray and let us do our work, okay?" Dr. Hallaway squeezed my shoulder in assurance. I nodded and he exited the room with me following behind.
I made my way to the front of the gurney to talk to Nico. "Hey buddy, you ready for this?" I held his hand, comforting myself with the warmth of his hand.
"Yes, no more vegetables and T.V. for me, after today I am going to school and playing outside!" Nico exclaimed.
It was all that was said between us, the nurses took Nico inside the OR and I was left to wait outside. As soon as the doors of the OR closed, I closed my eyes and held on to my necklace, praying for my brother. I just wished that Nico came back to me and did not leave me like everyone else had.
Oh God, please save my brother.
Posted by: bernieberniealtwieser0253349.blogspot.com
Source: https://ciambs.com.ng/2020/06/20/marrying-the-ceo-episode-11-15/
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