Chapter 52: The jealous type
"Caleb, slow down." She shouted, afraid that the little boy might stumble and get hurt.
Although the young boy was recovering quite well from his illness, his body was still frail.
Her thoughts drifted unexpectedly to her own child—the boy she never got to see open his eyes or take his first breath.
"Edison." Naming her child after her grandfather, as she honored his memory.
The doctors said that Edison had died of a heart defect. Suddenly, she wondered if, had she only had the resources, just like the Morton family had, would her son be alive today?
"Mom, I have to catch up with Kenji." He shrilled with laughter as his short legs ran after the dog as fast as he could.
His young, excited voice pulled her back from her trance, making her look up and watch the little boy’s stride move faster.
Suddenly, she remembered the dream she and Oliver once had. They had promised to build a family. Have kids, at least four. Have a house, just a simple one with a white picket fence. And have a dog that would run around the garden with their children.
"Watch out." She yelled when she noticed a big rock on the boy’s path.
With breath caught in her chest, she waited for the tragedy to unfold, but thankfully, the dog turned back and somehow stopped Caleb before he tripped on the rock.
The dog must have heard her and instinctively protected his young master.
The dream seemed to have come true, but not exactly the way she had imagined it.
Could she consider this the real thing as she suddenly remembered her husband’s words?
Could she build a family with Oliver and Caleb as Sophia?
Could she abandon her plans of revenge and just continue with this lie?
"Don’t fret too much." Smooth hands suddenly touched her bare shoulders from behind, almost making her jump out of her skin. "Or you will have a heart attack."
When she turned around, she gradually relaxed as she found her sister-in-law standing behind her. Loosely tied hair, friendly eyes, and a cheeky smile adorned her face.
"I just don’t want Caleb to get hurt." She said, calming her nerves from the mild scare.
"Don’t worry, he’s a Morton. He’s tougher than you think." Marianne moved closer, more in her line of sight.
"Yeah, you’re right." Caleb had Morton’s blood. Maybe she should stop acting like the overbearing mother goose, always afraid that her stepson was made of glass that could easily break.
"Anyway, I want you to meet my cousin," Marianne said, turning her head behind her shoulder.
That was the only time she noticed a man standing behind her sister-in-law.
When the man stepped forward, she immediately recognized him. She believed she had met him before.
"Sophia Maddison, right?" It appeared he also remembered her when he spoke before Marianne could introduce them.
"Wait..." She stared at their guest, trying to match his face with a name. Then, her eyes widened as she finally recalled where she had seen him before. "Of course, Mr. Aaron Genairo... From New York Fashion Week."
Marianne also looked surprised as she looked from her to the man standing before her. "You two know each other." Pointing her finger between them.
"Yeah! We met that night. Mr. Genairo was our VIP guest." She told Marianne, explaining how she knew him. "Well, it’s nice to meet you again." She extended her hand for a handshake.
If she remembered correctly, Mr. Genairo owned several leading fashion brands that were trending in the market for the last couple of years. However, she was not aware that he was related to the Morton family.
"No need to be too formal. I heard that you are family now." Instead of shaking her hand, he pulled her hand into his lips, grazing her knuckles like a true gentleman.
"And they said chivalry died long ago." She jokingly said, but she remembered that it was exactly how he greeted her that night. She believed he was just being his usual charming self.
If her memory served her right, now that she had full recollection of that night, he was also very vocal about his intentions. He didn’t miss the opportunity to make a pass at her during the after-party celebration.
While enjoying a few drinks with her friends, Mr. Genairo joined them. After talking and dancing with him, he whispered something in her ear.
The usual line. "Do you want to get out of here? I know a quiet place where we can talk."
Although she found him attractive, charming, and a total catch, she declined his offer and walked away. He was not the first man who offered to take her home that night, and he was not the last. But she never had any interest in one-night stands or relationships, for that matter.
"I guess there’s no need for any introduction." Marianne shrugged her shoulders as she and her cousin joined her at the table.
"I don’t forget a beauty if I see one. And call me Aaron." Again, he put on all the charms with that gorgeous smile and deep dimples that seemed to light up his eyes.
No wonder women fell on their feet at this man’s presence. She had to admit, he was indeed beautiful.
"Then, call me Sophia." If he’s family, then there was no harm in that.
But from the glint in his eyes and that mischievous smile on his lips, she could tell that he hadn’t completely forgotten about her as well.
"At any rate, when I mentioned that you’ll be joining the Morton Group as Oliver’s new assistant, he insisted on formally meeting you," Marianne informed her, but paused when a maid came over to serve them fresh drinks and snacks.
"It’s only right that I should pay respect to Oliver’s wife. I hope you don’t mind if I wasn’t able to attend your wedding. I was away at the time on an important business trip." Aaron sincerely apologized as he drank the juice, probably to quench his thirst.
The weather was slightly warm that afternoon. Not too hot to burn her skin, but enough to make her sweat.
"Oh, we understand. The wedding happened too hastily, so we didn’t expect many would be able to come." She politely made her excuse, even though she had no idea if he was even invited. After all, she had nothing to do with the list of invitees.
"You two talk about business while I play with Caleb and his new companion," Marianne said, tapping them both on the shoulders before she ran toward the little boy who had been running around and laughing with the dog’s antics.
"So, where is your darling husband?" Aaron asked, looking around the backyard as if Oliver would magically appear. "I haven’t seen my cousin for a while."
From the way the cousins had interacted, she could tell they were close. Now, she wondered if it was the same with her husband.
As far as she could remember, she had not met this man back in the days when she had been dating Oliver. But what did she expect? Oliver must be ashamed to introduce his fat girlfriend to his family and friends.
That was in the past. That was Amelia Clarke. Not Sophia Maddison.
"He must be in his office. You know how he is." She nonchalantly said, acting as if she truly knew her husband. But did she, really?
After Oliver and Caleb showed up at the front door when she arrived, he excused himself to receive a phone call and locked himself in his private office. She had not seen him since then.
Meanwhile, she took Caleb and the dog to the backyard so the two could get to know each other.
"I guess old habits are hard to break," Aaron said, appearing to be quite familiar with her husband’s workaholic behavior.
Oliver had always been serious, intelligent, hardworking, determined, and obsessed with perfection. It was the reason he had always excelled in class and his other activities.
It was also why she had been attractive to him. "I’m glad you’re not just a dumb jock." She had once told him. He was not the typical athlete who couldn’t get his grades above the bare minimum.
"Well, he has an empire to run." She reminded him.
As far as she knew, the Morton Group was one of the biggest companies in the world. Then, her husband also had his Mafia organization, the Iron Hand Cartel.
"Still, now that he’s married with a son, he should be slowing down." Aaron turned to gaze at Caleb before shifting his attention to her. "Especially, if he is married to a beautiful woman like you." His voice turned low, gravelly, and flirtatious, boldly teasing her with his words.
It was obvious he was putting on the charms as he leaned closer to her chair.
For an unknown reason, she didn’t feel threatened by his advances. Not before. Not now. She believed he was harmless. He was just a natural flirt, but didn’t mean any harm.
"Ahem!" Then, a voice, out of nowhere, echoed behind her. Automatically, her body jerked away from Aaron as if she was guilty of being caught with her hand on the cookie jar.
"Aaron, I wasn’t aware that you’re back in town." Her husband’s words reached her ears at the same time that she felt his fingers digging into her shoulders. It was not painful, but it was firm.
If she was not mistaken, she believed he was marking his territory.
Wait! Was he jealous?
"I just arrived this morning. I thought I should drop by." Aaron greeted his cousin as her husband joined them at the table. For a few minutes, they talked about the business, while she listened. Occasionally, she would say a thing or two, but most of the time, she just watched their interaction.
Eventually, Marianne and Caleb returned to the table, followed by Kenji, tailing closely behind them.
Soon, Aaron finally excused himself.
"I’m pleased that you’ll be joining the Morton Group. I guess I’ll be seeing you more in the office." Aaron said, sounding sincerely glad.
For a split second, she noticed the scowl that appeared on her husband’s face, but he quickly masked it with a forced smile.
Seriously, was her husband the jealous type?
Honestly, she had not seen this side of him before. But then again, Amelia was fat then. Who else would be interested in her?
But now, as Sophia?
