Chapter Sixteen
MICHAEL
Through the large mirror on the wall of my bedroom closet, I took one last look at my appearance.
I didn't look much different from my day-to-day self in this current CEO version of myself, wearing an elegant suit, the kind I didn't usually wear at home. But the occasion called for it, after all.
Even if it was all a big hoax.
“Who in their right mind wouldn’t marry me?” I asked. But I wasn’t necessarily alone.
Sitting on the floor next to me, my dog Apollo looked at me curiously through the reflection in the mirror.
“Don't worry, Apollo, it's just a joke. We're not going to get a new human. The woman who will be able to tame me is yet to be born.”
“Honey, I'm coming in,” my mother's voice invaded the room and I groaned.
“Our old human is enough, right? No more women in charge of our lives, big boy.”
My mother reached the closet door and stopped, looking at me curiously. She looked very elegant in a long dress and her best jewelry, but that was nothing new either.
Despite having retired from the cameras many years ago, Trinity Turner was still an icon of fame and beauty. She had made her debut in a Hollywood film as a girl, at the age of fifteen, and since then she has achieved great fame and fortune, even receiving an Oscar nomination.
Whenever asked why she stopped making films at such a young age – still in her early forties – she would say that she did it to dedicate herself to her marriage and three children.
But I knew that what forced her to do it was the pressure exerted by my father, who had never really accepted his wife's career.
And I thought that was absolutely absurd.
After his death, I tried to encourage her to return, but she responded by saying that the routine on a film set was very tiring.
“You're early, mom,” I commented, since she didn't say anything.
“I'm here. So that we can both talk and you can tell me what this crazy story is about you getting engaged.”
I looked back in the mirror, as I adjusted my tie.
“Actually, we're already engaged. I already asked, and she already accepted, we’re just make it official with our families.”
“For the love of God, Michael, you're not going to tell me you got another girl pregnant?”
I almost laughed. Her doubt made perfect sense, because I've never been a guy who, at any point in my life, has shown myself willing to commit to serious relationships.
“No, Mom, I didn't get her pregnant. Your only granddaughter is still Alice, and very soon she will be here at home.”
“I already told you that Alice will be very welcome, but she can call me aunt.
I think 'grandmother' is too harsh, I'm too young for that.” She’s sixty, although she looked like she was in her early fifties.
But she told everyone she was forty-five.
“But where did this girl come from, anyway?
I think you have a lot of explaining to do to me, since all this came out of nowhere.
I was with you less than fifteen days ago and you didn't mention anything about being in a relationship.”
“It's just... we wanted to keep it a secret.” I already had the entire script ready and rehearsed. Written and directed by Ms. Janet herself. “She was afraid that people would think she was a gold digger.”
“I know. The old cliché of the prince and the commoner...”
“Actually, it's more like another cliché...” I took a deep breath, I already knew my mother wouldn't take that part well. “The boss and employee.”
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She was probably replaying a movie in her head.
My father had never been faithful. He had, practically since their marriage, had the habit of cheating on her with employees of the company. As expected, this obviously caused her some trauma.
“Is the woman blackmailing you, son? Is that it?” That's what some of my late old man's many lovers had done.
“No, mom... there was no threat. I just like her, she likes me, and we're going to get married.”
“Out of nowhere, my son? You've always been a guy who got involved with a lot of women, but you've never made any serious commitments.”
“I was that guy, Mom. Now I'm willing to change, to be more responsible, you know.”
“Yes, I know. To get custody of Alice. Anyway, son, don't get me wrong. I just find it a bit unusual, this idea of you being in love.”
The impact of the last word made me put more force into the hand that was adjusting my tie, making me feel suddenly suffocated. I had to cough a few times to recover.
In love... did I really have to use that damn, fanciful term?
Deciding to end the matter, I accompanied my mother downstairs, and Apollo accompanied us to the living room. There was no time for much conversation, as the doorbell soon rang. One of my housekeepers went to answer it.
Sebastian arrived, accompanied by Bonnie, his wife.
Anyone who looked at my sister-in-law would never have guessed that she was going through a difficult phase with her health.
She had undergone heart surgery and was expected to need another one in a few months, but she had a lot of vitality.
This made the whole family optimistic about the whole situation.
My brother held her hand with an affection that was visible to anyone. Sebastian was completely in love with that woman, and I couldn't even imagine how he would be without her.
After exchanging greetings, Bonnie sat on the couch next to my mother and the two began to talk, while my brother pulled me to a corner of the room.
“So, Mike, are you going to tell me what's really going on?” he asked quickly.
“You know what's going on, Sebastian. I'm going to introduce my fiancée to you.”
“Are you in trouble... again? Did you get another woman pregnant?”
Had he and our mother agreed on those questions?
“No. She's not pregnant. We just... want to get married. Like all the other people who... want to get married. Like you and Bonnie when you... you know... wanted to get married.”
“Your voice cracks when you talk about wanting to get married.”
“I’ve always thought that, out of the three of us, you were the brother who believed in... you know... this whole marriage thing.”
“And you're the one who believes it the least. You've always hated relationships. Let's face it, Mike, you're a player.”
“I hope you don't say such things in front of my lovely fiancée.”
I tried to sound convincing in my praise for my fiancée, but my brother was visibly unconvinced.
“You told me in a message that she is an office employee. You didn't try to follow in our father’s footsteps, sleep with her and now you're being threatened, right?”
I hated being compared to my father. But I tried not to focus on it and just replied. “No, Sebastian. No one is being threatened. And she doesn't even need it. She's one of the best architects there. She was responsible for a project for a condominium, which turned out incredible.”
“Sure. She may not be pregnant, nor may she be threatening you, but I still think there is something suspicious behind this sudden engagement.”
“There's nothing suspicious. But tell me, how is Bonnie?”
He smiled. “She's dealing with all of this very well. It's a difficult treatment, with a heavy load of medications, and yet she's so strong.”
“That's great, brother. You'll soon be able to take your place in the office again.”
“What's the rush? I thought you were doing well as CEO.”
“I’ve only agreed to this because of Alice, you know. I can't wait for you to come back.”
“Even though Bonnie says she's fine, I want to be around for the rest of her treatment, so I'll probably only return to the company after she's had and recovered from her next and final surgery.”
“Is there a date for this?”
“The surgery will be at the end of the year, shortly after your wedding. It will be great so that we don't miss the party because she is in the post-operative period.”
They would never take that risk, since there would be no party at all.
To my relief, I didn't need to answer that, because at that moment the doorbell rang again. We all looked at the door, seeing Camila Collins enter, accompanied by a lady – certainly her grandmother.
When she walked in, I felt myself freeze for a few moments, completely speechless at the sight before me.
The first time I had seen her, she had also been wearing an elegant dress like that, although the one at the company party had been black and the one now was pastel blue.
But now, perhaps because we were in a calmer environment and without the curious fact that had caught my attention that day – the uncontrolled way she was drinking – I was able to pay more attention to her, and. ..
Holy crap!
Her reddish hair fell in waves over her shoulders, contrasting with her pale skin, and the dress molded perfectly to the contours of her body.
The woman was so beautiful. Exactly the type I’d love to take to bed.
I had taken her, after all. Even though all we did was sleep.
Which was a huge waste.
My mother hurried to get up and go greet her, accompanied by Bonnie. Sebastian patted my shoulder, breaking me out of my trance, before going forward to greet the newcomers as well.
I joined them, first going to speak to Camila's grandmother.
“Are you Jenna Collins?” I was actually pretty good at remembering names.
Earlier that day, Camila had texted me some information she thought was important, so that I wouldn’t give anything away during dinner and so that our families would believe that we had actually been together for a few weeks.
“It’s a great pleasure, Camila always talks a lot about you. ”
I kissed the back of her hand, and she smiled.
“Oh, my dear, the pleasure is entirely mine. I've been looking forward to meeting you ever since Cami told me about you. She told me you were handsome, but by God, I never imagined you’d be this handsome.”
“Grandma!” I heard Camila's voice scolding her, but I confess that I had to contain my laughter.
So, she had told her grandmother that I was handsome? Interesting...
Jenna commented, “Your house is so beautiful. Oh, and Trinity Turner, it's so nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan. ‘Fated by Surprise’ is one of my all-time favorite movies.”
My mother's ego still swelled whenever anyone praised her work, especially for the film that almost won her an Oscar for best actress.
“Oh, thank you, dear. But just call me Trinity, please. We are family now.”
“Oh, and who is this nice boy?” Mrs. Jenna asked, referring to Apollo. And I didn't even need to introduce him, because she went ahead and approached him.
When I looked at Camila, however, I noticed that her reaction was completely opposite to her grandmother's. Her eyes widened and all the blood in her face seemed to drain away as she took a few steps back.
I went to her to see if she was okay.
“Is there a problem?” I remembered that I hadn't mentioned to her that I had a dog, while she gave me a complete report about herself, including talking about her cat.
It had a food name. I found it curious.
However, I remembered that I didn't tell her about it precisely because I imagined that she already knew.
“You asked me yourself, that day at the party, if my dog was dying, remember?” I commented.
“It was a figure of speech,” she countered. “I mean, I knew you had a husky, but... I didn't realize he'd be here.”
I didn't remember mentioning my dog's breed to her at any point in the conversation. But I let it go.
“Obviously, he's right here. Is there a problem? He's quite tame, if that's what you're afraid of.”
“That’s what everyone says.” She took another step back when he made a more abrupt movement. However, he was just excited by the attention he was getting from the other two women.
“That's what you say when you have a tame dog. Listen, what's the problem?”
She took a breath to answer, but her grandmother's voice spoke louder, “Oh, dear, he's adorable. No wonder you came here other times even though he has a dog in the house.”
I looked back at Camila.
“Have you come here other times?”
“Of course,” she whispered back. “We’re engaged. Do you think my grandmother would be convinced if I didn’t tell her that we’ve been dating for a while now?”
It made sense. But the dog part was still a bit confusing.
“And what's the problem with dogs, anyway?”
“I kind of... I have some traumas.”
“Seriously? Have you been bitten?”
“Yes, when I was a child. He was furious, he almost killed me.”
Wow... that was really bad.
“I'm sorry. But you really don't need to be afraid of Apollo. He's very docile.”
“I’ve already told you: that's what every dog owner says.”
“Yes, but I suppose this time you have no choice but to believe. You told your grandmother that you've been here before, and my dog lives here, so...”
Without waiting for an answer, I simply turned around and walked over to where my mom and Jenna were still playing with Apollo.
Sebastian and Bonnie were next to them. I insisted that everyone sit down, and they did so.
Camila came right behind us, never taking her eyes off Apollo, as if he was going to attack her at any moment.
Not even if she was completely wrapped in pieces of pepperoni.
The mental image of that thought wasn't bad at all, after all.