Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LET’S BE CIVIL
Sorinah
Where to meet Albert became a dilemma. It took two weeks before her schedule could accommodate him.
Then came the question of where to meet him.
Sorinah did not want him back in her office.
For damn sure he couldn’t come to her house, and she wasn’t going anywhere private where it was just the two of them alone.
They decided on a quiet restaurant not too far from Sorinah’s office. She arrived early and was already seated, stiff-backed and facing the door, when Albert arrived. An expression flickered across his face when he spotted her.
Sorinah’s gaze barely acknowledged him as he approached the table. His smile wavered as he greeted her, and her reply was clipped and controlled.
“Albert.” Her tone was anything but welcoming.
He hesitated before taking his seat.
She’d come straight from work, so her attire was a chocolate brown business pantsuit with a pink camisole, her posture ramrod straight.
His eyes scanned her, and she ignored the blatant admiration in them.
Though she gave herself a mental nod of satisfaction at how far she’d come—it no longer affected her the way it used to.
Now it filled her with annoyance. She didn’t appreciate it.
“So what’s good here?” he asked, picking up the menu with exaggerated interest as he sat down.
The last thing she wanted was to break bread with this man. Sure, they’d chosen a restaurant, but that was out of convenience. Her plan was to order an iced tea and tip ridiculously high to make up for occupying their table. What he ate was the furthest thing from her mind.
She didn’t answer, not that it seemed to bother him; he just kept talking.
“I skipped lunch and am starving. You know what? I’ll start with an appetizer. I can’t seem to pass up spinach dip.” He laughed lightly and set down his menu. “What are you having?”
“Nothing but a drink.” She motioned to her iced tea and water on the table.
“You have to eat something. Come on, my treat.”
Dix, neuf, huit, sept… She had to count in French backwards to keep herself calm and from cussing him out.
“This isn’t a treat of any kind. I don’t need or want you to buy me anything.”
He tsked, his expression falling into exaggerated disappointment. “Let’s not be hostile towards each other. Not when we have a common goal. Let’s be civil.”
There was so much on the tip of her tongue she wanted to unleash, but she bit it back. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and held his gaze in a silent stare-down that made him shift uncomfortably, as if his balls were shrivelling up.
The server stopped by, and he ordered his stupid appetizer, a main, and a drink. No fucking dessert, she thought, rolling her eyes inwardly.
“I meant to tell you; you look fantastic. The whole businesswoman-in-charge vibe suits you.”
His entire ass could rot in hell, she thought bitterly.
He ran a hand over his fade, his discomfort obvious when she didn’t respond.
“The short hair is different. God, you had the most incredible long hair.”
The nerve of this man, casually discussing her hair and the choices she made with her body as if he had any right.
“Why have you decided you wanted to meet Man’nah after all this time?” It felt like too much to share her son’s nickname with this man.
“The name was an interesting choice.”
“My son is named after my father,” she said flatly, though he wasn’t deserving of an explanation. “Anyway.” She steered the conversation back to where she wanted it to go.
The consensus from the people who cared most about her had been to control this meeting, get what she wanted from it, and walk away when it no longer served her. No more letting her emotions get in the way.
The server brought out the dip along with two plates.
“Please help yourself.” He gestured to the serving plate.
“You were about to tell me why you’ve shown up after all this time.”
He looked at the pita chips, carefully selected one, and scooped up some dip. He leaned forward. “First, I want to apologise again.”
“Your apology isn’t required. Are you going to answer my question, or should I head home?”
“I had to choose between my marriage and my child. After what I had put my wife through, while it was a hard decision, it felt like I had to choose her.”
Something about what he was saying didn’t ring true, but she would not question him about it.
“Okay, but that doesn’t answer why you are here now.”
Watching him eat was irritating, especially when it meant she had to wait for his response, or when it drew out the moment.
“The choice weighed heavily on me, and I didn’t think I could do anything about it until now. You see, my wife and I are going through a divorce.”
His expression was the one people gave when bracing for sympathy. Albert would die waiting for any from her.
“So now that it’s convenient for you, you want to meet Man’nah.”
“It was complicated. A near-impossible situation, but yes, I want to meet my only son.”
Ah, she hadn’t realised Mars was his only son. So, was this a vanity play? One of possession? Did he think Mars would fill some kind of legacy void?
“Have you thought about how this will affect him?”
“Yes. A boy needs his father.”
“It would have been nice if you had thought so over the last sixteen years, but he hasn’t lacked positive male role models who are there for him.”
“While I applaud you and them, we both know it isn’t the same thing. I wish I had been a better man. My father was there for me.”
And you still turned out a shit stain, she thought, her jaw clenching.
So much for a father’s influence. God, she wanted to say it, but it would make it seem like she didn’t appreciate and understand how a good father could positively influence their children, help mold them into wonderful human beings.
When nothing could be further from the truth.
In some ways, she revered fathers. Despite her own not playing the biggest role in her life—first because of his adoration for his work and her mother, then his passing.
But Sorinah saw examples of amazing fathers all around her.
Vickram’s dad had raised wonderful children, then stepped in to give the Rowland sisters love, guidance, and a shoulder to lean on.
Vickram was a phenomenal dad as well. Aldrich and Ambrose’s dad, too.
Those men poured into their children. Yes, children thrived with that kind of love and devotion.
Albert’s father was a wealthy, boorish man who raised a useless, selfish man-child lacking in human decency.
Why would she want this man around her son again? What, because of DNA?
She felt so conflicted. Did he think he could come into her son’s life and play dad after all this time?
“What kind of relationship do you think you can have with him?” Sorinah inquired.
“Don’t worry, I’m not looking to come into his life and take over.
I hope we can get to know each other and develop a friendship.
There is so much I would like to get to know about him, and I hope I can share some things with him too.
” For the first time, he sounded sincere, as if this wasn’t some performance.
After they spoke for half an hour, Sorinah was open to speaking to Mars about Albert.
“I’m not making any promises. Give me some time to mull over everything we’ve discussed.”
“I get that. You are his mom and are protective of him, as you should be. Even if you aren’t sure yet, I’d love to know more about him. The things he enjoys. I know you’re ready to get out of here, but let’s meet again. I’d love for you to catch me up.”
When she thought she already had enough to think about, he piled on more.