BXBX NOVEL Chapter 446: Your Mother
Chapter 446: Your Mother
By the time Lucy and Aaron arrived at Harry's office, Harry was already inside his office, standing by the window and looking outside as he waited for his father to arrive."Good morning, sir. You're welcome, please come with me," she said with a polite smile as she stepped away from her seat.
"I will be waiting out here. Don't worry, everything will be fine," Lucy assured Aaron with a bright smile as she squeezed his hand assuringly even though her stomach was churning with anxiety and her heart was beating really fast.
Although Aaron was feeling very anxious and he was scared to go in, he gave Lucy a nod before following Harry's secretary to the office.
Harry's secretary had observed the exchange between Lucy and Aaron, and she couldn't help but be curious about the relationship between them and why Lucy wanted to wait outside. What were they going to talk about? She wondered as she knocked on Harry's door.
Harry turned his attention from the window when his secretary knocked on the door just once before pushing it open, "Your father is here, Mr. Jonas," Harry's secretary announced with a bright smile as she held the door open for Aaron to walk in.
"Thank you," Harry said with a curt nod before looking at his father with a blank expression as he walked into the office.
"What would you like me to serve?" She asked Harry and Aaron curiously, but they both shook their head.
"Thank you. We are fine," Harry said, and somehow the secretary could sense the tension in the office so she excused herself.
Before she could return to her desk, Lucy cleared her throat to get her attention, "Please, if you don't mind could you go over to Mr. Hank's office to wait for a bit? I will call you when they are done," Lucy said with a polite smile.
She didn't know how Harry was going to react to it, and in case he yelled or something, she didn't want anyone to get wind of what was happening between father and son. That was always how rumors started.
Harry's secretary frowned at her, "But..."
"Please do as she said," Tom said as he walked into the office.
"I was coming to get you anyway. There's a kid in my office I want to introduce you to. I need you to help me babysit him after I leave for my next meeting if you don't mind. You could take whatever you need with you to my office," Tom said, and the secretary gave Tom a nod as she gathered the things on her desk before heading for the door to join Tom.
"I will be out here waiting for Aaron," Lucy said when Tom gave her a questioning look.
Tom gave her a nod, "I will join you after I've introduced her to Jamal," Tom assured Lucy before walking away.
Immediately after Tom left with Harry's secretary, Lucy went to stand by the door, and she pressed her ear against it so that she could hear what they were talking about, but it seemed like Harry's office was soundproof just like Tom's office and she couldn't hear anything. With a dejected sigh, she lowered herself to one of the seats in the office while silently praying that things would go smoothly.
Inside the office, Harry remained standing and didn't bother to sit down even as Aaron moved further into the office. His heart ached when he recognized the worry lines on Aaron's face. It seemed like his father had gotten older in the last couple of days. What secret could make his usually bold and carefree father look so anxious and insecure?
"I'm sorry I came here without calling you first," Aaron said apologetically as he stood by the desk looking at him uncertainly.
"You don't have to apologize for coming to your son's office. Did you have breakfast and take your medication before leaving the house?" Harry asked grudgingly as he watched his father, wishing that things didn't have to be so awkward between them.
Aaron shook his head, "How do you expect me to eat after you left the way you did? But you don't have to worry, I took my medication," Aaron assured him, and Harry gave him a nod.
"Why did you come?" Harry asked quietly before glancing at his wristwatch. He was supposed to be leaving for his next appointment at the airline.
"I want to talk with you. Can you talk right now? I could wait if you are busy right now," Aaron offered, and Harry's heart ached as he looked at his father's.
As important as the meeting at the airline was, hearing his father out was more important to him. He wanted everything to be out in the open so he could go back to having a pleasant relationship with his father and friends. More importantly, he wanted his father to get over whatever it was and be fine.
"Give me a minute," he said as he dialed his secretary's line.
"Place all my appointments on hold until I tell you otherwise, and put a call to that effect across to everyone I'm supposed to meet," Harry instructed, and then he hung up the call and looked at his father.
"We can talk now," Harry said as he went to sit on one of the sofas in the office. He didn't want to make his father uncomfortable by sitting behind his desk like it was an official meeting.
Aaron had never felt more anxious in his life than he did at that moment as he walked over to where Harry was seated and sat down on the sofa opposite him.
Aaron's eyes were filled with tears as he looked down at his hands which were trembling, and Harry had a frown on his face as he looked at his father wondering just how bad his secret was.
All of Harry's anger and resentment were forgotten the moment he saw a tear fall from his father's eyes. He rose from his seat immediately and went to sit beside his father.
"What is the problem, dad?" Harry asked with a concerned frown, hating that his father was this way.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I never planned for things to happen this way. I'm so sorry," Aaron cried, unable to control himself or his emotions as his whole body shuddered with a sob.
Although Aaron had always taught him that expressing emotions wasn't a gender thing, and a man had as much right as a woman to cry and express himself in any way he felt comfortable doing so, Harry had never seen his father cry, and seeing him this way bothered him a lot more than he could say.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me," Aaron cried, and Harry felt his heart break for his father as he placed his arms around him.
"Stop crying, dad. Calm down. Whatever it is you can tell me about it. We will figure it out together," Harry murmured as he embraced him.
Aaron remained silent for some time as he tried to pull himself together, and Harry handed him his handkerchief, "You can talk to me," Harry assured him, and Aaron looked up at him with teary eyes.
"I'm sorry," Aaron said as he shut his eyes.
"Quit apologizing and just tell me what it is," Harry said calmly, and Aaron gave him a nod as he opened his eyes.
"The person who has been calling... I mean the person who called the last time you received my phone call. Her name is Sara," Aaron said, and Harry gave him a nod, urging him to go on.
There was no need to tell him that he knew her name and about their meeting at the restaurant or the fact that he knew she looked identical to his mother and he had asked someone to investigate her. It was better this way. He preferred to hear everything directly from his father.
"Who is she to you?" Harry asked quietly.
"Sara is--- she is---," unable to bring himself to say the words, Aaron closed his eyes tightly, and raised a trembling hand to his chest.
His heart was beating fast as though it would burst, and at the same time, his heart ached for fear of what would come after now.
"Who is she?" Harry asked again calmly as he took his father's trembling hands and held them firmly to calm him.
"Your mother," Aaron said, and immediately Harry stiffened.
"She is your mother. She is not dead as I told you. I lied to you," Aaron said, and even though Harry's first instinct was to stand up and move away from Aaron, he didn't.
"I'm sorry," Aaron said, and even though his heart was beating fast as he waited for Harry to react or speak, he felt like a load had been lifted off his shoulders.