Unexpected 67

Chapter 67
At the office building
Ryland stepped into his office building after a long drive with his chauffeur, and still the damaging pictures were in his blazer pocket. He felt as though the envelope was burning a hole through him, but he still had to remain calm. He was the, boss after all, and any sign of weakness would alert the employees that he was an incapable leader and he could not lead his employees. Just as he walked into the building, the energy around the building changed. Everyone was stunned upon seeing that he arrived thirty minutes late to the office, which was very much unlike Ryland.
He walked through the building, and everyone pretty much grreted him with nothing less than respect and Ryland like that. In the past, such respect had made him feel big, but now he felt nothing and wanted nothing more than to be back home with Amanda and care for her until she delivers the baby.
“Good morning, sir? One of his employees walked beside them until they both entered the elevator, and the door shut.
“Have you moved up my meetings?” Ryland asked. He said it, his voice deep and demanding, just like the boss he was. Although he did not look at the employee directly, he could see from his peripheral vision that she was looking through her diary and making sure that she knew what she was about to say. In the past, Ryland had made it completely clear that he hated incompetent employees who could not do their work diligently.
“I have moved your meeting up to an hour or more, but there’s a bigger issue.” The employee told him, and just then, Ryland turned his head and faced his rib cage. He wanted to know what had happened since he had left the office. His mind worried that Sofie had come into his office and made a scene, and if she did, it was only about time before Amanda found out about what happened between him and Sophie in Bali.
“What happened?” he asked, concerned.
“Well, so your mother’s here.” The employee responded in a low voice, to which Ryland raised an eyebrow, confused as to why his mother was here in the very first place.
“My mother?” he asked himself, and then his mind raced, thinking of all the reasons that his mother would want to visit him at his office. “Did she say why she was visiting?” He asked.
The young employee simply shook her head from left to right, indicating that she did not know a single thing. Just then, Ryland rolled his eyes at her. He knew that if it were Amanda, she would have gotten to the very bottom of things, and she’d find out why his mother was visiting him in the very first place.
It was moments like this where Ryland missed Amanda’s sufficientness and quick thinking. She had managed to get information and think ahead of everyone else, but Ryland also knew that he could not call her to come work because very soon she would deliver their baby, and the last thing she needed was stress.
“How long ago did my mother arrive?” he asked.
“Well, sir, she’s been here for over an hour and has drunk about four cups of coffee.”
“Four cups of coffee?” he asked. The young woman responded by nodding her head in agreement.
Ryland’s mind continuously paced; his mother has never been a fan of coffee, and for her to have four cups of coffee was a clear indication that something was definitely wrong. Whatever it was, Ryland hoped that it had nothing to do with his trip to Bali because he feared what his mother would think of him if she had to find out.
The doors to the elevators opened, Ryland wasted no time before walking to his office, and just as he got to his door, he let out the breath, unlocked the door, and entered. Just like the secretary had said, his mother was sitting in his office.
There his mother sat; instead of sitting on the visitor’s chair, she had made herself completely comfortable by sitting in Ryland’s own office chair, looking directly at him as he walked into the office.
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Chapter 67
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Good morning. Mother,” Ryland greeted his mother before clean his throat and making his way toward his office desk.
“If anyone had told me that my son would be late for work, I would never have believed them.” His mother said, and just then, her lips curled into a smile as she stood up from Ryland’s office chair, walked around the table, and then hugged her son. Feeling his mother’s tight hug, he too reciprocated the hug Ryland remembered being young and receiving sweet hugs from his mother, and he had to admit that he missed that. Once his mother pulled away, she playfully punched him in the
arm.
“Ouch!” Ryland pretended that he was hurt by his mother’s actions.
“You are such a cruel son. You had arrived one week ago from Bali, and you had not even informed your mother that you were back. What kind of son are you?” She asked him, and from her eyes, he could tell that she was hurt by his actions.
“My apologies, mother. There was just so much going on, and not even the thought of informing both you and your father came through my head. I must say that I apologize for my actions,” he said. Even though his mother’s facial features softened. Ryland still felt that there was still a long way before his mother could forgive him for not informing him of their
return.
“Well, you will have to do more than apologize to me, and besides, why are you late this morning?” She asked, looking into his eyes as if she were reading him, to find signs of him telling lies.
“Well, mother, that daughter-in-law of yours is tubborn, and she refused for me to leave for work, and that is why I needed to bribe her before coming all the way here,” Ryland explained, and just then, he cracked a smile, and his mother reciprocated the smile as well..
“I see that you love birds enjoyed your trip to Bali.” His mother commented before winking at him. Just then, Ryland laughed aloud once he realized what his mother was trying to say to him without using words.
“Mother, that is enough. I know what you’re thinking; however, your daughter-in-law is about to deliver very soon, and you’ll be a grandmother. I suggest you behave yourself,” Ryland playfully scolded his mother, to which his mother’s lips curled into
a smile.
Standing there and looking at bis motehr, Ryland was pleased that he was blessed with such an understanding mother and the thought that he was lying to her about his marriage to Amanda scarred him.
Ryland watched as his mother walked closer to him, lifted her hand, and cupped his face. “I am so proud of you, you know. After the incident with Sophie, I never thought that he would be you again, but I can see that Amanda makes you truly happy. She said it in a low voice, and she was trying her best to contain all the emotion that she was feeling in that very
moment.
Ryland felt a range of emotions as he looked down at his mother, but he could see the destruction that Sofie had caused to his family, and then he looked away from his mother. There was no use thinking about the pain that Sophie had brought to him. He was beginning a new life with a wife and child on the way, and the last thing he needed was for Sophie to bring him back to the past. He had struggled for years to escape from it, and Ryland refused to allow Sofie to drag him back to that past again.
“Mother, I think it’s best that we never speak about Sofie again; she’s no longer part of my life, and I do not want to linger and think about things that happened a few years ago,” he informed his mother, who agreed by nodding her head.
“Yes, my son, you are absolutely right. We do not need to think about Sophie any longer; she is dead to us.” His mother responded happily before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheeks as she stepped back. “I just came to see how everything is going between you and my daughter-in-law, but as I can see, she is on maternity leave and not in the office with you. I have to take my leave now.”
“Okay, mother, I will walk you out.”
“No, you will not do such things. I might be old, but I can walk myself out,” Ryland’s mother said before walking out of his office and shutting the door behind her. Once his mother exited his office, Ryland smiled at himself, but the smile quickly faded as if he remembered that the envelope was still with him. He turned around to walk back to his office chair when he beard the sound of his door opening. He quickly turned around thinking that it was his mother, but just as he saw the
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