Chapter 5: Chapter Five

Drake sat at his mahogany desk, bathed in the warm glow of lamplight as he sifted through stacks of daily reports on his vast assortment of assets. The faint scent of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, courtesy of his secretary who had just left the room. As he delved deeper into the financial details, his intercom buzzed, jolting him out of his concentration and back to reality.

"Mr. Alston?" Grace called, her voice echoing over the scratchy intercom.

Letting out sigh at the interruption, Drake placed the report down on his desk, beside his coffee mug, and picked up his phone. "Yes, Grace?" He answered.

"There's someone in the lobby who would like to see you, she says she's your mother?"

What the fuck? Drake's brow furrowed in puzzlement. What would his mother being doing here, at his company?

"Ummm... Mr. Alston?" called out, worried the line had dropped.

"Err..Yeah. Sorry, Grace. Please send her in."

He quickly ended the call and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself before his mother barged into his office. He forced his body to relax, crossing his arms in an attempt to appear calm and collected. But inside, he was a mess of nerves, his heart pounding and palms already damp with sweat. Every interaction with his mother left him on edge, and he couldn't escape the feeling of dread that washed over him at the mere thought of her.

Not even minutes after he hung up the phone, his secretary, Grace, opened the door, and in walked his mother in all of her glory. She still looked the same as she did, when he'd left home all those years ago. Her hair cut short, in a sleek platinum blonde bob. Her face still firm and tight, not a wrinkle in sight. She was wearing a professional business suit. Her suit jacket and skirt perfectly tailored to fit her body. Just the skirt alone probably cost more than poor Grace's salary, who was payed extremely well for a secretary. Diane's outfit was finished off with a pair of glitzy pumps. Anyone who knew Diane, knew she always had a pair on. She looked immaculate, which was to be expected of the matriarch of the Alston family. Perfection was the Alston family motto.

Drake's brow furrowed as he noticed his mother's face seemed tighter than usual. It was a clear sign that she'd just undergone her botox treatment. Most people wouldn't have noticed, since his mother went to the best cosmetic surgeon in the world, but Drake had seen his mother after her botox surgery often enough to notice the signs. His mother always waited at least a week after any cosmetic procedure before going out in public. This visit must be important, at least to her. if she was breaking her routine.

Diane Amelia Alston walked n with a devilish smile on her face, practically purring in delight when she took in the sight of her son. "Drake, my darling boy. It's so delightful to see you." She crooned as walked toward him with her arms widespread.

Every time she put on her act, Drake's blood boiled with rage. On one hand, he wanted to maintain the facade of a happy family for outsiders, but on the other, he couldn't stand the falseness of it all. His conflicted feelings caused him to snap at her, unable to control his anger towards her manipulative ways. "Drop the act, Diane. Grace here already knows it's a sham."

Grace's heart races as she feels the intense heat of Diane's gaze, almost like a physical touch. She can practically see the anger radiating off of her, sharp and deadly like laser beams shooting from her eyes. It takes all of Grace's willpower not to crumble under the pressure, feeling as if she could be vaporized by Diane's intense glare alone.

"Knock it off, Diane." Drake snarled at his mother, standing up from his chair, so he could leer down at his mother, "It isn't Grace's fault that she is kind, loving, and empathetic. Everything that you are not. Grace is the perfect maternal figure. She instantly knew that something was wrong, when instead of going home during the holidays, I was always here, busting my ass. Grace has always made me feel welcome at her home, on every holiday, including family dinners on Sundays. Something, which you yourself, have never managed to do, Diane."

Grace beamed proudly at Drake. She'd constantly told him he needed to confront his demons, and now here he was doing it. Although, she never imagined that she would be there when he was confronting said demons, and was feeling slightly out of place. She felt like she was intruding on a family matter. "Is there anything else I can do for you today, Sir?"

"No, you've done more than enough. Thank you, Grace." Drake smiled down at his secretary, with a silent nod of dismissal.

Grace quickly turned and walked out the door, shutting it silently behind her. Leaving a furious mother and a slightly annoyed, somewhat amused son to hopefully sort out their differences.

"Now, Diane," Drake stated, retaking his seat, lounging back with one foot rested on his knee, gesturing for Diane to take the seat in front of his desk, "What did you come all the way here for? I know it wasn't to check in on your eldest son."

"I've told you multiple times Drake, I am your mother. I except you to call me such." Diane hissed, slamming her hand down on his desk, sending his paperwork flying. Before taking a deep breath to compose herself, and sitting dainty-like in the offered seat, like she hadn't just lost her temper.

Drake rolled his eyes and cackled. "Don't make me laugh, Diane. You are the furthest from a mother figure that anyone can be. You may have birthed me, but you never mothered me." He paused for a moment, rubbing the slight stubble on his chin, as he stamped down all the years of child trauma that were wanting to come up, "Now I'll ask one more time. What do you want?"

Visibly annoyed at his snub, but knowing if she tried to press him harder, he'd likely have her escorted out by security, Diane decided to begrudgingly answer her son's question. "I've come to inform you, that your father and I will be hosting an engagement party for your brother and his fiancé, Ms. Madilyn Keyes. It will be the official start of the wedding celebrations. Your presence is mandatory, seeing as how Kevin, saw fit to make you his best man."

"I talked to Kevin earlier this morning. He told me the rehearsal brunch is on Friday." Drake replied, tapping his fingers against his desk.

"Yes, well, unfortunately, Kevin isn't as immersed in the planning as he should be." Diane sniffed, her nose turned up in displeasure. "This engagement dinner will be featured in the Reporter. The feature is a surprise gift from your father and me to the soon-to-be-married couple. Now will you be there or not? And you would do well to remember that you aren't doing this for me. You are doing it for your brother." She paused smiling cruelly, "Unless, of course, you enjoy continuing to disappoint him time and time again?"

Drake's brow furrowed in frustration, lines appearing on his forehead as he visibly tensed. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched as he tried to maintain his composure. Of course, the bitch had to bring Kevin into this. He wanted with every fiber of his being to reject Diane. But recalling his earlier conversation with Kevin, he knew that he couldn't. He needed to prove to his brother, that he still wanted to be in his life. That he would always be there for him when he needed it.

"Yes. I'll be there. Mark me down at a party of two."

"Party of two" Diane questioned, looking accusatorily at the Alston heir.

Drake knew at that moment that he'd ruined Diane's match-making plans and it brought a smile to his face. "Yes, two. Plural. Drake Alston and guest. Now if you'll excuse me, I must bid you ado, Diane. I have a very important business matter to attend to."

"Drake Alston, she better not be an embarrassment to this family. I will not allow some hussy you've picked up off the sidewalk into my home." Diane sneered as she stood up and aggressively grabbed her purse off his desk.

"Diane, when will you finally understand that you no longer have control over me? If it wasn't for Kevin, I would smear the Alston name in the dirt. I would have had my security drag you kicking and screaming the moment you dared step foot in this building."

"Brunch is at 10 AM sharp. Black tie affair. Don't you dare be late!" Diane hissed before angrily stomping out of his office.

Drake slumped back in his chair, bringing his hands to his face and rubbing his throbbing temples, as he tried to rid himself of the migraine Diane's visit had brought. He only allowed himself a minute breather. There was so much he needed to do before the family brunch. He'd need to call Mia and have her schedule the girl, Lydia sooner. He also still needed to place a clothing order at Cesare Attolini and have the clothes overnighted from Italy, and for that, he would need Ms. Lydia's measurements.