Mother dearest

Mother dearest
BEN POV

The flight back to New York was smooth.

Alessia had fallen asleep, and I was lost in my thoughts, thinking about what my own mother did.

She just wanted money.

She didn’t even care about my own well-being.

We were going to arrive in New York mid-afternoon, and Clay was picking us up alone because Marcelo was out of the country for an art exhibition.

It felt good to be back home, but my heart was elsewhere.

I dreaded that I had left things unfinished with Ambrose.

I groaned deeply and pushed the memories away.

I didn’t want to dwell in the past.

I wondered what my new brother was like.

Obviously, he looked like his parents.

When the plane finally landed, I sighed with relief, whispering a silent prayer, and turned to wake up Alessia.

I touched her cheek.

“Time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

She mumbled something in her sleep, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Honey, we need to go.”

She slowly opened her eyes.

She looked so much like her father.

“Are we in New York? I’m hungry.”

I nodded quietly, helping her to her feet as I retrieved our bags.

A few minutes later, we were standing at the entrance of the airport, waiting for Clay.

I texted him our location, and a few seconds later, he was rushing towards us.

“Uncle Clay, over here!” Alessia yelled, waving at him.

Clay scooped her into his arms, and she giggled.

“I missed you so much, princess.”

She wrapped her arms around him.

“I missed you too, Uncle Clay.”

I couldn’t help but feel jealous; after all, Clay is my best friend, and now my own daughter is stealing him.

After they were done with their hugs, he released Alessia and turned to me.

“Come on, I know you’ve been dying to hug me,” he teased, raising his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes at him and hugged him.

“How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

I sighed softly.

“I wish I never went there, Clay… Honestly, it felt like I was just talking to a ghost, but I’m glad to be back home and sort out my life.”

I pulled away.

“Since you and Nolan are getting divorced, I’m sure you can’t return to the house, so where are you going to stay?” he asked curiously.

“I can stay with my mom for a few days until I find an apartment for Alessia and me.”

He hummed in response.

“Oh, you could crash with me since Marcelo is out of town and that place is pretty lonely.”

I felt conflicted.

“Come on, Ben, it will be fun! I can help Alessia with her homework, and we could dress up as Bratz dolls.”

Alessia grinned.

I sighed deeply.

“Okay, fine.”

Clay gave Alessia a high five and began loading our luggage into the car.

On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant for brunch.

After the meal, we got back on the road, and in an hour, we arrived at Clay’s flat.

Alessia and I were going to sleep in the guest room.

While she went to take a bath, I took care of arranging our clothes.

Just then, my phone began to ring.

I answered the call and placed the phone against my ear.

“Hello?”

It was my dad.

“There’s an emergency meeting, and you need to be here.”

He didn't even greet me or ask about Alessia.

I was stunned.

“I just got here a few hours ago; I’m exhausted. Just have the meeting without me; I’ll go through the notes tomorrow.”

His tone sounded cold and distant.

Did I do something wrong?

“It was Asher’s idea, so please just show up on time.”

Before I could ask any more questions, he hung up on me.

What was that about?

Once Alessia came out of the bathroom, I grabbed my robe and went to take a shower.

I was done in record time, put on blue baggy jeans and a white plain t-shirt, tying my hair in a small bun since it was short.

I wore some sneakers and found Clay and Alessia in the living room watching cartoons.

“You just got here; where are you?” Clay asked.

I sighed softly.

“Trust me, I’m exhausted; I’d rather be taking a nap than sitting in a boring meeting at my grandfather’s company. It sounds urgent, so I need to suck it up and go.”

He nodded quietly.

“Take my car,” he muttered, pointing at the car keys.

I realized that I left my car at my mother’s house.

I grinned.

“Thanks, I’ll bring it back in one piece.”

He rolled his eyes at me.

An hour later, I made it to the company and parked my car a few blocks from the entrance.

Here goes nothing.

I made my way inside, and people began to greet me and welcome me.

It’s been a while since I’ve been in this space.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and went to the meeting.

As usual, my grandfather was sitting on his throne.

My parents were there, and my father sat next to a man who looked like a young version of himself.

He must be Asher.

I sat down and greeted everyone.

The atmosphere felt tense.

It felt like I was missing the bigger picture.

“You must be Cecilia’s daughter, Ben, right?” Asher asked.

It felt strange.

I nodded quietly.

He smirked.

“What does it feel like to be a thief?”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Excuse me?”

“You stole the life and the upbringing I was supposed to have, Ben… While you lived in luxury and went on expensive vacations, I lived in poverty and slept hungry.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“You say it like I did it on purpose, but you keep forgetting that I’m a victim as well… My own mother abandoned me the moment I was born; even when I didn’t have a clue of what was happening, I was unwanted, and that sucks.”

He scoffed in annoyance.

He stood up, fuming.

“You and your mother robbed me of a childhood, and I want everything back, including your position as CEO of New Way Group.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“I didn’t steal anything.”

My grandfather remained silent, and I turned to look at my mother, who seemed conflicted.

My father wasn’t any help, and I realized that I was on my own.

So, this is what it felt like to be stabbed in the back?

Their silence reminded me of the bitter truth that I was nothing but a mere girl they adopted out of pity because my mother was an addict and prostitute.

“Asher is right; the company needs a presence of a man who will lead the family business to greater heights. You’ve done a great job so far, Benedykta, but let a real man show you how it’s done,” my father muttered quietly.

For a while, I was in shock.

I composed myself and nodded.

“You have the position because I hereby resign as CEO.”

I stood up, ready to leave, but Asher’s voice stopped me.

“I’m not yet done with you, Ben. This position is just the beginning of your downfall,” he whispered after pretending to hug me.

I moved away from him, creating some distance between us.

I could tell that he was a bad seed.

“You and I are cut from the same cloth, but the only difference is that I come from a wealthy background, and you, my dear Benedykta, come from a drug-crazed whore.”

He looked me up and down.

“It looks like you followed in her footsteps too… I heard about your sex tape scandal… like mother, like daughter,” he taunted.

A lone tear rolled down my cheek, and I left the conference room.

I wasn’t going to let anyone see me cry.

On my way out, I bumped into a strange woman, and our eyes locked into a frenzy.

A gasp escaped her lips.

“You look like her…” she whispered, reaching out to touch my face.

I moved her hand away.

“Are you Benedykta Rebel?”

I frowned.

“Who are you?”

She grinned.

“I’m your mother, Cecilia.”