Chapter 37 The Worst Of It All
Mariko's POV
I didn't hear from Maddie the entire evening, but I was relieved to see her sitting behind her desk when I walked down the hallway. She was busy typing on the computer as I approached her desk. I didn't care if I had disturbed her. Last night was torture enough for me when I wanted to go to her apartment and check up on her.
"Good morning, how are you? I was worried about you last night," I said as I stood in front of her desk.
She looked up at me. "Good morning. I think that I'm okay. I'm exhausted though," she gave a weak smile.
"Would you like some coffee in the cafeteria?" I asked.
She nodded and stood up. She seemed a bit off but I will take it as exhaustion. She rounded her desk and she stopped in front of me, resting her hands on my chest, leaning in and pressed a chaste kiss against my lips. I smiled when she pulled away. "Let's go," she said, and I took her hand in mine and I led her into the cafeteria.
"Coffee, right?" I asked one last time.
"Yes, please. I will grab a seat," she replied, and while I went over to the barista, placed our order and waited, Maddie went to go and get a table for us. She sat by the floor to ceiling window where we usually would sit when we ate in the cafeteria.
"Here you go," the barista snapped me out of my thoughts when I watched Maddie.
"Thank you," I replied as I took our coffee and I walked over to our table, placing the coffee gently down.
I took a seat across from her and she held the polystyrene cup of coffee in her hand, but she scrunched her face in disgust.
"Is everything okay?" I asked with my brows furrowed.
"I'm just not feeling too good all of a sudden, but I will be fine," she gave another weak smile, before taking a sip of coffee and scrunching her face again. I was concerned.
"You can always go home, you can take a sick day off. I can help with your work," I offered.
She shook her head, "No, I will be okay," she smiled. "I'm just nauseous."
"Did you eat anything that could make you feel that way?" I furrowed my brows in concern.
"I have got no idea. I just woke up and I was nauseous. Coffee's smell also makes me feel extra nauseous. My mother is back home and that is the reason why I haven't responded. She came back home with my father."
"Really?" I was taken aback. "How are you feeling now that he is back?" I asked.
"I feel a lot of things. He has done bad things that I don't think that he should be forgiven for. I would have difficulty forgiving him for all of that but he opened up to me about it all and he wants to have a relationship with me because he didn't have it with my other siblings. I keep on thinking about if I should give him that chance or not. It doesn't change the way that I feel about him right now." she sucked in a breath.
"I wish that I had been there with you, but you needed time with him and to listen. Perhaps he is willing to change. He was in prison after all. I guess he must've had a lot to think about," I said.
"Yeah. it was horrible things," she looked at me as if she was torn about what to do.
"I can only imagine," I replied.
"I need time to soak in everything with my dad. It was a lot to take in. He is an alluring, intimidating man. I can see why women would fall on their knees for him. I keep on thinking if he was with so many women...well, having s^x with them, are there more kids out there?"
"I got no idea," I replied.
"I remember my mother did say that they had to be on contraception. I guess my father chose who to have unprotected s^x with and I hope that my mother doesn't go back to him because I can see that wall breaking when it comes to him. I am afraid that it is the effect that he has on her and I don't like it one bit," she said in thought.
"That is understandable. But he did say that he wants to try with you, so who knows, maybe your parents would reconcile," I shrugged.
"I hope not. I better get back to work. Thank you for the coffee," she said as she stood up and I took my cup of coffee and followed after her.
I walked with her towards her desk but she stopped in her tracks. Lana and Arden were not impressed to see Gerard standing outside of their office.
"What are you doing here, dad?" Maddie replied.
I looked between Maddie and Gerard...Dad?
Maddie's POV
I wasn't feeling well this morning when I woke up. The coffee smell made me nauseous and I just didn't feel right at all. When Mariko was drinking his coffee, it seemed as if nothing was wrong with it. Perhaps it was only me. I have had so much going on in my life with my dad and the past which I'm trying to move on from, but I'm dealing with things the way that I feel should be handled.
I am happy that I get to talk to Mariko when I can about things. He wouldn't judge me or see me as a bad person that Ash sees me as. I still have a heavy weight on me, as if the entire world is on my shoulders.
I stopped in my tracks when my father, Lana and Arden were standing in the hallway. They looked at him as if hell would break lose any moment.
"I came to see my daughter," my father said to them.
I looked between them. "So Maddie, you are Gerard's daughter...my half-sister and you never told me this information?" Arden snapped at me.
"I didn't even know that you were my half-brother. I only met dad yesterday. My mother was the only person that went to visit him in prison," I defended myself.
"I put him in prison because he f^cking assaulted Lana!" Arden hisssed.
"You f^cking assh^le! you show up here knowing what you did. You are banned from entering this building," I looked over at Mariko, who was seething with anger.
My heart was beating at a rapid pace. He assaulted Lana. "He-he assaulted you?" I asked, looking at Lana.
She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop them from trembling, and she nodded. "Let's get this piece of sh^t out of here," Arden said.
"I am here for Maddie," my father said, raising his hands in surrender. "I am no longer the man that I was." Arden looked at me but I was not sure what to do or to even say.
"That was the worst thing that you left out. You assaulted Lana," I looked at him.
"Yes," he said softly.
"I don't want to see you, please leave," I said as tears began to sting the back of my eyes.
"Maddie-"
"Please, leave," I said calmly. He nodded at me before he turned around and left.
"I can't believe this," Mariko paced as he ran a hand through his hair.
Arden left with my father. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know," my voice broke.
"It's not your fault, Maddie. You didn't know. He is a bad man," Lana said. "He assaulted Arden's ex-wife too and she fell pregnant from him." I needed time, but when I turned around to look at Mariko, he was walking away from me, down the hallway to his office. "He just needs some time too," Lana said.
"I'm sorry," I said one last time.
"He doesn't deserve to be here. That is what you need to know. I lost a baby because of him," her eyes glazed. "I will never forgive him for what he put his kids through and what he has put me through. But it is best that you stay away from him."
I nodded, a tear ran down my cheek and I wiped it away. "I don't know what to say."
"It is a lot to take in. I will get you some water," I could see that Lana was trying to keep it together too.
I sat behind my desk and I felt like I was in a trance. Nothing was happening around me as I stared at the documents in front of me. My heart feels as if it had been cut in half. This was worse than what I had thought. This affected the lives of people around me. I can't be seen with him. The hurt and fear in Lana's eyes said it all. The anger in both of Mariko and Arden's eyes was nothing like I had seen before. Arden was my half-brother and that makes Miranda my half-sister.
Mariko walked away for space but...does this push Mariko away because I'm Gerard's daughter? What does he think of me now? Will he allow me into his life after this news?
I wish that I had known everything... every single thing. Now I might lose some people for things that I didn't know.