Chapter 22. Bad comment
Jackson Johnson
Johnson Mansion
I took a sip from my wine glass, Jacob was laughing at something my mother had said, my father joined in second, and I could only force a smile to avoid my mother's scolding. Two families had arrived for the birthday dinner, two couples who were the closest to them, as well as somewhat close to Jacob and me. One of them was my father's sister.
"Tell your aunt she can find the perfect house in this area," my father addressed me to tell my Aunt Eleonor, who had arrived last night with her new husband in town, deciding to finally stay here due to my mother's influence.
"Sure, I can check the area. If I get the information, I'll send it to you." Another sip.
"Eat something, Jackson," my mother ordered from the other end of the table. I just gave a half-smile, already wanting to leave.
"Try the capers, they're exquisite," Marie, my mother's best friend, started to say. She and her husband were quite elderly but very wise, some of the few people I liked. They owned the best coffee shops in the city, competing with Starbucks.
"Thanks, I'll try them," I said with a forced smile, but I didn't make the effort to serve myself. I wanted to relax a bit more, so it would be more wine for me.
"But I don't want to live near my brother," Aunt Eleonor began to say, amused, in my direction. "Find a house far away if you can." She winked and let out a laugh, my father said something I couldn't hear.
"By the way, I've called Máxima," my mother started to say to Aunt Eleonor, who paid immediate attention. "She was going to come to show you two properties, but..." I glanced discreetly in her direction upon hearing that "but..." "She said she would send an agent in a few minutes to show you the photos." I squinted, but my mother didn't look my way.
"It's Friday, mother. It would be until Monday..." I explained.
"Máxima said she would send one of her agents. She was going to come but had something she couldn't cancel or reschedule, so she said she would send someone else."
"But it's Friday," I insisted, looking at my watch and pointing at it with my index finger, tapping the glass subtly. "It's not working hours. So, it will be until Monday. I know the rules of my own company, mother."
"Well..." she started to say, "...she confirmed that someone's on the way." I frowned upon hearing this. I found it very distasteful for Máxima to do this outside of working hours.
"Mrs. Johnson," we looked in the direction of the maid.
"Yes, Carinna?"
"The guest has arrived."
"Good, thank you. Jackson will go greet her."
"What?" I mumbled, almost bringing my glass to my lips. "Why me? She's your guest."
"She's your employee, Johnson." I raised my wrist, showing the watch.
"At this hour, I'm just Jackson." Then I brought the glass to my lips to take a sip, but stopped when I saw the looks on me. "Fine." I placed the glass beside my plate and got up reluctantly. "Don't be surprised if I don't come back."
"The cake is still to come, so I hope you don't take long. We're all waiting."
"Go on, go on," Jacob started to say. I dodged Carinna and walked to the front door. As I opened the door, I saw the woman about to ring the bell.
"What are you doing here?" was the first thing that came out of my mouth.
"Mr. Johnson?" her face showed surprise.
"What are you doing here?" I repeated the question, starting to get annoyed.
"I'm here for Máxima," she replied, raising an eyebrow.
"You're not a real estate agent, Lilly."
"I know, but Máxima didn't have anyone else to send, and I..."
"You accepted," I replied, more annoyed. She stepped back when she saw I was about to step out. I closed the door behind me. Her brown eyes were expectant.
"I have a meeting and..." she looked at her watch, then looked up at me.
"And my mother hates tardiness. I know." Her eyes widened.
"Is it your mother I have the meeting with?"
"It's dinner. And yes, it's my mother." I took her by the elbow, and we went down the main stairs.
"What do you do? I have a meeting and..." she pulled away. "Wait. I'm just doing my job." I snorted.
"I don't doubt you want to help Máxima. But you're not qualified to sell, you don't have the basics to be an agent," I looked toward the parking lot. "Which is your car?" She frowned.
"I'm not leaving without doing what Máxima asked."
"I'm your boss. I'm the one giving you the order to leave."
"Just like that?" I looked at the simplest car, as the others were high-end. I took her by the elbow again to lead her to her car, but she pulled away again.
"No. At least give me the chance to tell your mother that you don't want me to fulfill what Máxima asked."
"I'm not letting you say that. Simply let Máxima or another truly qualified agent do this. Not you."
"Is something going on?" It was Jacob behind me.
"Just what I needed," I muttered under my breath as I turned to him. "Go tell my mother that..." I stopped my words as he came down the stairs to approach us.
"I won't say anything without knowing what's going on..." Jacob raised his eyebrows when he reached my side. "Hey, I know you!" I frowned in his direction and then looked at Lilly.
"Oh, you're Leah's boss!" Jacob nodded and smiled from ear to ear, excited by the encounter, one that annoyed me. "Wow, you're Jackson's employee."
"Go to the house and tell my mother that..." Jacob interrupted me.
"Are you here to show my aunt the properties?" she asked, somewhat unsure.
"Your aunt?" he asked, looking at me.
"Jacob is my brother," I explained.
"Twin," he emphasized, interrupting me.
"And my aunt is the one looking for a property." I didn't understand why I was explaining this to her. "Anyway, my mother is the one who called you, but I'll tell her no, that you had to leave..."
"But why?" Jacob asked. "Did you make her come all the way here just to send her away like that?"
"That's what I was thinking," Lilly replied, looking at me.
"Come on, let's go." Jacob took her by the arm, and my hand automatically went to his to prevent him from taking her. I turned to him, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't touch her," I demanded. His brow furrowed as if he didn't understand what I was doing. Jacob slowly let go of her arm, and I released his hand at the same time. He kept his eyes on me.
"Relax, I just wanted to..." he started to say.
"I can go alone, thanks," Lilly said, avoiding us and heading directly to the doors.
"What was that?" Jacob asked, surprised, more than surprised, he couldn't believe it.
"It was nothing," I replied before following Lilly, who was climbing the steps and stopped at the door. When I caught up to her, I sighed. "If you want to do it, fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you." She looked up at me defiantly.
"I can do it, Mr. Johnson." Her determination surprised me, so I let her go ahead. I guided her inside the house, with Jacob following us. We crossed the main hallway and finally reached the grand dining room, where three couples were laughing at the table.
"Good evening," Lilly announced with a sincere smile, though I could see the nerves as she clutched the folder in her hand.
"Good evening," my mother smiled in response, her eyes shining as she looked at Lilly. What was this? Was this a setup? Was my mother playing with me, and was Maxima supporting this? My irritation grew inside me.
"Are we cutting the cake now?" Jacob blurted out.
And then, my mother introduced Lilly to everyone at the table. They all smiled excitedly and assigned her a seat next to my aunt Eleonor to show her the properties. I was on the other side of the table, watching how she explained every detail of the photos and specifications. I had to look away to avoid any misunderstandings. I took the now-warm wine glass and signaled Carinna for more. She approached with a new bottle and poured me some. I took a long sip.
"You should eat more," Marie warned me from my side. "It's going to keep getting to you." I looked in her direction.
"I'm fine," I said, and she gave me a warm smile.
"No, you're not. So eat something. Your cheeks are turning red." I cursed internally. When did I show that I wasn't okay?
"This property seems perfect. Look, James, it's only half an hour from here. Though it's a short distance," she joked.
"Perfect! So, if you're done..." Lilly looked up and nodded. "...let's have some cake." She smiled excitedly, which irritated me even more.
"I think I should leave," Lilly said politely. "This is an intimate dinner, ma'am."
"No, no, no, stay. Have some cake; it's the best in the city."
"Yes, stay. You can take some cake to your sister," my mother raised her eyebrows.
"How do you know she has a sister?" she asked, but I didn't detect genuine surprise in her voice. Jacob, oblivious to everything, just smiled.
"Her sister works at my company. She's part of the new housing project I'm doing with Jackson's firm."
"Wow, what a surprise!" Then she looked in my direction, and I just narrowed my eyes, signaling that I was watching her. She smiled even more. "Isn't it a small world, Jackson?"
"No," I simply replied, taking my wine glass again, almost finishing it.
"Thank you, but..." Lilly began to say, but my father shook his head.
"No 'buts,' we want you to stay. At least try the cake, come on," my father insisted, and Lilly looked in my direction.
"Don't look at Jackson; he hates these kinds of gatherings. If it weren't my birthday, believe me, he wouldn't be here."
"Mother," I used a warning tone. "Can't you see how uncomfortable she is? She's just a simple employee from my company who came to do Maxima a favor. She wants to go home, not stay and eat cake."
"Jackson," my father now warned me. "I think it's best if you stop drinking wine," and to lighten the tense atmosphere, he joked, "I'll have to close the wine cellar." But it didn't amuse me at all. I stood up. "It was just a bad joke, come on, sit back down."
"I'm leaving." I looked at my mother. "Happy birthday."
"Jackson, please," my mother pleaded.
"No," Lilly suddenly said. "I'll go," she paused briefly and looked at my mother. "Thank you for your invitation, thank you for opening your doors and showing me the properties, but this is a family and intimate dinner, and it would be most appropriate for me to leave. Happy birthday. Good night..." The entire table fell silent, watching as Lilly took the folder and left the dining room. My mother reached out and took a knife, cutting a piece of cake and wrapping it up.
"Since you made her feel uncomfortable by calling her a 'simple employee,' go before she leaves and give her this. And take the opportunity to apologize for your rude comment."