Chapter 14: Chapter 14

~Third Person's POV ~

Everyone envied him and many would even wish to trade their lives with his if they had the chance; everyone pictured his life to be so flawless and perfect because he was from a rich home. Well, who wouldn’t? He was the only son of Chairman Richard Abiola of Goldstone group, the second largest company in Nigeria with market value of 15 trillion naira. His mother, Helena Abiola, was a popular actress in the country and was also known abroad. She had starred in many movies with popular co-stars and different agencies always begged to sign her. And him? He was currently the CEO of his father's company and would inherit the entire group one day, he had servants at his beck and call, he had several luxurious cars, he had a house of his own; he had more than enough money. He was on the cover of several business magazines and every one pictured him as a polite and charming person.

He should be happy right? Having all these never-ending riches; but that wasn’t the case for Jayson. Growing up, he never got to spend time with his family like other people did and so he never learnt how to socialize. His father was always busy; as the owner of the second largest company in the country, he had to be in different places and travel around so he never spent time with him. And his mother? She was not always around too but it wasn’t as bad as his father though. As an actress, she was always off to one movie shoot or the other and so Jayson grew up surrounded by countless of maids and nannies; which made him lonely all the time. Although, unlike his father, his mother still tried to create time for him and they hung out from time to time but their relationship wasn’t still like every other normal mother and son relationship.

As the heir to Goldstone group, his father made sure he was always tutored with the best private teachers after school so he never had time to play around like other little kids did and was always studying. He was not allowed to make friends with just any people, especially people from low class. The only friends he was allowed to keep were Harry James and Daniel Dike, who were also sons from prestigious families. Harry was the heir to his father’s company, the 5th largest company in the country and as for Daniel, his family was way richer than both Jayson and Harry’s family combined together. They were just the perfect people his father could tolerate for him; they were the only people his father approved he could associate with because of how influential their families were.

“Birds of same feather flock together and that means, the rich should always associate with the rich so they would become richer and can keep their business alive.” His father would always tell him.

Despites his mother’s effort to be there for him, it was not enough. He still ended up lonely all the time and would bury himself in his books alone in their big mansion. To worsen his already strained relationship with his father, his father was also a womanizer and he brought in different women into the house; he never cared to even hide it away from him nor from his mother. Whenever his mother tried to confront him about it, he would beat her up and he could not help but feel irritated and disgusted at his father.

As he grew older, he asked his mother countless of times why she had always condoled everything his father did to her but she would only give him a fake smile and said it didn’t matter and would tell him instead, “Jayson, you have to study hard so you would take over your father’s company, okay? That is the only way you can support your mother.”

It always sounded as if she was scared someone else would become the heir instead of him and he wondered why since he was the only son.

*************

“Welcome home sir.” The servants greeted him as he walked into his house.

He dipped his hand into his pockets and looked around the house like it was his first time seeing it. He took a good look at the blinds at the windows which were black in color, he looked at the furniture too and as usual, they were dark in color which gave the house a very dull and lifeless look but that was the way liked it.

“Who opened that window?” He asked with a frown as he pointed to one of the windows where the blind was opened a little causing a slight ray of light to pass through into the house.

The servants quickly ran to close the blind and bowed their heads.

“You know I hate it when my things are not the way I had left them.” He said with a deep frown.

“We are sorry sir; it must be the breeze.” One of the servants apologized with her head bowed.

He sighed and shook his head.

“Your dinner has been served sir.” One of the maids informed him.

“I’m not hungry. Bring a wine up to my room.” He instructed before he continued walking away towards the staircase. He climbed up and made his way over to his room. He loosened his tie before he slumped on his bed and heaved a sigh. Few minutes later, a maid walked inside and placed the bottle of wine on the table with a glass and turned to leave.

“Get me another glass.” He said and she nodded before she exited the room.

He sat up and took off his jacket before he threw it on the bed. Just as he reached for the bottle, his phone started ringing and he sighed before he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the caller. He sighed before he answered the call.

“Hello mom.”

“Are you home yet?” Helena asked from the other end of the call.

“Yea.” He answered curtly.

“Have you had dinner?” She asked.

Jayson paused for a moment and reached for the bottle of wine with his other hand before he replied. “Yea, I have.”

“Will you be okay?”

Jayson sighed, “You don’t have to worry about me mom; I’m alright.”

Helena sighed, “I am sorry I couldn’t do anything… again. You know I wouldn’t force you into something you do not want, right?”

Jayson dropped the bottle back on the table and he turned to the door when he heard a knock before the maid walked in.

“Here is the other glass sir.” She said and bowed before she walked out.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” He spoke.

“Alright. Um, I will not be around for a while son… I um, I have to shoot a movie in France.”

Jayson paused for a moment and then he looked down before he nodded, “Alright, have fun.”

Helena didn’t say anything for a while. “Can I visit you when I return?”

Jayson shrugged. “If you have the time, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You know I will also find time for you, son.”

Jayson swallowed hard and tapped his fingers on the table. “Yea.” And then he hung up and placed the phone on the table. He sighed and ran his hands over his face before he opened the wine and poured a portion into the glass.

Then he heard a knock on the door and he turned to it. One of his servants entered in and bowed his head.

“Sir Harry is here, sir.” He informed him.

Jayson nodded, “Did you tell him I’m here?”

He nodded, “Yes sir, he’s already coming up.”

Jayson nodded, “Alright.”

The servant bowed his head before he walked out of the room and few seconds after he left, Harry barged into the room.

“Yo! I’m home! Sweet home!” He screamed loudly that Jayson had to cover his ears.

“And when did my house become yours?” Jayson frowned at him.

Harry grinned, “Oh come on!” He rushed over and slumped on the bed beside Jayson. “What’s yours is mine.”

Jayson shook his head at him and just drank from his wine.

Harry took the bottle and poured himself a drink as well. “What’s for dinner? I’m hungry.” He said as he drank from his glass.

“I didn’t know you would have any appetite to eat. I thought you were sad?” Jayson asked as he gave him a disbelieving look.

Harry looked at him in confusion, “Who, me? Sad? When did I say that?”

“You sounded so down on the phone earlier. Are you bipolar or something?”

Harry smiled, “I was sad…” He nodded his head. “But then I saw you and you brighten up my day.”

Jayson made a cringing face and he shifted away from him. “Please tell that to your countless women and not me.”

Harry chuckled, “Oh shut up, you are a womanizer like me too and you are waaaaaay worse than me.” He smirked and moved closer to Jayson and whispered in his ears. “You are the greatest of all players who makes every woman cry.”

Jayson pushed him away and chuckled. “Shut the hell up Harry! You make women cry too.”

Harry feigned innocence. “I can swear on my girlfriend’s life that I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Jayson chuckled lightly and shook his head, “You d**k head, you don’t even have a girlfriend.”

Harry chuckled as well before he gulped the remaining of the wine.

“What’s Dan up to?” Jayson asked as he looked down while holding the glass of wine.

“He is shooting the last episode of his movie. He said he wouldn’t be free until tomorrow.”

Jayson shook his head, “That’s one of the reasons why I can never be an actor.”

Harry looked at him from his head to toe and laughed mockingly, “Who is looking for you in the first place? Can you even act?”

“Does it matter? I just have to be good looking, right?”

Harry shook his head at his friend’s ego. “Bragging about your good looks, huh?”

“Of course.” Jayson smiled.

“She’s beautiful.” Harry suddenly said making Jayson turn to him with a confused expression.

“Who?” He asked.

“Your fiancée.” Harry replied.

Jayson rolled his eyes, “Oh please, can you not remind me about that?”

Harry shrugged. “What? It’s the truth. She’s way more beautiful than your entire hook up girls together.”

Jayson chuckled, “Oh please, calm down with the hype.”

“How long is the contract going to last?” harry asked.

Jayson sighed, “A year.”

“Hmm, a year. That’s crazy. People are already talking about you guys, it’s all over media. Jayson Abiola, heir and son of Chairman Richard Abiola of Goldstone group just got engaged to Gabriella Aniyah Bolaji, the heiress and daughter of Martins Bolaji of Bolaji company.” He smiled as he finished reciting what was stated on the media.

Jayson narrowed his brows in confusion. "Aniyah?"

Harry shook his head at his friend and sighed. "You don't even know your fiancée's name? I guess she's taking that for a middle name."

Jayson pursed his lips. "Oh, I think I prefer that to Elsa... I mean, Ella."

Harry smirked, "Oh so you fancy her now or what?" He teased.

Jayson rolled his eyes, "Are you serious?"

Harry chuckled, "So what's the next plan?"

“Plan? I think my father wants to invest in their company and he asked me to take her to our company. I don’t know why but he would explain later."

"Take who, your fake fiancée?"

"Yea."

Harry nodded, "Oh, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”

Jayson didn’t say anything and just sighed. He recalled his encounter with his assumed fiancée on the street and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was up to all dressed like a low-class person roaming about on the street?

“Was she just pretending or what?” he mumbled but Harry who had heard him turned to him with a puzzled expression as he wondered what his friend was mumbling about.

“I will crash here tonight.” He said instead and Jayson nodded.

XOXO