She's The CEO

26. Family

The only thing keeping me from from breaking the neck of the man sitting behind me is the caressing of Chris's hand over mine. 

"Just a bit longer", he said when the man behind me burped for the tenth time.

"What in the god's name did he eat for breakfast?", I said as I try to make the pancakes I ate to remain in my gut as I sense a very silent yet nostril-hair-burning fart smell enter into my  nose. 

I look at Chris and he seemed as miserable as I was. 

It was my first time in the economy class of an airplane and I must say I feel very bad for the middle class people who have to travel in this section. Like where is the leg space is all I wanna know. 

Chris, being so tall, just gave a very sad smile to the lady in front of him who tilted her seat and now is snoring with an eye mask on. 

"I'm sorry you have to go through this because of me.", I tell him honestly. 

"Oh dear, did Bianca Winston just apologize?", he said with hand on his chest and a fake shake expression on his face.

"Shut up!", I say. But the the truth honestly is that this whole mean and temperamental demeanor I have had for all my life just doesn't seem to work on him anymore. There is this sugary sweet pink voice in my head that completely forbids me to say anything mean or do anything to hurt Chris even a little bit. 

That is the only explanation I can come up with for my very noticeable bias for Chris. 

"No, but seriously, Bianca. Its all right I know the thing with your brother is very important. Family, no matter how messed up, is still family.", he says to me and gives me a small peck on my forehead. 

I lay my head on his shoulder. We had to shorten our trip and get the only airline ticket available at such short notice and fly back to New York. Thus, the economy seats with fart smells and no leg space. 

What in the world is wrong with Caleb. up until now, I knew that there were secrets running in the roots of my family. the only person who I could trust and tell anything to had always been Caleb. but turns out, it isn't the other way round. Caleb has never acted so peculiar ever. 

Chris stroke the stress lines on my forehead, "It'll be alright. You will sort this out, I know you will. Just relax till we reach there okay.", he said. 

I close my eyes and hope for the same.

...

We reached New York in the evening and got a cab to my office. Chris was with me the whole time but he departed when I reached the office to meet my father. He respected the privacy of my family matter and didn't pressure me to tell him anything that happens. He simply kissed me and bade me farewell saying to call him whenever possible. 

New York seemed cool as usual and the ground was wet with a faint smell of mud in the air; indicating it had rained at some point in the day. The coolness of the atmosphere didn't  calm me, in fact, it sent a rather tingling chill down my spine. 

As I enter the building the employees seemed a bit shocked to see me earlier as I had intended to come back five days later. I see all their backs becoming stiffer. Men straightened their ties, women closed their top buttons. I see someone going back from their track clearly avoiding any interaction with me. 

Usually, all this gives me some sense of power and pride, but today all this just made me sad. What if, all this sourness in my attitude was the reason I pushed Caleb away from me. And how long will take other people close to me to finally unhinge themselves from any relationship they had with me. How long will it take Samuel to finally quit. Or how long for Chris to realize this as well?