I have to straighten things out. If not now, it'll be too late.
I'm currently sitting outside Maxfield Senior's office, my hands cold as I sweat furiously out of nervousness.
I lied to Lorenzo that I'd drive to my work place when indeed, I made my way to the headquarters of the Maxfield Industries.
"Mr. Maxfield is now free. You may go in" The secretary informed and I slowly walked into the giant office room.
My father-in-law sat in his chair while looking out at the construction of a new Maxfield building.
"Natalie, why are you here?" Dad asked in a gruff voice.
"Dad, I-" I choked. I didn't know where to start. All I knew was that my marriage with Lorenzo was affecting his relationship with his family.
He finally turned to look at me and he looked quite distressed.
Leading me over to the sofa, he sat across me while his secretary brought in cups of coffees.
"Dad, I- I'm sorry. I didn't know me coming into Enzo's life would affect his relationship with his family so badly" I looked down at my shoes.
The expensive pair of Louboutins that Enzo had chosen for me. But for a moment, it didn't even matter anymore. Not it's price, not it's authenticity.
"Natalie, why are you blaming yourself? You have done nothing wrong" Dad looked at me with concern.
"Dad, I just wanted to tell you that even after Lorenzo brought up the contract, I still married him with the intentions of a true marriage. I promised to take care of you and Mom like my own parents, his siblings as my own. I meant each and every vow that I took before the altar. I considered him my true husband, bound by Holy Matrimony before God and men" I quaked.
"Natalie, I never expected this of Lorenzo. I'm quite disappointed in him. It has nothing to do with you. I'm just worried if it has affected your life badly" Dad looked sorry.
"Dad, your family is more than I could ever ask for" I gave a small smile.
"You're like a daughter to me and Lorenzo is my son. I don't want to lose you both I also want my firstborn to have what I worked for. I can't let him not have the company when he deserves it and is capable enough to lead the company to higher success" Dad explained.
"Yes, Dad. That's very true" I agreed.
"I need you to bring Lorenzo back to the Maxfield Industries. Not just for company sake, but for family sake" Dad looked dead serious.
"I-I can't promise but I'll try" I told him before leaving for work.
-During dinner-
"So how as your day?" Enzo asked as he handed me a plate of steak cut into bite sized while I carefully place a bowl of salad.
"Uh, it was good. It was fine. My students were waiting for me to finish the last novel" I gave him a positive response.
"What about you?" I looked at him, taking a bite of the steak.
"Overall, okay. But I'm gonna have Rose do the interiors. It's all messed up, I don't like the colours" Lorenzo went on about work.
"Uh, so I uh, went to meet Dad today" I said, focusing on removing cherry tomatoes from my salad bowl.
"That's good, I'm glad to see you're making amends with your Dad" Lorenzo gave me a genuine smile.
"Actually, I meant your Dad" I looked up at him nervously.
"Okay?" He raised an eyebrow.
"You need to go back" I said in a small voice.
"I'm okay here. I'm actually quite happy" Lorenzo looked me in the eye.
"Enzo" I said, reaching out to hold his hand.
"You're the eldest son in the family. I'm the eldest daughter in my family. We both have responsibilities to uphold, and that includes keeping the family company alive and moving forward" I explained.
"Natalie, you mean we need the family company to keep us together?" Lorenzo asked, removing my hand from his and continuing to cut a few more bite sized pieces of steak.
"No no, Enzo. What I mean is, us being together comes along with having to handle the family business. It's our duty" I carefully spoke.
"Please go back to the Maxfield Industries and let Rose handle the things here. Please" I said in a desperate tone.
"I'll- I'll think about it, let's have dinner" Lorenzo remarked while placing the steak cubes in my plate.
After having a pin drop silence dinner, we both retire to our bedroom. We quickly freshen up and continue with our work.
Lorenzo continues to furiously type away on his laptop while I flip through the pages of a novel, annotating important quotes when he turns to me.
"Yes?" I asked even before he said a word.
"What do you want? What do you think I should do?" Lorenzo looked at me seriously.
"It doesn't matter what I want. But what I think you should do is that you have to carry out your responsibilities as the eldest son" I answered with equal seriousness.
Lorenzo remained silent.
"What if someday you give the company to our son and he doesn't agree and rather becomes distant from us? How would you feel? Won't you feel like everything you've achieved has gone to waste?" I remarked.
"You want a baby?" Lorenzo smirked.
"Enzo, focus on the problem here" I lightly hit his arm.
"But you're talking about our son. So I'm asking if you want a baby" He pouts.
"Enzo, we'll have a baby when we're ready. You said so yourself. Make it happen, alright?" I smiled at him.
"Okayyyy. But yeah, what you're saying is right. I think I should talk to Dad" He agrees.
"That's it, Enzo. You're getting back on track. My CEO husband, you're gonna get back on that seat and you're going to be the most successful CEO alright?" I place my hands on his face and caress his cheeks.
"Yes, Financial Director and a very, very prolific Professor" Lorenzo said, grabbing my hand and planting a kiss on it.
"Let's go to sleep?" I pull him to bed after putting my books away on my bedside table.
Lorenzo then pulls the covers on us, making sure I lay on his chest and I fall asleep, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
