Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

Chapter 12 RYAN Walking into the reception hall with Stephanie standing next to me, her hand hooked on mine. One lovely thing about having Stephanie hooked on my arm during every event is that she always knows how to dress for the occasion; she knows how to dress to kill. The ushers of the event approachedwith a diplomatic smile. "Welcome, Mr. Williams." She greeted, "Your table is this way." Allowing her to lead the way, we headed for the table in front, I did not expect anything less than eloquence at this wedding, so I am not surprised at the amount of money that was splashed here. The only son of one of the biggest banks in America is getting married, of course, it is going to speak nothing but money and class. Joining the rest of my family, I sat down, allowing my security pull out the seat for Stephanie. My mum and sister acknowledgedwith a smile then moved their attention back to the couple who were having a moment on the stage. "How did the meeting go?" Dad asked me. I am certain he is bored of this event as Lam. "Horrific." I replied, "those bastards are nothing but barbaric. Reaching for the champagne flute, I took a sip, trying my best not to let my mind wander to the meeting 1 literally walked out on before coming for this wedding. "You should have been in that meeting. Why weren't you there?" I asked. "It was literallyagainst those fools." Father frowned, "Don't call them names in public." he chastised strongly. "they may be getting on your nerves, but they are still our shareholders." Mum cleared her throat. "Can you both discuss business later?" she asked, moving her gaze between us. "this is a wedding reception, the last place you should be discussing business" "And that is why you do not have a seat on the board," I mumbled, sipping more champagne. Mum's eyes narrowed "what is that supposed to mean?" "It means that business should and can be discussed anywhere, as long as the need for it arises." Dad answered on my behalf. "your inability to see and understand that is the reason you do not have a seat on the board." "And your inability to have a baby and a stable life the reason you are about to get kicked off your seat as the chairman of the company Mum retorted, her spite directed at me. I guess my words angered her. "Mum, please, do not start." The thought of it alone is makinglose my mind. "the fact that they think like that irritates me?" This heaven's sake, who thinks like that? is 2024 for Folding her hands, she glared at me. "I shouldn't start what?" She shapped, "The fact that not just the board, but I also need a grandchild from you Stephanie who had becuncomfortable with the conversation wriggled in her seat before reaching for her wine. Her movement drew Mum's attention. You have been separated "The fact that she is drinking alcohol right now proves that she is not pregnant yet!" Muny snapped. "what is going on son? Y from your wife for six years, and dated Stephine for that ssix years, yet no baby, no wedding plans." Truth be told, we have been trying for a baby ever since the board was on my neck a year ago, and yet, nothing to show. We went for several tests and they told us that we were perfectly fine. As for marriage, I do not want to get into a marriage with Stephinie; it is almost as if the more I spend twith her, the more I compare her to Lily, and the more that happens, the more I miss my ex- wife and the more I miss my ex-wife, the more I feel less euthanistic to wife Stephinic "How about you try marriage?" Father suggested, "It is still stability from your end, which is what I think the board needs. They don't care if you have kids or not, they just want you to have responsibility over something and see how you handle it." "Stephanie is a good girl" Mum suggested, "Getting married to her will be a great blessing to this family," As if to rub on my mother's statement, Stephanie placed her hand in mine and squeezed gently. Glancing down at her hand, I stared at her ring finger for the longest tbut couldn't just picture my ring resting on it. "I will give you a baby, I promise." A friend of mine recommended a fertility specialist in Canada, and he claims that she will figure out what's stopping us from having kids; I just have to free up my schedule, but the issue here is that my schedule for six months is already fixed, and it is tight as whatever shit you can imagine. why I hate gatherings Sensing someone's gaze on me, I looked up and found Stephanie staring at me. I held her gaze until she looked away. This is wh that involve my mother, she always brings up marriage talk and in the end Stephanie gets disappointed. "How long did the board give you?" Dad asked, returning to the conversation I'd rather not have "At least a pregnancy news before the year runs out. I muttered bitterly. "it's not as if they have the power to kickout of that seal 11:31 AM 2 Chapter 12 Dad shook his head. "Don't be so sure Ryan, you may be the highest shareholder, but it is nothing compared to all their shares together." He reached for water, intentionally leaving out the alcohol. "If they are serious about kicking you out, they will" "Can we stop the conversation already?" Lora, my sister who is on husband number eight sighed. I glared at her in response, Getting married isn't a big deal to her. All over the internet, she is called the collector of wealth because she fall in love with her, sets him up for cheating, divorces him, and in scases leaves with half of his company. gets a man My parents consider her the black sheep of the family, but I consider her as someone seeking attention. She didn't get quite enough as a chik ******* The rest of the party was tiring for me. I was more than ecstatic when the toast was made. After that, I made my way to the couple said my congratulations, and left. On the ride back home, I noticed that Stephanie was a bit distant. "Are you okay?" I asked her, drawing her attention from the window. "You've been like this for two days. Is it about the baby?" Biting her lips, she stared down at her hands. "I can't believe I am about to make you lose your seat as the chairman just because I failed to give you a child": Reaching forward. I took her hand in mine. "Don't let those fools bother you, this isn't your fault in any way." "if I can't give you a baby, then let's get married. She suggested. "you heard your father, that can secure your seat too. Shaking my head, 1 refuted the idea, letting go of her hand and relaxing back. "Don't let anyone pressure you into getting married to me." "No one is pressuringinto getting married to you" she asserted. Sighing, I looked our the window. Then do not pressurizeinto getting married to you." 1:31 AM Chapter 13

X