Merrick

I've never felt as tense as I feel now, walking out of the conference hall. It's Tuesday morning, and we had a board meeting discussing the Aiden issue and what our take is going to be in his position in our company next.

I let out a tired breath as I walk towards my room, but I stop when Anthony comes into my view. I can feel the anger stir in me just by looking at him, but I try to remind myself that none of this is his fault. During the meeting, I restrained the proposal of going for legal procedures against Aiden, though it was the right thing to do. What he did was absolutely wrong, and he should have known the repercussions of his actions.

My company has an established reputation and I have everything in me to make his life horrible, but I won't do it. Not only because I know Anthony would be devastated but also because I don't wanna ruin his aspiring career if he still desires to continue it somewhere.

"I don't know how I am going to repay you," Anthony says and I feel bad about how sad and disappointed he looks.

"Anthony, just because I was against taking any legal action against Aiden doesn't mean I've forgiven him," I say to him, trying to be truthful. I want him to understand the gravity of the situation and how much it has affected me on a professional level.

"I know." He says, his voice full of remorse.

"He can't work here anymore, but tell him not to take this lightly. Make sure he doesn't go out of the city until my further notice." I say, keeping a straight face. "We might need him to testify if it goes up to that."

He nods at me and then sighs. "I don't know what I need to do to kick some senses in him." He says through a clenched jaw.

I look at him and then shake my head in frustration. "I have already told you...you don't have to do anything. Just sit with him and talk." I say and then walk past him, not wanting to continue this conversation.

I don't know what's wrong with my mood. All I want to do is punch a hole through the wall.

As I am about to walk into my cabin, my phone rings and I frown seeing the name that flashes up. It's Monica. I clench my jaw angrily.

I guess it's finally the time that I block her. I immediately block her and put my phone back. Thinking about her has just made me boil in anger and I feel like I am suddenly so pissed that I don't even know what I am doing.

I turn around and almost yell. "Can anyone tell me why the hell Monica was there at the launch?"

Sarah and Nancy, who are at the desk, stop talking and look at me. The smile on their faces are gone and they almost look shocked. Of course, they have never seen me like this before.

"Mr. Addington, you and her..." Nancy begins to say, and I narrow my eyes at her. She lets it trail off as she says. "I am sorry, sir... She has modeled most of our products and, of course, she is a well-known name around here. She is almost on every billboard of a cosmetic brand."

"People like to have her to get the hype in such events. I think she doesn't even need an invitation," Sarah adds slowly and I look at her.

I let out a frustrated breath before I march into my room, not even giving a damn about what she has to say next. I don't know why I asked them when I knew the answer already. Monica is the most loved face for beauty products and having her at launch has been making up more buzz for the companies as usual.

After I shut the door with a bang, I walk straight towards my desk. Taking up my seat, I close my eyes and try to get my mind back in place.

This isn't me. Why am I pissed for no reason? Who are you lying to, Merrick? You know exactly the reason why you are. As much as I want to convince myself that I am angry because of what Aiden did, I know that's not the only reason.

I clench my jaw when Aiden's words ring again in my ears. Jamie Miller tried to plan my downfall and Zelina simply hid it from me while pretending that she cared about me and my company. Why would she do that?

I wish it didn't mean to me as much as it does now. Why do I feel hurt when I know she didn't owe me anything?

There's a knock on my door, and I instantly straighten up. Dean walks in moments later and I snap my eyes at him, feeling irritated again for no reason.

"What do you want?" I ask him, not trying to hide the edge in my voice.

"Why do you sound so grumpy? I just wanted to talk." He says, throwing his hands up in defense.

I sigh and nod. "Go on."

When he hesitates, I look at him. "What is it, Dean?"

"Merrick, don't you think you acted on your impulse that day?" He asks as he takes a seat across from me.

"What exactly do you mean?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"You know exactly what I mean. You didn't even let her speak. Aiden said he was following her mother's instructions, not hers." He suggests, and I look at him with a frown.

"How is that any different?" I ask.

"Yes, it is." He says. "It isn't necessary that I and my dad always end up agreeing on the same thing. Sometimes he decides on his own without caring to ask me." He says. "Just because I am his son, I can't be at blame for his wrong choices?" I clench my jaw, realizing that he has a point there.

He lets out a sigh when I don't say anything. "I know you know that, Merrick..." He leans forward and looks into my eyes. "Be honest, Merrick. You are not going to fire Anthony because of what Aiden did, are you? That's because you know that he had nothing to do with it except for...forcing his son to follow in his footsteps when he wanted to do something completely different."

There is silence for a minute, after which I look at him again and ask. "Why are you defending her?"

He shakes his head and says, looking a little offended. "I am not defending anyone. I am just trying to show you the bigger picture. That's all."

I look away, trying to grasp what he said. There is a possibility that what he is saying is valid, but at this moment, I am not in my senses to think about anything straight. I just want to have a moment alone. I look at him again and scoff. "I don't believe it. She would have known something about it. No wonder she worked with that asshole Ashton."

"Merrick..." Dean begins but I cut him off.

"Dean, if that's all you had to say, then you can excuse yourself," I say to him in a stern voice and turn my gaze to my laptop. "I need to work."

He stands up and stares at me like he wants to say something, but when he sees me avoiding his gaze, he turns around and walks out of the room.

The day seems to drag longer than usual and when it's time to leave; I am too eager to get out of the office without wanting to have a word with anyone. When I get home, I head straight to the gym, intending to spend most of the time in there. I am mostly up for my morning routines before getting ready for the office, so it's a rare thing for me to work out in the evening. My evenings are more devoted to going through pending emails and contracts and prepping for the next day.

Though today working out actually makes me release some stress and it causes me to think about making it also an evening ritual. Sweat trickles down my body as I continue doing bench presses until I am completely exhausted.

After I am done, I take a long shower and then head to my office to get some work done.

I walk into my office and stop before going towards my desk. I turn my head and stare at the walk which has all the leaf frames and I move on, looking at each of them, thinking about my dad. When I reach the last frame, my eyes waver to my mother's portrait, which is to the left on the desk. Dad had it done by a famous artist after my mother's death and kept it close while he worked here. There's her favorite emerald necklace that he got hung around her neck in the picture.

The stones shine brightly as I take in the delicate features of my mother. It's so beautiful and natural that I almost feel like my mother is right in front of me. I look at her ocean blue eyes and long brown hair and smile. My dad always told me that I got those eyes from her.

I've always admired her beauty. She wore those long traditional gowns and carried that aura of a queen around her. My dad would say she was the epitome of elegance, and I had no doubt about it after looking at her pictures. I always wondered how different my life would have been if she was still there in my life and the thought makes me a little sad.

I knew my dad was miserable without her, but he never once showed it in front of people - especially in front of me. He loved her more than his life and her death broke him completely, but he didn't let that show up on me in any way. He was a great father, and he did everything in his will to provide the best childhood that I could ever have.

I still remember the last words he said to me on the hospital bed.

"Merrick, you've made me so proud. I wish I had more time, but I know I have taken care of you well. Now it's time for me to take care of your momma." He said with a weak smile. "Son, I want you to never doubt the love that your mother had for you. She might have not been blessed with a chance to hold you, but she cherished every moment of you being in her womb. She loved you."

My throat constricts, but I try to hold back the emotions. I've always felt this void in my heart and the burden just got bigger after I met uncle Jaden. No matter how much my dad tried telling me otherwise, I knew the truth. My mother would never love me for what I did to her. I know every single word that uncle Jaden says is right.

My phone suddenly rings and I am snapped out of the trance that I was in. I glance at my phone and I tense, looking at Catherine's name. I don't know why but I always get worried when I get Catherine's call. I just hope Archer is okay.

I answer the call and a wave of relief washes over my body when Archer's voice beams through my ear. "Hey, Merry!"

"Hey, champ." I smile and say. I hear someone scream behind him and I frown. "Where's that noise coming from?" I ask him.

"That's mommy. She is angry at me because I called you." Archer says and I can picture him scrunching his nose. "She said you were busy and I shouldn't disturb you. But Merry, you can't be working all the time. It's not good for your health, you know." He says innocently.

"Yes, you are right," I say. "Give the phone to your mom so I can tell her that I am not working."

"Oh yes. You should." He says and turns away from the phone. "Mommy, Merry wants to talk to you." I smile as I hear Catherine taking the phone from Archer.

"Merrick, I am so..." she begins in a terrified tone.

"Relax...." I say to her. "Don't freak out Catherine. It's fine. I told you I love Archer and you have nothing to worry about with me."

"I just...he doesn't listen to me at all." She sighs and I know she isn't just talking about this call.

"Catherine, he is an amazing kid. Don't stop him. Let him do whatever he wants because he deserves to be happy and live his life to the fullest."

"I know. I just wish things were different..." she says, and I hear the sadness in her tone. I know Catherine is an amazing mother. The way she takes care of Archer fills my heart with more love and respect for all those mothers who are sacrificing a piece of their happiness every day just to make sure their kids are okay.

"It's going to be alright," I say, trying to cheer her up. "Now let me talk to my little buddy. And try not to get in our way, will you?"

She lets out a little laugh. "No, I won't."

Archer takes the phone back from his mother, and I hear his squeaky voice again. "Merrick, I missed you so much." He says, making my heart ache a little.

"I missed you too, kid," I reply.

"How is Zee?" He asks curiously and his question catches me off guard.

I clench my jaw before I finally say. "I don't know,"

"She is your friend. How can you not know?" Archer asks disapprovingly.

"Yes, she is. But we haven't talked in a while."

"Okay..." He says a little disappointed and I hate to make him feel like that. "When you will talk to her, tell her that I miss her too."

"I will." I sigh, feeling my chest tighten.

"Merry, she is so cool. She got me on the longest slide that I ever climbed on." He says, and I hear the excitement in his tone. "It was so fun."

I don't know what to say and I keep my mouth shut, feeling all this a little depressing. After a moment, I clear my throat and say. "I've heard you are being a bad boy to your mommy."

"Did she say that to you?" He asks in a hushed tone as if to not let Catherine hear it.

I smile. "No Archer, but you shouldn't be worrying her any more than she already is."

"Mommy is worried? She didn't tell me." He asks innocently, and I feel so many emotions flood through my chest.

"Yes, she is." I pause. "Because she wants you to get better and be like the superheroes that you talk about and for that, you have to take your medicines on time. Can you do that for your mommy?"

"I don't like to have them, but for Mommy...I will." He says slowly.

"That's my champ," I say. "I think now I can convince her to set up a big birthday party for my little buddy." I get a loud squeal in return, which almost makes me pull my phone away, but I am smiling anyway.

After I hang up, I keep thinking about Archer, and then my thoughts go back to the picnic that we went on together with Zelina. It was such a wonderful day and I enjoyed every moment of it. Suddenly, I remember what she told me that day.

It's better to be alone than to have a mother like mine. Sometimes I wonder if she even realizes that I am her daughter.

If she was close to her mother, she wouldn't have said those things. For a moment, I begin to reconsider my judgment. Was Dean right about this? Was I really overreacting? Should I've had given her a chance to speak out?

I let out a sigh and then I think about the dinner night. The way Zelina was talking to me. She didn't seem to lie about anything. It felt genuine.

Without having a second thought, I take out my phone and call Zelina. She doesn't pick up, and it worries me a little. I try again, but it's of no use. I sigh and begin to pace around the room, feeling restless. Then I look at the night sky outside and then rush out of the room. I grab my keys and get in my car to head to Zelina's house.

I am not sure if it's a good idea but I suddenly feel this urgency to see her. I don't know why but I get a weird feeling. The drive isn't too long with the way I am speeding. I get there quickly and I pass the security check, and when I park in her driveway, I already have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Hurrying out of the car, I make my way towards her house. When I find her door open, I walk in immediately. The moment I step in, I feel something under my shoes, and when I look up my eyes widen in shock looking at the sight in front of me.