Back To Where It Started

Chapter Six

Back To Where It Started

Sophie’s POV

I wiped my tears and quickly faked a smile as I pulled away from Amara, the last thing I wanted was to mess with my kids emotions too.

“Shall we?” I smiled and picked her up in my arms as I headed back to the hospital.

As I walked, with her in my arms, different thoughts raced through my mind, and no matter how hard I thought about it, I still couldn’t come up with a way out of this problem I was in. I couldn’t come up with what to do and it saddens me.

Should I just go to Maxon, and tell him that the kids were his and he would also have to take responsibility for them? Should I let him know about our kids?

I shook my head in response to my questions, I had vowed to keep my kids away from him and I would still do that.

I had been taking up the responsibilities for my two kids since the last five years, and I believed that I would find a breakthrough to this if I try.

Finally, we got to the hospital and Amara tapped me, a mixture of concern and confusion etched on her face.

“Why are we in the hospital mom?” She asked. “Are you sick?”

I smiled and shook my head, “No, I am not,” I responded and pulled the stray hair from her face, “Asher had little fever.”

Her face dropped. “Asher? Is he fine? Is Asher okay?”

“Yes Amara,” I responded and dropped her we got to the door of the ward. “Your brother is okay,” I added.

She pushed the door open and rushed inside. “Asher!”

Asher who was already awake smiled when he saw Amara, “Amara!” He murmured and stretched out his hand which Amara rushed into.

I watched them as they talked to each other, their soft and silent giggles gave me a soothing feeling. I wished that someday they would be able to go to school and return together.

I had been homeschooling Asher since Amara started schooling, and despite that he wasn’t going to school, he sometimes help Amara with her assignment. He was a very smart kid, and I wished I could send him to the school where he could get a better education, but I couldn’t afford that.

“Just give him few minutes, I’m sure he fever will disappear. Amara is his medicine,” Rose giggled as she walked to me.

We stood there, few steps away from the bed, and watched as Amara and Asher talked and whispered to each other. All I could think about was the context of the letter I read earlier, I just didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want Amara to stop going to school too. I didn’t want her to lag behind.

Suddenly, Rose turned to me and grabbed my hand , “While the kids are still busy with whatever they’re talking about, will you tell me about the interview?” She asked with a big smile on her face,

I hung my head, thrown back to what happened at the company and how my hopes of getting a job had been shattered by the same man who shattered my dreams of living a happy life with my family. The man who denied me when I needed him most.

“Sophie? What happened? It’s a good new;m, right?”

I shook my head and looked up at her, my eyes already heavy with tears, “No, Rose, it’s the same news.”

She pulled me to herself immediately, her hands wrapping around me and making me feel her support. I broke down in tears, I just couldn’t hold it back, I didn’t know what else I could do, I didn’t know where I could turn to anymore.

“It’s fine, Sophie, we will look for another job,” she smiled, “but what really happened this time?”

“I…I met him again,” I stuttered, “Maxon, I met him again, he is the ceo of the company.”

“Did he say he won’t give you the job?” She asked, like she wasn’t getting what I was saying.

I shook my head, “No, I rejected it.”

“Why?”

“He is Maxon, my ex-husband. Have you forgotten what he did to me? How he threw me out of the palace and never looked back? Have you..,”

She grabbed my shoulder. “I remember all that Sophie, I remember everything. But you can’t just turn down the job because of him. You are only working in his company, not that you’re getting back with him.”

“But Maxon is a..”

“Look at your kids, Sophie, you need that job to provide the little you can still give them.” She went on, “Asher’s surgery, we have to get it done soon, remember.”

I sighed, she was right, because even aside from Asher’s surgery, there was Amara’s school bills again, and she wouldn’t be allowed back in school except I clear the outstanding fees. I thought about the possible scenarios of Amara having to stop school again, and I just couldn’t hold it, I had to do something, and the only thing I could do was to go back to get that job,.

I looked up at Rose, confused on what to do, and wondering if I would be doing the right thing by going back to Maxon for the job. What will he think of me? What if he humiliated me, what will I do?

I looked at Amara and Asher, and those thoughts rushed away, and was filled with the desperation and determination to give my kids the life I think they deserved.

I finally nodded at Rose, “You are right, Rose. I have to go and get the job, that is my only option.” I smiled faintly, and checked my wristwatch. It was just 3pm. “Can I still go back?” I asked.

I had to go back as soon as I could so I would do whatever I could to get the money for Amara’s school.

Rose nodded. “Yes, there is still time,” she responded and grabbed my shoulders, “Forget that he is Amara and Asher’s dad, you should just go and…”

“Dad?”

We didn’t realize when Amara got to us, “Is Dad finally back mom? You said he would be back soon.”

I had always lied to them that their dad would be back soon, just to make them happy, and I always tried to avoid talking about him in their presence.

I turned to her with a smile on my face, which I tried to make it look real as best as possible, “Your dad was about to come for you two, but an important business came up, and he had to stay back for some weeks. He told me to inform you both that he would be back soon.”

She fumed, “You are always saying that mom, but he has never come to see us,” she hung her head, “Doesn’t he like us? Are we bad?”

I shook my head and immediately bent beside her, I cupped her face and raised her head, “No, no Amara. Your father loves the two of you so much, he would do anything for the two of you, you both are his life, so don’t say that again, okay?”

I didn’t know why, but what I said sounded like a lie to myself. I believed that Maxon would never accept my kids as his, so it was better to just keep them away from him, and take good care of them. I believed that when I finally get the material things I need to give them the best life they deserved, they won’t even think about their dad again, I was sure of that.

“He will do anything for us?” She asked and I nodded my head in response, “Then tell him to come see us mom, we want to meet him.”

I smiled, “I will tell him just that, and I am sure he will come see you after his meeting.”

“Promise?” She raised a brow.

I cleared my throat, I didn’t know if I would be able to do anything to make her forget after making the promise to her, because I knew that Amara would never forget a promise, just like her dad, Maxon.

“Amara darling, your mom needs to get to somewhere now, let’s leave her be.” Rose cut in, saving me from making the promise to Amara. “Come with me,” she added and held her hand, turning towards the bed where Asher was.

I smiled and whispered, “thanks for saving me,” I quickly rushed to the bed and kissed their forehead, “I’ll be back soon.” I informed and rushed out of the ward, and out of the hospital,

I picked up a cab and hopped in, back to Maxon’s company.

For some reasons, it felt like I was doing the wrong thing, that I shouldn’t go back to Maxon, but there was nothing I could do, this was the only way I could think of giving my kids that life they deserved, the only way Amara could be back to school and I could think of Asher’s surgery. For this, I was ready to go through any humiliation or embarrassment Maxon would put me through, as much as he gives me the job, I was ready to do anything.

Finally, I arrived at the company, and I was standing at the front of the talk building again, ready to go in to meet the man I had vowed I would never see again.

I sighed, sometimes life will put us through tests and make us go back on our own words.

I stepped back into the hallway, the workers on both sides, focused on their works.

I didn’t know where to turn to, if I should go to the office directly or see the receptionist first.

“May I know why you are here?” Someone asked me, even before I could make my decision.

I turned to the person, and it was the receptionist, “I’m sorry but no one is allowed to come into the company, just like that,” she stated, “May I know what you’re doing here?”

I cleared my throat, “I am here to see Max and… I mean.. Uhmm… Mr. Maxon Ironclaw, and I am…”

“Do you have an appointment with him?” She asked, and I shook my head, “Then, you can’t see him. Only those who have appointments with him can go into his office, so please, I will like if you take your leave now.”

“Please, I have to see him, it is very important, and…”

“You have to leave now, as just anyone isn’t allowed in this company, you have to leave or I’ll be the one to loose my job,” she stated, her voice hardening.

“But I have…”

She grabbed my hand, “Not another word! You have to leave, I can’t afford to loose my job because of you,” she barked and dragged me to the door.

I struggled to break free from her grip, I couldn’t just let her push me out like that, I still had to see Maxon and talk to him about the job, he had to give me the job.

“Let me go!” I shouted, trying to loosen her grip, but she kept on pulling me, “I just want to see the CEO, nothing more. Let me go.” I screamed.

Everyone around us had already stopped what they were doing before and now they were all concentrated on us, but I wasn’t really moved by their stares, I just wanted to get what I was aiming for; to see Maxon.

“What is going on here?” The cold and deep voice came at us. I knew immediately that it was Maxon.

The receptionist stopped and turned back, “Sir,” she bowed as she she saw him.

“What is going on here?” Maxon asked, his gaze fixed on me, “Why are you pulling her? I mean, what is the reason for that?”

I wanted to talk and explained all that happened, but his fixed gaze on me kept chasing my thoughts back, and I couldn’t say anything.

“Sir, this woman came here, claiming that she wants to see you,” the receptionist began, “She had no appointment booked with you, and I knew she is just one of those beggars that comes to beg you for money everytime, she is just dressed well so we wouldn’t notice. I didn’t want to loose my job so I had to drag her out, and…”

“What!” I was too impatient that I had to cut her off, “A beggar?” I asked, looking at myself again and wondering if I really looked like a beggar.

“How dare you!” Maxon yelled from here he was, “How dare you call her that!” He barked.

I shook to the sound of his voice, he wasn’t even yelling at me, but his voice thundered through the walls, sending shivers down my spine and I could also see the fear of others faces.

He walked to her and grabbed her hand, “A beggar? How dare you call her that! Do you know who she is?” He shouted.

“I…I am sorry sir, I…I am sorry, I didn’t know she is someone important.” The receptionist pleaded.

“You didn’t want to be sacked right? Well, unfortunately, you did the exact thing that will get you sacked,” he growled, “You have been sacked, and I don’t ever want to see you in this company, ever again!” He thundered and pushed her away.

I watched as she fell to the floor, crying and trying to plead, and it only took me back to five years ago, when I was in this same position, the only difference was that Maxon was doing this because of me, he did this to protect me.

I wanted to speak, I wanted to say something to him, but my mouth felt so heavy and my words choked in my throat.

He walked to me, and held my hand, starting at my wrist which was already red from her forceful grip, “Come with me,” he said and held my hand, taking me along with him to his office.

I was dumbfounded, I couldn’t say anything, not even a word, I was only confused. Why will he keep confusing me? One time he was insulting me and reducing me to nothing, and the next time saving me, why was he doing this to me?