A Word of Praise
Chapter 40

For some reason unknown to mankind, Chris found himself at his parents' home an hour before dinner, at one of the most aggravating conversations he ever had. "She's not right for you," Edgar stated clearly. Patricia was awfully quiet.

"And why is that?" He didn't tell them they were not together anymore - or ever - and wasn't sure why. For some reason, Chris was putting up with that torture when he had a clear way out. But he'd go through that if they were a real couple, and maybe he just wanted to know how it'd be like.

"She's alluring, I can see why you'd be attracted to her." Edgar made it seem like she seduced him somehow, causing his anger to rise even further.

"What is your point?" He heard his father clicking his tongue, clearly annoyed at his question.

"She's too different."

"Wasn't too different when mother used her to entertain the guests, was she?" He snapped, raising his tone at the absurdity of the whole conversation. His mother simply lowered her head, and he wondered why. She usually was the first to defend Edgar in such situations.

"Don't talk to your mother like that, Christopher". Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering once again why he was going through all this trouble when there was no relationship to defend.

"Fine. What do you want?" Chris asked looking into his father's eyes.

"You should explore other options before committing."

"Kiara and I are done, Edgar, so there's no need to worry." To hear the words coming out of his mouth gave him a dreadful feeling of emptiness. They were never a thing to begin with but... they could have been.

He exited the tearoom and wandered around the house for a while, stopping at the grand ballroom. The place they first met. He closed his eyes and went back to that moment, to her routine. An ode to struggle, and damn it, he was struggling. He could feel it, trying so hard to reach the top, only to fall again.

"Are you two really over?" He heard his mother's voice behind him. When he turned around to see her, she seemed... worried.

"Yes."

"Why?" There was something odd about her tone that he couldn't quite place.

"I thought that's what you wanted." The hostility that was seeping through his words was probably misdirected.

"I want you to be happy." She was not being her usual self. Sure, he knew she wanted him to be happy. But it usually came attached to terms and conditions of her own.

"What is going on, mother?"

Before she could answer, the doorbell rang announcing the arrival of their guests. He saw his mother's face change from that hard to read expression into the usual hostess pleasant smile, and she walked away to greet the Jacksons. Chris stood stunned for a while, trying to make sense out of his mother's words. Did she want them to be a couple? Maybe she liked having a performer to show off to her friends. But it didn't seem like it. She was almost sad, and that was not like her at all. He'd have to replace out later.

Mr. Jackson shook his hand with more enthusiasm than necessary, and his wife gave out a satisfied smile after searching the room. She was clearly pleased by Kiara's absence, and Chris's humor took another sour turn. He should have guessed Felicia would be there. A bit too fancily dressed for a family and friends' dinner, if he were to provide his opinion.

"Christopher, I believe you remember Felicia from your promotion party?" His father was not being subtle at all, and it was pretty awkward. To be honest, he never thought the man would resort to such absurd tactics to strengthen his business relations. Not when the company was doing well. Unless...

"Sure, nice to see you again, Felicia." He put on his corporate smile, perfectly tailored for strenuous situations such as this.

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Dinner was unpleasant. His parents were both acting strange, though the guests didn't seem to notice. Patricia was missing that typical endorsement on all Edgar's words and Edgar, instead of sticking to business talk, was showing an unusual interest in people's lives.

"Cynthia, how are you adapting to the new apartment?"

"It's marvelous Edgar, thank you for all your help."

So his father helped them get a new apartment. It was not typical for him to help people out like that, but he probably did it for commercial reasons.

"I'm glad. Perhaps soon we'll be searching for a place for Felicia too" His tone held the standard indifference, but his eyes were more eager than Chris was used to seeing. Something was definitely off.

"Felicia is only moving out when she gets married. But I agree, it might be sooner rather than later." Cynthia was clearly a snake. Chris didn't miss the glint of trouble that came with her words, or how she looked at him with a knowing smile. "I think it's time for dessert, don't you?" His mother stated, motioning for a maid to speed things up. They had barely finished the main course when a grand apple pie was served by the staff.

Chris took the time to observe everyone in that room. He was more than certain that his father had an agenda for the Jacksons, but he had a suspicion he was not the only one involved.

Mr. Jackson looked like a child on Christmas, eager and cheerful, but unaware of the hidden lie that surrounded the place. If there was a secret in the room, he was not in on it. Felicia was quiet, which he began to think was her default. He didn't even remember her voice from that one time they met at the party. But if the plot were to get them together - and by that point, he was pretty sure it was - he could understand why she'd chose silence.

Cynthia seemed pleased with the whole situation, perhaps the only one at the table to feel that way. She was getting the better part of the deal, that was for sure. But what the hell kind of deal that was? His parents' behavior couldn't be explained by a simple plot to get him and Felicia together.

He noticed how unfazed he was by the thought of being a pawn in their game. That was new. It used to bother him to the core in the past when he had to bend to all his parents' wishes.

Now that he came to pay attention, there was actually an explanation for his absolute lack of care about it. He simply wouldn't do it. He wasn't going to cave to whatever plan they designed, so it didn't matter. They wanted him to put a ring on Felicia's finger? Don't wait up.

There was only one girl worth of his priceless engagement ring, and she was probably rolling down the drapes at that time... Shit. He didn't mean to think that, but the thought came anyway. Fuck, he missed her. He thought about what she would say during that dinner and realized she'd probably call everyone on their bullshit before the entrees were even served.

"What do you think, Christopher?" His father pushed him out of his daze.

"Sorry, what was the question?" He noticed the angry stares from the man due to his lack of attention "Cynthia asked if you'd like to join them in church duty tomorrow." Oh, for fuck's sake.

"I'm so sorry, I have other plans," he politely refused. His father shot daggers at him, but the one to answer was Cynthia.

"Other plans that don't involve praying on Sunday morning?” Her voice was filled with venom, and Chris couldn't fathom all that deceitfulness into a church.

He felt like rolling up his eyes but was able to craft an apologetic nod. If it were up to him, the only thing he'd be worshiping on Sunday morning was his woman. Oh shit, those thoughts needed to stop. Kiara was not his woman. But damn, she should be.

His mother once again rushed the dinner, expertly making it come to an end, and for that Chris was glad. His diplomatic abilities had limits and by the pissed off look on his father's face, it was not holding up anymore. The door was barely closed after the guests when Edgar turned to him with a murdering glare.

"What was that, Christopher?"