Chapter 23
Leon
It’s been two weeks since Bethany had her surgery. Thankfully, her recovery has gone very well. We had a few issues when her pain level was unmanageable because she forgot to take her meds, but we made sure to get her pain medicine for her as soon as we could.
For the most part, things have gone well when it comes to work. Ion said he wanted to speak to me this morning, so I walked down the hallway a few minutes ago and knocked on his office door. He told me he’d be a few minutes, so I took a seat on one of the chairs in the hallway.
I hear his booming footsteps before the door comes open, “Apologies. I had another matter I needed to attend to before we could talk.”
“You’re the boss, what’re you apologizing to me for?” I chuckle, standing up from my seat. Ion leads me into his office and shuts the door behind me.
“It’s been a couple of weeks since Bethany had surgery, and I felt the need to address this now so there’s transparency,” he says, walking over to the small seating area he has in his office. There are four cherry colored armchairs in front of the fireplace that sit on an area rug. I take a seat across from him as he continues to speak, “While Mariana and I are working tirelessly to change the aged structure of the clans, we aren’t where we want to be. There are still things that may take time to adjust, and I’m not sure if we’ll ever change certain . . . aspects.”
A moment of silence goes through the room before I ask him what I’m thinking. “Are you going to cut to the chase or make me wonder what’s going on?”
“Part of me hoped you would know what I wanted to discuss with you today. It’s inevitable, considering the type of surgery Bethany had.”
I quickly put the pieces together. Ion wants to talk to me about lineage. “You’re concerned about the future of the Gabor clan, am I correct?”
“You are. From my understanding Bethany won’t be able to bear a child, or biologically have one which leads me to my question. Do you plan on being with Bethany in the long-term?”
I know he doesn’t mean to push my buttons or seem insensitive, but he’s coming off that way. Grinding my teeth, I respond with a bit of annoyance laced through my voice. “If I have it my way, I’ll marry that woman and have a family with her.”
“And how do you plan on doing that exactly? Adoption?”
“Possibly,” I comment, wanting to see where he’s heading with this.
“We’ve never had an adopted child take a clan after a parent.”
“And we’ve never had someone adopt a child, well, besides yourself. You’re not Bianca’s biological father and yet she calls you her father. Will you not allow her to take over the clan when it’s her time? I’m very interested to hear your answer, considering you and Mariana have been working to give women a voice in our outdated system.”
Ion tightens his jaw and clenches his fists. Obviously, I’ve struck a nerve with him, but he should think about these things before coming at me.
“Mariana and I haven’t discussed it.”
“You make me think your second child will get the throne,” I mutter under my breath.
“We’re having another girl. I don’t have to explain myself to you, Leon, but I will repeat myself. We haven’t discussed it, and that isn’t what you and I are talking about. We’re going over your plans, not mine.”
I suck in a breath, frustrated with my boss. “Don’t come for me when it comes to her, Ion. Bethany is my future and however we choose to have a family will be how it’s done. Whether it’s adoption, or another route. Your opinion doesn’t matter when it comes to how I decide to create my family. Now, while this has been a lovely chat, I’m going to go. I have other things to attend to. I’ll see you later.” I mutter in a grumbled tone as I rise from my seat and head toward the door.
“Possibly. Say, has Bethany said when she’s coming back to the house, or is she staying with her parents from now on?” I stop in place, balling my hands into a fist. Well played, asshole. It takes me a moment before I continue on and exit his office, slamming the door behind me. Ion just had to bring up how Bethany has asked for space from me for the past week. She’s said it’s because she wants to reconnect with her family, but I’ve barely heard from her which is causing me to become anxious. Right now, I’ve been wondering if she’s having second thoughts about being with me.
Bianca comes running down the hallway and stops right in front of me. She puts her finger in front of her mouth and motions for me to be quiet as she takes her shoes off and begins running away. Shaking my head, I see this girl is just as rebellious as Mariana, if not more.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it free, seeing a text from one of my men telling me that the job is done.
It’s taken my people a little longer than necessary to grab Noah, but I’ll take whatever chance I can to set things right and make sure this guy knows he’d better fuck off.
I can feel it in my gut, why I’m so on edge that is. I haven’t seen Bethany and it’s irritating the hell out of me. I know she has a post op appointment today at Dr. Santiago’s office. I lift my watch up and look at the time, seeing her appointment is in about thirty minutes. I decide to head over there and have one of the Petrans drivers take me over.
The drive takes longer than usual thanks to city traffic and I end up getting there after she’s already gone back for her appointment. So, I sit in the waiting room until I see her come from the back.
I glance down at my watch and see it’s been fifteen minutes. My heart rate increases by the minute, causing me to worry about whatever the hell is going on in there. Right as I’m about to head up to the receptionist and ask if Bethany is still here, the door that leads to the back comes open and out comes Bethany.
Only, this time her hair is lighter. Not platinum blonde, but she might have highlights going through. She looks lighter, happier even. “Leon?” She looks confused I’m here, but where else would I be?
“Hey, sweetheart. How’d it go?” I ask, hoping she’ll tell me.