A Plaything For CEO Blackwood

# 112 Love Above Love

“Marshall, I am sorry if I…”

“No! No!!, it is fine, I was just… never mind, I will tell you.” he smiled.

Now Jennifer was curious. What was it about his mom that had him so stressed? Why had she never met his mom? Was she late?

“My mother was very young when she got married to my father, their marriage was never going to happen if she didn’t get pregnant with me, it was supposed to be just fun between a boy and a girl. She was from a respectful home, so to avoid having her character questioned, she had to get married to my father.”

“Oh,” Jenny mouthed, not exactly how she expected this story to start.

“I know, pitiful. A marriage brought to be by lust, there was no love and they both knew it. Somehow, they managed to stay together for twelve years, at that point it felt like they were bound for life now; you would say they had no more reason to separate after being together for so long. But that would be wrong, because just before my twelfth birthday, mom eloped with another guy. They say love makes us do crazy things, she abandoned me and took off, she didn’t even bother to get a divorce, she just left.”

He paused, sadness in his voice. Even Jenny felt sad for him, this was not how this night was supposed to go. She didn’t come here to get involved in some years long emotional turmoil but somehow she had found herself trapped in it.

“I am sorry… for having to remind you of all that.” She muttered.

“Oh, not really, I never forgot, so this isn’t on you.” he smiled, picking up his cutleries again. “So that is why you have never heard me or my father speak of my mom, our lives were miserable after she left, but fate led my father to your father and our fortunes changed.”

“My father?” Jenny asked curiously, now she also wanted to hear that part of the story.

“Yes, you don’t know how they met, do you?” he asked with creased eyebrows.

Jenny waved her head to signify a negative response. “No, tell me about it,” she asked eagerly.

“Oh, well you were still very young then.” He chuckled. “So about ten years ago, or even more I think, your father was returning from work when he got attacked by robbers. They beat him, taking his possessions and leaving him to die in a pool of blood, but my father was taking out the trash when he found him. He rushed him to the hospital just in time to save his life.”

“Really?” Jenny asked with furrowed eyebrows. How did she not know this story?

“You can ask your father if you doubt me. When your father regained consciousness, he was so grateful to my father and that was how their friendship started. It is also the only reason why I am currently the product manager of his company which as you said rightfully belongs to you, I am sorry if you feel I stole your birthright, it was never my intention, so please don’t hate your father for it, his only offense was being too grateful.” He confessed.

Jenny smiled a little. “No Marshall, first off… I wasn’t mad at my father because he gave to you what I felt belonged to me, I was angry at him for being misogynistic. He feels women are inferior and do not deserve to hold much power in an organization, he is so high on male children that he considers my sisters and I unfit. Anyways, now that I know the full story, I won't hate you anymore for holding that position, you are truly deserving of it. After all, if your father didn’t save my father, then there wouldn’t even be a company to drag positions in,” she grinned and Marshall laughed.

“Really? You won't roll your eyes at me the next time you see me at the office?” he asked to be sure.

Jenny laughed softly. “No I won’t, but I still have beef with my old man though, for as long as he thinks boys are better than girls or that girls are not worthy of top positions.”

Marshal chuckled. “I will be selfish this one time and say that is fair enough.” He said and they laughed.

There was a little silence between them as they both avoided eye contact and then Jennifer looked up at him. “Do you ever miss her?”

He hummed and took a quick bite. “My mom? Yes, I miss her all the time, but that is what makes us human, isn’t it?” he chuckled softly.

She nodded. “So why don’t you try finding her?” she asked curiously.

“Oh, I have tried lots of times. She just either doesn’t want to be found or we can assume the worst, she is no more.” He responded casually.

“I am sorry,” Jennifer apologized again.

“You don’t have to be, it is all in the past anyway, her memories are all I can keep of her, and I think that is good enough.”

“Fuck!” Jenifer suddenly cut through his statement, she had just dropped stew on her gown, right on her chest.

“Oh, I am so sorry, let me get you a towel.” He offered as he stretched his hand to grab a napkin.

“No, I need to take it off completely, the stain doesn’t look like it can go out with a wipe. Do you by any chance keep feminine clothes?” she asked with a smirk.

“Huh?” Marshall muttered, trying to understand what was going on. “No, but I have unisex shirt and pants,” he replied.

“Okay, that should do. Where are they?”

“In my bedroom,” he pointed to the right hallway.

“Okayyy?? So lead the way then,” she grumbled as she sat up. “You don’t expect me to go alone, do you?”

“Oh, sorry…” he said innocently and stood up. “Please come with me,” he said and led the way, he was wondering why she was overreacting about such a little stain.

Jennifer on the other hand grinned as she followed him to the bedroom, she just wanted an excuse to be in his bedroom with him, the food was nice, but the deal was to have a fun night and so she expected more out of this.

TBC!!