Page 69 of Grumpy Bossy Billionaire Enemy

“Are you ready?” I asked Troy before he opened the door. “Remember, don’t fold your cards.”

Troy nodded in response. He motioned to open the door, and turned back realizing that I didn’t follow suit.

“Why are you staying in the car?” he asked. “I thought we’d face Mom together.”

I scoffed, “No, bro,” I replied. “This is your cross to carry.”

Mom already suspected that I was behind Troy’s recent ability to outsmart her. Going into that house with Troy would only confirm her suspicion.

“You’ve got this, man.” I patted his back as he got out of the car.

“When will you tell Mom about Amelia’s pregnancy?”

I looked up at Troy. “I’ll meet you inside.”

Troy suspected that I was up to something. However, he trusted that I had his back. I set my timer to twenty minutes, enough time for Mom to listen to Troy’s response. Enough time for her to get over her anger. Then I’d go in to break the good news. The ecstasy from the thought of being a grandmother was enough to take out the anger in her. Mother’s dream of two moments in her life: the moment she would carry her babies and the moment she got to carry her children’s babies.

I took out the ultrasound picture from my wallet and got lost thinking about the angels Amelia was about to bring into the world. My mind trailed to Amelia, resisting the urge to call her for the eighth time that morning. She’d stubbornly gone to work this morning. Automatically, she left me to worry whether she was okay. Since the pregnancy news, the only time I was certain of Amelia’s safety was when she was with me. Sadly for me, Troy backed up Amelia’s claim that she could go to work until she was almost due to deliver.

The timer went off at exactly twenty minutes, and I stepped out of the car. I searched the big house for Troy and Mother until I found them by the pool. Mother sat on the sun lounger with her legs crossed. Troy walked away when he saw me, and our shoulders brushed against each other. Mother looked up at me, unable to hide her frustration. Her gray hair glistered underneath the shining sun’s ray. She had wrapped a towel around her swimsuit, and her golden earrings were carefully placed on the stool near the lounger.

“What are you doing here? Henry?” Mother asked. “Are you here to also rub something on my face and make me look stupid?”

“No, Mom,” I replied. “I’m here to tell you that you’re going to be a grandmother. Amelia is pregnant with twins.”

There was only one piece of news that was better than being a grandmother; it was being a grandmother to twins. Mother’s shoulders relaxed. She seemed like she had heard the best news of her life, but she was being modest. She tried to find the next word to say, but her mouth hung open as she stuttered, “I’m going to be a grandmother?” Her voice went into a high, exciting pitch.

“I’m going to be a grandmother!” she shrieked. This time, it sounded like an affirmation and not a question. I took out the picture from my pocket, and motioned that she take it from my hand.

Mother slowly took the picture from my hand and looked at it in awe. “You should join the grandmothers’ club.”

I left her to drool over the good news and walked back to the car where Troy waited for me.

“Did it work?” Troy asked as he turned on the ignition.

“Like a spell!” I replied. Troy nudged me as we drove out of my mother’s garage.

Finally, it was good to see Troy and me in our happiest moments.

****

I bounced on the outdoor sofa as I got back from my trip with Troy. We’d both conquered the moment, and there was nothing more pleasing than waiting for the love of my life to return from work.

I lazily browsed the internet until the news on the television caught my eye. I saw that the stock market had dropped drastically. I remained mute as I watched the news anchor’s mouth spew the bad news.

“Are you okay, Henry?” I heard Amelia’s faint voice in my ears.

I must have been so lost in the moment that I didn’t know when Amelia entered the house. My mouth opened wide as I tried to make sense of what I just heard on the news. There was only one explanation – I was bankrupt.

Chapter thirty

The Coming Days After the Bankruptcy

Amelia

Henry hadn’t said a word to me since the news televised the stock market dropping drastically. Instead, he’d been on long calls with his accountant. My meager knowledge about the market told me one thing: Henry might have gone bankrupt and the house and the luxury we enjoyed might be gone in a heartbeat. I was supposed to panic at this revelation. Instead, I was sure we'd get through this together. However, I worried because Henry had been in his study since last night. Now, it was almost twenty-four hours since he had locked himself in the room. He'd been trying to figure out what went wrong, but I wished he would talk to me.

My parents had called a few times, and I had ignored them. Camille was the only person I could speak to. She'd called almost immediately after hearing about the news. Everyone in Richmond had heard about the fall in the stock market, affecting Robinson's venture.Most importantly, Camille had heard about my pregnancy and eventually gotten Mrs. Robinson's blessing for her marriage to Troy.

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