Page 74 of Grumpy Bossy Billionaire Enemy

“I am not leaving Henry because he went bankrupt, Mom,” I replied. “I am not leaving Henry for anything.”

"Your marriage was nothing but transactional. Henry is bankrupt, honey. He doesn't have anything to offer our family any longer."

Mother swallowed hard. “What if Henry doesn’t bounce back? What if he remains in debt forever?”

Her questions made my heart pound, but I was not ready to fold in her presence. I gritted my teeth, hoping there was a better way of saying it.

I scoffed, "I am not leaving Henry Robinson." I spelled my words out clearly. "Is there any other way for me to say it?"

“We are on the losing end, then,” Mother said. “Don’t you see that this is all about business?”

"For you, maybe it was all about business. But not for me. I'm in love with that man, and I'm not leaving him."

I stood up, finally comfortable. “Is there anything else you want to say?”

Mother shook her head. "I came here to tell you that I'm pregnant." I paused, and Mother's face suddenly lit up. "With twins. Do you see why I can't leave that man?"

Mother’s face fell on my tummy, and she stood up. Her mouth hung open in surprise. “You are pregnant? Since when?”

“We found out last week,” I replied. “I thought I should bring the news to you in person.”

Mother chuckled, “The nursery…have you?”

“Yes,” I cut her off. “We’ve started the kids' nursery.”

I kissed her on the cheek as I turned to leave. "I love you, Mom, but I can't leave Henry. Give my greetings to Dad, will you?"

I walked out of my parents' house and headed to my car. There, my mind trailed back to Mother's scary question.

What if Henry doesn’t bounce back? What if he remains in debt forever?

These were questions I hoped never to have to answer. I drove home. Henry had scheduled a meeting with the stakeholders who were ready to pull their remaining shares out of the company.He wanted to know if they could be convinced to remain with the company. I thought it was a thin thread, a false hope that Henry had created.He came into the house a few hours later; his flushed face told me that he hadn’t been successful at convincing the stakeholders to stay.He was wearing a suit – the first time I would see Henry wear one to his office. The other time was at our wedding.

He’d never considered anything formal until now. However, he was coming home with his suit askew. He had his tie wrapped around his knuckles; when I saw them, I realized that they were bruised.

“I’m going to be sued for assault,” Henry said as he placed his suitcase on the chair. “I punched someone at the meeting.”

“That’s bad,” I said. “How much is the lawsuit?”

"I'm waiting for the suit to be filed; I think it's going to be a lot."

I placed my hand on my hips. “Who did you punch, Henry?”

“Jonas Donald,” he exhaled. “He was just being an ass.”

“I think you should take a break,” I said. “I think you should see a therapist.”

“Did Mother put you up to this?”

"No," I replied. "I just thought you've had so much to take in, and you're letting it out on people."

Henry dismissed my theory. “I’m sorry,” Henry said. “I was just too sensitive to the things said at the meeting.”

“You shouldn’t apologize to me,” I said to Henry. “You should apologize to whoever you punched in the face.”

Henry nodded. I wasn’t sure he was going to apologize, but the news caught our attention.Jonas Donald was on the screen, holding a press conference to tell the world that Henry Robinson had assaulted him. This news spiked interest Henry’s bankruptcy, and journalists were beginning to suggest that Henry might be going nuts.

I flashed Henry a look; he didn't look defeated. He looked like he didn't care what was happening with the press.Then his phone blasted; first his furious mother was calling to explode more of her anger at her child.Then Henry’s accountant, whose call Henry had ignored all through the night.I was scared that my husband was heading toward self-destruction.I didn’t want that for my kids.

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