Arin

Whoever said that working as a CEO had its perks was clearly mistaken. There are no perks to begin with, only torture. First and foremost, even after a span of four years, I still tend to act as an assistant rather than a head at times. With Xavier being the CFO after Malcom's resignation and I being sworn in as the CEO after dad, whoever little time we had in our lives for fun all seemed to have faded.

"How are the shares dipping?" Xavier walked into my office with furrowed eyebrows and a face that could make weeping statutes sad.

"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulder and pouted my lips. "Maybe it had something to do with your engagement."

Yes. Xavier Oswald was now a happily engaged man who loved flaunting his fiancé like a priced possession. Having met her at a museum while having lost a bet with Roger, we only discovered the truth about it being a setup when Roger divulged it.

"Nope. I don't think so. I think my engagement news should raise the stocks not drop them," he answered, sliding into the chair.

"If the most eligible bachelor in London is off the market, there are bound to be some repercussions."

He narrowed his gaze at me before the suppressed smile sprouted out. "Fine. Let's see what happens then when I get married."

"Oh I am pretty sure we will all go bankrupt. But at least I have the Murphy's to depend on. What do you have?"

Xavier raised from his chair, squaring me. "I have my fiancé, Keira." After a brief pause, he whispered. "Am pretty sure she can help me steal some stuff from the museum if we indeed go bankrupt."

My head fell forward at his words. Laughter filled my cabin as I placed my bag on the table. "Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"Yes. I have places to go." With my words, Xavier held up his hands up in surrender.

"Fine. Go meet your husband."

I chuckled at his words. "I am meeting dad before that at the foundation. You want to join?"

With dismissive hand waves, Xavier nodded sidewise. "Nope. I have dinner plans with Kiera."

Walking away, I turned over my shoulder. "You kids be nice.." He blinked in affirmation. "Say my hi to Kiera."

~

The driver took me to Greta foundation. It was the charitable trust founded in the memory of Roger's mother, instituted to help destitute woman who had no place to be. After Brandon overdosed a year back, all his proceeds were also written off in charity by Roger.

After dad resigned from Oswald, he had officially joined the foundation as the chairman. I guess, working till old and gray ran in the family. Inside the building, I walked into the place where dad spent most of his time. Teaching younger children who were left abandoned on the streets or who made it with their mothers here, made his days.

Inside a well lit class with glass doors, dad sat in the middle of a circle on a small chairs, reading to the kids. He held a sock in one hand and mined with it. The entice circle around him burst into laughter. Dad was always good with children. He was no exception here.

"Babydoll."

A voice emerged from the hallway. Before I could peel away my look from the class to its epicenter, it called out again. Trotting towards me with a bunny bag on her shoulder and rabbit shoes whose ears flapped with every step she took, my daughter flung her hands up in the air, launching towards me at her final steps.

"Babydoll," she called out again, peppering me with kisses.

"Not babydoll, mama. Say it. Mama."

Pressing her tiny fingers on my cheeks, Irene screamed out my name in excitement. 'Babydoll.' Thrashing her legs on my side, my little marathons runner cycled her way into the room where dad sat.

A hand curled up from my side. Warm breath hit the back of my neck, with a whisper caressing my ear. "There you are.. I was waiting for you babydoll."

I turned to the man whose voice still made me feel as if it was only yesterday that he called me for the first time, announcing his decision to call me that. Roger smiled down at me. His blue eyes still drowned me in an ocean of love. He gave me everything that I ever wanted. A family, a companion and most of all, a love that I couldn't stop gushing about.

I placed my hand on his chest, sliding his away from the room. "You need to stop calling me that. It's been two years and I am still on the wait to be called mama."

Roger chuckled, pulling me closer. His sweet minty breath hit my face and the tiredness of the day seemed to fade away, drop by drop.

"I can't do that. I love calling you by the name I was first introduced to."

"You were first introduced to my original name, Arin."

With a head tilt, he scratched the corner of his chin. "Nope. Pretty sure it was babydoll."

I tugged his lapel towards me. Inches being our distance, the corner of my lips rose up.

"Really," I challenged him with my crooked smile. "In that case I should call you master."

Matching my gaze, Roger pulled me inside an empty room. "Really. You want our daughter to call me Master too?"

My hand wrapped my ears. "Lallalalaa. No no no no llalalalalalaal." I continued singing loudly, facing Roger who seemed to smile and continue his talk.

Removing my hand made ear muffs, he tugged his forehead against mine. Our eyes met. It still made me feel butterflies even after four years of marriage. "So babydoll. What is your plan for date night?"

I shrugged, walking away. Over time, we had made every week a date night, only for us. There would be no office talks or work related discussions. It would only be Roger and Arin's time, of master and babydoll.

Dad emerged from his room, tugging Irene above his shoulders. With only one grandkid, his hand seemed fuller than usual. I wondered how Malcom managed caring for twins. Yes, Stella is happily married with twin boys. She found her perfect match in a photographer who came to do Roger and her wedding photoshoots.

Although we girls still had a long way to go before our ways completely mend, our previous animosity had burned out in the light of discovering about Brandon's truth.

Waving at our daughter, Roger grabbed my hand and walked us out. In the car, he dropped my seat to an incline before pushing himself over me, kissing my forehead.

"Ohh so hot and heavy," I mocked.

He chuckled, adjusting his pants and firing up the engines. "Oh you have no clue what I have planned after dinner babydoll."

My hand coiled into his while he shifted gears. A shared look pulled at my heart strings.

One call. It only took one call to change my life. Uprooted it from a state of stagnancy and placed it in the path of growing. A call which changed both our lives. Indeed it was a call of a lifetime.

The End

~

Gosh...

Typing the End seems harder for me as Roger and Arin were complicated couple for me. I laughter when then did and I felt disheartened when they suffered. But like all great journeys, theirs too had to come to an end on a happy note..

I would love to read your comments on my writing and the characters. Feedback is much appreciated.

Hope you all check the next chapter, a sneak peek into some works of mine :)

Love

S