Forever My Love Ch. 02

Jim felt a cold wave embalm him as the hairs rose on the back of his neck and his mouth ran dry. The color quickly drained from his face at the mere sight of the man he had come to hate more than anything. He could no longer control his hands; they were shaking in an odd trembling rhythm.

He took a quick glance at his husband and noticed that he was just looking the say he had been. That was good, right? There was no reaction. He needed to keep it cool or there was gonna be trouble.

"Thank you so much!" The man spoke happily.

David felt his heart hammer in his chest when he heard that voice, a very familiar voice. His mind took him to the man he had been following at the restaurant. His voice sounded so familiar. He stared at the man like he was trying to read him, tracing his beautiful face. There was a lot going on in his brain, sparks desperately trying to connect dots.

"Chocolate!" The man chuckled. "Everybody loves chocolates and it has various flavors, sweet, sometimes with a hint of bitterness. Bite into a chocolate and it may carry a surprise. Chocolate has become a major part of our lives.

It's rich flavors bring joy when we're sad. When we're in love, we give chocolate so we can express just how we feel. These are my favorites, chocolates and love, as sweet as the love between parents and their children."

His face got stern and he took a harsh breath. He knew that he was getting a little emotional.

"I never for once thought I'd know how to make chocolates or even be launching a brand." He added. "I always wanted to be an interior designer. It was a very big dream of mine but I learned along the way that something that you loved a lot can also be a reminder of your pain."

There were tears building in his eyes.

"Chocolates entered during the darkest moment of my life, when I was broken and without hope." He sniveled. "I had to bury myself in making something that I have never tried before. It made a little happy and seeing how happy it made people that ate them, I was reminded of someone that I had lost. Seeing how happy kids were when they ate chocolate, I was reminded of how happy I would have loved to see her.

After she passed away, I tried to fill in the emptiness that she left in my life.

Slowly I began to recover and I wanted to make something that would remind me of her. Leah isn't just a brand to me; it is everything because this name belongs to two of the most important people in my life. Sadly, they could not be with me tonight but I know that wherever they are, they are watching over me."

A tear went down his cheek but he quickly rubbed it.

"What I have realized is that life can be like chocolate, it can be sweet. But it can also be bitter. And usually, what it brings may just surprise you. Thank you so much to everyone that attended this event and I sure hope that this brand will be another achievement for this company. Thanks."

With those words, Ben ended his speech. He moved from the stage and was welcome by Carlos that hugged him tightly. People were clapping but his attention was on Carlos that had been nothing but sweet.

"That was brave of you, Ben." Carlos said, kissing his cheek. "I am so proud of you."

Meanwhile, David couldn't keep his eyes off the boy. He was just so beautiful and he gave him this feeling of familiarity that he couldn't put his finger on. First his voice sounded too familiar and it gave him a sense that he knew him. But he couldn't understand from where.

"David!" Claudia smiled sheepishly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Claudia was really hoping that David didn't recognize Ben or things were gonna go haywire.

"Yeah!" He said, his eyes still glued on the boy that was leaving with the other guy. "I am okay."

Jim was awfully quiet, very scared.

"Maybe... maybe we can leave." He stuttered. "After all, you said you wanted to leave, right?"

"Yeah..." Claudia chuckled nervously. "I agree. You might need some rest."

David glanced at his mother, getting surprised at how tense she looked.

"Are you okay?" He asked, a frown appearing on his face. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"Err... yeah!" She chuckled nervously. "I just feel a little hot. Maybe I need some air. We can go if you want, right now." She was hoping he was gonna agree.

"No!" He shook his head, surprising everyone. "We are here to talk business, mom. I made up my mind to do what I can in order to make my son happy. We can stay."

Funny thing was that he was not feeling nervous anymore. He was still confused and had a lot of questions but now he wanted to stay. Claudia eyed Elena and the both of them couldn't hide their fear. Jim was nervous but Amber had a grin on her face. She could tell her brother felt something.

"Mrs. Paola, I hope I didn't make you wait for too long." They heard a voice.

It was Gustavo and he was coming towards them with a smile on his face.

"No!" She chuckled nervously, shaking her head. "You're a very busy man and I understand. In fact, I would understand if you wouldn't want to discuss business and..."

"Why?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Mrs. Paola, you're a big businesswoman and your company is of high reputation. I think it's only fair that I listen to what you have to say. Don't you think?"

Claudia smiled, nodding. She knew she had to get her son out of there.

"Dad?"

Gustavo looked in the direction of the voice and saw his son coming towards him. He was busy chatting with Ben and they both seemed so happy, not even paying attention to where they were going.

"Yeah!" Gustavo smiled. "I believe I introduced my son. His name is Carlos. But this right here is the brains behind this brand and like I said, Senior Vice president for Operations, Ben."

With a smile, Ben raised his face to get the surprise of his life. His eyes landed straight into the face of the man that was staring at him as if he was staring into his soul. There was a delicious moment where Ben's face washed blank with confusion, like his brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes. Every muscle of his body just froze.

'Why now?'

To be continued...