A Stolen Kiss From THE CEO!

Chapter 72

72 Watching A god Cry

Marissa had been downcast ever since the day she left Leon’s Villa. Leon’s harsh words had broken her heart into a million pieces and she blamed Ella for all this.

She had never seen her precious son exhibit such a level of rage in her entire existence. It was as though she had become an impediment he badly wanted to shed off. Even at some point, when he had moved closer to her and kissed her forehead before uttering those hateful words, she feared that Leon wanted to badly slap her.

As if Leon’s animosity towards her wasn’t enough, Rex reprimanded her severely when she returned to Carlpole. He didn’t go soft on her as he warned her that her meddling could cost her Leon’s loyalty and love.

For days, Marissa cried silently until Rex couldn’t take her sadness anymore. He consoled her and begged her to let Leon make his decision like the mature man he was. This time, she listened to Rex after reaching out to Nana Esther.

Marissa swore under her breath never to forgive or accept Ella for almost ruining her happy family. She promised herself that she wouldn’t interfere in Leon’s life again. She also promised herself to support her only precious son to regain his love, respect, and loyalty.

Although Marissa had contacted Nana Esther out of frustration, she couldn’t predict Nana Esther’s decision. Nana Esther was like a mystical cloud that could only be read by a sorcerer. One minute she is talking normally and the next minute she is talking in parables.

Marissa was feeling tensed in her heart when she woke up. The previous night, she had a bad dream where she saw herself crying uncontrollably.

In her dream, one of her precious and rare flowers mysteriously died. Even when she tried to water it and give it some special nutrients, the flower didn’t spring back to life. After being consoled by Rex, Leon has daughters, and surprisingly Ella, – Marissa suddenly woke up sweating. Without waiting for the day to brighten up, she put on her robe and ran down to her garden. To her relief, her rare and precious flower was looking and smelling radiant as always.

After taking breakfast and working tirelessly in her garden, Marissa decided to take a walk to clear her head.

.....

She was a few meters away from the mansion entrance when she caught sight of Leon’s car driving into the mansion estate. Without waiting for a second, she dashed towards Leon’s car as he parked and was stepping out.

“Leon!” She screamed at the top of her voice, running in slow motion as though the earth had stopped rotating.

Leon, seeing his mother running towards him from afar opened up his arms to receive her. Warmth crept into his troubled mind as he gazed upon his mother’s priceless beaming face and watery eyes.

“I’ve missed you so much!” Marissa started sobbing as Leon received her warmly into his arms. “Please forgive me, and don’t push me away. My heart can’t take any more coldness from you. I love you so much, son.” Marissa kept on and on professing undying love to her most cherished son.

Tears flowed down Leon’s eyes at his mother’s words. When Ivory spoke to him the last time and told him that Marissa was shattered, he felt so much hurt that he was tempted to call her. However, he changed his mind as it was too early and she may not have learned her lesson.

Currently, seeing Marissa feeling sober for her wrongdoing melted all the animosity in his heart.

“I’m so sorry to have made you feel this way, mum,” Leon gently stroked and kissed her head. “I promise to improve on my ways.”

Marissa pulled away from Leon’s arms and stared intensely into his hurt eyes. “Leon, I promise not to meddle in your affairs ever again. Even when your decision hurts me so much, I will learn to live with it. I may not welcome or accept your wife, but I would never go after her or her family again.” Her eyes were flooded with tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. “Please forgive your mother and accept me back into your heart. I’ve been dying to see your face or hear your voice for days now.”

Leon kissed Marissa’s forehead and wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb. “I forgive you, mum.” He pulled her back into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Please forgive me too for my harsh words and how I treated you.”

Marissa wrapped her arms firmly around Leon when she heard his last words. She couldn’t believe her eyes and ears that Leon was asking for her forgiveness. Nana Esther’s handiwork was evident.

“I forgive you, my precious son,” Marissa said between sobs before releasing Leon from her firm hold.

Feeling unburdened, peaceful and cheerful once again, Marissa led Leon into the mansion. She ordered the house chef to prepare a special feast to welcome her son, while she led him to the lounge where Rex was seated and reading some papers.

“What about Ivory, mum.” Leon noticed his younger sister’s absence. “Has she gone back to school?”

“Yes, she has. She left a few days ago.”

“Leon!” Rex’s eyes widened as he looked up from his papers when mother and son stepped into the lounge. He stood up abruptly, dropped his papers by the stool, and walked up to Leon. He did something he had never done for a very long while. He hugged Leon tenderly which brought tears to Marissa’s eyes as she joined in the threesome hug.

Rex could sense Leon’s suppressed emotions, hence the hug. He would always say that hugs were meant for the ladies and handshakes for the men. After chatting together for a while, Marissa left father and son to bond.

“Walk with me, son.” Rex stood up and led Leon into the mansion’s voice-proof office.

When they were seated opposite one another, and behind shut door, Rex gazed intently into Leon’s eyes. “I can see that Miatisa has told you my secret,” Rex spoke calmly. His voice though gentle carried a lot of traumatic emotions in them. Leon could perceive that his father was trying to act strong before him. He could also tell that his father was weeping in his heart.

“Whoever came up with that stupid idea that men shouldn’t show their emotions,” Leon questioned his subconscious as his heart was ripping apart. Tears welled up in his eyes and he tried his best to stifle them. His father meant everything to him and the thought of losing him in the coming months was suffocating him inwardly.

Rex stood up and walked over to Leon as the little distance between them was crippling him. He pulled up a chair beside him and sat down. “Leon, I’m truly sorry to have disappointed you this way.” He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth to force back the tears that were threatening to pour out. “If I had... If I can... If...” Rex struck the mahogany desk before him due to frustration. His throat was clogged with so much emotion that words were failing him. He had wanted to be the strong man that his son always looked up to but now his emotions were making him sound and look like a weakling.

“Dad, don’t do this. Talk to me. Do not restrict yourself. I will understand. It’s just the two of us here. I will never judge you. You always and forever will be my hero. I want you to unburden your heart to me. I deserve it! You know that I deserve it!” Burning tears flowed freely down Leon’s cheeks. He couldn’t take his father’s suffering anymore. He cared less about what his father thought of him right now. He didn’t mind being called a weakling for just a few minutes.

In a few months, he would never have this opportunity again to seat before this great man whom he called his father. This was just too much for him to handle.

Rex gently placed his two hands on his son’s hands and closed to eyes.

For the first time in his entire life, Leon saw his father shed tears. The experience was overwhelming. It was out of this world. It was like watching a god cry.

Leon gawked in awe. His memory took a thousand shots. This was an image he was going to cherish for the rest of his life.

Rex took a deep breath and felt peaceful once more. The brief tears had somewhat given him a new sense of direction. He felt relieved as he unburden his heart to his son. He admired the man Leon had become. He was a spitting image of him and even more.

“I was diagnosed with Lung and bronchus cancer some years back,” Rex spoke more firmly. “Ever since then, I have been managing this sickness without anyone knowing except for your Nana. It has been over three years of continuous treatment and therapy. I thought things would get better but last year my doctor gave me the bad news.” He took a deep breath to calm his aching heart. “He gave me two options. Either I undergo a series of chemotherapy that will turn me into a vegetable and give me a few years to live or I stop my treatment and live a healthy life for the next few months before death comes calling. As expected, I choose the second option.” Rex said proudly amidst watery eyes. “I would rather go down as a man than live a miserable life being a burden to anyone.”

Leon smiled between tears at his father’s ego. His father was a true legend.

“Exactly how many months do you have left?” Leon asked as his mind did some calculations that scared him.

“Maybe six weeks or less.” Rex’s heart was dampened even more.