Not Longing For A Perfect Parents Anymore

Alicia stepped into the front lobby of the Hendricks Tower Building around 9 in the morning. Every staff member greeted her like she wanted: with respectful nods, smiles, and brief greetings. Their staff knew what Alicia expected when she set foot on their building, or she would have you kicked out of the company. One look from her piercing eyes made a person feel like they had done something wrong.

She didn't know how this repulsive impression had started; it could be that she wasn't as nice as most people were led to believe she was, but even then—she would have brushed off their opinions if they really bothered her. The truth was that she found most things irrelevant. As the wife of the Chairman of Hendricks Earthwise Consortium, she believed she deserved all the respect and praise in the world.

The elevator had whisked Alicia straight through the clouds like a bird flung soaring toward the world's top.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hendricks," Ashton greeted. "I didn't know you had a meeting with Arthur today," he said hesitantly.

"He is my son; I can see him whenever I want," she answered, not glancing at Ashton. "Get out of my sight right now," she commanded.

Ashton stopped walking by Alicia's side as he bowed his head. He immediately told Arthur about his mother appearing in his penthouse unannounced.

In the living room, Alicia saw Arthur sitting on the couch. His face was composed, his dark eyes unreadable, and he had said nothing as she approached. He had just sat there, watching her come, and she had felt the total weight of her helplessness and his power, the way he had always seemed to tower above her recently, no matter what he said.

"So," she had said when she was close enough for him to hear her. "I've come to talk about your father's funeral."

He had just looked at her. "You're supposed to wait for my secretary to call you for a meeting with me," he said, ignoring what Alicia wanted to discuss.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you should know what's going on with the arrangements," she said. "And I wanted to give you a chance to talk about it if you'd like."

"No," he said. "I won't be attending the funeral. I'll be busy managing the companies as the new Chairman of Hendricks Earthwise Consortium."

Alicia had felt her throat tighten. "You don't even want to be there to say goodbye?"

"No," he said.

Alicia took a deep breath. "You don't want to hear this, but your father loved you. He wanted you to be involved in the family."

"I'm involved," Arthur had said. "Just in a different way. But what you just said was a lie. I know you and Robert so well. And later on, I'll find out what you guys are up to when I was gone."

"Arthur, we are still your parents. We know we're imperfect, but we try to correct our mistakes," Alicia said calmly.

She had tried to find some way to make her point, to make him understand what it had meant to her when he had refused to even consider attending the funeral. But the words that came out of her mouth had been clumsy and clumsy-sounding, and he had just looked at her, his expression unchanged.

Finally, she had turned away. "You know," she had said. "I'm not sure why I came here. Clearly, you have no intention of being a part of this."

"That's true," he had said. "But it's not your decision."

Alicia had felt a wave of anger so sharp and inexplicable that she had almost stumbled. She had wanted to scream and shake him, to make him understand, but instead, she had looked away at the paintings, rugs, and heavy, dark silence, and she had said nothing.

She knows she is powerless over her son anymore, unlike before she used to wrap Arthur in her fingers. The table has turned, and it won't be turning back anytime soon. Arthur would make sure it stayed the same forever.

"Are you done?" Arthur asked.

"I have to go," Alicia said, not looking back.

"I'm not done. We have to talk about Nathan."

Alicia froze as she heard Nathan's name. She slowly turned back. "How's Nathan?" she asked, her voice tight with worry.

Arthur stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Stop pretending you care," he said coldly. "I know you're only asking because it's the polite thing to do. Or maybe you're trying to inquire if your son is still alive."

Alicia took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure. "Nathan is also my son," she said firmly. "And I do care about him. I want to know how he is doing."

"Really? If you care, why didn't you know how he is doing in the Rehab Facility?"

Alicia rattled; he avoided Arthur's gaze as she wondered what to answer. "You know that the funeral of your father was keeping me busy. I didn't have time to visit your brother for the past few days." Alicia sounded like she had an escape, but Arthur was not buying it.

Arthur looked away, his expression still unreadable. "Nathan is not in good condition, and you, as his mother, aren't around to check. But that's not surprising at all. I only wish he would feel better soon, even without your presence beside him."

Alicia knew how difficult it must be for Arthur, especially since he genuinely cared about his brother Nathan. With Robert gone and so much responsibility on Arthur's shoulders now as the new Chairman of the companies their father ran, he must be drained physically and emotionally.

She stepped forward and put a hand on his arm lightly in an attempt to comfort him, but he immediately stepped away from her touch as if it burned him. She sighed inwardly; even this simple gesture of comfort was too much for him to handle right now. Alicia had hoped that by starting caring like what mother does, Arthur would eventually give in, but instead, it seemed only to have increased the tension between them. Arthur used to long for loving parents, but it was all in the past. He accepted he doesn't have an ideal type of parents like a typical family would have.

Alicia stepped back and cleared her throat awkwardly before speaking again; "If there is anything I can do for you or Nathan," she began hesitantly, "please let me know." She paused expectantly, but Arthur didn't respond or even look at her; his expression tightened.

"If I find out you had anything to do with Nathan's substance abuse, you will pay for it. I'll make sure you'll rot in jail," Arthur growled. "That's not a threat," he looked at Alicia with raging anger.

"Arthur, son, stop accusing me."

"Investigation is ongoing. We will hear from them soon."

"I hope they find out the truth," she said hesitantly. "If that would be all, I'll have to go."

"And one more thing, show him some respect next time you talk to my secretary. He is my employee, not your servant." Arthur had heard how Alicia treated Ashton when she set foot in his penthouse. He never liked how Alicia treated employees before, but he was powerless then. Now, he can reprimand Alicia anytime he wants to.

Alicia was taken aback by how Arthur valued his employee over her as his mother. "I didn't treat him bad," she said, confused.

"I've heard you. Alicia, you must learn how to treat people with respect. It's not just you who deserve to be respected in this building. Now that I am the Chairman, I don't want to hear you kicked out an employee because he didn't greet you well enough. That is so shallow. Besides, our employees here are well-trained. It's just that you are way overboard. You are arrogant and rude at the same time."

Arthur didn't hold back to what he had to say. He thought someone should say it blatantly. She has to learn her lessons.

"Well, I'll do my best," she said.

"You better. Don't ever come here again without my permission." Arthur's face is stern and firm, his jaw clenched as his gaze is set on Alicia. His voice was deep and authoritative as he commanded her with a clear and precise statement. His presence was commanding, dictating the situation's atmosphere as he spoke.