MY HUSBAND’S BROTHER

JULIA THOMPSON

Amare wakes up to the blaring sound of his alarm. He groans as he reaches for it and turns it off. He only manages to get two hours of sleep before having to go to the office.

As he lies there, the events of the previous day replay in his mind. He widens his eyes and looks beside him. He groans again, muttering, "f**k! It's real," as he stares at his wife, who is sleeping peacefully on her back.

He is feeling anxious, his heart is racing, and he can't seem to calm down. To distract himself, he looks at the clock and notices it's still 3 AM. Since he can't fall back asleep, he decides to go to his home office to check his emails. Unfortunately, there isn't any message from the new investor who had promised to contact him. Disappointed, he slowly returns to his bedroom to change his daily exercise routine.

Starting his day on a healthy note, he hits the gym, takes a refreshing shower, and fuels up with a protein shake before heading to work. That's one way to kickstart the day with a bang, right?

He successfully manages to avoid everyone in the house, especially his mother. That woman has been breathing on her neck ever since he forced her to marry Maizah without telling him the reason behind all that, but he planned to question his mother later.

She must explain why, as he has already complied with her instructions.

When he arrives at the office building, he becomes annoyed by all the journalists waiting for him at the entrance; it is already half past six. How long were they waiting for him?

To make matters worse, he was so angry last night that he wanted to choke that new wife of his, but she told him that it was not her fault that he got out of the bathroom naked, and that was nothing but a bitter truth.

While he is confident in his skin, he values his privacy and prefers to exercise discretion in revealing his private parts. He believes it is essential to establish trust and intimacy with someone before sharing such personal aspects of himself.

"Sir. We can use the underground garage entrance, but I'm afraid they might follow us there." Malik suggests as he sees his boss glaring at the journalists outside the building.

Malik waits for a few seconds for an answer, but Amare doesn't answer. "Should I call the security team?" He asks again.

Amare grunts, "f**k! I am not supposed to even come to work today. Just drop me in front of the building, and I will be fine," He replies, mentally preparing himself.

Malik stares at Amara in shock. "Are you sure, sir? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

On Amare's first day, a journalist fabricated an article for profit about him. Although Amare thought he was helping the journalist by answering his question, not all of them had pure intentions.

"Yes, I remember, but I filed a lawsuit against that guy. Anyone would be a fool to do what she did."

"Okay, I hear you, sir," Malik replies, still uncertain; he drives towards the building with the journalists, meeting them halfway.

With a confident gait, Amare strides out of the car, utterly unfazed by the paparazzi trying to capture his every move and the barrage of questions they hurl at him.

"MR JACKSON! MAR JACKSON" They call out his name as they run towards him.

"Who is the woman?"

CLICK! CLICK!

"Can you tell us about your wife?"

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

"Is it true that you married in secret?"

CLICK! CLICK!

"I notice your wedding ring. Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"

"Did you fight with your wife?"

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

"Why did you two get married so suddenly? Is she pregnant?"

"Is it Julia Thompson?"

Amare's heart beats repeatedly at the mention of his girlfriend's name, or is she his ex-girlfriend now?

He firmly resists the urge to respond, walks purposefully toward the building, and heads straight to his office.

When Amare finally manages to get inside his office, he deals with his daily meetings and updates, but he realizes the employees analyze everything he does. He projects an assertive and confident demeanor, knowing that his actions and words impact the team's morale.

Later, He receives a term sheet from an investor but finds several problems that must be addressed. He immediately calls his lead investor to devise a strategy to solve the issue. He is determined to find a way to close the funding round for the sake of his new employees and their families.

He leaves the office very late in the evening, knowing that he is responsible for the success of the company and the well-being of his team.

Just as he steps outside, he's reminded of his personal life.

Malik is standing next to Amare's car, and Julia Thompson is joining him with a big, bright smile. Julia has an hourglass body shape, with large breasts and curvy features. She is the owner of a makeup brand that was created due to her struggles with acne, which were caused by genetic factors.

How did she know he was still at the office? Malik! It's got to be him. Malik doesn't like Julia; no one knows why, but he's always tense around her.

"Babe. I missed you so much." Says Julia, holding both of her cheeks, pouting at Amare.

Amare smiles at her; he has a soft spot for the woman. 'Well, sometimes.' "I missed you too, but you know we shouldn't be seen together, right?" He asked, stopping right in front of her.

Julia nods. "I know, but I already checked; all the employees had gone home except for your security team; they can't betray you like that," She answers, playing with Amare's tie.

Amare raises a brow. "How are you so sure? Let's go somewhere else." He says, opening the door for her.

Sure," Julia said as she got into the car. Amare followed and got in on the other side.

They both get inside the car, and Malik starts driving like he knows exactly where they are going. Well, he knows where he is going.

Malik, Amare's driver for years, is aware of Amare and Julia's on-and-off relationship. It's a well-known fact that they've broken up seven times, but somehow they end up reconciling.

Yesterday, Amare was technically fighting with Julia before the wedding.

Julia tracked down Amare's location via his cell phone and arrived at his house just before the wedding started. Thanks to her continuously tripping because of the soft ground and big puffy white dress, Amare was able to spot her before it was too late.

After moving away from the guests, Julia kissed Amare. However, he reminded her that they had already broken up. Julia tried to make Amare feel guilty, like 'MOST' of the time, attempting to convince him not to proceed with the marriage and marry her instead, but it didn't work.

After Julia realized that talking wasn't getting through to Amare, she became upset. She cried, but Amare remained patient. When that didn't work, she yelled, hit Amare a few times, and stormed off to her car, not before she warned Amare that he would regret leaving her.

She always says that every time Amare tries breaking up with him, she constantly threatens to reveal Amare's secret that should instead remain unknown since it might damage his reputation. However, Amare's attitude towards the situation changed yesterday, and he seemed to care less about the consequences, such as marrying a stranger due to his mother's pressure or his reputation being ruined.

Malik stops at Julia's house.

"Wait, what are we doing here?"

"I'm sorry; I thought Mr. Amare wanted to drop you off before going home."

Julia links her arm with Amare. "But I wanted to talk with him. Drive us to his studio."

"No, there's no need, Malik. Mom is waiting for me at home. She's been calling me the whole day."

Julia huffs, annoyed. She glares at Malik, and Malik receives the message even if it isn't what Julia is trying to send, but Malik gets out of the car, giving them their privacy.

"Tha guy doesn't like me; when are you firing him?"

"You're the one who doesn't like him; Malik is a great guy."

"Hmm! Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about how we ended yesterday."

"I'm sorry, I was angry, please understand me. You suddenly broke up without warning, so I reacted badly, but please forgive me."

"I understand. It was sudden, but we know things haven't worked out between us for a long time now."

"I know, but you made things worse when you went along with your mother's absurdity. Do you even like the woman?"

"Who? My mother?"

"No, I'm talking about that girl you married."

"No, I don't like her. I will never like her."

"Then why did you marry her?"

"You know that mom forced me, so why are you asking me that."

"Did she hold you at gunpoint?"

"Did she drag you to the wedding while both your hands and feet were tied?"

"No, that's not it. I can't say no to her?"

"Why? Please don't tell me it's because she's your mom because we both know she's your mother only on the papers."

"She's family."

"Family! Family Amare! Do you want to talk about your supposedly family? Where were they when you knocked at my door in the middle of the night because they kicked you out? Where were they when your drug dealer called me while you were gasping for your last breath because of an overdose? Where was your so-called 'Family' these past five years? I am your family! I have been with you through thick and thin; I have always been by your side, helping you to become the best version of yourself and cheering for your success. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but I supported your creepy art because I love you, Amare. Do you remember the time you were crying.."

"Okay, I have heard enough, Julia!"

"Please, Amare, don't do this to me. Don't do this to us, I beg you."

"Shhh, don't cry. You don't have to remind me of everything. I didn't forget. I will never forget. I have a plan, but first, I want to know their cards to play mine right."

"What do you mean? You still love me, right?"

"Yes, I do. I'm done playing by their rules, but you must be patient, my darling; you and I will conquer the world when I finish with them."

"I don't know what you are up to, but I trust you, and you will tell me when the time is right."

"Of course, baby. Now kiss me."

Julia wastes no time; she starts attacking Amare lips with a wet, sour kiss. She is crying, but she is no longer crying because Amare broke up with her.

Her tears of joy can not be contained as she realizes that Amare still loves her, well technically he didn't say He loves her instead he said 'I do' but that means the same right?.

It is a moment of pure happiness and relief, a feeling she has been yearning for hours.

She can't live without him. 'That's what she said.'