My Dearest Sofia (Completed)

Chapter 2

"Would you look at that pretty little lady sitting with your uncle, Jon. I would not mind getting her for dessert! “

Jonathon's gaze swept through the entire dining hall of Elliot's and spotted his uncle Jefferson before he exploded into laughter. The sight made him smile, although it was a small one which did not alter or lighten his brooding, serious face. 

A lot of magazines have coined him as one of the most delectable, coveted and eligible bachelors in the city of New York. He really did not care. He was more concerned at how they managed to get a photo of him when he rarely even went out of his stately apartment.

"New plaything, perhaps?”

He looked at the gentleman beside him and raised an eyebrow. Delnard Savage was his best friend since he was a toddler. They both had gone through the stages of growing up together, shared everything from drunken brawls to bedding girls, women and divorcees. 

Now, they were even on the same list as eligible bachelors with Delnard coming at a close second behind him. He loved the guy and he was the only person Jonathon trusted aside from his uncle. Still, his best buddy always seemed to surprise him and act like he was a different person.

"Come on, let's get an introduction! I did not skip Blake's bachelor party because you're being an old man who refuses to leave his house without me. Really, Jon, maybe you should think about proposing marriage to me.”

Jonathon grinned, this time his smile reaching his eyes. He avoided being seen in public and would rather much stay inside the house and read or write. He did not like saying or talking much either. He only conversed with Delnard, his uncle and a handful of people who worked for him and his company.

His company... He thought wryly. 

If it was not for the memory of his father, he would have ripped Elliot Enterprises to shreds, sold them separately and buy an island somewhere in the Caribbean then disappear from the world that he hated so much. Maybe then, he could erase a whole lot of his past and cease tormenting himself.

"You're brooding, bro. Really... you should get out more.”

Jonathon shrugged and proceeded to go down the steps and meet with his uncle. He would've stayed in New York instead of going down to Raleigh but his uncle insisted. 

In truth, Jonathon knew that Uncle Jefferson just wanted him to breathe natural, fresh air instead of inhaling the stale air in his apartment brought by centralized air conditioning.

He was glad though that Delnard was able to cook up something for the press. Right now, they were waiting outside the Elliot Museum of Fine Arts because he had leaked the news that Jonathon was going to be making an appearance. Then, he was able to sneak him off to the company's private hanger at La Guardia airport and they flew privately to North Carolina for this meeting.

"Oh damn! She's leaving!”

Delnard's voice made Jonathon snap his attention back to where Uncle Jeff was seated. He watched as the lady, perhaps 18 or 19…? placed her hands in his and squeezed. 

Her back was still turned to him but he could tell she was laughing by the way her shoulders shook. She stood up, pulling her hands away from his uncle’s and then proceeded towards the opposite direction to exit.

Hmm... Was his uncle really back to his old ways of wooing young women with money, jewelry and social parties? 

He sighed and chastised himself. His uncle could do whatever he wanted to do. After all, Jonathon owed him a lot and he was not going to judge the only person who truly cared for him when his father passed away. 

He frowned and buried the memory back into the hollow recesses of his mind. He had plenty of time to be tormented by them once he was back in his apartment or when he fell asleep tonight. He was determined to finish the meeting with his uncle early, persuade Delnard to skip the party scene in Raleigh and head back to New York before midnight.

"Ah gentlemen! You couldn't have arrived at a better time!“

Jefferson greeted the two handsome young men before him. Both of them looked sharp and extremely dangerous (to women of all ages) in their suit jackets and dark jeans. 

He was determined to do something about his nephew's hair though. It was getting a bit long, falling over his eyes which made him look more serious and brooding.

"Hey, Uncle J!”

 Delnard reached down to give the old man a brief hug. He had been hanging out with Jonathon Elliot all his life and this have made him the unofficial brother to the Elliot Enterprise heir. 

This meant that he was part of the family and he was happy about it. Oh, not because he had access to the extreme and vast wealth of the Elliots, he and his family had more money than most people, but because Jefferson and Jonathon were two of the most brilliant men he could ever hope to be close with.

He craved the bond that uncle and nephew has because he was not that close to his father. He never had brothers or sisters. Yes, cousins but they were too far away and caught up with their own lives. 

He could get a girlfriend or a wife, he was of age to be married but where's the fun in that? He was a bachelor, the youngest vice president of Elliot Enterprise and one of the most sought after men in the country. He was living the fun life.

He seated himself and watched as Jonathon hugged his uncle and then settled opposite of him. The wait staff quickly converged in their vicinity and murmurs started spreading across the dining room. 

He chuckled and watched as his best friend, Jonathon, was oblivious to the stirs of echoes. He figured they only had about an hour or less before the paparazzi would be swarming the place. He got the ones in New York busy but who knows how many are actually based in this city.

The older Elliot ordered them food and since Jonathon was not going to be talking much, Delnard felt that it was up to him to find out who was that mysterious girl sitting with him. He saw only the side of her face but he already knew she was pretty. Nobody had skin like that, except when you were a model or movie star.

"Who's the delectable lady with you, Uncle J? Why was she off in a hurry?”

"You kiss your momma with that mouth, Delnard?"Jefferson replied, shaking his head with disapproval.

"I did not realize calling a young girl delectable would be so sleazy..." He mumbled taking a sip of the wine.

 It was great. The Elliots always had great things. 

"Not really, but I guess I'm a bit partial to that young woman." Jefferson replied with a grin. 

He did not think Delnard Savage was a bad lad. In fact, he was one of the best guys he could ever get the pleasure of seeing grow up with his nephew. The guy had brains, spunk and a zest in life that he often wished would rub off on Jonathon.

Not that Jonathon was stupid or anything- Actually, far from it. In fact, Jefferson thought that his nephew was too intelligent and perhaps far too grown up and mature. 

Of course, he could not blame it entirely on the boy. He had the most difficult time growing up and adjusting to the life of being the only surviving male Elliot apart from him. It was just sad that his passion for living and being part of normal society had been snuffed out.

"Who is she?" Jefferson was surprised to hear his nephew talk in a crowded place. It had been difficult to make the guy see reason about his stupid vow of silence.

Jonathon Elliot had declared to his uncle, best friend and mother that he was never to be caught engaging anyone in conversation, especially those whom he did not know. 

He was going to keep to himself. Of course, his uncle would hear none of that. It was a ridiculous notion for an eleven year old to have. But, the boy was as stubborn as any Elliot and have actually succeeded in keeping mum for two weeks.

Jefferson reasoned with the Jane but to no avail. That woman’s heart had died years ago with her husband, Jefferson's brother, Jason. He wanted to throttle the lady for not noticing his son but instead, he decided to just speak to the boy and declare himself as his new father figure.

Jonathon had managed to break his vow when his uncle moved in with him and his mother when he was twelve. By then, he had been busy with continuing Jonathon's education as the heir to the Elliot Empire. 

He was a good lad, a sponge who could absorb everything but only he never laughed or smiled except with his best friend Delnard. 

This had carried on until the boy was sixteen. Jefferson could not imagine how the guy survived private school and hopefully, college the following year without making friends or speaking a lot. But apparently, Jonathon did survive college and even graduated a year earlier from Harvard business school.

Jefferson was even surprised that he was happy and actually found himself a girl friend in Suzanne Vanderbilt. He could scarcely believe it when his nephew announced that he was going to ask the woman to marry him during Christmas.

 Although, the old man had misgivings about the young, spoiled Vanderbilt, he was not going to stop his Jonathon from the happiness he wanted. The boy had too much tragedy in his life already.

However, if he only knew that his instincts were spot on. He would have grabbed the Vanderbilt girl, threw her on a boat and have shipped off to god knows where! 

The deceitful woman only added to the list of tragedies in his nephew's life. This time, Jonathon did not announce his reluctance to involve himself with society or other people except his family and his best friend. He just boarded a plane, went somewhere off to Asia and then returned with a renewed vigilance to his code of silence.

That time, no matter how Jefferson threatened or pleaded with him, Jonathon did not budge and told his uncle that it was either he respect his decision or he would forfeit his promise and have nothing to do with the family's company forever. 

But, Jefferson did not give up. He still had hope for his nephew. He was an Elliot after all and they never were known to back down or settle for less. 

He had came up with a plan to help his nephew heal and become whole again- at least, before he was too old to do anything or before he kicked the bucket. He owed it to his brother, Jason, to make sure that his son would be happy and strong and could lead a new generation of Elliots into the 21st century.

"Uncle, is something wrong?" Delnard's voice cut through his thoughts and he cleared his throat. 

He smiled at his nephew.

"She's someone special." 

That was all he would say for the meantime. Jefferson however did not consider the ramifications of that statement. 

Delnard and Jonathon exchanged glances but decided to not delve further. It was none of their business and they were more curious of what the uncle had to say.

"Now, to business, gents. I would like you to leave that ghastly New York apartment of yours and come live with me here.”

Jonathon was not surprised at how bluntly his uncle spoke. That was what he liked most about his father's brother. There was no beating around the bush with him. He was honest, frank and perhaps sometimes, extremely vulgar but he was honest and that mattered most to Jonathon. 

Hmm... Was all Jonathon could say. It was out of the question. 

Raleigh is a quaint city and he could easily get his peace and contentment in this place away from the hustle and bustle of New York. But this city had left him with too many bad scars. 

The tragic night when his father died and the number of months and years where in he watched his mother slowly slip away from life and looking at him with loathing.

"Do you even know what you are asking, Uncle J? Geesh!" Delnard spoke for Jonathon's behalf. He did not need to read his best friend's mind to know that you could not say or do anything to Jonathon to get him to move back to this place.

Jonathon gave his friend a grateful look and decided to leave. But his uncle's hand shot up and grabbed his.

"Hear me out, Jonathon. Damn it! I'm older and I still am responsible for you. You will listen and you will think long and hard about it.”

He knew that speaking in a tone such as that would only make Jonathon feel rebellious but he was tired and lonely. He wanted to rest and enjoy the pleasant feeling of growing old with money and not much to worry about. He was even contemplating on dating again at his age. 

He was still healthy and strong, despite a few joint pains now and then. He still had the handsome look of the Elliot's and a bearing that most older women will fall for- not to mention, a heavy and thick wallet.

He softened his grip on Jonathon's hand and blurted the first ever lie he said to his nephew.

"I'm dying.”

Delnard watched as Jonathon's face which was minutes ago twisted into a scowl, shifted into shock then softened a bit. He was still angry and irritated but Delnard knew it was because he was going to regret what he was about to say.

"It's true, Jon. I have been feeling out of sorts for the past weeks and I know one can sense if his time on this earth was up.”

"What did Dr. Carter say?" Jonathon asked in a low, monotonous voice.

"Oh, I don't know. I was not paying attention. He did mention something about taking it easy and settling priorities.. you know...my last will and stuff…"

He let go of his nephew's hand and took a gulp of the wine. He did not feel comfortable with lying to his nephew who valued honesty and sincerity above all.

"Let me make a phone call." 

Delnard excused himself when Jonathan sent him a look. Of course, Jonathon Elliot rarely spoke to people who were not part of his "To-Speak-To" list (which Delnard wanted to burn one of these days!) 

So, as the official best friend and VP of the company, he had to do those task of talking to people.

Delnard did not mind. It made him feel important and he would do anything for his friend. He excused himself from the table and went out to the nearest exit. He pulled out his phone and dialed the family physician. 

"Hello, Dr. Carter. I'm calling in behalf of Jonathon Elliot concerning about his uncle's health issue?”

There was a clatter and a series of coughing before the doctor spoke on the phone. "Hello, may I ask who this is? You have to know that there is such a thing as patient confidentiality." 

"It's Delnard Savage, sir, calling for Jonathon Elliot.”

He knew his name would not have as much weight as the Elliot but still, the world knew of his relationship to them. It's better for the doctor to know who he was dealing with.

"I see- well, uh- I might consider talking to Mr. Jonathon Elliot in person if he has the time. I know how busy he is with the company and everything. Shall I set up an appointment for him with my secretary?”

Delnard frowned. What was up with Uncle Jeff's health issues? He sighed and told the doctor that he would be calling back to set up the appointment. 

Jonathon will probably tell him to go deal with it and like the good friend that he is, he'll do it. He looked out the window and caught a shade of yellow dress. He knew it was not the girl in the restaurant but he was reminded of her. 

Well, if he was going to visit the doctor for Jonathon, he might as well use that time to see the sights and visit his mother.

He returned to the table and found the older Elliot grinning and drinking way too much wine for a person who was supposed to be dying. He shrugged and relayed the message of the doctor to Jonathon. To his surprise, his friend answered that they would be going to see him tomorrow, first thing in the morning, before heading back to New York.

"We're staying the night?”

He asked, looking from one guy to the other. It was unusual for Jonathon to want to stay in the city he loathed.

"I'm staying at the penthouse of the hotel, though.”

Jonathon replied, wanting his friend to know that it was okay with him if he decided that he wanted to visit with his mother, Josephine Savage. But he also wanted to discuss some things with his best friend.

"I don't think my mother knows I'm here. I'll not bother her tonight, I'd much rather sulk somewhere with you!”

"Nonsense! Why don't you two go around town? Have a boy's night out? Why, when we were teenagers, your father and I used to paint London red! We had women, brandy and cigars. We gambled and had the time of our life.”

Jonathon did not like hearing about his father's past or anything about him in particular. It made breathing too painful. He quietly stood up, excused himself from his uncle and told him he would meet him at Dr. Carlton's at nine tomorrow. He then turned around and left.

Delnard gave Jefferson an apologetic smile and followed his friend, praying hard that there wouldn't be any paparazzi waiting for them at the entrance. 

He hoped Claude was still as feisty and strict so that they can at least, have someone to stand on the other side of Jonathon in case they had to cross through a throng of photographers. He reminded himself to remind Jonathon about the necessities of a bodyguard.

Jefferson Elliot watched with sadness as his nephew walked away from the table with his best friend. The young man was tall, elegant, formal and way too stiff. He was 21 for crying out loud but he was dead set on living an empty life. 

He knew it was because he was punishing himself for a crime he did not commit. 

Damn Jane Elliot! 

May her soul rot in hell for haunting his nephew's life even beyond the grave.