CHAPTER 212: GET MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE.

The moment Augustine opened the door to his office, he froze, stunned to see his mother sitting calmly in one of the chairs, arms folded tightly across her stomach, her expression unreadable.

"Mom," Augustine breathed, his voice softening as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He moved closer, cautious but curious. "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Wales scoffed, her lips curling into a wry smile. "Is that the new way to greet your mother?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Augustine sighed, the weight of her presence already pressing down on his chest.

Yesterday had been sweet and blissful time with Charles but the moment he laid eyes on his mother, he knew his day was most likely going to be ruined.

’She hadn’t come to visit. She’d come to ruin whatever peace I had left.’ Augustine thought within himself.

He sighed and sank into the chair opposite hers, the heavy office desk was the only barrier between them as he glance deep into his mother eyes.

Inhale.

Augustine Wales drew in a deep, steadying breath, his fingers brushing the polished surface of the desk as if grounding himself.

Then, with a calm he proceeded to speak up.

"Why are you here, Mom?"

"Mom, good morning," Augustine said, his voice tight, the words clipped like he was forcing them past clenched teeth.

Anyone listening could tell-it wasn’t a greeting born of affection, just duty.

The grudge Augustine held against his mother still burned quietly beneath his heart, fueled by every cruel thing she’d done to Charles and she has never apologized for her wrongdoing, pretending that Charles deserve the cruel torture from her.

Augustine didn’t bother to mask the edge in his voice as he leaned forward, locking eyes with her. "So, Mom... do you mind telling me why you’re here?" Augustine questioned and his tone was sharp, almost accusatory, laced with all the resentment he hadn’t yet voiced.

Mrs. Wales sneered, her eyes narrowing with disdain. "Can you tell me why you’re just showing up to work now?" she asked, her tone sharp and cold.

She folded her arms, her expression cold and unreadable. "All your employees know you as the CEO who keeps a strange schedule but is always punctual. So why are you just arriving... at this hour of the day?"

Her voice dripped with judgment, as if Augustine’s mere presence had already disappointed her.

Augustine swallowed hard, his fingers fidgeting as he caressed his hands, the silence stretching while he gathered his thoughts.

"I’m just arriving because I woke up late," he finally said, his voice low but firm. "And before you ask why—I slept late the night before. That’s the only reason."

Augustine tried to keep his tone steady, but the weight of his mother stare made it hard to breathe.

Mrs. Wales gave a slow, deliberate nod, though her piercing gaze never wavered. Her eyes scanned his face like a lie detector.

"So," she purred, her voice cool and sharp, "why didn’t you come to work yesterday?"

"Umm?" Augustine mumbled with a tilted brow. "Is that question really necessary?"

Mrs. Wales nod. "Of course it is. Skipping work when you have lots of business stuff to take care of, Augustine that’s concerning."

"Mom! I and my boyfriend paid a visit to his parents so we both skipped school work the previous da—"

"No! I mean I paid a visit to one of my friend so I decided to skip work."

As Augustine replayed his earlier words in his mind, a chill crept down his spine. He had mentioned Charles but it’s too late to take it back now.

Augustine knew his mother well enough to realize that any mention of Charles was like lighting a match near gasoline.

Mrs. Wales smirked, her heel tapping sharply against the floor as she uncurled her arms from around her stomach.

"So it’s about that cleaner," she sneered, her voice thick with contempt. "And a visit to his parents, no less." She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "You need to end things with him, Augustine. And do it quickly."

"No mom. Come on don’t address my lover as a cleaner." Augustine stated with a frown because he hates the fact that his mother was addressing Charles like if he was some piece of shit.

"Also, Mom, I’ve answered every question you’ve thrown at me," Augustine snapped, his tone sharp and his expression darkening. "So it’s high time you did the same. Why are you at my place of work at this time of day?"

Mrs. Wales raised a brow, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Don’t I have the right to visit my own son?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Augustine swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. She was dodging his question on purpose and that alone told Augustine everything he needed to know.

She wasn’t here to chat.

She was here to break something.

"Alright mom. If you don’t have anything to say to me, then I think it’s best you take you take your leave since I have a lot of work to tend to."

"Yeah." She scoffed. "You always have a lot of work whenever your mom pays you a visit." She spat, rising up from where she was seated.

"Umm... umm." Mrs. Wales cleared her throat as he grabbed her handbag from above Augustine’s office desk. "Anyway, I’m here to make you an offer." She spat, her voice more fierce.

Augustine gave a brief, bitter nod. "Are you here to give me another reason why I can’t fall in love with a man?" he asked, his voice laced with frustration, the irritation in his eyes unmistakable.

He was tired—tired of the same exhausting cycle.

Every time they were alone, she found a way to remind him that being gay was wrong. That it was disgusting. That it didn’t belong in the society she held so dear.

And today was no different—just another performance in the same tired play.

"It seems you now know me more than I know myself." Mrs. Wales purred with a sly smirk attached to her lips. "I have a proposal to make Augustine. I want you to travel out of the country. I want you to learn a foreign language so as to enhance our company in the future."

"What?" Augustine scoffed because his mother words were absurd to his own ear.

"You heard me right Augustine. I’m not here to make any argument with you but instead, I just want you to do as I have instructed you."

Augustine fluttered his eyelashes as he message his temples. "You... you want me to travel out of the country to learn new languages?"

Mrs. Wales nod.

"That’s absurd. What the hell am I going to do with a new language? Mom, I have my own companies to run so stop trying to use weird ways to separate I and Charles apart."

"Hey!" Mrs. Wales snapped, her voice loud with rage as she clenched her teeth, staring at her son with cold gaze. "I’m no longer interested with the life you’re living with that cleaner boy. He has already ruined you and he have spoiled the relationship that I have with you, but I don’t really care about that anymore."

Mrs. Wales paused for a while to catch her breath as she swallow hard. "I want you to travel to china to learn their language. You have just two weeks and after that, you’re free to return back home."

"What?"

"My proposals comes with a price."

Augustine just couldn’t help himself as he scoffed, rising up from where he was seated as he message his temples once more. "Why do you think I would do as you have instructed?" Augustine’s voice dropped, cold and steady, but laced with pain. "Also... are you trying to plot something against my boyfriend?" His eyes searched her face, but he already knew the answer. "Why, Mom? Why do you always do strange, cruel things to the people I love? Aren’t you tired? Isn’t... isn’t it exhausting?"

Mrs. Wales smirked, the glint in her eyes sharp as a blade.

She dragged her tongue slowly across her lower lip, savoring the tension before speaking.

"It’s been a while since I last messed with that cleaner boy," she said with a dismissive shrug. "Doesn’t that tell you I’m not interested in his pathetic little life?"

And just as Augustine parted his lips to respond, she raised a hand, cutting him off.

"But let me make one thing clear—just because I’ve been quiet doesn’t mean I’ve gone soft."

"My company has a conference meeting with some Chinese business partners. I need you to represent my company on my behalf," Mrs. Wales said smoothly, as if she were asking him to run a simple errand.

Augustine blinked, his brows drawing together in disbelief. "Mom, this makes no sense," he said, his voice edged with growing frustration. "You can hire a translator. There’s no reason for me to fly across the world just to sit in on a meeting for you."Augustine stated as he tries to reason things to his mother.

He sees no reason why he should fly over to another country just because his mother needs him to represent her on her company conference meeting.

It just doesn’t add up.

"Augustine." Mrs. Wales called out a she opened her hand bag and pulled out a file which she swiftly handed over to Augustine. "Here’s a contract agreement. I promise not to force Charles out of your life as long as you travel over to china." Mrs. Wales proposed.

Augustine took the file from his mother hand and swiftly, he read the details with mixed expression on his face.