DILEMMA OF FAMILY.

CHAPTER 19: DILEMMA OF FAMILY.

"Home cooked meals are the best," Joey said looking at the mother. "You are the best cook in the whole wide world."

"Ain't that right dad?" Joey said smiling and they all laughed.

"Yeah, she sure knows how to work her magic in there all the time," Mr Adams said looking straight into his wife's eyes, as he grabbed her hand with a smile on their both their faces.

"Thanks, honey," she appreciated her husband.

"Am sure Samantha will do equally as good as your mom," Mr Adams said looking at Joey. "Ain't that right, Samantha?"

"Yeah, of course sir," Samantha replied, forcing a smile, but it looked awkward.

Joey noticed how cold Samantha had been while they had dinner, but he shrugged it off, looking away from her. Mrs Adams also noticed it. The subtle exchange between the two of them.

"What's with that look? Are you two not planning to get married?" Mrs Adams asked, gazing at Samantha.

"Mom!" Joey grumbled.

"Can you give them some breathing space?" Mr Adams requested.

"Thanks, Dad."

"I was just looking out for them," Mrs Adams said raising her eyebrows. "You're no longer a kid. You have a good paying job, so you both should get settled soon enough."

"I need my grandchildren," she said. "I know if that good for nothing boy Justin were to have a job like yours, he would have-"

"We will make you proud, mom," Joey said setting his gaze at Samantha.

"Right, babe?"

"Um, yeah, yeah," she replied smiling in awkwardly still, as she reminisced on Justin's proposal.

"Are you sure you're okay, Samantha?" Mr Adams asked noticing her somewhat gloomy demeanor.

"Sure, I am," she replied forcing a smile on her face.

"Aren't you checking on Geoffrey?" Mr Adams asked.

"You go check on him. Isn't he your son as well?" Mrs Adams responded rudely.

Mr Adams shook his head, shrugging the manner with which his wife responded aside.

"So, how is it with work? Hope they aren't stressing you huh?" he asked Joey.

"Not at all," Joey replied. "Am working hard though to get promoted to the head of department position."

"That's good. You'll get it," his father responded.

"Thanks, dad."

Soon after, they were all done with dinner.

"I'll be heading out to meet a client," Joey announced, grabbing his car keys, as his mom, Julie and Samantha cleared up the table.

Hearing that, Samantha knew it was no client Joey was going to see, she knew he was headed to the motel just as she had read from his text.

She made a mental note to go find out the trust behind the text.

______

Mr Bishop returned from the office, and he got to the living room, he sighted Justin at the dining area having dinner.

He walked down to the dining approaching Justin.

"Welcome," justin greeted causally.

"How could you been so careless?!" Mr Bishop yelled staring at Justin, startling him.

"I told you of the dangers that loom, with your discovery. Who knows if one of the officers at the station were colluding with the folks that tried abducting you? Huh? This could have been a different story all together now."

"But nothing happened, okay?" Justin said defensively.

"But it could have gone awry," Mr Bishop insisted.

"Yeah right. Like you actually ever cared about me. Drop the good dad act."

Mr Bishop was stunned at that comment. He sighed doing his best to hold his anger in.

"Come to think of it, why are they even after me? What did I do for them to want to harm me?" Justin asked boldly.

"No, wait, what did you do to whoever those people are that they are after me? What were you involved in?" he questioned further.

Mr Bishop's men were surprised at Justin's boldness. No one had ever dared talking to Mr Bishop in such a manner before.

"Everyone out," Mr Bishop commanded.

All the house attendants and guards bowed, exiting the perimeter, leaving the father-son duo.

Mr Bishop and Justin maintained a long and intense look at each other. He then chuckled softly, de-escalating the tension that was brewing, knowing that Justin would press on and find out the secret he's been keeping from him, for the sake of his innocence.

"I'm a great wealth, and as such, having enemies is inevitable," Mr Bishop replied. "You don't get to my position without stepping on some toes."

"Oh, is that so?" Justin scoffed. "You know, I idolized you for as long as I could remember. The humble Texan man who rose to great heights of notoriety. But I guess I was wrong to have done that."

Mr Bishop laughed out loud, seemingly scornfully.

"How childish of you to think my boy. You think that that's how the corporate world works huh?" Mr Bishop asked.

"When you swim with the sharks, it's either you're eaten, or you become the apex predator, to survive this long that I have. Never forget that."

Mr Bishop went ahead to sit down at the dinner table, laughing softly at Justin's innocent heart.

"Bring me dinner," he called out.

Soon after, the kitchen attendants hurried out with his meal and had it served hot to him. He took a bite of the hot grilled lamb, seasoned just how he liked it. He moaned as he munched the delicacy.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Mr Bishop asked Justin.

Justin rolled his eyes, then quietly sat down, as they both ate their meals.

_________

Samantha was done helping out with the dishes. She quietly tried sneaking out of the house, but was caught by Julie.

"Where are you going Samantha?"

"Uh... I wanted to go find Joey. There's something we needed to do together," she lied.

"Don't tell anyone that I left okay? Let it be our little secret. Hmm?" she whispered. Julie nodded in acknowledgement.

"When I return, I'll give you the surprise gift I brought for you, okay?"

"Okay," Julie smiled.

Samantha stealthily exited the house and quickly got a taxi, and headed to the motel she saw in the text.

But first, she made a quick stop at a store, and got Julie a make up kit for teens. She then headed to the motel.

True to her suspicions, she found Joey's car parked outside a particular room. His car was the only one there, so she assumed it was the room it was parked in front that he was in.

She was nervous about finding out the truth. She manned up and walked to the door and knocked on it.