Chapter Text
Tonight was the night the rest of his life would be set. He was to be, what he felt like it to be, trapped into a deal that involved a lot of his freedom being demolished.
He was to get married. To a woman. Over a business deal.
Great. Just great.
Newt took a breath from the rethinking he did, his hand going to his hair again, then his tie. His reflection he looked at said many things about how he felt, a son being forced by his stepfather into something he couldn’t control anymore, the on going event he found himself in.
He didn’t want to get married over a deal. He didn’t even want the business of Crank Palace once he was married. To spend his life running it. He didn’t want to get married to a woman all together.
He wanted to marry for love. He wanted to spend his life with someone he would love forever. He wanted to get married to a man.
This was his fate though, or Janson would kick him out of his family, the one he was born into whereas Janson was married into.
For God sack. The only reason Janson was in the family was that Newt’s mother, Keisha, needed money. After her husband left her with two kids to raise. What Keisha was looking for was sustainability, and Janson had it.
He was a good stepfather. Newt will always remember little nine-year-old him holding his little sister’s hand, squeezing it tightly for his nerves, when he first met him. But Janson was kind to him, providing him more than his birth father would ever give. Where no toys used to be was multiple electronic toys for him and eight-year-old Sonya to play with. So yeah, Janson was the best stepfather Keisha could ever choose for her children.
Only, she married him for a deal to provide for her kids and for Janson to have someone to take over the family business. To help people with medical conditions and supplying helpful drugs for them.
Now Newt…he didn’t want that. To marry off for anything but love. But the journey to do that would start today. Or that kind man of a stepfather would hate him. And he couldn’t have that.
So, he accepted his fate.
Bloody hell.
He looked at himself one last time in the mirror, in his classic dark blue suit with a black tie. Just simple enough, maybe enough to mix the yells I don’t want this! and let’s go I’m getting engaged tonight!
Either way, the press and paparazzi would love it. Just like all the gossip about how rich his family is and how even richer the family he was marrying into is.
God, it was a hate and love situation he had with his life.
He loved how he got a stepfather that actually cared about him as a kid, even if when he started seeing that kindness from Janson start to slip. He loved how his mother was happy now, and his sister could get everything she wanted.
He hated how he was too far into the business to pull out to do his own thing. He hated how the reason he was getting engaged tonight would be because of more money his family could ever have. He hated how he had to marry a woman. He hated that most of all.
Men, in his books, were hotter. Sexier. Men in love actually cared about who they loved. Men that loved kids looked kind and hot. Men ticked all the boxes in Newt’s books.
And he was marrying a woman? He was going to spend the rest of his life with a woman?
God, fuck my life.
He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He hadn’t stopped thinking about it since his family had discussed the decision six months before. His thoughts about everything he was stuck in had been racing since then, and they didn’t stop as he got ready for the past hour. And they still floated in his mind as he texted Jonesy to pick him up, his personal driver he loved to pieces.
His phone, as he texted and left the bathroom, got another message from Alby, his best friend in the same damn position as him. Only him and his sister Harriet were family friends to the Isaacs, and he wasn’t getting engaged to anyone from another rich family.
Albs
Yo I’m about to leave. You on your way?
He took a seat at his dining table that had a beautiful view of the city, the glass wall over the top of everything. He was in his city apartment; one of the two homes his family owned for him, even if he bought the second home. He was staying there for the moment, and once everything went out into the press about his engagement, he was to go to his house outside of the city to get away from the fame and spotlight for a bit, until he went back to work.
He texted back quickly.
Newt
About to leave too
Jonesy’s on his way
Alby responded quickly. Classic Alby.
The pair had been best friends since Newt’s first day at the private school his parents sent him to once Keisha remarried. They sat next to each other, and Alby couldn’t stop talking to him. Then and there, they became best friends. More when Harriet and Sonya also became best friends in the class below them.
Albs
👌
So…
How we feeling about this family?
You know much about them?
Newt
Well…
All I know is I’m marrying the daughter
And that they own Wicked
Albs
Nice
Janson’s throwing the party right?
Newt
Yeah
And so is the mom of the Paige’s
Ava I think her name is
Albs
Nice
Limo’s here. Gtg. I’ll see you there.
That was Newt’s cue to get up since he also got a notification of Jonesy arriving. He stood back up and walked down his hallway towards his massive front door, taking a breath as he typed his last message to Alby.
Newt
See you there mate
Let’s get this bullshit over and done with.
Soon enough, to his fear, he sat in the back of his car with Jonesy driving him to his fate. He looked out the window to the big city of flashing lights, seeing how his face came up on big screens, adverts to his life, per usual.
Newt Isaac to be engaged tonight!
Paige and Isaac party tonight for life changing deal!
Teresa Paige and Newton Issac to be engaged tonight!
Crank Palace and Wicked join alliances for the future of their company!
Poor boy from England turns into bachelor of the year thanks to Janson Isaac, the best stepfather and businessman in this time!
All of it was bullshit.
And Jonesy got the memo.
“You want me to turn around?” Jonesy asked as he looked at Newt through the review mirror, pulling him back to reality. “Can say you got sick on the way over.”
“Nah,” Newt answered with a shake of his head. “My dad would know that I’m faking it.”
“If you say so,” Jonesy said as he looked back to the road, going to turn to the big hotel Right Arm was.
In a short time from now, Newt will also be getting married here.
Bloody great.
“You ok boss?” Jonesy asked as they approached the line of press beside the red carpet that led into the hotel entrance.
“Yeah. Yeah…” Newt answered, his eyes darting across the cameras and lights. “Just…tired is all.”
Jonesy stopped the car then, Newt’s door by the start of the red carpet, ready for Newt to step onto when he would get out. “You ready for this?”
“No. But I’ll do it. Or my dad will get mad. And I can’t have that.”
He hummed a laugh at the joke, even though he could feel Jonesy’s pity stare on him before he got out. Newt watched Jonesy walk around the front of the car and could hear the press of journalists and clicks of cameras become louder.
Those were the sounds of gossipers, and his cue to be prepared for them.
He let out a deep breath, preparing himself for his entrance.
Let’s give the people what they want. That was his stepfather’s voice.
Then Jonesy opened the door for him.
“Newt!! Newt!! Over here!!!”
“Isaac!! Tell us about the deal you’re in!!!”
“Newton Isaac!!! How are you feeling about this engagement you’re in?!?!”
“Newton, can you answer some of my questions please?!?!?!”
“Newt!!! The Denver post!! We have a few questions we would like to ask!!!”
Jonesy helped push through all of the journalists and cameras to his family. They both ignored the yells and flashing lights from the cameras, especially Newt. He put on his sunglasses when he stepped out of the car, and once he was out of the journalist side of things, he removed them and gave them to Jonesy.
“Go get them boss,” Jonesy whispered to Newt before letting him go, making the blonde smile towards him before he walked onto the red carpet in front of the wallpaper his family stood at.
He posed for photos as photographers took his photo, the usual jest he’d get at parties and events. He never smiled though, when his photo was taken and he was alone, hands in pockets, blonde hair hiding his forehead and his head and eyes going from camera to shouts of his name.
He would smile if he wanted to. But he always didn’t want to, he never wanted the fame life anyway. He’d smile if he had a choice in life, not when everything was planned for him.
“Newt!! Son!!” A voice called for him, making him break his trance from the cameras. He turned his head to see Janson walking towards him, his smile wide and his arms out in surprise.
Bloody great.
“Hey dad,” He greeted as the man got close to him, pulling out a tiny smile.
Old Janson would squeeze his hand when they were stuck in these situations, a reassurance for him that he wasn’t alone. He grew up like that, in the spotlight. And Janson always knew that this was a way to calm his nerves.
But this time, and many times since he started working at Janson’s business, he just whispered the usual ‘look at the cameras.’ and they posed together for photos. And that’s exactly what they did, only Newt still didn’t smile until Janson told him too.
“Smile son,” Janson whispered to Newt as the camera flashes quickened. Of course Newt did so, but with no teeth, just his lips. “Teeth…”
It’s like his stepfather could read his mind.
Newt did as he was told, even though he didn’t want to.
Kill me now.
Spoiled brat he would call himself, at how he hated how his life was. A lot of people would give anything to have his life. But he couldn’t help how he felt, he just didn’t want this life anymore. He wanted his freedom back.
That was what people didn’t see. They thought this was what he wanted, to marry off for money and take over Janson’s business. But he wanted to marry someone -a man at least- for love and maybe, to start his own thing.
The press and fans would never understand.
Janson would never understand.
“Sonya and Keisha are over there with Alby and Harriet,” Janson whispered to Newt, the pairs eyes still on the flashing cameras. “Go take pictures with them.”
“Ok dad,” Newt mumbled as he started to walk in front of his stepfather and towards where he gestured, further down the red carpet taking pictures.
“Denver Post is on our ass too, yet again. Have an interview with them once photos are done.”
“Got it.”
He walked down further on the carpet towards where Janson told him his family and friends were, ignoring all the flashing lights and yells for him to look at them for another photo.
“Alby!” He yelled out as he walked, spotting him posing down the red carpet. It caught his friend’s attention, making him smile. “Hey Alby…”
“Hey Newt,” Alby greeted in his dark green suit as the blonde got to his side, his arm wrapping around his back. They both then put their attention back on cameras, but that didn’t stop them from catching up a bit. “You excited?”
“On what? To get engaged to a woman? Fuck that shit.”
Alby hummed a laugh, even though his smile was on display. “Still into men, aren’t ya?”
“Of course I am. Even if it’s not allowed. Dicks are better than tits I’ll say. May have secret links during this marriage.”
Alby laughed again, this time looking at Newt as he did so. “That’s always fun. Bet the girl will do the same.”
“She better. I’d refuse to fuck her unless she grows a dick and does it to me instead.”
Another laugh, cameras all flashed in their faces, and more yells were heard for the pair to look at them.
“How’s the stepfather?” Alby then asked, his eyes staying on the cameras.
“He’s good. Controlling a bit. But when isn’t he?”
“Right. Right. Still don’t know how you put up with him after all that shit when you were young.”
“Well, I got to, so I can stay with my family and keep my money. And all those rumors before weren’t…true.” Yeah, keep telling yourself that mate.
“Got that,” Alby finished with as he unwrapped his arm from Newt’s back. “I’m going to go in. See you in there.”
“Yeah, see you then,” Newt ended with, his attention still on the cameras as he felt his best friend leave his side. He kept posing though, and looking at the cameras, only until he felt another arm wrap around him, and he knew who it was in an instant, making him smile. “Was wondering when you’d show up.”
“Oh haha. So, you did miss me?” Sonya laughed as they both smiled for photos. “That’s what you get for staying in your apartment instead of your house.”
“God why are you always at my place?”
“Because it’s nice, and mom and Janson are always on my ass at home,” Sonya answered happily, her golden dress shining the place down. “So…do you want to do this?”
“I have too. Or dad will kick me out of the business and family,” Newt answered bitterly.
“He is just a stepfather not our actual-”
“So?”
“It doesn’t matter. He has no right to kick you out of everything if you don’t want to do something-”
“I’m in it for the money. Like everyone else is,” Newt interrupted, more bitterly then before, earning himself to hear a breath out of Sonya from beside him.
“Ok. Ok. I get it. Let’s just have fun tonight. Ok?”
“Yeah. Lets. You’re not mad?”
“Not mad.”
“Good,” Newt said more sincerely, turning his head towards his sister, her doing the same with him. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” Sonya repeated with a smile before she turned back the way she came. “See you in there!”
“See ya there!” Newt called out to her, but then his eyes caught onto another woman walking past her in a purple dress, smiling brightly at Sonya, then at Newt. His smile reflected her instantly. “Hey mom.”
“Hi…my beautiful boy,” His mother whispered to him as she got to his side and hugged him tightly, ignoring the cameras per usual. He hugged her back, tightly like she did before they pulled away for photos. “How are you holding up?”
“Ok…I guess…” Newt answered as they posed, but he could feel Keisha’s eyes on him every few moments. “Just waiting for this to be over.”
“Well, that’s a way to push through,” Keisha chuckled as she smiled to the flashing lights. “Denver post might want to have a quick interview with you.”
“Noted. Dads already told me,” Newt muttered.
And that was that. They took the rest of their photos in silence before Keisha floated off to the entrance of the building while Newt was grabbed for an interview. The journalist asked many questions, and Newt answered with a simple ‘yes’, ‘no’ or a little bit more of an explanation, plus a smile.
When it came to questions about himself and how he felt about everything that was happening, however, that was when he floated off and into the entrance, all the flashing of lights going from his vision in a second.
He climbed the stairs quickly and entered the hotel, making his way to the big hall where the party was being held. The same hall he would get married in in a few months. Hence why he took a breath before he rounded the corner and walked in, his last bit of freedom leaving him.
Circular tables flooded the room with chairs and people; meals set in the middle while plates scattered around them. Some people sat in their seats; others roamed around the place from table and table. A stage was set up by the back wall from the entrance, where a microphone stood on a stand, waiting for Janson to make his speech and announce the engagement Newt was in.
Newt could see the altar where the stage stood, and the lines of chairs that would shape an aisle his future wife would walk down in. He could see the proud faces of his stepfather, and everyone else, and all the journalists trying to attend the wedding. He could see himself watching his faceless fiancé sign a marriage certificate and the contract to collide Wicked and Crank palace. He could see it all.
And he hated it. Because it meant his freedom is officially gone. Anything he wanted to do may have to be secreted from now on.
Fucking hell.
As he walked into the room, his eyes caught onto his mother again, at the far-right side of the room at the table closets to the door. A smile came up to his face at the sight, an actual smile, which was very rare for him these days. As he approached, Keisha noticed him, making her smile again. “You survived once again.”
“We both did,” Newt chuckled as he walked up to her.
“Interview went ok? Nothing triggering you?”
“Nah. Got out of there before any of that happened.”
“Good,” Keisha breathed as she hooked her arm around his and they started walking the way he was going, noticing Sonya and Harriet sitting at a table by the set up stage, closely talking to each other. “Janson is over there,” She nodded over to the other side of the hall, Newt following her gaze, and they saw him talking with a blonde woman around his age wearing a white dress, the pair holding champagne glasses. “Think that’s your future mother-in-law.”
“That’s Ava Paige?” Newt asked, eyes darting between the pair they stared at. “Jesus…she does not look like how I pictured her.”
“Meaning?”
Newt rolled his eyes, feeling Keisha’s smirk and eyes on him. “Ok. I didn’t do the homework dad set me. Don’t tell him?”
“Of course not,” Keisha answered as the two got to the table. “Just as long as these two…” The two girls turned towards them in a jump, parting from each other in an instant. “Follow the rules to not get us into any trouble. Then I may rat you at too so he can punish you both, plus Harriet.”
“Hey. We manage,” Sonya whined, making Harriet chuckle more, her eyes glued to the blonde woman’s face. “We follow rules. Right Harri?”
“Hmm…” Harriet hummed once Sonya locked eyes with her. “We may break a few tonight…per usual.”
They then laughed, Newt watching them and how their hands found each other as they laughed. “Please, I beg of you. Don’t ruin tonight. I can’t have my dad on my ass too much.”
“Well, you’re the one getting married.”
Newt turned to look over his shoulder to see that Alby had appeared behind him, taking a seat on his right, where he would be sitting for the night. He was the one that spoke, causing the blonde to roll his eyes. “Yeah…I know that…”
“So, he’ll be on your ass no matter what,” Alby continued with a sigh. “Since it’s your big night.”
“Oh my god. Please don’t,” Newt breathed with a roll of his eyes, earning more laughs out of the people around him.
“Anyway, you look good. So he won’t be too hard on ya.”
“Yeah…” Keisha continued with as she unhooked her arm from his. “You look handsome.”
“Ew,” Sonya blurted.
“Rude,” Newt replied offendedly. “Do you know how much this suit costs?”
“And yet you still have a cigarette pack in your pocket.”
“Ok,” Newt breathed, earning a laugh out of his sister as he watched Keisha take a seat beside her. “That’s a copping mechanism. Be glad I don’t vape and-”
“Newt!! Son!!” A voice called out, Janson’s.
Newt’s head snapped to look over his shoulder, all the way back to where Janson stood before. He watched as Janson waved to him, gesturing to come over. He didn’t waste a second to go over, his smile slightly disappearing, and he ignored the sighs and whispers from his friends and family.
All his focus now would go into making Janson proud of him.
“Ah Newt…!!” Janson called out once more, still with the woman in the white dress. Newt got to his side, his happy smile turning into a forced one towards the blonde woman. “Newt I would like you to meet the one and only, Ava Paige. Our future business partner. And your future mother-in-law.”
God…no… “It’s a pleasure,” Newt muttered as he held his hand out for the woman.
“Of course. Janson has told me so much about you,” Ava said as the pair shook hands. “The future of Crank Palace, is it?”
“Yeah.”
“Amazing,” Ava breathed. “The poor kid from England turning into the next billionaire of the century,” Newt hummed a chuckle with her as he watched her turn to look over her shoulder and wave at another girl to come over to them. “My son was supposed to be the future of Wicked, but he…sadly backed out. Now it’s my daughter that’ll be the future of the business.”
“Hence why you’re getting engaged tonight,” Janson continued with, making Newt nod his head.
Like I don’t know that already. “Well, that makes sense,” Newt committed on as a young woman floated to Ava’s side, a brunette girl in a light blue dress with tied up braided hair. “Hope your son…is fine with whatever he’s doing,” God marrying the son would be way better. Anything with a dick would be.
Ava scoffed. “Yeah. Right. Chose himself other than his family. But whatever. More importantly…” The pair then turned towards the woman who was still beside Ava. “He has a twin sister. And she is right here. Newt, Janson, this is Teresa. My one and only daughter.”
There she was. Newt’s future wife. The one he was destined to be with for business and forever. God help me.
She wore a smile and held onto a little white purse with a silver chained strap that was placed on her shoulder. Her makeup was neatly done, and he just realized the white flower in her hair that tied her braid together. She was pretty, very pretty. If Newt wasn’t into men, he wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with this woman, Teresa.
“Hi,” she greeted gently towards the two men. “It’s lovely to meet you two.”
“As of you,” Janson said as he grabbed the girl’s hand, leaned down and placed a kiss on the outside of it, causing her smile to become sweeter. “I’m Janson. And this…” He gestured to Newt, who stood still, as he released her hand. “Is my son, Newt.”
“Well…stepson…” Newt corrected hesitantly before looking at the girl. “But yeah…nice to meet you, Teresa.”
“Please…” Teresa began as the two old parents started to chat again beside them. “Call me Tess. Or T. Anything’s fine.”
“O-ok,” Newt stuttered out, making Teresa giggle a bit at his stuttering. “S-sorry…”
“You’re ok. Nervous?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Teresa laughed more at the words, her face lighting up. She was defiantly pretty. “Don’t worry. I feel the same.”
“Really? You seem so confident.”
“Yeah…it’s called acting.”
“Right. Right,” Newt chuckled with a nod. “Something we may have in common.”
“Acting?”
“Mmhmm. For press and fans…”
“Oh yeah, right…” Teresa laughed with her own nod of her head. “In this type of business, you become fond of that.”
“Yeah, and this type of fame.”
“Exactly.”
“So!” Janson’s voice broke out, catching the two’s attention. “Teresa, you and your mother have been discussing plans…and…can I ask…is there to be a wedding?”
Wow. Not asking me? Yeah, freedoms gone.
“Well…” Teresa breathed, her eyes darting to Newt’s. “If the bachelor of the year will have me?”
“Of course he will,” Janson answered for Newt, like he knew his own mind even though he didn’t. “Right Newt?”
“Y-yeah, it’s a deal.” The end of freedom more like.
“Perfect,” Ava blurted out with a smile. “It’s official. You two are engaged.”
“Yay…!” Teresa breathed with her own smile, Newt joining with a forced one. It was obvious she was more excited than he was, and he felt guilty that he wasn’t ok with any of it. But he couldn’t back down, he had to make Janson proud.
His family! He had to make his family proud. Not just him. Your family dumb fuck.
As Teresa laughed once more, and Newt kept his forced smile, the two’s parents disappeared from beside them to the stage, them both keeping their gazes on them as they walked. Ava went to the stage’s right, keeping her smile on the new two fiancés, and Janson walked onto the stage and stood by the microphone, tapping his glass.
“Attention. Attention. Excuse me everyone,” He began, catching the hall’s attention. Conversations died down, and all gazes went to Janson, his smile bright. “Hi. Hi there. Ladies and Gentlemen of Denver’s billion-dollar businesses, I am proud to present some very amazing news. You see, about a few months ago, Wicked and Crank Palace began talking about colliding businesses to provide more to the sick and vulnerable. Wicked is on the verge of finding a cure for cancer. And Crank Palace wants to invest in that, all while helping our customers get better in whatever disease they have. Hence why we wanted to collide businesses. We’ve talked and talked, for six months, and tonight…the purpose of this gathering you all find yourselves in is a way to come up with a solution on how we can join forces into making our world a better place. That solution…is marriage.”
Whispers of approval were then heard at the last word, making Janson chuckle into the microphone. Newt took a breath as he looked around the place, feeling a few eyes on him every now and then.
He caught onto a pair on the left that were glued to him, and for some reason, he didn’t look away. The pair of eyes belonged to a man, a very attractive one Newt would say. The man’s eyes kept to his, a mask over his face, a gorgeous face.
Damn…now that’s what I would want to marry.
The man was in all black, a dress shirt over his chest and suit pants over his legs. His hair was also black, but with a more brunette type of shade to it. His skin looked soft around his face, Newt wanted to touch it so badly. His eyes were brown, but they also had a tiny glow of green around his pupils, the ones that grew a bit bigger by the second.
He looked hot, sexy, and gorgeous all in one. Newt really couldn’t keep his eyes away, even when Janson started talking again.
“We also understand that myself and Ava, owner of Wicked, are getting a bit old to run our businesses, trying to keep up with the popular trends and stuff. Things young people would find more interesting and would sell money. So…the marriage won’t be with us, but…with our children.”
More gasps and talking was heard, and Janson’s chuckles were still loud. But Newt’s eyes kept to the attractive man on the other side of the room. The man didn’t look away either, they kept their stares, only until the pause in Janson’s speech, when a boy that sat next to the attractive man pulled him out of a trace, beaming happily, making the man smile.
Newt stared at his smile, his lips mostly. They were gorgeous lips, and his smile made his heart skip a beat. He was very attractive; Newt had to admit. Because he kept staring at him as the man talked to the boy for a bit and Janson continued his speech.
“Yes. My eldest son, Newton, and Ava’s one and only daughter, Teresa. We are proud to announce that our son and daughter will be the future of Wicked and Crank Palace’s collision. Because just a few moments ago, we made it official that Newt and Teresa are to be wedded, they are engaged!!”
Cheers then were heard, breaking Newt’s trance from the attractive brunette. Just as the man would look back at him, he turned back to Janson, who was staring right at him and Teresa, now by his side.
“Please, join me in congratulating the future of Wicked and Crank Palace…and the newly engaged couple, Teresa Paige and Newton Issac!!” He said loudly with pride, his champagne glass raised into the air.
More cheers were then heard, then claps of hands. Teresa was beaming beside the blonde, looking around the place with pride and a smile. Newt caught onto the table his family and friends sat at, seeing their hands clapping together and their small smiles.
He didn’t look at anyone else, only took a breath as the applause went on, but somehow he did look around the room again, taking everything in. He didn’t look at the attractive brunette, but somehow, he could feel his eyes on him, boring into him intensely. He could feel it, somehow. But he didn’t act out on it.
He didn’t act out on anything. He just accepted that this was his life now. Getting married off to a woman for a business deal. Not for love. And it’s not with a man.
The rest of the party went by, and Newt kept thinking of how to plan around his future. He’d marry, get the money, and become possible the richest man in Denver, or the USA, maybe even world. He wouldn’t have kids, even though he wanted them so badly. He wanted to have two or more, so the love in his dream home would never run out. But he wasn’t going to have kids in this condition, plus he had to be the man of the house, the provider when that was not what he wanted.
No, that would’ve been his future husband’s job. He would have a stable job and would earn enough to provide for the family. Newt would focus on gardening and maybe even start writing novels or be an oil pastel artist, whatever, he just wanted to work at home, to take things easy. The pairs house would be on a cliff with a treehouse and a pathway to a beach below, the same pathway leading to the nearby school where the kids would go to learn.
A public school. With equal amounts of opportunities for every kid, from learning disabilities to having specific interests in what to do for subjects. Not a private school that costed more money to send then the house Newt grew up in.
If kids were ever brought into the equation now, Newt wouldn’t be that type of father he wanted to be. He would live his children’s childhood in his big office, a nanny being more of a parent to them. He wouldn’t live in a house by a cliff to the beach, instead, he’d live in a big mansion with multiple bedrooms. He wouldn’t mind having kids there though, but he wanted to be the one playing hide and seek during the weekend instead of being held on calls in another home office. He would be the one to provide for the family, Teresa too but she would be a mother to the kids, meaning she’d spend more time with them.
So yeah…kids were off the table for the future now. Unless he ran away from all this and started fresh. Becoming poor again. No.
As for sneaking links and affairs, however, that would be on the table. He had found ways to sneak boys into his room when he was growing up, which led to hot make outs and when he turned sixteen, sex, but nothing too loud to the point he was caught, which was never. So, he could easily do this too. He’d lie about having a conference somewhere, meet up with a man, he wouldn’t care if it was the same man from other affairs or someone new, and he’d allow them to fuck him in a hotel room. Maybe even if he did have a conference, and he wasn’t lying about it, he’d go to a bar and flirt with men, all leading to begging them to fuck him in the back of their cars, or in a bathroom stall. And when he was at home, or at the office, he’d flirt with men through text and FaceTime, maybe even please himself when he was completely alone with a picture.
He was never one for cheating, but then again, his freedom was gone through this marriage he didn’t want. So he didn’t hate himself entirely from the idea. He wouldn’t be surprised if Teresa also had sneaky links once they were married. He wouldn’t care, just maybe understand her more. And they could agree to just be friends that married for a business and have affairs whenever, because she seemed like a nice girl to chat with.
I don’t know. One could dream.
Dinner went by, even though he wasn’t hungry. But Janson forced him to eat since the two sat alone with Teresa and Ava. Newt longed to sit with Sonya, Keisha and Alby though, but he knew this would be a stepping stone to completely losing his freedom in a few months. Plus, he needed to make Janson happy.
He didn’t want that to happen again, even though Janson promised he wouldn’t do that again, which he barely believed was true. He didn’t want Janson to punish him like that ever again, but he knew if he somehow screwed this up, he’d see his stepfather’s figure on top of him again, being scary and dominant.
The party came to a close, a few people still lingering around the place. Newt walked out of the hall in a swift, escaping Janson and Ava since they started talking about future meetings the families would have and how the wedding would go. He walked back to the entrance of the hotel but didn’t walk outside into the line of press since he hadn’t texted Jonesy to come pick him up yet.
Instead, he started to explore the place more, walking away from the glass doors of press. He ended up in a hallway that led to a balcony, because the hotel was on the edge of a cliff that looked over the city, at least the back of it did. As he walked down to it, he passed a kids playroom, a gym, an inside pool and a room with gambling machines. Not many people were in the rooms as he passed them, which wasn’t surprising with since Right arm costed a lot. A full-time job here would be half as much as what Newt and his family’s company earned. So, part time would be enough to provide for a family.
If Newt’s fantasy of a family with a man in a house by a cliff did somehow come true, he wouldn’t mind working at Right arm. But it may be too far away though, and plus he dreamed of working at home. Maybe the job would work greatly for the husband.
He would never know now. He was engaged, not official since he didn’t propose, but still. He was engaged.
He made it out to the balcony, fetching his cigarette packet and lighter in his pocket. When he reached the railing of the balcony, he grabbed his cigarette packet out, then undid the lid of it to grab out a cigarette. He placed it between his lips as he put his packet back into his pocket, grabbing his lighter once his hand was free. He grabbed it and lit it up before hovering it over the end of his cigarette, catching a light.
He may have lost all his freedom now, but at least he got to keep his smoking habits. A drag every few days, longest time being a week. He did it when he was stressed, and with his job and how famous his family was, he was stressed out a lot. He promised himself that he’d stop once he felt happy enough to, but he hadn’t come to that point yet. Now…he may never get to that point.
His eyes went to the city below him, the bright lights and advertising boards catching his attention as he breathed in smoke and exhaled it into the fresh air around him. He saw his face in one of the big screens close to him, a picture from that evening when he was at the red carpet. Per usual, he wasn’t surprised the pictures and writers that were there hours before were fast. God…journalists are nosy pricks.
Issac and Paige wedding confirmed! it said. And God only knew how much he hated it.
He didn’t want this; he really really didn’t. All the fame and business deals. That was his stepfather’s world, and a bit of his mother’s if she knew most of it. Sonya was more of a to-be-told person, she would do what she was told, just like him.
But now he was the one that would say orders and plans on what to do. He was going to start doing that the entire engagement, and once he was married, he’d take full control.
God…he didn’t want anything to do with that. He was fine with his job now, an office in Crank Palace headquarters, where he’d take care of how much money was earned and spent for medicine and how many patients were enrolled for treatments. But in the future, he’d be focusing on everything in the business, things he didn’t even know about yet. He’d work weekends and late nights, no holiday breaks, except for when he’d make up to have conferences so he could meet up with men.
All of it was so much. Too much.
Pray for me, please. Newt thought, taking another breath of smoke from his cigarette, a very long drag. He breathed out in a sigh instead of just a small exhale, letting everything sink in horrendously.
“Lord help me…” He whispered to no one.
“I don’t think the lord’s going to help you with this…”
His head whipped around at the voice, but not as fast as him being startled. The hand that held his cigarette paused midway to his mouth, and his gaze went over his shoulder to see the source of the voice.
Then his eyes widened.
It was him. The attractive man he couldn’t stop staring at before. And damn was his voice even more perfect, low and sexy just like he looked, especially up close now.
The attractive brunette stood just by the doorframe, but then walked closer, a smirk on his face. “May I join you?”
“I mean…” Newt answered with, his brain going mental at the sound of the attractive man’s voice. It was so sexy to him. Snap out of it mate. “If you want.”
“Yeah…why not?”
God Newt could listen to that voice for days. So low and sexy. His eyes retreated to the railing on his left where the brunette’s arms came into view, forearms leaning against it, just inches away from Newt’s own arms. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing skin and veins to Newt, making his mouth run drive.
Damn…
“Besides…” The brunette continued, their eyes still not meeting and Newt’s cigarette still burning in his fingers. “We are to be future in laws…aren’t we?”