Sweeping Him Off His Feet Chapter 19: Introduction

A scoff escaped Charles' lips, the disdain evident in the sound.

With a swift movent, he twisted his body away from Augustine, creating distance between them.

He squared his shoulders and levelled a pointed look at the CEO, his expression conveying his displeasure.

"Please do not refer to as 'sweetheart', mister Augustine," Charles said, his tone clipped. "It is unprofessional and inappropriate."

Augustine nods his head, an amused smile being plastered on his lips. "I've been calling you that since the first ti I set my eyes on you," Augustine uttered before turning around.

He made his way back to the couch before shutting down his laptop.

"I'll be right back." He uttered, making his towards the stairs with the laptop under his hands.

Augustine entered the study, placing the laptop on the desk with a quiet thud.

With a sigh, he turned and retraced his steps back to the sitting room, where Charles stood in silent anticipation.

"Let's get going." He purred, leading the way while Charles trailed behind him.

As they reached the car garage, Augustine moved with a smooth, practiced grace, pulling open the passenger door for Charles.

With an air of reluctance, Charles settled into the front seat.

Augustine shut the door with a quiet click, before proceeding to make his seat at that of the driver.

"Hmm... hmm." Augustine coughed, clearing his throat that was a bit hoarse.

"I want you to be prepared, Charles," Augustine began, his eyes trained on the road ahead. "My mother is a bit...harsh with her words, and my father is very observant. They will ask questions, and they will expect answers. I want you to be ready for that." Augustine explained, telling Charles about he should expect when they arrived at his parent house.

"You won't be eting my siblings tonight," he continued. "They all live at their own houses. But that doesn't an you're off the hook. My parents will still have plenty of questions for you."

Charles sat quietly, absorbing the information.

The thought of facing Augustine's parents, especially his mother, made him feel slightly queasy but he knew that if he wanted to keep his job, he had to make a good impression.

Charles nods, allowing the entire words of Augustine to dilute deep into his head.

Seeing that Charles had nothing to say, Augustine accelerated the car engine and drove out of the compound and down the busy night road.

"Augustine, do you mind if I ask about sothing?"

Augustine quickly shook his head sideways because he didn't mind if Charles questioned him. "I don't mind at all," Augustine uttered.

Charles inhaled, playing with his fingertips as he proceeded with the question that he wished to ask. "Are your parents aware that you're ga..."

*Beep Beep!*

The loud noise coming from the phone of Augustine imdiately made Charles's words co to an absurd end.

"Hold on," Augustine mumbled, before pulling his phone out of his pocket as he picked up the call.

"Hello," Augustine mumble, his relaxed deanor quickly turned to one of caution as his mother's voice ca through the line.

"Augustine! It's almost six o'clock, and you're nowhere to be found!" his mother exclaid, her tone indignant and frustrated. "I hope you haven't forgotten about tonight's dinner. You have to be there. It's mandatory!"

Augustine exhaled heavily, his frustration with his mother's overbearing attitude evident in the sound. "I'm already on my way, Mom," he said, his tone asured but strained. "And I'm not coming alone. My partner, Charles, will be joining ."

"Yo... Your partner?" His mom asked while stuttering because she couldn't believe her ears.

Augustine nodded his head as he replied with a firm 'Yes'

Following his words, he hung up the phone call because he knew that his mother was most likely going to storm him with a whole lot of questions.

"Can you drop off at a flower shop?" Charles suddenly requested.

Augustine arched his brows while averting his gaze towards Charles. "What do you need flowers for?"

"Just stop at a flower shop and stop asking questions." Charles snapped while rolling his eyes.

Augustine pulled the car over, parking it neatly in front of a small flower shop while Charles stepped down from the car, stepping inside the shop.

He halted, his gaze falling on a rose flower bouquet and they instantly made him rember Anna and how she had hurt him so deeply.

'I'll have to pay her a visit when I am more composed.' Charles thought within himself.

He exhaled, averting his gaze away from the rose flower bouquet as he gazed at the bouquet of sunflowers.

With a smile, Charles purchased a sunflower bouquet and he paid with the remaining money left with him.

Charles returned to the car, a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand.

As Charles settled back into the driver's seat, Augustine cast a curious glance at Charles, who was now holding a flower bouquet. "Why did you buy a flower for yourself?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Charles rolled his eyes sarcastically as he ignored the question of Augustine.

The drive continued in silence, the two n lost in their thoughts.

Augustine navigated the car expertly through the winding roads, eventually pulling up at a beautiful mansion.

The compound was vast and well-kept, trees and shrubbery manicured to perfection.

Uniford workers could be seen milling about, tending to the compound.

Instantly, Charles felt a knot of nerves forming in his stomach as he took in the beauty of the place.

In the center of the compound, a large fountain could be seen, adding a touch of elegance to the already stunning scene.

As they approached the mansion building, Augustine pulled the car to a stop in front of the grand entrance.

He stepped down, quickly making his way to the passenger door, his movent efficient. "Allow ," he said, opening the door for Charles with a flourish.

Charles stepped down from the car with the sunflower in his right hand and his gaze averted from one end to another which shows that he was nervous and fascinated.

Augustine noticed Charles's nervous behaviour so he leaned towards his ear, whispering soft words to him. "Pookie, I want you to just be yourself, okay?" Augustine stated and as he leaned away, the footsteps of so groups of individuals were suddenly heard.

Both Augustine and Charles averted their gaze over to the entrance door of the mansion which was held open by so guards.

A lady in her early fifties and a man in his mid-fifties suddenly made their way towards Augustine with their hands wide open.

The lady had black hair that was swept up into a chic ponytail, accentuating the delicate lines of her face.

Her eyes, a piercing sapphire blue, scanned Charles intently, her expression unreadable.

She was dressed in a flowery lemon-colored gown which danced around her ankles.

As she moved, the floral pattern gave a hint of femininity to her otherwise authoritative deanor and on her feet was a were a pair of white cover shoes adorned with tiny crystals.

The man who was beside the lady had brown crew-cut hair and amber eyes that were rich in age. He was dressed in a white trouser and a white shirt to complent his trousers.

"Welco!" The lady happily stated, pulling Augustine in for a hug.

Augustine wrapped his hands around her, and so seconds later, he leaned away from her.

"Your mother said you brought your partner with you, and she's quite eager to et the lucky person who's managed to catch your eye." His dad stated, his hands deep inside his pocket as he spoke to his son.

Augustine's lips curved into a smile, the gesture warm and genuine.

He turned towards Charles, their eyes eting for a brief mont.

Then, he reached out and grasped Charles' hand, their fingers intertwining in a show of unity.

Augustine's smile grew as he introduced Charles to his parents. "Mom, Dad, this is my husband, Charles Donald," he announced, his voice beaming with pride. "Charles, these are my parents."

Silence...