Forgive and Let Go

Sean's POV

Some people wallow and depend on the idea that life isn't fair for them and make their decisions on it, and some others grasp the opportunity to take life by the horns and harness it to their advantage with the knowledge that life is indeed not fair.

Although I was born in a wealthy home, and people would always think I had life going easy for me courtesy of my parents, I was given the chance to sulk on that idea. But I did what no one believed I could, not even family; I harnessed life by the horns. Took advantage of all the disadvantages that crossed my path on a daily basis by myself and built my standards to a point that I wanted it — perfection.

And even at such a point, my family was never concerned, and I decided not to care about them either, and because I was able to grow without their help, it wasn't much of my bother. A matter of my past had drifted us apart. A past I didn't wish to revisit.

At the level I attained, being the CEO of a prestigious, top-charted tech company, I could then boast that I had life working by my wills, the absolute of perfectness. Though I never had time for relationships, I settled with an act that was becoming a habit of mine; hiring flings to satisfy my sexual desires, or going to some bar and getting hooked up, though some of them tried to become more than just flings or hookups, but they failed, because matters of the heart were over for me. It has been over for me since I was a teenager.

A while into the night after being utterly frustrated from work, I decided to head to a bar downtown to blow off some steam. Halo's bar, as it was named, was as crowded as a train station on weekdays, packed with extreme youthful vigor that ignited intense excitement in the minds of the bodies that grinded in sync to the jazz music erupting from speakers. One could liken this place to a club.

This time, I had decided to put my face caps off. I took a seat at the drinks counter, and ordered a glass of tequila to douse as I watched the crowd of people. One thing I liked about this bar past its availability for pretty women was the fact that it seemed to have a good business strategy that pulls young, adventurous youths into its confines just for fun. Bars and clubs in general knew how to harness the minds of people and make money in the guise of pleasure that the customers wouldn't seem to regret, and it was a much intriguing insight, but not one I had come to explore right then. I wanted to relieve my pent-up frustration, and nothing did that better than alcohol and women.

My eyes scoured the mass of people within my view for the right girl tonight as I doused multiple shots of tequila, letting its hardness burn down my throat (Nothing I wasn't used to). But when I heard the most alluring voice come from beside me, my attention was diverted.

"I want a shot of brandy, please." she directed to the barman.

Seated beside me was a goddess of beauty—or so, as my eyes could see— that had the capacity to make a man drool. The attractiveness of her visible thigh that her red dress couldn't cover was enough to turn me on, and maybe I was a bit too tipsy from the multiple shots I had drank under the space of minutes to think like I normally would, but I made the first move to ask her for a night. On the occasions when I wasn't drunk, I would have gotten to know her a little bit, but alcohol had seemingly taken control of me to fathom anything past more alcohol and sex.

She wasn't the slightest bit offended when I asked, but she struck me with one question that stuck to me before the rest of the night became history.

"Are you sure you won't regret being with me?"

I was more sane the next morning, memories of the previous night sticking to me. I remembered that I had slept with a woman whose face I couldn't vividly recall because I found myself naked and alone in some hotel room, and I shrunk at my stupidity for not knowing any detail about the woman, her name, or even recalling the color of her eyes. There was no trace of who the woman was, even when I inquired back at the bar. Eventually, the matter became a thing of the past, only but for a moment.

On a busy Tuesday morning in my home office while I was reviewing some of the company's products, Jason, my personal assistant turned brother, scampered into the room, practically apprehensed, his expression clouded with intense worry that bothered me.

"What's going on, Jason?" I was prompted to ask. If there wasn't a problem concerning the company, then it was probably something as important.

"You haven't seen today's headlines, have you, sir?" he asked. My brows furrowed with confusion. What was in the headlines that made him look so panicky?

As if reading my thoughts, he hurried towards me, taking out his cell phone. As he reached me, he propped the phone up in my line of sight, showing me the picture of the headlines for today's news that sent waves of shock and perplexity through my nerves.

“Billionaire Sean White in an intimate relationship with Senator's wife, Mona Lisa May #Scandal.” I read out the words before my eyes and I took the phone from him, as I peered intensely at the picture of me holding close to myself in a bar — Halo's bar, I could recall from the intricate decorations the picture had captured — some random woman whose face after some moments of critical thinking and staring struck up a memory. The memory of the night I had drunkenly slept with a woman. The red dress was a reminder.

“Is this a joke or what?” I scoffed in confusion as I gazed up at Jason whose concerned expression remained unhinged. I couldn't believe it, and at the same time, I could. I was torn because I hadn't even gotten to know who the woman was. And my worst luck was that she was the Senator's wife.

"It's obviously not a joke, sir,” Jason replied. "The news hit the public this morning, but the fact that it is something related to the Senator proves that it's something we cannot easily fix."

I couldn't help panicking despite trying to maintain a calm disposure.

"How critical is this scandal going to be of effect to both I and the company?" I asked him.

"It depends on whether the Senator takes severe actions," he responded. "If he does, then the company and you are likely going to be affected."