Chapter 7

"There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths,"

-Mark Nepo-

***

He had just sent more resumes and CV to different companies and thought of making himself a lunch. Apparently the whole family members really did not want to have anything to do with their family because they even placed a separate kitchen and dining room, but for Adonis this was an advantage because he could do everything he wanted in peace without any disturbance from the others.

Every day Adonis would prepare the breakfast, lunch and dinner for him and Vian. The household had some staffs to clean up their place but occasionally he would also clean up the place here and there. It had become his habit for almost a year. Besides, he would also schedule his day and that day his schedule was pretty darn empty.

He thought of spending the day going out to the market to shop for groceries. Yes, he could have just asked one of the staff to do it for him but he much rather do it himself. He grabbed the spare car’s key and drove away to buy the groceries. He planned on making another one of Vian’s favorite food, boiled oyster with Mignonette sauce, stir fried mushroom and passion fruit. Thinking about her face tonight made him excited, after getting everything, he put them on the car and was about to drive home when he suddenly received a call.

He had no idea who would be calling him since he rarely ever received one. Pulling the phone he saw an unknown number displayed on the screen. He did not know why but he had this strange fear of unknown numbers. When someone’s not on his contact list, he usually ignored or blocked them. This time, however, something was telling him to take the call. He decided to go with his gut instinct and picked it up, and heard the deep sound of a man from the other side of the line.

“Am I speaking with Adonis Ravenwood?” He did not know how the man managed to figure out his name but he confirmed it and the man from the other side of the line replied back, appearing relieved and delighted.

“My name is Filippe and I am someone who knows who your father is. If you don’t mind could we meet up somewhere in the near future? I would like to discuss a few important matters regarding your father.” Adonis froze when he heard the man’s words. He thought the man must have been a prank caller who wanted to frame him, but then again, how did he even know his name and how did he know that he grew up without a father? He could not believe it at first and planned to hang up, but first he needed to reconfirm the truth about the man’s relation to his father. He asked him to show further proof of their relation. The man took a deep breath and started to give his proofs.

“Your mother’s name is Dorothy Ravenwood, you never knew who your father was and your mother raised you on her own. You had an uncle who you saw as a father figure. Your family’s in carpentry and you had to drop out of high school when your uncle passed away. Last year your mother also passed away and you moved to Houston to find your mother’s old friend. Right now you are almost one year in an arranged marriage with the Sterling family, your wife’s name is Vivianne Sterling and you are currently unemployed. Is that enough proof or do you want me to give more?”

Adonis was shocked that the man knew that much about him, moreover a mere stranger. He was partially freaked out and partially curious. Whoever that man was he had been watching him and paid attention to his life. He could not possibly be any prank caller. Adonis knew he needed to find out more.

“Okay, you’ve proven yourself but I need to know who you are first before I can agree to meet you.” The man thought about it for a bit. Eventually he refused to share more information. through phone and suggested the two of them to meet. He had asked him if he was willing to go to the address he had just sent through the message. Adonis pondered a bit. Everything looked super suspicious but at the same time all of the proof were there and it might just be the only chance he had to figure out who his father truly was.

Whether he was alive or dead, he needed to know where he actually came from. Any information would be useful to him. At least he would figure out the reason why he left his mother and everything, perhaps he would even find some new truths about himself he had never known before.

He eventually agreed to meet him the next day and after their agreement was settled. The man hung up the call and left Adonis speechless for the rest of the ride. So many thoughts were floating in his head. He had no idea what had just happened and he replayed the call so many times in his mind trying to figure out how it was even possible or how the man found out about it. What was actually going on and he even started to question a few things about himself. What if his father was a world class criminal and his enemy had been keeping an eye on him or something crazy like in the movie?

Once he had arrived home, he could not keep the thought away, it had gotten to a point where he could not concentrate on making the dinner properly. He was naturally a good cook so the dinner was still served beautifully because his body was moving on auto pilot but his mind was not really present.

Even when Vian had gotten back home he did not show the same kind of enthusiasm he usually did and at first she did not really notice it because she was busy with herself, but then during dinner, it became apparent that something was bothering Adonis’ mind. He was a lot quieter than usual, he was not much of a talker but usually he would have something to confess or share to her, but this time he was different. The quiet was starting to bother Vian because it was out of his character. When something did not feel right it was because it was not.

“Adonis, is there anything wrong that you’d like to tell me about? You’ve been awfully silent since I came back home. Did anyone insult you again or did you have a fight with my family? What is it this time?” Adonis lifted his head from the plate and tried to force a smile. He had decided that it was probably for the best if she didn’t know anything about it because he did not want her to get too involved since he did not know if the man was actually serious or not, what could possibly happen, basically it was better if he kept it as a secret.

At the same time since Vian was so worried he made up some excuses that was convincing enough for her to accept, she was a sharp woman and she could read people pretty decently but he really had to make sure that she knew absolutely nothing about it. Well, at least until the right time. He just had not known yet when exactly was that right time.

Fortunately, Vian did not push the matter any further, instead she seemed to forget about it rather quickly. This allowed him to take a bit of a space for himself. When she was already asleep, he went to the balcony and stood against the railing. He gazed up to find a few tiny stars sparkling against the dark blue sky. The night happened to be a full moon, it was truly a beautiful sight to behold, he wondered if the moon was the mark of something new in his life.

Adonis had never been an anxious man his whole life. Despite living under poverty at one point, he had always kept a positive attitude toward everything because he believed that eventually everything would take the right places at the right time. He wondered if it was his time to discover what was actually meant for him.

Adonis knew he would not be able to sleep well that night. He was simply too thrilled to lay down. His heartbeat was accelerating instead of slowing down. A strange sensation of freedom washed over him, despite haven’t seen it in person, he had a good feeling for tomorrow.

Yes, hopefully things would become better. He could not wait to find out everything.

Who exactly is Adonis Ravenwood?