PG2: Behind The Scene

They strolled to the closest ice cream shop, the same one they had been visiting since Ella was seven. It is a cozy and simple family ice cream shop loved by families looking for a quiet place to share some dessert with their family or friends.

Thelma had no car of her own, so they went on foot. Ever since she gave up her old Life for this new one things have been a hard-time struggle for her, but she never for once inflicted the suffering on Ella. Ariella Valentine, her pride and joy, the only reason she was still pushing on to live since the death of her husband Valentino Zachary. Thelma made herself a promise to stay strong and never let the same fate befall her and her daughter as it did to her husband.

It has been a tough struggle raising one child with no help, a very hard one because she had to sell all her properties including that of late Valentino, to keep his obsessed brother out of her life. Thelma used every dime on her to pay the best lawyer in Rio just so every single trace and data of her and Ella’s existence were removed from the surface of the earth.

“This should hold Grayson for a while, it’s not enough but it will help keep him off your tail for a while.” Harrison Gay, Thelma’s lawyer said while handing her a neat brown paper folded in half, the paper contained everything she needed to do in other to keep Grayson from tracking them and ensure the safety of her and Ella.

“I'll get in touch with you occasionally, until then keep out of trouble and trust no one. Should in case you notice or suspect anything do not hesitate to call me.” He told her.

“Yes, I will.” Thelma told him, determination and conviction in her voice.

​​​​​The memory of losing her husband still lingers in her mind and her heart grieves as if it was today that it happened. As much as she tried to forget the pain it was still there. Thelma blinked back tears that threatened to fall when she thought about the happiness in her life, a large smile that could touch the sky emerged from her lips when she stared at Ella’s happy face.

The bell chimed as they entered the ice cream shop signaling a new Customer entering. The smell of rich delicious cakes, muffins, and ice cream filled the small fancy shop. 'Great thing they have a new menu' Thelma praised.

“I want that blueberry muffin!” Ella exclaimed to her mother, Thelma followed her daughter's gaze to the well-arranged muffins in the showcase, she had no idea what must have possessed her little star to like blueberries because she detests them a lot.

“What’s gotten you to like blueberries all of a sudden?” Thelma asked her hyped daughter seeing as her eyes brightened at the sight of the blueberry-decorated muffins displayed in the showcase.

“I don’t know but I want it, they look delicious please, please, please.” Ella uses her cute baby plump face to buy her mother’s heart, and Thelma easily gets manipulated by her ten-year-old daughter’s tricks and buys them. This method has always worked anytime Ella would request or want to collect something from her mother, it was her weird strategy to get anything or most things.

“Fine.” Thelma huffed in defeat. They walked to the counter where a young brunette boy was filling up different flavors of ice creams in waffle cones.

“One blueberry muffin please and two strawberry chocolate scoop ice cream.” Thelma told him, and within a minute their order was ready and was handed to them.

“Thank you.” Both Thelma and Ella said in unison and he nodded in acknowledgment with a small smile on his lips. Thelma handed Ella her muffin and a cone of ice cream while she took the other ice cream and they both made their way home.

******************

"Are they out yet? Do you see them?"

“Yeah I see them” Jax said. He was on the phone with Grayson, Thelma's brother-in-law. 

Jax's reputation as a fraudster and a stalker was small compared to his notorious criminal records in the past. He had been arrested multiple times but was set free due to lack of strong evidence against him for the crimes he’d committed 'smart ass' anyone will say but it is unclear why he's never been punished.

Jax was a talented fraudster who was good at covering up his tracks, even the American police offered a huge reward to anyone who could find strong evidence against Jax.

Grayson Zachary, Thelma’s obsessed brother-in-law has been on her tail since the death of his brother and he is willing to go the extra mile to fulfill whatever sinister motive he has toward her. Death could be his last resort.

“But she is different from the woman in the picture.” He said and rubbed his fake beard.

“Tell me, is there a girl with her?” Grayson's compelling voice asked from the other line, his voice smooth and oily, hidden with mischief, danger, warnings, and trouble.

“Yeah, a little girl with her, she looks about nine or ten.” Jax spoke while licking a strawberry lollipop as he watched Thelma and her daughter leave the ice cream shop. “You need to increase my payment if you want more info about them.” He whispered to the earpiece.

“You aren’t the one to make the deal here.” Grayson replied harshly, irritation filling his voice. Jax could imagine the middle-aged man sitting on his tattered couch watching Fox and drinking Scotch, such an old fool. “You do as you are told and I give you the payment we agreed on.” Grayson closed the deal between them but Jax wasn’t having it.

Jax scoffed at the stingy man's offer he knew collecting the job from Grayson was a big doom, but why not when he could squander the old fool?

“Look here.” Jax sits up from his slouched posture. “I do all the work and you do nothing, I am the one following her like the creep I am and we both know you can’t do that so less talking and more money. Else I’ll let her know her crazy obsessed brother-in-law has hired me to watch her. And you know what happens if she finds out?” Jax could swear he heard the trembling of his voice as he cussed and the sound of things being thrown around, satisfied he got the upper hand he continued. “I give you 48 hours and if I see nothing, the deal is off.” With that, he hung up and slammed the phone on the table.

'what do you have that he wants?' he thought as he stared into the picture of Thelma she was younger and full of energy her brown hair styled into waves. She looked so innocent and naive, so clueless of what awaited her.

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