“Mhmm.” Mona hummed a reply as she got herself a bowl of soup. Due to what happened earlier, the man left a terrible impression on her. The man always made moves based on his hidden agendas and never once treated her with sincerity. What happened tonight made her feel unsafe. “Did you do a DNA test on the kids?” Linda asked. Mona nodded. Linda wanted to say something but did not, so Mona asked, “What’s wrong?” Linda hesitated for a moment before she decided to be honest. “Susan, let me ask you something.” “What is it?” “Did you only have sex with one man? I’m talking about before your kids. Based on my understanding of your personality, you always rejected premarital sex, so how did you get pregnant while you were still in college?” Mona pursed her lips. “What are you trying to tell me? Maybe it was an accident. My past is a total blank. I can’t remember anything.” Linda leaned on the table. She rubbed her chin and tried to recall that particular incident. “I re
Thaddeus was invited to the broadcast station for an interview. Coincidentally, the judge for the art competition could not show up due to unforeseen circumstances, so the show producer asked Thaddeus to fill in. Thaddeus had no interest in judging, but when he saw Bobby’s name on the list, his eyes gleamed, and he agreed to fill in as a judge. If Bobby entered the competition, his mother would be here as well. “Mommy, look! It’s that handsome uncle! He’s the judge!” Millie spotted the tall and handsome man at the judging table and pointed it out to Mona. Her loud voice immediately attracted the attention of the other audience. Mona quickly covered Millie’s voice and said softly, “Shhh! Millie, don’t speak so loud in public!” Millie covered her mouth and nodded. She then looked in Thaddeus’s direction and saw him turning around to the audience seats, looking at her and her mother. The girl captured Thaddeus’s gaze and smiled brightly at him. Thaddeus smiled back and
“I’m at the lobby.” “Okay. I’m coming.” Hanging up the phone, Mona told Millie to sit tight before she headed out of the broadcast hall. Thaddeus captured her movement. His gaze followed her out of the hall before he narrowed his eyes. A while later, Mona returned with Victor. Thaddeus instantly looked disheartened. He even had the urge to get up and storm over. Had the woman lost her memories again? Had she forgotten what happened last night? He reminded her to stay away from Victor, yet she ignored his advice. Thaddeus loosened his tie to ease the frustration, but it did not make him feel any better. When Mona returned to her seat, she carried Millie onto her lap and gave Victor Millie’s original seat. “Susan, about yesterday…” “Don’t talk to me about that. Concentrate on the competition.” Mona smiled at Victor. Even though Millie was around, the man wanted to talk about the unhappy incident yesterday night. How selfish of him! Mona was a rational and open
Victor was rendered speechless by Mona’s question. He pursed his lips and said, “Believe me. I really want to tell my mother about the kids, Susan, but it’s not the right time yet. You haven’t agreed to marry me either. When are you going to say yes?” “That will depend on your performance.” Mona subtly kept away the strand of hair she got from Victor. She wanted to use it for the DNA test. Linda was right. What if the man was a liar? Mona could no longer trust the man wholeheartedly. Victor did not notice the thoughtfulness that flashed on her face. He simply took her as an ignorant woman that he would soon conquer. The kids were not his, so how could he tell his mother about them? His priority was to get Mona to agree to his proposal and impregnate her with his own child. Only then would he have the confidence to bring this matter up to his mother. Victor put on a flattering smile and said, “I’ll do my best. Come on. Let’s take a picture with the kids.” Mona instinct
The woman noticed Thaddeus’s silence. She nudged her friend and signaled her for assistance. So the other woman stepped in and said, “I’m sorry about my friend, Mister. She’s been going through a lot lately. That’s why she got careless. Why don’t you give us your jacket, and we will clean it for you. Maybe you can leave us your number so we can bring it to you once it’s cleaned?” “Get the hell out of my face!” Thaddeus ran out of patience and yelled at the women. The two were stunned and startled. “Mr. Fontaine, what happened to your hand?” Someone noticed the rashes on the back of Thaddeus's hand and was shocked. A crowd started to gather around him, and it was causing a commotion within the broadcast hall. Mona also noticed the commotion from backstage. She looked toward the noises and saw Thaddeus surrounded by a group of people. She curiously went over to have a look. Thaddeus had a gloomy look on his face. When she saw the coffee stain on his shirt, she immedia
Thaddeus looked slightly disheartened. Knowing that the once obedient Mona had left him and treated him with a drastic change of attitude made him feel terrible. Especially when his heart was slowly being filled by her presence. The man then twisted the tube open and applied the cream to his hand. His brows furrowed tightly as he pondered about something. When he exited the washroom, Mona and the kids had left. Disheartened, the man grabbed his jacket and left the broadcast hall. His towering figure and handsome looks turned heads as he shuttled across the crowd. Even the broadcast station’s female staff, who had seen numerous handsome men at work, could not help but be captivated by his looks. His handsome features with a hint of depression made women’s hearts race. Any woman who laid eyes on him had the urge to hug and save him from his depression. Thaddeus was no stranger to other women’s admiration. The more attention he received, the emptier his heart was. For
Mona was carrying a huge double-strapped backpack. She was a petite and frail woman. With that amount of items on her back, it must be heavy on her shoulders. Bobby and Millie were by her sides as they headed to the sidewalk. Mona tried to hail a taxi to send the kids back to kindergarten before heading to Starbright. She promised Raymond she would go to work, but she has been delaying the starting day until now. However, it was extremely difficult to hail a taxi at this hour. Even the Book-A-Ride app had a long waiting list. With no alternatives left, Mona was forced to walk the kids while carrying the heavy backpack as she continued to book a ride or get a taxi. Going forward while shouldering the pressure was nothing new to her. Bobby held her hand as they walked along the road. Suddenly, a thought rushed into his mind, and he said to Mona, “Mommy, I want to join the math competition this winter break.” Mona pulled the strap higher. The trophy inside was weighing her d
With the thought in mind, Mona locked the door as soon as they went in. However, the lingering thought fueled her anxiety and she decided to call Linda about it. She informed Linda of the mysterious neighbor and asked her for help. Being a good friend, Linda offered to move over starting tomorrow. Despite feeling warm because of Linda’s offer, Mona also felt sad because she only had one true friend in this big city. She thought she was an independent and strong woman, but being a human being with complex emotions, living alone with only two kids in this world would feel lonely and tiring at times. Thankfully she still had her kids as mental support. After doing nothing for a while, she pulled out a pair of men’s leather shoes from the shoe rack and placed them in front of the house. She also hung some men’s clothes on the balcony to make it look like there was a man in the house. The little things manage to give her a sense of safety. After tucking the kids in, Mona c