Mona was furious and went to pinch the soft flesh on Thaddeus’s arm. She twisted it fiercely without holding back. “Let go of me! Why are you so shameless? No one seduced you!” “It was you who took the initiative to come in and care for me.” “Pfft. I was just being kind and helping you out. Don’t make a fool of yourself here. Seducing isn’t the right word to use in this place.” Thaddeus leaned over, so Mona was confined in the cramped little space between the sofa and his body. The sudden intimacy was driving her crazy. “Thaddeus, don’t forget the rules we set. Find another woman if you’re in heat, or you’re not allowed to stay here anymore.” Thaddeus looked down at her flushed cheeks. He had a sudden impulsive feeling and found it hard to suppress. It was as though a beast was roaring to break out of its cage. God knew how hard he had been enduring. After all, he had not touched a woman since the divorce from Mona. It was not that there was a lack of women, but he was no
Mona sat up from her blanket and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She slipped on her cotton slippers and took Millie to the bathroom to wash up. Once the mother and daughter were done and went downstairs, they saw Thaddeus and Bobby busy in the kitchen. Thaddeus was pan-frying steaks while Bobby blended juice on a stool with his butt sticking out. The father and son were in sync. From Mona’s perspective, their side profiles were 90% similar. They had high noses, defined facial features, and perfect jaw angles. Thaddeus’s good features were all reflected in Bobby as mini versions. This was the wonder of genetics. Mona and Millie sat at the dining table, enjoying the delicious food that had been laid out. The former ate with grace and calmness, while the latter learned and ate slowly as well. Thaddeus looked at the scene in front of him. With his son and daughter here, it made for a warm and beautiful scene. His heart was full. He had not grown up in a healthy and perfect family. So,
Thaddeus pondered before agreeing with Mona. If he rushed in like that, clueless people would think he was going to bully the children. Instead, Thaddeus turned around and looked at his son, who was engrossed next door. An idea crossed his mind. He bent down, picked up an ocean ball from the pool, and threw it in Bobby’s direction. The ocean ball coincidentally hit the back of Bobby’s head. Bobby was slightly baffled by the hit. He looked up and scanned his surroundings in a daze before meeting Thaddeus’s gaze. “Daddy, what’s wrong?” Bobby looked innocently at Thaddeus, feeling a little wronged. “Go check on your sister.” Thaddeus raised his chin in Millie’s direction, signaling Bobby to go over. Bobby stood up. When he saw what was going on in the ocean ball pool, he immediately knew what to do. He dropped the toy in his hands and ran to Millie’s side. “Stay away from my sister.” Bobby spread his arms and protected Millie behind him. A strong desire to protect her grew i
“I don’t want to go to Fontaine Residence,” Mona directly expressed her thoughts. Before her divorce from Thaddeus, there had been an unpleasant incident between her and Mrs. Fontaine. Would she not be humiliating herself if she were to go now? “I just want to bring the two children home. They’re children of the Fontaines and will have to be acknowledged by the family sooner or later.” Thaddeus explained but quickly added, “We can push this to a later time if you’re unwilling, but Grandpa will be delighted to know about Bobby and Millie. For all we know, he might recover from his illness and live a few more years.” “Don’t use your grandpa as an excuse. I said we’re not going.” Mona refused firmly and pulled the children’s hands. “Come. I’ll take you to eat some delicious food.” Thaddeus was helpless as he watched Mona take the children to the restaurant. Mona had always been so stubborn. Thaddeus wanted to take the children back to Fontaine Residence to be acknowledged by
Mona went straight into Thaddeus’s room to pack his suitcase. After that, she called Marcus to tell him to come and get it. “Mr. Fontaine didn’t ask me to pick it up. Ms. Ortega, are you trying to kick him out?” “Yes. Thaddeus has a fiancee, so he can’t continue staying at my place. I’m a single mother, to begin with. If he makes things unclear, how am I going to lift my head in the future?” “Ms. Ortega, Mr. Fontaine didn’t ask me to go and pick it up. What if I listen to you and piss him off?” Mona pursed her lips. She did not want to make things difficult for Marcus. “Then I’ll leave it here with me first. I’ll tell him when the time comes.” “Okay, okay.” Marcus was relieved. He suddenly thought of something and asked, “Ms. Ortega, I have a question.” “What is it?” “You’re not jealous, are you?” Mona was startled for a while. ‘Me? Jealous? That’s absurd!’ “Marcus, it’s good to have a brain.” After hanging up, Mona dragged Thaddeus’s suitcase to the door and conv
This was the woman who had stolen Thaddeus’ father and torn his family apart. Despite the past being but a faint history, the memory was engraved in his mind. Thaddeus could never forget it. “Now, do you believe me?” Samantha put away her phone. Thaddeus fell into contemplation for a while before uttering, “I can agree to your terms, but you must send me the address before the start of the benefit.” Samantha gave a nod. “No problem. It’s a deal. Send a car to pick me up tomorrow night.” Since Thaddeus was dying to find out about that woman, he agreed to Samantha’s demands. After coming out of the café, Thaddeus drove to Galaxy Bay and went up to the apartment. It was then he realized he was locked out of the house. His suitcase sat all alone in front of the door. He entered the code on the keypad, but the door would not open. “Open the door, Mona!” The man pressed the doorbell several times, but there was no response on the other side of the door. Out of alternatives,
“Sure. Don’t panic. I’ll go and take a look right now,” Mona said while grabbing her coat and putting on her shoes in the hallway. With a big piece of ribs in her mouth, Linda asked curiously, “What’s the matter? Did something happen?” “There might be a burglar in the house we used to stay at. The landlord told me to check it out.” “Your landlord is something else. Why is she troubling you when you’ve moved out? Don’t get me started on you too. Couldn’t you have looked for an excuse to fob her off?” “It’s fine. The landlord was good to me. I can’t go back on my word after I promised to help out.” Mona put on her scarf and head before waving at the kids. “Millie, Bobby, I need to go out for a bit. Stay at home and be good kids for your godmother.” Bobby and Millie answered in unison, “Be safe, Mommy!” Rubbing her chin, Linda did not feel comfortable about it. “It doesn’t sit well with me that you’re going alone. Maybe I should go with you.” Mona patted Linda on the shou
“I wasn’t hiding. I went next door to grab something when you came. It so happened that the electricity went out. Did you get a fright?” Thaddeus turned on the torchlight on his phone and carried Mona to the sofa. “Next door? What did you grab from next door?” Mona was confused. The man fell silent for a bit, having realized that he let something slip. “Why did you go next door? I thought someone was living there.” Mona pried further as the answer quickly came to her. What was he doing here? Should he not be home at this hour? Only one assumption came to her mind. “Are you living next door?” “Yes.” “Since when? I’ve met the neighbor who lived across from me.” “That was an actor I hired. The truth is, I’ve been living there.” Thaddeus came clean about the whole thing. The cat was out of the bag at this point. Mona was surprised. “Why though?” “No reason. I just wanted to stay here. That’s all.” Thaddeus put it vaguely. He took out a candle and a lighter from his