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
Mona was dumbstruck. So, Thaddeus bought the house because of her? However, why did he do that? “What about the house next door? Why do you want to be neighbors with me?” “I was curious at first. I wanted to see what kind of life you have as a single mother to two children.” It dawned on Mona how sly the man was. She never knew. She let out a faint smile and asked, “So, you have seen the kind of life I live?” Thaddeus was frank. “You are strong and had had it tough. I always assumed you were a pampered woman who couldn’t withstand hardships. I saw a different side to you during the time I lived close by.” Mona curled her lips and grinned sarcastically. “You must have believed I was an overindulged dolly bird.” Thaddeus hated her because of her mother. He married her to trap her in the marriage. He watched as she forgot about everything in the past and was played like a puppet on strings. His dark and deep eyes reflected Mona’s self-deprecating expression. Her words
“Thaddeus, you sure have the cheek to say that of me.” Mona rolled her eyes at the man. What made him think that she needed a man in her life? Even so, Thaddeus would not be that man for Mona. It was always wise not to go back to the ex. They were exes for a reason. Thaddeus pointed at his handsome face and made a bold claim, “I sure do. My cheeks are right here.” Mona pursed her lips and thought to herself, ‘Yeah. He sure has the cheek and nerve to match.’Without much thought, she turned on her heel and walked away. Once at the door, the man in the back murmured something. “Time will prove to you that I mean it.” Mona’s footsteps paused for a moment as she looked back at Thaddeus. With the man’s lofty figure fading into the wavering weak flame, she could not get a good look at his expression. Pretending to see nothing, she cocked her head back and took large strides out of the house. She hurried to the community gate as Thaddeus’ words played on repeat in her mind.
After Mona told Linda the whole story, the latter rubbed her chin in contemplation for a moment. “Don’t tell me Thaddeus has fallen in love with you. Tsk, tsk. The man is a romantic. He became your neighbor in secret and went to your former living quarters after you kicked him out. He did everything without telling you. It sounds like he’s your guardian in the dark. The way I see it, it’s most likely he has developed feelings for you.” With knitted brows, Mona was lost in her thoughts for a moment before replying, “Linda, Thaddeus said today that he wants to get back together.” “I knew it!” Slapping her own thigh, Linda appeared worked up. “To him, you must be the one that got away. I told you so. He won’t propose getting back together if he doesn’t have feelings for you. Let’s not forget that he’s someone up there. He’s the CEO of Timez Group.” Mona put a finger against her lips, gesturing to Linda to keep it down. “You always get carried away. How can I tell you anything ne
Thaddeus’ reply left the press none the wiser. Everybody exchanged looks and was left guessing by his vague words. A gift suitable for a girlfriend? Was the girlfriend Samantha? It was not a lot of information to work with. While everybody reflected on the ambiguous statement, Thaddeus led Samantha into the main hall of the benefit. The camera captured the pair strutting their stuff on the red carpet. They made a lovely couple. Sitting in front of the television, Mona and Linda sat without saying a word. It was quiet in the room. “Wah…” The stiffness in the air was lifted by a cry. Millie pointed at Thaddeus behind the TV, looking rather hurt. “Daddy is with some other woman. Sob, sob. Daddy doesn’t want me anymore. He has gone with another woman. I’m going to have a cheating daddy like Gigi.” Linda immediately turned off the TV, held Millie, and soothed her, “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Your daddy is working. The woman is not your daddy’s girlfriend. Don’t get the wrong
Well, it made sense. Thaddeus was known to be generous, and he was the top bidder in a few renowned auctions. He even broke his own record. No one could beat him when it came to his benevolence at charitable events. “He doesn’t have a heart. It’s hard enough for him to commit wholeheartedly to one woman. Even if he does have a heart, all the women around him get a spot in his heart. No wonder he can blatantly tell anybody that they have his heart.” Mona hugged a cushion, put her index finger between her teeth, and faintly commented while watching the live broadcast. She was stupid to believe the man last night. “Stop watching the program. Just turn off the TV before our evening gets ruined any further.” Linda found the remote control to shut down the TV when Mona stopped her. “What are you doing? Doesn’t it upset you?” “What? What are you talking about?” Folding her legs, Mona grabbed the watermelon from the table and relished in delight. She was enjoying the program.