The next day, Leonica sat in the comfort of her living room, looking through the guest list for Ashley’s birthday party. But truthfully, only half of her mind was on the task. The other half was wandering dangerously close to the conversation she had with Gabriel the previous day, more so, the words she had spoken to him.Now, the white-Ette was a hundred percent aware that Gabriel was a scumbag, she had experienced it firsthand, after all. But for some reason, reasons that she tried time and time again to ignore, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had been too harsh on him.Even an *sshole didn’t deserve such a brutal truth and she could have done a better job at selling it smooth to him, right?“Ha,” Sighing, she placed the guest list down and ran her fingers through her hair, cursing at her mind for thinking hard and long over something such as this, that she didn’t even want to recall.Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and shortly after, the housekeep
~Thirty minutes earlier~Leonica had just finished sorting through the first batch of attending guests when Grace glided down the stairs alone. She glanced up the stairs, expecting the little demon to rush down in his usual energetic state, but he did.“Where’s Ash?” She asked when her son was nowhere to be seen.“The young master fell asleep right after his bath.” Grace informed as she descended the last flight of stairs and picked up the dusting rag she had dropped off before going upstairs, about to resume her duties. When she noticed Leonica’s unwavering stare on her, she asked. “Should I have stopped him? Perhaps I should have kept him awake so he could sleep better at night?”“Uh, no. Not at all. It’s just,” There was a pause in her sentence in which Leonica chuckled to herself. “It’s not every day you see Ash fall asleep right after a bath.”Understanding the reason for her long stare, Grace nodded her head. “Indeed. The Child must have been really exhausted.” She reasoned, rea
“Risk it?” Leonica repeated his words and went silent. All of a sudden, she chuckled loudly, startling Gabriel. “Don’t be silly, Gabriel. Even if artificial insemination fails, there are many other ways to save Ashley.” She said and waved her hand in a dismissive manner almost as if saying she wanted to end the topic here.But Gabriel’s confused expression said something else.Other ways to save Ashley? God he hoped it was no what he thought she was implying.“In-Vitro for example.” Leonica added upon seeing Gabriel confused face and nearly relished deeply when his expression contorted confusion, anger that came when he realized that his *ssumptions were right and then finally a disapproving look that came along with the realization that not many mothers were the same after IVF.“IVF, are you listening to yourself, Leonica? That can harm you.” He objected, leaning forward in a manner that showed he was serious about his every word.“Like you care.” Leonica shrugged nonchalantly, eyes
The air in the room had suddenly turned stiff after Ashley’s words. But the boy remained smiling, clearly not knowing the meaning of the glances his parents exchanged.Had they just heard right? Ashley, saved by Angelina? The very same Angelina Fernandez they knew? Scheming, witchy and all?Uh-uh, no way in hell that actually happened. But it was also clear that Ashley wasn’t lying. The bundled demon of joy looked far too innocent to be lying. At times Leonica even feared that the kid didn’t even know how to lie and now was no different.So, it was either his brain was still a bit muddled from the entire experience or the doctors had given him some sort of shot that messed up his entire mind and made him mouth speak all kind of rubbish, or perhaps both.Leonica chugged her son’s strange behavior and unreal words up to the two. Chuckling, she gently brought his hands down. “Ash, Honey, tell me, do you feel alright? Do I.. need to question the doctor about your shots?”“Nope.” The child
The next few days had gone in a bliss of eventless hours. And soon, it was the day of Ashley’s birthday party.Standing in front of the mirror, Leonica examined the dress Ashley had insisted hard on her wearing. It was a black evening gown, opened at the back with moderate neckline and golden lining at the bottom which stopped at her ankle.At first glance, she saw nothing special about the dress and wondered why Ashley had been so insistent on her wearing it.“Mommy, it’s time to go~” Came Ashley’s voice from outside her room door and soon, the small child appeared, dressed in a black suit and pants, a befitting attire for his birthday party.It was then Leonica took one look at his dress and then back at hers in the mirror and chuckled. Now she understood why Ashley had insisted on her wearing the dress he had picked out. It was because he was wearing something to match her.The lapel of his tiny black suit had glitters of gold and so did his tiny bow tie, almost as if it was made t
“And any man would be a fool to know someone like her and allow her walk away, am I not right, Mr. Bryce?” Arvan asked in a care free manner, smiling and pocketing his hands at Gabriel's obvious irritated expression.Even without one knowing the subject of matter or the situation at hand, the tension hanging thick in the air, one that Arvan didn’t seem to be paying attention to and even if he is, he was doing a fine job at feigning indifference, was enough to spell everything out loud.A few seconds had p*ssed after Arvan’s words; seconds in which Gabriel held an intense eye contact with him, before he chuckled, lowering and nodding his head all the while.“Indeed. You’re correct, Senator Richardson,” Looking up, he offered Arvan a smile, nearly as meaningful as his past one. “For once, it’s safe to say we’re Seeing Eye to eye.”Like hell they were. Despite the smile on Gabriel’s lips, meaningful as it may look, Arvan was sure that the moment he turned around, the former male won’t he
As the Emcee’s voice echoed within the event halls, most, if not all of the guest, pausing their current activities to look in the direction of the entrance and watching as Angelina strode in with high and confident shoulders, they began to whisper the exact same question Leonica could have asked herself had she been an outside person, who had been aware of Angelina and Gabriel’s relationship, just like the rest of them.And soon, one of those outside people, C*ssandra Romero Namely, soon found her way over to her daughter’s side and tugged her aside by the arm. “What is that witch doing here?” She whispered through seethed teeth.“Mom, please calm down,” Leonica tried to sooth her mother after gauging her anger. Not that she could blame her, if she had been her own mother, she would have given her an ear full, and a long lectured and then saw to it that Angelina was escorted off the premises, immediately. But what could she do, it was Ashley’s request after all.“Don’t tell your moth
You know that saying ‘It is impossible to suffer without making someone pay for it; every complaint already contains revenge’ and in this case, Ashley was the one going to suffer for the sorrow and wrongful doings Leonica and Gabriel had inflicted on her.It was only fair that way, taking something from them after they had taken several things from her. Leonica especially. Her ability to become a mother, the love of her life, her peaceful life, her status in high society and even her parent’s love when they had been alive.F*ck, now that she counted Leonica’s wrong doing, remembering each one of them like it was yesterday, Angelina felt like Leonica deserved to suffer more. Losing one thing was too simple for her. No, it was far too easy for Angelina to feel content. She wanted Leonica to feel the exact same pains she felt. The pain of losing her child, her ability to become a mother her status, the love of her life and her parent’s love if possible. She wanted Leonica to feel it all,