CHAPTER 97

Geneveive Tessa Robert

‘Come on, Mum. I thought you said you were going to watch the kids this weekend. It’s not fair. You promised after failing last weekend. I can’t postpone the spa treatment. Vera worked hard for us to get the spot.’ I said, not hiding my displeasure. 

It was almost time for a spa session, and Mom had called at the dying minute to change her mind. According to her, there was a meeting with friends, and she couldn’t reschedule it because she was the one hosting it.

‘I am sorry, dear. What about Estella and James? They can watch over the twins, right?’

I sighed. ‘Estella travelled to Nashville three days ago to see her family, and James is out of town. I told you about their weekend plans when you asked the last time, and you agreed to watch over the kids. What do I do now?’

‘Take them with you, then. It’s Latte’s Spa, right? They have a playroom for kids with adult supervision. You just need to pay five hundred bucks, though.’

‘Mum! I won't forgive you for this, though. It’s been a long time since the kids had time with you, and, you know, Kyle is around. What if he follows me to the spa?’

She chuckled, ‘Stop making your ex-husband look like a stalker. Also, I don’t think he will follow you. He’s busy with your father at the moment. It seems the hotel project is going to take longer than the scheduled time frame. So, you don’t need to worry about him. I can send a housekeeper and a guard if you still feel unsafe with the kids, though.’

I accepted her offer immediately. ‘That will be nice, mom. Let them meet me at the house, and we will all go together. Thank you very much.’ 

‘You are welcome. I hope this settles us?’ 

I replied. ‘We will see about that, mom. Enjoy your meeting with your circle.’ 

I dropped the call and returned to the kids. They were asleep. This was going to be harder than I thought. How was I going to have fun when they would be holed up in a playroom with a bunch of kids I didn’t know? Also, there was that irritating Kyle. He had been trying to get my attention all week, but I didn’t acknowledge his presence at all. I noticed he also started showing up at almost every meeting that didn’t fully concern him but Xavier. He was also a show-off individual, and by the end of the week, every member of Robert’s family and team had concluded he wasn’t worth their attention.

I focused on preparing the kids lunch: an egg omelet and bread. I also baked some cookies in case they didn’t want to eat the egg omelet. By one o’clock, I was done. The housekeeper and guard showed up when I was about to bring the kids into the Jeep. About time. 

_

The spa treatment was epic. From the massage sessions to a new toning session they recommended for my skin, I enjoyed my time. I was also glad that I had agreed to do this with Vera. We giggled, relaxed, and enjoyed every little moment. By evening, we were dropped off at the cafe, and the housekeeper helped ensure the kids were comfortable.

‘They looked better. I can’t believe they were in the hospital a week ago.’ Vera commented, ruffling Nicholas's hair and making him laugh.

‘Yeah, they are better now. I returned to their normal balanced timetable and followed the doctor’s advice. I am not allowed to deprive them of fiber meals and fruits anymore. ‘

She laughed, ‘Why did you change their timetable though?’

‘Estella was stuffing them with oily meals. I didn’t like the fact that Hope would prefer to eat fruits than her normal cereals or potato porridge.’

‘Alright, I understand you, mama. But they are still growing up. You don’t need to create timetables for them. Just go with the flow and enjoy the process.’ 

I nodded, changing the topic to ‘Thank you. So, what’s up with your man? Mom said he completed his long-standing project with the Swedish company on Friday. Is he still relocating?’

She smiled. ‘Yes, he is. I think things have gotten better so far, and I have a feeling I might be getting married soon to him.’

‘Wow, sis. I am proud of you. I can’t wait to be your maid of honour and watch you become a married woman.’

‘Thank you. So, speaking of marriage, what’s up with Kyle? Is he still following you around?’

I scoffed. ‘That man doesn’t know when to give up. Do you know he has asked me out on a date more than three times now? I feel he’s doing this to get over what Ava did to him. I hope I won't sound like a bad person if I say he deserved whatever happened to him.

She sighed, taking my hands. ‘Tessa, I know what Kyle did to you was wrong, but I feel he’s been trying his best to show you that he’s really sorry for everything. I feel you should give him a chance and listen to him.’

‘Are you on his side right now, Vera? You know what that man did to me! He sent me out of his house with nothing but my suitcase and that useless car I had to fight for! He stole the money I was supposed to use to take care of the kids, and if my parents hadn’t forgiven me, I would have ended up on the streets alone with my babies. So, don’t you dare tell me to forgive that man!’

‘What did you just say, Tessa?’ Xavier’s voice cut in, making me look up and swivel. 

‘It’s none of your business, Xavier.’ Vera said, glaring at him. ‘What are you doing here?’

He replied, shock still written all over his face, ‘This is the best cafe if you want to get a nice cup of coffee and hot spaghetti. But hold up, did you just say the kids belong to Kyle?’

I hissed, hating myself for not restraining my anger. I had totally forgotten we were in a public area, and my voice had been a little bit loud. Thank God the kids weren’t close by.

‘I didn’t say anything like that, Xavier. You heard wrong. Now, please, get your order and leave us alone.’

He waited for a while and walked off when he noticed I wasn’t joking. How long would I hide the truth?