Take Everything on Your Own

Delta took a deep breath, but she coughed out from the pollen. Before she stepped into the podium to read the cue cards, she made sure to dust her face and hair. She also turned to pat the pollen off Wolfram, secretly taking the cue cards the man gave her. For some reason, Delta found herself faced with a lot of microphones and cameras. It even felt like the people’s faces morphed into machines.

She glanced at the cue card and made a quick skim at them. Then she smiled sweetly as she began with her task. “Greetings, people of my dear city. On behalf of Mr. Colton, let me show our gratitude for your undying support and patronage to Colton Industries…”

“…Mr. Colton… I didn’t hear about you having a wife before.” The speaker went to whisper to his boss’s son. “What is her name?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen her.” Wolfram hid his frown at the sweetness shown by the strange girl who ran into him.

“But didn’t you say she is…?” The speaker was taken aback. However, when Wolfram glared at him, he shut his mouth. He would just investigate the matter when his boss told him to do so. For now, he’d just play his role in Wolfram’s show.

The cue cards pretty much had the whole speech written in that beautiful handwriting. Delta didn’t have trouble filling in words; she just needed to look pretty. After the speech, the cameras started flashing, and the people began asking from behind their microphones. 

Multiple voices asked the same question: “What’s your name? Which family did you come from? When did you get married to the heir of the Colton family?”

Before Delta could say anything, Wolfram took her away from the podium and walked straight inside the new building. The speaker took over the questions quickly. Since Wolfram was handling her gently, it didn’t look like she was being forced to come with him.

“Mr. Colton, I already did what you asked. Please let me go now,” Delta asked as soon as the glass doors opened in front of her. 

However, instead of insisting or struggling, she ended up opening her mouth in awe. The whole building before her was the most beautiful she had ever seen. The white and cream blend was separated by the gold linings, creating a picture that was so majestic yet so easy on the eyes. She was only missing the group of people greeting her to get the regal experience.

Wolfram led her to the elevator and got to the basement floor. When the door closed on them, he turned to face the woman. “The press will be slathering your face all over. I should at least know your name. Will you give me a fake one, or will you evade my request?”

“…will you cover for me? Those people will surely look for me.” Delta lifted her brows. He didn’t even expect her to tell him the truth. “If you hide my name and address for me, I won’t lie to you.”

“Hmm, granted that people were following you, I figured you’re someone with a complicated life.” Wolfram sighed before noticing how the elevator stopped on the parking floor. “I will set you free in a few months. Until then, I won’t let anyone find you.”

The two got out of the elevator. Delta wondered why this man was being generous to her. She just smiled at him. “My name is Delta Hart. I sell fruits in the wet market. I should return to my stall in case someone wants some oranges.”

Wolfram frowned. “A fruit vendor? How good are your fruits? And forget about returning to your stall. Didn’t I tell you that I will set you free in a few months? No one said you will leave my side.”

“Oh, no, I have to return home at least.” Delta noticed the black car driving toward them. Since it mirrored the car of those who pursue her, she retreated and stepped into Wolfram’s shadow. If they ended up firing their guns, she wouldn’t get hit first.

“Tell me where you live. I will take everything you own and deliver them all to you.” Wolfram waited for the car to stop and open its backseat. He looked over his shoulder. “Go in. I don’t want to drag you.”

“Oh, is this yours?” Delta eyed the car and the straight gaze of the people inside. They were not looking at Wolfram, even. She then looked up at the man who turned to face her.

Before Wolfram could say something, Delta reached under her bust. She produced a small stun gun and hit Wolfram with it. When he fell forward, she quickly ran off to the exit of the parking. Half of the guys attended to their poor boss’s son, while the other half ran after her. It’s just that they saw how fast she ran. She even jumped over the boom like a cheetah.

The head of the guards in charge of Wolfram frowned. “Who was that girl?”

…

Delta huffed as she found herself resting against the wall of an alley. She then patted her chest and entered through the backdoor of the old residential building. Most of the paint was peeling, and the cracks were growing rather apparent. The building should have been closed down, but she had nowhere else to go. Not to mention that this place accepted cash with no names—only room numbers.

She got to the second floor and fished for her keys inside a pouch strapped to her thigh. She opened the door and smiled at the people inside. “Hey, little ones. Did you miss Mommy?”

“Mommy!” Two children ran to greet her by the door. 

The girl had her brown hair cut short and shaped around her small head. On her body was a blue cotton dress, while her feet had a pair of slippers. The boy wore his hair longer, but it was choppy and thinned down as it reached his neck. His shirt was also blue, but his shorts were khaki. His slippers were the same as his older sister's.

“Mommy, aren’t you selling oranges today? Did you sell all of them?” The girl watched their mother walk to the bedroom. When she noticed how Delta started packing their clothes, she went to help. “Mommy, are we leaving again?”

“Yes, your dad got relocated, so we have to move to follow him.” Delta smiled at her kids, only watching how they looked at each other.

“Mommy, why won’t Daddy see us? Doesn’t he love us anymore?” The younger boy only sat on the bed. “We keep on moving to follow him, but he never came to find us. I want to go to the mall with him, too… and eat delicious food and play with toys he bought…”

Delta paused her movements and stared at her little boy. These two kids were already seven, and they were starting to realize her lies. Delta could only ball her fist before hooking some hair behind her ear. It wouldn’t mean much thinking about it. She knew well she would never let them find out the truth.

She just continued to pack their clothes. “I’m sorry, Foxley. Don’t worry, next time, your Daddy will surely come home to see you.”

Bang! Something hard slammed against their door, and Delta gasped along with her children. She got them to hide behind her, and a big man broke down their door. At the glare of the man, Delta figured they were already found.