"Guess who is here!" Someone announced and Darcy and I raised our heads from beside the bed to look.
"Aunty!" Darcy screamed in delight and ran to hug Trisha, leaving me on the rug with a spoonful of oats which I was feeding her.
Trisha sat down beside me with Darcy still in her arms. I noticed she had become thinner. Her brown eyes were dark and retarded into her face. Her once luscious black hair looked looked unhealthy. I didn't remember her cheeks being this bony either.
"Work has been giving you a though time hasn't it?"
"No one said being a Secretary in a big company was going to be easy." She smiled wryly and I felt a sting of guilt in my chest. It was wrong of me to get her more worked up than she already was.
"What happened Mélie? Talk to me."
It was time for me to talk. She hasn't been told about the the latest development yet.
"Damien Jaeger is my baby daddy, Trisha." I spilled and waited for her reaction. However, she looked completely clueless.
"Who the heck is that?" She had to ask.
I didn't say anything but grabbed my phone instead, typing his name on a search engine. Articles, pictures and videos of Damien filled my screen. I handed her my phone and she collected it with a curious expression on her face. It didn't take long for that expression to change.
"What?!" Her yelling got a grunt for little Darcy who she'd yelled into her ear, "How?"
"How did you end up accidentally having a one-night stand with a multi-billionaire?"
I didn't answer. She was already familiar with the answer.
"This changes everything, Mélie!" She said, "You know he's gonna wanna keep his daughter, right?"
I knew.
"What are we going to do do about this?" She asked. Her tone was building up with tension.
I dropped the bomb, hoping she would brace herself for it, "I signed an agreement Trisha. We're married."
The room fell silent. She suddenly resembled a mannequin, lifeless, with a blank expression on her face.
"He was going to take her away from me, Trisha. It was the only way out." I said. Feeling uneasy at her silence, I continued, "He already had the court order and everything else sorted out. Damien said he never loses. It was a warning, Trisha! If he was capable of finding his daughter who was birthed by a woman he only knew for a few hours, then he's capable of taking his daughter!"
Trisha's face softened. She seemed to have understood my dilemma. After a while, she asked, "When did this happen?"
"This morning." Her mouth parted open in surprise. She had missed his arrival by just a few hours.
"So what's going to happen now? You know, since your married to him."
"I don't know. He left without saying anything."
Trisha massaged her templates with her fingers. She wasn't expecting so much drama. Infact, this seemed completely unreal, like it was from a novel or something.
She heaved a sigh, "At least he's not some unknown crime boss!" At least, he wasnt.
"I saw some burnt food in the kitchen." She remarked, "And I am famished!"
Right. I had messed up a bit with the cooking after Damien Jaeger left. "I'll quickly prepare something else for you then."
"Off course you will. My neice and I won't eat no burnt food. Or oats."
I laughed. She
"You know what, let me join you in the kitchen." She offered but I refused. She needed rest anyways.
Trisha left on Sunday. The week moved fast and I kept myself on alert for Damien Jaeger's return. Another week and then another week and yet again, another week passed. By now, I was far away from my cage of anxiety. I nearly forgot who Damien Jaeger was- Until I saw a car parked in front of my house from my car as I was driving home from picking Darcy from school.
I parked my car on my driveway amd alighted, telling Darcy to remain inside, "Who are you and what are you looking for?" I inquired from an old chauffeur who was leaning against the side of a black range rover. I was able to tell from his uniform.
He didn't say anything but stretched out his hand to my direction. I stared at it. He was holding out a phone. I collected it and slowly placed it against my ear, "Hello, wife." A familiar voice rang in my ear.
I gulped as he continued, "He's there to bring you home. So you don't have anything to worry about. Grab your luggage and enter. Don't waste any time." And then the line went dead. I did as I was told and in less than 20 minutes, Darcy and I were in a car that was not mine, driving to a home that was not ours.
"Mommy, why is uncle driving and not you?" Darcy asked. I drew her against my chest and began stroking her head without giving her an answer. My chest was pounding louder than normal.
We drove for what felt like an hour, passing commercial buildings and apartments. Eventually, we entered a less crowded neighbourhood. In fact, I wasn't sure if I should call it one as houses only came into sight after every 20-30 minutes and these houses were gigantic!
The car slowed down infront of a grand mansion. It's gates slided open and the car drove in. I gasped as I beheld the exquisite surrounding. It was entirely a work of art; big green lush gardens with 3 to 4 gazebos scattered randomly in an intentional way. A large water fountain which ran into the blue sparking pool just beside the house. The house stood tall and majestic, covered entirely with marbles. Large Windows and pillars that resembled sculptured stone works gave the mansion a castle appearance. The car stopped behind 20 other cars. Anyone could mistake this array of cars for a garage.
The driver got down from his seat and opened the door for Darcy and I to step out.
"Momy, we we in disneyland?" Darcy's remark couldn't be any less accurate. It looked like a place fit for princes and princesses. As we walked up to the front door, the door went wide open to welcome us. Who was it that opened the door? It couldn't have been the house staff standing a good distance away from the door with their hands behind their backs.
"Welcome Madame." They greeted in unison. I barely had time to answer them as my eyes ate up the luxurious interior of the mansion. Almost every part of the inside was covered with glass and more marbles. It was simply astonishing!
"This way ma'am." The servants said. Don't mind if I do!