Business was good.
ReyDexter was doing so well that Reyona was beginning to give serious thought to what she had had in mind before the scandal.
The thought of expansion.
She even told her top executives about it, and they felt they could pull it off with their strength at the moment.
Reyona and Sehima Hasanova had become more than just business partners; the savvy, world-class woman had become a mentor versus a consultant to Reyona about certain things.
All the questions the woman asked fitted perfectly with ReyDexter's strength at the moment.
Then Sehima asked her one last question. "Are you ready?"
That was when Reyona realised that the easiest questions at times might not have the easiest answers.
Was she ready?
It was easier for her to admit to herself that she was restless than it was for her to answer such a simple question.
It didn't take long for her to also admit to herself that her restlessness had nothing to do with business.
Over the past weeks, she had alternated through the rollercoaster emotions of being angry with herself, admonishing herself and telling herself that she was probably the most ridiculous woman on earth.
If there was an association of jilted ex-wives anywhere in the world, she was sure they would have a field day with her case.
Because it didn't matter.
It didn't matter how many times she had told herself over and over again that she had nothing to do with those children.
It didn't matter that she had reminded herself brutally how those kids had come to be in existence.
It didn't matter how much she had reminded herself that she had been hurt partly because of them.
Because all that had not stopped her.
It had not stopped her from thinking about them.
After she watched them being driven away from couples who were heartbroken as though they had just lost their grandchildren, Reyona had been unable to sleep that night.
She had tossed restlessly on the new sheets she had gotten for the new bed bought to replace the burnt one.
She had switched the TV on and off before going to her home office, which still faintly smelled of fresh paint.
She had not been able to do much before she headed for the bar.
When she found herself reaching for the brandy that she had mistakenly restocked, she knew she had to occupy her mind with something.
Thus thinking, she headed to the library and reached for the latest book she had gotten to add to the collection of novels she hardly read.
She looked at the confident-looking man on the cover of the book The Grand Patriarch Is Back by Kabirat Aleem, and wished she had half of the confidence that the man was showing.
Though she was not much of a leisurely reader to be sure if she had a favourite, she doubted if she would like a male-led story.
Funny enough, it was able to quiet her mind for a while as she got engrossed in the life of a man who went to jail because of his fiancée only to get released on the day his loving partner was getting married to his nemesis.
"At least I didn't end up in jail for the bastard" Reyona blurted out as she thought of the irony of picking a book that reminded her of her situation.
That made her think of her promise to that trusting child.
Where the fuck was her goddamned ex and his two-faced bitch?
A thought came to Reyona's mind while she was seated in her library with the book bookmarked and set aside.
What if they were together?
The investigators have been searching for them separately without much result.
What if Thomas had a hand in how Maxwell's sister had left the rehab centre?
She was on the phone early the next morning to the investigators.
She gave them new directives and informed them they should leave no stone unturned.
In the meantime, she avoided all of Celia's antics to make sure she and Maxwell ended up at the same place at the same time.
She had also successfully warded off his moves.
She didn't want anything else to do with a lot of them.
Though she had been unable to keep the thoughts of the children off her mind and she was doing extra to haul the asses of their parents back before the children got sucked in too deep, she had no intention of broadcasting it to the world.
Nor did she want to fraternise with the enemy, so to speak.
His number remained blocked on her phone as well.
As it was, it was Celia who called her as she was doing FaceTime with Toria to show her the new addition she had added to the house.
"Toria, hold on. I will call you back" she said as she saw the call coming through.
"Hi, Ce…"
"Hey, Beatrice. Maxwell said he needed to reach out to you. You need to unblock him, girl."
Reyona rolled her eyes. "Seriously, he is getting you to be his errand girl now?" Reyona asked before she could stop herself.
"Ouch, that hurts, but then. I don't care. I think I would make a pretty errand girl."
Reyona laughed as she said "I don't doubt it. Please stop…"
"He said it was about Allysyn."
The smile on Reyona's face died instantly.
*******
Reyona tossed her key to the hospital valet who offered to help her park her car in the right spot and rushed off towards the paediatric part of the general hospital.
She barely heard the man's call, "Please, ask for your key at the front desk on your way out" before she got out of earshot.
She had no idea what she was going to meet, yet she was filled with dread as she remembered the little wave that girl had reluctantly given on her way to a place that had landed her in a hospital!
Reyona blamed herself for not giving in to the urge she had felt over the past weeks to check up on them.
Of course, she had reached out to the social centre against her wish and she even knew when they found a place for them with a ready couple who are verified foster parents.
All she had not done was speak directly to the kids.
If only she…
"Woah, woah. Easy there" a familiar voice said as she ran into him.