Chapter 114

Chapter 114
Athena walked into my bedroom quietly, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She dropped my bag gently on the bed and placed the drug sachet carefully on the bedside cabinet. Her eyes scanned the room slowly, pausing on the family photos on the wall, the soft curtains, the little toys near the edge of the bed.
She took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest, her mind racing.
"Where do I start from?" she whispered under her breath, her eyes still darting from corner to corner. "What exactly am I looking for? Right... I need to find out if that little girl is really her child or not."
Her voice trembled with urgency.
"If I can find a birth certificate... that's it. That's the only proof I need."
She looked around again, then hurried to the wooden dresser at the side of the room. She pulled out the first drawer and shuffled through it - just clothes. She opened the next one. Papers, envelopes, but nothing with a baby's name. She searched more, her hands moving quickly, becoming more desperate.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she shut each drawer and opened another. Still nothing.
"Ugh," she groaned quietly, frustration growing on her face. "Where would she keep something so important?"
She stopped and placed both hands on her waist, breathing fast.
"If I don't find that certificate, then maybe the child isn't hers. Maybe it's Donald's daughter with his ex... and Miss Monalisa is just acting like the mother. Pretending..."
Her heart pounded harder.
"No... I can't assume. I need to be sure. But if it's really not her child, then Jayden sir is worrying over nothing. He still has a chance with her."
Her fingers curled into fists.
"But if the child is hers... then that changes everything. Everything."
She stared around the room one last time, but her gut told her it wasn't safe to linger. Tricia could walk in. Even Miss Monalisa might come limping in to grab something, and if they caught her here, it would raise suspicions.
Athena's chest rose and fell quickly as she exhaled sharply.
"Just breathe. Don't get caught doing anything stupid."
She turned around and walked briskly out of the room, making sure to shut the door behind her. She painted a calm expression on her face and headed into the living room.
As soon as she saw Tricia sitting on the couch, Athena quickly wore her sweetest smile.
"Hi Miss Tricia," she said lightly, acting like nothing had happened. "Sorry... number two called. I had to go answer it. My bad."
Tricia blinked at her, then let out a small laugh. "It's okay. I'll get you some snacks and juice. One minute."
Athena's smile froze for a second. "No. I'm good. Really," she said quickly, raising a hand.
But I looked at Tricia and gave her a small nod. "Go get them, Tricia. She's our guest. Let's treat her right."
Tricia hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she replied and stood to leave.
Athena walked over and slowly sat down on the couch, trying to keep her body relaxed even though her thoughts were running wild.
But her eyes... they didn't stop scanning the room. She looked at every corner, every photo on the wall, the toy box under the stairs. She was clearly still searching for clues.
"Are you looking for something?" I asked, watching her closely.
"Huh?" She looked startled. For a moment, her face turned pale. "No... no, I just..." She looked away awkwardly. "I don't see that kid around. I guess it's not her kid," she said under her breath and gave a quick, nervous smile.
My eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing," Athena shook her head quickly. "I mean... I haven't seen the little girl you were with before, so I just assumed she wasn't yours. You know... maybe she's your friend's or someone else's... just curious, that's all."
I stared at her without saying a word. My chest tightened.
Athena smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes.
She leaned back a little on the couch, trying to look relaxed, but her fingers kept twitching. Her eyes wouldn't settle.
There was something off. Something wasn't right.
And now, I was starting to feel it too.
Her words.
Her presence.
Her questions.
Everything.
Something was going on.
And I wasn't going to let it slide.
I watched Athena closely. She sat there with a fake smile stretched across her lips, but her body was restless. Her hands kept fiddling with her phone screen even though she wasn't really doing anything on it. Her legs bounced slightly. Her eyes kept wandering around the house like she was memorizing everything.
Something wasn't sitting right with me.
The way she had disappeared into my bedroom earlier without asking... and now she was acting all innocent, talking about my child?
Why was she even interested?
Why did it feel like she came here for something else?
I turned my head slowly and looked toward the hallway. My bedroom door was still shut, but it felt like she had left a piece of herself in there. Something sneaky. Something cold.
Tricia came back with a tray, carrying juice and cookies. "Here," she smiled, placing the tray down in front of Athena. "Help yourself."
"Oh... thank you," Athena smiled, forcing a cheerful voice, but her eyes didn't light up.
Tricia turned to me. "Do you want anything, ma'am?"
I shook my head slowly, still staring at Athena. "No... I'm fine."
There was a short silence. Uncomfortable.
Athena reached for a cookie and took a bite. "Hmm... these are good," she mumbled, chewing slowly.
"You've been quiet," I said, narrowing my eyes at her. "You're not like this."
She blinked and swallowed. "What do you mean?"
"You talk a lot," I said bluntly. "But you've gone silent all of a sudden. Are you okay?"
She gave a light laugh, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Oh, I'm just tired. The drive, the clinic, everything. It's just... been a long day."
"But you said you had to hurry back to the gym," I added softly. "Sir Jayden might be looking for you, right?"
Her face stiffened for a moment. "Uh... yeah. That's true. I should probably get going."
She stood up and dusted crumbs off her lap, but something in her movement felt rushed. Uneasy.
Tricia looked at her, then at me. I could tell Tricia felt it too. Something was off.
"I'll go get your bag from the bedroom," Tricia said quickly, standing up.
"No!" Athena snapped, too fast. Then caught herself. "I mean... no, it's fine. I'll get it. I left something in there anyway."
She turned and hurried off before either of us could say anything else.
I looked at Tricia. "Did you see how she reacted just now?"
Tricia nodded slowly, whispering, "Yeah... that was weird." Tricia turned, her eyes fixed at the hallway. "Weird really"