(IVY RIVERA’S APARTMENT: NIGHT TIME)
Emily was trying to dissuade her sister from leaving Los Angeles. Ivy was going back and forth from her bedroom to her son’s room trying to put their things together for the urgent vacation. The door bell jangled for the fourth time which she had ignored earlier knowing it might be someone from one of the media houses in the state.
“Oh Lord… not this time.” Ivy grumbled as she looked at Emily.
“Do you want me to get it? I can deal with those reporters if you let me do it.” Emily said with a shrug.
“No just let it be… I don’t need to show myself to anyone.” Ivy replied.
“But why are you like this Ivy? I have been trying to let you see reasons why you shouldn’t leave again.” Emily said as she followed Ivy back and forth into Leroy’s room.
“Leroy please pack up your things.. we have to leave home early tomorrow.” Ivy helped her son who was slow about pack his things.
“Are you hiding something aside from this whole thing?” Emily asked with a raised eyebrows.
“What else would I be hiding other than the fact that I have a son for one of the richest CEO in America and everyone already knows about it?” Ivy replied.
Emily shook her head in disagreement. There was more to Ivy’s reason for wanting to leave town again. “It’s as if you are hiding something about yourself that you don’t want anyone to know.” She blurted out her thought.
Ivy Rivera was silent. Emily was right. She was hiding from the fact that she was known in her town to be the girl from the wrong side of the town and a jinx. So what if someone digs up and past and publish these things about her? It was like a legacy she had to live with and it bothered Ivy Rivera so much that it almost brought tears to her eyes but she was trying to be strong for her son.
Leroy stopped packing and he sat on the bed. “Mom at least let me see dad before we leave.” His eyes pleaded with her when she looked at him.
Ivy felt pity for her son but there was nothing she could do to console him at the moment. She was doing this for him, for his safety and she wouldn’t wait for someone to come and serve her a court claim demanding that Ace Clark has every right to take her son away from her. And just that thought made her determined to leave Los Angeles and run somewhere far away where no one would ever find them.
The door bell jangled. “Dad might be the one at the door now.” Leroy stated with a glint of hope in his eyes but Ivy knew better. It wasn’t Ace Clark but reporters who are willing to make money from whatever story she would tell them.
“Mom, you should check to see if it’s dad.” Leroy pestered with a sad look on his face.
Ivy Rivera shook her head. “Alright, I will get the door.” She sighed.
“No, you should stay and help Leroy. I will see who is at the door.” Emily stood up and exited the room.
She peered through the window only to find some group of reporters out there waiting for Ivy Rivera to come attend to them.
“Don’t they get tired of poking their noses into others affairs? Bunch of jobless people.” Emily hissed out loud.
She went for the switch and turned off the lights at least that would let them know that Miss Ivy Rivera wasn’t interested in granting them a chance to talk to them.
ANDERSON’S MANSION
Camilla walked into the house with bleary and swollen eyes from shedding tears after leaving Ace Clark’s office.
“Did you confront Ace about the news?” Mrs Anderson asked pulling her daughter closer to sit on the couch next to her.
Tears welled up in Camilla’s eyes again. “Does Ace truly have a son?” Mr Anderson asked.
And Camilla shook her head repeatedly as tears streamed down her face. “Yes mom! Ace has a son! That boy on the news is his son!” She sobbed.
Mrs Anderson gestured to her daughter to snuggle closer and Camilla rested her head on her mom’s chest. “You have to calm down my love…” She patted Camilla gently.
Camilla raised her head up. “No I can’t calm down mom! I can’t.. I can’t.. stop thinking of the fact that my fiancé has a child and he is not willing to get married anymore.” She cried.
“You don’t need to worry about anything. I trust that Clark would try to settle things with the mother of that child.” Mr Anderson said with confidence in his tone.
Camilla scrunched up her face. “You don’t get it?” She nodded her head. “Of course you don’t understand!” She stood you from the couch. “Nothing can be done! Ace will call off the wedding because he wants to be with his son and the mother of his child!” She blurted out.
Mr and Mrs Anderson gasped out in shock. “What?!” Mr Anderson uttered.
“That’s not possible! Ace can’t call off the wedding! The wedding is just two weeks away and everything is set! What would happen to all the preparations and plans if he truly calls off the wedding?” Mrs Anderson asked with a worried look on her face.
“Ace won’t dare try to call off this wedding. And I am certain that Clark won’t allow his son call off the wedding because he gave me his words! And I have waited all through these years trying to put up with that rude and spoilt son of Clark!” Mr Anderson gritted with anger crossing his expression.
His plans would fail! His plans would fail! His plans would fail! These words kept ringing in Mr Anderson’s mind.
Camilla sniffed. “Dad, Ace doesn’t love me. He told me that he has only been pretending to love me because of his parents. It was never his idea to get married and he didn’t want to do it.” She couldn’t stop the tears that flowed continuously.
“Ace said these things to you?” Mr Anderson face contorted in anger.
“Yes dad! And all he wants is to be with his son and the mother! He doesn’t love me! He never did loved me!” Camilla wiped her tears and she turned serious. “Dad we can’t just sit by and watch them make a fool out of us. All they want from me getting married to Ace is our money and nothing else! Mr Clark knows that if I marry his son that would benefit him! But that woman wants to take him away from me! Dad do something!” She stamped her feet and cried out loudly.
Camilla was pained about this whole situation. The thought of losing Ace Clark to another woman after all these years of loving him hurt her so badly. Few days ago she was preparing for her wedding smoothly, then the shoot – Yes! The shoot had ruined everything. Maybe she shouldn’t have suggested having wedding shoot that way maybe Ace wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet Ivy Rivera again. Camilla thought deeply. Everything seemed like a night mare to her and she wished that she could just make everything stop and turn back the hands of time to when she was still planning her wedding to Ace Clark but she would definitely erase the part of having a wedding shoot.
“Camilla! Pull yourself together! No one is going to take Ace way from you!” Mr Anderson snapped at his daughter.
“I want him to pay for not loving me!” Camilla grimaced.
“You can punish Ace after getting married to him!” Mr Anderson spat.
“But dad Ace already called it off! There will be no wedding or a chance for me to punish him for not choosing me! Ace loves his child and the mother of his child!” She pointed out.
Mr Anderson became furious. “Then make him love you! Make Ace fall in love with you! We need Clark’s money!” He blurted out.
Yeah! He needed Clark’s money! That’s his plan.
“I don’t care about their money! I just want them to pay for humiliating me! All of them will have to pay for making a fool out of me!” Camilla demurred. She was already blinded by anger that she couldn’t reason what her father was saying to her.
“Of course! You should care about the money! Camilla, you can’t back down now. We have come too far to quit now! You have to get married to Ace at all cost! So make sure he falls in love with you!” Mr Anderson bared his teeth and then his words registered on his daughter.
Her father wasn’t trying to make them pay for the humiliation but he was after Clark’s money. Why? She pondered with a screwed up face until realization hit her straight in the face.
“Are you getting me married to Ace because of money?” Camilla demanded in a low tone.
Mr Anderson tried to relax a bit. “No.” He lied.
“Then what is it? I don’t get it dad… you.. you.. are supposed to help me out but you keep talking about making Ace fall in love with me when I just said that he doesn’t even love me. And what’s with Ace Clark’s money? We have more than enough.” She mumbled as more tears streamed down her cheeks.
She didn’t want to believe what her mind was telling her. Mr and Mrs Anderson exchanged glances.
“Tell me… what’s wrong? What’s…. going on dad?” Camilla asked unsteadily.
Mr Anderson heaved a sigh of frustration. “Camilla listen.. I don’t want you to feel bothered about anything. But I think it’s best you find out the truth now.” He muttered.
Camilla furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What truth?” She demanded.
“We are in a huge debt and the company is close to going bankrupt.” Mr Anderson answered.
Camilla eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped immediately. She wanted to ask question but her words and voice failed her at that very moment.