Kraius was busy reading papers when her secretary entered. The man immediately shifted his attention to her with furrowed brows. As usual, his secretary still looked very formal as she walked towards his table.
She stopped in front of the table and the man raised his brows. “Someone wants to talk to you, Mr. Montreal,” she informed.
Kraius’ forehead creased. He didn’t expect any visitor so the confusion was evident in his face. He looked at his Piaget watch afterwards and smiled lightly. He felt excited and happy at the same time. His tiredness from the continuous work suddenly disappeared.
The truth was, he was very eager to go home. It’s been a few weeks since he brought his kids in his house, and he could say that there were no problem with the situation. They were a little bit not used to things but they eventually adjusted.
His kids were all smart. When he told them the truth, they kept quiet and accepted him as their bioligical father. He cried when they first called him Baba. His heart couldn’t contain the feeling of being complete and at the same time the feeling of happiness. It was overwhelming and just too much.
“Are you okay, Mr. Montreal?”
Kraius’ thoughts got interrupted by his secretary. His mind went back to the present as he shook his head lightly and scolded himself. He then fixed himself on his swivel chair and removed his glasses.
“I’m sorry. What is it, again?” the man asked.
The secretary sighed ang raised ger brow. “Someone wants to talk to you,” she replied.
“Okay.” The man nodded and watched his secretary walk outside.
Kraius waited for his visitor to show up, and it confused him seeing Jericho walking inside his office in his business suit. He looked dangerous in his aura. He seemed intimidating, but Kraius knew that fear wasn’t the emotion he felt as he saw him, instead it was a mixture of pity and annoyance.
“What a surprise, Mr. Bailey,” Kraius said sarcastically. He instantly stood up and went straight to the man and stopped a few meters away.
“Give my wife back!” he blurted out firmly.
Kraius laughed half-heartedly and shook his head. He was obviously pissing Jericho. The pity he felt for him was gone. The man in front of him was too arrogant to dictate him what he’s supposed to do.
“You don’t own anything here, Mr. Bailey. Remember that!” he spat out of anger. He froze at what Kraius said which made the latter smirk. “See? Cat got your tongue?”
“We are married, Mr. Montreal. Can’t you see that?!” Jericho thundered after recovering.
Kraius’ eyes became pierced and his playful aura has vanishes. The hidden anger for Jericho can be seen in his eyes. He really wanted to hurt the other, but he stopped himself even though he already knew everything.
Yes! He already knew everything. He knew how cunning this son of a bitch in front of him was. Nevertheless, Kraius still managed to calm himself down. It won’t lead to anything. He’s already checkmate and the Queen was staying with him in his castle.
“Married, really?” Kraius asked Jericho. He even looked at him in the eye and smirked seeing how the man’s eyes changed different emotions everytime.
Kraius only sighed. He walked to his seat and opened his drawer, picking the paper that he wanted to slap on Jericho’s face. After that, he walked back to the man and handed the paper to him.
“Here,” Kraius said in seriousness.
The man smirked when he saw Jericho hesitating to accept the paper, and his smirked widened even more when the other finally reached for it.
“Checkmate, Mr. Bailey,” Kraius uttered when he saw the man looking frightened.
After Jericho left, Kraius didn’t continue to work. He spent his time thinking of what he’s supposed to do. The man knew that there’s a lot of things to fix in his relationship with Rhezi. He’s also not sure about what the woman really felt for him.
It was a new challenge for him. Maybe the woman was right when she said that she couldn’t feel his love for her. Maybe, he was really lacking in showing her how much she meant to him. The man wanted to change that, especially now that they have a family.
At exactly five in the afternoon, Kraius decided to go home. He quickly shut the laptop off and put it inside the attache case. He picked his phone and the coat that was hanging on the back of his swivel chair. When he finished, he went out of the office while carrying his brief case.
He walked fast towards his private elevator which was connected to the law firm’s own parking lot. While striding along, he decided to buy something for his kids and Rhezi. Because of that, the man walked even faster with a small smile on his lips.
Kraius drove fast outside of Makati. The drive was smooth as the streets were not busy at that time. He continued to maneuver his car until he arrived at a high class restaurant in Quezon City.
The man immediately went out of the car after he safely parked it. He gave his car key to the valet and headed inside the restaurant while playing with his phone that was on his hand. He smiled as the manager approached him and listened as he talked.
He said a lot about their signature dish while following Kraius. The man wandered his eyes around and was in awe at the beauty of the place. It had a minimalist black and white interior, hanging plants, and a small waterfall on one side.
Kraius smiled at the sight. He’s sure that his kids would like this place. He would definitely bring them here soon. It could also serve as a little bonding of him and the boys.
However, the smile on his lips faltered when his eyes went to the far end of the restaurant. His forehead was creased as he walked towards that area, ignoring the manager that was speaking and leaving him abruptly.
Kraius was walking fast. When he was sure that he knew those figures, he accelerated his pace even more. His instinct was telling him that he needed to be with them. He needed to know what was happening between them. Because looking at their expressions, it seemed like their conversation was serious.
“Stay away from my son.”
“What is happening?” Kraius asked as he stood in front of their table.
He saw Rhezi froze while his father quickly shifted his gaze to Kraius. However, Kraius’ eyes were piercing through Rhezi, waiting for an explanation from the woman. Meanwhile, Rhezi couldn’t talk because of the situation.
“Answer me, Baba.” Kraius shifted his gaze to his father “Kim uzak duracak? (Who is going to stay away?)” he asked his father with a suppressed anger.
“Sakin ol, Kraius (Calm down, Kraius).” The old man stood up and faced his son. “I am just talking to Ms. Lagdameo here.”
Kraius frowned at the statement while staring at his father seriously. Then, the realization hit him. His eyes instantly shifted back to Rhezi who was looking at him, too. There were different emotions displayed on her features-emotions that made the man feel heavy.
“Are you still not finished with your antics, Baba?” Kraius said after he grabbed Rhezi’s hand and let her stand. Rhezi was surprised at what he did but she let the man do whatever he wanted. Meanwhile, disgust was evident on the old man’s face as he saw the scene in front of him.
“I am doing what is right!” he eyed Kraius. “Don’t be stubborn, K.”
“No! You’re manipulating everything, Baba. I’m sorry,” Kraius uttered before leaving the place, still holding Rhezi’s hand.
Kraius totally forgot to buy food for the kids because of what happened. His pace was fast as they strode towards his car. He opened the door for the woman who was mindlessly following him. After Rhezi entered the car, the man also went inside and drove the car away.
Kraius was beyond pissed at his own father. He couldn’t believe that his father would do such a thing. Before, he denied his father’s offer of marriage for convenience, so the man couldn’t imagine that Hasmet would do something like that.
“When are you going to tell me, Chubz?” Kraius asked. He followed the woman inside her room when they arrived at their own house at South Ridge Village.
Rhezi faced him, trying to hide her. emotions. “It wasn’t important. It was all in the past and–”
“Bullshit!” the man cut her off. “Do you really think it doesn’t matter to me? Am I that worthless to you?” he accused, holding the woman’s arm and making her face him.
“It wasn’t important because it already happened, Kraius. I hope you understand that.” Rhezi stopped and faced him, and Kraius froze when he saw her eyes that were full of sadness. “Your father is right. I need to stay away from you. I am already married–”
“You are not married!” Kraius spat.
Rhezi seemed to process what the man just uttered. She didn’t understand what Kraius was talking about. The tears that she tried hard to suppress finally fell in harmony. They were tears of being defeated by the people that cause her heart’s miserable state for the past ten years.
“H-How?” Rhezi asked in confusion.
Kraius leaned towards Rhezi and wiped her tears. He embraced her tight as she sobbed in pain. The man was hurt to hear her cry. He’s hurt by the fact that ten years were wasted because fate played with them.
“You are not married. It was void and null. Unregistered.”