“Mommy!” Daniel cried.
Bob came in and found the children disturbing their father’s work, “I am sorry Mr. Cage. I’ll take them to their room.”
“We don’t want to sleep! We want mommy!” said Peter.
The children were all staring at their father.
Nick Cage stroked his temples and gestured for Bob to leave.
“You can go now,” he said to Kay Tours.
He glanced at the children, took his phone, and said, “Let’s go to bed.”
Peter was astonished for a while and quickly followed his father.
Kay Tours looked at the children who quickly followed their father in fear to be left behind. This was the first time he saw Nick Cage getting off work to take care of the kids.
Nick Cage put the children to bed. They easily fell asleep not only because their father was with them but the fear of being punished.
He leaned on the headboard and looked at his phone. He tapped on the call logs and saw the unanswered call from Veronica Parker.
Was she calling because of the kids?
He knew Veronica Parker well. He knew she would not call multiple times if he wouldn’t answer at once.
Kay Tours was driving when his phone rang.
“Mr. Cage,” he answered.
“Call her”.
Kay Tours understood what he meant so he responded, “Okay.”
Veronica Parker just walked out of the bathroom when her cellphone rang. She thought it might be Nick Cage.
But why he would call her? She knew he would never call her back.
She walked towards the bed and looked at the phone to see who was calling. It wasn’t Nick Cage.
She picked up the phone and answered, “Secretary Tours.”
“Did I wake you up?” he asked.
“No. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. I’m on my way home from Winter Villa.”
Veronica Parker grasped her phone. She was trying to conceal her emotions. She took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Is there’s anything you want to say?”
“I went there to report the company’s activity to Mr. Cage when the children suddenly appear and repeatedly ask for you. It was a heartbreaking scene.”
She looked down and felt uneasy while thinking about the children’s situation.
She tried to stay calm and said, “What happened?”
“Mr. Cage asked me to go so he can put the children to bed.”
She was silent for a moment.
“Are you asking me to go back to Winter Villa? I’m sorry Secretary Tours but I am not ready to go back, yet. I know the children will be okay in the future. It’s their home.”
“Did you call Mr. Cage?” Kay Tours asked.
She thought it was not difficult to call him, but she was wary to do so.
What would she tell him if she does? Was she going to make a settlement and go back to Winter Villa?
That was what she wanted before Isabella’s accident. She wanted to live in Winter Villa so she could be with the children.
She could not let go of her detestation. She couldn’t let go of the past. The pictures of Isabella’s tragic death were hunting her in dreams.
It was the reason why she doesn’t want to get closer to Nick Cage and the reason why she doesn’t want him to host the ribbon-cutting event.
It would be awkward if he does and besides, he doesn’t even want to talk to her.
Veronica Parker couldn’t sleep. She was tossing her pillow around. She was thinking if Peter was able to sleep with his father.
In the morning.
They were having breakfast when Tom Parker asked her again, “Did he call you back?”
Clare Parker’s eyes went twitchy.
“Yes. He said he couldn’t make it and we should have told him a few weeks back,” Veronica Parker replied.
Clare Parker’s eyes went accustomed to what she heard. She doesn’t want Nick Cage to host the ribbon-cutting event.
“It seems like he was taking you for granted,” Sarah North unexpectedly said.
Veronica Parker was not worried that his father might take her phone again to check it. She knew he learned his lesson after what happened last night.
Tom Parker anxiously frowned and said, “That’s it? Go there and convince him.”
Veronica Parker refused, “No. I have to go to work today.”
Tom Parker didn’t argue after her daughter refused, “All right. But we’re going to celebrate tonight”.
She did not commit because she thought her father was offhand.
She received a call from her father right after she finished her work.
“Capital Bar? I’m not going,” she said.
“Come on! Everyone in the family is here,” her father insisted.
She was not convinced. She thought they would never invite her if she weren’t involved with their plan. There must be something else why her father was insisting for her to come.
She decided to go to see what was waiting for her at the bar.
“Okay then. I will be there in a few,” she said.
She released the call and asked herself, “Am I really going to that bar?”
She remembered she was already blacklisted at the Capital Bar. She does not know if they would let her in.
She thought her father would do anything for her to get in. This was it! She decided to go to the bar where Nick Cage used to go. She could not believe her father chose this expensive bar just for the family to knock around.
It was 9:00 PM when her father called to urge her to leave. She fixed her things and left the office. No one could stop her now!
She arrived at the Capital Bar and walked towards the entrance. The security guard saw her coming and immediately said to his earphones, “Miss Parker is coming. Please get ready.”
The earphones were the employees’ way of communication.
Veronica Parker glanced at the security guard as she entered the door.
She thought if Nick Cage would send her a message once he knew she was there or if he would just ignore her.
It could be the latter since they were not on good terms.