Cade had agreed to meet with his mom; she said she had something to tell him, and even though this was tough for him, he agreed to have lunch with her. After meeting with her, he was scheduled to go home and meet with his grandfather. He had to iron out the problems now before they went on to pose problems for him soon.
“Thank you for meeting me,” Valerie said as Cade sat down on the chair in the cafe. They agreed to meet. He only agreed to meet her out in the open because he was sure that this wouldn’t spark any rumours, and in case anything came up from Haperr posting any images, this could serve as evidence that it was just a friendly meeting like this one.
“Everyone needs to get a chance to right the wrong,” he said, like he was giving him the opportunity of a lifetime.
“Thank you,” she said again. She raised her head and looked around. “Do you want something to drink?” she said, fumbling with her bag to get out her purse from it. “I will buy you something,” she said, holding onto it.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it; what would you like? Coffee or tea?” Cade asked, already standing up.
“Anything you get for me,” she said as he walked away. She would drink anything he offered her as long as they could talk like this and even sit at the same table.
“They said they would buzz me on this once it is ready,” Cade said, dropping the buzzer to the middle of the table. He wanted to ask her outrightly why she had called him, but he still wanted to act a bit courteous to her, so he just swallowed all the words bubbling in his chest.
“I was shocked you picked up.”
“Did you not call me so we can meet up like this?” he asked, looking around the coffee shop. It was the short period between the morning rush and the lunch hour, so it was relatively quiet and peaceful.
“I did,” she said, bidding the insides of her mouth. “And I know that you do not want to hear this anymore, but…”
“I want to hear it all,” he said, chiming in and cutting her before she could finish the statement.
“What?”
“I want to hear about it all,” he said, blinking slowly. “All of it-how we got here, how it happened, why you left me, and why you are back now. I want to hear all of it, and I also want an apology.” Valerie did not understand the sudden change of mood from him; as long as she could get what she wanted, which was an apology to him, then she was good.
“Your father was a good man,” Valerie began, not sure if Cade wanted her to start there. When he did not try to stop her but sat in his chair, resting his back on it, she knew he wanted to hear more. Valerie went on to tell him how she met his father when she was working in his office. She was not a permanent staff member but had come in to help with a big project they were having at that time.
When he began to chase her, she told him that he was married so he should not do anything like that; however, he assured her that he was in the process of getting a divorce. The papers were ready and even signed so she saw it as an opportunity to change her status. If the wealthiest man at that time was interested in her, then she thought she might have hit the jackpot; however, when she got pregnant, she got to know from one of his lawyers that he was not divorcing his wife.
“What happened?” Cade asked, now intrigued by the rest of the story. Midway through, they had gotten refills of their cups about three times each. He was so invested now he had to know what kind of man his father truly was.
“Apparently, those papers were from the first year of their marriage but were only doctored each year so he could have numerous affairs around the place. Using those divorce papers he got during the first year of their marriage, where they almost split up, he slept with many more women after I left.”
Valerie felt the pain she felt then surge through her again. She was deceived so badly, and she came to believe she had fallen for such an obvious trick, but maybe she was in love with the man. She knew she was in love with his money, but maybe, just maybe, she had fallen for him, and that was why she agreed to get pregnant for him at that time.
“Cade There are no right words; no matter how many times I try to explain myself, it still stays the same. I am wrong; no matter what happens, I should find a way to stay in your life. I was just worried that I might not be able to take good care of you and that I would make you miss out on building a loving relationship with your dad, so when Charles reached out to me to ask if I wanted you to give you up so you could live with us, I agreed at once. That way you could get the best of life,” she said in one full breath.
Maybe it was because Cade had thought it over; even though he was still hurt by the abandonment, he understood what she was trying to do and why she did it. “Does this mean I might have siblings around the place?” Cade asked suddenly as he thought of the damage his father had done. Was he just found out because his mother was bold enough to drop him off? Were there some in poverty and not getting the benefit of their father’s wealth just because they did not know him? He wondered if he had to find them.
“I have no idea; the last woman I heard from who was entangled in the web of lies that your father had spun also got pregnant but was found dead a few days later,” Valerie explained. The police had ruled the case a case of miscarriage, which somehow claimed the mother’s life too. Valerie did not understand it, but she did not have the power to fight it, and just accusing Vale of murder was ridiculous. A few years later he turned up dead and making a big deal of it now after all this time was truly useless.
“I want to forgive you, Mom,” Cade said, causing her eyes to shine because of the tears that had been going through them as she spoke.
“Are you serious?” She said, her voice going through a ton of emotions as it shook.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I do want to forgive you,” he said. The table fell silent for a while. Cade raised his head. “But on one condition,” he added.
“A condition?”
“Yes”
“What is it?”
“You have to come with me to see Chairman Vale”