June called Liam after the conversation with Lucy.
He didn’t pick up but sent a text some minutes later, stating he would be in her office to discuss it in two days. She didn’t know how he recognised her number and tried not to think of the many ways her proposal could be declined.
June decided to work on the designs remotely. She was ready to buy a home in South City to begin a new life with her mother. If Liam Fernando was strict with his options, she would volunteer to travel and assess the land he planned to build the resort.
She believed it would help her visualise things properly. She was not open to spending three months in North City. That was her hard line. She hoped they would be able to come to an agreement as there was a lot of money on the line.
Money she wasn’t keen on losing at this critical point in time.
After the scandal broke out, JL faced a major backlash and was still on the road to recovery from the dented image she caused her company. Every bag was important to her and the growth of her company.
While she prepared herself for the man that seemed to dominate her every waking moment, her phone alerted her of an event she scheduled some time ago. She had pre-ordered the latest version of a jigsaw puzzle she thought Luis would love.
Originally she thought it would be a birthday gift but due to the delay in the launch, she couldn’t present it to her little prince on his last birthday. According to the notification, they would be delivering it to the house.
She quickly changed the location to her hotel and wondered what to do with the gift. June was certain Luis would love the gift but clueless about how she could get to him. June contemplated sending it to Rafael’s house as a gift for Luis but she also couldn’t stop the longing in her heart to see her little prince once again.
It’s been forever since she saw him and she wondered about his health and welfare. She also wondered if he hated her or bore grudges against her. She suddenly wanted to see him again, have him within her eyesight.
Couldn’t she just present it as a late birthday gift?
Slowly but surely, June tricked herself into believing it wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit her ex-husband’s home. The gift would be arriving in minutes. Luis would be home alone with the workers as the school term was over.
Rafael would be at work. It would be an easy visit. She got to kill two birds with one stone. It seemed like a foolproof plan. When the gift arrived at the hotel, June signed off on it. The sight of the gift gave her the extra motivation she needed to carry on her disastrous plan.
June dressed in a beautiful black dress, ordered a ride and soon walked out of the hotel. Evelyn met her in the hotel premises and she lied saying she had some work to do at the office.
The drive to Rafael’s home brought nostalgic feelings but she remained strong. The neighbourhood security let her in without a word, recognising her as Rafael’s wife.
June thought she could handle it until she stood before the house. Her heart rate increased and she suddenly had cold feet. What was she thinking about showing up at her ex-husband’s house? Had she finally lost it?
The gate flung open when she made to leave, and Thomas stepped out of the house. She nervously touched her hair and swore under her breath. Stupid! So Stupid!
“Ma’am. Please come in!” Thomas opened the gate with his head bowed.
June felt a wave of shame hit her. “Ah! No. I mean. It’s not important.” She handed over the bag. “I got this for the little prince. It’s a present. A puzzle.” She rambled. “You see, I ordered it some time ago and it came in much later.”
“The young master lives with his grandma,” Thomas said and she stiffened.
“What? Where’s Rafael?” She didn’t know when the words tumbled out of her mouth.
“The Boss is on a business trip. He is yet to return. However, the young master is living in the family house. I can take you there.”
June shook her head. “Oh really! That wouldn’t be necessary. I can just give you the gift so you give it to him whenever he returns.” She handed over the gift bag with a smile but he shook his head.
“I am sorry but I won’t be able to help Madame this time,” Thomas said respectfully.
June was taken aback. “What? Why?”
“I recently resigned and I need to catch my flight.” He explained. “I wish I could help but I have to leave immediately. I hope you won’t hand over the gift to the young master.”
Thomas bowed respectively, shut the gate behind him and entered a car parked by the fence. June watched him leave with her jaws open. She couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. A thought that spurned her to make the most ridiculous decision yet.
Since she suffered all the way here, it was only fitting she saw things to the end and ensured her little prince got the gift. Right?
Before she could talk herself out of the idea, June handed over a new address to the driver and soon enough, she was on her way to the Ambrose family house. She felt her nerves twist in her stomach and everything within her screamed against it but she continued.
Soon enough, she stood in front of the Ambrose family house with the gift held tightly. Her heart raced in fear, anxiety and anticipation as she knocked and waited for a response.
A security man opened the gates and asked for her identity.”I am June Rivera. I came to see Luis.” She said in a surprisingly clear voice.
The security looked her over with curious eyes. After a while, he shut the gates, muttering something along the lines of her needing to stay put while he got orders.
June waited for five minutes. At the time she thought of leaving the gift at the gate and finding her way back but the thought of getting to see Luis kept her feet rooted at the gate. Soon enough, the security returned with a sceptical look.
“Come in.” He pushed the door open and scanned her over for dangerous objects. In a matter of minutes, she reached the gate and met the grotesque look of her former mother-in-law who seemed anything but happy to see her.
“What are you doing here, woman?” Beatrice fired, “I don’t remember subscribing to unpleasant visits from the Rivera sisters.”
June cleared her throat and placed the gift bag on the floor. “I mean no harm. I just want to see Luis.” She said in a sincere tone. “This is for him.”
“You must be silly to come bringing stupid gifts for my grandson. Do you think I am incapable of taking care of my grandchild?” Beatrice turned to one of the guards. “Pick that thing and throw it out of this place. My grandchild is entitled to only the best!”
June picked up the gift bag before they could carry out their evil intentions. “I just want to see him.” She said, “Can you please call him out? I promise to leave afterwards.”
Beatrice scoffed at the woman in front of her. “Why? Have you come to make yourself feel like a mother? Have the time away from my precious grandchild sobered you on your inability to bear children?!”
“My son made a grave mistake marrying you and I am glad I was able to correct it. I don’t want to see you near my property, son or grandchild. Do you understand?”
June felt a whiplash of emotions but she held her ground, refusing to show weakness. “I understand you are not happy with me. I apologise for lying to you but don’t you think you are being too cruel to a woman like you?”
Beatrice laughed in her face. “A woman like me? Don’t dream! You are barely a woman, talk less of a woman like me! You are synonymous with a mischievous man, unable to reproduce and caught in your web of lies.”
“My beloved grandchild is not in the City. He travelled with his father to experience the finer things of life. I would never let you see him if he was inside. He needs to be purged of scums like you to avoid attracting bad luck to his glorious destiny.”
Beatrice hissed, “Be gone! The next time I find you anywhere near my property, I promise you will be wheeled out of here!”
June turned to leave, having heard enough of the insults. The gate behind her suddenly opened and sure enough, Clarence walked in with her sister April.
What’s more? Mrs Beatrice looked like she’d seen a ghost.