ALESSIA
When noon came, we were picked up by a chopper owned by Claude’s friend, Zadkiel. It turned out that Zadkiel is Zeke’s twin, which led Adrian to mistake him for Zeke when he faced us earlier. Like Claude, Zadkiel was also a former SEAL member, so he himself was the pilot. Claude didn’t want to fly yet because he needed to practice; it had been three years since he last did it. Once his ordered chopper arrived, he planned to take us on a tour of various places.
Our luggage was taken by Claude’s driver, so we arrived ahead of time. We landed at Carlisle Towers, where the helipad was located, and then headed straight to Cafe L’Amour, a bakeshop owned by Zadkiel’s wife, Quincy.
Adrian immediately craved the various cookies and cupcakes on display when we arrived. He wanted to drink milk tea, but I didn’t allow it, so he settled for honeydew melon juice instead. Claude ordered coffee and a crusty Danish pastry with some raisins on.
“Looks like you ordered breakfas,” I commented to my husband when the crew served his meal.
“I really wanted coffee, Sweetpea. I missed brewed coffee this morning.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you like the one we had at home?” Referring to the instant coffee that I bought in the supermarket.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. I just prefer brewed coffee. Don’t you remember that’s what I would always drink when you were still at the mansion?”
I gave a hesitant smile because, in truth, I had tried to forget Claude since the night I left the mansion. I could barely remember his habits and preferences now.
“It’s okay, Sweetpea. I understand if you don’t remember. I’ll remind you now that we’re back together.” Claude squeezed my hand resting on the table.
“Dad, what are you telling Mom? I don’t understand,” Adrian asked.
I chuckled slightly at Adrian’s question, and Claude ruffled his son’s hair.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just making your mom smile,” Claude explained. Adrian didn’t ask further questions.
Even though I denied it before, Claude didn’t believe my lies. My husband was too sharp for me to think I could fool him. I felt like Claude could read the lies playing in my mind. A smart one, indeed.
That’s what I saw in Adrian lately. At his young age, he was articulate and he thought like he’s not a child anymore. That’s why he couldn’t easily be fooled by other people.
“Hey, Sweetpea! Are you just going to watch Adrian eat? Don’t you plan on tasting what you ordered? Come in, dig in.” Claude teased.
I glanced at the food in front of me, a slice of cheesecake and a glass of honeydew melon juice. Those were what I ordered for Adrian. Then Claude added chocolate chip cookies.
“Aren’t you touching your food yet? Don’t you like it? I’ll order something else,” Claude immediately called a crew member.
“No, it’s okay. This is fine,” I stopped my husband, but the crew was already approaching our table.
Claude didn’t listen to me. He immediately talked to the crew.
“Give us your bestseller,” Claude ordered.
“Sir, the blueberry cheesecake and the red velvet are the bestsellers here at the shop.”
“Give us one slice of each cake you mentioned.”
“Yes, sir.”
I scratched my head. “That’s a lot of orders. They seem expensive. We might not even eat them all,” I complained.
“It’s okay. It’s just cake. I can afford it,”
I didn’t comment anymore. I forgot that my husband’s family was a renowned furniture manufacturer in the US. Spending any amount of money didn’t matter to them. I was the same when my parents were still alive. I was also a spendthrift like my sister. But when I left the Robinson mansion, I learned to be thrifty. I managed the little money I had for me and my son’s daily needs.
Life was hard for us during those times. If not for Pia’s help and my bookstore, Adrian and I might have resorted to begging. I never once thought of working in bars as a waitress or as a dancer. Our neighbor, Mrs. Beth, had offered me several times.
She told me that I could earn a lot if I worked in bars, especially if I agreed to sit with customers. I adamantly refused. I wasn’t desperate enough to do that. I would rather borrow from Maven and Zeke, or I would reluctantly approach Claude’s parents.
If my in-laws were to ask for Adrian in exchange for their help, I would agree even if it hurt me. Honor was important to me because it was what I learned since Claude and I separated. Because of the influence of Claude’s family, I was afraid that he would make up stories just to take my son away. I thought that if Claude was desperate, he might do that to me. Fortunately, he didn’t. At least my worry subsided.
If Claude had done that, I might not had forgiven him until now. I might not even want to return to his side. Fortunately, Adrian became the bridge between us.
“Wow! That looks delicious, Dad!” Adrian applauded as the crew set down two plates, each with a slice of cake.
“Oops! Adrian, let your mom choose first before you take anything. You’ve eaten a lot already,” Claude said.
Adrian’s face fell slightly at Claude’s words.
“It’s okay. You can choose first, baby. I’ll take whatever’s left,” Adrian brightened up when I said that.
“I like the red one, please.” He pointed at the red velvet cupcake.
I brought the plate closer to my son. “I’ll have the blueberry then,” I said.
“I’ll order another one,” Claude said.
“That’s enough, Claude,” I intervened. “We might not be able to eat dinner later.”
“Dinner is tonight. It’s only past two now,” Claude reasoned.
I shook my head. “Still, these are all carbohydrates. It’s heavy on the stomach.”
“You’re health-conscious now,” Claude joked.
“Anyway, don’t you want to save? These orders are expensive, and they’re just snacks.”
Claude stared directly into my eyes. “Why would I save? I don’t want to scrimp on you and our son. I have money. If I can spend a lot on drinks for other people, I should spend more on you. You’re my family, while others are just friends and acquaintances,” Claude reasoned.
I didn’t speak further. Claude had a point.
After eating, I excused myself to talk to Quincy.
“Sure. Take your time, Sweetpea. I’ll take care of Adrian,” Claude assured.
I glanced at our son. He is still eating, diligently finishing everything on his plate. He is used to not leaving anything behind whenever we eat.
“You stay here for a while, okay? Mom just needs to talk to someone. Dad will watch over you for now.”
Adrian nodded.
I stood up and approached the counter where Quincy was talking to the cashier.
“Excuse me, Quincy!”
“Oh, hi! Do you need anything, Sia?” Quincy asked with a sweet smile as she faced me.
I also smiled. I was pleased that even though we only met now, this woman’s approach to me felt genuine. Just as close as her husband is to Claude, Quincy treated me the same way.
“I wanted to talk to you about your shop. I might need your help when I set up my own bookshop,” I said.
Quincy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, a business venture! That’s good to hear! Come to my office. Let’s discuss it.”
“Not today, though. Let’s do it another day. Just give me your contact number so I can call you when we need to talk.”
I took out my cell phone and opened my phonebook.
“Sure.” Quincy recited her number.
I repeated it to make sure I heard it correctly. “Thank you. I’ll call you.”
“Sure.”
“Nice meeting you, Quincy.”
“Oh, please just call me Q. I’m glad to meet you too.”
I said goodbye and returned to our table. Adrian was almost done with his food when I found him.
“Maybe you should stop him from eating, Sweetpea. I’ve been telling him not to finish the cake and cookies, but he won’t listen. He said you might get mad. Later, he might get a stomachache,” Claude expressed concern as I returned to my seat.
I looked at the table again. Adrian finished his drink. The cheesecake and red velvet were gone, but some cookies were left.
I hugged my son. “Adrian, if you can’t finish that, let’s have it wrapped. Then you can eat it later,” I gently advised him.
Adrian smiled and nodded. I signaled to Claude.
“He says wrap it,” I ordered.
Claude raised an eyebrow. “No, let’s just order new ones. Those might go bad later,” he suggested.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Hey! Cookies don’t go bad that easily. Should I tell Quincy? You’re ruining their reputation,” I teased.
Claude raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. Forget what I said. But I won’t have those leftovers wrapped. Let’s just order new ones.”
“No. That would be wasteful,” I insisted.
When a crew member approached, Claude ordered a new set of cookies.
“Excuse me, can you also wrap these?” I pointed to the remaining cookies on the plate.
Claude glared at me, but I ignored him.
“Yes, ma’am.” The crew member took the plate with the remaining cookies before leaving.
“Why did you have them wrapped? I already ordered new ones,” Claude complained.
“It’s such a waste, really. Many people have nothing to eat, and here you are just throwing away food,” I retorted.
As we left the bakery, Adrian was already carried by Claude, so I took the two paper bags my husband was carrying.
Claude placed Adrian in the backseat. Just as we left the parking lot, I noticed that our son was already asleep with his eyes closed.
“I don’t know why he’s tired. We just took a chopper ride and ate. But now he’s asleep,” I commented.
“He must have been really full, so he got sleepy,” Claude speculated. “What’s that? Like a pig, sleeping after eating.” Claude burst into laughter. I smiled in response.
“What do you think of our son, a pig? Well, he’s a bit skinny, so it’s just right that he eats a lot. Even you, you’re getting thin. Maybe it’s not just food that you lack, maybe you also need watering,” I teased.
Claude raised an eyebrow at me. He just smiled at me.
“Let it be. Later when we get home, I’ll water you. It’s just right now since our son is already asleep.”
“Do you want a slap, Claude? You’ve had enough since last night!” I jokingly threatened.
“That’s fine. As long as the slap comes with a kiss and a hug,” he replied with a mischievous grin.
I just rolled my eyes and turned away.