“There is a fifteen million dollar trust fund in your name. Your father instructed me to give you the details so you can access it.” Mrs. Lillian said, shocking Karen.
“What? Are you for real?” She asked after an extended silence.
“Yes, ma. Everything is real.” Lillian answered.
“Why should I believe you?” She asked. She no longer knew what to believe
“Can you give me your mail address so that I will forward the pieces of evidence your father sent to me.” the secretary said and she called out her mail address. “I will drop the call now. Please check your mail in thirty seconds,” she added politely.
The secretary dropped the call and she rushed to open her email inbox. She had a new message and attachment from “Lillian brown.” she clicked on the video and her father’s image came on
“Hello, Karen. I’m sure my secretary has contacted you, and I’ll be on a sheep cruise to the other part of the world by the time you watch this video. I’m sorry for all the wrongs I did. I’m sorry for leaving while you were still a kid. Trust me, I regret this decision so much and it’s gonna haunt me for the rest of my life. I know you don’t wanna see me again, and I respect your decision. There is a trust fund I created for you when I started making money. You know you said you wanted to be a doctor.” She sniffled and touched her cheeks. She noticed that she was already crying.
“Every month since I left, I added an amount of money to it, and now, I want you to have it. I know, it’s too late and you can no longer chase your dreams of being a doctor, but you can use it to get your life back, invest in a business, or sumn.” he paused in the video, wiping a tear at his eyelid before continuing “I love you, little one, and I’m very very proud of you.”
The video ended and her tears increased. She watched the video multiple times, and each time she watched, she cried more. Some minutes later, her dad’s secretary called back. After a short Convo, she sent the details to her by mail. She quickly copied out the details and imputed them on the site.
It was all real. Fifteen million dollars waiting for her in a freaking trust fund!
2 years later.
Jack was dressed in a blue tuxedo and sat among other important people in front of the hall. He was one of the people that were to be honored today. It was a business summit hosted in Texas that was to award the best businessmen across the country.
“And now, the gold honor award for the businessman with innovation goes to… Mr. Jack Antonio.” the moderator on the stage announced. Jack stood up to a resounding applause and bowed to the crowd before going to the stage to receive his award.
He shook hands with the moderator as the award was handed over to him. “I thank God for this opportunity today, I thank every one of you for believing in me worthy enough to get this award. I thank my investors and business partners for the faith they have in the brand, and most importantly, I thank Karen for the love she had for me. You all are the best.” he ended his speech and walked down the stage.
It’s been close to two years since Karen left, and he had lived every day with the hope that she was going to return. He had refused to date, even when the pressure from his best friend and mother was getting intense. He was going to wait for Karen.
****
“And the best graduating student, M. A Journalism, and business administration… Karina Smith.” the chancellor announced from the stage and Karen walked up the stage to get her awards. She was finally rounding up her studies in the country, and she had graduated with flying colors. She bowed slightly as she shook hands with the chancellor before collecting her awards. She posed for a photo before returning to her seat.
“Seen that? Your Mummy is now done with school” She said to the three year old Jayden who had come to witness her graduation.
“Congratulation, momma”
Karen had spent the last two years in Australia getting a degree. She spent most of her time studying, and the other part taking care of Jayden who was now growing up to be an intelligent and handsome boy. She had been approached by many men for a relationship but had politely turned all of them down. After watching the video of her dad, she had gotten her dad’s contact from his secretary and some days later, she called him. He apologized again and she finally forgave him.
“Where are we going, momma” Little Jayden asked as he walked into the room to meet his mother packing clothes into their traveling boxes.
She squatted to his size and held his cheeks. “We are going home.”
“Home? But this is our home,” he argued.
“No Jayden. We are going home to Jayden. Don’t you wanna see daddy?” she asked, searching his face for an answer. His face lit up and he jumped. “Yay!”
She smiled as she watched his expression of joy.
Karen’s flight landed at the airport in Los Angeles and she walked out of the plane with Jayden in her arms. She breathed in the cool air of the city with a big smile on her face. Finally, she was back.
They boarded a cab to take them directly to Jack’s house. She checked the time on her watch as the cab driver drove on. It was a few minutes to six pm. Jack was definitely going to be at home, or if he wasn’t, she was going to lodge at a hotel close by.
The cab arrived in front of Jack’s house and she stepped out with Jayden. She paid the driver and he drove off. She heaved a sigh before walking into his premises. His car was parked in the garage, meaning that he was in. She said a quick prayer before ringing the doorbell.
“Coming” she heard Jack’s voice from inside the house and her heart thumped inside her chest. Few seconds later, the door was pulled open by a half-dressed Jack. She stared in shock at the sight in front of him. Karen, Jayden, and their luggage at his doorstep.
A big smile crept on his face. He rushed and pulled them into a hug. The hug lasted for more than thirty seconds before he pulled away. Karen pulled him into another hug as she wept in his arms. “I love you, Jack” She muttered, placing her head on his chest.
Jack’s smile grew at Karen’s confession. Finally, she said those words he badly wanted to hear. He circled his arms tightly around her waist before responding “I love you too. Always and forever.”