The journey from New York City to Orlando by plane was about two hours and thirty minutes, and when the students arrived at the airport, busses were waiting to take them to their assigned destination.
While they were on the bus, the head teacher supervising the students received a call from the school which he picked up almost immediately.
“What do you mean?” He gasped loudly and turned to look at the students that were playing, talking, and laughing.
“Listen, everyone!” He stood up after he had dropped the call and walked to the middle.
“Switch off your phone, right now!” He ordered.
“What?!” the students chorused with a confused look on their faces.
“What do you mean switch off our phone?” Declan who was watching a movie with Zoey removed his earpiece and frowned at the teacher.
“T… That is the order that I was told to pass to everyone. Switch your phone, right now! Anyone caught using their phone would be punished severely. Hurry!” He commanded and watched the students switch off their phones grudgingly.
“You don’t think I’d do that without knowing the reason, right?” Declan frowned.
“Just turn it off,” Zoey nudged him gently.
“I don’t want to,” he shook his head.
“What is going on?” Tiffany creased her brows.
“I have no idea either,” Aiden shook his head.
“Declan, you should…”
“I have to pick up this call,” Declan interrupted him, raised the phone that was vibrating up, and rolled his eyes.
“Hey, dad,” he said.
“Where are you guys now? I heard your trip has been moved to Orlando,” Senator Han said almost breathlessly and Declan could sense the tension in his voice.
“Yeah, we just left the airport,” he answered.
“Where’s your sister? I’m talking about Tiffany.”
“She’s here,” he answered with a frown.
“Don’t let her go through her phone. There’s…”
“What is going on, dad?” He interrupted him.
“The media managed to know about Tiffany but they had it wrong. They think I am having an affair with her and has been widely published. I’ve tried blocking it in every way that I can, but it’s not working. All TV stations have begun to air it. Even your school has been bombarded with reporters, trying to meet Tiffany. Keep her safe, okay? I’ll try to control the situation here,” he said and ended the call immediately.
“Fûck, dad?!” Declan yelled.
What’s going on?
Everyone wondered.
“Declan?” Aiden called out.
“Yeah?” He turned back and ran his hand through his hair.
“What’s wrong?” he mouthed.
“Oh, nothing, nothing,” he shook his head and then glanced at Vanessa who raised her brows suspiciously.
“Did you hear what dad said to him?” Aiden asked Tiffany.
“No, I didn’t pay attention to that,” she shook her head.
“We’ll talk to him when we get down from the bus,” Aiden reassured her and she nodded her head.
==
The bus pulled in front of a huge building in a quiet area, and the students marched down slowly, admiring the big house in front of them.
It had a lot of windows and there was no doubt that it was going to take in all of them
Aiden and Tiffany walked up to Declan and Zoey as everyone walked inside the house with their luggage and have Declan pinned against the wall.
“What did you hear? I’m sure you heard something, and I am guessing it is related to the reason everyone was ordered to switch their phone off,” Aiden asked.
“I… I didn’t hear anything,” he denied.
“Come on, don’t be like this,” Zoey frowned.
“I didn’t hear anything, I’m serious,” he pulled away from them.
“That dude is hiding something, I am sure of that,” Aiden creased his brows.
*
After everyone had dropped their bags in the room, they all moved to the sitting room that had nothing in it except for the television, and refrigerator.
The house had over thirty rooms in total. On the first floor were seventeen rooms which the boys took and the second floor had nineteen rooms which the girls took.
“I wonder if this is working,” Lauren signed and walked towards the television.
She pressed the switch, grab the remote, and moved backward.
“I wonder why we were ordered to switch our phone off, I need to call my dad that we’ve arrived,” Lauren’s friend, Miya whined.
“Same here, I bet my mom is getting worried already,” another one, Isabella exhaled.
“I don’t think that is going to work, you do not need to stress yourself,” Miya said to Lauren.
“Why? I think it is going to work. This place doesn’t look like somewhere that hasn’t been visited in a while. Besides, since we’re not allowed to use our phone, shouldn’t we see something then?” she rolled her eyes and then pressed the power button on the remote control.
*
Declan, Tiffany, Zoey, and Aiden sat together on the benches outside the house and the rest wouldn’t stop staring at Declan who kept staring at his phone.
“I feel so chilly,” Tiffany exhaled and wrapped her hands around her body.
“It is almost winter, what do you think?” Zoey raised her brows.
“I know, but…” Tiffany looked around.
Why was she feeling uneasy?
This was a feeling she had never felt even during winter.
“Shall we head back inside?” Aiden asked.
“Yes,” she nods her head.
“Must we go inside? It is too crowdy there,” Declan glanced at Tiffany.
“You can stay if you want to. I’m going in with my babe,” Aiden said and stood up with Tiffany.
“Let’s go inside also,” Zoey said and Declan shook his head.
*
Tiffany and Aiden stopped on their track as they entered and met with the surprised eyes of the students on them.
“What’s going on?” Aiden frowned and looked around again.
Not even a single person wasn’t looking at them.
He turned slowly to look at the television that was switched on and furrowed his brows as he saw Tiffany and Senator Han’s picture that was plastered on the screen.
He let go of the lady’s hand and entered fully to read the Headline that was on it.
“SENATOR HAN LAWRENCE’S SECRET LIFE GETS REVEALED.”
He bit his lower lips as he turned in the direction of Tiffany and glanced at Declan and Zoey who entered.
“Shît,” Declan groaned.
“Who turned on the news?” One of the teachers, Collin rushed in and hurriedly turn off the switch.
“I just asked who turned on the news!” he asked again after he got no reply from the students.
“Is this the reason you asked everyone to switch off their phones? Because this girl is having an affair with a man who is old enough to be her father?” Vanessa snorted and moved away from the crowd.
“Watch your mouth,” Aiden gritted his teeth.
“Why? Are you hurt that your so-called girlfriend is probably fûcking your best friend’s daddy?”
“Bîtch, how dare you?!” Zoey dashed forward and slapped her hard on the face.
“You…! ”
“Stop it!” Mr. Collin walked into the middle of the two girls.
“Why did you attack her first?” he frowned at Zoey.
“She didn’t do wrong,” Declan moved forward and grabbed Zoey by her arm.
“That was something you should have done. You only watched her run her mouth against Tiffany,” Declan said.
“Really?” Vanessa moved away from the teacher and chuckled.
“You’re going to side her because you don’t want to offend your friend or what?”
“You have no idea what you are talking about because if you do, you wouldn’t spew the nonsense that you are saying. Tiffany is my…!”
“No!” Tiffany stopped him.
“Tiffy,” Declan turned to look at her and shook his head as the lady shook his head at him, mouthing to him not to say anything.
“I’ll go upstairs. I’ll be back,” Tiffany said to Aiden.
The students moved away for her to pass with an irritated look on their faces.
¶¶
“I can’t believe this.”
“How could she walk with her head high?”
“Does she not have any shame?”
“Did Senator Han seriously do that?”
¶¶
Tiffany ignored the murmurs that rang in her ears as she ascended the stairs.
As she ascended the stairs, nothing was on her but one thing. Senator Han.
She was not going to worry about him or anything.
Instead, she would watch how her father would prove that he was worth being her father to her.
She doesn’t care how that happens, she just wants to be free from the stupîd rumors that were already circulating.
*
“There is something I can’t get my mind off,” Aiden said to Declan while they were outside. Zoey had already gone to Tiffany.
“What?”
“The picture of your dad and Tiffany hugging… It was taken it our compound. It is from a CCTV footage,” he bit his lower lips.
“What are you saying?” Declan raised a brow.
“There are only two ways that picture could get out. It’s either there was a spy planted amongst the guards at home, or…”
“Or?”
“Your mother released it,”
” My mother sent it to the press,”
Declan and Aiden said respectively.
==
New York City.
Senator Han paced to and fro inside his study, ignoring the calls that were entering from different unknown numbers.
The assemblymen, president, and other political members have been calling him for a while and he hadn’t picked any of them.
There was no way to get out of this without him losing the office.
Even though there was a way, he might be the only one that gets out of this. The world would keep looking at his daughter with bad eyes.
There was no way he was going to tell the whole world that he had another child outside of marriage.
His wife that was on a sick bed would never forgive him.
The reputation that he has been building for the past twenty years will go down in a blink of an eye.
There was no way he was going to ruin everything because of Tiffany, right?
But then again, this was also his only chance to prove to his daughter that he was ready to choose her over his career.
Huh, why should he do that?
He moved closer to his phone, grabbed it, and dialed a number.
“Prepare for a press conference.”
=
Orlando.
“I will implore you all not to believe everything that you see till there is an article from the Senator about it,” Mr. Collin said to the students in the sitting room.
“Do you believe that the media was lying? See, there is proof about it. The Senator was hugging her,” a student’s voice came up.
“So?” Tiffany’s voice came up and they turned in the direction of the stairs.
“In the picture, did you see me kiss him?” She asked as she walked up in front of them.
“Whoa, what a gut that you have. You are so shameless to talk back to everyone after everything that we’ve seen. You should hide indoors and cry till death, instead…” Vanessa said and was interrupted.
“Trust me, I am not your mother,” Tiffany shook her head.
“What?” Vanessa furrowed her brows.
“I am not your mother.”
*
“There’s going to be a press conference?” Declan asked his dad over the phone.
“Yes, it’ll begin in a few minutes.”
“Dad, people are talking about it here already. Everyone is criticizing Tiffany already. Are you going to come clean about it to the press?” Declan asked.
“That is what I should do, right?” Senator Han exhaled.
“Yes, dad. Yes,” Declan answered.
“Then, watch me on the news with your sister as I clear our innocence,” he smirked.
=
Martha sat in front of the television, beside Theodore, waiting for the conference the Senator was going to hold.
Martha know the kind of person Lawrence was. He would never tell the world that he had a child outside marriage since that was going to ruin his political career totally.
Huh, since he had no problem choosing his career over the woman that he loved dearly many years ago, then who the hell was the monstrous daughter that popped out of nowhere after many years had passed?
Things better go her way, she didn’t give the picture to the media for fun.
This was to ruin Tiffany totally.
There was no way she was going to allow her son to get bewitched by that demon.
===
Orlando.
Declan rushed inside and switch the television on hurriedly since his phone was already out of coverage.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Collin asked.
“There’s a press conference, and I’ll watch it here… In front of everyone,” he glanced at Tiffany, nodded his head, and turned to look away.
Everyone turned silent as they saw the Senator enter the conference room and the camera flashes on him.
“Greetings to the great people of New York City,” just as the Senator had always begun his speeches, he started.
“I am sure you are all aware of the rumors that have been going on in the country, and I am here today to talk about it.”
“Are you trying to deny your relationship with her?”
“Who is she?”
“Are you truly having an affair with a minor?”
The reporters bombarded him with questions.
Tiffany clenched her fist tightly, why was she doubting that man already?
Was he going to deny knowing her at all?
Aiden moved closer to her, unclenched her fist, and took her hand in his, fondling it gently.
“There is no relationship between that child and me.”
¶¶
“I know he’s never going to admit to that.”
“Huh, look at him putting on a facade.”
¶¶
“And when I said there’s no relationship, I meant romantic relationship. Tiffany is my daughter, and I am her biological father,” he announced and the camera flashes increased.
“What?” the students widened their eyes and murmurs arose.
Tiffany took her lower lip in her mouth and sucked it gently.
This was the least she was expecting.
She had thought the man was going to choose his career over her, and he had just proved her wrong.
“How do we believe what you have just said?”
The reporters began with questions again.
“Many years ago, I chose to be a coward and chose my family and career over the woman I truly loved. Here is the proof that I am her father. Here is the DNA test I conducted, and it is a 99. 9999% match.”
¶¶
“Fûck!”
“I can’t believe this.”
“This has to be a lie.”
“Tiffany is Declan’s sister?”
¶¶
“All through my stay in the office, I have never for once used the power that I had for my personal use. Standing here, I apologize to you, my daughter, Tiffany. I am sorry, for being an irresponsible father,” he bowed deeply.
Watching this, Tiffany allowed the tears to roll deeply down her cheek.
“To make up for my mistakes, I, Han Lawrence have decided to leave the office and I cease to be the Senator of New York City,” he gave a deep bow and step down, ignoring the questions the reporters were still asking.
“H… he’s going to step down?” Tiffany stuttered.
“Don’t worry about it, okay?” Aiden pulled her into a hug.
The students murmured loudly.
This was news they were never expecting, Declan was Tiffany’s brother?!
Jesus, they had no idea and they had treated and talked trash about the Senator’s daughter.
===
Martha stood from the couch slowly and then smashed the remote control against the television.
How dare Lawrence go against her plan?
How dare he ruined it!
“You planned this, didn’t you?” Theodore stood up slowly.
“What?” She turned to look at him slowly.
“That picture… you sent it to the media, right?”
“No, I didn’t!” She snapped.
“The background… You can’t fool me, you know.”
“Mind your business,” Martha gritted her teeth.
“I thought you were going to change. I guess I’ve hoped too much thinking you would…” He shook his head.
“Shut your mouth,” Martha whispered through gritted teeth.
“I was going to let everything slide even though you wished me deãth every time, even though you wanted me to die, even though… Even though I knew everything…”
“What are you saying?” Martha furrowed her brows.
“I remember everything that happened over the last eighteen years,” he announced.
“What?” she gasped.
“I know how you brought a man here and how you… How you planned to kîll me. I know… I know everything…”
Martha shook her head and staggered as the words came out of her husband’s mouth.
Theodore knew everything.
Tears escaped her eyes and she fell to her knees slowly.
TBC…