The Billionaire’s Betrayed Love

23

ALMA

Happy weekends.

Literally, it was a good day because there wasn't a single thing on my schedule except wasting life away with Velma, binge-eat, and watching a comedy TV show before Monday beckoned. On behalf of everyone out there, I am not scared to admit that Monday was indeed one of the worst days in the week, and Thursdays were just plain unnecessary.

I rolled my eyes and sighed while pushing Velma in the shopping cart, and she reached for the things her little hand could barely carry.

At that point, we already had several shades of the same cereal, and I supported it. Call me a spendthrift, but nothing beats the feeling of having several flavors of the same cereal. Shopping was therapeutic, and Velma was sure to greet everyone by the rows we slipped by, thereby drawing attention. She always did.

"Mama, I missed this!" She exclaimed as she trailed her hand through the railings. I picked a sanitary pad from the shelf and threw it into the cart. "Oh, adult diapers!"

"Hm, hm," I nodded. I'd rather stick to that explanation than try to explain what it actually was. Velma's question would go beyond the scale, and the heavens save me from having to explain menstruation to a five-year-old. "I missed this too. Mama has just been so preoccupied with work. I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's fine, mama," she responded and dumped in another pack of cereal. "You're here, so it's okay." We moved to the children's section, and as usual, Velma had something to pick out. She spread her arms out and indicated for me to carry her down the cart, which I immediately did with a curt smile on my face.

"No more dolls," I warned. "You already have enough of those."

"I'm not taking dolls. There's...a puzzle that I don't have in my puzzle box. I need a new puzzle, mama. The ones at home are too easy to fix." She started to walk around, perusing the shelves, and I followed behind her like a chauffeur. What a good life she was living.

Velma was so concentrated on picking out the perfect puzzle, and I looked at the cart to see if I'd forgotten something like I normally did. Viola, I did. There was no ketchup in the cart, and it was on the shelf just a few steps away from where Velma was.

I turned around to quickly pick it up. It was just a step away, and my daughter was way too busy to notice that I was gone. It had barely been fifteen seconds since I slipped away when I heard Velma yell about something. Images of Linda were the first thing to flash in my mind, and my thinking went red. Ditching the cart and everything else, I rushed to see what happened.

Velma wasn't just yelling about something. She was yelling at someone! A kid. "What..." My voice trailed off when they both turned to me, and I recognized the kid immediately. "Daniel?"

The same Daniel who'd found the ring? Why was he here? It didn't take long for me to see his mother skittering closer from the other end of the aisle, looking just as confused as I was.

I moved closer to the both of them and found the source of the argument. It wasn't unbelievable— a puzzle, and they both had strong grips around the pack. The first thing I did was scan the row, and there was no other one there.

Just that one. "Let go! I took it first, you cheat!" Velma yelled as she pulled, but Daniel remained irresponsible. Funny thing was, he could pull it out of his hands if he tried, but he didn't. He just held on to it.

"We took it at the same time," he finally said, and I sighed, looking at Beverly, who'd finally caught up to us. She'd ditched the suit and was wearing a red flowery dress that reached her knees. My hand rested on my waist, and I leaned on one leg, but I couldn't even decide what to do about this...entanglement.

"What is going on here?" I quizzed. You know that moment when you were just as confused as the kids but found out that you can't just back out of an argument because you're supposed to be an elderly and responsible figure? Yeah, that was what was happening to me right now. Velma was the last person I'd want anyone to be in a puzzle struggle with. "Why are you guys fighting over the toy?"

"I mean, there are a lot of other lines everywhere," Beverly added, giving me a curt nod as she acknowledged my presence. "Daniel, you can take any other one, Right?"

"I can't do that. This puzzle is different from the others."

"It is the one they say people can't easily find!" Velma declared, "And I took it first!"

"No, I did!" Daniel countered. "I touched it first!"

"That doesn't mean you took it first! I was trying to reach it, and I grabbed it first. You just touched it. Mama, tell him it's mine!"

"Oh, these two!" Beverly robbed her forehead, grinning widely. "Watch them argue away like they're the ones with the credit card."

"Tell me about it! I'm trying so hard to determine who the kids are here. I mean...they're so territorial!" I added as I laughed, momentarily forgetting the power struggle. "Speaking of territory, you stay around here? I never would have expected to bump into you like this."

"I could say the same about you! I didn't know you stayed around here. I mean, we wouldn't even know if these two hadn't met again." She looked down at both of them and squinted. "Is this enemies to lovers?"

"What?" I burst into a peal of laughter. "You know your novels, don't you?"

"Oh, before I got knocked up by a dark-skinned, six-foot-two CEO, I used to be a book girlie! You look like you know your—"

"Just let it go!" Velma yelled again, but she didn't cry.

Not yet. She'd most likely try to punch him across the face if she cried. Courtesy of Rodney's five minutes of wrestling trying. Okay. Maybe I wasn't the best mother out there. "Mama, tell him to let it go!"

"Mum, I have to solve this puzzle by myself!" Daniel shouted, too. "This is why we came in the first place! I want the puzzle!"

"But Velma said she grabbed it first, so it's only right that we...give it to her," Beverly pulled the pack from both their hands. "Daniel, you can always get another!"

"But I want this one!"

"And I grabbed it first! Be faster next time."

"How about..." I inched the volume of my voice higher to grab their attention. "How about the both of you work together to solve this...super hard puzzle?" I turned to Beverly. "Do you have the time? I feel like they'd feel better if they worked together, don't you think?"

"No, bad idea."

"I can't stand him!"

"Velma? Watch your language, young woman, or I'll put you in time out." I looked up to Beverly, and she nodded in the affirmative. "Great idea. I have all day to myself," she shrugged, "You know, before Monday comes? And Thursdays are so damn unnecessary!"

"Oh my god! I think the same!" I pitched in. "The park after the store is a great venue to practice their cooperation skills, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes," She agreed. "It is just perfect!"

*

We were back home after the whole puzzle arrangement with Velma. Though she denied it and spoke only of how annoying Daniel was as we drove back home, I couldn't say it wasn't a fun experience, even for me. Beverly was nice, and I learnt a bit about her today. She was a lawyer— explained the high-end suit and sophisticated language. I wouldn't exactly call her a friend, but she was fun to have a conversation with.

I couldn't ask if she knew me as it might make me seem cocky, but every time she looked at me, I could tell she'd seen me somewhere. It had to be the interview with Carl. I appreciated the way she never spoke of it or asked. It wasn't something to be proud of.

How would I explain the photos of me being in bed with my ex—husband with nothing but a blanket wrapped around me? A shiver ran down my spine, and I concentrated on the juice I was pouring for Rodney and Alma. He visited out of the blue, but I didn't mind. We hadn't seen him all week as he had to travel back for some business.

"And we divided it, and I got to finish my part first! I won him!" I heard Velma excitedly relay as I approached them with the tray. "I'm faster and better than him!"

"Oh, really! That's great!" Rodney patronized. "I know this Daniel boy has nothing on you! You're the true seeker!"

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes. "She's still talking about this? And you're encouraging her? What happened to preaching humility?" I placed the glasses on the table before them. "We asked them to work together only to find that they made even that a competition. These kids are certainly wired differently."

Rodney took a sip from his glass and placed it down slowly, looking up at me. "It sounds like she had fun, though. She's been talking about it all day, oh and him! This Daniel guy must have done a number on her."

"A number?" I giggled as I sat. "What are you? Seventy? She just feels challenged, is all. The man in her life sucks up to her and tells her she's above everyone else, so it's only right that she doesn't like him at first, but she'd get used to it."

Rodney rolled his eyes before glancing at Velma, who'd already chosen a spot across the TV, and it owned all of her attention. "What's there not to suck up to? I mean, look at her!"

Whoever had Rodney as a husband would be the luckiest woman on earth. I wouldn't lie and say I hadn't thought about it, but I couldn't feel anything else for it aside from deep gratitude and friendship. I released a small laugh. "Show off! How have you been? Was work successful?"

"It'd be after one last move," he responded as he glanced at his wristwatch. "And that move should be coming in any time...soon."

Like clockwork, the doorbell rang, and I immediately stood up, throwing Rodney a suspicious look before reaching for it. He smiled mischievously. "That should be for me."

"Oh, I wonder who lives here..." I stood back, and he went to get the door. Rodney came back with two black garment bags. They seemed heavy from the way he pulled them. Then, he carefully dropped them on the chair.

"What are those...?" I quizzed.

Rodney rubbed his forehead, then scratched his neck. "You know there's...a fundraiser gala happening tomorrow? I knew you said you weren't going, but...is there a way I could change your mind?"

My eyes flickered to the bags, then back to him. "Wait, did you—"

"Yes, I got you a dress. From Shenique," he started to explain. "Wait, this doesn't mean you should go if you don't want to, but this dress was the project I had to finish up back home..."

My eyes widened, and my lips parted slowly. Shenique was my favorite designed brand, not to mention the CEO of the brand was an acquaintance of mine. Aside from all these, I'd loved her brand before I even met her. I'd loved it all through my teen years, even while it was excessively unaffordable.

"You went all the way back to get me a dress!?"

"I mean, yeah?" He responded with a half-shrug. "It's the one thing I'm sure you'd like. I also...had one designed for Velma."

Woah. It took a great sense of boundaries to not throw my arms around Rodney and squeal like a teenager who just got asked to prom. It wasn't about the gala. It was how far Rodney was willing to go. "Oh my god! Thank you so much! I can't even process this!"

"Oh, you can..." He leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. It was so easy to tell that he was holding back a smile, too. Very typical of him. "So, is that a yes? I figured your presence there would do them more good."

"It's a fundraiser, right?" I cocked my head, slowly walking in the direction where the dresses were kept. "I suppose...I create a spot in my schedule. Ah, screw that! I have no schedule! We're on for tomorrow night!"