Monique was happy that she was able to meet with her father after five years and she would have been happier if her mother was there as well. However, she learned the hard truth that her mother won’t be able to spend so much time with her because of her work. As for her father, he couldn’t say his real situation at the moment but Monique was willing to wait.
After having lunch, Stefan sent Monique back to her home and promised to bring her out again next time to meet her father. With this in mind, Stefan also mentioned that other people would probably visit her in the future. He gave her a little background of Jillyanna and Travis since there’s a big possibility that they’d be dropping by in the future.
“See you next time.” Elena waved her hand at the little girl before she followed Stefan inside the car and left. Stefan didn’t have any schedule for the rest of the day which means, she could also take a rest.
“Thanks for accompanying me. You can rest easy for the rest of the day.”
“Thank you, boss. I’ll be sure to come early to the office tomorrow.”
“Hn.”
.....
Stefan dropped her at the bus station since she planned to go somewhere. He didn’t bother to ask her about her destination since he was sure that Tristan will be keeping an eye on her no matter how far he was from her. Another reason was, he’s too preoccupied to think about someone else’s business.
At the back seat, Stefan was scrolling on his phone, making some lists and bookmarks of the things he wanted to buy. It didn’t have to be the exact same thing of what he listed. He just wanted to get some reference and buy those that are available inside the mall.
His driver looked at him through the rearview mirror and he couldn’t stop himself from shaking his head in disbelief. Stefan was obviously ecstatic of his plan. He was smiling from ear to ear whenever he find something noteworthy and he sometimes appear to be in a daze. He was most-likely thinking of how his wife would look with the items he had in mind or how she would react if she sees them.
“Sir, can I play a song?” the driver asked in which Stefan hummed in response. He connected his phone to the car’s speaker and played a song that struck a chord in Stefan’s heart. Before he could realize it, he was already singing in whisper to the song.
....I’ll be your dream, I’ll be your wish, I’ll be your fantasy
I’ll be your hope, I’ll be your love, be everything that you need
I love you more with every breath truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong, I will be faithful ’cause I’m counting on
As he sang it, his mind was full of Cayenne’s image. He recalled the very first time they met, the time when he scolded her for being late. It was two years ago. He could still clearly remember the embarrassed look she had when he scolded her. And then a year after that, she became his savior. She was adamant to drink the wine he gave her but she still took it and accompanied him when he almost breakdown from so much pain. She was so innocent and defenseless that he took advantage of it. And he remembered the day he left her.
The memory was very fresh like it happened just moments ago. The image of Cayenne chasing after him, the helpless look on her face and the tears in her eyes, they were his weakness up until now.
When the song ended, the driver played another one which stirs a lot of emotions and memories that Stefan was trying to hide. For the very first time, he felt like hitting his driver for choosing the songs he played.
In the end, he let him be and just sent Cayenne a message. ‘I love you, Ayen. I just want you to know that there’s no one else for me but you.’
Cayenne was sitting on a couch at the living room when she received his message and even though it wasn’t the first time she received a message like this, her heart still made a funny little flip as butterflies fluttered their wings in her stomach.
She didn’t say anything and no one knew what the message was but just seeing her face, everyone knew who sent it.
“Boys should be like my dad and uncle Stefan.” Jade voiced out while playing monopoly with Luiz, Ethan and Jenny. “They should never do something to hurt their woman.”
“Please tell your uncle Shein about that. I always get up with aching waist in the morning.”
“Riley!”
“Hey!”
“What are you saying?!”
Riley received several oppositions from the people around her because of her statement which confused Jade a little.
Jade tilted her head a little and the inquisitive expression on her face told them they’re bound to make up some lies to cover Riley’s carelessness. “Are we supposed to allow Uncle Shein to hurt her waist?” Jade questioned and everyone looked at each other except for Ethan whose earlobes had turned red from the mortifying situation. He could only hope that Jade won’t turn to him for an answer. “Eth-”
“I’d like to get some water.” Ethan stood up and left in a hurry towards the kitchen. He didn’t want to speak to Jade about it.
Seeing him flee, Riley covered her mouth and laughed.
“What’s the matter?” Jade asked, even more confused of what’s happening now. It was one of the rare moments wherein she felt lost in the middle of adult conversation.
They decided to just ignore the question. In any case, Jade would know it in the future. It’s for her to find out and for them to avoid lying.