Chapter 45: fourty five

•Lexus

"Have the store finalize their product endorsement and hand me the report." I told the manager who was giving his presentation on the new product launch of his store. "We'll end the meeting here." I got up and so did the rest of the people.

"Lexus." Martha stopped me, "Has your hand healed?"

"Oh yes. Just fine." I showed her my completely healed hand. "You don't need to worry about it." I smiled.

She smiled back, "I'm glad." She sighed, "You look so much more lively now."

"Yes?"

"When you smile like this. We get to see this more now. That's why I'm glad." She patted my shoulder, "Take care of yourself boy."

...

***

I went back home only to find Rosalie and Summer roaming around in matching knee-length sweaters, of light brown shade with turtlenecks.

Honestly, it was a good sight to see, it seemed like I was coming home to a family.

I paused and thought about the idea.

"Uncle!!!" Summer called and grabbed something on the sofa, "Look!" She held it up and Rosalie stood behind her, "We bought you a matching sweater!"

A light brown normal size turtleneck sweater.

"Oh and Summer brought cupcakes." Rosalie pointed at the kitchen counter and I nodded. I walked in the kitchen and grabbed a cupcake when Summer yelled.

"Grandma made them!"

I paused, looked at it and placed it back.

"You both can have them."

"Why won't you eat? They're good." Rosalie asked.

"Uncle never eats anything grandma makes." Summer was disappointed, "I thought he would this time."

Rosalie looked at me, "Lexus can we talk?"

***

We sat in the lounge after putting Summer to sleep.

"There's been some things I've been meaning to ask you."

"It's gotten cold hasn't it." I had no intention of talking about my family.

She sighed, "Fine. Let's talk about something lighter."

"Hm?"

"I've been meaning to ask now-" she was fidgeting, "Um, can I go to college?"

"College?" She nodded, "If you go to college that means that's four years of work maybe five, depends." She nodded again, she really wants to go huh? Then what about me? "Fine then, I'll give you an answer depending on your answer."

"My answer?"

"Hm. Can you take care of a baby while going to college?"

"Baby?" She was confused.

"Yea. Oh, and will you be able to handle the nine months and still manage your studies?"

For a moment she froze, then her cheeks began turning a shade of red.

"Lexus!!" She puffed, "What are you planning?!!"

"What? I'm old. You want me to wait till I'm in my mid-to-late thirties?"

"Why are you so old? Old man"

Old man? What the heck?

"Seriously? Do you want to get pregnant right now?"

She blushed even more.

God. I love this. So damn much.

"I'm too young! Why are you so old??!"

"If I wasn't this much older than you. We probably would never have met."

"Enough. Tell me if I can go to college?"

"How am I supposed to tell you when you didn't answer my question?"

She paused, a bit stressed, looked down at her belly and stared at it for a while.

I placed my hand over my mouth but it was of no use. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Sometimes she looks so innocent and cute, I can't help it.

"Why are you laughing?" She glared at me, her ring chain dangling above her chest.

"Sorry." I cleared my throat.

When would be the right time to give her the ring I got?

"I'm going upstairs." She left with her hand over her belly and completely forgot she had something else she wanted to ask me as well.

Then the doorbell rang and I went to open it.

The person at the door was someone I would never expect to come to visit me.

My mother.

I opened the door to let her in and walked to the lounge.

"You didn't touch the cupcakes." She said out of nowhere.

I wonder what's gotten into her. She never even tried reaching out before.

"Why? You want to poison me again?" I spared her a glance and made my way to the sofa, "She's asleep." I told her.

She took a step back, "I'll come back tomorrow." She turned and left.

I took a deep breath and looked at the cupcakes then decided to go to bed.

***

I woke up the next morning and walked towards the stairs only to stop when I heard Rosalie talking to someone.

"-when he was still a kid, I ended up poisoning him." It was my mother. I rubbed my temples and was about to go down but I stopped at her next words, "It was never my intention. Out of everything I had in my life. He was the one I loved the most. My only hope and my only salvation."

"Then why?" I really should stop this conversation. I really don't want Rosalie to know all this useless stuff, but I didn't move.

"It was meant for his father."

"Huh?"

"I got a special chemical to do that. Back in those days I was so stressed and worn out I must have lost my mind."

"...."

"I mixed it in the food and left. I didn't expect Lexus would come back all of a sudden when he just left."

"Ummm?"

"It was probably how the house environment was that made him leave the house. He would leave and stay out for quite some time. Sometimes even days, probably staying with a friend. That day he left and I decided to do the deed but he came back unexpectedly when I was out."

"Oh..."

"He was hospitalized for days and since that day he couldn't eat anything I made."

"But ma'am, does he know you didn't mean it?"

"Maybe."

....

"You love him a lot, don't you?"

"Yes. Very much." Her voice cracked.

...

"I'll leave now. He'll be up anytime now." I heard her get up, "Besides I already sent Summer down to the car."

"Ah! yes."

****

I was in my office trying to concentrate on the reports in front of me but I couldn't.

I sighed and slammed the file shut in frustration.

What am I doing?

That's low of me, I said I wouldn't need anything else once I got Rosalie, so Why am I letting mother talk to her? Why did I just stay there and listen to everything?

My phone rang. It was an unknown number but I accepted the call.

"Lexus."

"Arius?" He called me weeks ago when I injured my hand and when I came back and called back he didn't pick up. Days later his number ceased to exist too.

Mafia. I shook my head.

"Yeah so there's something I slightly miscalculated and then I was out of reach, I know." He said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget it, rather than that, I missed something. Remember the sex offender you got arrested?"

"Hm?"

" Yea. He got out a few days ago and Azalea kept bothering me to tell you since he might come for her again. It so happens he's part of a human trafficking league."

"You should have called sooner."

"I just found out."

"Where are you?"

"Away. I have to go now." He hung up.

That sex offender is out of jail? Why the hell is the police so useless?

But first I'll talk to Rosalie and Summer's guards.

I called her but she didn't pick up her phone, I tried again but the same result.

Fear started rising within me and I stood up immediately. I ran to the penthouse but it was empty.

Did she go somewhere?

I took out my phone to track the GPS device installed on her phone. It showed it was in the hotel.

***

"No sir." The shop manager handed me her phone, "One of the customers found the phone on the floor near the storage."

I stared at her phone.

No. No. No. NO!!

I called the security head.

"I want each and every security team on a look out this instant!"

***

"We're very sorry sir. She was nowhere in the entire place." The security head, Liston, told me.

I listened to him in horror, I myself was out of breath trying to look for her.

"But the security team got the CCTV footage?"

"What footage?"

"A footage of Miss Rose trying to run away from someone."