Savior

Chapter Twenty-one

Sole

Everyone has this one activity that they indulge in when they’re stressed. For me it was coding. No one in my company would believe it but I was damn good coder, some of the best-selling software that we has were a refined version of the beta programme that I worked on. Since now I was the CEO, there was hardly time to do something which once was the reason that I left my home.

But today I found myself being drawn into the old habit because the ‘Luna’ situation was giving me next-level stress. My fingers moved on the personal laptop and they were developing something even my brain had no idea about for my mind still roamed around Daniel’s confession. He said he liked her. Did she like him too? Or was it more than like? When one losses something important they’re more prone to be emotionally vulnerable than before, was it the reason that she was drawn to him? Did they had a relationship like me and Luna had?

‘The more you think about it, the crazier you’ll get.’ Ricci said. The time I was here working on my code, he was sitting relaxed on the chair in front of me, staring out the window, as if taking inspiration from the weather to write a piece of poetry.

‘Weren’t you busy admiring the clouds?’

‘You can’t blame me. They look more peaceful than you.’

‘Don’t disturb me. I’m busy.’

‘In doing what? Developing a programme which is going to rot in a random folder of your laptop.’

‘I do send them to the technical team.’ I said.

‘And they reject it.’

‘They did accept some of them.’

‘Only till your father was alive.’

‘Do you need to remind me that every single time?’

‘Yes.’ Anyone would take offence to this man but I couldn’t for there was always honesty in his words. Up until my father was alive, the technical team used to take my codes and develop them into some phenomenal programme but after him, there was hardly regard for my efforts. My work had been rejected quite a lot and sometimes even without them having even seen the code properly. I’d always wondered why this was happening and only received one reply from Fred, the head of the department, that the owner should own the company but not the talent. It is something only that guy understands. It’s been a year since I’d send him a programme and I wasn’t planning on sending him something anytime soon. Today’s keyboard activity was just to make sure my fingers weren’t rusted and of course to, to relieve the ever-increasing stress.

I was about to go back to the laptop screen when my phone rang. It was Emily, so I picked up without giving it a second thought.

‘What did she say?’

‘About not coming to the church three years ago or about being with Daniel three years ago?’ Emily was a smart woman, I had to admit.

‘Both.’

‘Liar.’

‘I do want to know what excuse she had for not coming to the church that day.’

‘She said some bodyguards of yours arrived at her home informing her that you won’t be able to come to the church owing to your father’s health issues and that you’re decided to postpone the wedding.’ Looking at my face, Ricci motioned for me to put the phone on loudspeaker, which I did.

‘I never sent anyone.’

‘Well then someone else did.’

‘But who would….’ And then it occurred to me. ‘Emily, did any of her family members visited her that day?’

‘Her cousin and uncle and aunt.’

‘Gina, Aunt Maria and Uncle Alessandro?’

‘Hmm. Why, do you think it’s them?’ I closed my eyes. Why did I not think this before? How could they not do something when

they were so adamant to acquire her wealth?

‘It’s got to be them.’

‘She also said she didn’t send any text to you. In fact, her phone broke down and was sent for repair, which eventually wasn’t even repaired. She even changed her number.’

‘That’s why I couldn’t contact her later. As for the text, someone might’ve used her phone to do that.’ I said still not be able to believe how easily someone had fooled us both. ‘My bet is on her Aunt, she was never happy with me being there or Luna being independent. She could’ve planned the whole thing.’

‘It might be her but I’m sure there was someone else involved too.’ Her tone got serious. Did she know something more? ‘Did your step-mother ever mentioned meeting Luna?’

I picked up the phone from the table and said, ‘My step-mother? Why would she meet Luna?’

‘So my hunch was right.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Sole, your step-mother knew about the child.’ And just when she said that, the door to my office flew open and the person who’d dared to come in without knocking threw their arms around my neck as I sat there in shock of their arrival and of the new revelation about my step-mother.

‘Did you miss me?’ The person who’d arrived said and I removed her hands from around my neck.

‘Emily I’ll all you later.’ I said in the phone in my hand and then disconnect the call. Then turning to my step-sister who had world’s worst habit of arriving without informing anyone and said, ‘Why are you back?’

Her face twisted and she whined, ‘When will you be happy to see me?’

‘Never.’ I said and Ricci snorted. Luisa, my step-sister, the only child of my step-mother from her previous marriage, turned to send Ricci a death glare. It need not be said, but she hated his guts. Ricci was an employ here or he wouldn’t have been so subtle in showing his displeasure over her.

‘I’m your sister. Can you not show a little excitement in meeting me?’

‘What do you want? I don’t have time to talk to you right now.’

‘What are you busy with? Or should I ask who are you busy with? By the way who is Emily? You girlfriend?’ The twinkle in her eyes when she notices new gossip was something else. It made my eyes roll automatically.

‘I’m going home, are you going to join me?’ I asked. I had to meet my step-mother urgently. She needed to explain herself.

‘Mom doesn’t know I’m here and I’d like to keep it that way.’ She said as she looked at her newly manicured nails. ‘And since when do you go home? Didn’t you hate her?’

I stood up and motioned Ricci to bring my car. As he left the room I began to walk out to with Luisa following behind. ‘There’s something important I needed to discuss with her.’

‘Is it about Emily?’ She said mischievously.

As we entered the elevator I turned to her and clarified, ‘Emily Cooper got married to her boyfriend day before yesterday. She is not my girlfriend.’

‘Ahh now I get it.’ She smiled sheepishly. When the elevator doors opened and I was about to step out Luisa asked, ‘That means you’re still hung up on that girl, Luna, was her name right?’

My eyebrows lifted and I was confused. ‘I don’t remember telling you about Luna.’

‘Mom told me.’

‘What did she say?’

‘That you were in a relationship with her and that she cheated on you with our business rival. Left you standing at the church and that came to ask for money when she got to know you acquired your father’s company. And….’

‘Hold on. Came to ask for money?’ So Luna did come to meet me.

Luisa nodded and both of us stepped out the elevator. ‘It was a little after your father had passed away. She wanted to meet you but mom refused citing her ill intentions.’

Luna had come to meet me. She was not lying. But why did my step-mother didn’t tell me anything? ‘Why didn’t you tell me about it then?’

‘You were not talking to anyone. Don’t you remember telling me to get lost when I asked you to even have dinner?’ She said.

Running a hand in my hair, I realized what I had done. Because I closed myself in a room and refused to see anyone, when Luna approached she couldn’t reach me. Now I understand why she hates me so much, she had all the right to.

Luisa saw my face and she touched my arm lightly. ‘Sole, is something wrong? Are you really still in love with Luna?’

‘I am. But I don’t think I deserve to.’

‘Didn’t she cheat on you?’ When she said that, I was reminded of what I saw that day and immediately regretted not clearing out with Luna everything there and then.

Three years ago

‘How did this happen?’ Amanda, my step-mother said as she slammed some files on my table. It had been a month since my father had passed away and I being the only heir had acquired everything. Despite not wanting anything I had it and so there was no other way for me but to run it. There were heavy losses these past few years that I wasn’t aware of and on top of it our best selling software were encountering problems.  

‘I don’t understand how this is happening. There were no security issues before.’ I said looking at the files containing complains from the companies which used our software.

‘This could be work of our rivals.’

‘No one can mess with the programme that I coded myself. I’m the only one who knows all the entry and exit points in the code, there’s only one cheat code sheet and only I know where it is.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘What do you mean?’ She opened the file she still had in her hand and placed it nicely on my table. There were photographs

of….Luna. ‘What is all this?’

‘See for yourself.’ I looked at each one of them. Luna was sitting in a café with a guy who I recognized immediately. He was our number one rival. Jake Cortez was by far the only guy whose company had the audacity to compete with ours and actually in the past few years he’d been ahead of us on a lot of parameters. But why was Luna with him? My question was answered by Amanda. ‘I asked around and it turns out, your ex-girlfriend is dating you current business rival.’

‘She doesn’t even know who he is.’ I said when I was having a hard time believing those words myself.

‘Both of you broke up and now your business rival is investing in her uncle’s business. Isn’t it weird?’

‘Luna is not someone who would backstab me.’

‘Then why hasn’t she come to meet you yet? Why didn’t she come to see your ill father? Where was she when you were bawling seeing your father’s lifeless body? Why hasn’t she explained her absence on the day of your wedding? Tell me.’

‘She will come.’

‘You’re a fool if you think that because even today she is out on a date with Jake Cortez.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Your father loved this business more than anything else. I being his wife cannot let anyone harm it which is why I keep myself updated on our enemies. I wanted to meet Cortez today asking him how he made a similar software as us but his secretary told me he would be out today spending his time at the golf course with his girlfriend.’

Not having the strength to tolerate it anymore I got up and left the office. Dismissing the driver I sat in the driver’s seat myself and stepped on the gas. All through the way I kept telling myself that none of it is true, that Amanda was wrong and that Luna was innocent. But why hasn’t she come to meet me? The question instantly came to my mind.

When I reached there, it didn’t take me much time to enter as I was already a member at the golf club. Running towards the area where everyone played I searched around and when my eyes finally found her they couldn’t handle what was in front. Luna was smiling no laughing along with a man who was none other than Jake Cortez. She was actually with him. I was being betrayed by her all this while and I like a fool was about to marry her.

I had to take support of a tree nearby for my legs lost the strength to stand. Both of them laughed and then she hugged him. When they parted he started to teach her how to play. The way he touched her told me they were close and were more than acquaintances. Seen enough for the day I left and swore to never look back, never to think about her nor try to meet her again. The only thing mattered from then was my father’s business and everyone who was his enemy was mine too. Hence she went on to become from being the most loved to most hated person in my life.

Present

Luisa was right. She did cheat on me or was it what I thought? Maybe that was a misunderstanding too. And if it was then I’d spent the past three years hating the wrong person. I could’ve saved Luna and my child, I could’ve had a happy life with her but because I was blinded by my misunderstandings I lost her. My lack of trust on her proved to be so fatal for our relationship. And to some extent my step-mother was to be blamed for it.

Leaving a confused Luisa behind I took the back seat in my car and asked Ricci to drive home. I had a lot to ask and Amanda Simon better be prepared to answer all of my questions.