Chapter Two
1151 Words
Seven years later, there was a knock on the front door of an apartment in Riverside.
The woman inside had been working on her ceramic designs when she heard the knock. A bit surprised, she went to the door and opened it with a frown. Seeing the two Quebec men in suits, she asked them in French, "Who are you looking for?"
"Are you Miss Celine Thunwood?" one of the men asked her in English.
"Yes, I am. And who are you?" Celine inquired.
"We were asked to find you. Your mother, Anna Danbury, helped our young master in the past. The old lady we work for wants to see you."
Celine frowned. "Who is the old lady you work for?"
"Old Madam Rodriguez," the second man replied respectfully.
Celine realized why these men had come. Old Madam Rodriguez was the head of the Rodriguez group, the biggest conglomerate in the country. Years ago, Celine's mother had worked for them as a maid and had saved the Old Madam's grandson from being kidn*pped.
Feeling proud to be the daughter of such a brave mother, Celine couldn't help but miss her now that she had passed away from cancer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan to see her," she said firmly. She sensed that the Rodriguez family wanted to repay her for her mother's heroic act, but she had no intention of accepting their gestures.
Suddenly, a child's curious voice came from inside the apartment, asking, "Mommy, who's there?"
"Nobody," Celine replied quickly. Then she turned to the men at the door. "I'm sorry, but I'm not up for visitors right now."
With that, she shut the door.
Meanwhile, back in the country, a man with flawless features, his face like a masterpiece, sat in a finely tailored suit that emphasized his strong figure on a couch inside his grand estate. "Have you found her?"
"Yes, young master Lucas," replied one of his men, as Lucas recalled his grandmother's persistent words. "Lucas, you must marry Celine Thunwood. She is the only one I will accept as my daughter-in-law in the Rodriguez family."
But at that moment, Lucas could only think of the woman he had violated years ago. On that unforgettable night, his drink had been spiked, leaving him too intoxicated to recall much except for the woman's desperate pleas for mercy beneath him.
Afterward, he had placed his ring on her finger before passing out in the darkness of the room.
Now after seven years, he was just able to learn that she sold off his ring at the pawn market yesterday which is already late as his grandmother had insisted he take another woman for a wife.
"Young master Lucas," one of his men interrupted his train of thought. "I just got some news. They've found the girl's location, her name is Mia Taylor."
"Give me her address, and I'll go see her," Lucas ordered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The mysterious girl from that night had finally been located! I have to find her, no matter what. I need to make things right for what happened that night."
Whereas, Mia Taylor was at the gallery. She had taken over her father's business a few months ago, but it had been struggling. Desperate to make ends meet, she decided to sell a ring she had. And to her surprise, it fetched a hefty sum of one million naira.
The ring hadn't belonged to her originally. Seven years ago, the hotel staff had found it in a room and contacted her to come check from lost and found if it was hers. Seeing that it was a designer men's ring, she claimed it as her own without hesitation.
Mia was glowing as she stared at the amount of money she had in her account, and she thought happily to herself. "I guess I can live comfortably for a while longer."
As she took pleasure in her newfound financial relief, the door to her gallery swung open, and she stood up to greet the customer. "Welcome to…"
Her words trailed off as she was stunned into silence. The man who entered exuded an undeniable handsomeness and a rear of regal grace.
It took Mia a moment to regain her composure before she stumbled over her words to ask, "I-Is there something you need, sir?"
"Are you Mia Taylor?" Lucas asked, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto hers. He searched her face desperately, trying to find traces of the woman he met seven years ago.
"Yes, that's me, and who are you…" Mia couldn't quite finish her sentence as his gaze bore into hers.
After hearing her response, the man reached into his pocket and produced a man's ring before her, then asked in a deep, husky voice, "Have you had this ring all these years?"
Mia glanced at the ring and instantly felt the urge to shrink into herself. Feeling guilty, she stammered, "Y-Yes, the ring belongs to me."
"And you're the woman from The Satellite Hotel, seven years ago? The one who was in room 102?" Lucas pressed, eyeing Mia intently as he wondered, "Could she really be the girl from that night?"
Mia's mind raced. "Room 102 from seven years ago… Wasn't that the room Janet and I set Celine up in? Why is this man asking me about that incident?"
Without dwelling too much on it, she answered, trying to stay confident. "Of course that was me."
"Keep this ring from now on, and don't try to sell it off again. I'll make it up to you for what happened that night," he said as he handed the ring to her. "I'm James Rodriguez. Remember my name, will you?"
Mia looked at him shocked. "You are James Rodriguez?" She asked so overwhelmed that she might collapse.
James withdrew his business card from his pocket and handed it over to her. "If you need anything, just call me, I'll make it up to you for what happened that night."
As Mia realized the situation, she leaned on James' arm, tears streaming down her face. "You have to take responsibility, Lucas. Do you understand how much I suffered and how traumatized I was after that night?" She immediately pretended to be Celine, hoping that Celine was somewhere else, perhaps even dead.
"Don't worry, I intend to take responsibility," the man assured her solemnly, his husky voice steady and reassuring.
Meanwhile, Celine was in her apartment somewhere in Riverside, speaking on the phone. "Got it. Give me a day to return to the country and get ready for the competition."
"Mommy, are we going back?" A small figure approached her side, dressed in a denim two-piece outfit. Despite being only around six years old, he possessed delicate features with a hint of childish grace and elegance in his movements.
Celine smiled and nodded, "Would you like to come back with me?"
- Writer
