Ugly truth

In the end, I couldn't take it any longer and invited Vivian for a drink at a not-so-popular bar.

"This day also came when I'll go drinking with my daughter."

Smiling, she raised her glass to a toast.

„Do not swear. I am not your daughter and you are not my mother. You're just a human scum, I don't want to see any more in life… so if you still have any self-esteem in you, you don't put your foot in the office anymore."

I drinked the liquor in one shot,and left. I don't know what she reacted to, I didn't look at her, while I expressed my opinion.

Dereck felt that something was wrong between me and the woman… although I denied it, he also knew that rumors at work usually consist of 80% lies and 20% truth, but what information is the 20%.

When Peter was two weeks old, there was a family lunch at my dad's house. So we went to them packed with toys. I wasn't a shopping queen, but baby stuff is a real money sinker. I walked through the department store and just felt like I wanted to see this and that on him. Luckily, Dereck limited the contents of my basket to 4 sets of clothes, so I couldn't get rid of my pay in 1 hour.

Lunch was pleasant. Peter's presence meant an automatic white flag. No one cared about anything but his angelic smile.

Dad, accompanied by a glass of gin, calledd Dereck to smoke a cigar on the terrace, as it is forbidden in the house because of the newborn. Dereck did not smoke, but the cigar occasionally appeared in his hand.

"Your daughter was so beautiful at the banquet."

My partner said.

„She mentioned that you choose clothes for her with very good taste."

„ Sophie is fabulous in everything… so it is easy, but I also have a picture! Since you also worked in the fashion industry, you will definitely appreciate it…"

He took out his cell phone and showed off the photos taken at the banquet. One of the pictures caught Dad's eyes.

„Can I look for a moment?"

„Of course."

Dad zoomed in on one of the pictures Dereck posed with the CEO and his wife.

"How do you know Vivian?"

He finally asked.

„She's the CEO's wife. Do you know her too? Afterall, you were a model…"

„Of course I know her. She's Sophie's mother."

„WHAT?"

Dereck's eyes widened.

„ Didn't Sophie mention it?"

„ No… but I guessed they know each other from somewhere… because spectacularly… khm… she doesn't like her."

"You know, Sophie was an unplanned kid. She slipped in… and so Vivian had to give up modeling… unfortunately I couldn't give her what she wanted, so she left us 15 years ago… and Sophie hasn't been looking for her since… „

Dad folded her hands.

„For 15 years she had heard nothing about the woman who could not be called her mother, and now fate brought them together, as the wife of one of the owners of the company, and the new employee."

In Dereck's mind, all the portraits of the esteemed role model came together in a matter of moments in his imagination, leaving only the ugly truth.

When I went out to tell them that we had sliced ​​the cake, I immediately noticed the awkward silence. In Dereck's hand, there was still a magnified image of the harpy on the phone screen.

„So you found out."

I finally said.

„Dereck, can you wait inside, please?"

„ Of course. „

He took away the phone and went inside.

„Sophie…"

„Dad. Did you know that woman blackmailed herself into the Skyfield family? I swear she is not a human, but a money-hungry snake… pure luck that she left us on her own… imagine, if she would have been parasitizing on our necks here… you would have missed Francis… and your grandson!"

I patted his back.

„ I'm sorry, baby."

„Do not be sorry. I have had a good life, I was happy int he past, I'm happy now… and will always be, and I owe that only to you."

I pressed a kiss onto his cheek, he smiled and we went in together to eat Dad's favorite chocolate cake.

The short conversation proved to be effective, Vivian didn't came to my neck anymore, so I had the opportunity to focus on something else.

My work was quickly recognized, I was also popular with colleagues, luckily Dereck fans also knew I was the right hand of the boss because he was my mentor in America ,and we were good friends even before work.

Everything was beautiful and good… just like the silence before the storm. Lightning struck me pretty quickly when Max was injured in a terrorist blast. He wasn't the target, a plaza was blown up, but unfortunately he was with her daughter shopping at that place, and protected her child from one of the falling columns, which caused a more serious head injury. He went into a coma for an unpredictable time, leaving the American center without a leader.

The chairman temporarily flew to America to be with his son and keep the company together, because the directors there were constantly fighting with each other. It was clear that if any of them were given more power only temporarily, it would become bloodshed.

It was a well-known fact, that there is no heir to continue running the company, and the lack of a new leader became a problem sooner than expected. These events, in someone's mind, gave birth to even wilder images, than those shot in Latin soap operas…

„ You will be the new CEO! „

I worked overtime one night, when I was about to leave the office, with this sentence Vivian opened the door on me.