Chapter 5: The Kids, They’re Mine

The next morning, Celia was in the office early in spite of working late on the previous day.

She hoped that Georgina would stay away today. She wondered what Georgina had up her sleeve to make life so difficult for her here.

“I will not back down, anyway,” Celia told herself.

“Oh, here you are already,” she heard from the door.

Winnie stepped into the office and noticed the notebook which Celia was holding.

“Good morning. Let me see what you managed to do so far,” she commented with a strict expression on her face.

“Good morning,” Celia greeted in return as she handed over the notebook without hesitation.

Winnie remained standing as she read through the book. Celia realised that Winnie was not a lazy person who wanted to sit at every chance that she got.

“This looks exactly right,” Winnie commented after a few minutes. “You did a good job. Nothing seems to be out of order here, and there is good attention to detail. I’m impressed.”

Celia could not believe what she heard. She had prepared herself for a cold response from Winnie even though she had made sure that she took extra effort with the compiling of her report.

“Thank you,” she responded.

Hopefully this would be the beginning of a change in their relationship.

***

After work, Celia was in the hotel room with the kids when she remembered that there was a parcel for her at the reception desk.

“Will the two of you behave while I run down to reception?” she asked.

“Yes, we’ll be good and not open the door for anyone,” Lillian responded.

“Are you coming back soon?” Lennie asked.

“Yes, I won’t be long.”

After Celia collected the small gift from her previous employer, Celia immediately took the elevator back upstairs. She didn’t want to leave her kids for more than a few minutes.

Celia stopped in her tracks when she saw none other than Natalie in front of her room.

She was accompanied by an older lady, which was strange. Celia remembered the heated argument she had with Natalie upon first meeting her. Was she here for revenge?

Celia felt her stomach tighten with nerves.

“How did they find out where I lived?” she asked beneath her breath.

But she decided not to back down and face the women anyway.

“Good evening, ladies,” she said as she approached.

“Well, hello,” the older lady greeted in return. “I understand that you are the new employee at my son’s company?”

Celia did not know what to say, because she did not understand why Carter’s mother would want to meet her in such an awkward place.

“Now, in case you were having any designs about snatching my son up for yourself I just wanted to give you a friendly warning,” the older lady said with her eyes piercingly focused on Celia as she looked her up and down.

Excuse her?

“You will not get far with him because he is already with Natalie, here,” the woman continued. “None of the other bimbos have managed to ensnare him, regardless of how hard they tried,” she concluded with her nose up in the air.

Celia’s retort was stopped when her hotel door opened suddenly and Lennie came rushing out to greet her. He stopped short when he saw the other two women.

“Lennie, go back inside,” Celia chided.

Lennie did not pay attention to her. Instead, he ran over to Carter’s mother and hugged her leg.

“You are a beautiful lady,” he declared. “You look just like someone on TV.”

“Get away from the lady, Lennie,” Celia admonished sternly. “She is leaving now.”

She wondered why the child latched onto the wrong people. Why was he embarrassing her again?

But the old lady observed Lennie carefully as he stepped away from her and looked up at her.

“Are you gonna stay a stranger?” he asked in genuine concern.

The old woman did not answer, staring dumbly with a child. With a jolt, Celia realized the woman had probably had the same revelation she did—that he looked exactly like Carter.

Lillian burst out of the hotel room, causing the woman’s eyes to grow wider.

“Who are these children?” she asked in a different tone of voice. “Are they yours?”

“They are my children and we are going back inside,” Celia responded in a cold tone of voice.

“Oh, but I would like to see them properly,” the woman remarked in a much humbler manner.

“You have no right to give me insulting warnings, and you have no right to spend time with my children,” Celia responded icily.

“Oh, I am sorry about that,” the woman began in a much humbler tone of voice. “Let me introduce myself more properly. My name is Linda Hernando, and I believe you’re acquainted with my son.”

She continued, “Surely you must agree that one has to look out for one’s son. You have a wonderful son yourself and one day you will also be very cautious when it comes to his welfare.”

Celia noticed how pathetic the woman looked suddenly.

“Don’t worry about them,” Natalie remarked as she took Linda’s arm and tried to lead her away. “They’re just kids. Let their mother spend time with them.”

“No, Natalie, I would like to chat to them a little,” Linda responded curtly.

“Natalie is right,” Celia responded evenly. “Allow me some privacy with my children. It has been a long day,” she added with a sharp look at Linda.

She had noticed how abruptly Linda’s attitude had changed when she saw the children. Celia did not feel like sharing her children with someone like her, even if she was Carter’s mother.

“Can I please spend only a few minutes with them inside?” Linda asked. “They are so delightful, and I would really love the company of children for a change.”

Celia decided to relent for one time only. It would not make a good impression if she did not allow Carter’s mother to spend a few minutes with the children.

At least, this way, she would have some leverage against Natalie’s arrogant attitude.

“Very well. Let’s not stand out here in the hallway any longer,” Celia responded. She then led the way into her hotel room.

“Oh, thank you very much,” Linda responded with a pleased smile. “You will not regret this.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and followed Linda with her head held high in disdain.

The twins immediately unpacked their remaining toys onto the floor and continued to show Linda everything which they had accumulated over the past few years. Linda actually crouched next to the children so that she could chat with them while they played.

Celia wondered what the connection between Carter and her children could be. Had he also guessed the truth? And what would he… what would he think?

Celia also wondered whether her working conditions would be affected in the event that it turned out that she had children with a company boss. She did not want to have to leave a job which she had worked toward for so long.

Watching Linda, a new fear gripped her. What if she was one of those wealthy women who abducted children from their humble mothers? What if she and Carter wanted to pay her off in exchange for sole custody of the children?

He was such an imposing, powerful figure. How would she compete against him?

Natalie took a seat, observing Linda and the children with an angry look on her face. This strangely pleased Celia. At least Natalie had suddenly lost her proud attitude.

Linda stayed until Celia got up to warm the twin’s food, which was in the fridge.

“Oh, but I can take you all out for a quick dinner somewhere,” Linda suggested with a sweet smile on her face.

“That’s alright, we can go at another time,” Celia responded hastily. “I have some work to do, and the twins need to wake up early in the morning.”

***

Carter sat in his office with the door closed. An envelope lay on the desk in front of him.

He had just received the results of the DNA test and he was nervous about opening the envelope. The information it contained could change his life drastically, and he was not feeling prepared to deal with that.

Finally, he drew a deep breath and opened the envelope with trembling hands. He unfolded the top sheet of paper, his eyes scanning it methodically.

For a moment he was still. Then, he dropped it on the desk’s polished surface and let out a sigh.

His suspicions were confirmed. The child was his. And that meant that the little girl was, as well.

He broke out into a sweat and loosened his tie. He suddenly felt very intimidated. How on earth was he going to step into the role of a father?

And when had he been intimate with the mother? He could not remember her at all.

But despite how much his mind was racing, he felt a strange thrill of delight go through him.

“In any case, I will not let my kids slip through my fingers,” he said to himself firmly. “I have to get to work immediately.”