I know your little secret

Shark couldn't believe that it was her own mother saying all sorts of evil things about Yara, the woman his heart bled for.

"I'm sure aunt and uncle will want you to save their future daughter-in-law." Shark was running out of options, he dismissed his men and sat down on the couch.

"Do you love her that much? You're secretly in love with your cousin's girlfriend? Oh Shark, what do you think you're doing?" Vanessa stamped her feet hard on the marbled floor.

"Blake doesn't love her instead she used her as his tramp card to get the Griffins' Tech company. I love her and as my mother, you're going to save her whether you like it or not?" Shark dared his own mother who popped her eyes in a split of a second, she was taken aback by her son's relentless behavior.

"Are you threatening your own mother? What has come over you son?" Vanessa tried to reason out with him but Shark meant everything he said.

"Are you giving her your blood or not? In fact, there's nothing to negotiate here mother, five minutes is all you have to decide." Shark gave his final decision and stood up to leave only for his mother to push him back to the couch.

"Show some little bit of respect to your mother. I didn't raise you to disobey me! Let her die, she deserves it. Poor people like her belong to the graveyards!"

"Don't you ever insult her like that or else...."

"Or else what Shark? Huh? You and I know that you don't love but fool around with all sorts of women. Are you going to stoop so low for a sickling?"

Shark clenched his hands into fists, at that point, her mother had gone overboard.

"She's the woman I want to know and spent the rest of my life with. My heart beats for that sick girl, finally Olivia has allowed me to move on and Yara is the woman my heart has chosen!" He retorted bitterly, his eyes tearing down.

This was new to Vanessa who stared him blankly and emotionlessly.

"I'm sorry but you have to forget about her." Vanessa muttered.

"I know you want me to marry Carina, I'll do it. Please save her, I don't want to beg my own mother, just save her." He convinced her. Shark had long known his mother's plans to hook him up with Carina and he was willing to marry her so long as Yara was going to be fine.

"No! I don't want to be involved with lowlifes, she might even give me the disease jeez Shark! Get yourself together, you're past that..."

"Lowlifes you say? What about you tell me about PJ, isn't he a social climber and you didn't think twice about whether he was poor or not when you got involved with him?"

"What are you insinuating Shark?"

"I know your little secret mother, you don't want anyone to know about it, don't you?"

"I have nothing dirty under my sleeves so please stop it already." Vanessa tried hard to hide her eeriness when Shark suddenly mentioned PJ. Was he going to blackmail her?

"How about you tell dad the whole truth, that you didn't miscarry, that you were ashamed to carry a lowlife's child huh?"

"What are you talking about!" Vanessa squealed.

"You already know what I'm talking about mother so drop the act. I know everything, how you had an affair with the cowboy in the horse stable, fifteen years ago mom! When you find out that you were carrying his child, you not only aborted it but also lied to all of us that you miscarried my sister." Shark was at the verge of breaking down.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You know nothing, absolutely nothing!" She screamed out loud.

"For fuck's sake! Stop lying and admit that you slept with PJ! I even followed you, you not only had one time together but made love every day, in the ranch, in his office table and down the stream. I was young back then but I was mature enough to know what was actually going on. You're no saint mother, I'll only keep this from Dad if you save Yara." Shark stood up suddenly and walked out.

Vanessa who was holding back her tears, let them wash her night gown as she her mind wondered to fifteen years back.

She recalled how after having Shark, Almond didn't want anything to do with her anymore. They married not for love but because both their families wanted to still maintain a good rapport in business. Almond had barely touched her on their wedding night. They had Shark accidentally when they had much to drink at a certain ball. Almond was always cold and even after Shark became of age, he spent most of his time in the office, in his study or with Shark.

Vanessa was a woman and she was fully aware that as a woman, there were certain things that she needed. She needed that constant love and intimacy to feel like a woman. When her husband introduced her to PJ, the ranch manager, she was immediately intrigued with him. One night she went crying for him to salvage her from loneliness and longing. One night of passion made Vanessa completely taken by PJ that she went to see him again and again. Their secret affair continued for a few months until one day, she found out that she was with child.

Almond believed that the child was his because he had once wanted Vanessa to warm their bed. He thought that the baby was as a result of that night. However, PJ had to go after finding out his boss's wife was carrying his child. Vanessa out of shame, aborted the baby and claimed that she miscarried. Almond of course, never had qualms about it because the two barely loved each other.

Vanessa jolted back to her senses when she saw Almond standing on the threshold. She quickly collected herself and went upstairs to their matrimonial bed. She felt as if all those years she had married herself, looking at the large bed, she shed fresh tears. Almond had hardly slept there and Shark had no idea how his parents lived in that big mansion.