CHAPTER 5
EDWINA
FIVE YEARS LATER
"That will be all for today's meeting," I ended the meeting and stood up, making my way out of the board room.
The soft murmur of the conference room's voices ceased as the attendees gathered their belongings. The scent of freshly sharpened pencils and stale coffee lingered in my nose as I walked away.
"Please ensure those documents are on my desk by tomorrow noon," I mentioned to my secretary, who acknowledged my message before walking off in a different direction.
The board meeting had gone on longer than expected, and exhaustion weighed heavily on me as I made my way to my office, heels clicking on the marble floor.
I stepped into my office, the soft hum of the air conditioner and faint scent of freshly brewed coffee enveloping me. The soft rays of the evening sunlight streaming through the window immediately made me feel a little less tired.
Julia, my personal assistant, was already waiting for me.
"Two missed calls, ma'am. Your personal mobile," she said briskly as she handed me the mobile.
I frowned, my heart skipping a bit. Only a selected few had access to the contact, and I wondered who it was.
Plopping down on my chair, I took a sip of the fresh coffee on my table, taking a mental note to give Julia a raise.
That girl knew I needed the coffee, even without me mentioning it. That was one of the things I loved about her. Reading me and my body language.
Satisfaction hummed through me as I sipped, the familiar taste grounding me, and I closed my eyes to savor the feeling.
Taking a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes, flipping my phone open to check who the source of the missed calls was.
My lips split into a wide smile when I saw Noah's name.
I was about to dial him back when Julia stepped up to me, a furrowed crease marring her face.
She was worried, her brows furrowed with concern.
"Is there anything you'll like to tell me, Julia?" i asked, linking my fingers together.
"I looked into what you asked me to, and I'm afraid to tell you that your suspicions are real," she said.
I cursed inwardly. I had totally forgotten about the task I set her on days ago.
"So? Have you found out who's been leaking company information?" I asked, my voice low.
Julia shook her head negatively.
Damnit.
It started as a nagging feeling, and when my biggest rival company came announced their latest project, I immediately knew there was a mole in my company.
"Alright. Keep looking," I said and she nodded before walking out.
Biting my lip, I tried to think, to recall which of the board members acted in a suspicious manner.
I couldn't think of one. I had been so focused on the meeting that I hadn't paid attention to their body language.
Now that Julia had confirmed my suspicions that there was indeed a mole in the company, I knew I needed to be alert.
Whoever it was could cause me a great deal of damage, and I could not afford for that to happen right now.
The leak could ruin everything, and the last agenda on my list was getting in my father's bad book.
My phone buzzed again, and some of my worries dissipated at the sight of Noah's name.
"Hey, big man!" I said, answering the FaceTime call.
"Mummy!" he squealed with excitement, and I could not help the laughter that bubbled out of me at his energy.
Noah's excited chatter filled the room. I listened intently, my eyes lighting up as I took in the absolute love of my life.
As he spoke, my gaze drifted to a framed photo on my desk – a picture of me and my baby taken during one of our frequent visits to the park.
"...so I raised up my hand, and the teacher called me. I got the answer right. She gave me a toy set!"
I laughed at how excited my son was, and my heart filled with love and warmth for the little bundle of joy.
Of all the unexpected turns my life took after the divorce, Noah was the biggest surprise of them all.
I had no idea I was pregnant, and it took three weeks of morning sickness and nausea before I noticed.
Harriet had assumed I was falling sick from my refusal to eat, and nagged me relentlessly as the morning sickness got worse. It was when I missed my period that it occured to me that the morning sickness was not my body trying to break down.
It was my body trying to tell me I had a new life growing inside me.
I agonized for days, trying to decide whether to reveal Noah's existence to Kieran or not.
On one hand, I knew that telling Kieran about Noah would give me an opening, a chance to get back into his life.
On the other hand, Harriet reminded me of the possible backlash, and how Kieran could ask for total custody of his child, leaving me with nothing.
So I kept Noah a secret, but the weight of that decision gnawed at me sometimes.
"Mummy! I miss you. When are you coming home?" he whined when he was done with telling me about what happened at school.
I glanced at the time and winced.
"I'll be home soon, baby. I promise. Now be a good boy and don't disturb Ms. Nancy, alright?" i said softly and he nodded.
Noah was saying something to else, but Julia's presence at the doorway distracted me. I noticed the nervous glance she threw me, and I immediately knew whatever it was would definitely ruin my mood.
"Ma'am, it's the Chairman," she said. I groaned inwardly.
Father never called or reach out if something wasn't up. Something was amiss.
My grip on the phone tightened.
"Tell him I'll call him later," I said, my expression turning serious at how uneasy Julia was.
"No, ma'am. He insists on speaking with you now," she said gravely.
I sighed.
Let's get this over with then.
"I've got to go, baby. Love you," I said and blew a kiss to Noah before ending the FaceTime.
Taking a deep breath, I picked my father's call.
"Edwina," my father's voice was tense and thick wish displeasure.
At the sound of his voice, my thoughts immediately flickered to the uneasy relationship we had, and how far we've come.
But I pushed it behind. Thinking about that would do me no good than to make me unsettled, and I needed to be sharp to deal with father.
"Hello, Father," I said. My voice was polite and pleasant enough to pass as cordial, but we both knew there was nothing cordial between us.
Father and I didn't have the best relationship. He had been absent from my life for as long as I could remember, and all I had from him was his name.
Illegitimate or not, a part of me would always resent the man on the phone with me. But right now, I needed to the the ever grateful daughter no matter how uncomfortable it made me.
"Come home. We need to talk," his voice was laced with an urgency that made me unsettled, and Julia's gaze locked with mine.
Something was off.
My Father was not one to mince words.
Months after I gave birth to my son, I was struggling to find a job when I received an unexpected call from my father's assistant.
He offered me a job to lead one of his companies, a struggling interior design firm in New York. I was surprised, to put it mildly.
The job came with a condition — I had to prove myself within six months or risk losing the position.
I was desperate, badly in need of money and something to keep my mind of how dire my situation was, so I accepted.
Moving to New York was good for me and my baby, and here I was, years later, thriving.
But if father suddenly wanted me to fly back to the United Kingdom for a meeting…
He could have just called me on Skype for a meeting, but he didn't. He didn't have his assistanr call me either. And he didn't summon me with an email or even a text message.
The feeling of uneasiness became heavier.
I shuddered, refusing to go down the rabbit hole of overthinking whatever was wrong.
"What's this about, Father?" I asked, my tone measured.
He grunted, citing concerns about declining profits and whatnots, but I knew he was lying. And he knew I was aware that his reason was a lie.
"Just come home and stop questioning me," he snapped and hung up.
My frown deepened.
Father was keeping a secret, and from hi
s reaction, I was involved in whatever it was.
What secrets was Father hiding? And why was he so hell bent on getting me to come back to the United Kingdom?