Chapter 79
Imelda’s POV
Small One Room Office – The next day morning
Today evening the office felt smaller than it was.
Not in a physical, but strategical way.
Twenty-four hours had passed to the car accident.
Jonathan had spent the night at the entire night at the hospital beside Veronica. For one, she lost blood, two…she had been in an accident before and at that time she didn’t have money for proper recovery.
He even had his urgent meeting in the waiting room of the hospital as he didn’t want to leave her.
I heard he brought her back home this morning.
“So, you’re planning to ignore me p>
I sat behind of my desk, as I stared at the document I had prepared.
It was clean, precise and convincing.
Just the way I needed.
The document was a claim on my behalf stating some things that mattered to Jonathan.
I smiled as it was nothing more than lie wrapped in legal words.
My fingers tapped against the wooden desk.
A few hours later:
It’s been seven hours since he came back home.
Still no action from his side.
I knew Veronica might be serious, after all this was her second accident, but this time it was planned…she shouldn’t be serious.
I still hadn’t gotten over the fact he chose her for the blood transfusion.
Even if I didn’t need it, I wanted him to choose me in front of her so she could see.
Of course, I would have given it to her after all, I didn’t want her to die.
But he did not choose me p>
Is totally unacceptable.
This wasn’t desperation but recalibrating myself.
I picked up my phone and dialed a number.
For me endings had to be powerful.
Enough…they are never forgotten.
And today it mattered the most and it has to be controlled before I lose full control.
Ever since Veronica left, Jonathan became distant.
Then when he put father in jail and announced he had a wife, he totally cut ties with me.
Over the past seven years, he never even called me.
After a few rings, he finally answered.
“Hello p>
I held the phone away from my ear, shocked at how cold his voice sounded.
“Did he delete my contact? He didn’t recognize my voice?” I said in my mind.
“Jonathan p>
He cut my words midway.
“What do you want?” he said in a cold voice.
“I’m fine, thanks p>
“Cut the crap and say why you called.” again a cold voice.
“Jonathan, we were engaged for seven p>
I exhaled letting out hot air.
“I have made a legal document. I’ve attached Adrian’s original birth certificate that states he’s not your son as he was born a year before that night p>
“Imelda,” he spoke. “You know nothing happened between us that night p>
“I know, that’s why I’ve also attached the drug report to clear your name p>
“I will release it tomorrow morning,” I continued. “Just fulfill my one condition p>
A pause followed.
“Okay, dinner at the cafe p>
“Cafe?” I said, shocked. “Jonathan, you can’t even have dinner with me at a decent restaurant p>
“Fine, if you can pay p>
Silence followed.
“You’re the one who wants to meet p>
“Fine, cafe..dinner. This will be a proper goodbye between us p>
“Come alone, no Veronica this time p>
This was the important part for me.
Even though I said it was a goodbye, it would be the beginning that I didn’t do back then.
It would be proof I could not show Veronica back then.
The cafe was quiet, just the way I wanted.
It was a small private one, adding to my requirement.
I adjusted the small phone and made sure it was hidden against the flowerpot that was on the table.
I made sure the angle was aligned and the frame was clear.
I wanted Jonathan seated across from me…alone.
That was just what I needed.
The one image and his alone narrative.
And the main part p>
Veronica would see this.
And the Veronica I know, would doubt Jonathan once again.
I exhaled slowly.
Tonight I would remind her who Jonathan really belonged to.
Then I removed my phone and dialed Veronica’s number.
The call connected and she picked it up on the first ring.
“Could I speak to Jonathan, I need to give him the installment of the money I owe him.” I spoke in calculated words.
“I lost his bank details so p>
I purposely trailed off.
“He’s not home,” she said in a cold voice. “He had to meet someone important p>
I laughed into the phone.
“That important person is me,” I said proudly. “Jonathan is coming to meet me p>
“Alone,” I continued.
I softened my voice slightly as this was the crucial part.
“Tonight, you will lose him completely p>
She didn’t argue back.
She didn’t deny it would happen.
That was interesting.
Since she didn’t want to react, I ended the call.
I smiled as I knew doubt, uncertainty had been planted.
Everything was set.
The table, two glasses, two chairs, two dinner sets.
I sat on my chair composed as tonight he would come p>
Finally…alone.
Because p>
I knew Jonathan always chose structure over emotions.
He always chose me when it mattered.
I realized the reason the accident failed was because Veronica was far more serious than me.
Had she been in the same or lesser serious state p>
He would have chosen me.
It was a mistake on my end.
Tonight, I will correct it.
My fingers brushed against the table as tonight I would prove Veronica to whom Jonathan really belonged to.
I heard footsteps approaching from behind.
I smiled as I could recognize those footsteps anywhere.
He’s here.
I turned around.
Jonathan was walking towards me.
And just the way I told him…alone.
My lips curved slightly on seeing him.
He stopped, calm and unreadable.
Fine, as I knew in a while I’ll be reading his face the way I had in those seven years.
For now all that mattered was, he was here present without Veronica.
And that was enough.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” I said softly.
He took his seat without any discomfort reaction.
With that p>
Victory settled quietly in my chest as for me this was the drumming of victory.
He looked dismayed as he sat.
He looked up at me, then at the setting.
Then back at me.
“This doesn’t look like a goodbye to me,” his tone was flat.
I exhaled as I tilted my head slightly.
“Yes, you are correct as always,” I reached forward and placed my hand on his. “You always know me p>
He pulled his hand away, but my smile didn’t fade away.
“If you think you can control the narrative p>
I cut his words midway.
“Then why did you come p>
“No one knows me better than you p>
A pause followed.
Then his answer came p>
Crystal clear.
“To put an end to this facade p>
He didn’t come here on my terms.
He didn’t come to my setup.
He came to p>
His own.
At that moment, I felt it p>
Something shifted inside me.
He did come alone p>
But not for me.
“You seem to be very certain about why you came,” I said softly.
I leaned forward.
“But that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it?” I questioned him softly.
I looked at him and continued.
“You know what you always had to do and did p>
“Just like before, you will chose me again p>
Silence followed.
“Over everything else p>
My voice sharpened slightly.
“Including Veronica p>
I saw his jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt, proving everything.
“The kidnapping p>
I saw the color fade away from his face.
“You do remember that. Don’t you p>
A pause followed.
“Did you know, she was stabbed barely an inch away from her kidney? Back then also she lost a lot of blood. That’s when I found out we shared almost the same blood group p>
I leaned back into my seat.
“But you chose me and left her lying in her blood p>
“Man she was bleeding p>
I locked my eyes with him.
“You chose me and left her there laying in her blood p>
I knew the words landed heavy into his heart.
“Oh, and the stairs?” I added. “I knew the doctor said bed rest. You knew too. But my words and not only did you make her come back to work but you made her climb twenty three stairs p>
I let out a pathetic laugh.
“She fell on the thirteenth. Not only that, she even lost her ability to have any more children p>
My tone softened.
Almost gentle, even I was shocked by that.
“She was alone at the hospital cause you stayed with me that night p>
It was the truth, but a little twisted.
“You always knew how to choose between us p>
“I was with you because you said Sanders wanted to talk about the Blue Heart.” he said annoyed.
“And after waiting for three hours I left and came back to Veronica p>
I didn’t want to lose my momentum.
So I continued.
“And that wasn’t all,” I continued.
My voice is colder than before.
“And Adrian p>
A pause followed.
“You even allowed him to call you dad while Janet p>
Again I let out a purposeful laugh.
“Mr. Rollings p>
“Even when their parent meeting was on the same day, you chose Adrian’s p>
“And how could you choose her, after all her mother was a widow then how will her father show up p>
Silence stretched after I stopped laughing.
“They lived a life around a lie,” I said quietly.
“She not only protected it,” I continued.
“She maintained it p>
“For me, for you p>
My lips curved faintly.
“You didn’t even have to pretend, she took over so perfectly being the widow p>
I leaned back feeling I won the game.
“She knew you were mine p>
“I also want all of this to end,” I said calmly.
Jonathan didn’t react throughout.
So I decided to make it more clear.
“I’ll announce tomorrow in front of the media p>
A beat followed.
“With his original birth certificate stating Adrian isn’t your biological son p>
My words hung in the air.
“I’ll tell, I was the reason you kept your marriage with Veronica hidden for seven years p>
Silence followed.
A deadly measured one.
I made sure my eyes didn’t leave his.
“The lose Rollings Designs faced, the break of your reputation during those seven years, the guilt you had for not being there for Veronica p>
“Everything p>
I paused.
“One condition and you can have it all p>
He gave me the gaze that meant he wanted me to continue.
“Stay with me,” I said in a frank voice.
“Tonight, is all I ask p>
I smiled as I knew Veronica was watching it live.
“You’ve agreed to me before,” I said quietly.
I wasn’t pleading.
I was only reminding him of those seven years.
“You always stayed with Adrian p>
“You always complied with what I said p>
“You always chose the safer, more reputable path p>
My gaze sharpened.
“You can do it again p>
A long pause followed as I waited for his reaction.
I waited with certainty.
Because I knew this was the pattern he always followed.
I sat cross armed.
But then my smile faded away as I sat upright.
Jonathan got up slowly.
His move was planned.
My breath steadied.
This was it.
His decision.
He will sit back.
But he didn’t.
But all went as planned.
He didn’t disagree.
He didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t flinch.
“Before,” he said quietly, “I agreed to you because Nicky didn’t know p>
Her nickname and his words landed clear.
Precisely where he wanted them to.
“Now p>
He trailed off.
“She knows everything so I don’t have to follow you p>
A pause followed.
Cold and final.
“I don’t care what you do or say as she knows everything about me p>
My expression stilled.
Not from shock, at least not yet.
Just a little absent.
As if something fundamental was broken inside of me.
“The kidnapping?” he said leaning over. “I had the cops on her. And if I had known you kidnapped her, I would have killed you then and there p>
“The stairs,” he continued.
“I got her back to work so she would be in front of me, as I didn’t trust leaving her p>
“I listened to you about climbing the stairs, because I had left a note for her to take the lift on the first floor p>
“You deliberately broke the second lift so she couldn’t and blocked the cameras so I wouldn’t know p>
“You also had deliberately thrown water on the stairs so she would slip or else she would have come up p>
“We lost our baby, she lost her ability to be pregnant again p>
He trailed off a bit.
“That score I will settle with you p>
“As for Adrian, he could only call me dad but I never was one to him. He was nothing but a duty for me. Janet may have called me Mr. Rollings, but she is my blood. Even if she couldn’t call me daddy, I was and am only her daddy p>
He turned around and stopped.
“I knew the kidnapping was your work p>
“Back then I didn’t have proof, now I do p>
“If I find out you were behind this accident p>
“I swear I’ll make you regret the day you were born p>
With that he walked out.
He didn’t even look back once.
As the door closed behind him p>
For the first time I felt p>
No immediate move, only silence.
Then a cold realization settled deep into my chest.
I had completely lost my control over Jonathan.
But neither he nor Veronica was aware of the full scope I had planned out.
The clock was ticking.
Now p>
The next four days were going to be the brutal part of my challenge.