He watched his mother's back as she turned to the sink, washing the dirty dishes. Silently, he moved towards the stack of papers where the newspaper was left. He drew out the section with the business article he saw his mother checking earlier. His eyes landed on a small picture printed on the page, seeing a familiar businessman. He had seen him on the television before. The businessman was quite popular in this country, but he could not understand why his mother always looked hurt and sad whenever she saw this man.
Looking back at the gray eyes on the paper, he wondered if this man was someone his mother knew before. Could he possibly know where his daddy was? He made his way out of the kitchen and moved to his bedroom, walking to his dresser and taking the outfit his mother prepared last night.
"Sky?"
"Coming, Mommy!" he called as he practically threw his shirt on and ran out of his room to meet his mother. The woman, who was busy checking her emails on her mobile phone, lifted up her head to see her son trying to adjust his clothes to make it look nicer. A silent laugh slipped from her lips at the sight of the little boy, his little face frowning.
"Come here," Ririna called, kneeling down in front of him and adjusting the buttons that he messed up which led to his confusion. The little boy flushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It's okay, baby. Don't worry about it. There is nothing to be ashamed of," she whispered, kissing the top of his head before putting on his coat.
--
"Now," Ririna murmured, her fingers gently checking the shirts placed on the racks, "which color do you want for this one?"
"Can we go now, Mommy? I'm tired." Skyler sighed. He had tried on several shirts, pants, sweaters, and coats that his mommy chose for him and was getting tired of going to the changing room. He felt like a doll dressing up for his mother.
"One more, please? Try this suit. We need something for you to wear on Auntie Ginny's wedding." Ririna smiled down at him, guiding him back to the changing room, her little boy slipping inside with the clothes she passed to him. He shook his head, thinking he would never understand women and their obsession with shopping. Without a word, he let his mother in once he was done. The woman smiled in awe at the sight of him. The black suit looked good on him; it also made him resemble his father more. Adjusting the red bowtie on his neck, Ririna couldn't help but remember the memories of her adjusting the necktie of his father as he prepared for a dinner party.
"Isn't it too expensive, Mommy?" the boy asked. He knew that this kind of suit would be more expensive than the usual coats and clothes they had purchased before. His mother giggled back at his concern; he had such a young age but already seemed aware of their purchases.
"No worries, Sky. Mommy will provide anything you need as long as you are happy," she replied, softly looking at her child. "So, are you ready for some snack before we go to the park?"
The little boy's face brightened up at the thought of his favorite snack and incoming playtime. His mother gathered the clothes for them to check out. After changing back to his usual clothes, Skyler followed his mother to the cashier section with a big smile on his face. Ririna felt her heart was filled with happiness at the sight of her child. Her little boy was resembling his father more as days passed by. She couldn't help but wish that he would not inherit his father's cold demeanor.
--
"What's the meaning of these, Eli?"
A stack of current newspapers, tabloids, and magazines fell with a loud thud over the mahogany desk of the S&S Enterprises' CEO, Gamaliel Park—commonly known as Eli to his family and close friends. He raised his gray eyes from the account reports he was reading, just to see his father hovering over his desk.
"Father," he replied as if waiting for the man to explain himself for the interruption he'd done. After years of working within their company, he had already managed to claim the top spot at the age of twenty-eight. Even if he was the firstborn son and rightful heir of the company, he still believed that hard work was better than waiting for his father to retire and pass the leadership to his hands. By earning the spot by himself, he knew that he deserved his current position.
"I demand an explanation. What are you thinking? Breaking your engagement without informing us?"
He shifted his eyes to the headlines of the papers on his desk.
[CEO of the S&S Enterprises breaks up with his longtime fiancée? A third party surfaces?]
[S&S Enterprises CEO breaks up with the Model/Actress for another woman]
His eyebrows twitched in disgust—surely Karissa still insisted on not giving up on him. For years, he'd been trying to end the toxic relationship he had with her. This pathetic woman kept clinging onto him, trying to dig her claws into his flesh and thinking he's another easy prey to play with. He should have discarded her years ago when she attempted to kill his Ririna in a car accident. However, this woman was too cunning; she had played her cards well.
Pathetic. If it was up to him, he would have planted a bullet on her forehead already. This woman kept on meddling in his private affairs and damaging the impeccable image he had been building for years. There was nothing more exciting and more satisfying than watching his company dominate the stock exchange and make more profits. However, these rumors surely leaked by Karissa had an impact on the stakeholders and investors of the company.
"These are just baseless rumors. While it's true that we have gone our separate ways, I don't see why I need to waste another minute with that wretched woman."
--
Ririna sighed in disappointment. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned when Skyler's homeroom teacher explained to her what had happened earlier. Her child was being bullied at his young age of four. She couldn't understand why. Skyler was a nice boy with a good attitude. He never disrespected an elder even if he's mad. He also had a bad temper just like his father, but he would never hit anyone unless he was provoked or threatened.
"Is there anything we can do, Aya?" she asked. Aya was one of her longtime friends along with Ginny and Erica. While Ginny was now engaged to Eli's youngest brother, Ririna was unsure what she was in Eli's life. Just another lover or bed partner, maybe. Erica was already married to their high school friend, Louie. Aya was now a widow and working as a preschool teacher; her child was also around Skyler's age. Her deceased husband was an abusive man and a deceitful businessman. Ririna heard a rumor that his untimely death was connected to Eli. To this, she wasn't surprised at all. Through her earliest years with Eli, she had seen how he worked against his enemies.
Going back to her current predicament, Aya told her that Skyler was bullied because he didn't speak to his classmates and often found him alone in a corner. Some older boys picked on him and insulted him for being fatherless and a dumb boy. When the boys drifted their insults to Ririna, the little boy couldn't help but throw the can of juice he was holding to the boy who insulted his mother. He was so enraged that he threw punches to the other boys' faces. She wondered if it was a bad choice to come back from the Netherlands. They had never encountered these problems when they were in The Hague. Why is it that this country was so conservative to single mothers just like her? It wasn't the child's fault for not having a father around.
"Ririna, you know what I think?" Aya's voice dragged her attention back to the issue. She gave her friend a pointed look. She knew what her friend was thinking at the moment. Ririna shook her head.
"No."
"You have to! Either you inform Eli about Skyler, or you move on and find another man. Ririna, Skyler needs a father figure in his life." Ririna stared at her with a horrified face. Her complexion became paler, and her hands started to shake.
"I don't need another man in my life, Aya. Why do you think I ran away from Eli when I got pregnant? He didn't want the child. I know Eli. He will kill my child the moment he finds out his existence."