The opening day soon came around along with all the stress opening a business brings. People streamed into the giant flagship store with sceptical looks on their faces. After all, Saga was relatively unheard of and so was the designer. Many people came up to me asking how we could afford the store for our debut.
Each time I simply gave them a smile and said, "Investments go a long way."
Lucian didn't show up at the store like I thought he would, but it didn't perturb me much. We hadn't actually talked to each other since that night on the rooftop. That was already two weeks ago.
After the steady flow of people ebbed away the shop finally closed. Our sales were just around where Quinn predicted they'd be and I'd gotten a multitude of business cards from brands hoping to collaborate with us. "Maybe down the line," I murmured to myself as I put them in my desk drawer.
I looked over towards the calendar with an excited look. It was February 16th, meaning that Evander's birthday was in three days. Sadly it was on a Monday and I couldn't take him out of school due to their stupid policies. Luckily, though, I had scored a reservation at a nice restaurant and gotten him the new ZCrate game everyone was dying to get.
Despite us never having much money to spare we had always eaten like the rich and famous on his birthday. He's turned out to be a little connoisseur because of this. I swear Ev's food knowledge has gotten better than mine even though I'm twenty years older than him.
He's always worried about my birthday, though, and has frequently asked what presents I want and all of that. I became a little cruel last year and ended up telling him that I didn't have a birthday so he wouldn't worry. It's manipulative, I know, but when your six year old is stressing out about what to buy for you desperate measures come into play.
Speaking of Evander, I quickly went down the stairs that led to the store. I released a sigh of relief when I saw that he was still on the couch waiting patiently. He was dressed in a little suit jacket and shorts that I had personally designed for him. Looking at it now, it wasn't half-bad… Ev had gotten a lot of compliments on it from many of the women that came into the store.
An evil plan was brewing in my head when I thought about how much money I could make selling fancy kids clothing.
I shook the thought away when I saw Evander running towards me. I caught him in my arms and picked him up, my back nearly breaking under the weight. A pang of nostalgia hit me when I remembered how I could swing him around without any effort. Is this the feeling parents talk about when their kids get older and go off to college?
The remaining staff said goodbye as I left. Once out of the mall, I hailed a cab so we could finally go home. On the way there, Evander fell asleep in my arms. Soon his soft snores filled the car and I laughed helplessly. It was past his bedtime, so I couldn't blame him for passing out on me.
When we reached the front door, I unlocked it as quietly as possible. For once I was glad that Ev slept like the dead. I shuffled towards his room in the dark. I winced when I heard the sound of his head hitting a wall corner. Why oh why was I of all people allowed to be a mother?
I sat there frozen for a few seconds to make sure he didn't wake up. Sure enough, there was no movement. I think he was actually knocked out cold this time.
Finally, we made it into his room where I gently placed him on the bed. Well, as gently as I could. I exited his room sluggishly and collapsed on the couch. My stomach was rumbling incessantly because I hadn't eaten since that morning. I looked over at the clock with a wry smile. It was nearly midnight.
I debated with myself on whether or not to eat something or just go to bed and eat in the morning. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I took it out from my purse with a curious expression. There were four new texts from all different people. One was from Fleur, another from Lucian, and the last two were from…
I immediately turned my phone off when I saw the name. I thought I had changed my number and made sure he could never find me… Mustering up all of my courage, I pressed the power button again and looked at the first two texts.
Fleur's filled up the entire screen and I couldn't help but laugh. Lucian's said the same thing in essence but was worded much simpler: 'Happy birthday, wifey.'
I expected Fleur to know, but not Lucian. Then I thought back to the massive file on me he had. I'm not sure whether to thank him for the text or to call him a perv for investigating me. In the end, I just said thank you and left it at that.
All that was left were two unread texts. I stared at it for a long while before finally deciding to read it.
'Blair, I suppose I should wish you a happy birthday but I know you wouldn't appreciate it. In fact, you would probably delete my message without hesitation. So I'm just going to skip formalities and tell you that this year Mother and Father want you to come by the house for a little chat. They expect you here in two weeks whether you like it or not. Also, they've requested you not bring that bastard with you. Hope that you've found a husband by now or they're going to be pissed. Good luck with them. To be honest, I would rather you just skip the meeting and never come back but I know how desperate you are for a family again. They know that too, so just be as nice as possible and you'll get your wish.'
By the end of it, I was choking on my own breath. They want me to come home again? Does that mean they've finally forgiven me for getting pregnant all those years ago? I bit my lip and rolled it between my teeth. But they don't want to see Evander… I looked at the next text and narrowed my eyes.
'As to how I know your number, you should tell your friends what exactly happened between us before they try to force us together again. They seemed pretty desperate for us to become a happy, loving family. See that you still pick 'em as bad as always, little sis.'
I could practically hear Percy's venomous sarcasm dripping from each letter. I buried my head between my knees and let all of my emotions flow out. Even now, he still treated me like a f*ck-up. What would happen when we finally meet face-to-face after seven years? My body trembled at the thought, the scar of what occurred back when I had just given birth still prevalent in my heart.
Could I possibly go back again after what they did?