"Xiaomin, Lucia said Bianca packed her clothes and left in a rush last night. Did you know anything about this?" Aya asked Charmaine when she met the family for breakfast. She has almost forgotten about that woman. Now, how should she explain the things that happened last night?
Charmaine looked at her mom who was already seated at the table. She sat across her and was about to make up excuses when she suddenly noticed the young woman serving breakfast behind her mother. "Lucia?" she exclaimed with eyes widened in surprise. It's her little Lucia!
"Yes, Miss?" the girl answered.
Charmaine smiled and then shook her head. "No. It's nothing. I'm just glad to see you again." she replied. These are the moments that strengthen Charmaine's belief that she already lived this life once. Meeting people for the first time but already knowing so much about them.
"But... we've never met before." the girl said hesitantly. "Have we?"
Charmaine chuckled. "You don't remember me but I remember you. How's your mother?" she asked. Lucia was a sweet girl she took in after working for the Songs for a few months. She's an eighteen year old girl who can't afford going to collage and with her mom seriously sick, she has to work after finishing high school. She was one of the last people she was with before she died. She was a sweet and caring girl.
Lucia lowered her head. "She's sick right now...but she's already receiving treatment." she replied shyly.
Charmaine nodded. Yes. Her mother was sick and it was a disease very similar to what took Jienna from them. A type of lung cancer. What a coincidence. "It's alright. She'll be alright." she told her.
Aya glanced at the girl behind him with curiosity. "What's her illness." she asked.
Just when they were talking about Lucia's mother, Luke arrived at the dining room with his dad. All their attentions were shifted to accommodate the little boy. Meanwhile, Leo left Luke to his grandparents and secretly slipped out to the patio to receive a phone call.
"What is it?" He asked after taking the call. "Anything new?"
"The restaurant you asked me to check... your brother was there last night. Jun Ji reserved the whole place but waited until before nine in the evening. When no one turned up, he trashed the whole place and went to to a bar to drink instead." the man on the other end of the line stated.
Leo Ji's eyes darkened. Was Jun waiting for his wife last night? What was he up to? "Is that all?"
"Well, she left the bar by midnight accompanied by a woman who looks like Jienna Song. Not sure who she is." he reported.
Leo Ji sighed. Sure enough, she was Jun Ji's minion. "It's alright. I know her. You've done a good job. Thanks."
Perplexed, Leo sat on a chair. His half-brother was increasingly becoming more annoying. He has been tolerating him for the past few years but does he have to add Charmaine in his list of targets?
From where he was sitting, Leo furrowed his brows when he saw a big bouquet of flowers being delivered to the Song mansion. They're just red roses but something was telling him something was wrong with those. He walked towards the male servant carrying the roses with large strides. He wanted to check on the flowers before the Song family see them.
"Hey, let me see that." he told the man carrying the flowers.
The man handed him the bouquet and he quickly searched for the card. In it, the words "To Charmaine Song / from your fiance" were writen. Leo Ji furrowed his brows as he gave the flowers back to the male servant.
"Throw this away." he commanded.
The man nodded and then showed a boxed gift in his other hand. "What about this one?" he asked.
Leo Ji was stunned. Another one? He took it and read the card. It says "To Luke / from your dad". What's the meaning of this? Is this a prank?
"Yes. Get rid of these things and from now on, don't accept anything if the name of the sender wasn't stated." These must be from Jun Ji. But what was he trying to achieve by claiming his son as his own? He was such a lunatic.
***
Bianca woke up feeling a bit dizzy. She looked around and suddenly remembered where she was. Yeah, she and Jun Ji got a little drunk last night and they ended up checking in a hotel and sleeping together. Well, it's not as if it's the first time. Whenever they get drunk they would sleep together; but each morning, she always wakes up alone.
Bianca got up and her nausea worsened. She wondered just how long she can hold on to this type of setting. She loved Jun, but she also wants to be loved. She wants to wake up cuddling next to someone special.
Although still a bit dizzy, Bianca tried to get out of the bed. She wondered what Jun Ji's next move would be. She gathered her clothes that were scattered on the floor and while she was getting dressed, he phone lit up and beeped. It was a an incoming message alert.
'Get ready to leave the city tomorrow morning. You're moving to Bonn.'
Bianca sighed. Was this Jun's way of getting rid of her? Guess it can't be helped. She told him before that as long as he needs her, she'll always be there for him. But since she has no use for him whatsoever, he's now sending her away. She can't even stay by his side now. That's a shame.
The next minute, another message came but it's not from Jun anymore. It's a message from the bank stating that a large amount has been transferred to her bank account. Somehow, those series of zeros instead of making her thrilled only made her sad.
***
Charmaine slowly opened the door to check if Leo was there but sadly, no one was in the room. Earlier, Leo went downstairs to have breakfast with them but he suddenly disappeared and skipped breakfast altogether. She wondered what happened. She was about to leave the room when the wind blew on the curtains, and she realized that the glass door leading to the balcony was open. Could Leo be there?
Sure enough, when Charmaine went in, she found Leo standing there, looking at a distant view. He look troubled so early in the morning.
"Something wrong?" Charmaine asked as he approach him from behind. Leo was startled but didn't look back.
"I was just thinking about something." he replied. "Maybe you can help me."
Charmaine stood beside him and looked up in the sky. The wind feels nice as it brushes her face. "Alright. Ask away." she uttered.
Leo Ji turned to her with solemn eyes. He fixed his gaze at her face and studied her facial expressions. "Have you ever slept with Jun Ji?" he asked.
Startled, Charmaine quickly looked his way and met his eyes. What was he asking that for? "No! Never! Why would you think I'll sleep with him?" she blurted with furrowed brows.
Leo Ji stared at her for a while before heaving a sigh of relief. Yeah. Her expression was genuine. She seemed to be telling the truth. "I'm sorry. I was just curious." he told her.
Charmaine's eyes darkened. No. Leo wouldn't just randomly ask things like those. What happened? "Who gave you the idea I did it with him? Was it Jun Ji? Did he tell you those nonsense? And you believed him?" she asked while clenching her fist. That man... he's really pissing her off.
"It's because of this." Leo fished out two dedication card from his pocket and showed them to Charmaine. Instantly, she understood what bothered Leo. It was that Jun Ji was claiming Luke as his child. And because Leo believed Charmaine was Luke's birth mother, he thought she slept with him. What to do now?
Charmaine sighed and lowered her head. Maybe it's about time to tell him now... However things might turn out, she should just accept the outcome.
"Leo... the truth is... I'm not really sure who Luke's biological father is...."