"Mommy... I had a nightmare." Luke mumbled as he hugged Charmaine. She went to check upon him but the moment she opened the door,she found Luke sitting on his bed and staring at space. When she came closer, he just suddenly grabbed her blouse.
"What is it?" she asked. She checked his temperature but his fever hasn't come back. "Maybe you've been thinking about bad things lately. It would help you get better faster if you can fill your mind with just happy thoughts!" she told him with a smile.
Luke tightened his hold on the hem of her blouse as he buried his face on her chest. "The woman...with Grandma... I dreamed of her taking away Dad from us!" he responded with trembling voice. Charmaine held the boy tighter and patted his back. What kind of a dream was it that Luke would be shaking in fear? It must be some very realistic dream. It looked like the subject of Luke's separation anxiety has now been extended to his father.
"It's alright. It's just a dream. Dad won't leave us for anyone." she reassured him.
Luke raised his head and met her eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked.
Charmaine nodded and smiled. "Your dad loves you. Even if he leaves me one day, he will never leave you! At most you would just get a new mom!" she joked and ruffled his hair.
Luke frowned. "Not funny! I'm not going to get a new mom! Only Minmin can be my mom!" the child protested. "If dad decides to leave you one day, then I'm not going to leave with him! I'll stay with you. I already said I'll stay with you forever!" Luke declared with a determined voice.
Charmaine's heart broke when she saw his pained expression. She pulled him in her arms and sighed. "I was just kidding. How could I give you up like that? You know I love you the most." she coaxed him. The truth was, she was both touched and anxious. In her other life, she saw how Luke hated her. When Jienna died, Luke sided with Adele and teamed with her to set her up. In this life, she knew Adele would still try that approach. It's just a matter of time before she starts with her plans...
***
Luke stayed inside his room all morning. In the afternoon, Laura took her out to play in the garden. The sitting room upstairs has a balcony, too, and from there, Charmaine watched as Luke and Laura played with 'Shine', a white puppy from her mother. It's good to see Luke playing and laughing again. She would do anything to protect those smiles.
"Charmaine, can I talk to you?" from behind her, she heard a woman asked. She didn't need to turn around to know who that person was. She knew that voice very well.
"Adele, what is it?" she said as she turned around. She was standing there wearing a short skirt a blouse, but oddly, she topped her blouse with a long cardigan with large front pockets. Looks like something was up. "Is there something you need? Is it important?" She played cool and didn't show her any emotion.
"Yes. This is very important." she replied.
"Then, we can't talk here. Let's talk somewhere private." Charmaine responded as she walked past Adele and walked towards the stairs. "Follow me." she uttered as she descended the stairwell.
Adele smirked. Somewhere private? Looks like the woman had things she wanted to hide. It'll be easier then.
Adele followed Charmaine downstairs and she led her to the drawing room. Charmaine gestured for her to sit and she herself chose an armchair near the window and sat there before starting the conversation. She already had an idea of what Adele was about to tell her so she chose the best seat in the house to talk about this.
"Tell me. What's the problem? You can tell me anything. Since your my husband's step sister, I'll help you with my utmost ability." she began. She purposely tried to sound arrogant to vex the woman.
Adele frowned. Her words sounded as if she was reminding her of her own place. "Do you know who I am? Did Leo mention me to you?" she mumbled. "Do you know that Leo liked me?" she asked. Charmaine's calm was beginning to irritate her.
"Sorry. Leo never mentioned you before. But since you said it yourself, you said Leo liked you.... so you're already in the past. I'm the present and I'm the wife. What do we have to talk about that?" she stated while wearing a cold expression. Whatever it is that she wants from her, she wont get it this time!
"What if Leo still likes me? I still love him and I want him back." the woman declared. "What will you do about it?"
Charmaine chuckled. She has already seen through her. Adele wanted to annoy her. She wanted her to declare war. She wanted to anger her to the point that she'll hurt her. Well, not this time. She already done that before and it only made matters worse. "You know what? You can do whatever you want. Seduce him as much as you want. I trust my husband. He will never cheat on me. If he does, I'll divorce him." she uttered with a smile.
Adele narrowed her eyes. That wasn't the response she wanted. But it's not that bad either. She said she'll divorce Leo. Looks like she doesn't love Leo that much. Maybe it really was just a marriage of convenience between the two of them. Maybe that's the reason she's so calm. It works for her, too! "Alright. You said it. Sooner or later, you're going to divorce!" Adele remarked before standing up and leaving the room.
Charmaine looked up at the camera on her left. She then smirked as if she was looking at someone in the room. When she saw Adele's large pockets, she was reminded of the time Adele recorded their conversation. She was so furious that she ended up telling her to stay away from Leo and saying she wanted to kill her. Those were her biggest mistakes.
***
Inside his office, Leo felt a chill ran down his spine when he saw Charmaine turned to the camera and snicker. She was staring at the camera and it felt like she was looking straight at him in the eye. She knew something was up when she said those words. "You can do whatever you want. Seduce him as much as you want. I trust my husband. He will never cheat on me. If he does, I'll divorce him." Those words were for him. It was a threat and he knew she meant it. She led Adele to the drawing room on purpose because she knew the cameras in there are motion activated. As soon as someone gets in the room, the security system will instantly send alerts on his phone. That's why Leo saw everything in there. He heard everything as the system started sending video the moment they walked in. But how did Charmaine knew that some of the rooms have those kinds of sensors? Is Charmaine really a clairvoyant?
Leo suddenly held his forehead. No. It wasn't because she's a clairvoyant. It's because he carelessly left his phone on the breakfast table this morning. Charmaine must have browsed the phone after getting an alert when he entered the study room! Only the study room and the drawing room have motion activated cameras! That is to say Charmaine also saw what Adele did this morning? It's scary as he doesn't even know what runs in her mind. Did he already screw up? No... he avoided her advances, so he's safe right?.... right?!