I patted April's hair as her head was still rested on my rocky chest.
"Brad" April murmurs cocking her head up
"Why are we in this tangle position?" She yawns out batting her lashes wearily.
"I just want to feel your body press to mine" I whispered thickly into her ears with a grin on my face.
She unwarily kicked me.
"Pervert" she cursed undertone
"Ouch sorry," she said with a mischievous grin on her face
"Crazy"
"Michael will drive you home"
"Are you coming along?"
"No, I got something to take care of," I said in a grim tone glancing at Pearls Jackson's direction. She was leaning on an Audi Q5 car. Means she saw me, and won't be leaving anytime soon.
She turned her back quickly hiding her face from view. I sigh in relief, drifting my attention back to April.
April's eyes flares with concern. "Are you okay?"
My lips quirk into a small smile.
"Nothing to worry about, need to get you home"
She abruptly nods.
I gently nudge her to my side as she placed her head on my left shoulder whilst my hand snake around her.
I led her to the car.
I helped her settle in. Her eyelids shut close immediately. I smiled, she must be so exhausted. It's been a long night.
"Make sure you get her home safely" It was more of a warning than an order to Michael my chauffeur.
I stood there with my hands in my pocket, As I watched the car disappear.
"You intercepted our reunion"
I pressed my lips tightly together, tilting my head in the direction of Pearl Jackson. I grimace, I got a tramp to deal with.
"Shielding her face from seeing her dear mother that was mean, Smith"
"What do you want Pearl Jackson"
"The name is Pearl Rivers now"
My lips curl up into a grim "l learned you dipped your clutches into your next victim. I pity that man" I bitterly sniggered my face twinge into contempt.
"Just like your dear father" she mocks opening up an old painful wound buried deep inside.
My memory flashed back to the day of my High School graduation ceremony.
My 18-year-old self came back home from my high school graduation with disappointment because none of my parents attended the ceremony. When I got home I was struck with horror seeing Veronica lying on the floor gasping for air. She was having an asthma attack. Her inhaler was nowhere to be found. I recall my parents had extras stalked in their bedroom. So I rush in to get the inhaler only to see the naked bodies of my father and April's mother tangled up on his matrimonial bed, consumed in their adultery sin whilst Veronica was lying helplessly struggling to breathe. It broke my heart, to see the dishonoring side of the father I admired and look up to. His infidelity nearly caused Veronica her life. I never forgave him for that until he was on his death bed.
The final blow that destroy the relationship I had with my father was when he till kept her as a mistress after nearly losing his only daughter, Veronica because of her. Then I knew my father was so obsessed with her. He chose her over us, his family.
My blood pumped faster through my veins to my heart, reminiscing that.
My knuckles went blanch white as my eyes darkens. I took a step towards her. The furry beast in me was unleashed as I raised my fist.
She flinches shading her face.
But something stop me when I looked into her grey terrified eyes. I felt I was looking into April's eyes. My chin quivers as I dropped my hand down battered with the shame of what I was about to do.
"Your father could have been so disappointed in you, raising your hand on a woman" she judgmentally said with a scornful pursed of her lips.
"My anger got the better of me, accept my apology" I apolitically said feeling the guilt slowly eating inside of me. I can't believe I was this close to laying my hands on a woman.
I sighted, I thought I was over the animosity I feel towards her for wrecking our family apart. But the wound is still deep.
"What do you want Pearl? don't tell me you've been here is a coincidence. How long have you been trailing after her?"
She didn't respond, staring at me with a crook smug on her face.
"Feels good to be back in the city" She sighs
"I was enraged at the rumors that you and Anderson's boy are fawning over my daughter like flies on a piece of cake"
I chuckled bitterly.
"Did you say the word daughter, the last time I checked you had no claim over her since you abandoned her on your Sickly mother doorstep "
"That's not true I did it to protect her from vicious people like you " She raised her voice in a defensive tone.
"I'm not buying that crap, you did that to spite her grandfather, separating them because you were jealous of the privileges the old man gives to his granddaughter. You were envious because you didn't get a single dine from him. So as revenge you stole his granddaughter from him, leaving him heartbroken leading him to his early grave"
She snares at me with her glistened eyes filled with hatred.
"Listen to your self Smith, you sound so paranoid. How can a mother steal her child? She is my daughter, and I have every right to dump her anywhere I choose to" She fiercely said shooting a sneer at me.
"Did you say right? I recall her grandfather won the custody case against you" The court ruled Pearl Jackson as an unfit mother after a series of evidence against her proving she is a drug addict. She passes out occasionally after taking in heroin, leaving her four years old daughter, April uncared for. Her grandfather was made her legal guardian.
It seems she has gone clean now. Good for her.
"You are maneuvering your way into her life for one thing only, greed. Not because you love her or want some mother and daughter bonding time"
"Yeah, right I'm a bad mother so what, at least I'm admitting that. What about you Smiths. You guys are rapacious foes only using April as a device to achieve your ambitions. In the pretense of what, being her savior. Please spare me that façade of you caring about her. We are all the same. You, the Andersons, the Montgomerys, and me. We are a group of vicious people who hunger and taste for wealth and power. Unfortunately, poor sweet April is a pun in our deadly game"
My face cringed, being hit with the bitter truth. It stings deep in my chest. She is right, I'm just like everyone else using April as a tool for my ambitious desire, But I selfishly want both, claiming April as mine and owning the Zinc business empire.
I suddenly felt her hands tracing up my torso in a seductive manner.
I flinched griping her hand and yanking it off me.
She laughs. " You've grown into a fine specimen just like your father" She licked the tip of her lips seductively batting her eyes at me
I turned my face from her swirled up with disgust.
"I could see in your eyes you have the same obsession with April as your father had for me, she is sure her mother's daughter"
The striking resemblance leaves no doubt they are mother and daughter. Her grey beautiful eyes, the alluring beautiful features of her face April inherited. Except her hair was raven black whilst April's was curly brown. I can't believe April is the daughter of this shameless old hag of a harlot. It's hard to grasp, April is different from her.
"She is nothing like you. Not a gold digger of a whore you are. You did the right thing by giving her to your mother rather than keeping her. You would have ruined her innocent with your bad influence"
"I want you to stay the hell away from her " The last thing April needs is another deception by her mother.
"You don't scare me, Smith, you can't keep me away from her, with your threats" she boastfully said with a complacent look on her face.
"Name your price" I bluntly said.
She went silent.
"How much are you willing to offer" I was disgusted with her. From my little digging, her husband number three is a Texas oil businessman. She is not content with the money she derives from him. This a Clear evidence of her greed and lust for money.
"How much are you worth?"
She smacks her lips.
"I want 500,000 dollars and a nice house in Manhattan"
"It's done" Half a million is nothing to me. Keeping April safe from the clutches of her heartless cunning mother is all that matters.
She smacked her lips with a satisfactory smirk on her face.
"keep to your part of the agreement, I don't want you anywhere near her," I warned.
"Alright, keep to your word as well, and you will not even see the shadow of me"
"Good, the money will be transferred to your account on Monday and a key to a new house in Manhattan as you requested"
I gripped vehemently on her hand tightly. " failure to comply, you will experience my wrath" she shudders seeing the deadly look in my eyes.
"That will only keep me away from her, just for the nine months left, but I will be coming for my share of the cookie we all have been waiting for" She crease her brows playfully.
"So long Smith" she winks disappearing from my sight.