It was already past three in the afternoon when Arnoldo and Harold finished discussing the renovation they had to work on starting tomorrow.
They took the plan that Krishna listed every detail of what she wanted to do in George's playroom that would be connected to the sundeck.
George began taking his steps, and soon he could walk on his own, so Krishna wanted to put the rubberized mat around the floor for his safety.
Then, there will be a sliding door separating the playroom and sundeck.
While the little prince plays, he can have a good time basking in the sun with his three beautiful godmothers.
"Bye! See you both tomorrow!"
Waving their hands, Helena and Verna stood at the railings on the front porch after they sent off the brothers.
Arnoldo is in front of the wheel, while Harold is in the passenger seat, waving back at the two ladies.
Helena and Verna are fine ladies. In fact, they were both beautiful and had a sense of humor. There were no dull moments when they worked on planning the little prince's playroom.
"Bye, ladies!" Harold had a grin on his face as he bade goodbye. They were leaving in a black truck, bound for the central town to order all the needed materials.
When they exited the Palermo ranch, Harold took out his phone and dialed their boss's number as they headed to the hardware store.
"How's it going?"
On the other line, George has been anxiously awaiting the report. Earlier that day, his men had informed him already; thus, he was excited to hear more news about his son.
"Boss, we've finally looked closer at the little prince. He is a spitting image of yours when you're a toddler. Also, Miss Palermo's three best friends are genuinely caring for him. We could see the little prince is growing well."
George was happy to hear this.
"That's good, then. But are they that capable? I want my son to grow up in a pleasant environment, so I am concerned about the surrounding people."
He wanted to give all the best things for his son, like how his parents hired all the best nannies, butlers, and teachers to supervise him as he grew up.
Now that he could not show himself to his son yet, or tell Krishna he was the man that night—he had to do things secretly, as he didn't want to alert his enemy about his son's existence.
"Don't worry, boss. Only one of Miss Palermo's friends is in a relationship. That man is the brother of her best friend. He is also the overseer of the ranch, managing the livestock and small farm owned by Miss Palermo."
"Is that so? Then, I shouldn't worry..." George nodded, pondering as he was planning something. 'Maybe entrusting my son to them is not a bad idea.'
Recently, he bought the ranch next to Krishna, which was foreclosure by a bank.
Initially, he purchased it for his men to stay so as not to look obvious why they were hanging around his son.
Now, he wanted to put more men near his son after Krishna's life was in danger tonight. To do so, he must arrange a job for them to stay longer in Mirada.
"Harold, what do you think is best to do on the ranch I purchased recently?"
"Boss?"
Harold glanced at Arnoldo, who met his eyes, giving him a curious gaze, mouthing 'What?'
"Erm, are you planning to make it worthwhile?" Harold had already thought about what to do while they were doing an undercover mission.
On the other end of the call, George was satisfied that his men were sensible. "Yes. I'm thinking of investing in livestock. Are the location and climate perfect for it?"
"Yes, boss! It was a perfect place to do some livestock business. Do you want us to work on it?"
"I want more men to protect my son, so I want this as a front of your mission. The livestock farm needs more people to work on. Sending more of my most trusted men over will not be suspicious by then. So I want you to brief them and explain the mission."
"Understood, boss. After building the little prince's playroom and sundeck, we will work on it. Actually, Miss Palermo wanted to fix more parts of her house."
"I heard she wanted to replace the roof as it had leaks when rain poured heavily. I heard that Miss Palermo wired them a large amount to fund all the work, and at the same time, she rewarded her friends by shopping and visiting a salon for a makeover. Above all, they will buy the little prince' new clothes and toys.
"Really?" Now he had a very good impression of Krishna's friends, except for Camilla.
In the future, he will reward Krishna's friends who care for his son.
"Yes, boss. They've mentioned that the little prince's mother, Miss Palermo, found a promising career and earned well. But I assumed that was you. Am I correct, boss? The money Miss Palermo gave to her friends is from yours."
"That's right. I pretended to pay for her service after I heard she planned to give our son a comfortable home..."
George was stunned by his own words. When he mentioned "our son" and "home" in a row, he realized how pleasing it was to the ears.
'Our son has a comfortable home.' Having this thought, George could sense the warmth sprouting in his heart.
Krishna is a good woman.
When she received such an amount, she immediately shared it with the people dear to her. She isn't selfish but thinks of others above all.
"Ahem! That's all for now." Pulling himself back to his senses, he instructed further. "I want you to report every progress out there if they had taken care of my son well."
"Copy, boss. There are people we put on watch if we are not around the little prince, so you don't have to worry."
"That's great, then. If there is another ranch for sale, let me know."
Once everything is over, he will transfer all this land to Krishna. It was what was on his mind while having this decision.
George ended the call after leaving instructions. He sighed in relief after confirming his son was in good hands. He plans to prevent Krishna from going home. Thus, he must give her resources to get busy.
Having this thought, George dialed his assistant's contact.
"Hello, boss?" Benny, who was preparing for bed, was startled when his phone suddenly rang.
"Benny, I want you to meet Mrs. Lawrence first thing in the morning. I want Krishna to start her job tomorrow."
"Eh? Isn't she scheduled to have her photoshoot next week, boss?"
"I have other plans next week. Have you forgotten that?" George was getting impatient when his assistant questioned his decisions. 'Is he desired to be demoted?'
"Oh…" Finally, Benny came to his senses.
'Boss is going to Grace Island next week. Is he planning to bring Lady Krishna and meet the family? Woo-hoo! You're going to meet your in-laws, Lady Krishna!'
"Alright, boss! Please leave it for me! Good night, boss!"
"Hummed. Night."
George hung up the call. He threw his phone to the bed and walked to the bathroom. Halfway through his shower, he got out and looked for his phone.
After doing some phone transactions, he returned to the bathroom and resumed showering.
Meanwhile, Krishna was still chatting with her friends. They told her how handsome the workers they hired were.
"They were hot and gorgeous!" It is how Helena describes them.
'These girls…'
Krishna chuckled as she continued listening to their scream and giggles. But hearing her friends happy made her miss them badly.
This is them… Through thick and thin laughter and tears, there was no other place on Earth she wanted to be.
'I need to go home soon….'
She was in deep thought when she received a bank notification.
'What is wrong with him?'
George had wired her more money. If this happens to another person, that person is over the moon now.
However, she was unhappy because of what George had told her before.
"I will help you step into the limelight. But I will make sure you will fall too high."
"I promise you will enjoy the lavish life of a mistress of a wealthy man. So don't worry, darling. I will help you climb the ladder. But, of course, the one who will cut this ladder and push you from the top down to the ground is me."
Krishna recounted George's harsh words to her yesterday. It is why she was restless after receiving a large amount of money from him.
"He sure knew how to trap me in his games!"
Now, how could she get out? If she returns the money, George wants it back three times the amount!
"He's crazy!"
Krishna jumped off the bed and ran downstairs. She was breathing heavily when she arrived at the main bedroom door.
She knocked, but the guy wasn't answering. Krishna stepped backward and looked under the door. The light was still on. Well then, George was still awake.
"Is he deliberately ignoring me? He knew I was coming, right?" she mumbled.
Krishna pushed the door open, and she then froze on her feet.
"I will come back tomorrow!" she screamed.
Then, as she recovered from the shock, she hurried to turn around to leave, but George's voice echoed in the entire bedroom.
"Stop right there!"