This chapter is dedicated to Daoist8CTcms, Sorangel_serrano, Etain, and Ginger95. Thank you for the powerstones, guys!
★★★
After walking around the whole floor in search of her Team Leader, Shikera finally found the woman in the News room. She was bent over some files scattered on the floor and it seemed like she was trying to arrange them.
Shikera walked into the room, announcing her presence with two successive knocks on the door. As she walked in, she noticed that the Team Leader seemed startled by her entrance as the woman hurriedly stood up from the chair and walked over to her, but she discarded the thoughts.
"What's wrong?" The older woman asked, wondering why the girl standing before her always seemed to have poor timing in everything she did. Both in catching Ethan DeLoach and in coming here now when she was busy.
"I wanted to ask if you know anything about MD's real name or anything about her personal life." She requested.
Team Leader Zuresh thought for a while before talking, "I only have access to the information that has been released to the public. About how she's a slut and a pretender, that's all." She stated truthfully.
"Not that," Shikera probed. "I meant any leak that did not paint her in a bad light."
The Team Leader shook her head as she did not have any information on that. She was curious about why Shikera was asking her that, though.
"Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to know if there was a reason why..." As she was speaking, her eyes caught an old newspaper on the floor which looked very familiar, on the floor and her legs quickened towards it before her Team Leader could stop her.
She picked up the newspaper and from the headline in front, she knew it was the same newspaper she thought it was. She opened the paper to the first page and her eyes went to the picture at one corner of the page, a group picture.
Her eyes strayed to the name section and she saw it...
"Natalia Anderson..." And right beside that name, her jaw dropped in shock because it was the name she least expected, "... Ashley Zuresh."
In disbelief, she checked the picture again and cross checked the face of another person in the picture. It was her Team Leader. Her Team Leader was in the same team as her own mother when she worked in Preston TV?!
The newspaper was snatched from her hand the next minute and she looked up to meet her Team Leader's eyes, trying to check if the woman knew she was Natalia Anderson's daughter or if she didn't.
"What are you doing reading newspapers when you're supposed to be working?" Team Leader Zuresh scolded, keeping the newspaper back in the place it was before Shikera picked it up.
Shikera ignored her question, "Team Leader, that group photo in the newspaper, did you know Natalia Anderson?"
"Yes, she was my rival back in the days," the Team Leader replied.
Shikera's mouth rounded in a surprised expression, "Then—"
"Enough of the questions, Anderson. Don't try to trick me by saying you are Natalia's daughter, you could as well say you are Liam Anderson's daughter," the woman chuckled lightly as she talked, before saying, "Now get back to work! And don't forget my instructions on no team dinner!"
"Yes ma'am," Shikera replied, in a despondent tone even though she knew she was going to disobey one of the rules that very next day. She trudged slowly out of the News room, thinking of what would happen if her Team Leader later found out that she was Liam Anderson's daughter.
Behind her, Team Leader Zuresh closed and locked the door before walking back to the scattered files on the floor. She picked them all up, arranging them while murmuring to herself,
"There's no way I wouldn't know you are Natalia's and Liam's daughter, Shikera. Why wouldn't I know the parents of my goddaughter?"
When she was done tidying the area, she picked up the newspaper Shikera had taken earlier, and tore it into shreds. It would be risky if any other person, like the new employees, saw the newspaper.
★★★
The atmosphere was windy and chilly in the flower garden at DeLoach mansion, with night bulbs placed in strategic locations in the area to brighten up the place. At this moment, Ethan sat on a chair with his laptop opened in front of him.
The others were in the mansion, having dinner and he had not joined them, since he had work to do. Presiding over two corporations was not as easy as he had told Shikera and with the lack of corporation between some of Anderson corporation board members, they were making things harder for him.
Taking a break from working, he stood up from the table and ventured into the garden, walking amidst the flowers. He stood there for a while and he was about to go back when he noticed a figure lying on the floor. His legs moved forward on their own accord as he walked closer to the figure.
"Who's there?" he called out, making sure it wasn't one of the workers in the house. They had been dismissed since earlier in the day but who knows if one of them had decided to stay instead.
"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb..."
The singing voice drifted into his ears and without seeing the singer, he knew it was Shikera. But what was she doing singing a nursery rhyme while sleeping on the lawn, at night? He could see her now, lying on a mat while staring up at the starry sky. She had earphones plugged in her ears and her eyes were closed; that was probably why she hadn't heard him.
Ethan stood there, watching her without alerting her of his presence. Since the night at his villa, they hadn't so much as spoken to each other. And the only form of interaction they had was when she was asleep and sleepwalking, and he would help her back to sleep before going back to face his own nightmare.
That was the reason why he had decided that they stay at DeLoach's mansion for a while, because he knew living together would be extra awkward for them. Not like it was any different now as Shikera kept to herself all the time, simply sharing a few words with his mother and Ruthlyn. The rest of her time was spent in her room doing God knows what.
"It made the children laugh and play, laugh and play, laugh and play..."
He turned to leave, tuning her sweet voice out when something she said caught his ears.
"Are you okay now that I've sang for you, Mum?" he heard her whisper while standing up from the floor and he hurriedly back stepped until he was securely hidden behind a tree.
"Don't worry about anything; I will be coming to join you soon," Shikera said, before picking up the mat she had been lying on and walking towards the house entrance.
Ethan who had been left behind could not help but frown. As far as he knew, Liam Anderson's wife was dead so what did Shikera mean by joining her mother soon? Was she that eager to die? For a reason, the thought did not make him angry but it made him feel helpless and guilty in a way.
The next day being a saturday, everyone living in DeLoach mansion were at home and after breakfast, everyone went to do what pleased them.
"Shikera, just go with me this once. I really want to show you off to my friends, as my daughter..." Raine pleaded for the umpteenth time that morning. Immediately after breakfast, Shikera had excused herself to go to her room as usual when Raine stopped her. The older woman had been pleading with her to accompany her to a gathering held by the wives of the wealthiest men in the country, where they met to show off their daughter-in-laws and other things.
Shikera was not interested in going but with the woman pleading like this, she was having second thoughts.
"Please...they have been mocking me that I don't have a daughter to show off," Raine continued.
And that was the last straw that broke the camel's back; Shikera agreed immediately.
Raine's eyes lit up immediately she heard Shikera's word of affirmation.
"Thank you!" she gushed excitedly. "Then...let's go to your room and I will help you pick up your dress."