Sonya wiped her tears, picked up her bag, and returned home. As she walked into the house, she could hear indistinct chatter and wondered what was going on. Her house had never been so noisy before.
As she approached, she noticed her mother sitting on one of the sofas with a tight frown on her face, glaring at the other people in the room, who appeared to be unaware of the situation or were simply ignoring her.
She was quick to recognize them as her father's relatives, money-hungry wolves with claws out to take a share of their family inheritance.
"Hey, Sonya has arrived!" exclaimed a middle-aged blonde woman who had fine wrinkles across her face.
Everyone was ecstatic, and the younger people her age rushed to embrace her. Sonya was so overwhelmed by the attention and sudden care that she almost pushed them away.
"Oh, Sonya, we miss you," a girl with blonde hair exclaimed with twinkling eyes.
"Yes! Look here, Vicky, her skin is so radiant and smooth," another added, gushing over Sonya's skin texture. The guests in the room chuckled at her words but their eyes said otherwise.
"She has a lot of money to spend on skincare, so why not?" someone else added.
Sonya looked for the source of the voice and discovered Matilda, her uncle's eldest daughter. The girl had gray eyes like her and was extremely beautiful, but her biggest flaw was her audacious behavior and impulsive behavior.
Sonya simply curled her lips and said, "As a woman, it is only natural that I care about my skin. And, besides," she flipped her hair behind her, "as a doctor, I need to be healthy, and my skin is part of that."
Her response made Matilda roll her eyes and turn away to continue her drink.
"That should not be an issue as long as there is money; we can spend it however we want, right, Avni?" Vicky's mother interjected. Avni only gave her a stony stare and did not respond.
Sonya was not in the mood to listen to them talk, her head was aching from all the crying and she needed rest, so she excused herself and went up to her room.
She was aware that they had come here to discuss inheritance, and that the conversation would take place during dinner. She did not want to waste her breath on them, preferring to save her strength for later.
Many people think thought of her as a soft lady who can not talk or argue, but only a few know what she is really like. Today, she would provide them with that opportunity and privilege of seeing her other side.
Louise was very restless at school until he arrived home. The doctor's image was etched in his mind, and it was causing him headaches.
For some reason, he felt as if he knew her. She looked very familiar to him, and his gut told him she knew him too. Why else would she have reacted that way when she saw him? He groaned in frustration and grabbed his head, which was aching.
In his memory, he could hear whispering voices. It sounded like both his and a girl's voice.
"When are you coming back?" the girl inquired.
"In two or three days. You know I can not bear to be without you for long," he said.
"Do you promise?" The girl's voice seemed choked with emotion.
"Of course I will. I adore you, Ms. Sonya DeVille. I will never leave you or allow you to leave me. I will be back," he promised.
"Alright," the girl sniffled.
"Aaaa," Louise groaned loudly, holding his head. It felt like his head was going to explode. "Sonya, Sonya," he kept repeating to himself. He held his head with his right hand and reached into the cupboard for his medications with his left.
He took a few pills and swallowed them alongside the bottled water on the table. After a few minutes, he was free of the excruciating pain. He closed his eyes and lay on his bed, hoping to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it never arrived, but trouble came knocking at his door.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Louise sighed, thinking it was his grandfather. He opened the door, and to his dismay, his mother was standing there.
With his eyes closed, he sighed deeply, "What is it, Mom? I need to rest and do not want anyone bothering me."
He opened his eyes and stared at the young blonde woman before him. It was difficult to guess his mother's age because she appeared so young. She was the type who made people feel good at first sight, but once you got to know her, you ended up with an ulcer.
She is an egotistical, self-centered woman. Worst of all, she is a very troublesome person, and it is almost impossible not to hear about her causing trouble anywhere.
Mia pouted when she noticed her son's dismissive attitude. "Why are you cold towards me? Did I do anything wrong?"
"You didn't, but that does not mean you will not begin one," Louise deadpanned.
Mia's lips twitched twice, and she scowled. "You have changed," she stated.
"Everyone changes, tell me what you want. I need to rest."
Mia looked around to ensure that no one was lurking in the corridor. Her actions caused Louise to raise an eyebrow, but he did not say anything.
"I was thinking," Mia began clasping her hands, "Sianna will be six in a few weeks, and I am sure she has some things she wants that she will not be able to tell you."
"And what would it be?" Louise frowned.
"It is been five years and Sianna has not seen her mother. I Think..."
"That is enough, Mom," Louise snapped, cutting Mia off once more. His outburst startled Mia to the point where she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Louise's eyes were cold as ice as he stared at his mother. It was taboo to talk about Sianna's mother in the house but today his mother has decided to test him by bringing it up.
"Did she put you up to this, huh? If this is all you want to say, then leave," he snarled.
Mia took a step back, terrified. She looked guilty as if she had once again overstepped her boundaries.
"I am just looking after your daughter," she mumbled.
"Looking after her, huu," Louise remarked dryly. "Where was the care when she was younger? Did you not call her a mute? You have been a bad Grandma all this time, so why the sudden display of affection?" Louise asked.
Mia was speechless, Louise had phrased it in such a way that she struggled to explain herself. Indeed, she had been a bad grandmother, but she still loved the girl. She is the daughter of her son and the woman in question.
And she did not call her a mute out of spite; it came out of her mouth in a fit of rage. "Lu, I did not mean that," she sniffed. The rims of her eyes turned red, and tears streamed from them.
"Just leave mom, I want to rest," Louise said, waving her out before closing the door. He sighed as he slipped into the sheets.
The subject of Sianna's mother triggered a wave of anger in him, which he tried to suppress. He looked at the door before closing his eyes.
Mia returned to her room and began pacing around in deep thought.
Her phone beeped, and she picked it up to check the message she received. It came from an unknown number, but she knew who had sent it.
After reading the text, she smiled and threw the phone away. Her depression vanished, and the slight guilt she felt over Louise's statement blew away with the wind.
While Louise was having a headache from his memories, Sonya was preparing to break her relatives' dream of joining the Pearls.
Everyone was seated in the dining room as the maids served dinner. The meal was appetizing and visually appealing, but no one felt the taste. Each person had their thoughts running through their heads.
No one mentioned the meeting's topic because they were waiting for someone to bring it up.
Job Aquila, Henry's elder brother, was discussing stocks and shares of various companies as if he were there for a casual conversation.
His wife Harriet kept poking him, wanting him to change the subject, but he refused. However there was someone more impatient than her and that was the only Aquila daughter, Mrs Jess Hank.
She cleared her throat before asking Sonya, "Where are you working?"
"The hospital," Sonya said, chewing on her food after a few seconds of silence.
"Hmm, that is good," Jess agreed as she chewed her food.
Brenda, who sat beside Sonya, dropped her spoon, causing a noise that drew attention to her. "Aunt, don't you think you asked a very silly question?"
"What?" Jess froze while putting food in her mouth and failed to notice the food that dropped on her dress, leaving a stain.
The guests stared at Brenda, but she drank her water casually. "I mean," she said, "everyone knows Sonya works at the Pearls even before she went to Geopics."
Her words made Jess' cheeks flush pink. She was looking for a way to change Job's stupid stock talk and had not considered her words before speaking them. Who knew Brenda would point it out?
She forced a smile and replied, "Sorry dear, I thought she was not going to work there any longer and had looked for another job."