"You can save it for later but before that let's eat…" Jillian swallowed back what she wanted to say as soon as Monalisa spread the white handkerchief with rose flowers on Jillian's legs.
"Do you like our gift to you?" Marley asked, grinning.
"Apple's Autograph!" Jillian exclaimed, immediately covering mouth with her right.
"It's just Apple's autograph they got you and not Jennifer's autograph, do you have to react this way?" Brayden teased, shaking his head.
"Also, Marl, Lisa, didn't you say you were starving or or were you girls putting on an act just so you could go out with Jillian?" Brayden asked, pretending to be upset.
"We are going to eat now," Marley replied and hurriedly picked up her cutlery.
Monalisa followed suit and soon the two girls were happily mooching their food.
"Aren't you gonna stop admiring the handkerchief. What will you do if Marl and Lisa stop eating too?" Brayden cautioned the lady who hadn't paid attention to her food ever since the waiter served them.
Although Jillian wanted to continue admiring the autograph of her idol, she had no choice but to put it aside for the girls sake.
Absentmindedly Jillian took a bite from the plate of salad in front of her. Her lack of unconcerned eyeballs lit up as soon as she got a taste of the very dish she had grown tired of all these years, but had no voice than to continue eating.
Quickly she lowered her eyes to get a proper look at the dish in front of her.
"Is it really this salad I ate?" Jillian murmured. To confirm that it wasn't something else she ate, she took another bite from the dish in front of her.
"How is it?" Brayden, who had his eyes fixed on Jillian since her first bite from the food, asked.
"Do you agree with me that they sell the world's tastiest salad dish here?" Brayden asked, smiling.
"That is…" Brayden's cellphone rang causing Jillian to pause what she wanted to say.
"What do you mean by she can't be reached. Her concert is in an hour," Brayden raised his voice, jerking to his feet.
Before Jillian could ask what was wrong Brayden had already walked away from their table.
"I will arrive at the location of the concert in twenty minutes. Keep me informed about the updates on her whereabouts and make sure that the media doesn't get wind of what had happened," Brayden commanded, walking out of the automatic glass door that had just opened.
At that moment all that was on his mind was to resolve the current issue, he forgot that he didn't come to the restaurant alone.
Not knowing where Brayden went, Jillian waited for him at the restaurant along with the girls even after they were done with their meal.
After waiting for an hour and Brayden still hadn't returned Jillian made up her mind to do something about their situation.
"Marl, Mona, I don't think your uncle will be returning so how about we go home alone hmm?" Jillian suggested and like she had imagined Marley and Monalisa didn't have problem with that.
Outside the restaurant, Jillian was waiting for the ride she booked to arrive when a man walked up to her.
"Hello Miss," a voice called out causing Jillian to turn and look behind her.
"Yes, and you are?" Jillian asked, gazing at the guy who was obviously the same height as her.
"Sebastian, the owner of the restaurant," Sebastian introduced, reaching out his business card to Jillain.
…
The next day Jillian woke up at the same time she normally does since the girls started living with her. After giving them a few exercise from the school book to solve, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
With the two girls preoccupied Jillian was able to prepare their breakfast earlier than she usually do.
Three hours after breakfast Jillian showered the girls and helped them changed into new set of outfits.
"Mommy, are we going somewhere?" Marley asked as Jillian brought the diamond earrings close to her ear.
"Yes," Jillian replied as she carefully helped Marley to wear her earrings.
"Really?" Monalisa and Marley chorused. Their innocent eyeballs sparkled as they waited for her confirmation.
"Have I ever lied to you before?" Jillian asked without directly giving them a response.
"No," Marley giggled, bursting with excitement.
Jillian also dolled herself up after she was done getting the girls ready. Soon, they were seen downstairs approaching a white car with an elderly man waiting outside.
Getting to the car whose door had already been opened by the driver, the three ladies hopped in.
A few minutes later their car was seen moving steadily on the busy street. Not long, the driver pulled over in front of a thirty story building.
"Dad's office!" Monalisa and Marley exclaimed in unison as soon as they got out of the car.
"Let's go meet your uncle," Jillian announced. She grabbed Marley's hand and walked towards the glass entrance.
"Mom, what about me?" The unhappy Monalisa cried out causing Jillian to pause in her tracks.
"Come on Mona, I still have a free hand here," Jillian muttered, stretching out her right hand towards Monalisa.
Monalisa's frown instantly eased up as she ran to catch up to them.
Although Jillian came at lunch break they were still some employees working at their desk.
All the employees attention was on their work until Monalisa screamed causing everyone to raise their heads and gaze at where the voice came from.
"Miss Ashley!" An awestruck lady in green suits shouted to everyone's hearing. Even Jillian who heard the familiar name stopped in her tracks.