From 9 a.m. until noon, Brandon helped me apply for a day off today for Sophia, then submitted my resignation at the cafe where I work, and all of this was done privately so I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to my friends.
Everything feels chaotic and I can't do anything but follow what he wants.
Now he's taking us to a car showroom, and it turns out it's filled with luxury cars of all sizes, including a van. We walked into the showroom, greeted by impeccably dressed male employees in blue suits, and there was also a female employee wearing a blue suit and heels, with beautiful hair and a face so pretty it looked like she had a full face of makeup.
'If only I had a complete makeup kit, I could look like her,' I thought as I watched the female employee talk to Brandon.
"Mom!"
Sophia's voice beside me snapped my attention.
"I want that car, the red one and big!" She pointed to a large red MVP car that could probably fit an entire family, and I'm sure it's very expensive.
"We can't ask for that car," I said, lowering my head to match Sophia's level. "It's too expensive!"
She looked at me with furrowed brows. "But Daddy has lots of money!" she whispered.
"Yes, but don't you think about it? He already bought you a new iPad, then bought you things you liked at the mall yesterday, then bought the house... That's something very expensive. Don't make him spend more money by asking for a luxurious car!" I cautioned with a low voice.
She pouted instead.
"Darling, you must not be greedy. You have to remember that we're still in the same situation... Don't seem to take advantage of your father's wealth... What if he doesn't like it and leaves us?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Who's going to leave you?"
That question interrupted our conversation. I straightened up and looked at Brandon, who immediately picked up Sophia and carried her.
"Are you trying to scare her? No more drama about leaving or being left behind... I'm not like you," he said with a flat stare, then led Sophia back to look at the lineup of cars.
I sighed heavily, feeling helpless and hoping that Sophia wouldn't express her desire to buy that MVP car.
"Daddy, will you run out of money?" I heard her cute voice, making me curious, so I quickly approached Brandon.
"Say what you want, Sweetie. Daddy won't run out of money," Brandon said, sounding very gentle.
"Um... I want that."
Sophia pointed to the red MVP car. 'Oh no, she's not listening to my warning... Why is she so stubborn? This is too expensive and excessive... What if his mother finds out about him spending so much money, then suspects him, and it will be bad for me and Sophia!' I grumbled inwardly, quickly positioning myself on Brandon's left side.
"Please, don't buy that car," I whispered.
He immediately glanced at me. "What right do you have to forbid me? I'm not your husband, and I'm not your boyfriend either. I have the right to do whatever I want for my daughter!" He asserted with his soft voice.
I shook my head immediately. "She's also my daughter. I don't want her to get into trouble because you've been overly giving her things. A house, an iPad, then a luxurious car... Don't you think your mother will be suspicious? Isn't that going to be very bad for her?" I asked in astonishment.
And it's annoying because he just stayed silent, and even approached the car with the female employee following him.
"Damn!" I grumbled in frustration, clenching my fists, feeling useless to give my opinion because he wouldn't listen. "Then why am I here? I might as well wait outside!"
In a hurry, I headed to the showroom terrace, passing through the large door opened by the smiling security guard, but I was not in the mood to respond kindly.
I immediately sat on a chair, then took my phone from the black sling bag I had been carrying since earlier.
"What is she doing here?"
"This is only for people who have money to buy elite cars!"
"The security guard should kick her out... hahaha!"
Two girls talked about me before entering the showroom, making me even more annoyed but finally noticed my appearance wearing long jeans and a loose white shirt, then a black sling bag, and tying my hair carelessly.
'Do I look like a bum?' I asked myself while looking at the two girls through the glass, they did look elite wearing mini dresses and branded bags, even expensive high heels.
"It's okay... Being poor doesn't mean being bad," I said with resignation, looking back at my phone, no incoming messages or calls from anyone. What is this? It made me feel that only Brandon could be relied on. "But he's so annoying, dominant, being so harsh on me, and our parents are like enemies... There's nothing I can hope for from that," I said, leaning my head against the glass wall.
...
After almost 30 minutes of waiting, my daughter and her father finally left the showroom.
"Let's go home," he said, walking towards the parking location.
Reluctantly, I followed him, also curious about what kind of car he finally bought. But I didn't want to ask because he might answer me with something that would make me upset.
During the journey, he was just silent, while Sofia sat in the back seat and finally fell asleep.
It only took about 30 minutes until we arrived at our new home, and it turned out the door opened until I saw Kimberly waiting for us on the terrace. She carried Sophia and took her inside, while I met Kimberly.
"I didn't expect to see you here," I said.
"Her assistance forced me to come here to help him organize your clothes and other belongings," she replied, then dragged me to sit on the available chair on the terrace. She suddenly smiled with joy, always peeking and looking inside as if making sure no one was in the living room so she looked at me again.
"Do you know what's going on?" she asked.
I just shrugged.
"Turns out David is still single and will be here continuously to take care of Sophia while Brandon takes care of his work and meets your mother in Portland," she said.
I was astonished. "That's what Brandon planned."
Suddenly she grabbed both of my hands and held them with pleading eyes. "Can I stay here? I want to always be close to him... I mean, David!"
"What?"
"If I can't be lucky enough to get Brandon because he's Sophia's father and I know he still loves you very much, then I'll choose to pursue David's love," she explained, making me feel amused and unable to hold back a smile. "Please... he's perfect, diligent, gentle, and I'm sure he's smart and strong... That's why he can be Brandon's confidant... I know a man like him wouldn't have a chance to cheat!" she continued enthusiastically.
"Thus I cannot grant you permission because the owner of this house is Sophia ... Or perhaps you should ask for permission from Brandon," I said, suddenly feeling anxious. "But ... But actually, I'm worried that staying here will only get me into trouble ... Because his mother doesn't like me," I said again.
"Really?"
"I'm worried that if his mother sees me having a new house and even a new car, she'll suspect that I got all of this from Brandon... I'm worried she'll come after me when Brandon is gone... I'm not ready to face her anger," I said again.
Kimberly shifted her gaze, occasionally biting her lower lip as if thinking.
"I thought I had found a way out but I need to discuss this with Brandon," she said, then stood up immediately. "I'll go meet him now!" she continued, then went back into the house.
I sighed heavily, always resting my back on the chair's shoulder and looking ahead, but my mind was everywhere. Sometimes I still can't believe that now I'm not alone anymore, I'm not always with Sophia only ... Brandon's presence makes me feel like a father figure to her.
'But I don't know if this will all cause chaos or not, but it might be very chaotic ... Because he has already chosen the girl at the party ... It feels so unwilling to let Sophia have a stepmother, but I'm scared to go back to him... I don't even know if he will still want me back or not... he was so harsh on me,' I thought anxiously.