Victoria's POV
I had just dropped off Sophia at kindergarten and left her in David's care while I decided to visit Jacob's house coincidentally not far from the kindergarten's location. He was still busy with old cars that needed fixing, either the engine or the body, and it turned out he wasn't alone but with Rachel standing beside him, carrying a little drill.
"Hey, Victoria!" Rachel greeted me immediately and placed the drill on the floor.
I just smiled, welcoming her with a brief hug.
"You're not working today," she said.
"No..." I shook my head nervously, feeling awkward to explain what had happened yesterday. "I... Actually, I resigned."
"Really?" Her brown eyes widened. "What happened? Why did you suddenly resign?" She immediately pulled me to sit in a chair, then sat beside me, staring at me seriously.
I hesitated, unsure whether to tell her everything or not, even still not knowing if Brandon had met my mother or not.
"Victoria!"
Rachel startled me by tapping my arm.
"Um, it's... It's not a big deal, I just found an online job and it felt easier and allowed me to keep an eye on Sophia... so... so I don't need to work at the café anymore." Finally, I lied, looking at her anxiously.
"Wow... What kind of job is it?" She asked eagerly. "You have to tell me because I also need a job... Jacob and I are saving up for our wedding!"
"Um... It's... I work as an admin for an online shop... Then I also work as an admin for a well-known news site." I lied again. Damn, what is this? Am I creating new problems?
"Oh... That sounds easy."
"No, it's not easy... It's very complicated!" I shook my head and looked at her seriously.
"Then why did you choose that job?" She frowned at me.
"Of course, she chose that job to always be close to Sophia." Jacob finally spoke as he approached us, then leaned against the front of the slightly worn-out red Mustang. "If I were you, I would do the same, especially since Sophia could be taken by her biological father."
"Who's her biological father?" Rachel asked enthusiastically.
Huh, now I feel even more confused. Jacob shouldn't have brought up Sophia's biological father.
"Victoria, you have to tell me!" Rachel tapped my arm again.
"Um... no... I mean... It's not because of her father," I stammered. "It's just because I want to work from home. Besides, I don't want to always bother Kimberly to pick her up from kindergarten and then accompany her until I return from the café... And actually, I'm also a bit uncomfortable at the café... that's why I chose this job even though it's a bit difficult," I added, occasionally glancing at Jacob with a furrowed brow, slightly speeding up my blinking to make him understand that Rachel shouldn't know about Sophia's father.
"That makes sense!" Jacob said plainly, nodding. "Besides, you don't need to work hard for our wedding preparations..." He looks at Rachel.
"Oh, wait... Are you two engaged?" I pretended to be enthusiastic; this should divert the conversation from them talking about me and Sophia.
"Yes, he proposed to me last night," Rachel replied, showing the ring on her ring finger.
I smiled happily, then hugged her. "Congratulations!"
After a moment, I released the hug and looked at her radiant, joyful face, unable to hide her happiness, but shortly after, I realized that I couldn't use Jacob as a fake boyfriend to keep Brandon away from me.
Tin... in...
Suddenly, a sports car entered the yard, diverting our attention. I immediately stood up, looking at Brandon getting out of the car wearing sunglasses, then taking them off and hanging them in the middle of his white shirt's collar.
"Oh my God... That guy is so handsome," I heard Rachel whisper.
I just frowned, looking at him with surprise, wondering why he had to come here. I thought he was still in Portland. How did he come back soon, had he met my mother?
"Sir..." Jacob welcomed him. "Welcome to my workshop... I'm Jacob... Do you want to fix your car or buy a used car? Oh, but I guess you wouldn't like used cars. You look so wealthy." He made such an awkward greeting because he didn't know he was Sophia's father. He just knows his name but not his face.
Brandon looked at him flatly, then turned to look at me. "I came to pick up Victoria," he said.
"Oh..." Jacob looked at me. "She... She didn't tell me she was going on a date."
I immediately approached Jacob. "We're not dating. He's just my boss... I mean, he's the owner of the online shop I'm going to manage," I said.
"Really?" Now Rachel approached with her enthusiastic gaze and approached Brandon. "Sir... Do you have any opportunities for me? Like in the packing section..."
Ugh, what is this? Why is it getting even more chaotic now? I hope Brandon won't be bothered by Rachel's behavior.
"I'm not looking to hire any more employees," he said with his flat gaze, then pulled me away from Jacob. "I need to talk to my new employee," he continued, then pulled me towards his car.
I could only stay silent and follow him as he opened the door for me. We immediately got into the car, and I saw Jacob and Rachel still watching us. Maybe they are curious.
"I think you're learning to be a liar."
Those words made me turn to him as he started the car's engine and drove onto the road.
"Who is that guy? Is he your boyfriend?"
"Um..." I swallowed nervously, not knowing what to say.
"Sophia said you're only close to one guy... Named Jacob. She said he's your friend," he said, occasionally glancing at me. "And the guy just now is named Jacob. I don't think he's acting like your boyfriend."
I let out a frustrated breath and turned my face away. "He's not my boyfriend... I'm just a liar....now You know. You shouldn't keep being with a liar like me," I said angrily, covering up my embarrassment for being caught lying now.
"Well... Why do you have to lie? Am I so dangerous that you use all sorts of lies to make me not want to get close to you anymore?" He wondered, and I was too lazy to answer. "And Actually, I still don't understand why you choose to suffer alone instead of trusting that I can handle everything... 5 years is not a short time... I can't forget how much I regret those 5 years spent suffering while we expected to be happy together..."
"It's because of your mother." I stopped him and looked at him seriously. "You should understand me and not keep blaming me. Don't judge me... You don't know what happened, you don't know what she did to me... You don't know what it's like to be me!"
"How do I know if you're just hiding all the injustices you've been receiving?" He asked again. "I know my mother has been so cruel to you and maybe you see her as a monster or a bomb that will destroy you... But you should use your trust in me to fight it, not give up, and finally our child and I suffer."