Jonathan's POV
Rollings Designs - Early Morning
After my confrontation with Imelda and the news that's been circulating around, today was a calm day.
It has been months since I last read the paper.
Whenever I would go home, Veronica was the one who would always hand me the paper in the morning.
Anywhere else, I never read it.
Today was an exception.
Daniel.
Headline:
Daniel Staf has gotten the rights to the much talked about Blue Heart. It will remain in his private collection. Daniel Staf has said the pendant will not be sold as it's already been bought by a friend of his for his wife.
Now everyone is watching the socialite parties to see who the lucky lady is.
I exhaled as a quiet realization came to me.
Finally the Blue Heart is in the right hands.
My hand reached out to a photo frame.
It had our wedding photo, a baby photo of Janet, and a photo of my mother.
"Mom, when Veronica comes back I'll fulfil what I promised."
"Your daughter-in-law will wear the gems you left for her."
"I know for now I've lost you,"
"But I will win your love and trust again."
The past seven years I kept thinking like a businessman.
Thinking, calculating, sorting.
But from now on I'll only do what my heart tells me to.
Flashback
Veronica is serving drinks at the party.
One guest is mocking her.
"Veronica, I really feel bad seeing such a beautiful woman like you serving like this."
He leans closer in.
"Come be my woman, I can't give you status, but money…"
Imelda and I walked over.
Another guest laughed.
"Veronica, say yes. It's your blessing to be a mistress of such a rich man. Even if your husband was alive, he could never give you–"
Imelda cut his words midway.
"Why are you all bothering with a server?"
"Go serve the guests over there."
"Yes Ms. Imelda."
Veronica didn't once look up.
Present
I exhaled.
A small pathetic laugh slipped my lips.
"She knew even if I was looking, I wouldn't do anything."
"At that time getting the Blue Heart and fulfilling Imelda's request for Adrian was all that I thought of."
"I kept thinking once this is over, I'll explain to her and we'll be back."
"I should have seen the years going by. I should have told her sooner."
"I should have protected her."
Adrian's POV
Summerville School - Morning
The teacher handed out new books and left the class to get some chalk.
I was writing my name when two boys came over to me.
"Rollings?" The boy said. "My father said, you're not a Rollings."
"Yeah, he's not your father." The other one said.
"Mr. Rollings is a very intelligent businessman. He strikes deals in minutes." The boy said.
"No wonder his real daughter Janet Rollings always topped the class." The boy continued.
"You must have gone on your father. A loser." The other boy said.
"Adrian's father is a loser."
They began to chant and soon the class followed them.
"Quiet," the teacher yelled as she came back.
"How rude of you all. Look at yourselves. Is this the education you're getting from here?
"Rather than worrying who's his father, I suggest you all think about how your exams are going to be."
Ever since the news got released I'm not dad's son, my friends all left me.
I told mom but she said it's a phase.
It'll pass.
Flashback
I ran over and hugged dad's leg. He instantly picked me up and kissed me.
I was so happy but the next moment he put me down and began talking to his guests.
I also saw Janet looking at the pastries before going back to the kitchen.
She often used to come with her mother.
That same party I saw dad going to back holding a plate with two pastries.
I followed him.
He held Janet in his lap and hand fed her. He kept kissing her on her forehead.
He swirled her in the air.
Then said, "I have to go or mommy will get angry."
Present
I remember that day when I was fighting with Jenny, her father Daniel came over.
He accidentally pushed me, but when he heard I was Imelda's son, he immediately picked me up.
The worry in his eyes, I never saw that in dad's eyes for me.
But when the principal said Rollings is my dad, he turned cold.
"If everyone says dad isn't my dad, then who is?"
"Could Daniel be my father?"
"He's the only one who looked at me like that."
"No." I said in a cold voice. "Both looked cold at me. Dad and Daniel…don't want me."
Jonathan's POV
Summerville School - Lunch Break
"Why did his teacher call me all of a sudden?"
I was speaking to myself as I was on my way to Adrian's school.
"Before he used to trouble Janet, but ever since they left, he's been doing well."
I looked up as I had arrived at the gate of the school.
I exhaled.
Today is my first time to come here after they left.
I barely entered the office,
Adrian's teacher began to rant on and on.
"Mr. Rollings," she said, looking really cross.
"I don't care what's going on in your personal life, but can you please keep it away from your son."
"If you would calm down and talk, perhaps I would know why you called me."
"Mr. Rollings," Principal Claude came running over.
He looked at the teacher.
"Why didn't you tell me you're calling Mr. Rollings?"
"I didn't have to before?"
"Before he was," he looked at me.
"Mr. Rollings, sorry to have disturbed you."
"It's okay. Even though things have turned out this way. Adrian is whom I saw grow up in front of me."
"I don't want what happened today to happen again."
"Can I rest assured of this?"
"Mr. Rollings, don't worry I'll personally look into the matter."
"Thank you," I said, relieved.
"I'd like to talk to Adrian, can you call him?"
Claude looked at the clock.
"I know it's his class time,"
"Sure."
After a few minutes Claude brought Adrian over and left us alone.
"Dad!"
His eyes went from bright to empty.
"Sorry, Uncle Jonathan. You called."
I pulled him over and made him sit on my lap.
"Adrian, why did you call me Uncle?"
"I heard grandpa scolding mother."
"He said, 'All you had to do was keep him. Now look, even though his daughter Janet isn't here, she's still being called his daughter and the son for whom I made it possible, Adrian is again without a father."
I pulled him in my embrace.
"Are you really not my dad?"
"Are you really Janet's father?"
Tears began rolling down his cheeks.
"Then…do you hate me for troubling Janet?"
"I'll say sorry to her, okay…please don't leave me."
I exhaled.
"Yes, I am Janet's father."
"Remember when I told you never to lie?"
"Yes!"
"I won't also,"
"I was upset because I couldn't console her when she needed her father,"
"I was upset on seeing your behaviour,"
"The only time I was angry with you..,"
"Was when you made her eat the pastry,"
"I told you she's allergic yet–"
"Mother said if I make her eat,"
My heart practically stopped on hearing that.
"They'll stop troubling you," she said.
"But I didn't know she would go to the hospital and…you're her father not mine."
"Adrian, not as your father,"
"But I'll always be there for you."
"Where's Janet?"
"I'll say I'm sorry."
"I don't know where she is, but you don't have to say sorry."
"Just treat her like your sister, can you?"
"Yes, when she comes back, I'll make her forget all the wrongs I did and make her like me."
"Okay," I said.
"Go on to your class."
"Okay, bye…"
"You can call me dad."
"Dad!"
He came running over, hugged me and ran out.
As Adrian left, Claude came inside.
"Mr. Rollings, is this a good idea?"
"He's innocent,"
"He shouldn't bear from the bad his mother caused others."
Rollings Designs - Later on in the day
"Mr. Rollings," a staff member came walking inside.
"You told to keep an eye on Adrian,"
"...I think you should see this."
Ever since I found out Adrian isn't mine,
I've lost trust in Imelda.
If she can use her own child for her own revenge..
Now that she's losing that grip,
I can't trust Adrian's care with her.
He placed a USB drive on the desk.
I plugged it in.
CCTV Footage
Adrian is playing with his train.
Imelda walks in and kneels to his level.
She asked about the school incident and he told her detail by detail.
"So he allowed you to call him dad."
"Good, Adrian listen to mother,"
"Continue behaving the way you did with your father,"
"I'll also do the same,"
"Once I get married to him, we'll be a family of three."
"Four," Adrian said innocently.
"What?"
"Dad has a daughter," he said.
"Janet is his daughter, if you marry dad, then Janet will be my sister."
Imelda slapped Adrian.
"How dare you call her your sister."
Then she grabbed him by his arm.
"Continue staying with Dad."
"This way he'll forget he ever had a daughter."
"If you fail, I'll send you to your loser father, understand."
"And Mr. Rollings," he continued.
"Ever since Mr. Staf got the rights for the Blue Heart,"
"Fredrick has been shifting his tactics."
"Give details if you have any,"
"I don't want assumptions."
"He's shifting his alliances,"
"He just canceled alliances with Sanders, and the east side parties…"
"They've canceled their contracts with him…"
"They say his character isn't worthy to work with them."
"Looks like some people still know what values mean."
"He also told me to convey a message to you Mr. Rollings,"
"Go on then,"
He paused.
Seemed hesitant.
"What? Did he tell you he'll deal with me?"
"No, Mr. Rollings," he continued.
"He said to tell you, 'You'll still need me."
I laughed out loud on hearing that.
"I need him?"
"He was the one who needed me,"
"He really knows how to twist facts around."
"One more thing Mr. Rollings,"
"Can you stop telling in installments?"
"Last thing Mr. Rollings,"
He placed some receipts on the desk.
"Mrs. Veronica sold her jewelry, paintings…"
"Details,"
"Like her jewelry," he said.
"All of it got sold for eight thousand, only a pearl earring set, it got sold for nine hundred thousand."
I laughed inside. Jonathan Rollings wife and all she had over the past seven years sold for eight thousand dollars.
I remember the pearl earrings.
Imelda didn't like them because one of them had a chip.
I casually told her to keep them.
I didn't know she really kept them.
"Continue."
"She also had a few paintings with her, I don't know which ones, but she sold them for another fifty thousand."
He trailed off a bit.
"She deposited all of the cash to your account and only took with her the thousand dollars that was in her own account."
"That's all,"
I waved my hand, gesturing to him to leave.
I leaned back into my chair.
She planned before leaving.
She helped me begin my business.
She left supporting me, going with nothing again.
I knew she gave five hundred to the taxi guy,
That meant she only had five hundred with her when she left me.
He also left a file for me to check.
I was shocked when I saw the content.
According to the file, Sanders acted under instructions he got from his uncle Fredrick.
Blue Heart never went to Sanders by coincidence.
Frederick created the coincidence.
He had Clara forge the ownership and forced Daniel to part with the pendant.
"It was never a negotiation to begin with. I was only being moved as he wanted."
It was late at night, the stars were twinkling in the sky.
I was once again…back at the office.
I leaned back into my chair.
I kept rolling my wedding ring on my finger.
I recalled how my colleagues and clients would ask why I was wearing such a simple band.
I said it belonged to my father…
Reality was…
I was waiting for the time when I could tell this simple band is the symbol of my and my wife Veronica's love.
I leaned forward.
"Veronica, when you come back, I will repay everything that I owe you."
"And this time I won't let you leave me…ever again."