Chapter 4

“And I would like to announce the best student “Elara Blare, M.”

The crowd erupted.

Elara stood up from among the students. It had been five years since she left for Europe with Mark. She looked different , radiant , confident and happy.

She grabbed the microphone and sighed.

“I would like to thank my godfather, Mr. Mark,” she said, her voice full of emotion. “He has been a great inspiration. He has motivated me and taken care of me, and I truly appreciate it.”she said, her voice full of emotion .

“Then, my little five-year-old son, Daniel. I have always been busy; I barely gave him time, but he never complained. And lastly, all my fellow students for this year,” she concluded.

She concluded and stepped back.

The crowd erupted again.

Elara collected her degree and took pictures.

This moment meant everything.

When the ceremony was over, outside the hall she went to Mark.

He hugged her. “I am so proud to call you my daughter. I bet John is proud of you too and the graduation gown looks good on you.”

She nodded.

“I hope this is your last degree,” he said with a teasing smile.

“Of course,” she replied, smiling. “This is my last one. I want to make time for my son as well. He has barely seen me these past few months. And speaking of which, where is he?”

“He has gone with Julian to buy ice cream,” Mark said.

“Julian booked a flight for me ?”, and she asked, her face full of surprise “Of course he had to, it's your special day!” Mark replied to her Camly

Suddenly, Daniel came running and hugged Elara tightly. Julian followed him behind with a gentle smile.

“Congratulations, Mami!” he said.

“Oh, thank you, my little angel,” she replied with a smile .

Daniel looked exactly like Victor, but it was a topic she wasn’t ready for, and no one dared to mention it.

“You said my name,” Daniel said happily.

“Of course I did,” she smiled. “I forgot to talk about you, baby. And from today onwards, we are going to spend more time together and watch more movies.”

Daniel jumped happily.

Julian came up and said, “Congratulations Elara .”

She nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s your special day I had to.” Elara nodded in agreement , greatly felt loved by these two strangers who had changed her life for the better.

Ever since she had agreed to leave with Mr. Mark, he helped her through her pregnancy journey. He comforted her whenever she was breaking down and took her for antenatal care. After giving birth, she continued with her studies.

Her stepmother had denied her the chance to go to school while she sent her own daughter abroad. But now Elara had two degrees, gained through hard work.

Everyone was really proud of her.

And most especially, she had a daddy she never knew she wanted, and a friend in Julian, Mark’s only son.

They had a small family celebration. During the celebration, Mark spoke.

“Since we are all here now, I would like to say this…”

Elara looked at him anxiously as she poured water for Daniel.

“I was thinking of you going back with Julian to help him out. He is very busy, and I wonder how he even found time to come today.”

Elara’s heart sank. She was not planning to return and had never thought of going back to her homeland. She didn’t want to face her past.

Julian looked at her and fully understood.

“Dad, if this is about me, I can manage the two companies for now,” Julian said.

“No, you can’t,” Mark replied. “You need help.”

Elara sighed. She didn’t want to go against his simple request, but she wasn’t prepared. It came as a blow.

“Okay, my child,” Mark said. “I know you need time to think about it, so I am giving you all the time you need.”

Elara nodded. It was true she needed time.

After dinner, she went home with her son. They lived in a nice apartment.

“You need to freshen up,” she told him.

The little boy didn’t argue and went straight to the bathroom. Elara helped him, and as she dried his hair, she looked at him and saw Victor’s face but she brushed the thought away like a plague.

She continued drying his hair, and afterward the two of them went into the living room to watch movies. It had been a long time since they spent time like this, as she was always busy studying.

A week later, Mark came to visit them.

At her apartment, she welcomed him inside.

“Are you fine?” he asked.

“Yes, I am,” Elara replied.

“Shall I get you anything?” she asked.

“Of course, you know me, I can't even visit my daughter. I don't ask for delicious coffee,” he replied with a smile.

Elara grinned. “Alright, I’ll make one for you. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

She stepped away, and soon she was back with the coffee in hand.

“Thank you for the coffee,” he said warmly as Elara sat next to him.

He added, “About what I asked you a week ago it’s okay, but ”

Elara cut him off. “I will do it! I will go back. I will take over that company as the CEO.”

Mark was shocked by the sudden change in her mind. “What made you change your mind so easily?”

She sighed and said, “I realized that all these years I have been fighting to move on and I did but at that moment, I wasn’t prepared for it. And if I have healed, I should face my past without any fear. Since they think I died, I will go with a different name, Zara Williams ”

Besides, Mark had done so much for her to deny his request just because of her own personal matters.

Mark smiled. “That’s perfect, my child. I will book the tickets for you.”

Then she looked at him. “Will you be fine alone? Who will remind you to take your pills every day?”

“Come on, Elara,” he said lightly. “I will be just fine.”

Elara sat on the plane with Daniel. They were going back.

But she wasn’t returning just as Elara she was going back as Zara William , the CEO.

Elara landed with her son, and they were picked up by Julian at the airport, ready to begin her new life as CEO.