Five Years Later

Anna felt a movement on her nose, then she felt it in her nose; her eyes popped open as she sat up suddenly. The next thing she heard was the grin on her kid's face as they laughed at the funny look on her face.  

"Jasmine! Jayden! James!" Anna exclaimed as she tried not to grin.  

"Mom, you look so funny," James said, still laughing as he pointed at her face.  

"Oh really, you want to laugh, right?" Anna said, narrowing her eyes at them.  

She pulled all three of them towards her and started to tickle them, causing them to laugh uncontrollably.  

"Now don't try that on Mom again," Anna said, laughing as she stared at them, grateful for the gift of them.   

It's been five years and in moments like this her old life feels like it didn’t have all the pain she had experienced.  

"Mom, can we call Grandma now?" Jayden asked, sitting up.  

"Yes, let's do that; it's her birthday today," James supported, sitting up too.  

"Here I brought my tab and this," Jasmine added as she pulled out a bag from the floor.  

"What is that?" Anna asked, her brows going up in question as she stared at the bag.  

Jasmine grinned; her eyes lit up with mischief as she opened the bag. She pulled out several cone birthday caps.  

"Oh, when did you get this?" Anna asked in surprise.  

"Aunt Billy helped to get them on the way back from school," Jasmine explained.  

As they placed a call to Loveth, Anna helped them tie the cap straps under their jaw, and as soon as Loveth picked up the call, they all shouted.  

"Happy birthday, Grandma."   

"Oh, oh, oh, if it isn't my three cupcakes; now this is a surprise," Loveth grinned on the screen, her eyes filled with joy.  

"Grandma, did you buy a cake?" James asked.  

"Not yet, but I will," she responded.  

"When are we going to see you again, Grandma?" Jasmine asked.  

"I will be back to see you soon, my love. How are you treating your mother?" Loveth asked.  

"Same old, always pranking me," Anna said, coming into view as she added, "Happy birthday, Loveth."  

"Thank you all, I really appreciate it," Loveth answered, her cheeky smile widening.  

"I miss you all so much," she added, her voice filled with love and warmth.  

"We miss you too, Grandma," they kids chorused.  

"Grandma Is Daddy coming back with you? Mom said you went to see Daddy," Jayden asked.  

The question hung heavily in the air as Loveth glanced at Anna, noticing the unreadable look on her face.  

Loveth laughed and waved her hand to dismiss the question as she replied, "I'm sure your dad is very busy; don't worry, he'll come check on you soon."   

"Jasmine! Jayden! James! Breakfast is ready!" Billy shouted from the living room, loud enough to echo into the room.  

"Good, right on to breakfast. I'll join you soon," Anna told them.  

"Okay, bye grandma," the kids chorused as they left the room.  

Anna sighed deeply as she picked up the tab. The concerned look on Loveth's face is already speaking to her opinion on the matter.  

"For how long is this going to continue?" Loveth asked.  

"As long as it takes, there is nothing I can tell them now; when they are much older, I'll tell them about him, but not now," Anna stated firmly.  

"I don't think this is wise, Anna. You have succeeded in keeping them in the dark because they were young, but now that they are getting older, do you think you would be able to continue?" Loveth asked.  

"I will; I have no choice," Anna responded, adding, "I have a lot going on right now at work, several projects demanding my attention."  

Loveth sighed as she replied, "Anna, I've known you for how long? Five years? The day you came into my life, when I fished you from the sea, was like an answer to a prayer. For these long years I have watched you grow into who you are today; you are strong, and I know your fear of telling them now is justified, but still, I am not asking you to tell me, you didn’t over the years, but you need…"  

Just then Anna's phone rang; she fished it from the table beside the bed, signaling to Loveth for a minute.  

"Hello?" Anna said, picking up her call.  

"Hello Anna, thank God you picked; I was already beginning to wonder what I was going to do if you did not."  

"Clayton? Is something wrong?" Anna asked, her brows drawing up in a puzzle.  

Clayton Fisher was the CEO of The Fisher Telecoms’ Systems, a team Anna consulted for in Los Angeles.  

"Well, yes, something really urgent just came up, Anna, and there is nothing we can do." Clayton replied, his voice laced with dread.  

"Is that Clayton? He is yet to call his mother on her birthday, and he is already working?" Loveth said.  

"I need you to calm down and tell me exactly what happened." Anna said.  

As she did, her door burst open, and Natasha, her friend who worked with Clayton, hurried in, a look of dread on her face too, as she said, "Have you heard what happened?"  

"What exactly happened? Can someone tell me and stop all this suspense?" Anna said, addressing Clayton and Nat at the same time.  

"It's the Parker Group, Anna," Nat whispered.  

The sound of the name had Anna's brows freezing in anger. A shiver ran down her spine, clenching her fist at her side as she focused her eyes on Nat while addressing Clayton.  

"What did you do, Clayton? Tell me it's not what I think?" Anna said.  

"What is going on?" Loveth asked  

Anna glanced at the tab as she had momentarily forgotten Loveth was still on the call.  

"What has Clayton done now? You see why I said you should work for the family company. Anna, Clayton is going to be the end of me," Loveth said, shaking her head in frustration. 

“Nothing Loveth, talk to you soon, bye, love you,” Anna said, ending the call before she could ask more questions. 

"What did you do, Clayton?" Anna asked, handing over the tab to Nat as she stood up and walked over to the window.  

"I should have listened to you, Anna. I knew the deal was too good to be true," Clayton exclaimed.  

"Tell me in clear terms exactly what you did," Anna asked.  

"They will take over the company if I can't yield enough interest to substantiate the investment." Clayton exclaimed.  

Anna rubbed her temple, closing her eyes, trying to keep calm as her anger boiled. The Parker family had ruined her life five years ago, and now they were going to do the same thing to the family she had found.  

"What do you need to do to stop it?" Anna asked.  

Anna's eyes snapped open at Clayton's response, and she glanced out the window. 'I will not let you ruin anyone around me again, she thought.  

Staring into space for a minute, she muttered, "It's time to get even."