CHOOSING BETWEEN TRUTH AND FAMILY!

“What if you find out that you're pregnant?”

The question sank deeper than it should be, slicing her thoughts in pieces that left her praying inwardly with words of rejection. Janice squeezed her eyes shut to dismiss any positive thoughts surrounding that suspicion.

"I won't force that thought in me, Dian. I'll never wish to be pregnant with Nelson's child." Janice declared, her voice firm and resolute.

She remembered the pains she had passed through during her first child birth. She remembered the few times that Nelson's love began to dwindle, unknown to her that another woman was in the picture.

She foolishly used to trust him whenever he complained of the stress at work. She lost her first baby. She expected Nelson to cry along with her, but he seemed unbothered. Even with that, she kept on persuading him to let her have a second baby, but he refused the idea, claiming that he hates seeing her in pain. She had to normalise taking contraceptives just as a woman who's done with child bearing.

Well, the era of wanting to have a child for him has passed.

She doesn't want anything that will constantly reflect his image in her life.

“Hey, are you okay?” Dian suddenly whispered, waving her hands around Janice's face to jolt her out of her thoughts.

"By the way, have you heard anything about the Lancaster's Corporation in California? Are they still looking for partnership? I saw it somewhere in the recent news." Janice asked, trying to switch the discussion to another topic.

"Yeah. But what I heard recently is even more devastating. The President of the group was involved in some fraudulent activities that has caused the company to almost fold up. Now, they're no longer looking for partnership, but they're placing it out on sale. But I'll make more inquiries." Dian replied.

"Wow! Please, don't hesitate to do the research. I really need to make the investment.” Janice huffed with her lips twitched in a smile.

"It's quite unfortunate. But it's to my own advantage. You know what, just remind me to discuss this in a better way once we get home. It will be bad if I miss this opportunity." Janice suggested, her voice calm and steady.

“I'm sure your guest must have started getting exhausted from waiting for you,” said Dian.

Mr Lucas had been seated for almost thirty minutes before Janice walked into the restaurant at 3:00 pm.

The contemptuous and flippant look he wore melted away as soon as he sets his eyes on her, but he flinched instantly to replace it with a calm expression before meeting her gaze.

"You look stressed, Ms. Capuno.” He commented, his voice laced with a tinge of mockery as he curled his lips.

“Is that how much you fear my wrath now? Because the Janice I knew before now would never inconvenience herself in this kind of condition just to honour a meeting." He scoffed.

“You think so?”

“I don't fear humans, Lucas. I can only fear an alien. Or…are you one?” Janice scoffed back, her voice devoid of fear with an unreadable expression.

Lucas's face darkened immediately. The anger he had been trying to suppress seemed to be threatened by this statement. He shook his head and bit his lower lips, keeping his fist clenched in his palms to suppress the urge to do what he might regret.

"About the deal with the Smiths Corporation, why did you ask me to pause?" He suddenly breaks the silence.

"It's nothing serious. Just that I have a better proposal for you if you really intend to invest in the textile and manufacturing industry." Janice admitted, her voice firm and resolute while she kept her eyes fixed on him without a flinch.

The unfazed look on her face only reminded him of her strong determination in the past–an attitude which had earned her great respect.

He flinched so as to dismiss the thoughts of their past as he curled his lips in a wicked smirk. "Janice, are you trying to play tricks on me?"

Instantly , his expression got replaced with a deadly glare, and before Janice would reply, he stretched his hands across the table and held her wrist tightly, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

Janice wanted to withdraw from his painful grip, but it was too tight, and she knows screaming will only draw the attention of other occupants towards them.

Besides that, Lucas was so smart, so he ensured to maintain a faint smile across his lips, that nobody would suspect him to be hurting or threatening her.

"Oh, you think I don't know that you're married to Mr. Nelson Smith, huh?" He raised his brows.

Those words sent chills running down Janice's spine. “How did he manage to know that I'm married?" She cursed under her breath, yet she still managed to pull herself together before his eyes caught her fragile face.

"Tell me, Isn't Nelson the main reason why you never cared about what we shared in the past? You chose to abandon me in prison to get married, Janice!” He snapped, hitting his hands on the table.

“For your information, Janice. I have been following up with your life since when I left the prison. And for your husband, you'll only be deceiving yourself if you think that I don't know all the evil atrocities committed by him and Smith's family that he's concealing with his money!”

Janice widened her eyes. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she could only gasp.

“I'm finally here Janice. I'm here to make sure that I bring down that man that made you abandon me. And when I'm done with him, then I start with you." Lucas threatened before releasing her wrist with an evil smirk.

“So, tell me, why do you think I would be so stupid to believe a wife who used to worship her husband like a god is now interested in turning me against adding value to her husband's success?” he asked.

"We're divorced now, Lucas.

Nelson and I are no more. So, you need to believe me!

"If you need evidence, this might explain better." She argued, taking out a copy of their divorce from her bag and slammed it on the table.

"And for the investment, I'm planning to relocate to California. I heard that the Lancaster's are putting up their textile and manufacturing company for sale, so I intend to buy it and I think it'll be great if we can partner together. What do you think, Lucas?” Janice proposed.

The silence from Lucas as his eyes scanned every alphabet on the divorce papers only deepened her fears.

He raised his brows, slightly drawing his dark glasses up after hearing her submission. "I still don't trust the divorce, Mrs. Capuno. Besides, you can't bribe my intentions with a partnership. I'm here for revenge and nothing can stop me from doing that.” Lucas countered.

"I'm not trying to bribe you, Lucas!" She argued.

"Then what are you trying to do?" He asked.

"It's because I still..." Janice stopped midway and swallowed painfully, closing her eyes to avert his dangerous gaze.

Once Lucas noticed the fear in her, he loosened his tight face with a faint smile. "Because you still love me?" He raised his brows

"I never said so." Janice objected.

Lucas couldn't take his eyes off her slinky pink lips which never fails to accentuate her stunning beauty. Even though it's been years of them being apart, he never fails to blush and feel a wave of relief whenever he sets his eyes on those defined features that she's endowed with.

"So, can we call it a deal now?" Janice asked, her mind racing back and forth.

"Not so fast, Ms Capuno." Lucas cut in.

"Wait, are you trying to use me to get back at a husband that betrayed you while you also avert my anger?" He added, raising his brows.

Janice flinched and remained silent, different thoughts running helter-skelter down her mind.

"Even if I agree with your proposal, it has to come with a price." Lucas declared.

"Fine. What is your price?" Janice replied casually, her mind skipping as she prayed earnestly for his request not to have any connection with the past.

“Are you afraid already?” He scoffed at her silence, rolling his eyes from her head to her toe as if trying to see through her heart.

“I want nothing but the truth about your evil father. Are you ready to testify against him?” he finally announced.