8: His Intention

Liam's POV

I felt like a little child, terrified by a scary movie, when my gaze met hers. I never expected that the Olivia I knew was the same Olivia Peters who had borne him.

At first, upon discovering the truth, I thought it was merely a coincidence because she was known as Smith. But today's encounter proved me wrong, it wasn’t just a coincidence; it was reality. She is the same as Jumia's mother, a reality that struck me real hard.

It hurt to realize that I had come with a different motive, and now she was calling me a liar. I had arrived despite all doubts, just to see this little kid I was so fond of. I thought that honoring his request to see me would make him happy and also give me the opportunity to meet the lovely woman who had given birth to such a smart, adorable child; only to find out that it was her.

I stormed out of the house, devastated that she had sent me away without even waiting to hear my side of the story. Instead, she went as far as denying that I wasn’t the father of the child. My heart twisted a thousand times as I sat in the car, my thoughts drifting back to the information I had just received from the principal's office.

If Jumia was actually four years old and Olivia’s son, then the reality was that she had carried him in her womb before our separation. So why was she denying me the chance to know that I had a son? I felt a slight restraint as memories of four years ago resurfaced; memories that had haunted me endlessly. I had searched for her relentlessly, wanting to plead for another chance, and now that I had found her, I wasn’t going to back down. I would fight to get her and her son back, no matter the cost, even though it’s an uphill battle.

My heart quickened when a sudden sting tugged at my chest. Fiona might be right after all. She had only confessed that the pictures were fabricated just to escape again after I caught her cheating? The memories came flooding back. Those pictures had been real, and from all indications and inspections, they had never seemed fake.

So it’s true… Olivia actually cheated?

No. But this child bore a resemblance to me. However, the saying that children often took after whoever their mother hated while pregnant tugged at my heart, sending cold chills down my spine.

Olivia had been with this Peter all along while still staying with me as my wife. No wonder she had a change of name so easily. The thought of such a possibility stung my heart like a bullet, taking me almost a few minutes to regain composure as I gradually drove out of the house.

“There is only one way to uncover the real truth; a DNA test,” I whispered to myself. But how do I go about that?

My phone rang, startling me. I had to pull over to pick up the call, gathering myself when I saw the caller ID; Dad.

I knew I was in for another long ride after some investors pulled out of the company due to the scandals. And to think Dad believed I was responsible for all of it had left me miserable these past two days.

“Hel…” I trailed off as he cut in, just as I had anticipated.

“To think I once believed in your abilities is just overwhelming. You are worthless, and I can't sit back and watch you bring the company I labored to build all these years to bankruptcy,” he yelled.

“But Dad…” I started, but my words faded as I swallowed the hurt of his harsh words.

“Effective immediately, I relieve you of your position till further notice. And don't bother coming near the company or my house. You are not worthy to be called my first son,” he continued before hanging up.

I felt tears well up in my eyes, my heartbeat accelerated, pounding wildly at his words. I had never expected things to spiral out of control like this in just a week, and it all started the moment I met Olivia again.

Was this fate’s way of punishing me for my past misdeeds, or was someone deliberately setting me up? Could it be Dominic? I had no rivals, no known enemies; no one to suspect. My heart quickened, and in a surge of rage, I sped off to Dominic’s mansion.

When I got there, he wasn't at home, so I left after dropping a message. I felt engrossed in my own pain to even think about the earlier events of the day. Why would he go to such an extent to scandalize my reputation just to get what he had always wanted?

I sat down on the couch moments later after a long drive with a glass of wine in my hands to calm my rage when my phone beeped. I set it aside, but when I glanced at the screen and realized who was calling, I picked it up, and my rage surged afresh, lighting up my heart again.

“I never did any of those things, even though I knew how incompetent you were as the first son. I know I always needed a part of the company as mine, but I couldn’t possibly stoop so low as to scandalize you. Though, I would give whoever did that a thumbs up.”

“Liar…”

Ding!

The call ended. He dared hang up the call on me? He surely had grown wings and I never knew all these while. My gaze flared at the screen and then back to the glass of wine in my hands. A devilish smirk formed at the corner of my lips as I winced in pain.

“This guy thinks he could possibly get away with this? Not a chance!” I whispered to myself, obviously raging, when another beep sounded from my phone. Without a second glance at the screen, I screamed.

“You think you can get away with this? Not a chance, you will definitely….”

“Uncle Nice?” His little voice tugged at me. My heart suddenly felt cold as chills ran down my spine. I pulled the phone away from my ear to check the ID. Gosh! I bit my lower lip, after  identifying the number.

“I’m so sorry, little one, I didn’t know it was you,” I pleaded, my once devastated heart taking a swift, twisted turn.

“Alright, Uncle, are you in a bad mood?” he inquired. I could imagine his face, sketched with concern.

“Not at all, Uncle is in a good mood speaking with you,” I assured him.

“Alright, I just called to say I’m sorry for everything that happened today. Maybe Mum wasn’t in a good mood. I promise to make it up to you tomorrow, but I have only one request.”

“Aww! You don’t need to apologize. Uncle understands everything,” I reassured his tender heart. The innocence in his voice tugged at me. He was tender and knew nothing about what had happened.

“What’s your request?” I asked, a visible smile on my face, as though he were close enough to see the glint.

“Alright, my request is that you come visit me tomorrow at school when you pick up your child during closing hours.”

“That would be nice,” I replied, feeling raised in my spirit. It was actually the perfect time to execute my plans….