“Hello, Minerva.”
Those words were a nightmare to her. She blinked once, twice. Minerva made sure she wasn’t dreaming all along. That Rhea’s lustful husband was just three meters away from her.
“Hi.” That was all she managed to say. She inhaled the perfume he was wearing. But to no avail, it was pretty much putrid to her senses. It wasn’t that fragrant and redolent, especially when the one who’s wearing the perfume is a devil in a man’s clothes.
“Hello, hon!” Rhea’s voice was as jovial as ever, making Minerva on the verge of vomiting in the middle of this conversation—if this can be called a conversation.
The man, William, looked at her…perhaps more than that. Minerva felt like she was being undressed by just a mere gaze of this man.
“Perhaps you wanna join us for lunch, Minerva?” That was more like a statement and invitation rather than just a plain question.
Rhea looked at her, then to William, then back to her. Her so-called mother was about to open her mouth when Minerva spoke first.
Rhea’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.
“I would love to. But, I still have to fetch Derrick’s remaining things at his former home. Perhaps I’ll just take my meal to a local diner.”
William’s right brow hoisted, but his face eventually shifted into a ‘gentleman’ kind of expression.
“As much as I would like to give the entirety of my condolences in the form of a lunch meal, I was astonished that you were still as simple as ever, Minerva.”
Minerva could see Rhea’s cheeks were stained with red due to rage. Her mother was just controlling herself not to slap and beat her due to William’s presence.
“You don’t have to, Mr. William. After all, you just recently said your condolences.”
She was being sarcastic. How could she not when her whore of a mother was beside her and the asshole that tore her family into pieces was just in front of her?
Well, Minerva was being ethical. Despite all the hardships she encountered and the unluckiness that visited her, she still has manners. Unlike Rhea who just married a billionaire and was already acting as if she owned the entire planet earth.
But if she were to be honest, her baby was somehow telling her to accept the offer—to have lunch with them. After all, it is the food that she will manage to enjoy, not the presence and company of these two horned devils.
“Fine, if you’re not going to have lu—”
“I changed my mind.”
Minerva surpassed Rhea’s annoying voice—and words. She smirked at the corner of her face when William turned around and Rhea was on the verge of exploding due to irritation and livid.
The two ladies followed William behind. Silence was just prevalent between them, making Minerva wholly curious on how come Rhea managed to volunteer herself and accompany her in her medical appointment.
She was sure the bitch didn’t do it wholeheartedly and out of ‘respect’. She did it as if she was forced to do so. She accompanied her in her pregnancy check-up as if she was being told to do so—paid to do so.
But, who could be paying Rhea to ‘take care’ of her? Was it William? Or was it someone else she has yet to meet?
Either way, whoever it may be, she hopes that he or she has done it with a good reason, has done it out of compassion and altruism. And Minerva has yet a mystery to solve—she has yet a secret to unravel on who the hell has been telling Rhea to help her.
***
The restaurant was echoing with revelry. The clinking of wine glass and boisterous laughter of rich people resonates in her ears. She was lucky she had dressed properly even if it wasn’t that formal.
After all, it wasn’t her apparel that made her alluring—unlike Rhea. It was her breath-taking beauty that was absolutely captivating and enchanting. She still looks beautiful even if she carries a child. She still radiates a strong sex appeal due to her hourglass-shaped body. She still looks fresh even if she had just recently experienced loss. Even if she was still in bereavement, she still manages to put on a sweet and innocent-looking smile in her porcelain face.
The food was delicious—as all high-end restaurants have. The beverage was refreshing—just don’t look at the price or else you will have a headache.
Minerva was still munching her well-done steak when she caught a glimpse of a familiar man beside their table. The man is tall. His well-built body could perhaps make any woman drop their underwear in just a glance of his naked body. His hazel eyes made him sexier. And his russet hair…it was the hair that every woman wished that they could hold a grip during a sensual intercourse.
Minerva noticed that Rhea somehow recognizes the man. It was as if she had known the handsome man for a long time.
‘Probably one of Rhea’s sex buddy…’ Minerva thought while scooping a spoonful of mashed potato to her full mouth.
She looked again at the man. He was talking to a silver-haired aged man. A business partner or a stockholder, Minerva thought.
She focused her attention back. As she was about to seize the wine glass beside her plate, she accidentally caught a glimpse of William’s face.
His face paints an unyielding expression. It was as if he was shrouded with…with jealousy. Yet, Minerva wasn’t entirely sure to which and to whom he was envious.
Minerva finishes her meal and shoves away the look on the face of William. But, she couldn’t seem to forget the handsome face of the man beside them. He was utterly and heavenly handsome. No matter how Minerva tried, his beautiful face seemed to be registered forever in her memory archive.
“Thank you very much for the lunch.” Minerva then bowed her head.
It was William who spoke this time. “It’s great to have you, Minerva. Perhaps we could expect you to eat with us again.”
“Some other time, Mr. William.” That was the truth. She cannot manage to be with these two even for the span of thirty minutes. In fact, if the steak wasn’t wholly sumptuous, she could just walk away and have her excuse that her stomach was aching.
The car of Rhea and William were just a dot in the distance now when someone tapped her by her shoulder. It was Mariella Chu.
“Glad I found you, girl! Rhea texted me you insisted on having lunch with them.”
‘Insisted? It was William who offered me to join them…’ Minerva silently thought. She then smiled at her best friend who was still wearing her nurse uniform.
“I have good news, Minnie.” Finally, there’s a bit of hope she could hear after several days of darkness in her life.
“You now have a job!”
That was not what she expected, to be frank. Still, she was happy that, finally, she now had a source of income. She can now provide for both her child and to her months of pregnancy.
“I referred you to a friend who owns a grocery store!”
“A friend?”
Mariella nodded.
“And who is this dear friend?” Minerva said with a teasing tone as if she was sensing that the owner might be Mariella’s old or current flame.
And Minerva prepared her speech of gratitude to her ever-beautiful best friend as they drove towards Derrick’s former home to get his remaining things.
***
Being a cashier is no joke.
Yes, it was not very difficult. But, it was not that simple either—especially to a pregnant woman like her, who only has herself to rely on and is due in five months’ time.
She had been working for months now in the local mall which was a walking distance from the apartment she was living in.
Her belly is indeed growing, which made it a bit more difficult to work than before.
“Next!” She grabbed first the products that the customer bought.
Then, in a reflex action, she looked through the face of the customer. Minerva was flabbergasted. She never expected that the man would have his grocery at such a normal, average-looking mall.
It was the handsome man from the restaurant.
In the four months Minerva had been pregnant, she had never been astonished as now. Her heartbeat wasn’t as fast as today. And her internal screaming was not as loud as this moment. Being a cashier made her meet random people and met former colleagues. But, the fact that a rich and handsome man like this lad was in front of her was pretty much unexpected. The man looked her in the eye as well. She’s now wholly quivering on the inside. And Minerva, whose eyes seem to have a life on its own, glared back at the handsome man.
Minerva can’t get off of the look on the face of that accountant in her mind. She exhaled, and inhaled. The passing cars of the city are a cacophony to her ears. But she guessed, this is much better than knowing the fact that her late partner left her with a bunch of debt. Not just a bunch, but a pile of stacked debts. She tried to shove those thoughts into her mind’s trash can if there is anything left to shove. She’s broke now. Well, at least financi
Darwin tried to read the letter twice. He had received this letter just an hour ago from his half-brother. He smiled as soon as his secretary handed it to him; not because it came from his estranged brother, but because it was enclosed in a smooth, gold envelope and had even a luxurious fragrance of a perfume still on it. “He badly needed my help, if this is how he gave the letter to me,” Darwin muttered as he opened it with a letter opener, the knife glinting as the fluorescent bulb cast its light onto them.Dearest Brother,
Minerva had just one big realization: Darwin Gray was the man who paid for her groceries back when she was still grieving of her father’s loss. After their dinner ‘date’ at that Chinese restaurant, she was offered to meet up in this hotel yet again; to discuss certain things that will clarify Minerva’s mind about Darwin ‘taking care’ of Minerva Miller. Minerva agreed to meet here. Not because he was anxious to know what Mr. Gray is going to discuss with her. Instead, it was because of the sumptuous food of the hotel and the luxurious drinks. The restaurant already has nice, warm, expensive interiors; how much more a specialty restaurant within a high-end hotel itself? “How long have you been here, Ms. Miller?” Minerva
“Minerva!” Before Minerva could turn around who called her, she was seized by someone who has powerful force and a well-built body. He grabbed her by the arm and brought her back to the street that almost tore her right arm apart. “What the freak are you doing? You’re gonna killed yourself and your baby!” Minerva was panting, catching for breath. She was shaking, quivering and still processing why she ended in the middle of the street in the first place earlier. “I…I—I got lost. I was so boiling in anger inside that I did not manage to think that I was already one step closer to death.”&nb
She parted her lips first. But Darwin pulled her back into his lips. Yet, she refused. “Let me talk first,” Minerva said while she was catching her breath. “No. Let me talk first,” Darwin countered. “I-I am sorry…for that. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Minnie.” Finally, Minerva smiled—a sweet, angelic one. “You did not. You just told me the truth.” He raised his hand to her lips. “I know you will be a good wife. And I will be a good father to your little one as well.”&
Minerva bounced up and down into Darwin as if she was riding a horse. She was definitely hungry for this man; yearning for his body is the precise term. “Is it okay for you and the baby?” Darwin asked as big drops of sweat flow from him, not to mention the fluid that is also flowing from inside him to Minerva’s wide opening.This is their second round now; heaven knows what has gotten to Minerva but all she knows she will set aside those debts and problems and Derrick-ness. She will focus on Darwin tonight—to him and to his body only. She did it slowly as her child was still inside her womb. Darwin also understood this and thrust slowly but surely inside her.&nb
Minerva’s body was indeed swollen due to last night’s bed session. Darwin already left for work and even gave her a sweet, wife-y kiss first before closing the door. She had been folding her apparel, ironing her undergarments, and washing his dirty clothes; like what a housewife should do. But Minerva wasn’t a housewife—not a wife either, not yet. She was only doing this as she had accepted the fact that from now on, she will be staying in this penthouse—she will be living from this moment with Darwin. She had swept the floor, washed the dishes, and even wiped some dusty things inside despite her condition. She doesn’t know why. She’s uncomfortable ju