Chapter 2

Timothy POV

Seated in a board meeting and dealing with investor concerns, my cellphone rang. 

Mind you, I never took calls during meetings but the caller ID...

Why was she calling? 

The conference room became silent. The president of the Rice corporation was about to take a call and he demanded all silence. 

"My instructions were clear, weren't they?"

"Sorry to bother you, Mr Chase. We have a problem," Suzanne, one of my employees, said from the other end. 

"Speak!" 

"I'm afraid sir, but it looks like your confidential status has been compromised. Jane Doe might have found out your identity."

"What!" I exclaimed.

Finding my feet, I moved to a corner of the room and from the 50th floor of the skyscraper, and through the glazed window, I saw the busy streets of Dhuran city. But I was too bothered to care. 

"How is this possible?"

"I caught her sneaking around some property purchase documents...but I was quick to take them away," she explained.

Fuck! 

It was reckless to leave sensitive documents in that apartment but I hadn't expected she would go sneaking around. 

"Did she get a name?" I probed.

"I'm not sure, sir."

My patience was already growing thin. What did she mean by she is not sure?

"Well, find out; and if she did find a name, I expect you to tender a  resignation letter first thing tomorrow."

All eyes were on me as I settled back to my seat. Of course they were scared because I had just threatened to fire Suzanne. And the same fate could befall anybody in the room.

The meeting dragged on with investors pouring out their concerns, but it eventually came to an end. 

Suzanne understood how important this was and she had one task to do. But now she was coming up with excuses. 

Tucked in the back seat of a lemo, all I did was hope that Jane Doe had no knowledge of who I was. At least for Suzanne's sake, who was about to lose her job. 

Arriving at my medical establishment, the chief doctor lowered his head.

"How is she?" I asked.

The doctor's smile faltered as he led me to the room holding Mrs Williams, a woman I held dear. 

There she was; the faint rise and fall of her chest and her skin pale, she was going to die unless I did something.

"She isn't looking good..we need those babies else we might—"

"Enough!" I barked.  

I was tired of all the negative energy surrounding the treatment. My adopted mother lay sick and was dying. Medical examinations showed she suffered from a rare condition and a child whose marrow had a certain DNA was required to engineer a successful treatment.

I understood the delicate situation but right now, I was not in need of pessimism.

"You will have the babies as soon as possible," I added.

After leaving the medical facility, I found my way to the penthouse. It was my safe haven, the only place I didn't have to worry about the problems of life and I soon lay on my bed, the suits still on my body as I was too lazy to take them off. 

Then Suzanne's call came in.

Finally! 

"Speak!"

"I just confirmed it. Jane Doe has no knowledge of your identity. All she saw was "Tim." Nothing else."

Tim was the short form of Timothy. But how certain was Suzanne that Jane Doe wouldn't cross the dots to figure the name, my full name: 

Timothy Chase.

"Mr Chase, are you still there?"

"You should thank the heavens. One more thing. As a precaution, all cellphones and access to the internet should be restricted until further notice."

Why care so much about my identity?

Well, this was because Jane Doe, who goes by the name Teresa Sawyer, was not an ordinary individual. She was previously married to Thomas Wilder, a man I hated and who happens to be my step-brother. 

We hadn't spoken for years so he was kind of dead to me, at least until I found out that the Surrogate mother was previously engaged to him. And it was already late to call it quits because a delayed treatment would endanger the life of my Mrs Williams. So, I decided to conceal my identity and I had done a good job, at least I like to think so.

The next day at the office, while I glanced through the company's annual profits, my attention went straight to Thomas. After twenty-two years of not crossing paths, I had not believed we would one day see each other and all I felt was resentment because Thomas and his mother, my step mother, were the most unkind people I ever crossed paths with; all thanks to the father who remarried soon after the death of my birth mother.

Back at my penthouse, just as the automatic door slid open, I met the most unexpected individual.

Red lips, dark hair, and a somewhat pointed nose; perched on my bed, her legs crossed so as to expose her already naked thighs.

How the fuck did she get in?

"I should probably change my locks since you haven't lost the other passwords," I said.

Then, she swayed and reached for my tie, and she began to play with my chin, like she always did. But today was not that day. 

"Why hold back?" She whispered.

"So what brings you here this late?"

If my memory served me right, the last time we spoke was a month ago. At the time, she told me of her preparations for an audition in Italy, and how hard it was to become famous. So, I was more interested in what had brought her to Dhuran even though I could guess what it was.

"Can't I visit my man?"

"Don't fool yourself, Jessica. You can do better."

Jessica could be quite dramatic but I knew her far too well to play such games with me. 

"How much do you need this time?" I said.

"Does it always have to be about money?" 

"How much?" I demanded. I was in no mood for drama as I had a lot on my mind.

"Ten million."

On my cellphone, I pulled up my bank app and the transfer took barely a few seconds.

"Done, Tobias would see you out."

I saw the look on her face; she wasn't quite pleased with my dismissal. But it was what it is.

"When are you ever going to come watch me perform, I have a concert coming up next week." Her arms wrapped my waist, I felt how vulnerable she was even for an upcoming artist.

"You know I don't like public appearances."

She contemplated. "You don't like public appearances, or you are just afraid of the stigma. You need to forgive—"

"Enough!" I barked.

I was not about to be reminded of my terrible past because in addition to giving me up for adoption, my dad went the extra length of changing my last name to my mother's maiden name: Chase. 

This, he claimed, was his way of protecting me from the cruelty of his new family. But even if that were true, the damage had already been done because I was subsequently termed "illegitimate" by the adoption homes. 

It was painful, for I had to deal with the stigma of being termed a 'bastard' even though I wasn't one. But Mrs Williams later took me in and I emerged stronger. But now she lay in a sick bed, the life draining out of her; and Jessica was here to ruin my already bad day but I wasn't going to let it happen.

"If there's nothing else, Tobias would take you home."

**** Six Months later******

"Sir, we are at the hospital. The twins are in good shape but…" Gia said from the other end of the line. 

I had expected his call because today, of all days, was the due date.

"But what?" I demanded.

"We can't find the Surrogate mother." 

"What! What do you mean you can't find the Surrogate mother."

"The midwives have no knowledge of her whereabouts. Sir, it appears she took off," Gia revealed.

Without collecting her remaining payment? This was certainly crazy. 

But then, it wasn't just the money. There was something different about her.

"Find her. She is somewhere in the hospital. Exhaust all means because I want her found."