FIVE YEARS FROM LEAVING HOME...
"Happy birthday darlings." She places a spongebob cake in front of them.It's a Saturday so everyone is at home, there is no school nor work and she has the best surprise planned for her children.Maya claps excitedly and blows the candles out.Miles grumbles. "Come on, you don't get to blow it out on your own."Maya stands up and stretches to her full height, looking down at him. "What did you say?"Mika laughs. She has been terrorizing her brother ever since she became conscious enough to do so. And it happens every single one of their birthdays since they were two years old.She cuts slices of the cake for them both and relights a candle on Miles's slice so he can also blow it out.He closes his eyes deeply, clasping his hand together before blowing out the fire.Mika tilts her head and watches him. "What did you just do?""My friend told me that before blowing out the light on a cake, you can make a wish."Mika chuckles and sits down beside him. "What was your wish?"He chuckles. "That you get a new husband and a daddy for us. Someone that will love us."Mika smiles empathetically but not completely surprised, very aware that they have wanted that since as young as they have been. "Don't worry, your wish just might come to pass someday.""Mummy, where is our Daddy?" Maya suddenly asks between a bite of cake."Your Dad is... very busy at New York. He has to work and send us money so he works very hard." She smiles while lying through her teeth. "I have a surprise for you both..." She suddenly goes, trying to change the topic. She suddenly whips out three tickets from behind her. "We have an exclusive trip to that amusement park you have always wanted to go."Both of them laugh excitedly, kicking their cake aside. "Let's go... Let's go.""After you get dressed, now come on."Taking care of two very very outspoken kids is not easy work and it's not for the weak but neither is Mika weak.In less than an hour, they arrive at the amusement park and go on as many rides as they possibly can, eating a lot of cotton candy and sweets. She gives them a cheat day but not too much so she won't suffer along with them when they have to visit the restroom every two minutes.After riding for the Pirate ship for the fifth time in a row, she gets down dizzy. Miles breaks off from her hands and runs off.Startled, she grabs Maya and holds her with her right hand while looking for Mile and calling his name. She suddenly sees him not far away, clutching a cotton candy in his hand and a smile on his face. She stops in front of him and shakes him slightly, still yet to calm down from the sudden adrenaline rush. "You just can't run off at the amusement park. What if I didn't find you? Where did you go and how did you get a cotton candy?" She takes it away from him and looks over it but it's only his eaten part that looks abnormal."I met a man and he bought it for me. I told him it was my birthday. He gave me as much gift."Maya frowns beside Mika.Mika ignores her, not knowing whether she was frowning in reproach of her brother or because she didn't get a free cotton candy. She doesn't even want to know. She tears a bit from it and eats it, satisfied, she hands it back to him. "Next time, don't take things from strangers and don't run off like that, okay?"He nods, something about him glowing happily while Maya is still scowling at him.They leave the park around three in the afternoon and go home, listening and singing along to children songs blasting on the stereo...Well, it's precisely the Baby shark song.She gets home and prepares lunch while they sleep.It's a pretty fun day for everyone and later, they eat a late lunch.While washing the dishes, the doorbell suddenly rings.Miles dashes to the door running, and closely behind him is Maya who seems to also know about the visitor.Mika wonders whether he has a visitor coming or something since he looks so happy and ecstatic about something. She walks calmly behind them.Miles opens the door and bursts into a wide smile. "Welcome Daddy."Mika pauses. What in hell did he just call whoever is at the door? She rounds the corner and what she sees almost causes her to fall on her backside."Mommy, we brought Daddy home, for real this time." Mile says as he holds the man's hands.The resemblance between them is too uncanny and anyone who sees them won't need a DNA test to confirm if he really is his Dad or not.The man, more light than she remembers and his facial hair a little more pronounced, his hair packed in a small bun behind his head and his firm cheekbones... Smiles. "When I ran into this cute little boy, rather, when this little boy ran to me at the amusement park hours ago, I thought it was just a coincidence. Then he told me it was his birthday and told me to come over and be his birthday gift to his Mum, I just laughed but I came anyway... And it's you."Mika is completely speechless, her tongue is too swollen, brain too fried to produce a single coherent word."Five years... Five years ago ,I thought that was the end, I would never see you again but your children showed me the way back to you." He takes a powerful step forward and grabs the twins and they laugh easily like they have known him all their lives.The reason why he was so familiar comes running back to her. He had been on the cover of Forbes under 30 Self made CEO and Billionaire five years ago and right now, he looks much stronger and overpowering than he did before.Lucas Santinello.She goes to him and takes her children away from him. "Go inside." She orders them sternly and then turns to him. "I'm sorry but I think this is all a misunderstanding. I am married and I have two children. This..."His smile fades and his stern aura kicks in. He cocks his head to the side and looks past her and looks into the humble apartment. "It doesn't look like that to me. Moreover, today is their fifth year birthday... And I lost you after that night five years ago, is that a coincidence?" He takes a menacing step towards her and she steps back."Stay away or I'll call the police.""Mummy, let Daddy come inside. Please..." Both of them burst into tears.Lucas shrugs his shoulders. "At this point, I think the children should be a priority... Sorry, our children." He mutters and walks past her into her house to calm them down.They immediately revert to the cute children from earlier.She sighs.She is royally fucked.She closes the door behind her and goes inside as the man plays with the twins as naturally as she has always played with them.There is something like immense joy on his face as he's almost glowing while playing with them, her heart almost softens but she hardens it right back. There is no way for her to know whether he has a good intention for being there... She sits upright as soon as the thought crosses her head that maybe he's after the twins? Maybe he wants to take them away from her? She srings to her feet and goes to meet him. She turns to Maya and Miles, "Why don't you two go inside and finish the cake? Mommy's not hungry now so we'll join you in a little bit."They whoop and go inside to go have the cake that she had previously kept for tomorrow.He stands up to his full height and has a smug smile on his face, something about her just what's to whack it right off but she just clenches her fist."Whatever your intentions are from coming to my house, you can't...""Come back
Very early the next morning, Mika has everything ready, all their personal effects, clothes and the likes mainly. She walks around the apartment, noting things down that has been left behind, like most of the furniture, kitchen utensils and the like.She does not touch them, the back of her head telling her to be reasonable, that they just might return home. She doesn't know what to make of that man just yet.Lucas Santinello.He may be a trillionaire, who has made a name for himself in the industry but what's to say that he's not a bad person? Maybe a woman beater? A child abuser? Frantically, she looks for her children and pull them into a hug. She pulls them back and looks into their eyes individually. "Maya, Miles. We are going to a different state, things will be very different okay? New people, new accents, you'll even make new friends and the biggest of all, you will be living with your father, please tell me anything that happens that you don't like, okay?"They nod, smiling.
Lucas regards her in the car, sparing glances at her every once in a while.She catches wind of it. "What is it?" She asks him, not grabbing her children's attention.He shrugs. "What? I didn't say anything."She's pretty much lost in her thoughts after that. Alicia? A fashion designer that's flying someone down for her show? After backstabbing and bringing her own life a standstill, she had the guts to go and make it? Mika scoffs out loud unconsciously.Luc looks right at her. "Something funny?"Mika just throws him a glance and says nothing.It's a long drive from the airport to wherever they were going. She snaps out of her head and watches Maya as she paints something on her brother's face, both of the bursting into laughter. She also smiles."Wow. I didn't think you were ever going to smile, figured you were an ice queen or something."Everything in her body unwilling to show any ounce of friendliness to him, moreover, he's still in a way a complete stranger to her. All she know
It was already pretty much a bad day...The wedding designer had called in saying she came down with a terrible fever suddenly, the hall booked for the wedding suddenly has some electrical failures and if all of this continues, the Anderson's would have to postpone their first daughter's wedding.And that will be terribly unfair to the bride, groom and all their guests that has been invited.To cheer up the to be bride, her little sister and best friend arrange an outing, an evening party at a famous hotel, something like a bachelor's eve for her and she decides to attend, hoping to take her mind off all the setbacks.Mike sings along to the catchy song on the radio as she drives down to Heirloom, the second biggest and expensive hotel in all of New York. As soon as she opens the large doors into the prepared place for the party, everyone gives her loud whoops and pats on the back."Congratulations Mika, you're so lucky." They coo towards her and she has a smile ready for everyone, h
"Inmate 0202, come with me." The female warden raps on her cell door and opens it.Mika steps out of the small cell, waving goodbye to the other women she had stayed with for a month as she holds the small basket containing all her effects.She's taken to the office and the warden gives her a few documents to sign before handing her another basket filled her clothes from that fateful day, her phone and purse.She grabs them all and heads out of the door, squinting lightly at the harsh afternoon sun.Then she smiles and rubs her hand on her belly.She immediately hails a taxi and leaves.Less than two minutes after she leaves, a white Ferrari pulls up in front of the police station and out comes Price Woods with Lily on his arms.They go inside and hear that she has just been released. Lily scoffs in disappointment. "I was really hoping to meet her so I could give her the invitation card to our wedding. Why was she in such a rush?" Price smiles down at her. "You're so cute and too nic