Met her dad

    Chapter 4

    A drop of tears slid down the corner of her cheek as she strolled down the road minutes later, but she quickly wiped it off. She was torn between running away from this toxic marriage and saving her family's business. She couldn't have neglected her mom and not done anything knowing Knox will indeed make their life miserable if she decided to really walk out of the marriage, right?

    "What do I do?" She stopped and ran her fingers through her hair, trying hard not to burst into tears. She was frustrated and tired of everything, and as much as she wanted to give up, she knew she had to keep going for the sake of her unborn baby. She wanted to keep the baby away from Knox, she wanted to raise him alone and maybe lie to him in the future that he was fatherless, but her plans had already shattered, and there was nothing she could do at this point.

    As she wallowed in thoughts and walked absentmindedly on the road, she almost jumped out of her skin when a black shiny call pulled over beside her, and if she had not taken a step back, maybe the car would've crushed her leg. It didn't look like the person did it intentionally, but she was just lost that she couldn't look where she was going.

    She gulped down the lump that formed in her throat, she felt her legs shaking from the shock she was just starting to recover from, and just when she wanted to continue to walk aimlessly again, the car finally opened and a middle-aged man stepped out of the car. He was graced in a black suit, his thick black hair was curled on his head with some strands laying on his forehead, and his skin looked smooth even though the man looked like he was in his sixties. As he walked toward her, many thoughts ran through her mind. 'Was he probably someone close to Knoxville whom he has sent to get her back since he gave her forty-eight hours to make her decision earlier? Or was he just a random person that was going to ask her for directions?' she couldn't help but ask herself as she felt a pang of fear in her heart.

    The man finally stopped in front of her, and this time, her fear was subdued when she saw the soft expression on the man's face which didn't depicts violence or gave her any reason to be scared of him.

    "Excuse me, Miss. Can I see you for a moment?" His voice was slightly deep as he spoke to her.

    "Is there any problem, Sir?" She asked, a bit skeptical about this, hoping it wasn't an attempt of abduction, but merely looking at the man, it already looked to her that he wasn't someone that'd abduct her, but then, those bad guys never really wrote it on their forehead that they were abductors.

    "Not really... My name is Arnoldo Stewart. I have something to discuss with you," He replied to her, and she slowly nodded her head.

    "What is it?" She further asked as she stared at him keenly, wondering what this man that looked extremely wealthy would want to discuss with a lowlife like herself that didn't have anything to survive on. 

    "Here is my card. I will send my driver to pick you up by 6pm to dine and smile restaurant. Let's talk later," He uttered as he handed her his business card, and now that she was looking at the card, she realized that the man standing in front of her was the famous CEO of Orange entertainment industry, a company that dealt in the production of movies, music, and they even own a radio and TV station too. She couldn't believe her eyes as she raised her gaze to look at the man again, her mouth hanging open in shock. She never thought she'd ever seen the CEO of such a successful company with her eyes, but here he was, standing in front of her and even demanding to see her.

    "Alright..."

    "Sorry, where do you live around here?" He cuts her off after he looked around the area.

    "I will call you when it's time to pick me up," She replied to him instead, because there was no way she would tell her address to a stranger she barely knew about, even though he was the famous CEO of a successful company. What if he had an ulterior motive?

    "Alright. Just call me when you are ready. I'll be looking forward to seeing you," He uttered before he finally turned and walked back to his car, but stopped and glanced at him one more time before he finally hopped in the back seat of the car, while she watched the car drive off.

    How time flies, it was almost 6pm, and she got dressed before she called the number, and told him where he would pick her up. It was really crazy to go out with a man she barely knew, but since they were going to a public place, then her safety was guaranteed.

    She finally left her room once it was 5:50pm, and the car came to pick her up just a few blocks from the hotel she lodged. 

    The drive to the five-star restaurant took more time than she expected, but they finally arrived after what seemed like forever, and once she stepped into the restaurant she has never been to before, she tried not to get lost in admiration for the beautiful and fancy big restaurant.

    As she sat in front of him a few minutes later, she waited for the man to say why he had called her here, but he was just staring at her and rubbing his hands together, with a look on his face that depicts nervousness.

    "How have you been, Aliya?" He finally broke the awkward silence, and she raised her eyebrows as she stared at him blankly. She didn't remember telling this man his name, so it was crazy how he just called her name like that.

    "How did you know my name?" She asked curiously as she stared at him, her eyes demanding an answer.

    "You are Aliya, nineteen years old girl and turning twenty in three months. Daughter of Felicia, and wife to Knoxville Daniel," Her heart dropped as she watched the man utter details about her, and fear gripped her. Her hands suddenly became sweaty, her heart hammered hard against his chest as different thoughts came conflicting in her mind. Who was he? How come he knew so much about her? How much more did he know about her? She asked herself as she stared back at the man, blaming herself for coming here in the first place.

    "Ho...how did you know...that?" She tried not to show her nervousness to this mysterious man, but she couldn't as she ended up stuttering.

    "Who are you?" She further asked, and the man sighed as he lean forward while having his hand on the table.

    "How am I supposed not to know everything about my daughter, Aliya?" He uttered, and she stared at him blankly, trying to process what he just said.

    "Wh...what did you say?" She asked confusingly.

    "I am Arnaldo Stewart, your biological dad, Aliya," He uttered those words again, and this time, she froze in her seat as she stared at him, his words replaying in her head like she was dreaming...