★★★★★
MONTERIO’S INVESTMENT***
“Daughter-in-law??” Charles muttered, staring at his Dad.
“Yes. You need to settle down now, Charles. Since she’s your woman, why don’t we fix a wedding date?” Mr. Monterio asked.
A low gasp erupted from Hailey’s lips. She faced Charles in shock.
“There’s a misunderstanding somewhere, sir. Actually, I…”
“This is a little bit early, we haven’t even discussed this level yet” Charles quickly said.
“Are you toying with her too?” Mr. Monterio asked.
“What? No, no, of course not. It’s just that we just started seeing each other so it’s still a bit early to discuss marriage. Right, Hailey?” Charles turned to Hailey.
“Er? Huh, yes” Hailey stuttered.
“When are you gonna be free?” Mr. Monterio asked Hailey.
“Why are you asking her that?” Charles asked.
“I’m not talking to you but her. Stop butting in” Mr. Monterio snapped.
“Are you gonna be free tonight? Or tomorrow night?” He asked.
Hailey glanced at Charles. Right now, she’s stuck. How could she get out of this mess right now?
“Erm…. I don’t know yet sir” she muttered.
“You have to. I want to invite you home tomorrow, you and Charles”
“What? I’m never coming home!” Charles quickly said.
“You have no choice, son,” Mr. Monterio said.
“I’ll be expecting you two tomorrow night” he said.
He glanced at Charles.
“Don’t you dare disappoint me,” he said.
“See you tomorrow, my daughter in-law” he smiled at Hailey before exiting the office.
Immediately he was gone, Hailey faced Charles with a look he understood without her saying a word.
“Look here, it’s a misunderstanding. I really didn’t know it was gonna end this way. I’m so sorry” Charles said.
“How do I get out of this now? We have to let him know the truth” Hailey said.
“No, we can’t. Let’s just keep this act for sometime, I’ll find a way out”
“I can’t do that! I’m never gonna agree to such” Hailey protested immediately.
“Then, do we have to make it real?” He asked.
He moved closer to her and caged her to the table since she’s still beside it.
“Move away from me” Hailey warned daringly.
“Help me this once Hailey…. Please” he muttered.
That caught Hailey off guard. Was he pleading with her to get into a fake relationship with him?
“I promise to find a way out,” he said.
“I’ll give you enough time to think about it. Remember, we’re having dinner tomorrow night” he added.
He moved away from her and walked to his chair.
“You can go now, Miss Brooklyn,” he said.
Hailey blinked her eyes for sometime before regaining her senses.
She rushed out of his office.
Charles sat on the chair and loosened his tie a bit. He let out an exasperated sigh. He knows why his father is doing all this, but he just h@ťěs it.
****
WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOL***
“Are you avoiding Jaime?” Tracy asked Lilian. They’re in the cafeteria.
“I was about to ask the same thing too. You guys didn’t even talk today” Pearl said.
“It seems I was the only one thinking we were friends” Lilian mumbled.
“Can you make it clear?” Tracy asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Lilian muttered, sipping her juice.
“Now, I’m beginning to suspect that something is wrong somewhere” Pearl suddenly blurted out.
“What?” Tracy asked.
“Wyatt. Isn’t it kinda weird that he’s dating Layla? I mean, they weren’t even close before” Pearl said.
“Right. You said Jaime likes Layla, right?” She faced Lilian.
“He said he doesn’t” Lilian said, obviously not interested in their conversation.
“What if Wyatt is actually dating Layla just to get Jaime angry?” Pearl said.
“Stop saying trash, Pearl. What do you mean by that?” Tracy said.
“Well, Wyatt h@ťěs Jaime. He can do anything just to spite him” Pearl shrugged.
“Not to the extent of playing with a girl’s emotions” Tracy muttered.
Lilian kept playing with her food as her mind was somewhere else. What if that’s the truth?
Could Wyatt be dating Layla just to get at Jaime?
***
KELSO, J&H RESTAURANT***
Sebastian packed the plates on the tables and went to give it to Leah. She’s the one doing the dishes.
“Tomorrow is the due date,” he suddenly said.
Leah stopped the plates she was washing and turned to face him.
“What do we do now?” She asked slowly.
“I also don’t know, I’m just so worried right now,” he said.
“Marco will never take it easy with us, he might do something drastic” Leah said in fear.
“I’ll just find a way out,” Sebastian muttered.
“How? Hailey and Jaime doesn’t even know about this”
“That’s the best. How do you expect them to react? Especially Hailey, she’s done enough to be bothered about this. It’s my duty and I have to find a solution to this” he said.
“The sales aren’t going well like before anymore. Jaime tuition fees are near, I’m just fed up” Leah said almost at the brink of tears.
Sebastian walked to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder.
“It’ll be fine, you don’t have to cry” he muttered.
“I don’t want my baby to be a dropout, I don’t” Leah shook her head as a tear dropped down her cheek.
Sebastian’s arm around her tightened slightly, he was also controlling himself.
“Stop the tears, Leah. Please stop” he half whispered.
“I’ll find a way out,” he muttered.
****