Mr. President: You Are The Daddy Of My Triplets - Chapter 324

Chapter 324: 324- 10 Years Ago (II)

324- 10 years ago II

When Marissa left the room, Valerie found it too funny. She had to control her laughter in her younger sister’s presence but the moment she was out, she couldn’t help it.

Marissa always showed that she didn’t bother what everyone else around her did with their lives. Yeah, she was caring but the little Miss Goody two-shoes also wanted to set some boundaries.

Valerie fell back on the bed and then her hand crawled under the pillow, holding a chit when it came out.

“So, Rafael Sinclair. When should I call you?”

***

Marissa was trying her best to focus on her project filing. She was aiming so hard to push that boy out of her thoughts.

Though he seemed a lot more mature than her, he was gorgeous. His face was perfectly sculpted.

And for the first time, she was angry at her fate.

Why didn’t God give her the same beauty as Valerie? She was her younger sister. Right? Then why so much difference?

The door opened with a thud and her mom came inside. Marissa jolted at her place and quickly closed the file, trying to gather all the papers.

“I told you to come down at six daily so that you can help me with the dinner,” Her mom was standing there with her hands balled into fists, “and this is the last time, I’m reminding you, young lady. Next time you don’t follow the rules, you are grounded.”

She rolled her eyes and tossed the file away, “I specifically told you to let me handle the dishes after dinner. But what you did?” She got up from the floor where her project stuff was lying, “You handed over the dinner ANDDD the dishes both. Mom! I’m a student. Let me remind you that.”

“And you are also living under our roof,” her mom cocked up a brow, “Let us remind you that!”

“Fine,” she shrugged, “What about Valerie? She is eighteen and not doing a thing…”

She went quiet when an unexpected slap landed on her cheek. Her face turned sideways at the impact, and she couldn’t believe that her mom could do that.

“Mom?” She whispered in disbelief, her eyes traveling to the doorway where Valerie stood, casually filing her nails.

A sly smirk was playing on her lips.

“Sweetheart!” she purred while walking into her small but organized room, “I became a dropout because I’m planning to pursue acting. Talking against me won’t benefit you in the long run.”

She kept her focus on her nails while Marissa wanted to kill her.

Of course, she was lying. Becoming a Hollywood actor was no joke. It required training and immense effort.

Valerie couldn’t do both.

“An actress doesn’t look good with those choppy hands and dry face. Right?” she then turned and hugged her mom, “Stop raising your hand at her, ma,” her face feigned innocence, “Tell her simply that we like the taste of the dishes she makes.”

Marissa frowned and then understanding dawned on her.

It was Valerie’s idea to give her kitchen responsibility, in the first place. Marissa didn’t know why she felt sheer hatred for her sister.

Valerie never liked going to school? Fine!

But why was she creating difficulties in Marissa’s life?

Stomping her feet, Marissa left the room to help her mom. She didn’t have any choice. Did she?

***

Jason and Joseph could see that Rafael wasn’t paying much attention to the discussion they were having about yesterday’s lecture.

They both looked at each other and raised brows questioningly.

“Rafael!” Joseph nudged his elbow lightly in his arm, “back to earth, man!”

Rafael who was staring into space, straightened and then got up in a hurry. He was pressing his pants pockets in panic.

“Hey! Relax! What happened?” Jason asked him worriedly. His friend had been acting weird lately.

“My phone. I can’t find it!” Rafael looked around if he had dropped it somewhere in the room. They had gathered at Jason’s place for group study and after that, the plan was to go to a nightclub to unwind.

Joseph looked at him as if he had gone nuts, “Brother. Didn’t you just hand me this to have a look at the transparency material you prepared?” he raised his hand and waved Rafael’s phone.

Without a moment’s pause, Rafael almost yanked it from his hand, “Is there a call or something?”

He started checking the call log.

Jason tilted his head to glance at Joseph asking him silently what had gotten into their friend, “Isn’t your phone supposed to ring if somebody calls?” there was a subtle taunt in his voice.

Rafael didn’t even listen and started running his hand through his hair impatiently, “Jason… remember the girl you met at that joint?”

Jason knitted his brows, “Girl? When?”

“The one you met outside the ice cream parlor when you went to pick up Tina,” Tina was Jason’s younger sister.

“Oh,” understanding washed over Jason’s face, “That girl!” he started bobbing his head in Joseph’s direction.

Now he had finally grasped what was exactly going on.

“What about that girl?” Jason asked curiously.

With a shrug, Rafael inquired, “Did she leave any contact details?”

Joseph was standing there like a fool not knowing which girl they were discussing.

“A phone number? A location? A mark? Anything?” he kept asking and his frustration kept piling up when Jason kept shaking his head.

“Bullshit!” he muttered under his breath and plopped down on the floor cushion, “Instead of giving her my details, I should have asked for her phone number.”

He grumbled and Jason grinned at his friend. Joseph started whistling in surprise, “Girl! Rafael Sinclair is waiting for a girl to contact him? Who turned the tables this time?”

They both started teasing him, but he couldn’t even smile. It had almost been one week, and the girl was not calling him.

Didn’t she need the job badly? Had she found another one?

“Rafael?” his friends had gotten serious when they saw him not responding to their jokes.

“Sh..she wanted job… she needed it badly…” Rafael tried explaining them, but Jason started laughing.

“Come on, Raf. She didn’t look like a job person… she just wanted a chance to talk to you… just like other girls …”

Rafael somewhat agreed with him. Even if that girl liked him and was looking for a chance then why she wasn’t calling?

He couldn’t tell his friends that it wasn’t the girl herself but her younger sister.

***

“Father. I need that book for my project. It’s only available at Xam’s,” she told her father the name of the bookstore that was the most expensive in the city but had every kind of book.

“Go to a library, Mar,” her father didn’t even raise his eyes from the newspaper, “We can’t afford that shop,” this was the verdict from him but she didn’t want to give up.

“Marissa. Stop forcing your father to buy expensive stuff. Learn something from your older sister. She might be living here under our roof, but she is doing everything on her own.”

Wow!

For a moment, Marissa was stunned. Are my parents that gullible?

Didn’t they know from where Valerie was getting her money?

She didn’t want to get into an argument because as always, they would favor her elder sister who was a saint in their eyes.

“Fine,” she held the armrest of the chair where her father was seated, “I’ll contribute from my pocket money.”

She even nudged her father a little when he didn’t give her any attention, “Father. Please! How about you lend me some and I return you later?”

This time her father did look up and then took off his glasses, “How much is it?”

“Hurray!” she got up with her fists raised in the air, “You are the best father.”

She planted a kiss on her father’s cheeks and left with a big grin without realizing that the man had frozen for a moment.

A kiss from the daughter who always trusted him with her closed eyes, despite knowing how he had treated her.

***

“You never liked anyone in school. Then who is this gorgeous, you can’t stop thinking about?” Finn asked her while she was excitedly going through the aisles scanning every book with keen interest.

“I wish I could tell you,” She said with a dreamy look in her eyes, “I’m sure he doesn’t belong to this world.”

Finn chuckled in disbelief, “Are you serious? Doesn’t belong to this world? Is he an alien?” he shook his head, “That’s cheesy! At last, Marissa Aaron is impressed by a guy. Because I had started thinking maybe she is a lesbo!” he winked with a dirty smirk.

Marissa slapped the same book on his back that she was holding until the salesman gave that mean look, “Sorry,” She mumbled and placed it back.

Finn was trying to hold back his smile, and Marissa wiggled her brows before leaving the spot. She was here to purchase a single book and now she wanted to buy the whole bookstore.

She was walking ahead to get her book charged at the counter and leave the place. With whatever little she saved, she could buy ice cream for herself and Finn.

“Marissa…” Finn was calling her from behind when suddenly the main door of the bookstore opened, and three tall guys stepped inside.

Marissa casually glanced their way and then felt like she had forgotten how to breathe. The third one was the same guy who was talking to Valerie that day.

The one who stayed on her mind ever since.

She spun around to get behind the aisle and bumped her face into Finn’s chest.

“Ouch!” she held her nose and thought she had died.

“Have you gone blind!” Finn started rubbing her nose tip, but Marissa held him by the collar and pulled him behind the shelf.

“H-he… he is here!” she whispered, her eyes on the guy who had a bored look on his face.

“Who is here?” Finn followed her gaze.

“The last one. In green t-shirt,” she said in a hushed tone and hid herself behind the shelf, peeking around the books.

The hottie guy who was about to turn away in the other direction, halted and looked straight into her eyes.

“Shit! Finn!”

“I think he has seen you,” Finn muttered under his breath, “and he is coming towards us.”

Marissa could feel her heart rate escalating.