Mr. President: You Are The Daddy Of My Triplets - Chapter 422

Chapter 422: 422- Game?

Lisa called her last night but hadn’t reached the restaurant. Aniya was getting worried for her since Lisa hadn’t even responded to her messages.

“Hey, Mom. I’ll check on Lisa after work. I think she might be sick,” after typing it, she placed a small band around her short hair.

She sent this quick text to Valerie and got busy with her tasks.

When her shift was over, she went straight to Lisa’s apartment. However, when she got there her apartment was locked up tight. She wasn’t home.

“Where is she?” She mumbled to herself and dialed her number again.

Still no response.

The call went unanswered.

Feeling uneasy, she started walking home. It was a ten-minute drive but walking usually took at least twenty to twenty-five minutes.

She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and kept her head down, trying not to overthink.

By the time, she reached her street, she was exhausted. But as her house came into view, she froze. The door was slightly open.

Someone was standing near it.

“Alaric?” she whispered, ducking behind a parked car. Her heart sounded as she peeked out.

It was indeed Alaric. And he wasn’t alone. He was talking to Valerie, and from the way Valerie’s hands were flying around, they were arguing.

“What is Alaric doing here?” Her stomach was tightening inside.

He was trying to explain something and even tried to reach out to grab Valerie’s shoulders, but she smacked his hands away. Her face was twisted in rage.

Aniya didn’t know if she should stay there hidden or step out to show herself.

After a few minutes, Alaric yanked his hoodie over his head and walked off. Valerie slammed the door shut behind him.

Was he here to beg for Valerie’s forgiveness and to take him in?

What if Valerie would take him back?

Aniya’s fists clenched in anger. No. I won’t live here if he comes back. I swear, I’m out of here.

Valerie greeted her with the same sweet smile, acting like nothing had happened. She didn’t talk about Alaric.

***

“Was someone here last night before I came home?” The next morning Aniya asked her casually over breakfast watching her mom’s face closely.

For a split second, she thought she saw a flicker of panic on Valerie’s face.

“N-No! Why?” Valerie stammered and tried to laugh it off, but the nervousness was evident on her face, “Who told you that?”

“Oh. I was talking to that elderly lady from the next door, and she mentioned seeing a guy around,” Aniya said raising her shoulder and then started eating her porridge.

“How was Lisa? Did you meet her?” Aniya felt like her mom tried to change the subject. Aniya wanted to tell her that she couldn’t meet Lisa when Valerie’s phone buzzed loudly.

“Excuse me,” she said quickly and took the call before disappearing into her bedroom.

Aniya sighed and checked her phone for any messages from Lisa but there were none.

“Where the heck is she?” She muttered, firing off another text.

Hey bit*ch. I’m getting worried for you. Where are you? Answer me!

She got up and started cleaning up the table, stacking the plates in the sink. She was rinsing the dishes when this idea came to her mind.

I should ask Mom if she wants me to cook Alfredo Pasta for dinner. And maybe some pineapple juice too.

She headed to Valerie’s room and stopped when heard her muffled angry voice through the door, “Don’t be stupid. You will ruin everything I’ve worked so hard for. When I’m finally getting my life back on track and look at you… why do you want to destroy it?”

Aniya felt odd.

What was she talking about?

Was she seeing someone?

Was it some rich boyfriend who could at last keep her mom happy?

That diamond bracelet popped up in her mind that she noticed on Valerie’s wrist.

***

“Mr. Ramsey. Has Lis informed you about her absence?” At work, she asked her manager because right after two days, it would be her eighteenth birthday, and she wanted to celebrate it with Lisa.

“She mentioned about being sick. She didn’t give me much info except she needs two to three days’ leave.”

Strange. Why didn’t Lisa tell me this?

Aniya took out her phone and tried calling Lisa immediately. Thank God, this time it was ringing, and she picked it up too.

“Where have you been? I was freaking out!”

“Sorry, love,” her voice sounded groggy, “I don’t know. I’ve been out cold for the past two days. Just sleeping like a dead. Don’t worry. I’ll bounce back. What about you?”

Aniya sighed, “Well you better stay healthy. My birthday is coming up and I want to celebrate my special day with you.”

Lisa chuckled softly, “Don’t worry. My girl is turning eighteen and she deserves a princess treatment.”

Princess.

The word princess sent a jolt through Aniya.

You’re my princess. A green-eyed man from her past spoke in her head. Aniya felt heavy-hearted. Who was that man?

***

“So. What are your plans for the birthday?” Valerie asked her over dinner in excitement.

“I’m planning to party with Lisa,” she told her but felt like Valerie’s face dropped as if she didn’t like her suggestion.

“What happened, mom? Did I say something wrong?”

“No!” Valerie said quickly, bobbing her head, “It’s just that…” she clicked her tongue, “I never celebrated your birthday. Like … you will soon turn eighteen. How about you celebrate this one with me?”

Aniya blinked and felt tongue-tied.

Yes, it was true. Valerie never gave any importance to her birthdays. Which meant her mom had now accepted that she would leave the house soon.

Great!

Wasn’t it a good sign?

“Okay, mom,” she said with a grin, “We’ll celebrate it together.”

Later she texted Lisa…

Hey! Change of plans. I’ll celebrate my birthday with you a day later. Mom wants to spend the day with me. Love ya.

***

Aniya stirred awake, her head sinking further into the pillow. She was trying hard to block out the faint sound coming from downstairs.

At first, she thought she might have been dreaming but the noise stayed there.

Low murmurs and that familiar faint creek of the front door.

Her brows furrowed as she groggily opened her eyes.

“Urgh. What’s this sound? What’s the time?”

She squinted at the faint glow of her phone on the nightstand.

It was two in the morning.

She sat up slowly not understanding why she woke up.

Rubbing her eyes, she got up from the bed and went to the window of her room that was half-open for better ventilation.

The cool night air brushed against her face as she peeked through the curtains.

Her breath hitched a little as her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp.

There outside the front door, was Valerie. But she wasn’t alone.

A man stood close to her; his face partially hidden in the shadows.

“I was never a narrow-minded kid, Mom. Whoever he is just call him in…”

But no. The man looked familiar.

Even in her sleepy haze, she recognized him.

Alaric.

Her knuckles whitened as she clutched the curtains tighter.

What the hell is going on?

What kind of game are they playing?

Is Mom still attached to him when I thought she had moved on?

She was standing there still, her eyes wide while fixed on them. She thought she could vomit again when she noticed how Valerie was leaning closer to him.

And to her horror, they kissed.

OMG!

Her jaw dropped and her mind raced.

No. No. No…

This can’t be happening.

Was Lisa right all this time?

Her fingers itched to turn on the lights or bang on the window to break the damn kiss. Thankfully they didn’t notice her due to darkness in her room.

She leaned back from the window, her pulse roaring in her ears. Why, Mom?

Why?

After what he did to me. To your daughter. You are back in his arms.

After everything, why him?

Her back was now pressed to the wall, trying to steady herself.

But no.

Aniya couldn’t judge her mom just because she was kissing this man.

But the thing was that her mom lied to her and broke her trust again.

How she was planning to stay with her mom. She even thought of including her in her Sangua city plans.

Thanks to Lisa who put some sense into her.

Okay, mom. Fine.

I’ll stay here like a good daughter for these two days. I’ll celebrate my birthday with you just like we have planned.

But I won’t stay with you anymore.

For the last few days, you made me feel so special. I thought our relationship was improving.

As a mom, how could you even think to get close to this man who tried to…

That same steel taste was back in her mouth that she had been trying to forget for the past few weeks.

Valerie James failed her again.

With trembling hands, she closed back the curtains and sank onto her bed.

Was Valerie finding it difficult to unlove him or was she playing some game with her?