Chapter 23
“Wow, mommy! You’ve got flowers!” was Cara’s reaction as soon as she went home after her dinner with Callum.
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It became a nice dinner. Though she could still feel the barrier between them, Ciara well and she would know him at the same time.
was
slowly trying to open herself to Callum so he would know her
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Mrs. Sullivan’s brow shot up as soon as she saw the flower Ciara was holding when she went in.
“Someone gave it to me…”
“Your date?” Cara grinned.
“Ahuh…” Ciara smiled and handed her the food Callum bought so she could give it to Cara. “That’s for you.”
“From your date, too?” she asked excitedly.
Ciara smiled and nodded as she pinched her cheek lightly.
“Grandma! I will have a father soon! My mommy is dating, grandma! She has flowers too!” Cara said as she pointed at the bouquet of flowers Ciara was holding.
Ciara’s mother only chuckled as she gestured to prepare the food for Cara so she could eat it. Ciara went to her mother and kissed her cheek as she looked at the flowers.
“You’re dating?” she asked, as if she wasn’t convinced by the flowers.
“Someone is trying to pursue me,” Ciara explained carefully.
Mrs. Sullivan nodded, but there was something in her expression. She looked at Cara, who was now sitting on the chair, as she rested her elbows on the table and watched how her personal maid opened it for her. When Mrs. Sullivan looked at Ciara again, she could sense that her mother was insinuating something.
“Is that…Cara’s father?” she whispered, just enough for Ciara to hear it.
Ciara couldn’t answer it right away. Though she knew that soon enough, whatever her decision was if things went well with her and Callum, she wanted to introduce him to her parents–to her whole family.
“Your father has paired you to a lot of men, or introduced all of the finest men in the city, yet you rejected them right away. You didn’t even let them pursue you or even court you well, or at least get to know these men. If there was one man whom I guess you’ve given your attention, it was this man who impregnated you, this man who’s the father of your daughter, this man who’s the reason why you moved to Paris for how many years?”
Ciara gestured to the housemaid to take the flowers into her room and put them in the vase. She walked to the sofa to sit while her mother followed her, and it seemed like she was still eager to know the truth.
“You are seeing him again?” Mrs. Sullivan whispered more as she tailed with her daughter.
“We want to sort things out, Mom. I wanted to give him a chance this time. And I’m planning to tell him so soon about Cara.”
“Really?” Mrs. Sullivan seems happy about the news that it showed in the tone of her voice.
Ciara took a seat and nodded.
“If things go well, I want to tell him about me, Mom. We didn’t work out in the past because I kept a lot of secrets from him. It created a conflict that resulted in our misunderstandings.”
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“Who is that, by the way? You’ve been keeping that man since day one. Your siblings might have an idea, but they weren’t telling anything. If you think he could be trusted, if he is serious with you, and he would apologize for what he has done to you in the past, then…”
“It’s actually the Haynes.”
Her mother looked shocked, but not shocked enough that it seemed like they had a clue about the man she’d been seeing.
“That’s the man I heard, which your father was also suspecting you have a relationship with. Though we couldn’t confirm it,… it’s really true? You are dating the heir, the new CEO of the Haynes Corp.”
“We aren’t dating yet, mom. I still want to see if he meant it. I don’t want to be reckless in thi
“I am not trying to taint him. Our family might not view the Haynes as our competitors–an enemy, but their family treats us like one, Ciara. He might be
but I pursuing you for business purposes, a tactic to get to the top. If they would be the leading company in business, our family doesn’t really care, know, it would be disappointing for you and especially for Cara that her father…used her mother in order to get to the top through manipulation.”
Ciara sighed because that is what she thinks too. It’s hard not to think about those things, knowing that they could be the main reason why Callum was pursuing her.
She knows Callum so well. But at the same time, she wanted to trust him.
She called Gwen that night as well to confirm if Callum had signed the divorce papers.
“He didn’t take the bait. I offered a lot of things that would be convenient for him, but he didn’t. I was honestly surprised when he finally did just before you came back,” Gwen said while she was already in the walk–in closet and changing clothes.
Which means… All this time, he didn’t marry. Because if he is interested in marrying someone else, then he would sign the divorce paper so he could marry Shane.
But he…didn’t until recently. I am not sure yet what the reason is, probably because he thought I was already married. Which means he meant everything he said to me. He only sees Shane as his business agenda. And he really likes me even in the past?
Because, come to think of it, Ciara He was so invested in getting you back that he even offered that you would work with him again or that you would just go out from the Sullivan because it was the man whom he was so jealous of from the past.
The man with whom he thought you were romantically involved. The man whom he uses as a goal to be at the top just to prove a point.
There was something about her realization that made her stomach churn, and she felt like she was melting from the inside as she could see fireworks in
her mind.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked as she sighed.
“Because you don’t want any news from him, and you are moving on. If you really want him to sign the divorce papers, the last resort would be-”
“No, it’s okay. I understand.” Ciara cut her off.
Ciara could sense in the seconds of pause in the background that Gwen was processing her answer, or she already knew what was happening.
Of course, she knows. She probably knew that she had been seeing him lately. I am seeing him again, and we talked. She might not talk to me about it, like how Serra would be so nosy about my sexual life or the decisions I make, but I know, at the back of her mind, she has something to say.
“I also want to know about the company of the Wilson if they’re connected to the Haynes.”
“I know you would ask about that so soon. But the Wilsons contributed a lot to Haynes, which is why they quite got a lot of big clients, which resulted in more opportunities and successes outside the other foreign countries. Let’s just say the Haynes used them as a bridge to travel to big cities.”
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“In exchange for what?” Ciara asked, intrigued.
“I don’t know. It seems like the Wilsons were favoring the Haynes on deeper levels.”
Shit. Which means Callum has really used Shane for the benefit of his own company? And t… woman might be expecting Callum to marry her in return.
“You think he’s serious?” She suddenly asked as she watched herself in the mirror change into her nightgown.
“The answer would only be coming from you, Miss Ciara. You are the only one who will know that, and that is you.”
“I am also thinking about Cara. She might like it if she found out the one who’s pursuing me is none other than her father.”
“Your daughter is understanding. I’ve seen how she doesn’t really mind if she has no father. So if you think introducing her to his real father won’t cause
her harm, then do it. It’s up to you.”
She wanted Gwen to monitor Callum, but a part of her wanted the natural process of their relationship this time. Without connections involved. She wanted to know Callum on her own.
She wasn’t really afraid of getting hurt; what she feared was that his reputation would be tainted in Cara’s mind as her father, and she didn’t want that to happen. She doesn’t want her daughter to realize that her father is cunning and bad.
But at the same time, she couldn’t help but think as well. Just how much can Callum do to reach the top? If she could do that to Shane, she knows the consequences might bite them in the future.
Can I trust you again, Callum?
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