Chapter 331 - Three Hundred And Thirty-two: I Need My Son
Chapter 331 - Three Hundred And Thirty-two: I Need My Son
The third point of view:
This was her worst nightmare, Cecil thought. She had always thought of ways of meeting Fernandez again, she never imagined it would be this way.
The memories of how they came to be flooded her head. Cecil clearly recalled how sweet they had been together. The best couple ever seen - they had been tagged by people.
Though many saw it as a marriage of convenience, both couples knew better. Having come from a rich family, it was obvious to Cecil that she'd be married off to another aristocratic family as they had done to her sisters.
Growing up in a family of three girls and the last of them, Cecil was pampered. Her siblings doted on her, including her parents though they had no time to show it since they were always busy with the company.
Unlike her siblings who had occupied various positions in the company, Cecil was never interested in the company; Her attention was invested in art instead of making wines.
With her second sister married off, it had been obvious she would be the next, not that she cared anyway - she wouldn't be able to outrun her fate - as far as the so-called husband didn't restrict her love of art, she was good to go.
So when an engagement was made between her and Fernandez's family, she had accepted it with good faith since he had promised to support her career.
She had been twenty then and they were scheduled to get married in the next five years to come. At first, it had been awkward between them since she knew nothing about the man. But then, with time he turned out to be a good companion, and then, you know,?became lovers eventually.
Both families were happy with the development - she was happy too - and were contemplating them getting married once she agreed. After all, she was still quite young and had a year of college to complete. Then disaster struck.
It was her best friend's birthday that day and the girl decided to celebrate it at the club. Though Cecil had been hesitant to attend, she wasn't sixteen anymore, no one was going to stop her.
And that was when she saw him, the man who ruined her life - that stranger. Cecil couldn't tell what drew him to her? Was it the little scar that ran across his right cheek like a piece of art on his ruggedly handsome face? Or was it his intimidating height and physiques? She had never seen a man that tall in real life aside from television and it had intrigued her.
Moreover, Cecil was a thrillseeker, so when her friend had brought up the dare, she hadn't hesitated to take it. Thinking about it, she had been quite stupid, she offered herself up willingly.
After fulfilling her mission, she could have turned down his offer of a drink but she had accepted, having strong faith in her ability to hold her drink. Unlike the sheep to the slaughter, she was the sheep who slaughtered herself.
The deed had been done, there was no need to cry over spilled milk. Cecil decided to tell Fernandez the truth hoping he would understand - she hadn't done it on purpose - but the man traveled for a business trip and didn't return until a month later.
She had been sure of herself, knew exactly the time she got pregnant, so the baby in her womb couldn't be that stranger's.
As expected, Fernandez had been mad and denied the existence of the child. So she had left him to calm down and blow off some steam with the hope of them settling the issue later.
Call her stupid for exposing that secret, but Cecil knew she would never have peace of mind until she does that. She just never expected that the next day that Fernandez would not only annul their engagement but narrate everything to her parents - adding his specially crafted lies.
Her parents had been infuriated and her father had taken it to the extreme by disowning her. According to him, she had brought shame to the Vincent's family and they didn't need such a failure. Her father preferred to believe in a total stranger and save his reputation than his daughter's future.
Unable to bear with that stigma, Cecil had left everything behind by leaving the country. There were times she wanted to give up; she had thought of aborting the baby. But when she had gone for her first scan, she couldn't bear to destroy the life living inside of her. So she decided to put him up for adoption instead.
Though Cecil lived a comfortable life with her savings and money her mother gave her before leaving, she had never been happy. She had finished school alone and experienced the pain of childbirth alone; nobody was standing by her.
However, the day Pedro was born, was the best thing that ever happened to her. The moment she saw that little face smiling at her, she felt the fierce need to protect him and she gave up on the idea of adoption.
She named him Pedro for a reason. Pedro was the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for Peter meaning "Stone, rock," Cecil had sworn that day to make Pedro her rock; her shoulder to lean on. The boy became the reason for her smile again.
So one could imagine the kind of rage Cecil was feeling when this son of a bastard came out of nowhere, throwing a claim to her son. She had spent her youth suffering and doing her best to fill in the role of both mother and father to her son - Fernandez wants to reap where he didn't sow. Pedro never needed him then, he doesn't need him now.
"Get out of my house!" Cecil bellowed, already pulling Pedro inside the house. She was afraid that the scum might reach out and take her son away from her.
"I ain't leaving, Cecil" he stood his ground, "Not without him!"
Cecil let go of the door and strode over to Fernandez, chin thrust defiantly, "For eighteen years!" She spat, her body shuddering with anger, "For eighteen fucking years! You turned a blind eye to his existence even when I begged on my knees and now he's all grown, you're here to take him?"
She threw her head back and laughed, "Do I look like your caretaker? Or voluntary organization?" her face lost all trance of warmth, "Get your ass out of my house,"
"I'm not leaving without my son," Fernandez stood his ground, "You brought everything that has ever happened on yourself,"
"Alright," Cecil decided, "Now I'm calling the police,"
"Oh sure, go ahead" there was mocking laughter in his tone, "But you've forgotten my family controls half of the police force,"
Oh right, it dawned on Cecil. Most of Fernandez's family members had prominent positions in the law enforcement agency.
"No, you don't control shit at all," Cecil told him, pulled out her phone, and made a call. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning.
"Please pick up," She mumbled, her back turned to Fernandez who was waiting expectantly for what she was up to.
"ThankGod you picked," Cecil breathed out when the call went through, "I need your help, Reina,"
Pedro who had been stunned all this while by what was going had his mouth open when his mom called Reina. If Reina sends people over, it would be messy. Since his father's face was confident and relaxed, he sure had his resources too - it might get bloody. Pedro was not going to sit and let this happen.
"Reina, I know it's wrong of me to intrude on your honeymoon but a mad dog is barking at me, I need animal control,"
Fernandez scoffed, she dared called him a mad dog? They'd see.
"They'd be here? Thank you," Cecil ended the call and turned to meet that bastard. It sickened her to think that her young self had been in love with this selfish, conceited fool.
"Are you done?" he had a smug look.
"Let's see if you have that same look in the next...." she checked her watch, "Fifteen minutes,"
"Fifteen minutes?" he laughed, " What if my men are already on standby to take him?"
Cecil paled.
Seeing the fear on her face gave Fernandez the spunk to continue, "I admit I was cruel not to ask for my son for eighteen years, but can you blame me? You whored around. If I haven't done a test in secret, I wouldn't have known that my own son has been hidden from me all these years," he stepped closer to her, "I'll send you compensation for training him up - that should be enough, right?"
"You-!"
"Get lost!" Pedro boomed at the surprised man, "I don't ever want to see you around me or my mother, you understand?"
"A warning without power is nothing. You're my son and deserve to be honored, not wasting away here with this woman. Come with me and I'll give you a better life," Fernandez stretched his hand for him to take.
Pedro couldn't believe his ear, this scum was his father. His mother's younger self indeed had low taste in men.
"Without this woman," Pedro wrapped his arm around Cecil's shoulder, pulling her to his side, and rubbed her arm affectionately, " I wouldn't be alive. So to hell with your fatherhood, I don't need a father like you,"
Fernandez sighed, "I'm sorry son, but you have no choice here, " At once, he clicked his fingers and a van suddenly pulled up in their lawn.
"Pedro, inside now!" the woman tried to pull him into the house but it was too late.