“Come on, George. He is only pulling your legs. I’m only meeting him for the first time. I guess he must have overheard me reuniting with one of my old-time friends. She practically yelled my name a hundred times.” I forced a laugh, giving Theo a warning side glance.

“Oh. I was wondering,” George mulled, nodding genuinely in understanding.

I was about to take a deep breath and walk away when my son, Ted, suddenly came hopping to my side.

“Mum, where have you been? I need you to come say hi to my new friends from school I told you about.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the way Theo ran his gaze over Ted. No doubt they both had striking similarities, should anyone bother to pay close attention. Same nose. Same hair colour.

“This is my boy, Ted,” George said proudly to Theo, gesturing. “Ted, come say hi to Daddy’s friend first.”

“Hi,” Ted muttered as Theo stretched out his hand for a handshake.

“Such a fine lad you are. I think we look alike,” Theo murmured jokingly, loud enough to be heard. “Right?” He glanced at George, who stared blankly for approval.

Good Lord. Was Theo actually sent as the devil himself to ruin things for me?

“Come on, Teddy, let’s go. We shouldn’t keep your friends waiting,” I said quickly before anyone could respond, hurrying off with him.

“Who is that guy, Mum? I think he is cool,” Ted began.

“Yeah, I think all your dad’s friends are cool,” I responded casually.

“But he is not wrong, huh? We look alike, don’t we?”

I forced a scoff. “Where did you say your friends are? I don’t see them.”

“Really? Can’t you see them taking photos by the pool?” he pointed ahead.

Of course, I had seen them the whole time.

My brain was in several splits for the rest of the party, no matter how hard I tried to pull myself together. Worse still, each time George called on me to greet a guest, Theo was always there, feeding his eyes on me as though I were some special treasure.

Once, after greeting one of the guests, a fine young gentleman slipped a card in between my fingers.

“Excuse me?” I said, giving him a condescending glare. I was used to being respected by all because I was George’s wife, so I hadn’t expected this.

The guy simply nodded toward Theo, where he sat, and I held my peace at once.

“Are you okay? What’s that?” George demanded, observing me closely.

“I’m good. I just need to use the restroom.”

“I thought I saw that guy give you something just now.”

I forced a smile. “Don’t mind me. I was careless. He only helped me pick up a card that fell out of my purse.”

I was quite amazed at how quickly and easily I wove the lie. It was a very good thing George didn’t seem to notice anything, and his attention soon got diverted.

That night, after the party, while lying on the bed, I contemplated texting Theo using the number on the business card, but a part of me resisted. Ten years had passed. There was no point in him coming to raise dust, neither was there any point in fueling his pride. He should know his place and start his own family. Paternal rights shouldn’t be limited to merely donating sperm.

George soon emerged from the bathroom, but I didn’t notice because I was lost in my thoughts.

“Are you thinking about him?”

I turned to him sharply. “Thinking about who?” I could barely hide the quiver in my voice.

George gave me a lopsided grin as he approached the bed slowly. “You think I’m a fool and don’t know, right?”

I grew tense but managed to mask my feelings. “I sincerely don’t understand what you are talking about.”

He sluggishly dried his body with his expensive white towel. “I overheard Ted telling you he wants to go see the rodeo show at Theo's Park, but you refused and have no intention of telling me, right?”

I was immensely relieved. George was indeed a fool. Good thing he was.

I forced a smile. Of course, I had refused. No way I would take my ex’s son to him in the name of going to his park for a kids’ show.

“Don’t tell me you hate Theo. He is a nice guy, isn’t he? Got a lot of humour too. He might be my junior, but I think he is way more mature and sensible for his age,” George remarked, putting on his pyjamas. “Compared to the other jerks I deal with, I think he is a smart ass.”

I'm pretty sure he was indirectly referring to Adam.

“What exactly does he do?” I asked out of curiosity.

George threw himself onto the bed first. “Real estate investment and stuff. Owns a park and several shopping malls.”

Quite impressive. So Theo, the once broke, poverty-stricken kid, was now making it real big. Well, back to my problem. Ted was a big fan of horses, and horse riding was his thing. Moreover, rodeo shows like these were a rare privilege, and I had no concrete excuse to deny him.

“Whatever you do, Tori, just make sure my boy doesn’t miss the rodeo,” George muttered, turning off the bedside lamp as he shifted his attention to his phone.

I rolled my eyes in irritation in the dark. “Your boy indeed,” I mouthed.

“I have a very important business deal I need to strike with Theo, and we need to play really nice with him, don’t you think?”

I said nothing in response and rose from the bed instead, slipping Theo’s business card into my nightie. I needed to check on Teddy.

“You will respond when I talk to you, Victoria!” George suddenly yelled, slamming a fist hard on the bed.

I inhaled deeply first. “I heard you quite well,” I answered as calmly as I could. Here was his real self, yelling my name like a maid in private, and yet out in public he dared call me sweet names.

“And where are you off to?” he fired.

“I need to check on Ted,” I murmured, shutting the door before he could say anything in response.

Ted was wide awake on his bed when I entered his room, busy with his phone. He gave me his usual sweet smile, but my stomach dipped this time because the smile was strikingly similar to Theo’s.

“Hey, birthday banana, isn’t it bedtime yet? Look at the time.”

“Don’t you think you should stop calling me that now? I’m no longer a kid,” he protested.

I wasn’t listening as I peered at his phone. “What are you doing?” I craned my neck.

He brought the phone closer to me. “You wanna see? You know Bobby, my best friend? He thinks Theo is cool and that we look alike.”

I bit my lower lip and dug my toes into his soft Persian rug.

No way in the world was he falling for Theo now.

My brows shot up as I glanced at his screen. Ted had been looking Theo up on his social media handles.

“Why? What makes you think you guys look alike? Because Theo jokingly mentioned it and it’s getting into your head?”

“No, Mum, come on. Have you forgotten he came to talk to the kids himself about the rodeo show? It was Bobby who mentioned it, and I didn’t even tell him anything. By the way, will you let me go?”

“You can go, and stop stalking his accounts,” I said curtly, rising.

“And how the hell am I doing that? I’m only trying to know more about him,” he flared.

“Why don’t you try to know more about the people around you instead?” I fired back. “I heard your grandma asking how old your dad was earlier today and you couldn’t even respond, yet you claim to want to know more about a total stranger you’ve barely met.”

“I answered her, of course! Isn’t Dad forty-nine? That’s seventeen whole years older than Theo Naths! You know, I wish he was my dad instead. Unlike Dad, he was so cool and everyone loves him.”

I resisted the urge to scream and tell him to shut the hell up. Instead, I stilled myself as much as I could.

“Ted. Your dad had you when he was twenty-nine. Go to bed now. Enough of this Theo talk. I already promised you, you would attend the rodeo show.”

I slammed the door hard as I left and made for the balcony instead of the bedroom.

It was way too early for Ted to start liking Theo. I couldn’t wait for the stupid rodeo show to come and go so I could have my peace.

While standing there, I decided to text Theo, but I couldn’t find the business card. My heart pounded. It must have slipped out in Ted’s room.

I hurried back only to meet Maria chatting leisurely with him.

“Is everything okay? I only came to check on my birthday grandson,” she said dryly.

“Uhm… well, I already checked on him and was just passing by when I saw his light on. I remember asking him to turn it off and go to bed,” I rambled, my eyes scanning the corner of the bed where I had sat earlier and the floor where Maria stood. The card had to be somewhere around.

“Are you looking for this?” she asked, holding it up.

I was stunned into silence.

“Ted said it slipped out of your gown when you left his room,” she continued.

“What?” I sputtered.

“Yeah, I was going to tell you, but you were too busy yelling at me.” he rolled his eyes.

The day was almost over already. Did it really have to get worse? Hot sweat broke out on my forehead.

Before I could gather my thoughts, Maria’s phone suddenly buzzed.

“Oh, that’s my medicine alarm,” she murmured, hurrying out.

She left with the card, and an eerie feeling settled in my chest.

“Are you okay, Mum?” Ted asked, watching me closely.

“Go to bed, banana. Tomorrow is another day,” I said, exiting his room.

I couldn’t sleep all night as my mind raced back and forth. Now, thanks to Theo, Maria would start keeping tabs on me again.

Theo, on his part, obviously had something up his sleeve, and whatever it was, it didn’t look good. For him to be so bold and audacious in my husband’s presence, make a frank comment about how he and Ted looked alike, and even invite him to his park said a lot. He had also gone as far as giving me his business card.

What more? George considered him an important business asset.

What did Theo want? Me or Ted? Was he certain Ted was his son, or did he only suspect?

The following day, I went with the chauffeur and Ted to the venue of the show. It was quite a grand and interesting spectacle, something I would have been thrilled to enjoy on a good day.

“You know what, Mum? I’m so confident. I bet I’ll be among the kids selected during the audition.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by audition? Isn’t this the main show?”

“Nope. They just want to give us some little tryouts so the best of us can feature in the main show tomorrow.”

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Here I was, longing to get done with the day and everything that came with it. I couldn’t believe we’d be doing this again tomorrow.

Before I could reason with Ted, a familiar cologne filled the air.

Theo Naths himself, with his usual charming smile and elegance.

“Who do we have here?”

I was about to give him a sharp response when I realized he was addressing Ted, not me.

“Hello, Theo,” Ted greeted warmly with a big smile.

“Hi, Big Tee. What’s up?” Theo gave him a cool, friendly handshake as though they were old friends.

I grew more puzzled. “Wait. I don’t get it. Have you two met already? And why are you calling him Theo?”

“Because I asked him to.” His gaze rested on me.

“Yes, Mum. We met yesterday after he announced the show. I told you he was cool. Look how he calls me Big Tee, but you keep calling me banana.”

Theo chuckled, but I felt sick to my stomach.

Things were moving faster than my imagination.

“You know what, sweetie? I think that’s Bobby waving at you over there. Why don’t you go say hi while I have a word with Theo?”

I had barely finished speaking before Ted turned and hurried off excitedly.

“Theophil. Really? What the hell are you up to?” I demanded indignantly.

“What are you talking about?” he asked calmly, like the perfect gentleman, in his usual husky voice.

That same voice that had whispered kisses and promises in my ears years back. That same voice that had once set my mind spinning and made my heart flutter.

Theo had been attractive back then, and even now, he was even more so. Unlike George, whose charm stopped at a cute baby face.

The fact that Theo had left the top three buttons of his shirt undone, exposing the faint hair on his chest, was enough to unsettle me. His cologne, his voice and proximity.

I was forced to take an involuntary step back and almost stumbled as I stepped on a stone, but Theo caught me just in time before I could hit the ground.

It felt like a movie scene as we held each other’s gaze for a fleeting second.

Our lips were only inches apart.

I felt my pulse race and suddenly grew awkward and embarrassed.

“I’m fine. Don’t bother.” I pulled away from his grip and smoothed my dress. An unnecessary gesture.

I turned sharply to leave, but Theo caught my wrist.

“Why are you in a hurry? We haven’t even said hi yet,” he said calmly, wearing that sweet smile.

I shrugged his hand off me.

“There is no point. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other, please. And leave my son and husband out of this.”

He chortled. “You mean our son?”

He really knew?

“Excuse me. I aborted that pregnancy, if you don’t know. Did you think Adam was going to let me keep it?”

“And you think I would stand here and watch you lie to me?”

“Theophil, please stay away. You should have a family by now. You don’t have to do this.”

He let out a sneering chuckle. “Of course, I have a family. I have a son. Ted is my son.”

I shook my head as if it would fall off. “No, he is not. The fact that you think you both look alike is only a figment of your imagination.”

“Listen, Tori. It’s one thing for you to deny me access to my son, and it’s another for you to deny me paternal rights, don’t you think?” he said, his smile fading. “If you keep denying that he is my son, then I’ll simply walk up to George, tell him the truth, and we’ll do a DNA test.”

For the first time, I was forced into silence.

“I dropped my business card with you, hoping you would call or text so we could talk,” he continued. “I thought by now you would have caught the hint after my attitude yesterday in George’s presence. Do you think I’m a joke, or that there’s nothing I can do?”

I took in a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

“Please… can we talk about this later?” I pleaded.

“I still love you, Tori, and you know it. I’ve never stopped thinking about you all these years. We can still have another chance together. I know you still hate George badly.” He gave me a wistful look that pierced into my soul, and I was forced to look away as something inside me cracked.

But I didn’t get the chance to respond because one of his subordinates came to call him. He turned and left immediately.

I cursed under my breath as I watched him walk away.“Why didn’t he fight for me this way back then? Why did he wait for ten freaking years and leave me to suffer?”

A sudden, overpowering, pleasant scent filled the air, and I turned immediately. It was a tall, pretty blonde in a rider’s outfit.

“Is everything okay? Do you have a problem with my fiancé?” the lady demanded hotly, glaring at me.

Fiancé?

So Theo had someone already? Why claim he still loved me then?

Before I could give her a smart comeback, Adam suddenly appeared beside me out of nowhere.

“I guess you don’t know her,” he gestured toward me, addressing the lady with a sly smile. “Victoria Williams, wife of the CEO of Will-Tech Holdings, one of the major sponsors of this event.”

That was the first time I was hearing George was a sponsor, but I knew better than to react.

The lady gasped in surprise and quickly bowed apologetically.

“My bad. I’m so sorry. I must have misunderstood you. I’ll be on my way.”

She scurried off immediately without waiting for another word.

I glared at my brother. “Now what was that for? Why are you interfering?”

Adam gave me a lopsided smile. “I knew you would be here. Bringing Ted is the perfect excuse to see Theo, isn’t it?”

“Watch what you say, Adam! Do you think I ever wanted to be here?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Not like I care. I only came to see you. I need fifty thousand bucks. Just want to close a business deal.”

I shook my head furiously. “No, Adam. You collected a hundred and fifty thousand just last week, and within a month you’ve taken close to half a million dollars.”

He gave me an irritated, condescending stare. “Have I ever asked you for money before then? Besides, you never wanted to marry George, and now what? You want the whole money to yourself? You even have the guts to yearn to get into bed with Theo again, yet you stand here talking crap?”

“You’re not making any sense, and you know it.”

“Tori, we both know you wouldn’t be in this marriage if not for me. Just imagine you had insisted on carrying Theo’s baby. How do you feel now that you gave George a son instead?”

It hit me then that he was still ignorant, and that was a huge relief. If not, Adam would have been so ready to blackmail me with it.

One would think being his only sister or sibling would earn me some advantage. But it was as if we were cursed to be enemies from birth.

If the second child, Carlo, were still alive, things would be different. He was a real saint. Unfortunately, he went missing at a beach party two years before I graduated high school and has been dead to us ever since.

“Are you giving me the money or not?” Adam pressed.

I glared at him. He should have been the one who went missing, not Carlo. Sometimes, I can’t help but imagine Adam playing the role of Cain in the Bible, because he and Carlo attended that party together. And Adam could be truly mean when he wanted to be.

I shook my head stubbornly. “No, I’m not!” I yelled, stalking off to where the other parents sat in the arena watching the kids’ tryouts.

Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t give him a dime.

“Fine. Then I’ll tell George the real truth.”

I heard Adam say.

No way.

I whipped my head back immediately.

Was he aware all along and pretending otherwise?