Chapter 47

Third-Person POV Felicity started his work right after reaching his office. From time to time, he stopped to wonder and asked himself what the tears were for when he was hugging his mother. By that time, he knew he felt fear but was confused about what exactly it was for when there wasn't even anything he would be frightened about. He tried cleaning his mind by repeatedly telling himself about that and distracting his mind from those by sticking his nose into all the files he needed to review to find a match between the new and old clients he had. It was a challenging task. He needed to be delicate in matching them, and getting distracted shouldn't be in his way. Around noon, his secretary knocked on the door, asking him if she would order him food. She had her packed lunch, but it wasn't enough for two people. "Ohemgee! I forgot. I promised my mother I would join them for lunch today!" he freaked out. He immediately searched for his phone to inform him he wouldn't make it, and he promised he would drop by in the afternoon. "It's okay, I will save you, Kare-kare for later," Eugene uttered on the other line, and her voice was full of concern because what she wanted from him that day was to breathe all his worries that she knew he didn't have anyone to talk about. After talking to his mother, he returned to his secretary, still standing on the doorstep, waiting for his answer. He asked her to order him food for them both, but because she already had, she only ordered a dessert for herself. By the end of the day, Felicity had fulfilled his promise. He drove straight to his mother's place after leaving his office, and he was just on time. The food was already served when he arrived, and his sister, brother-in-law, and their kids were there too. Random topics were spilled while they enjoyed the food, but when Lea diverted the topic to Elyana, Felicity's mood changed. "How is she now?" Felicity lowered his head and pretended to be looking into his unfinished food. "She's fine. Almost all her burns have healed. She recently started her laser sessions to erase the scars. She can't wait to heal to put her skin back into the way it was before," he answered. Eugene noticed the coldness in his voice while speaking. She let her eldest spill more questions as she continued to observe Felicity. "I'm happy she's doing well," Lea commented, and later on she asked, "So, are you going back to your condo now that she's nearly fully recovering?" "Frankly, I haven't thought of leaving yet," Felicity answered, which made his sister and mother frown. Eugene felt something was going on. She could sense it and with Felicity's facial expression, she knew it was something big that her son didn't want to expose yet. "She's not fully recovered. Her skin may soon be, but we all know what her mental state went through. I guess you should be there a little longer. There is no case with Marietta, and she would be glad if she found out," Eugene said. "Mom is right. We don't know what can happen in the next few days you're gone. What the couple is afraid of is that their daughter will do something again, again to herself,". It could happen again or next time—the worse, Lea agreed. "I'm full, mommy!" All their attention went to Lea's daughter, who was sitting on the chair next to her. Lea leaned close to her. "Okay, baby. Ask your nanny to wash your hands," she said, helping her go down from the chair. Eugene ordered the maid close to them to get the dessert she made inside the freezer and she took that chance that it was only them that was left in the dining area to ask this, "By the way, morning, why do you seem to have a serious problem when you came here this morning?" Felicity finished his food before raising his head and turning in her mother's direction. "I wasn't. Maybe because I was tired because of lack of sleep," he lied and forced a smile. "Liar!" Lea exclaimed. "Tell us about it Bakla before we find out from others, and Mom and I will pinch your groin side by side," she warned him while pointing her finger at him. 'Damn you, witch!' Felicity thought. His sister was good at squeezing information. Felicity sighed while exchanging gazes with his sister, who couldn't wait to spill the tea. His brother-in-law was still there, and just like his sister and mom, he was also looking intently at him. He started telling the story. Point by point, but in summary, and just like him, Lea and Eugene got furious after hearing what Lucas was up to again. "Damn that guy!" Lea stood up and slammed her hand on the table. "What if he just hurt Elyana again? What if he just wants to win her back to take revenge?" "Lower your voice, Lea," Eugene ordered her daughter. "I-I'm sorry, mom. I can't just control my emotions," she apologized and returned to sitting. "Honey, that's what you get from watching telenovelas. Don't jump right away to any negative conclusions. Who knows, maybe he realized what he lost and he wanted it back now for the better?" Carlos, Lea's husband, let out to help his wife cool down. "I'm thinking the same, Carlos," Felicity declared, while in his head his thought was different. He didn't want to believe it. 'Knowing Lucas had been cheating for a long time, he had so many chances to fix everything by leaving his other woman, yet he never did for Elyana. If he knew her wife's worth, he wouldn't find someone else, even if she could give him the child he needs,' Felicity murmured to himself. Eugene agreed to what Carlos said and put them into silence when the maid returned carrying a tray of frozen mango Graham. *** Begum's Mansion "Ah!" Elyana screamed in pain when she accidentally bit the tip of her tongue. Daldalita ran towards her, who happened to be helping her with putting the decorations in the living room. "W-what happened, Miss Elyana? Did you cut your finger? Are you bleeding?" She panicked. "Calm down. I just bit my tongue. I'm fine. Don't worry," Elyana answered. "It looks like someone mentioned your name, Miss Elyana; that's why you accidentally bit your tongue," the servant told her. "What do you mean about that?" Elyana asked. She could feel a throbbing pain on the part where she bit; there was a slight taste of rustiness, which indicated that there was a cut in it. "Yes, Miss. I heard that from my grandma in our province. She would even give a number for us to count in the alphabet, and that letter could be the person who uttered your name," she explained. Elyana's eyes lit up. "That sounds fun. Can you give me a number then?" she replied. "Sure! I'll pick twelve," the servant let out. Elyana started counting using her fingers by uttering the letters "J…k…" On the twelve number, she paused. "I-I don't think it's true. I don't know anybody with that first letter on their name," she lied. "Maybe I gave the wrong number," the servant mumbled. "Don't mind it," she said, asking the servant to go back to work. As she tried to make herself busy, she couldn't help but ask me who could have uttered her name if there was. She doubted if her ex-husband did because his name starts with the letter L. She tried to erase that thought and think of her parents instead. While remembering them, she decided to call them. "I'll leave you for a while, Daldalita," Elyana informed the servant, leaving her after she answered. She planned on giving them a ring and leaving a message if they were unattended. She took the phone from the bedside table and was about to dial his father's number when her cell phone suddenly started ringing. Elyana frowned as she stared at the registered number on the screen, which wasn't even familiar to her. She tried guessing who it was, knowing there were only a few important people who had her SIM card number. Elyana answered the call, thinking that it was Felicity. Maybe he borrowed someone else's phone to call and informed her where he was at that time. There was a smile on her face when she slid the green icon onto the screen and immediately placed the phone next to her ear. "Hello?" Elyana's sweet voice was like music to the man on the other line's ear, which gave him a huge amount of guilt. "H-hello, Ellie," the man greeted her. Elyana's smile faded when she heard a familiar masculine voice. She was certain who owned it, and the smile on her face was replaced with fierceness.