Why does Judy, a nurse who worked in a public hospital can be so rich now? She looked filthy rich. Gloria wondered.
Gloria cautiously snooped around, asking about Judy while trying to recall about the latter.
“Gloria, I was the midwife who helped Hilary during her delivery. I was young and naive then. I remembered you even gave me a present.”
Gloria was able to refresh her memory with Judy’s help.
“It was you? Judy the nurse? It has been almost thirty years since we last met. You look healthy and happy. You must be doing well.”
Judy chuckled, “Just the usual. I remembered you were very concerned for Hilary at her delivery when she’s merely your sister-in-law. Hilary and her child must be treating you well nowadays.”
Judy knowingly mentioned Hilary’s and her child’s treatment of Gloria. She smiled awkwardly when Gloria’s face turned dark.
“They sure do.”
Yet Judy continued, “I saw you in the shop a while ago with a pretty girl beside you. Was that your niece? But she doesn’t seem to treat you very kindly.”
“You saw that? It was nothing. There’s just a minor misunderstanding between us.”
Judy sneered, “Misunderstanding? Please don’t try to hide it from me. I saw everything clearly. You and your niece were arguing as though you were enemies instead of family. One glance at your niece, and I could see that she’s wealthy. Didn’t she know how well you had treated her before? Such an ungrateful girl.”
Gloria felt that she had found someone who could understand and empathize with her. Thus, Gloria confided and complained about how ungrateful Clarissa was.
Judy invited Gloria to a meal at a high-end restaurant to continue their talk. Gloria blurted almost everything about Clarissa, from the things she was unsatisfied about Clarissa to the reason Clarissa was still not married to a wealthy household.
“So Judy, can you blame me? This is all because Clarissa was unlucky. The rich looked down at her because she came from a humble family. How dare she despises us when it was because of her own unluckiness?”
Judy was immersed in her deep thoughts. Her eyes glinted.
“You’re absolutely right, Gloria. It wasn’t your fault. You can even say that it is Clarissa’s mother’s fault because Clarissa wasn’t born with a golden spoon.”
“Excellent point, Judy. It was just as you’ve said.”
Gloria wanted to continue the talk, but Judy suddenly rose to her feet.
“Gloria, I’m sorry. I have something urgent, so I have to leave immediately. But please enjoy your meal. This meal is on me.”
Judy picked up her purse and left urgently.
Gloria was nervous initially, but then she sat down and calmly continued her meal when Judy offered to pay for the meal.
While Judy hailed a taxi and rushed back home.
As soon as she stepped into her house, she could hear her child’s wailing. The child ran towards her and cried, “Mommy, I want a toy! I want a…”
Judy pushed the child away. “If you want to buy, ask your dad for the money.”
The child dashed towards a man staring impatiently at the computer screen displaying a stock chart.
“Why are you asking me? You should be asking your mother for the money.”
Both adults were unwilling to deal with the child patiently.
Judy’s face darkened further, so she instructed the nanny to take the child away.
After a short silence, Judy plopped down on a couch and spaced out.
When she finally turned to see her husband still staring at the darn stock charts, she impatiently snickered, “All you ever do is stare at that chart for the entire day. You’ve been investing in the stock market for so many years, and yet, when are you actually going to earn some money?”
“What does a woman know? Don’t get in my way, didn’t you go shopping? What? No more money? Ask from your sponsor. Good timing. I need some money too, so ask for more this time around. I have some inside news that after I buy this, it will rise like a rocket.”
“What sponsor? That woman is going through a difficult time lately, so I can’t request much. Furthermore, if it weren’t for her uselessness, we wouldn’t have to return to W City to hide.”
“Stop talking!”
A dark expression crossed his face. He threw the mouse onto the floor as he recalled something.
He stood and lighted a cigarette. Then walked over to Judy and took a seat as he scolded, “That Hilary doesn’t have any money to give us? Then ask her to find a way to. Isn’t her husband wealthy? If she persists, then we shall expose everything. Let’s see if she’s afraid then.”
“I had thought she wasn’t scared anymore after so many years, but recently I found out that she was terrified.”
“What do you mean?”
Judy gave a knowing smile.
“Guess who I met today?”
“Who? Stop with the games, and tell me already!”
Judy spilled under her husband’s glare. “I met Gloria, Hilary’s sister-in-law. Of course, that wasn’t the point. The point is the mother-child previously was actually Hilary’s daughter, Clarissa. Now, tell me that wasn’t a coincidence.”
His temper sparked at her words. “This Hilary! Her daughter was the one affronting us, so is she being deliberate? Damn it! Was that witch not scared of us exposing her wrongdoings from all those years ago?”
“Don’t be angry, and wait for me to finish.”
“What else is there to explain? This Hilary deliberately set us up, didn’t she?”
“No. There’s another crucial information.”
“What is it?”
Judy whispered, “Today I met Gloria, and guess what she told me. She said…”
Judy listed out everything that Gloria had told her about Hilary and Clarissa’s relationship, as well as how Clarissa nearly married into a wealthy household.
When she finished, the room went silent.
He said after a long silence, “So you’re trying to tell me that Clarissa was denied marriage into the wealthy household due to her humble background. And if we tell Clarissa the truth, wouldn’t she then be able to marry into the wealthy family?”
“Nope. Clarissa marrying into a wealthy family has nothing to do with us. She even has a conflict with us, so why are we helping her? But, what if we tell it to Hilary? Hilary would be afraid of us telling Clarissa about it, wouldn’t she? Think about it. If Clarissa were to know that she could’ve married into a rich family but was ruined by her own mother, wouldn’t Hilary be scared of that outcome?”
“You’re right! Blackmailing Hilary with this information and she would surely be intimated by us threatening to tell her daughter. Moreover, her relationship with Clarissa is terrible at the moment, so all the more reason for her to be afraid.”
“Spot on! It’s truly unbelievable that Hilary would have such a successful daughter. What a waste. If Clarissa isn’t Hilary’s daughter, she would’ve lived a better life.”
“Exactly! I’m curious about the whereabouts of Hilary’s biological daughter. She must be living well off. We can gain another sum of cash if we can find her.”
“That’s a great idea!”
They exchanged glances with a smile while plotting underhanded ways to earn more money.
They would be able to make more money to sustain their lavish lifestyle, for they had someone’s Achilles heel on their hands.
“Judy, you’re such a great wife. I have excellent taste to have married you all those years ago. Let’s go. We have to rush for D City and meet with Hilary.”
“Why the rush?”
Judy stopped him. “I’m not finished yet. Didn’t Clarissa had her son with her when we were being sued back in D City? The man who picked her and her son up from the police station didn’t seem like an average person. But, Gloria said she didn’t know her niece had gotten married and had a son now. I wonder what happened?”
“They’re like enemies now, so how could Clarissa have told them? Let’s not talk about the child. We have to find ways to search for Hilary’s biological daughter. If that girl had landed herself in a wealthy family, we could gain far more than imagined.”
“You’re right!”
…
Clarissa brought her family out for a meal. Jenny had accompanied Catherine back home to rest while Clarissa brought an excited Damian to a kids’ club.
While Damian was playing, he noticed other kids were able to jump much higher.
“Mommy, Daddy is much taller than that daddy.”
Clarissa was taken aback by his comment and glanced at the man he was referring to. The man was slightly tall and lean. The way he was holding his child must have reminded Damian of how Matthew had carried the former on his shoulders back in D City.
Clarissa smiled warmly. He was repelled by Matthew initially, but now, every man reminds him of his father. He must have felt something deeper for his father than he let on.
After all, they were father and son. The paternal love that Damian had lacked was being slowly replenished now. It wasn’t too late.
She carried Damian, then landed a kiss on his cheek.
“Are you missing your daddy? We’ll be back to D City to see him after a few more days with great-grandma. Let’s request him to bring us to someplace fun during the holidays, shall we?”
“Let’s do that, Mommy! Daddy must have missed me too, right? So he must have saved a lot of delicious food for me, right?”
Clarissa laughed, “Do all you ever think of is food? I’m going to go buy some pastries for you, okay?”
“Mommy, you’re the best! I love you so much!”
Damien’s eyes sparkled and spoke more sweetly to her, all for the sake of pastries.
