Chapter 415
Chapter 415
“Norah, I need you to remember something,” I said seriously once Neil and his group had left.
“What is it, Ms. Finch?” Norah nodded.
“You have to be careful when you take Serena and Brandon out on their own. Don’t let those people from earlier come too close. You got it?” I was worried Ryan and Faith hadn’t given up, so I had to caution Norah.
Norah, understanding my complicated relationship with the Whitmore family, simply replied, “Got it.”
After giving the kids a bath, Norah and I retreated to our bedrooms. Before turning in, I dialed Russel to fill him in on the situation.
Russel was on night shift, but he wasn’t too busy. After hearing me out, he said thoughtfully, “Try to minimize contact with them. If they insist on a paternity test, let me know, and I’ll handle it.”
“Can you manipulate the results?” I blurted out.
Russel went silent for a bit before saying, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it covered.”
He didn’t answer my question directly, but it wasn’t something one could have messed around with lightly.
That night, I had a nightmare where Neil and his family found out about Serena and Brandon’s true identity and tried to take them away from me.
I woke up in a cold sweat, The two little ones were still sound asleep in their cribs.
It was already 8 in the morning. With my mum not at home, I had to go out and buy groceries.
Norah stayed home to look after the kids. She was more professional at it than me.
After leaving home, 1 headed for the nearest supermarket to buy some fresh ingredients. While waiting in line to pay, I felt as if someone was watching me.
I turned around and saw Karina with a shopping cart in the distance.
“Ms. Finch, I assure you I didn’t follow you here. It’s just a coincidence,” Karina said, noticing my discomfort.
“We seem to ‘coincidentally’ bump into each other quite often, don’t we?” I asked.
“Well, Neil and I do live nearby. His partnership with Mitch isn’t far from here which is why we bump into each other often,” Karina explained, her eyes honest.
I remained silent. I wasn’t aware that Neil and Karina lived nearby.
Stella probably didn’t mention it to avoid upsetting me.
The supermarket wasn’t crowded, and there were few people in line. I quickly paid for my groceries and left, only for Karina to follow me outside.
“Aren’t you bored of following me around?” I asked, stopping and turning to face her.
“I just wanted to warn you about something, Karina’s smile faded a bit, “Neil’s parents are trying to get a paternity test for your kids. I hope you won’t invite trouble.”
“What do you mean by ‘invite trouble’?” I scoffed. “Are you worried that Serena and Brandon might actually be Neil’s children? Are you afraid they’ll take Hiram’s place in the Whitmore family?”
That was definitely Karina’s biggest worry. Despite maintaining her composure, her face betrayed her anxiety. “I’m not worried. They’re your and Russel’s children, aren’t they?”
“Yes, so you’d best keep Ryan and Faith away from me, okay?” I replied coldly before walking away.
But Karina followed me again. She put down her bags and grabbed my arm. “I can let go of the fact that you got me fired. I can find work anywhere. But if you cause a problem between Neil and me, I won’t let it go.”
I shrugged off her hand. “We’re not close. Please don’t touch me. If you’re not worried about losing dignity, I am.”
Karina frowned, her face slowly returning to normal. She probably realized she was causing a scene in public.
“I apologize. I was just a little anxious,” she admitted. “You know what Neil and I went through. I raised our child alone abroad. It wasn’t easy. Now that we’re back together, I want to cherish it and avoid any problems.”
“Neil is my ex-husband, and it was I who asked for a divorce. Don’t worry, I have no interest in taking back the trash I threw away,” I again said coldly.
Karina pressed her lips together. “Is that so? Do you really believe that?”
Of course, I did. I had given Neil plenty of chances. Since we couldn’t make it work, there was no point trying again.
“Done shopping?” Neil’s cold voice broke the silence.
I turned around to see him looking upset.
“Of course, anyone would be upset to hear themselves referred to as trash,” I thought. But it wasn’t my fault. Karina had initiated the conversation, and I was just trying to end it quickly.
“Yes, we just ran into Ms. Finch and had a little chat,” Karina said with a smile.
It seemed like Neil had just arrived. He probably hadn’t heard Karina’s part of the conversation, and only my comment about not wanting to take back the trash.
I swear, the universe had a twisted sense of humor when it came to Neil and me. Every time I was badmouthing him, it didn’t matter when or where, he just popped up. It was as if Fate itself was serving up those moments on a silver platter for us to share our gripes about each other.
“Yeah, I suggest you don’t chat with her too much,” Neil said, not even glancing in my direction as he sauntered up and took the bag from Karina’s hand. “Let’s head back.”
His tone was a clear indication that he was in a bad mood.
“What’s wrong? We are friends with Ms. Finch. Not to mention you and her…” Karina trailed off, but then she started laughing. “Neil, I’m not the jealous type. I know about your past with her, and I understand.”
“We’re not friends,” Neil cut Karina off.
