CHAPTER 5

Mary threw the jewelry box on the floor and held the necklace between her middle and index fingers.

"I said are you fucking stupid? This cheap thing is what you thought a classy woman like me would like? Tell me, Jeremiah, how am I supposed to walk around with this nonsense around my neck?" She asked aggressively and Jeremiah grimaced.

"But you were singing how much you wanted it not too long ago, which is why I got it. What changed?” Jeremiah asked.

“I did! My level has been upgraded, thanks to Paul, and even holding this thing makes my skin crawl. This is what I think of your stupid anniversary gift," she said then walked over to where the trash can was and threw the necklace inside.

She smacked her tongue then returned to the couch to get her cardboard box of personal belongings and started heading for the door.

"Mary, how can you be this cruel? Can we just sit down and talk about all of this? If not for me then do it for the years we spent together" Jeremiah pleaded but his words fell on deaf ears.

Mary walked past him and opened the door.

She was just about to walk out when Jeremiah said "My mom died"

Mary froze.

She looked at him and with a shocked expression, she said "What?"

"My mom, she died. I got a call after I was thrown out of the resort and I was told that my mom had woken up from her coma but when I went to the hospital to see her, there was an emergency and she didn't make it." Jeremiah said and tears fell down his eyes.

Not wanting to look weak in front of Mary, he quickly cleaned his eyes.

"Mary, I know you don't want to be with me anymore but please just stay this one night. I don't want to be alone right now" Jeremiah begged.

He wanted to hear what she was going to say but after a few seconds, he saw her sympathetic expression change to one of apathy.

"Mary?"

"Do you want to know a secret, Jeremiah?" She asked.

"Secret? What secret?" Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows.

"I always hated your mother. She and her stupid coma always irritated me because if she wanted to die then she should have just done it instead of being a nuisance to me who had to go visit her when you couldn’t"

"Mary, how can you say that?"

"I mean it. I know that it's supposed to be sad that she's gone but I honestly don't care. Good riddance to her and I hope she burns in hell" Mary said and Jeremiah's eyes widened.

"Goodbye Jeremiah and don't bother trying to reach out to me. The next time we communicate will be through the divorce lawyers" Mary said then closed the door.

Jeremiah stood in shock at what he just heard.

How could Mary tell him that she always hated his now mother and wished that she had died sooner?

That was taking it too far.

Jeremiah rushed out the door and saw Mary entering the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that had been opened for her by a chauffeur then the chauffeur closed the door and went to the driver's seat.

"Mary!" Jeremiah ran towards the car, calling out to Mary but he wasn't fast enough and the car drove off.

Jeremiah's head started spinning.

He went back into the house, filled with rage, and ripped the decorations he had put up then threw them in the trash alongside his wedding ring.

He went to the bedroom to bring out their photo albums and tore every picture they took together to shreds.

He was done.

She wanted a divorce, right? Well, their marriage was over and he was done trying to get her back.

Jeremiah went to the couch to sit down then he reached into his pocket and took out the paper Doctor Gabriel had given him.

"What else do I have to lose?" He said then dialed the number and called.

After a couple of seconds, the call was answered.

["Hello, who is this?"] said a calm and distinguished voice.

"Umm, I don't know how to put this nor do I know if you'll believe me or not but my mother gave me this number and I'm calling to find out why," Jeremiah said.

[“Did you just say your mother gave you this number?”]

“That’s right” Jeremiah replied.

Suddenly, all he heard on the other end of the call was silence

"Hello?" Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows.

["Pardon me but can you hold on a moment? I'll call you right back"]

Jeremiah grimaced in confusion but still he replied "Okay"

The person on the other end of the line terminated the call.

Jeremiah stared at his phone, wondering what that was about.

"Maybe I was right and there's nothing special about the number," he said and was just about to set his phone on the table when the number he had just called started calling back.

He quickly answered and took the phone to his ear.

["Hello, you said your mother gave you this number to call, right?"]

Jeremiah grimaced when he heard a different voice. This one sounded more regal and powerful.

"Umm, that's right" Jeremiah answered.

["By any chance is your mother's name Lauretta Goodman?"]

"That's right," Jeremiah said and heard the person on the other end of the line groan.

["One final question. Is your name Jeremiah Garrick?"]

Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes it is, but how did you know that? How did you know what my mother's name and mine are?" Jeremiah asked with a suspicious look on his face.

["How wouldn't I know the name of my wife and, most especially, my son when I'm the one who named you?”]

“What?!”

[“That’s right, Jeremiah, I am your father”]

"Dad?" Jeremiah's eyes widened.

Jeremiah grimaced in confusion while also trying to comprehend what he just heard.

“But, wait a minute, that doesn’t make any sense. I already have a father and he passed away many years ago so how are you—?“

[“Look son, I know you have a lot of questions you want answers to and I’m more than happy to answer them but not over the phone. I’d like for us to meet in person. Just tell me where you are and I’ll have my butler arrange everything”]

Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows.

“Your butler? You have a butler?” He asked and his father chuckled.

[“Of course I have a butler. It’ll be impossible to manage all my affairs without his help, but you’ll know more about that later when we meet. Please tell me where you are and preparations will be made to bring you over here”]

“Umm, I live in Bakers View” Jeremiah replied.

[“Okay. Kingston will start making arrangements to fly you over here. For the meantime, how are you fairing?”]

Jeremiah became dejected.

“Not very good. I’ve been getting one bad news after the next and I don’t know how much more I can take”

[“I’m sorry to hear that, son. I can only imagine how hard your life has been growing up and I apologize for not being there for you all these years. Now that we are reunited, I can carry out my fatherly duties which start by sending you a little money to get yourself something that’ll cheer you up a bit”]

Jeremiah jolted and panicked.

“Oh, Umm, I didn’t really call you to ask for money or anything like that. You don’t have to send me anything—“ Jeremiah said but his father laughed.

[“Don’t be ridiculous. As your father, it’s my duty to make sure you’re okay and moving forward, I promise that your days of lacking are over. If you don’t mind, can you tell me the bank you use?”]

“Umm, Polaris Bank” Jeremiah replied.

[“Got it. Just sit back and I’ll send you a little change for the night”]

The call ended and Jeremiah grimaced, wondering what just happened.

What did the man he just talked to mean about him being his father? Who was he and how did his mother have his number?

A lot of questions went through Jeremiah’s mind but he wasn’t given the chance to think about them when his phone chimed and vibrated.

“I have a notification?” Jeremiah asked himself then looked at his phone’s locked screen.

It was a message from his bank.

He quickly unlocked the phone and checked what the message was about.

[Credit alert]

[Acc: 2XX…55X]

[Amt: $50,000,000]

[Des: Power Mogul…]

Jeremiah’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“What the hell am I looking at? Did I just receive fifty million dollars?”