A Son for A Billionaire novel Chapter 26

EPISODE TWENTY SEVEN

Theme: A guilty conscience

ANDERSON'S MANSION

“Why is Ace not here yet?” Camilla asked with a nervous look on her face.

She kept looking at her phone expecting a call from Ace Clark. “Did he forget about the party?” Camilla asked.

“No I reminded him about the party after we left the photo studio.” Mrs Clark replied.

“Then he ought to be here since eight. Everyone is asking of my husband! What’s happening?” Camilla heaved a sigh of frustration.

“Calm down honey, maybe he is stuck in traffic.” Mrs Anderson tried to calm her daughter down.

Camilla raised her eyebrows. “Traffic? The time is nine..I expect that the road should be free now.”

“Why don't you give him a call?” Mrs Anderson suggested.

Camilla rolled her eyes. “I have tried calling Ace, but he isn't picking up.” She replied.

“Let me try to call him too.” Mrs Clark moved away from Mrs Anderson and Camilla.

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IVY RIVERA’S APARTMENT

The driver to Ivy’s house seemed to take forever. Even the call he had gotten from his father, reminding him of tonight's party added to his nervousness. How could he possibly explain this whole situation to his parents in a way that would appease them? The moment he had laid his eyes on the boy, from the moment he had realized that Ivy had given birth to his child, every brain cell he possessed had been thinking on overdrive, struggling to find the right words to say to Ivy and when he finally get the chance to have a chat with the little boy.

The shock of seeing him, of knowing that his child had been alive and growing for nine years added to his nervousness. Why did he just meet her now? Why did he just find her now? And not few years back when he had looked for her and when he had been willing to do everything for her.

She had lied to him - about her name. And who know? She might have lied about so many things she told him that night. And no wonder it was impossible to find her.

Everything was complicated now. He was getting married soon to a woman he doesn’t love and the wedding was just few weeks away. Honestly, he didn't know what else he was going to do. How he should react to the knowledge that he now has a kid.

Guilt twisted at the back of his consciousness for taking advantage of Ivy’s situation back then. How he had let his old self take over, how he had managed to cajole her to wait when she wanted to leave and for leaving that morning without waking her to tell her he would be back. Ace remembered that he had promise to buy her a post pill but he didn’t so he figured she didn’t buy it either. How could she have known when she was so innocent at that age? He recalled how she had looked at him with an extremely innocent face when he uttered profanity for taking her without wearing protection. That look had haunted him for years.

Ace imagined how she would have suffered when she found about she was pregnant. But all through these she had never bothered to look for him even though she knew his name. He felt guilt for not been there on his kid's first or second birthday and everything.

By the time he pulled up in front of the house, he was determined to settle things. One way or the other, they are going to figure things out tonight. Ace bounded up the steps to the porch where a dim light provided brightness and he prepared to knock on the door.

“That knock would be hard enough to wake the dead.” Ivy’s words were so low.

Her voice was a little deeper and richer than the one he had heard few years ago. He cast the shadow by the single, yellow porch light until he found her, sitting on a chair, glass of wine dangling in one hand and cellphone on the other.