Chapter 6

There are times when things happen that you least expected to. Things that are beyond your understanding or knowledge. Instead of accepting it, people tend to neglect the truth and would rather live with the lie. Things happen for a reason and if a person is asking for help, do your best to do so. But, you have to be sure that they need it rather than just for their recreation and personal interest.

“You’re going.”

I groaned softly, burying my face further into the soft thick pillows as Mother turned all the lights on in my room. “I don’t want to, and besides, you all can go on your own without me.” I couldn’t believe Mom woke me up this early in the morning just to get ready for this charity party that one of Dad’s friends was hosting. It’s barely six in the morning!

I had nothing against charity events, but there were times that I wondered to myself if the money they earned in the event would even go to the foundation that they promised to give to. Mom and Dad usually donated to the deaf and the blind, telling us that we were fortunate enough to be healthy and that we didn’t have a disability, constantly telling us that we have to be thankful.

“You’re going, Rachel. I’m sure you can set aside work for just a few hours.”

“No, I’m tired.” I protested when she pulled the blankets from me. I shuddered once my body was exposed to the cold atmosphere, curling into a ball. “Rachel Theia Maxwell, you are going to that charity event, no excuses. Don’t make me pull you out of that bed.” Mom warned in a small tone, but it still held authority.

I winced at the mention of my full name. “Mom, please,” I begged in a tired voice.

Last night, I got home late due to preparing for the launch of our new product which was going to be next week. I got home around midnight, lucky that I managed to go home safely without falling asleep. Today, I was planning on sleeping in until I went to my office at noon. Too bad Mother had other plans for the day.

Hearing Harvey whine loudly just outside of my room, Mom sighed. “You and your brother are just the same. You better go and take a bath now or I’ll take you a bath myself.” Once I heard the door clicking shut, I let out a tired moan and sat up, stretching my arms. Turning to face the glass windows that were now exposed due to Mom pushing back the thick curtains, I could see the sky was still a dark shade of blue and a few stars stayed in the sky, still twinkling. I climbed out of bed after stretching my feet and slipped on my fluffy slippers as I grabbed my robe, wrapping it around me.

I went straight to the bathroom and took a warm shower, hoping it would help me stay wide awake. Right after that, I dried my hair with a towel and put on my robe once again. I went inside my walk-in closet and tried to find an outfit that would fit the event. I studied the white jumpsuit in my hand for a moment, contemplating. Shrugging, I laid it down on the beige couch and proceeded to put on my undergarments. The jumpsuit would have to do. Zipping it on with a bit of trouble, I smiled once I got it zipped up all the way. I put on my white blazer and blow-dried my hair. Going for a clean look, I tied my hair into a ponytail.

Grabbing my white heels and clutch, I walked out of the closet and sat down on the armchair. I slipped on my heels when someone knocked on the door. Let me guess. It was Harvey, looking handsome with his styled hair, white button-down shirt, and black slacks. “You look handsome, little brother,” I grinned as he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

“Thanks for the compliment, Sis, but I don’t like to go. I’m tired and it’s too early.” He mumbled, sitting down on the edge of my bed and covering his face with his hands. “Can’t a kid like me have a break? There is only one Saturday per week, and school is a pain in the butt.”

I silently agreed, knowing how hard it was dealing with these kinds of things. Especially when I went through it all. I pulled out my journal under my pillow, the bed already made by the maids while I was showering in the bathroom. I put the notebook inside the nightstand’s drawer for safekeeping. “Well, it’s Dad. He wanted us to be there, too.” Although Mom took it literally unlike Dad who constantly joked about it. He wouldn’t force us to take up things that we didn’t like to do.

Just as I was about to reply, the door burst open, surprising us for a moment. Mom came in all dressed up in an elegant navy blue dress, hair tied up in a bun while she was only wearing a bit of makeup. Her eyes shifted between me and Harvey. “Good, you two are now dressed. Let’s go.” Harvey groaned under his breath but got up and followed Mom out of the room. Applying only foundation and lip gloss, I took my clutch and followed. “Damon, Hun, let’s go. The kids are now ready.” Mother said chirpily to Dad inside their room and went ahead. Dad went out after a few seconds, adjusting his tie. His eyes slightly widened as if amused to see us.

“And here I thought you two didn’t want to go.”

“Well, Mom wants us to, and I figured that I should,” Harvey replied, making Dad smile and pat his head.

“Your mother just wants to spend time with you guys, she barely sees you due to work. I, myself, am included. She just wants to spend time with us.” Harvey nodded at Dad’s words. “And besides, I’d be very happy to have my son with me. You might be able to help me in the auction later on, maybe even make me understand more about your video games.”

Harvey grinned.

We walked down the stairs to meet up with my mother patiently waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Come on or we’ll be late.” She chided excitedly, walking out of the front door, Henry holding it open. Harvey suddenly frowned, giving the hallway that led to the dining room a few glances.

“But what about breakfast?” He questioned, shocked that Mother didn’t head to the dining room and directly to the front door. Mom faced him and gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Harvey, we’re having breakfast there. That’s why we have to be there early.”

That’s a first. Usually, the charity events that I went to in the past were all held during the afternoon or in the evening. I hugged myself when a cold breeze hit me as Percy greeted us and opened the car doors of two black Range Rovers parked in front. “See you two there.” Mom kissed Harvey’s cheek before entering the car with Dad, making Harvey squirm before Percy closed the door. Their car sped away, out of the estate. Joseph, another one of our drivers, let me and Harvey inside. Already comfortable, Joseph climbed into the driver’s seat, “Good morning, Ma’am and Sir.”

“Good morning, Joseph.”

As the car drove off, my eyes wandered to my brother mindlessly playing with the sleeves of his attire. His fingers already healed a few days ago, and he was very happy once he knew he’d be back to playing games. “Here.” I handed him my iPad. “You can play with it until we get there.” He took it with a smile on his face.

“Thanks, but what games does it have? Does it have Minecraft?” He inquired as I taught him the pin.

I shook my head. “It only has Candy Crush, Monopoly, and Clumsy Ninja.”

Harvey shrugged and began to play Monopoly against the programmed opponent. Taking my phone out of my clutch, I checked for new emails and sent Patty one regarding a few investors who were visiting my office this noon. On the way to the location of the event, I watched in interest and awe as the sun rose. Sunlight entered through the car’s tinted windows, the soft voice of a woman singing in the background, as Joseph drove in silence. I could tell he was trying his best not to sing along.

Reaching the city, traffic was not heavy since it was still seven in the morning. “Joseph, can we stop by at McDonald’s?” I asked, pointing at the fast food drive-thru, thankful that it was 24 hours. Joseph nodded and turned the car. Harvey looked up from his game.

“I want a Mcflurry Sis!”

“Harvey, it’s too early to eat ice cream and you haven’t even eaten your breakfast yet. I’m just going to get coffee and pancakes. Do you want me to buy some for you?”

“Yes, please.” He mumbled and went back to playing his game. After ordering, the nice lady smiled and handed me my packed meal after I paid.

“Thank you, Ma’am, come again!” Despite his protests, I fed Harvey with the pancakes that I bought for him. He grumbled something about not being treated like a grown man before he took a bite off the pancake on the plastic fork provided.

“I am a man, I can take of myself! I can feed myself.”

I giggled at him but still fed him as he played with the ninja on the iPad. Eyes concentrated on the screen, I continued to make jokes about how he was still a kid. Harvey whined loudly and waved a hand at me. “Go away, I’m trying to play here!”

Sipping my warm coffee, I gave up on annoying him and scrolled through my emails once more when the car stopped. “We’re here!” Harvey cheered as the car entered through open white gates. Trimmed grass surrounded the place, and different shapes of bushes were everywhere. Roses and other beautiful flowers grew at every corner, as well as trees. I stared at the pretty surroundings as the car passed through the graveled path. My eyes caught the sight of two huge white tents sitting in the middle of the private garden.

Joseph parked the car and got out. I opened the door and climbed out before Joseph could, Harvey following behind me. Joseph’s eyes widened in surprise, I gave him a small smile and headed towards the tents, people surrounding them. White balloons littered around, tied to a few figurines.

“Dear, what took you so long?” Mom asked once she spotted us. “The event is about to start so we should go head to our tables.” She guided us through a few guests and into the bigger tent. It wasn’t crowded like I thought it would be inside, there were only about fifty guests. Mom led us to a table in the middle, where Dad was currently waiting for us.

“Thank goodness, you’re already here. What took you guys so long?” He inquired, assisting Mom in her seat.

“Just went and ordered coffee. I also bought Harvey some pancakes,” I answered, sitting down between my brother and my mother. “Sorry if we made you guys worried.”

A round of applause erupted when a woman went up the stage, a huge smile on her face. I clapped my hands and waited for our hostess to announce today’s event. As she began her speech, the waiters began serving our breakfast. “Good morning, everyone! I am Shailene, your hostess for this remarkable event today. To those who may ask, the buffet section is that way if you want to get more food.”

The hostess must have said something funny right after causing the audience to laugh aloud. I scanned the crowd, some familiar, others I knew through my parents and there were also guests I had never met. My eyes widened in shock once I saw the Montgomery family a few tables away from ours. They’re here? The blue suit Chad was wearing looked well on him, he looked like a model more than a businessman. His hair combed back as he watched the hostess up on stage, blue eyes staring hard, and clapped along with the crowd. I quickly looked away when Chad turned his gaze away from the stage, lowering my head and covering my face.

It had been two weeks since the last time I saw them, after the dinner at the Montgomery household, we didn’t see each other again. Well, except for Mom since she had developed a liking for her new friend Rebecca Montgomery. Usually, Mom wanted me to accompany her to their usual lunches. I always turned it down, due to work or I just didn’t feel like going.

I avoided looking around, knowing someone was staring intently at my back. I turned slightly to see him staring at me, I turned my eyes away. Knowing that it was Chad Montgomery staring just made things complicated to focus on what the hostess was saying.

“Now before anything else, can I call on Mr. Damon Maxwell to please come up on stage?” The hostess requested. Another round of applause erupted as Dad stood up, beaming widely, and headed to the stage to give his speech.

“Good morning, everyone.” Dad greeted and proceeded to thank his friend for inviting him. My eyes wandered to the Montgomerys’ table once again, but this time, they had someone over. It was Heather. Wearing a red dress, she ran a red polished finger on his jaw as she flirted with him. Eyes hooded as she stared at him seductively, Chad giving his full attention to her.

“Who are you looking at, Sis?” Harvey’s question snapped me back to reality, turning to face him.

“N-No one, Harvey.” I stammered, blocking his view of Chad and his girlfriend, knowing that it would just make him nervous and uncomfortable.

“No one? You looked like you wanted to kill someone.” I did? I loosened my grip on the wine glass I was holding and smiled at my innocent brother, shaking my head.

“No one, Harvey. I just happen to spot one of Dad’s old opponents in the business, you know, remembering those days.” I lied, hoping he would believe it. And he did.

I sighed in relief and clapped my hands once Dad was finished, a bit guilty that I didn’t pay any attention. Dad went down the stage and back to our table. Announcing that the event was officially about to start, ten lovely women went up the stage, wearing multicolored costumes. They began to dance gracefully to the beautiful classical music.

“Oh, look who’s here, Honey!” I froze once Mom gestured in the direction of the Montgomery family. “I didn’t know that Richard is friends with them. Did you know, Damon?”

Dad scratched his head and shrugged. “I didn’t know either, Helen. I guess Richard forgot to mention it to me, you know how he is. Busy and all that.”

Rebecca turned and saw my mother waving at her. She grinned widely at my mom and dad. She called a waiter and soon enough, four chairs were placed on our tables. Rebecca and Max Montgomery stood up from their seats before heading in our direction. “Hello!” Mrs. Montgomery smiled, waving at us.

“Hello, Rebecca, take a seat!” Mom said, and Rebecca did willingly. Max sat down beside his wife, placing an arm on her chair. Chad stood up as well, helping Heather up, and wrapped an arm around her. I paled slightly at the sight of them heading to our table, Heather shamelessly flirting with Chad while he gave her a smirk. Once they reached our table, Chad and Heather sat down. “Hello,” I gaze up to see Chad smirking while Heather looks displeased that both of them are no longer alone.

Oh boy…