Chapter 6 Secrecy

AS SOON AS they left the airport, Michael went to his own car, leaving Sarah and Carla. He seems upset, very upset.

Sarah wanted to chase him, but he was too fast. She almost got hit by Michael's car as Michael aggressively drove away.

"Let's go to my car, Sarah. I'll drive you home." Carla suggested as she opened her car. Sarah didn't want to because she is also upset at her friend, but she doesn't have a car and so she does not have a choice.

On their way, Carla couldn't help but to notice that Sarah seems salty.

"You okay?" She asked Sarah.

"No."

"Why?"

Sarah remained silent which made Carla confused.

"Is something wrong?" Carla asked. Sarah took a sigh afterwards.

"I couldn't believe it Carla. My own best friend humiliated me like that! Seriously Carla? I felt so disappointed and upset and very salty because you just shut me up when I was not doing anything wrong!" Sarah exclaimed to Carla. She took all her anger to her friend.

Carla took a deep sigh. "Alright, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to upset Attila because I thought she hasn't moved on yet, okay? I'm sorry. I just wanted the best for the all of us and I didn't mean to offend you."

"Best? Psh! You're kidding. The old friendship ain't coming back, Carla. You should know that." Sarah responded that made Carla annoyed slightly.

"Okay! What are you chirping on, Sarah?" Carla stopped the car and looked at her best friend, provoking a serious conversation to settle things up. "Tell me, are you still really upset of Attila? After all these years, you still couldn't forgive her? Bitch she didn't do anything wrong to you!"

Sarah unbelievably glared at Carla. "You sayin' that I don't have the right to be upset at Attila? Carla, this isn't about the past. This is about awhile ago-"

"Awhile ago what? Attila didn't do anything!" Carla shut Sarah up. She sighed and came back in driving. "Admit it Sarah. Ever since that incident, you hated Attila very much. You can't lie to me, girl. You've been jealous to her because of Michael. Please Sarah! We've been through a lot as best friends but don't make me choose between you and Attila. I'm gonna be torn apart."

Silence filled between them.

"I love Michael! So much" Sarah shouted suddenly. "I..." She stammered, her eyes watered. "I thought I helped him moved on already. But I saw it, he's still hurt... He still loves her. He still loves Attila." Her tears fell on her cheeks.

Carla couldn't know what to do to help her friend to ease her worries.

"The moment I saw the way Michael looked at her, I got scared, Carla. I am so scared I will lose him again because Attila is here now. He's all I've got, Carla." Sarah explained as she wiped her tears.

"Sarah, wake up. Michael is not and will never go back to Attila. Attila has her family already! And you guys are engaged now! You've got that ring already. He already proposed to you!" Carla tried her best to comfort Sarah.

"You don't understand, Carla..." Sarah said, almost whispering.

Carla scoffed. "What's on? Of course I do! You guys are in real relationship -"

"N-No..." She cutted Carla off.

"What do you mean NO?" Carla asked, confused and intrigued, her expression brought the traces of suspicions and worries. Sarah didn't answer. "Sarah, are you hiding something from me?"

Sarah did not respond. She just sobbed as she wiped her tears again. Carla shove the question away as she sighed and changed the topic.

"You really hate Attila?" Carla asked again.

Sarah shook her head. "I don't know. I don't want this to happen to us. I want the old friendship." She answered under her sigh.

"Me too..."

Silence filled them, ending their forums.

"Just drop me at the convenience store close to my apartment. You don't have to ride me at my place." Said Sarah as she wiped her tears with a tissue.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come and accompany you?" Carla asked.

"No. I'll be fine. I'll figure things out." She only said.

"Hey, you better not hide anything from me, Sarah. I'll be bitter. Very bitter if I find out something is happening to you behind me." Before Sarah leave the car, Carla reminder her. She just nodded and closed the door of the car.

"I can't believe it, Attila! I mean that Travis William just hugged you there, gurl! If I knew that you were talking about him during the flight, I wouldn't say I would kick him! He's a multi-billionaire, girl! He's the jackpot!" Meghan exclaimed in excitement as they waved at the taxi.

"I hate that man!" Attila uttered as she rolled her eyes.

Meghan laughed it off and shove the topic.

"SO... Where are you gonna stay for tonight?" Asked by Meghan the moment they entered the taxi. Her latina accent remained.

"I'll be by my grandmother's house." Attila responded which caused Meghan to scoff.

"Your father's mom? Or your mom's mom? Because either way, they are terrible people!" Meghan stated.

"Oh, no! I'm talking about my Filipina Nanny." Attila replied as she fixed the posture of her sleeping Trevor. When the taxi driver started the engine and began driving, Attila wrapped her arm to her baby so Trevor wouldn't fall.

"You call her your grandma?" Meghan asked.

"Well she's old and she is also a grandmother so yep. I'm just gonna pretend that my siblings are her grandchildren. They are so much better than my three biatches sisters- ex sisters!" Attila said in response as she rolled her eyes.

Meghan shrugged and laughed. "You sure got a lot of ex. Ex father, ex mother, ex-sisters, ex-fiance. You are very qualified to be part of X-Men" She said in her very Latina accent.

Attila laughed at Meghan's joke as she shook her head. "You silly biatch" she uttered as she laughed.

But upon realizing and feeling something odd on the moving taxi driver, her smiles faded.

"Uhmmm, excuse me sir! Do you know where is our destination?" Attila asked.

Meghan, who is currently laughing too became serious. "Yeah come to think of it. You never asked where are we going." She said too.

The taxi driver looked at the rearview mirror and then drive slowly. "I was booked by Mrs. Attila Revis. Did I got the wrong people?" Said the taxi driver.

"Y-Yeah, that's me. But I never booked an uber." Attila responded.

"But your name is on our list, so is your photo." The taxi driver replied as he clicked the screen in front of him to show the data of uber booking where it indicates the name of Attila and her payment, including her location.

"How did that happened? She never booked a taxi?" Meghan questioned again.

"I do not know. I'm just following orders in accordance to the given information and task to me by these files." Said the taxi driver.

"So where is our destination? I mean where are you taking us base on that information?" Attila inquired.

"To the La-Revis Villa, ma'am." He answered.

Attila's eyebrows raised, her jaw dropped a bit in attempt to exclaim yet no words are coming out of her mouth due to puzzlement.

"No wait! I did not book this uber! I will never go back in that place!" Then she exclaimed.

"Yeah, Mr. Revis obviously booked this one." Meghan added, followed by her nod as if she is very proud that she figured something with pure intuition analysis.

"Alright, could you take us to 8921 Pasadena instead?" Attila ordered, calming down.

"P-Pasadena? That's very far, ma'am. You do understand that we are in San Francisco, California right now? It would take 6 hours-"

"I'll pay you double." Attila cutted the driver's statement.

"No way you're gonna pay him 1,000 dollars" Meghan answered.

"I'll give all my money just so I won't go back to that house. I just have a bad hunch something terrible will happen if I go back there." Attila uttered.

"Alright! Let's not go there, but don't waste your money just because. Hello! We literally got hotel lodge-in out there!" Meghan suggested then she faced the driver. "Could you take us to Travelodge instead?" She said.

"No!" Attila immediately opposed. "I really have a bad feeling about this. Meghan, listen to me! My dad... My ex-dad who got me out of the family and who saw me as a disgrace my whole life is now calling unto me, and booking a taxi for me-Like... He couldn't even call an ambulance when I got a lost bullet on my shoulder! This is getting very suspicious! I'm not meeting him in that house!" She yelled.

Meghan's left eyebrow raised, giving the 'hecking' look to Attila. "You had that suspicion before we came back in this country?" She questioned with a trace of sarcasm.

"No, I was just thinking of my heritage. I mean, that was stupid of me to expect but hey! I still don't want to meet them in that house either way. I was planning to meet them somewhere else! Now that he booked this cab, I feel like I shouldn't meet him at all. I feel like this is becoming a pre-abduction, come to think of it. We are obviously getting kidnapped?" Attila questionly stated.

"Okay, I got it! You don't wanna go there, but that doesn't mean you're gonna pay a thousand dollars just to go all the way from Los Angeles to Pasadena! That's why we are booking a hotel, gurl! Don't waste your money like that! Let's just book a hotel for tonight so we could take a rest then tomorrow, we're gonna take a train to your granny" Meghan recommended as she took her burger from her bra and bite on it. Attila winced in disgust as she watches Meghan eating her burger.

The taxi driver looked into the rearview mirror of the car. "Excuse me! Am I still gonna take you to La-Revis Villa or Travelodge lodge-in? If so, tell me before we arrive on Nob hill so you could still refund the extra payment." He intervened.

"Yes thank you for that! Just take us to Travelodge." Meghan immediately settled. She looked at Attila and then she winked, which made Attila raised her eyebrows in awe.

After awhile of driving, the taxi driver did not go to Travelodge, rather proceeded to go to La-Revis Villa which Attila immediately noticed from the familiar street.

"Excuse me again! This is not going to the Travelodge." She inquired.

"I am deeply sorry, ma'am Revis. But my boss just messaged me to take you on the Villa or I will be fired. I don't know what issue you have with your family but that has nothing to do with my job, me as a person, and my task. I'm taking you there whatever happens." He responded.

"WHAT?!" Attila questioned, almost screaming. Her voice was so loud that the taxi driver had to slow down a little bit due to being frightened and she even woke up Trevor from the loudness of her voice. She shook her head to calm herself down.

"You do realize you are participating on a pre-kidnapping situation here, Mr. Driver?" Meghan asked again. "We may sue you!"

The taxi driver did not respond, but he sped up his driving.

"Okay! How about this? You take me to Travelodge since you only need Attila here, right?" Meghan asked to the driver.

"I am indeed tasked to take Attila Revis in the house of La-Revis Villa." He answered.

"Good! Only her. So you take me and that child to Travelodge and you are free to go with Attila." Meghan stated.

Attila immediately turned to her and sent her a very questioning look.

"You are seriously gonna sacrifice me?" Attila questioned.

"Gurl! Don't be over dramatic! They are still your biological family and no one will murder you there, bruh! Besides, would you actually prefer to show Trevor to them?" Meghan answered with a judgy tone.

"Excuse me again! But there is nothing wrong with my Trevor and I would be very proud to show him off with those bunches of useless family!" Attila talked back.

"Okay! Let me reverse that one! Would you actually prefer to show those ex-family to your little, pure and loving, innocent, baby angel?" Meghan asked again.

Attila took a sigh as she calmed down, being snapped by what Meghan said to her.

"Alright! Take Trevor with you then!" She then said as she rolled her eyes.

After the long talk, Attila bid a farewell to her son as she kissed him on his forehead. Trevor was still sleepy. He just blinked slowly and uttered "I love you mom! Come back soon" before he slept on his aunt Meghan's shoulder.

"Don't worry, girl! I will take care of Trevor. And don't forget to call me when something bad happens. I've got lots of connections here as a well known model. I'll message you the room number, okay?" Said Meghan. Attila just smiled and nodded, but before she closed the taxi car's door, she waited until another cab stopped by and drove Meghan and her son away from her.

They then proceeded to La-Revis Villa.

"You've got a very reliable friend there, miss Revis." Said the driver when finally, only two of them are in the car.

"Yes, she is. She is a pure blessing." Attila answered as her lips curved up a bit.

"She is beautiful both inside and outside. Her looks kinda remind me of Sofia Vergara, but I think your friend is a lot more beautiful specially her inside." The Taxi driver continued to give feedback about Meghan.

"Are you spotting your sight to my friend? Do you like her?" Attila asked, teasingly.

"I don't intend to do that but I'm just giving a good feedback. I hope I am not getting misunderstood." The taxi driver responded as he stopped the car in front of the big, black gate of the La-Revis Villa.

"Thank you for the safe drive." Attila only said as she got out of Taxi.

It's a good thing that Meghan took all their luggages because she doesn't have to carry it along the way through the Villa. For sure her father forbade the workers to assist her.

The gate opened for Attila, the gardened isle, filled with beautiful flowers on both sides flashed before her. A lot changed outside, but for sure, the people inside are still rotten in her perspective.

She took a deep breath before taking her first step toward the Villa. The place is windy, it's making her long, curly, black hair very flowy along with her blue floral, cotton clothed dress.

It was a beautiful sight for others who are observing her through the tinted glass window from Mr. Kalil Revis' mansion.

But the cold breeze of wind opposing Attila appeared to be a horror scenario for her. She could feel eyes on her, as if she is being watched. Her hunches are accurate.

It took her pretty much while before she reached the main door of the mansion. The door was opened by the maids and she was greeted with respect, surprisingly.

She just nodded as a response, but she never talked to the maid. The maids are also unfamiliar to her, the one she got used to is probably fired already.

She entered and the interior designs were still the same as before. Nothing much changed on the Villa except on the garden part and the maids.

Before she could step any further, she heard foot steps from the stairs. It's every 'tak tak' echoed around the place, clapping on Attila's ears as if it's knocking memories from the past on her senses.

She wanna leave, immediately!

"It's been a long time, Attila. I see that you changed a lot." It was Mr. Revis, her father. She gulped but her eyes remained fierce, then she looked at him.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Revis!" She stood up right on that spot, showing to everybody that she could be untouchable, or she's just actually acting tough.

"I see that your personality didn't change" Mr. Revis commented as he looked at Attila from head to toe.

Attila raised her left eyebrow as she checked on her nails, acting like a real mean girl. "Yeah. Not that you will notice my hair that was shoulder level, and now butt-level!" Then she shrugged. She winced and then rolled her eyes, showing to Mr. Revis her obvious hatred.

Not that Attila is aiming for revenge, but she doesn't have to force in herself to show pretentious respect.

Mr. Revis just sighed. He expected nothing of Attila, but he's still not used to it. As a big, influencial man in the state, being the owner of one of the biggest corporation and entrepreneurial empire in business world, Mr. Revis couldn't swallow the fact that his very daughter would be the one and the only one who can disrespect him.

He ignored the naughtiness of his daughter. He forced a smile on himself as he invited Attila for a seat on their living room.

"Take a seat, Attila." Said he.

"Nah, I'm not gonna stay for long here. I've got business to do in Los Angeles that's why I'm here so whatever is it you want from me, better be direct to the point and it's up to me what to decide." Attila bluffed, she stood still with blank expression, directly glaring at Mr. Revis.

Is she trying to intimidate and side-war against her father? If so, Mr. Revis know it will never work because this 'woman' in front of him is nothing but a small pawn for him to be on 'top'.

"Then stand all you want." Mr. Revis simply said as he crossed his legs and took a sip on his tea. He's all elegant and fancy. But to Attila's eyes, he is a piece of trash. He's probably worst than the father who went out to buy milk and never came back.

"Aight! You have 5 minutes to talk. Then I'm leaving." Attila said as she sat down and looked at her wrist watch.

"You're not leaving here tonight, Attila. At least take a dinner with us." Mr. Revis said in a very commanding way.

"No. As I've said I have business to settle-"

"Please..." Said her father. Mr. Revis stared at Attila. She took a deep sigh then she decided.

"Alright. I will go here for dinner but I have to meet someone first. It's still early lunch. I don't have to stay here until the night, do I?" Attila stated.

Mr. Revis just nodded then Attila left him.

Long story short, Attila went to Meghan to inform her for tonight that she might be late and so Meghan should take care of Trevor for tonight. Meghan gladly accepted it as Trevor is sleeping on her lap. After taking lunch and early dinner with her friend and son, Attila then went back to La-Revis Villa around six o clock in the dawn.

Everybody in the family are there. Mr. Kalil Revis, the father on the end of the table. Levia, her mother at the first chair on the right side of the table along with her sisters, Mia, Vania, Denise. On the other side of the table is Grace, her step mom. Beside grace is a maid assisting a child around 3-4 years old.

"You're finally here. Take your seat, Attila." It's Levia who spoke. Her tone was gentle yet cold.

Attila just nodded and took her seat. In front of her are all the fancy foods beyond the names she could call. It's a good thing she ate a lot during the early dinner, so she wouldn't have to gurl up with this delicious-looking foods.

"We cooked your favorite food, dear." It was grace who talked.

Attila gazed at all of them. Fancy foods she couldn't even name.

Those? Her favorite? Who are they kidding?

Attila just forced a smile but she couldn't veil by it the disgust and the other negative feelings toward her family.

"So... why am I summoned after six years of firing me from my job as a daughter?" Attila started the conversation on sarcasm.

It was pretty odd for her that her entire family seems to be very caring or 'fake' caring on her. She's not liking it so much.

Attila looked around in the midst of silence. None can answer her question. No one is also eating yet. But she noticed the other empty seat with plates on it.

"Are there gonna be other visitors?" She asked, looking at the empty plates on the other seats of this dining table.

Still, none answered. She could only hear Mr. Revis' sigh, afterwards, his sipping of his tea.

"I'll cut the chases and I will be direct as you wish." Said Mr. Revis. He put down his tea cup while keeping his gazes from Attila. "I'd like to start from kicking you out of the family and I am also sorry, but I want to make it clear that you still have your inheritance in my will."

Attila didn't know how to respond about it. Mixed emotions lurked in her. Is she gonna believe? Or she's bring fooled? Maybe her father changed... Maybe he's dying and he realized that life is about taking care of your loved ones. Maybe he realized that love is important than money at all. Maybe he wanted to