Ex-wife, we have a daughter

Jayda's POV

It was so nice to be in my new car. I tried to concentrate on driving but I just couldn't, I was really excited to have bought a car on my birthday. My mom would call it an achievement and also make fun of me.

"Peee........." A driver behind me in a Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta honked into my thoughts. It was obvious that he wanted me to drive faster but I was not ready to move more than the normal speed rate.

He ventured out of the lane and swore when he narrowly missed crashing into an oncoming black Hyundai. He toots his horn when he levelled with me and upon gaining my attention, he parcelled out his anger at me in a ton of obscenities.

Ignoring him, my aloofness only infuriated him the more. "Fool!" He roared and zoomed off.

The traffic lights had turned amber and two undisciplined drivers sped recklessly past me.

******************

Immediately I drove into the parking lot, I got down from the car and gently closed the door. Madeline, my personal secretary ran towards me with a bright smile on her face. "Good morning ma'am." She greeted me as soon as she saw my new car.

"How are you?" I inquired as I held my purse tightly.

She giggled excitedly. "I'm fine ma'am. Happy birthday ma'am."

She was actually the first individual to wish me apart from the messages and calls that I got earlier. "Thanks Maddy, I'm so thankful for this. How's the company going?" I asked.

Her face broke out in a grin as her eyes were still focused on my new car. "T&D publishers recently topped the chart of publishers this week." She answered.

That was one also one of the best news, I was excited to know that my company was progressing. "It's great you're checking the list." I replied.

"Ma'am, did you buy a car?" She asked, giving me a sweet smile.

I rubbed my brown eyes tiredly as I stared at her, a little bit surprised at her question.

"Yeah, I did."

Our boring conversation was interrupted with a phone call and I hurriedly picked it. "Hello Mom, I'm at work."

I couldn't hear exactly what my mom was saying over the phone but she fumbled with some of her words and I heard her mentally cursing herself. "Are you listening?" She suddenly asked.

I awkwardly cleared my throat and my voice was raised slightly, disrupting the quiet atmosphere in the parking lot, hence causing a few people to look in my direction. "Mom, do you mind calling me back in the evening?" I humbly requested.

"Why?" She asked with a ragged sigh.

Her tone left no room for arguments and I was not going to continue the conversation for a long time because I didn't want to argue. I let out a low chuckle. "I'm at work."

"You've bought a car, right?" She inquired.

"Y-yea," I stuttered.

I was getting to brace myself for what was coming, she was definitely going to either mock me or......

"What's the last two numbers of the plate number of your car?" She inquired.

Now, that was a heck of a question!

"Is this important?" I was forced to ask with a frustrated sigh. The question didn't seem relevant to me and I was not ready for an argument.

"Check that plate number immediately." She snapped.

I stepped back a little and stared at the plate number, I rubbed my brown eyes again and stared at the number, trying my best to concentrate. "Thirteen."

A gasp escaped from her lips and I braced myself for what was coming next. "Can you return the car to the showroom?" She suddenly asked.

I scoffed. "Unbelievable, they are never going to take their car back and I'm not going back there to return this lovely car." I answered, quickly.

"The German forces during WWII bombed Buckingham Palace on September 13, 1940. What do you think?"

No, what did I think? I didn't want to be rude to her but why was she doing this?

"I don't know. It's just a story." I replied.

She scoffed. "It's real, I don't like that number,"

I leaned on the car and stared at the floor, speechless. "Are you listening to me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm with you." I answered in a cold and soft tone.

"A British 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning on Friday the 13th, at 13:13." She muttered.

No, she wasn't doing this right now. Why would she make me feel bad for buying a car?

"Alright, I'll figure out something." I lied.

"The Costa Concordia sank into the ocean on January 13, 2012." She continued.

I shrugged and let out a frustrated sigh. "Mom, I'm going to hang up now, I'll be late for work. You didn't even wish me a happy birthday or send gifts to me." I reminded her.

"According to National Geographic, a Swedish flight disappeared while flying over the Baltic Sea on June 13, 1952. And for 40 years, the Swedish government was stuck by the story that the plane was merely performing training exercises....."

I interrupted. "Alright, I'm hanging up right now."

She cleared her throat noisily. "Happy birthday, sweetheart!" She finally muttered and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"Thanks Mom." I murmured.

There was a minute of silence before she finally talked. "After the buyout of United Airlines fell through on October 13, 1989, the ripples were felt throughout the stock market, specifically the junk bond market."

And then the call was cut off, apparently by accident.

She was trying to tell me the terrible things that happened on the 13th but I wasn't ready to listen. I slipped my phone into my purse and looked for Madeline but she was no longer in the parking lot.

Holding a document and my purse, I walked into the organization putting on a bright smile on my face even though I was still thinking of what my mom told me. She was probably right but I didn't like how she emphasized on the negative view of the number.

All the workers greeted me as I walked in and I could see the excitement on their faces as they wished me "Happy Birthday, ma'am."

Jayda's POV

Holding a document and my purse, I walked into the organization putting on a bright smile on my face even though I was still thinking of what my mom told me.

All the workers greeted me as I walked in and I could see the excitement on their faces as they wished me "Happy Birthday, ma'am."

"Thank you," I paused. "Everyone." I muttered and they cheered.

By the time they were done celebrating and popping champagne, I knew I was ready to sack a few staff. "Everyone, I have an announcement." I said with a loud voice and they turned to look at me.

"Who planned this surprise party in my organization?" I inquired.

"Ma'am, I did." Madeline muttered with a broad smile on her face.

Of course, she was the one who could plan an event foolishly. "I'm supposed to sack you but this should be the last time you would do something in front of my organization. I'm really grateful for all the gifts and most especially your efforts but what if a ministry sends a representative to review our company." I said and her eyes widened.

"Ma'am, this would never happen again." She promised softly.

"Of course, it shouldn't." I replied and walked into my office.

No, this was not me! What suddenly changed? I was really friendly to my workers, I wondered what was wrong with me.

To be honest, I discovered that I was just being paranoid because of what my mom told me. I placed the document on my table and tried to access them but I couldn't.

Daniel walked into my office with a broad smile on his face. He was my childhood friend and I offered him a job when he lost his parents in a plane crash. He was one of the people I cherished because he had also helped me once. "Happy birthday, Jayda."

I smiled. "Thanks Daniel, I got myself a car as my birthday gift and....."

He interrupted with a slow chuckle. "Everyone knows already."

I narrowed my eyes at him, a little bit confused by his reply. "I don't understand you."

"Well, Madeline's told everyone already about your new car." He replied with a light chuckle.

"That girl never stops to amaze me."

He chuckled softly and sat on one of the empty seats. "I came to your house this morning but you weren't there."

"Yeah, I went to the showroom."

"Hope the car wasn't that expensive?"

"Actually, it's quite expensive. I saved for over 7 months to get this car and I'm really excited."

He ruffled his hair and placed his hands on my desk. "I know, right,"

"It's actually a good thing that you bought a car." He added with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm not that good at driving but I'll be perfect soon." I told him.

He nodded. "I'm really happy for you and I can teach you how to drive anytime you're ready."

"Of course," I replied and he gave me a smile, causing a small dimple on his right cheek to form.

I awkwardly cleared my throat as Madeline walked in. She handed me a document and looked at me. "Huh, I'm really hungry, can you get me food from a nearby restaurant?" I requested.

"Yes ma'am, anything for you." She replied, her voice was raised slightly.

She stretched forth her hands and I dropped the car keys. She took it with a broad smile and held the keys tightly. "Can I ask a question?" I inquired.

She nodded. "Yes ma'am." She murmured.

"Can you drive?" I inquired and she nodded. "Please don't let anything happen to my car."

Henry's POV

Opening my eyes, I found her grinning at me. Hannah was my maid and most especially, she was my daughter's favourite. Due to the fact that she was very nice and likeable, I made her my friend and we always talked about almost everything with each other.

"You're here?" I asked, feeling my muscles tremble under the punishing weight that was balanced over my head.

"Yeah, it's actually fun watching you." She answered.

I drew a deep breath as she turned off the country and western music that has been blaring from the radio. "That was Jayda's favourite song." I murmured.

She grumbled, then looked at me speculatively before walking out of my personal gym. I wondered if she was jealous because I made mention of my ex-wife. A familiar restlessness coursed through me as I stole a glance of Jayda's high school picture framed on the wall.

I grimaced, but not from pain. Lowering the weighted bar into place, I reached for the towel hanging over the end of the bench, swiping it across my face with one quick movement.

I wore a suit and hurried down the stairs. Hannah had already dished the meal on the dining table with a smile on her face.

A sweet smile!

It made me remember my ex-wife but I brushed off the thoughts as soon as it came. "My daughter's gone to school, right?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, Kelly left a few minutes ago."

I shrugged and slumped down on the sofa with a sigh. For a moment, the only thing I could do was think about my life. "Hannah," I called out and she moved towards me immediately.

"I might come late tonight, I'm having an important meeting today and I might be at the bar later tonight." I explained gently to her.

With a smile on her face, she nodded and left. I didn't want to eat because I knew that I wouldn't get hungry. I stole a glance at the food and my legs took me to the dining table.

Trying hard not to taste the food, I found myself munching the food hurriedly.

After I finished eating, I walked out of the house and took a taxi to the junction. I had stopped because of the loud noise I heard.

Some people were running towards my side but I wasn't bothered. The taxi driver parked his car and I came down from the car after paying him.

When I found someone to ask, I was already breathing helplessly. "What's going on here? Why are some people running?" I inquired.

She caught her breath and showed me a screenshot on her phone. "There's a protest in front and some people came out from nowhere and started shooting." She informed me and ran off.

For a split second, fear skittered up my spine. Shooting? I thought it was peace time and no one was allowed to shoot except cops. It was definitely not from our mafia and we had no right to interfere in their business.

I took a shortcut through the back of a building and that was when I heard it. A faint yelp!

I eased my pace and then stopped when I heard it again. Only now, I heard words.

"Please leave me alone." I heard a shrill cry from a feminine voice.

"You were sounding tough at school, why are you begging me now?"

I found them almost beating a girl and I had to stop them. "Hey, leave that kid alone." I told them as I walked towards them.

"And why should we do that?" One of them asked rudely and before he could say one more word, he was on the floor. I tightened my grip on his neck and hit his head hard on the floor.

The other guy tried to hold me but I grabbed his shirt and brought him over to my side. After a punch, he was also down with his friend. "You should leave now," I told the girl and watched her leave quickly after thanking me for helping her.

I waited for the cops to come and pick the boys before jumping across the fence to the next street.

Jayda's POV

The clock was ticking and I looked at my wristwatch. It was more than 2 hours and Madeline was not back yet. I just hoped that nothing would happen to her and my car. I shouldn't have even sent her on that errand. What was I thinking?

Why wasn't she back yet? This was getting really annoying, I was really hungry but she was not around. Daniel walked in with a plastic container and placed it on my table. "What's this?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"You should open it."

I slowly unwrapped the nylon and opened the cover. He bought fried rice for me, I couldn't contain my excitement. "Thanks Daniel, I was so hungry." I told him.

"Yeah, I bought it from Chinatown, 199 Grand Street. I didn't want you to starve and I don't know why Madeline is not around yet."

"I don't know, why is she not yet back?"

He frowned. "Should we report this to the cops?" He inquired and I shook my head.

"I doubt that they would do anything, it's actually useless talking to them because we're not sure if she's actually missing. That girl can be careless sometimes and you know that." I answered and he nodded.

"Yeah, you're right."

After taking the last spoon of fried rice, he threw the empty plastic container in the trash bin and slumped down on the chair. "How was it?" I asked.

I couldn't lie, I had totally forgotten about everything when I ate the food. It was really great and I just had to tell him. "This is one of the best meals I've had in days." I answered and gulped down.

He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I shouldn't lie to you, I actually made that."

A gasp escaped from my lips. "Are you serious?" I inquired.

He nodded and flashed a huge smile at me. "Yeah, I had to go back home to make something for you. I knew you would like it."

"I loved it." I replied and heard Madeline's voice outside the door. I breezed out of my office with a frown to know why she came late.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." She greeted me with a sad smile.

I didn't respond. I took a long sullen look at my wristwatch and then looked back at her. "Afternoon, you're late." I reminded her.

She nodded and apologized. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"My car's in the parking lot, right?" I asked.

"Ma'am, there's a little problem......" Her voice trailed off.

We walked into my office and I sat down to listen to what she had to say. "What problem?" I inquired.

"I don't know where your car is." She muttered.

Fear skittered up my spine. What was she saying? What did she mean by that? "I don't understand."

"There was a protest in town earlier today and I had to park your car on the street to get a meal from the nearby restaurant there. The restaurants were shut down and by the time I returned to the spot I parked your car, it was no longer there."

And it hit me!

My car had been stolen.

"You're kidding, right?" Daniel asked her angrily.

She shook her head and stared back at me. "I'm really sorry, ma'am." She apologized.

"Sorry can't bring my car back," I snapped. "When you found out that there was a rough protest, you should have returned back to the office with my car."

"I figured that you would be hungry and I didn't want to make you annoyed at me, I'm really sorry ma'am."

Tears rolled down my cheeks. That car was not even up to a day old and it was stolen before two hours. My mom would be mad at me if she heard about this.

I should have listened to her and returned the car when she told me about the bad significance of the number '13'. I stole a glance at Daniel, he was also fuming with anger. How could I have been so careless and send my dumb secretary. "I should sack you, shouldn't I?" I ventured and wiped my tears with my hands.

"I'm really sorry ma'am, don't sack me." She pleaded.

Madeline was my favourite secretary, she was like a sister to me and I wasn't ready to even sack her. I found her at a cafe when her manager abused her physically. When I invited her to work with me, she was willing to help grow my company. "Madeline, I can't possibly sack you but why were you so careless?" I asked.

Daniel stood up and paced round the office. "What were you doing for two hours? You were not looking for a car, were you?" He ventured cautiously.

"I went to file a report with the police."

"And what did they say?"

"They didn't look serious about the case." She answered and I let out a frustrated sigh.

"How?"

She looked at us in uneasiness. "It will be best if we both go because they didn't believe me."

Daniel shook his head and stood in front of the door. "You should stay, you've caused enough damage already. You should just stay here and handle things here." He suggested and I nodded.

He was certainly right, I didn't want her to follow me to the police station right now.