Chapter 41
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Teresa swiftly seized the snacks and sharply told Jonathan to leave Get going Jonathan
Jonathan smirked teasing her Aren t you a bit mature for these kiddie snacks
“Stay out of it. Teresa retorted, steering him towards the door. “I mean it, get out of my house!”
As Jonathan grabbed her wrist, Teresa’s pulse raced at the anger in his eyes. “What’s with the look?” she inquired, her voice wavering “Change the door’s security code, he commanded.
Teresa felt a sense of relief glad she d hidden any trace of Michael when Edward visited Jonathan no matter how perceptive wouldn t suspect a child was involved
I ll change it when I have time Teresa said dismissive ly
Do it now Jonathan insisted
Teresa had seen Jonathan s stubborn side and his quick temper plenty of times Got it she stated firmly
Jonathan left Teresa’s apartment, casting glances back as if he wanted to say something more. The moment the elevator swallowed him, Teresa shut the door, ending any chance of further conversation
After receiving a call to collect Jonathan, the driver arrived early and waited outside. When Jonathan got into the car, the driver couldn’t help but notice his unkempt state. “Mr. Lynn, you look like you’ve had a rough night,” he remarked.
Jonathan s sharp retort cut through the air Are you serious A good driver doesn t take his boss to an ex s he bit out
The driver shook his head trying to clear things up Mr Lynn you were the one who insisted on seeing your wife I just followed your orders
Jonathan’s forehead creased as he racked his brain, trying to piece together the night. “Was I that out of it?” he wondered aloud.
The driver glanced at Jonathan with a hint of doubt mixed with concem. “Mr. Lynn, we might need to look into the car’s recorder. You were dead set on seeing your wife here last night
Fragmented memories of himself unsteady and flushed flashed through Jonathan s mind He fell silent massaged his throbbing temples leaned back and closed his eyes hoping for a moment of relief
With Jonathan out of the picture Teresa quickly got Michael who was still sound asleep up and dressed Sweetheart you ll be staying at Miriam s for a few days
Michael still groggy blinked and asked Why do I have to
T
Because Because Mommy needs to go on a business trip Teresa lied her mind working overtime
She was sure she had to move Michael fast, to keep him safe and out of sight,
After work Teresa arrived at Rosary Estates to see a luxurious black May bach outside Her heart sank as she recognized the car She was relieved she d sent Michael to Miriam s
with
Exiting her vehicle Teresa saw Jonathan step out of the May bach adjusting his attire and lock eyes with her
Changed the code he asked abruptly
“No,” she answered.
Why not he inquired pressing further
I m still picking a new one she admitted She d defaulted to six sixes for all he
for all her passwords because it was easy to remember but now
she was at a loss.
With a frustrated sigh Jonathan guided her to her apartment entrance I didn t expect otherwise You re alone here and not taking basic safety seriously he chided
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Teresa frowned slightly The security around here is tight
Jonathan s voice rose But what if it s someone you know His worry for her was clear
Teresa eyed Jonathan with a mix of annoyance and disbelief. “Mr. Lynn, you’re the type who’d break into a place in the dead of night. Real classy”
She inwardly grumbled that if it were anyone else, they’d be dealing with the police right now. The situation was still fraying hier nerves.
Though Jonathan was supposed to be drunk, he’d found his way to her room. She trembled at the thought of him blundering into Michael’s room. Startled from her reverie by the beeps, she realized Jonathan hal pair kly changed her door’s security code.
He worked left ly resetting the system pressing the right lo at ions on the motherboard and in gen ting a new de followed by a confirmation and re entry
There you go he said stepping back
Teresa stared at him confusion written on her face
Jonathan clarified The code s my birthday then my age
Teresa questioned, “Why would you set my house code to your birthday?”
Jonathan shrugged Just in case
Teresa looked at Jonathan a puzzled expression on her face
Jonathan glanced over her casual office attire–sweater, mini skirt, and stockings. “No more stockings, understood Trout, he stated, his tone brooking no argument,
As he walked away, Teresa grumbled under her breath about his intrusive behavior and called out, “Ugh hey, when’s your birthday again!”
Jonathan paused for a moment clearly annoyed then continued on his way without answering his hack stiff with anger
Truth was, Teresa knew Jonathan’s birthday by heart, yet his domineering behavior irked her. Her question was a jab at him. As soon as he left, she reset her security code to Michael’s birthday.
The idea of using Jonathan s birthday as her security code was preposterous it would be like handing her ez a key to her place
A her keeping the secret about their son for more than two years she wasn t taking any chances With Jonathan unaware of Michael s birthday the new code seem ned very secure
On her way to work the next day Teresa s phone vibrated with a message from Jonathan She took a quick peek and there it was a transfer notification for 110 829
Teresa exhaled, waving off the payment. It was clear Jonathan was upset she’d overlooked his birthday–November 8, his 29th. She grumbled under her breath, “So petty.”
She then tucked her phone away and headed into her office only to be taken a back by the extravagant scene Her office was flooded with flowers her desk buried amidst a sea of bouquets
Sherry battling her pollen allergy with sniffles and sneezes told Teresa Some unknown person just delivered 1 108 roses Any clue why
Teresa shook her head suspecting Jonathan s dramatic pay back
Her coworkers gathered around, intrigued. “Teresa, who’s the secret admirer? You’ve got someone flooding you with roses,” one of them
asked.
Tm not seeing anyone and I m as clueless about the sender as you are
‘Teresa replied.
Teresa s colleagues raised their eyebrows and chuckled over the over the top flower delivery Somebody s trying to impress you big time one joked
“If a guy sent me all these flowers, I’d be rearly to walk down the aisle with him in a heartbeat” another chimed in.
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Feeling overwhelmed. Teresa started giving away the flowers–they were taking over her workspace. She then sent Jonathan a message. [You’re making quite a statement with the flowers. A bit much, don’t you think?]
Jonathan text ed back quickly It s my birthday I thought you might ve remembered
Teresa paused then tested a reply Jonathan we ve been divorced for a while now Does it really matter if I forget your birthday There was a pause before Jonathan s response finally came Heading out on a date
That message was loud and clear to Teresa
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