billion book
Making Amends
Chapter 14 Making Amends
DS FASHION HOUSE, LOS ANGELES
Darby held Sinclair back shielding him from Leo. “Isabella, come get him.” She yelled feeling her blood boil.
“Mommy, come with me!” Sinclair whimpered, pulling at her hand. Isabella rushed towards them panting hard. “I don’t want to go with Bella.” He whined.
“I just need to do something quickly, baby. I will be with you in a minute. Please take him.” Darby said, pushing him towards his nanny. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Leo. “What can I do for you today, sir? What dresses would you like to pick out for your significant other?”
Leo blinked rapidly, he almost got confused forgetting how he got there. “Oh, so sorry please. I am not here…here…here …to.. to buy any dress.” He stuttered.
“So, what are you here-”
“That’s my son, right?” He cut in holding her gaze.
Staring at him unfazed, Darby raised a brow. “He is not yours. And I don’t know why a stranger would walk in here to lay claims on my son. Please leave before I call the security on you.”
“Darby!” Leo huffed in frustration. “Can you drop the act of not knowing who I am? I came here to find you after so long. It’s me, Leo Robin from Greenville High school.”
Kissing her teeth, she folded her arms in front of her chest. “What exactly are you playing at, Leo? I thought we agreed to never see each other again. What are you doing in my store?”
“I came here to amend things. I am sorry for what happened five years ago, turns out what I heard was a false rumor about you. I should have found out before accusing you blatantly.”
Darby had a cold look in her eyes. “Well you don’t need to tell me about who I am. I already knew it was all lies. Thanks for coming, you can go now.”
“Darby, please. I need you talk to you and make amends.”
“I don’t want to!” She yelled. “I have no intention to talk to you or play nice with you. Just leave, please. Don’t make this more complicated than it already is. You really have a lot of guts to walk in here like we just hung out last night. Where exactly is your shame? You still haven’t changed one bit. Arrogant and stupid just like before. Please get out before I have you thrown out. Thank you.” She turned around in annoyance leaving him on the spot.
Leo felt like he had been slapped hard across the face, he gave the space a once over yet again before leaving. No matter what Darby thinks of him, he would definitely return here. Pulling at her hair violently, Darby gritted her teeth as she stared at his receding back. It took every form of self control in her to not run after Leo and rain painful blows on the handsome face of his. His audacity made her want to scream very loud.
How exactly did he find her? On a second thought she would definitely be accessible now, due to the FORBES feature. If she thought Leo was handsome in high school, she wouldn’t know how to describe his devilish look now. He looked liked the perfect description of a Greek god. His shiny dark hair and broad shoulders with that sharp jawline that looked like it would cut through ice. She could almost feel her belly rumble at the sight of him.
Despite her anger, her eyes didn’t resist the urge to feed on his good looks. It’s almost impossible to not be reminded of him since Sinclair takes after him so much. There is no need for a DNA, the two of them are the same. One just looks older and the other younger. She wasn’t surprised that Leo pointed Sinclair out as his son. But she would be damned to admit it or let Leo get close to her son after everything he put them through. If only Leo had taken her in, she wouldn’t have run away and be subjected to hardship while trying to survive in San Francisco.
After all the promises to herself to never cry, Darby’s eyes watered as the memories rushed back to her. It made her furious, Leo has no right to breeze in unannounced into her life whenever he wants. Only she has the right to make such decision. The tears kept falling nonstop and she almost can’t stop herself.
Isabella placed a comforting hand on her shoulder causing Darby to jolt in shock. “Easy, it’s just me.”
Turning around to look at her, Darby burst into a fit of tears hugging Isabella tightly. Isabella didn’t say a word and allowed her to cry to her hearts content.
“He is Sinclair’s dad?” Isabella asked handing her a cup of coffee, few minutes after she was done crying.
Darby sniffed, wrapping her hands around the cup. “Where is Sinclair?”
“He is asleep.”
“Okay.” She exhaled. “Yes, that’s his father. I despise him so much.”
“I know how hard it has been for you, Darby. I hear you cry yourself to sleep those nights when I had just started living with you and Sinclair. But over the years you have been able to overcome those sad moments. It’s okay if you don’t see him fit to be around you or your son. Don’t regret your decision. I can’t give you any advice, since I am clueless myself. But I would urge you to do whatever you think is best for you.”
Darby nodded staring down at her manicured fingers. “You know, when I was pregnant with Sinclair I almost regretted my decision to keep him. Those times were painful, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because of back aches and there would be no one to massage my back or make me a relaxing tea. And when he finally came, my sleepless nights mounted. Sometimes it gets so frustrating that I cry along with him when he cries. I felt so alone and lost. I had even contemplated on taking him to the orphanage. But every time I get to the entrance, I could never summon the courage to leave my poor baby there. I finally had the courage to share my pain with Zac and he offered to pay for a nanny if I could get one. But then I found you. I am so grateful for my life so far. But sometimes I really can’t help but think about everything.”
“You should be proud of yourself for making it this far. You are a strong woman, Darby. And I hope to be able to hold my ground like you do. I do have many regrets too, maybe I shouldn’t have aborted my pregnancy but I was only sixteen and I was impregnated by my foster father. It just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do bringing such child into the world. I had a feeling I would hate the child and I might never be able to forgive myself. Even though I feel guilty from time to time, at least it’s minimal compared to how I would have felt if I held onto the child. But your case is different. You have come this far, Darby. Don’t let anyone shake you.”
A single tear rolled down Darby’s face as she pulled Isabella into a hug. “Thanks for always standing by me, Isabella. Thank you.” She mused sincerely, holding onto her like her life depended on it.