Sweet Revenge: Jace & Emerald

“Wow, Mommy!” Ace exclaimed as they walked through the amusement park away from the parking lot where they parked their car. It was the weekend, and just as she had promised her son, Emerald brought the boy to enjoy it with his nanny Keng and Liam, who drove for them.

“Are you that happy?” Emerald asked as she laughed. She didn’t know her son would be delighted with a simple amusement park visit. She thought that it was better to go out than see her son in front of his laptop trying to practice how to code.

“Of course!” Ace exclaimed. He had wanted him and Emerald to go and have fun together, but the boy hesitated to ask her since he knew she was busy with work. “If possible, I want us to spend weekends like this. We will look like a happy family with Daddy Liam,” Ace said happily. Still, Emerald was sad, thinking her son was aching for a complete family.

“It’s okay, that’s how kids are these days,” Liam told her as he gently patted her back. Emerald nodded and smiled before saying,

“I know that.” Then they continued walking and made Ace the happiest boy as they started taking him on every ride he liked.

The amusement park was filled with people since it was the weekend, and Emerald expected it to be like that. Families also spent quality time with their kids, and Ace was very happy seeing other kids his age. Although he wasn’t talking to them, the mere fact that he was around other people made him feel like he was on top of the world.

Emerald understands her son’s excitement. Every day, he would only talk to his nanny, Keng, and spend the day at home or in their garden. Ace is the kind of smart kid who would love to do coding, but he is still a kid who also loves to play like others.

It was afternoon when Emerald decided to go to a kiosk and buy something to eat. “Liam, I will leave my son to you. I’ll just go and buy something to eat. Don’t leave; I’ll come back here.”

“Okay, M,” Liam replied, nodding.

“Daddy Liam, where’s Mom?” Ace asks when he returns with his Nanny Keng after they just get down from a carousel.

“She just bought us something to eat.”

“Can I go to the restroom?” the boy asked. Liam didn’t want him to go alone with just his nanny, so he decided to come with them and texted Emerald to let her know where they were.

“Are you done?” Liam asked.

“Yes, Dad.” the boy asked.

“You should have let me come with you.”

“I’m a big boy now, Dad. You don’t need to come with me in the restroom; what would other kids say if they saw you fixing my pants?” Liam laughed at what he said. They were outside the restroom, waiting for the nanny, who was also in the restroom. Whenever Ace called him Dad, he couldn’t help but feel they were family. But he knew that he had his father.

“Nick, what are you looking at?” said a woman, making the two look at where it came from. They found an old lady and an old man looking at Ace.

“Oh, hi.” Ace greeted the old man, whom the old woman called Nick.

“I’m looking at him, Jessica,” Nick said, pointing at the boy. Jessica’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is she your wife, sir?” Ace asked, making Nick nod his head. “And where is your granddaughter?”

“Ace, do you know them?” Liam asked,

“Ace?” Jessica asked. “Your name is Ace?” Looking confused, the boy nodded.

“Ahm, excuse me,” Liam said and carried the boy. He didn’t like the idea that Jessica was asking about the boy.

“Dad, I met him in the restroom. He said he was with his family.” Ace told Liam.

“Grandpa! Grandma!” A girl’s voice made them look in the other direction; behind her was another woman, and they found a beautiful girl running after Nick and Jessica.

“Is she your granddaughter?” Ace asked. Nick and Jessica nodded, still looking shocked.

“It’s nice meeting you,” Liam said, walking away after nanny Keng arrived.

“Dad, is Mommy done buying our snack?” Ace said as he followed Liam, “Oh, goodbye!” The boy remembered to say goodbye to the old couple and their granddaughter.

“You should stop talking to strangers, Ace,” Liam told the boy.

“But the old man seemed nice.”

“Who’s the old man?” A question from Emerald made them look her way.

“Mom, I met an old man in the restroom. He was with his wife and granddaughter.” Ace said.

“Baby, there are many people here, and we don’t know if they are all like us and want to spend time with their families. There might be one of them who would want to harm kids when they found out that they were away from their parents.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I promise I won’t do it again.” Ace apologized immediately out of worry that Emerald would stop bringing him back to the amusement park.

Emerald smiled, hugged him, and accepted his apology. “As long as you understand my concern, baby,” he said. Then, they started eating the snacks she bought them before they got into another ride. It was 5 in the afternoon when they decided to go home.

***

“What is it, Mom?” Jace asked as soon as he sat on a couch. He was in the penthouse thinking about how Emerald would be on her first day of work when Jessica called, asking him to have dinner with them in their mansion.

“Tell us, son. Have you made any woman pregnant?” Jessica asked,

“What?” Jace exclaimed with wide eyes. “What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer the question, Jace,” Nick said. He looked serious, and Jace noticed it, so he replied,

“No, I didn’t get any woman pregnant. I’ve never been with any woman after Emerald left.”

“How about before she left? You said so yourself; you’ve been with different women and even showed it to Emerald so she would get hurt. Have you impregnated any of them?” Jessica asked again.

“No!” Jace exclaimed. “I always use protection; what is this about, Mom?” Jessica looked at her husband.

“I told you, maybe the boy just looks like him,” Nick told his wife.

“What? Whose boy?” Jace asked curiously.

“How about the boy’s name? His father called him Ace. Is it also a coincidence that their name sounded the same?” Jessica asked Nick, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“What is it about, Dad? What boy is Mom talking about?” Jace asked curiously.

“Nothing, son. Your Mom was overreacting.”

“I’m not. You, too, were shocked when you saw the boy,” Jessica replied, rolling her eyes at her husband.

“Are you sure about that? With how Mom looks right now, I don’t think it’s anything.” Jace said.

“There’s this boy in the amusement park, and we thought he looked like you,” Nick told him.

“It’s not because we thought, Nick. The boy looked the same as Jace when he was 4!”

“But the boy had his father!” Nick exclaimed.

“Wait, so let me clear things.” Jace interrupted them from arguing. “You saw a boy who looked like me when I was a kid in the amusement park, and you’re thinking I was his father?”

“Yes,” Jessica replied,

“But the boy was with his father when you saw him, right?” Jace asked again to clarify.

“Yes.”

“How did you know that the man was his father? Do they look the same?” Jace asked again,

“No.” Nick answered, “The boy called him Dad, and I think they were pretty close. I mean, the boy loves his Dad, and so did his father.”

“His mother is not with them?” Jace asked curiously.

“Yes, but she went to buy them snacks,” Nick answered again,

“Fathers should buy them snacks,” Jace commented, remembering how Nick cared for them when they were young and went out.

“I met the boy at the restroom, so I think his father decided to come with him. But Ace was very independent.” Nick replied.

“Ace?” Jace asked,

“That’s the boy’s name.” Jessica chimed in, making Jace think. ‘Do I have a son with someone?’ he thought. ‘Or could it be?’ he added but shook his head.