Chapter 51
Teresa ended her chat with Miriam, and only after hanging up did she notice the calendar. Today was November 7th, which meant that Jonathan’s birthday, November 8th, was just around the corner. She hadn’t forgotten: he was about to hit the big three-oh, and he’d crushed his goal.
She was reminded of their wedding day when he’d promised to make hundreds of millions by this age. Back then, she’d brushed it off as just hot air. Now, he was worth more than just hundreds of millions. Teresa had no idea about the exact number.
Late in the afternoon, her phone rang with a call from a property staff member, who asked her to swing by and collect something. Teresa locked up and headed downstairs. The property staff member greeted her and said, “It came from the Maybach with the triple sixes on the plate.”
In her arms, Teresa gathered a stack of packages—Yenisville coffee beans, flower-shaped pastries, a silk scarf, and a jewelry box. She quickly asked about the car. Long gone. It left about thirty minutes ago, the property staff member replied.
“Did he leave a message or anything?” Teresa inquired.
“Nope, just told us to give these to you,” the staff member whispered. “This guy’s a big deal. Who is he to you?”
Teresa pressed her lips together and simply said, “A friend.”
“Ma’am, your friend’s got some serious clout. We were told if he ever shows up, don’t get in his way. I don’t know much, but I’ve seen him lurking around your door a few nights, looking like he’s casing the place,” the staff member said.
Teresa stayed quiet, her brows knitting as she thought, ‘So Jonathan had been by when I wasn’t around?’
That night, sleep eluded Teresa as she stared at the familiar number, her mind wandering back to their last encounter. He showed up with breakfast, claiming it was for the puppy, and that he went through Nareigh just to get it for her. Since that day, she’d seen him no more. Sometimes, after long absences, he’d casually mention a business trip, though he didn’t owe her any explanations after their divorce.
The next morning, Teresa was out the door early, leaving Michael in Sherry’s hands. She hit the mall and picked up 3,000 bucks and a fountain pen for men. Passing a florist, she grabbed a bouquet of fresh blue roses—thirteen in all. He’d once mentioned a fondness for blue roses, saying they were artificially cultivated and symbolized miracles.
She hailed a cab to the Nareigh branch of Horizonlead Group, gazing up at the massive skyscraper, feeling a sense of how far his career had soared. Taking a deep breath, Teresa clutched the flowers, ready to head in, when a figure caught her eye. Simona, with a massive bouquet of roses in tow, strutted in on high heels.
Teresa stood rooted to the spot, and in the end, she didn’t move forward. She turned and left, consigning the blue roses to the trash. Aware it was Jonathan’s birthday, Simona had specially ordered flowers, not knowing his preferences and settling on red roses.
After a meeting, Jonathan was informed that a female director from Larkin Group wanted to see him. Jonathan frowned and ordered, “I don’t want to see her.”
“Alright, Mr. Lynn,” the secretary replied.
It was his birthday, and he glanced at his private phone, which was silent. Even marketing numbers and mobile operators sent him “Happy Birthday” messages, but not Teresa. He was turning thirty, and the best years of his manhood had been given to Teresa.