"Do I get to keep my job, Mr. Wright?"
Ethan Wright felt he was about to lose his patience. He leaned back in his chair and eased his tie while maintaining to gaze at his assistant.
Following a heavy sigh, he sarcastically replied, "I asked you a question, John, and you answer with another question? Answer me!"
"I'm sorry, Sir. Yes. Samantha Davis came by, needing help with her kid's school requirements. Um... She - she did not have enough to pay for the school's enrollment fee." John explained how Samantha meant to just use an employment certificate to commit to her children's school fees before he explained, "I ended up lending her the money instead."
"Which school?" Ethan asked.
"Boss, coincidentally, The North Bright Academy," reported John.
"Hmmmm," said Ethan before resting his face on his fist.
"Anyway, Mr. Wright. That's when I noticed how her son seemed to be a younger version of you." John scanned Ethan's facial structure, his eyes, and the shape of his lips. He hissed and added, "Damn, really, boss, the resemblance is uncanny - though his eyes are lighter than yours."
John cleared his throat and repeated, "That's how the idea of you having secret kids came into my mind." After shrugging, he followed it with another suggestion, "What are the chances they are yours, boss?"
"John! Have you gone insane?! Samantha Davis' husband will have you killed!" Ethan suggested before twitching his mouth with irritation. "Your eyes are just playing tricks on you!"
"Oh, but... Mr. Wright... Samantha is not married. She is a single mother, and she had not said a word about the father of her children," revealed John.
For a second, Ethan examined the expression of his assistant. After making sure he was not faking it, he probed, "She - she is not married? How come someone with that kind of." He paused, trying to find the right words to describe Samantha's overall allure. "That kind of - "
"What is it, sir?" John probed before he tried to supply the words for his boss. "Kind of charm, beauty, elegance?"
There was a moment of silence after John's words. Ethan did not like it when someone, especially his assistant, would try to put words into his mouth.
With narrowing eyes, Ethan resumed his thoughts, "How can someone with that kind of physical... tangible attributes be without a husband, only to be abandoned with kids?"
'Physical, tangible attributes,' John repeated in his thoughts. His eyes nearly rolled, thinking, 'Wouldn't beautiful be simpler?'
After facially expressing confusion, John shook his head and responded, "Ah, sadly, boss. I did not probe further. Whatever her circumstance, it did not change the fact that we both loved how she cooked. In my view, she is still the best option to become First Diamond's head chef."
"Back then, when I attempted to explain to you her situation, you sort of jumped into a confusion that she was... married," John added to his report.
With another gasp, Ethan's eyes shifted from one corner of his room to another. After sitting up from a slouch, he ordered, "Give me Samantha Davis' profile."
"Oh, don't worry, Sir. Our Human resource department has already done their background check on Samantha. You have nothing to worry about her," assured John.
Once again, Ethan was left squinting at his assistant. He said, "I don't care what HR says. Get - me - her profile now!"
"Yes, sir! Yes!" Said John before excusing himself and walking out the door.
It took just ten minutes for John Garcia to return with Samantha's bio-data, resume, birth certificate, photocopies of government-issued IDs, and scholastic records. Her folder also included her beneficiaries' birth certificates; Kenzie and Kyle Davis.
After going through Samantha's scholastic records, he noticed there was something missing. There were about five years missing!
"Right after finishing high school in Braeton City, she did nothing? Then she took up culinary in Monroe City after about five years. How is that possible?" He asked himself.
Ethan understood that she might have halted her schooling when she fell pregnant, but referring back to the year when her twins were born; she should have three years in college somewhere.
Something just did not add up to Ethan. He spread out the documents and took pictures of each paper. Only then did he send them via email.
He dialed the number of his private contact, a hacker who had long been on his payroll. His name was Aiden.
A reliable hacker was always necessary to remain on top of the competitive business world; someone who cannot be directly linked to the Wright Diamond Corporation but skillful enough to do the dirty work.
As soon as Ethan's call was answered, he said, "I sent you some documents. I need someone investigated, and I need to know everything about this person."
From the other line, the same person answered, "Yes, I see them. Samantha Davis?"
"Yes, Aiden, I want an update in twenty-four hours. She has two kids. I want to know who is the father of her children - the incompetent father who abandoned his own kids," instructed Ethan.
"Yes, Sir. I'll look into this and let you know," responded Aiden. "This should be easy."
After the phone call, Ethan's eyes were still glued to the papers spread on his table. The next thing he knew, he was calling the North Bright Academy.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Mommy, Where Is Daddy? The Forsaken Daughter's Return