Chapter 142


    Chapter 142: Family Debut


    Moana


    The next morning was the day of the pic. I woke up feeling a bit nauseous, although I was unsure as


    to whether it was from the nerves of the uing event or simple morning sickness. Either way, I felt


    as though I needed to drag myself out of bed, but Edrick was kind and supportive along the way.


    After eating a quick breakfast, I felt much better and got ready. I put on afortable, light sundress


    and a pair of t shoes, then pulled my hair back into a bun and put on a very small amount of makeup.


    I dressed E in a pair of overalls and sneakers so she could y with other children. The entire time,


    she chattered nonstop about how excited she was to meet other children, and it made me smile.


    Even though I wasn’t particrly excited about this event myself, I was happy that E would have a


    chance to meet other kids, and I hoped that she would have plenty of opportunities to make even more


    friends in the future. After all, it was about time that she finally had a chance to socialize with other kids


    her age. She couldn’t stay cooped up in a big penthouse forever.


    Once we were all ready, Edrick, E and I headed down to the car, where the driver was waiting. Soon


    enough, we were on our way. E swung her legs happily in her car seat and asked a million questions


    about what sort of food, games, and other children would be at the event.


    And much to my surprise, Edrick answered all of her questions quite patiently. It really did feel as


    though the Alpha billionaire had gained a lot of patience with E over the past few months.


    Finally, we arrived at the park where the pic would be held. It was a much smaller event, and I was


    grateful to see that there were a lot of security guards who were keeping the paparazzi away. Because


    of this, the three of us got out of the car and made our way over to the park with no hassle. E walked


    between Edrick and I, holding each of our hands. It reminded me of the day that we went to the theme


    park, when she tricked the workers into thinking that Edrick and I were both her biological parents.


    The park was also beautiful. I had never been to this specific park before, as it was located in the


    uptown area of the city. The park was surrounded by a tall brick fence covered in moss and vines, and


    the pathways were lined with cherry trees that I imagined were a beautiful shade of pink in the


    springtime. As we walked along the pathway and toward the center of the park where everyone was


    gathered, I thought to myself that I would have toe back here in the spring to see the cherry


    blossoms. At the center of the park, there was a beautiful green gazebo with a rounded roof on top.


    There was a microphone standing at the top of the gazebo steps, and there were folding chairs lined up


    in front of it. People were sitting in the chairs as well as mingling around, sses of ice cold lemonade


    already in hand. In the distance, beneath a cluster of weeping willow trees, there were dozens of


    covered round tables and a long buffet with covered dishes. I could see workers running around in a bit


    of a frenzy as they finished preparations.


    However, despite how happy it made me to be out with E and Edrick on a beautiful sunny morning, I


    felt my anxiety begin to bubble up to the surface when I saw everyone’s eyes start tond on us. There


    were a lot of employees and other business partners at the pic, and as we entered, everyone turned


    to look at us. I could see some people whispering as they looked at E and myself, but it felt different


    this timepared to thest event; of course, there were plenty of people who seemed to be judging


    E and myself, but there were even more people who were smiling and waving at E. E waved


    back, grinning from ear to ear.


    “Look, Moana!” she eximed, pointing toward a yground area. “Swings! Can I y on them?”


    “Daddy has to give a speech first, Princess,” Edrick said. “Then you can y as much as you want.”


    E seemed pleased with this. However, it also seemed that some people overheard the brief


    exchange, and they seemed puzzled. I quickly realized that it was because E had referred to me by


    my first name instead of calling me her mom.


    My face instantly went red. I hadn’t thought about that beforehand, and therefore hadn’t had a chance


    to talk to E about it. Edrick never brought it up before, either, which made me wonder if he also forgot


    or if he simply wasn’t worried. E referring to me by my first name when I was supposed to be her


    biological mother was bound to raise some eyebrows, and I felt myself get nervous as I wondered how


    long it would be before the inevitable questions regarding my true rtionship with E were asked.


    However, as we walked up onto the small gazebo for Edrick to give his speech to his employees, I


    swallowed my nerves as best as I could and put on a smile, just as Edrick asked me to do earlier that


    morning. He had told me to just smile out at the crowd, but that I could just stare over their heads so I


    wouldn’t have to look at them.


    And I did just that.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    E and I stood behind Edrick while he stepped up to the microphone. I put my hands on E’s


    shoulders and held her in front of me, but she quickly got nervous from the crowd and hid partially


    behind me with wide eyes.


    The crowd let out a chorus of aww’s at E’s cuteness. Edrick turned around and shed both of us a


    comforting smile, which helped E rx, and I wrapped my arm around her while she leaned into my


    hip.


    Finally, Edrick gave his speech. It was a nice speech dedicated to his employees, and it seemed


    incredibly heartfelt. Hearing it made me smile, and I soon forgot my anxiety about the crowd. I even


    became a bit morefortable, and without realizing it my eyes began to scan the crowd while I


    listened to Edrick speak, the smile still stered across my face.


    However, as my eyes scanned the crowd, I noticed a strikingly familiar face. I narrowed my eyes


    slightly to get a better look, and once I realized who I was looking at, I knew exactly who it was.


    I felt my heart sink and a pit grow inside my stomach as I looked out at the face that was staring


    straight back at me.


    I should have known that he would be here; he was an employee at WereCorp now, after all. But in all


    of the fuss of everything going ontely, I hadpletely forgotten, and so I hadn’t prepared myself at


    all for the possibility that I might see him.


    It was my ex-boyfriend, Sam. And he was staring up at me and E with wide, disbelieving eyes.