"There's a ton of truth in that," Remarked Bailey, the host. She shifted in her seat as she went for the killer questions. "Do you mind getting us out of this grief of curiosity by telling us your story?"
"What do you want to know?" She asked.
"You previously revealed that your father attempted to murder you. Could you tell us how this happened?" Bailey probed.
"Gladly." Lucy smiled, knowing that Nathaniel was probably watching and was seething in rage. "I was only a young woman at the time and my parents wanted me to marry the son of their business partner. They knew that I hated it but still… Why would a young woman's words matter to a selfish couple? Maybe it's because they never really liked me from childhood, or because I was against his idea of ruining a slum for his own selfish gains."
"What triggered him to try and kill you?" Asked Bailey.
"I fell in love with a man he thought was way below my social status. It was not unexpected that he would think that way, and I had already made preparations. I was ready to leave the family if he didn't allow his daughter to marry a man below his own status for fear of losing his reputation."
She paused, swallowing past a lump. She had thought that she was over everything that happened in the past but recalling what she and Theodore had been through, hate surged through her veins. "I did leave the family but that was not enough for him. Trying to kill my husband was the least he did. Once he learnt that I was pregnant with my husband's child, he dunked my head into the bathtub to kill my baby."
Bailey was shocked speechless. Would a father really do that?
"Why didn't you report this?" She asked.
"Nothing would come out of reporting a man who had the police in his pockets and the potential to ruin my life forever. I could only focus on making the most out of my life so he would no longer have anything on me."
It was sad, Bailey had to admit.
"You mentioned that he ruined a slum. Can you elaborate this?"
Lucy was glad to, and she went ahead to reveal all the details that she knew, including the fact that the said slum was sold to Nathaniel illegally. She was hell set on tearing apart the Su family's empire that had been built using unorthodox methods.
"I've been getting questions since you mentioned the man you fell in love with, and your fans want to know if this man is Theodore Williams." Bailey questioned, and Lucy laughed lightly.
"There isn't anything that can escape the eyes of the Internet, is there?" She chuckled, not denying the claim.
"So that means that the lucky man is Theodore Williams after all. After winning the heart of the beauty, he worked hard and became the CEO and owner of the infamous F&P Media." She added before asking, "If my sources are right, Theodore Williams has a daughter, Zaria. And I just checked out a picture of Zaria and she looks a lot like you. Is she your daughter?"
Lucy smiled in response and no other answer was needed.
"It turns out that Zaria Williams, who exploded into popularity a few months ago for the article she published about Preston and Fort Group, is Theodore Williams and Lucy Roatta's daughter! What a mega twist!" She dramatically exclaimed.
Lucy smiled dotingly. She no longer needed to hide Zaria away. In the past, she had refrained from letting anyone know about their relationship in fear that Nathaniel would find out and make a living hell out of Zaria's life. However, she didn't care anymore. She had already done everything she could to be able to protect her family and Nathaniel could go to hell if he wanted to.
"Rumor has it that Zaria is dating Desmond Fort. Is this true?" Bailey probbed. Of course she would use this chance to try and ask about Zaria.
Lucy shook her head. "I have no idea. Okay, scratch that. Zaria's dating life is none of my business and I don't wish to comment about it."
"Fair enough." Bailey moved to the next question. "Are you and Theodore going to get back together?"
"What do you think?" Lucy skirted around the question as though she wanted to keep it a mystery."
"Well, since you fought so hard to be together, it will only make sense if you get back together. You are too strong for your father to get in your way now." Bailey hypothesized like a fan girl.
To that, Lucy smiled mysteriously. "That's an interesting way to put it. I wonder what Mr. Williams thinks about it." To be fair, she didn't know either. Did she want to be with Theodore again?
"I'm certain Mr. Williams would be thrilled." Bailey pushed a little more. She knew this because rumor had it that Theodore had remained single for so many years after his divorce because he still loved his ex-wife. When she thought about the coincidental tidbits of the interview, she wanted to squeal at how much they secretly loved each other. There were innumerable agencies seeking to know the truth about Lucy and trying to invite her for interviews, yet she chose F&P Media which didn't even dare to ask her.
"Your fans have innumerable questions about you. Do you wish to answer them?"
Lucy thought about it and shook her head, not intending to put herself on the spot. "I will answer them on my Creszone later." She promised.
"Then I will move to my final question for the day." Bailey glanced at her tablet. "You are a tycoon that everyone looks up to and you definitely know that. By revealing your past on live, aren't you afraid of what would happen to your own reputation? What if no one wants to work with you after learning that you would tear apart your own family for their deeds?"
It was a reasonable question and Lucy didn't need to think about her answer. "I only work with partners I consider trustworthy and truthful. Anyone who has ever been involved in shady deals is off my list as soon as I look them up. If anyone were to dismiss me for telling the truth and putting an end to years of bullying, then they were never on the same page as me to begin with, and wouldn't have worked with me even under different circumstances."
The interview wrapped up and when Lucy checked out the comment section, she was not surprised. Nathaniel had tried his best to have trolls throw in comments calling her names for being insensitive and giving a one-sided story that was definitely full of lies.? Luckily, she was prepared for this. As soon as she got hold of her laptop, she uncovered the IP addresses of all the negative commenters and revealed them on one screenshot captioned, "What a coincidence that everyone who dislikes what I did today lives in the same place, down to the house number."
She left the studio enjoying the explosion she had just caused on the internet.
"You are done." Theodore met her in the hallway.
"I am. Thank you." She took her jacket back from him.
For some reason, he was exceptionally happy. She wondered whether it had to do with the fact that she had just set a flame under the butt of the man he hated the most.
"Zaria is here." He announced, and before she could respond, Zaria rushed over and jumped into her arms.
"Mother!" She was no longer scared of calling her that.
"Honey, I can finally call you my daughter without any fears." She tousled her hair.
"Right? That calls for a celebration and Zeus and I know just how to do that." She grabbed onto Lucy's hand and turned to take Theodore's in her other hand, leading them away."
"They look like a happy family." The employees gossiped when they saw them happily leave the company.
Once they were out, Zaria let go of them and linked their hands out of the blue. "I'll check if Zeus has arrived."
Theodore shook his head, watching her skip away.
"She did this on purpose," Lucy was amused looking at her hand in his..
"Do you mind?" He asked, to which she shook her head.
As expected, Zaria didn't have any intention to return. They figured out what to do and knowing that the party must be real, made their way back home. As soon as they arrived, the maids let them know that Zeus wanted them to go to the dining room.
The naughty duo, Zaria and Zeus, had made the dining room into a setup for a romantic candlelit dinner for two. Scented, rose-shaped candles made a trail around the table, on top of which there was a bouquet of red roses. This was no celebratory party. It was a date.
"Are you enjoying your evening, sir and ma'am? Is there anything you would like to eat?" Zeus appeared in the doorway, clad in a waiter uniform, complete with an apron labeled "Theo, Lucy". When did they even prepare this?
"You look like an actual waiter." Lucy smiled. "Maybe I should buy a restaurant and employ you."
"I'll take that as a compliment, ma'am." He bowed slightly. He was too much into the act.
"I'll have your specialty." She played along.
Zeus turned to Theodore. "What about the gentleman?"
"I'll have what the beauty is having." Theodore answered, and when Lucy shot him a look, he shrugged in his defense.. "I'm only humoring him."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel