Long chapter
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"I hate to have been the one to break it." Lucy sighed regretfully. She had thought all along that Natalie had ditched him for? his diagnosis from her reaction, she didn't even know about it.
"What do you mean by that? What depression?" She questioned, on the verge of grabbing Lucy so she would tell her everything.
"I thought you knew…" Lucy studied her expression. "Are you sure you want to find out from me and not from him?" She confirmed.
"Just tell me." She was on the edge of her seat.
Lucy sucked in a breath. This couldn't be easy no matter how simple she tried to make it. "Six months ago, I offered him a position at Twilight. I told him he could still keep his acting career and only work part time at Twilight. He rejected me."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Asked Natalie, who wanted nothing but the truth about Devonte's medical condition.
"A lot. I thought he wanted to spend more time with you so I didn't push it. But he would talk to me about random things. I started noticing strange changes in his mood over time."
"I noticed that too." Natalie's eyes stung. "Sometimes he would be jubilant for no apparent reason for days, then he would be sad and say it was because he was too much into his movie character. I found it odd."
"Then you understand me." Lucy found it easier to explain now that his changes had not gone unnoticed by his girlfriend. "When he finally had the courage to get help, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder."
"Why didn't he tell me?" Fury rose in Natalie's chest. "He lied to me and wasn't even apologetic about it! To think I was under the opinion that he had left me for his fame and career when all along it had been because of this!"
Lucy was more shocked than Natalie was. Why would Devonte make it sound like Natalie had ditched him for being bipolar when she certainly didn't know anything about it? She was about to point it out when she remembered his exact words. "Why would she be stuck living with a man like me? Why should she marry me when her kids would potentially be bipolar too?"
At the time, she had asked about the custom ring he had ordered from Twilight to propose, which had Natalie's name inscribed on the inside and which she was no longer certain he wanted. His response had made it sound like Natalie no longer wanted to be with a man like him but now that she thought back to his words, he was self-deprecating. She was suddenly regretting not talking about it with Natalie earlier.
"He needs help, Natalie. He is already getting psychological help but he needs you too." She stated.
Natalie dabbed at her eyes. Her nails dug into her palms when she clenched her fists and she spoke through gritted teeth, "No. He doesn't need me."
"What do you mean?" Lucy was perplexed.
Natalie looked out the door where Devonte had been ferried a while ago. "Let's be rational here, Ms. Roatta. He found out such a thing about himself and instead of opening up to his significant other, he decided to leave. Our relationship didn't mean enough to him." She knew it sounded selfish but she continued, "He chose this."
"You do know that bipolar disorder causes lapses in rationality, right? He made a rash decision that his normal self would probably never make."
"Stop. Please." She cried. She didn't want to hear anymore.
Lucy stopped talking about Devonte and offered her a hug. "If you need someone to talk to, I'll be there."
Natalie nodded and launched herself into Lucy's arms. She never would have thought that she would be on such a level of friendship with the woman she once found intimidating. Lucy let her cry her heart out and calmed her down.
Natalie got back to eating her now cooled breakfast, her eyes going back to Lucy every few seconds. "My mother would never do that." She pointed Lucy's blouse that was now soaked in tears at the shoulder, which the latter didn't seem to mind. "She would never offer me a shoulder. She would be freaking out if that was her shoulder." She spilled as though her mouth had been installed with a motor.
"Your mother is a selfish bitch, we all know that." Lucy didn't mince her words against Ava.
"Yeah." Natalie took in a breath. "Zaria is lucky to have you."
The words made Lucy feel regretful. "Only in her adulthood. If only I had been there for her in her childhood too…" She ended the statement abruptly and smiled. "But hey, let's forget the past, okay? You can have me too."
"Huh?"
She took Natalie's hand on the table and held it. "Call me aunt from now on."
"Aunt Lucy." The words sounded foreign on her lips. She didn't have any aunt, at least none that she knew of. It was a relief to have one, especially since they shared so many interests. It felt as though their partnership had just strengthened as well after the heart-to-heart they had just shared.
"Let me know when Dawn is almost ready for its launch. I'll announce it on my Creszone." She stated when they were on their way out.
"I'll let you know."
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Meanwhile, Zaria, Zeus and Desmond were racking their brains over what to do with Angela.
"We only need one inconsistency with the story to prove that she was bulshitting." Zeus explained why he was playing the recording over and over.
Desmond didn't want to listen to ten minutes worth of lies at first but after hearing Zeus' explanation, he did.
"Tell me everything that is different from the truth and you have an alibi for." Zeus instructed.
He was already frustrated.
"I have never donated blood to Rosaly. The first time I met her was at my birthday banquet. Before that I didn't even know she existed." He pointed out and added, "The night I supposedly proposed to Natalie was her birthday. She only had street snacks with Liam and me before running off with Devonte for a date."
"That's it." Zeus returned to his laptop and continued typing away fast enough to make his fingers appear to be a blur.
Zaria watched him and let out the breath she had been holding. "Could you also check the leaked summon from the court, please?"
Desmond caught her meaning. "Do you also think it's fake?"
She placed her elbow on the table before her. "Of course it is. There is no way the court would send a summon to the wrong address. And even if they accidentally did, it would be a confidential document with a security seal. It would never have gotten to you if someone accidentally received it and was nosy enough to open it."
"That makes sense." Remarked Zeus.
"She either forged it or had someone send a copy out to her. No matter which method she used, she is going to get in trouble." She nearly cheered.
"And all this trouble is going to work in our favor. No one is going to deem a woman with the audacity to forge legal documents as fit to have custody of a child." A smile settled on Desmond's lips. He had already contacted his lawyer.
Zeus looked up from his computer. "Okay but what about my sister's reputation?" He reprimanded Desmond. "Do you have any idea what your "excellent" employees are saying about her?"
"I will make sure they know never to mess with my girlfriend." He promised, but knew from Zeus' expression that he still didn't trust him.
Luckily, the latter didn't dwell on it and continued investigating. It wasn't long before he had hacked into the hospital records.
"Lucky guess." He winked. He had guessed that Rosaly would be taken to the hospital near Angela's villa and he had been right.
"What did you find?" Zaria stood to peek over.
"There is indeed a record of Rosaly getting into an accident that required a blood transfusion three years ago." He explained, moving aside to make way for the couple to see the records.
"This isn't going to be good for us, is it?" Zaria was worried.
"It will be the best news if we can find the actual donor." Desmond scrolled down and saw a name.
"That's it. Eugene Aguilar. Her uncle donated blood to her." He stated with a hint of relief.
"I was wondering why the true donor didn't speak up when Angela's words are being talked about all over the city. It turns out, he is on her side. He wouldn't rat his own sister out." She wondered whether it was possible to print out the hospital record.
"That doesn't necessarily have to be true." Zeus's expression darkened.
Zaria's heart skipped a beat when she considered how they were supposedly going to make Eugine speak up against his sister.
"Yeah, we are not going to do that." She declared.
"You don't have to be involved in this. I will do it myself." Zeus assured her.
"We are not going to shed any blood even if we are dealing with a bunch of tricksters." She stated firmly. "What would happen if it was revealed that Eugine only spoke up under coercion?"
"That will never happen. I don't leave any traces behind when I do my work."
She was not convinced. "I'm still uncomfortable."
"We will listen to Zaria." Desmond wrapped an arm around her body. She smiled in relief.
"Fine. I will print out the evidence for you. Will that be okay?" Zeus stated reluctantly.
"It will be. Thanks, brother."
As soon as the evidence had been printed, he checked to confirm that the doctors who treated Rosaly three years ago were still alive and in the hospital. It seemed to have been a recent scheme as the culprits had not thought of doing anything to the doctors.
Zaria took a picture of the document and posted it on her Creszone with the caption, [I heard unpleasant rumors about my boyfriend so I went digging and look what I found! I hope the doctor who disclosed this lives long.]
Zeus burst into laughter when he saw it. "You are totally the GOAT. If anything happens to the doctors after this goes viral, it will be obvious that Angela's team is at work. At the same time, if nothing happens to them, it will prove that the record is true. Don't forget that the hospital will be wary about such a record getting leaked and of a potential forgery. Angela will not be able to forge a record with Desmond's name.? You just killed three birds with one stone!"
"The same bird thrice." She corrected him, inwardly thanking him for reminding her of an important point. Just in case Angela made up such a thing as Rosaly having two donors, she added to her post, [My boyfriend's blood group if AB +. Just saying.]
At the side, Desmond was melting in happiness. Zaria had just admitted to the whole world that they were in a relationship! She was even defending him!