276 The hearing
“Are you out of your mind?” Zaria gasped in shock at the other woman’s antics. Why would she scream out of the blue and such insane words at that?
Angela was even shedding realistic tears and calling for the attention of everyone around.
Zaria denied the claim with a serious face. “She’s crazy.”
“Call me crazy or whatever you want!” Angela turned her attention to the other shoppers who were starting to look over. “Since she is claiming that she isn’t trying to kidnap my daughter, can you ask her if she is her mother?”
The manager walked over to Zaria worriedly. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry for this. I saw you walking in with this little girl earlier but...”
“Just because they walked in together doesn’t mean they are related!” Angela interrupted, dismissing whatever claim anyone could come up with to prove that Zaria and Rosaly knew each other.
The manager looked at Zaria apologetically. “I’m sorry. Do you have any way to prove that she’s your daughter?”
Zaria took a deep breath. “No I don’t, because she isn’t. But I didn’t kidnap her.”
“Liar!” Angela leapt at her, only to be stopped by a sales girl who had seen Rosaly and Zaria earlier and was on their side. She then crouched to speak to the frightened girl at eye level.
.....
“Do you like it here, honey?”
Rosaly shook her head, grabbing onto Zaria’s dress nervously. That was all the evidence that proved she knew and trusted Zaria, but she still had to make the girl speak.
“Do you know this woman?”
“She doesn’t!” Angela cut in.
“Ma’am, if you do not let the girl speak for herself, we are going to assume you are lying and kick you out.” Warned the manager.
“Just great. Once I prove that this slut is in the wrong, I will get you fired.” She pointed a finger at the manager.
The man merely shrugged. “We are not the police. We are doing this only because we care about the comfort of our customers.”
Rosaly finally spoke, but only after staring at Angela for a while. “She is my friend.”
Angela frowned. “A kidnapper can bribe a child with candy and pretend to be their friend.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Zaria rolled her eyes and took out her phone, searching for a picture. When she found it, she gave it to the manager who showed it to Rosaly while making sure everyone knew what was going on.
“Do you know any of these people?”
Rosaly’s eyes lit up. “Uh huh. That’s daddy. And uncle Zeus, Zaria, Grandma Lucy, Uncle Theo and Des.”
The manager turned to Angela, no longer patient with her. He had only been a little considerate earlier because Rosaly did look a lot like her.
“What do you have to say now? That a kidnapper can stay with her victim for long enough to introduce them to her family? If you cannot prove this, or the reason why this girl’s father is hanging out with the kidnapper’s family, get the fuck out before I call the police.”
Angela knew she had lost as Rosaly might just reveal why she and Zaria were together, so she retreated.
“I will get my daughter back, Zaria.”
Zaria rolled her eyes. “Let’s see what the court has to say about that, Angela.” She winked, making the other look like she wanted to disappear off the earth’s surface.
“Just you wait.” She huffed and gave Rosaly a last glance, hoping her daughter would cry for her. Alas, the girl seemed to want to glue herself onto Zaria which displeased her. It was already enough that the girl didn’t play along when she knew that she should. Why was she now clinging to the woman who would probably want to kill her as soon as she got pregnant with Desmond’s child?
When she was gone, Zaria let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.” She said to the manager, for standing by her side.
“Well, if you want to thank me, I need an autograph.” He smiled.
She was confused. “I’m not a celebrity.”
“Of course you aren’t.” He grinned. “It’s not for me either. My teenage daughter would live and die for Jupiter. You are Zaria Williams, right?”
“I am.” She still couldn’t figure out how the manager knew she could get to Jupiter for an autograph.
“Well, the girl’s dad was in a fake relationship with Jupiter’s girlfriend. I hope it’s not too much to ask him to help me get an autograph for my little girl.”
A smile softened her face. “I’ll send it here once I have it.”
“Really? Thank you. My daughter will be overjoyed.”
He ended up giving her a discount for the clothes she had chosen for Rosaly.
She was yet to choose any clothes for her baby and she was glad about it. If Angela had taken notice of baby clothes in their cart, she would have definitely tried to hurt her so she would lose her baby. That woman was crazy.
Noticing that Rosaly still looked sad, she crouched to check on her. “Sweetie, are you sad that your mommy left?”
Rosaly’s tears spilled out as if they had been triggered by her words. “Mommy is so scary.”
Zaria’s heart broke as she held the girl in her arms. To think a woman would go all crazy without caring how that would affect her own daughter. “I will not let her hurt you.”
Rosaly nodded as she wrapped her arms around Zaria’s neck. She was no longer trembling, so Zaria held a pink dress up to her. “Do you want to try this out?”
Rosaly nodded and waited for Zaria to give it to her with the right side forward. She knew how to wear her own clothes, but only if they were given to her the right way. If not, she would leave the room looking like a disaster.
While Rosaly got changed, she hurriedly found the manager to ask for a favor and returned just as Rosaly left the changing room.
“I like this one.” She announced, before pointing at a pair of shoes. “Zaria, can we buy those? Please, please?”
“Sure.” She picked the shoes from their display shelf and let Rosaly try them on.
...
Rosaly was asleep by the time they got home and when Desmond heard of the drama Angela had caused at the store, he wanted to rip her into shreds.
“I can’t believe she would scare her own daughter just to get someone else in trouble.” He was infuriated. “Did she even give birth to Rosaly?”
She would have said that she didn’t believe a woman would give birth to a child and treat her that way, but that was not the worst case of a toxic mother she had heard. She shrugged instead. “On the bright side, she just signed her own death sentence.
He knew what she meant and she was right.
On the day of the hearing regarding Rosaly’s custody, Desmond and Zaria were not nearly as nervous as Angela probably was. But that didn’t mean they didn’t feel as though their seats were on fire.
Soon after they got down from the car, a woman approached them and asked to speak to Rosaly.
“That’s the judge.” Desmond whispered after letting Rosaly step aside with her to speak.
Zaria’s eyes widened. “Is she allowed to talk to Rosaly before the hearing?”
“Actually, she is.” He shrugged it off like it meant nothing but when his daughter returned, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Do you want to talk about what she said to you?”
Rosaly nodded. “She asked if I like staying with you. I told her yes. I love my room and Zaria is very kind. She also asked if I want to live with mommy.”
Desmond held his breath and exchanged glances with Zaria.
“Well, what did you say?”
“I really miss mommy.” She blinked.
Desmond’s expression dimmed but it was expected. Just because Angela didn’t love her daughter didn’t mean the vice versa was also true. The girl would be happy if she got to live with both her parents.
“Well, it’s time.” Zaria reminded them.
He nodded. “You don’t think the judge will rule from a woman’s perspective, do you?”
“shit.” She had not realized it but she had hoped that it would be a man. Not because she thought women couldn’t deliver a fair ruling. She knew that they were fair, but it was hard for a mother to take a child away from another mother, especially while thinking of it from the perspective of a mother who would go through hell for her child.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “If the worst comes to worst, we will do what we have to.”
“You’re not suggesting having a word with the judge, are you?” He chuckled, wondering if she meant for them to use money to solve whatever problem arose.
“Of course not.” She jabbed him. She looked down at Rosaly. Would she be hurt if they had to take that kind of measure?
They went in and the court session started. All seemed normal at first, until Angela’s lawyer started asking questions that were definitely aimed at making Desmond look abusive.
“For the third time, I have never hit Angela or any woman for that matter. And I do not have anger management issues.” Desmond was getting riled up.
“You still have a bad relationship with your mother, and it is mostly because you were an accomplice to your sister’s crime.”
Zaria took a glance at him and knew that he would lose it if the other party continued to probe. That was what he was aiming for.
She shot him a look to shut up and when he didn’t, she stood up.
“Your honor, I have something to show you.”
“You must observe order in court.” She was displeased.
“Yes. I’m sorry. Miss Aguilar hired a hacker to delete it from my phone. If you don’t see it now, it will be gone.” She pleaded, earning the chance to show the court what she had. She urgently played a video for the judge to see.
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