Page 1 of Ruthless Serenade
Chapter One
Mindy
Seven years later…
"Mr. Chen, could you please say that again?" I ask.
My voice is unexpectedly gentle despite my growing impatience. The office’s ambient noise fades away as I strain to comprehend Mr. Chen’s heavily accented English.
"Invoice… not good," Mr. Chen’s voice comes through, distorted by static yet clearly conveying his distress.
There is absolutely zero chance I can make it to the school in time to pick up my daughter. I sneak a peek at the clock. It's already 4:33. So much for finishing early today. And to top it off, it’s Friday. I know all the other parents have already grabbed their kids. I’m swamped with work and still have one last task to complete before I can call it a day. The end of the month always gets crazy with all these reports that need to be finished.
"I understand you’re having an issue with one of our invoices, Mr. Chen," I respond, surprised by the softness in my own voice. "Let’s sort this out together. Which invoice are we talking about?"
His reply is a jumble of sounds I can’t decipher.
"Sorry, Mr. Chen, could you please repeat that?" I urge him, absently twisting a lock of hair around my finger.My grand idea of grabbing a coffee before picking up my daughterhas dissipated into my usual panic of being behind schedule. In my mind, I can already see her sitting alone in the hallway, anxiously awaiting my arrival.
"Yes, Mr. Chen. I’m here to assist you with whatever you need."
I recline in my chair, noticing the sunset painting the sky in vibrant oranges and pinks outside my window. Okay, maybe it’s a little too early for sunset.
Mr. Chen struggles to explain the bad invoice problem and his words remain an incomprehensible muddle.
“Come on, Mr. Chen, let’s get on with it,”I think to myself. “Sharon is waiting!”
"Mr. Chen," I interject, "would you please be so kind as to send me an email with the details?"
Hoping I was sufficiently polite, I end the call without waiting for a response.
I check the time again, 4:38. It’s peak Friday afternoon and there’s absolutely no way I can make it on time. Anxiously, I give Tania, my babysitter, a call but she doesn’t answer. I start to worry as I shoot her a text.
"Hey, Tania. Could you please pick up Sharon from school today? Sorry about the late notice. I’ll double your fee, of course."
My mind starts spinning with wild thoughts. What if Tania is busy? What if she’s gotten fed up with my last-minute requests and says no? She has every right to. But lucky for me, my phone beeps with a message from her.
“Ok. Willow Heights is on my way, anyway. You’re one lucky girl, Mindy! smiling emoji”
I let out a big sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Tania; she’s a true lifesaver. But I can’t always depend on her, especially not like today when I had to make another last-minute emergency request. I really need to come up with a better way to handle the logistics between my job at Visionary Media and my daughter’s school, Willow Heights. It’s a constant juggling act.
Organizing everyday life as a working single mom in New York sucks, is the least I can say. But I adore my little girl, so who am I to complain? She’s the sweetest thing you'll ever meet.
I smile as I think of my daughter. She’s just so darn lovable, everyone falls for her in a heartbeat. She’s a bit shy, doesn’t open up to strangers easily. But for some reason, people always want to chat with her. And whenever she meets someone new, she sticks to me like glue, burying her face in my shirt and holding onto my hand like it’s her lifeline.
Sharon is the most beautiful kid. No, I’m not parentally biased. Seriously. She has a full head of gorgeous thick hair and a killer pair of wide, blue eyes that are impossible to resist.
She inherited those from her father.
If only she knew who he was.
I quickly push my thoughts about Maron Korolev back into the depths of my mind where they belong. I know I should just get him out of my head and accept the fact that he’s dead. But it’s not exactly easy to forget him and our complicated relationship. The relationship that ended with an unexpected pregnancy. A pregnancy I wasn’t even aware of until I was almost in my fifth month.
My periods had been inconsistent my entire life, even more so since my miscarriage. But then, miraculously, I got pregnant again. From Maron, of course. Just before he kicked me out of his event and disappeared from my life for good. Just before I learned from the news that he got fatally shot…
Despite our previous fallout, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I could not function for months. And then my heart broke all over again when I learned that he left me with a child, our beautiful baby girl.
Sharon is the miracle of my life.
