Chapter 86

Sherry was almost in tears. She exclaimed, “What do you expect me to do after hearing this? Teresa doesn’t even know I let you take Mike out! If you’d told me earlier you were taking him for a DNA test, I wouldn’t have let you take him! How could you do this to me? I trusted you, but you betrayed me.”

Christian’s heart softened when he saw Sherry’s tears. Over their recent interactions and WhatsApp conversations, he had grown fond of the strong, hardworking girl. They were both outsiders striving to make a life in Nareigh, both graduates of Nareigh University of Finance and Economics, and both working hard to survive.

“But I can’t betray—” Before he could finish his sentence, Sherry, tears brimming, kissed him on the lips. She said, “You, idiot! I like you. I’ve been waiting for you to confess, but you’ve said nothing. Please, promise me you won’t tell anyone about this. This is their business, not ours. If anyone should talk about it, it should be them.”

“But…” Christian, completely dazed, could only stammer. Sherry leaned in and kissed him again, this time more forcefully, until both their lips turned red. She said, “Just pretend you don’t know, okay? When I first found out that Mike was Mr. Lynn’s son, I was shocked, too. But I decided to turn a blind eye. You should do the same.”

“But…” Christian’s mind was blank, and all he could say was that. Sherry wiped her tears away and said, “Looks like I was mistaken. I like you, but you don’t like me! Fine—go ahead and spill the secret. I’ll just pretend I misjudged you.”

If she hadn’t trusted him and let him take Michael out to play, he wouldn’t have had the chance to do the DNA test. No one in their right mind would bring their boss’s child for a DNA test. She trusted him, and he let her down. Sherry’s tears flowed harder. Christian clumsily fished a packet of tissues from his pocket and awkwardly wiped her tears. He explained, “I like you, too. I swear, I didn’t know Mike was Mr. Lynn’s son. If I’d known, why would I even bother with a DNA test? I really was just spending time with the child! How was I supposed to know I’d stumble upon such a huge secret? Honestly, I wish I hadn’t found out.”

Sherry’s mind was stuck on his words—“I like you, too.” She asked, “You really like me? Then, will you keep this secret for me? Will you be my boyfriend? Let’s work hard together and settle down in Nareigh.”

“I—” Before Christian could respond, Sherry kissed him again.

This time, Christian, an honest and simple guy, couldn’t resist. He wrapped his arms around her and clumsily kissed her back. Inside the car, Michael had woken up without them noticing and was staring at the scene through the window. “Wow!” he exclaimed. The kissing couple quickly pulled apart, embarrassed.

Back at home, Teresa was panicking. Sherry had called her, saying Christian might have discovered Michael’s parentage, but she had no idea how he had found out. Christian was Jonathan’s secretary and special assistant; surely, he would tell him. Teresa kept calling Sherry, but she wouldn’t answer. She had no idea what had kept Sherry occupied.

Just as Teresa was about to go out to find Michael, he and Sherry returned. Christian was holding Sherry by the waist, and the latter was blushing furiously.

“Where have you been? I called you so many times, but you didn’t answer!” Teresa exclaimed.

“Mommy, I’ll tell you a secret. I saw Sherry and Mr. Dunn kissing,” Michael whispered, tugging on Teresa’s pants.

Sherry and Christian said in unison, “We heard that!” It was too loud for a whisper.

“You two,” Teresa said as she carried Michael inside and shut the door. Then she turned to Sherry, desperate for answers. Sherry clung to Christian’s arm and said with a smile, “On the way back, we made it official. Don’t worry—Christian won’t tell anyone. He’s on our side now.”

Teresa was dumbfounded. Christian nodded and said, “I promised Sherry I wouldn’t say a word. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know anything. Don’t worry, Mrs. Lynn. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Sherry reluctantly let him go, waving goodbye. “Bye. WhatsApp me later.” Christian shyly licked his lips, his ears red with embarrassment. Teresa was utterly baffled. She was forced to witness a public display of affection.

“Teresa, to protect you and Mike, I took the initiative. After my third kiss, Christian was mine,” Sherry said smugly.

‘Third kiss?’ Teresa thought. She didn’t expect Sherry to be that kind of girl. She touched Sherry’s forehead and asked, “Are you possessed by Mirlam?”

“You told me, ‘If you like someone, go for it!’ And since Christian likes me, too, it’s mutual love,” Sherry replied.

“But how did Christian find out about Michael’s parentage? You said you had it under control,” Teresa said with a frown.

Chapter 6

“It was all a misunderstanding. Don’t worry. If Christian dares to spill the beans, he’ll have to deal with me and forget about marrying me,” Sherry declared.

‘Marry you?’ Teresa thought, still baffled by the public display of affection. She asked, “You’ve discussed marriage already?”

Sherry covered her face, blushing. “I’m not telling you anything else. I’m going to wash my face,” she said.

Teresa was speechless. If Jonathan found out about Michael, he would undoubtedly call her to confront her. The fact that he hadn’t called meant he didn’t know yet.

Indeed, Jonathan didn’t know. At that moment, Benny went to the company to see him. He didn’t even know that Jonathan had been in a car accident.

“You’re only coming to see me now that I’m fine?” Jonathan questioned.

“You didn’t tell me! I only found out today when I went to the hospital to get medicine for my cold, and Donald told me,” Benny replied as he sat down.

Jonathan was busy reviewing documents. Benny then pulled out his phone and swiped through some photos he had taken a few days ago. “Look at this kid. Doesn’t he look exactly like you? It’s like a mini version of you from when you were little, right?” he asked.

Jonathan took the phone. When he saw the boy’s face, his brows furrowed slightly. “Mike?” he called out.

“You know him?” Benny asked.

“Yeah, but he’s not my son,” Jonathan replied coolly, handing the phone back. “I’ve met his mom—I don’t know her well. His dad’s old and unattractive. But the kid is fond of me,” he added.

He hadn’t seen Michael recently. For some reason, he missed Michael a little.

Benny was skeptical. “How can two unrelated people look so much alike? Are you sure he’s not yours? I took over 20 pictures of him!” he said.

Jonathan looked at him incredulously. “Are you so free that you spent all that time taking pictures of a kid you don’t know?” he asked.

“Here—look at this one of the kid’s dad. Do you recognize him?” Benny asked as he opened another photo and slid it over. Jonathan saw the man’s profile and frowned.