Surprise bestiesss!

I (somehow) managed to finish a chapter way earlier than I usually do. So, I pushed myself to edit it and post it today because ED reached 100K reads! AHHH! I'm so happy and thankful to every one of you who's reading it, and loving it!

This chapter is a hefty one with a heavy conversation.

Small TW because of a brief mention of abortion. So keep that in mind when you come across it.

It's an all Harry POV chapter, so if you love those, this one's for you.

Oh yes, there's also a LONG A/N at the end of this chapter. Please take a read through it. Thanks.

Now, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this one, my darling rosy tulips 🌷

♬ ✥*

Harry.

My ears had to stop working.

She called herself my mother.

That was the biggest fucking joke I've heard all day — more or less, the only one.

I swear, I was hallucinating at this point.

Settling my focus on Serenity, her lips were parted, confused, and just as in shock as me. Her eyes blinked a few times, still darted towards the women before moving them to me. She was worried about me, and I was at the point where I didn't know whether to feel the same way or remain in my irritated state.

I chose the latter.

"What the fuck did you say? I have a mother, and it certainly isn't you."

"A Lauren? Yes, I know," she whispered, "But she isn't your mother. I am."

That was the last fucking straw. Whoever this woman was, she was a liar, and that was it.

"Get the fuck out."

"Harry," Serenity's voice was surprised by my tone — and request.

Sorry, my love, but I wasn't requesting it this time — it was a demand.

"Please, don't —" The woman begged, but I refused to hear anything more.

Walking around to the buzzer, I pressed on the intercom that led down to the surveillance room.

"Security, I want someone to come up immediately to escort this woman out. Do not let her in again."

"But I'm —" she still tried to get words in, but I didn't give her any chance to continue. She was a mess with the way tears filled her eyes. Dramatic effects — all of it. Nothing was real.

"Harry, pretty, calm down," Essie whispered, placing her hand on my arm.

It didn't take more than a minute before security showed. Mark stood along with another guard, looking between Serenity, me, and the woman. He could sense the stress and tension within the room — anyone could.

"Get her out. If I see her again, you're all fucking fired. Am I clear?" I firmly demanded.

"Please believe me," the woman lastly pleaded before being led out of the room.

I was fucking fuming.

"Baby, calm down. It's okay."

"Is she fucking serious? Coming in here making claims that she's my mother? I don't need anyone else here to mooch off my money and success. It's all bullshit."

"Harry, deep breaths. It's okay. She's gone, okay? Alright" Her voice was soothing as she placed a hand on my cheek, turning my face towards her.

And suddenly, everything started to drop down, a sinkhole forming without warning.  

"Can — can we go home?" I asked, and she nodded immediately.

"Of course we can, baby. Let's go," Essie spoke softly as she placed a kiss on the top of my hand, and she went to grab our things. She disappeared for a short while, and I knew she was unsure which papers to get, and that she probably stuffed my briefcase with everything she found on my desk.

She returned to me with my case in hand, along with our coats that we wore on the spot. The brief smile on her lips was enough for me to temporarily forget about what had just happened.

Serenity also made it seem like nothing actually happened — it was almost as if she was irrelevant. I knew that the topic would be brought up later, but for now, things remained back to the best normal we could be.

I made a single stop to the lobby just to give security a stern look, letting them know I was serious about what I said prior. The fear in their eyes flashed before them, and it was a dead giveaway to my words.

Essie just tugged me back into the lift to continue towards our original destination. The feeling of her hand clasped in mine was one that I never wanted to forget.

The ride was silent. All throughout our walk and drive back home — and by that, I meant Serenity's place.

It was now my home, too. It was amongst the several other things we shared together. I liked it that I had a key to it now. The fact that she was so close to fully trusting me again meant the world to me.

When we entered the apartment, Luna greeted me first at the door, and I petted her soft fur coat before grabbing an allergy pill from the cupboard and slumped down onto the couch.

I rested my head in my hands, and set my elbows on my knees, keeping my eyes tightly shut. I had a shit day enough as it is, and some random woman comes to put the cherry on the fucking top.

My whole body was tired and exhausted, barely able to do anything, but my girl silently forced me to wash my hands so I could eat something. Being in this foreign state, I couldn't even tell that I was starving. I was close to refusing, but she gave me a look that kept me quiet.

We ate in pin-dropping stillness, Luna watching us from her cat tree, while Serenity and I were sat at the dining table. At first, I thought it was awkward between us, and I just hoped it wasn't. I didn't want to indirectly push her away, but when she smiled at me and leaned over to place a kiss on my cheek, I knew it was otherwise.

It was just comfortable silence.

I put my thoughts on pause and just lived in the moment. We never talked about even the most mundane things, because I simply couldn't find it in me to speak. We just watched each other do the slightest movements, and occasionally, a content expression threw itself in the mix.

But time passed on, and even after the food was in our tummies, satisfied, we still remained seated in the same spot.

"Harry," my angel's voice spoke, and I looked up to meet her eyes, filled with worry and concern. "Let's have a shower. Come on, H."

With a weak nod, she grabbed hold of my hands and pulled us both towards her bathroom. She started up the water, adjusted the temperature, and returned to help strip me of my clothes.

I felt so useless and pathetic, not even able to undress myself. My whole body was shaking from vulnerability, and it made me want to hide in plain sight, never to appear again.

What was happening?

Nothing made sense, and I didn't even know what to do with it.

I knew the truth, but why was this affecting me so much more than I thought possible. She was just a woman who claimed to be my mother.

Fuck.

My mother.

It wasn't possible. I knew who my mother was — and her name was Lauren. But I just kept thinking to myself that maybe she wasn't. It's not like she fully treated me like her son. Things were always different between her and Tommy.

Maybe that's why.

But then there was my dad. He was obviously involved. If this Valentina woman was my biological mother, why didn't he treat me like I wasn't his son? I never did anything wrong to him. Or maybe he also wasn't my father. Knowing what was happening, anything seemed probable. All I wanted to do was make him proud, and that still wasn't enough. 

What did he want from me?

Did anyone want anything from me?

Did anyone even want me?

I know Serenity does, but if she never existed in my life, I would've been all alone — possibly forever

The simple thought of that made my bottom lip quiver and eyes shine with melancholy.

Essie helped me step into the tub, and we both felt the water above us. I never knew when she even turned on the shower as she pulled the curtain closed.

Not a word was uttered between us. I still couldn't speak, and Serenity remained silent through my struggling time. There was nothing concrete to let echo between all walls or the confined space we were in.

The only sound surrounding us was the shower water running and falling into the drain near our feet.

Slowly, she turned me around and grabbed the shampoo bottle to squirt some of it into her palm. Her hands lifted up into my hair, and my eyes immediately closed. The feeling over her fingers was relaxing over my scalp, massaging it softly, and then rinsed it out delicately. She repeated it with the conditioner, then gently washed my body. 

Every movement was careful and caring. It's how she always was with me.

When she started with herself, I found all the strength I had and was able to do the same for her. I barely made eye contact with her, and I could tell that she was close to protesting it, but she let me take over. My actions were slow, but I managed to finish in a decent time. I knew there wasn't much longer until the hot water started to cool down, but she made no move to rush me.

Serenity then turned around and held me close to her, pulling me into a tight embrace. My girl always tried to make me everything better — to make me feel better. However, this time, I wasn't sure if that was going to happen.

Before I knew it, I felt salty tears fell down the drain, staining my cheeks. It was the first time in months that pure agony possessed my body. The trauma swept through my veins down to the center of my core. The tips of my fingers and toes were numb — as was my mind. My sobs were gut-wrenching, grasped from the deepest trench of my soul.

I never knew just a brief reaction with a strange woman could affect me so much. It was pathetic — I was pathetic.

Essie constantly called me a tiger, but there were always times where I never felt that I was — this was one of those moments.

My legs gave out, but I pressed one palm against the shower tiles to try and stabilize myself; but most importantly, so that Essie wouldn't fall. I had already collapsed, but I couldn't let the love of my life tumble with me.

Even with the flame of my heart, I was alone.

It was only a few minutes that we shared together under the hot water before it turned to ice — but I couldn't feel it.

I only noticed when Serenity started to shiver, still keeping her arms wrapped around me.

Her eyes flickered over to me when I reached behind me to shut the water off — my cries diminishing with the pool of tears that cascaded down the back of the woman I love. I kept Essie close to me as I pulled a towel to wrap her around it, keeping whatever warmth I had left for her.

When I met her gaze, she showed me the slightest smile, and I embraced that to every part of my heart.

Serenity wanted me.

She didn't cheat me — it was genuine.

As I shook the towel around her, I held it and rested my forehead against hers. I just wanted to feel her breath against mine. See her up close and know how lucky I was to keep such a treasuring girl — one who I loved dearly. 

Every movement was intimate, pure, and real. This was my life, and I couldn't destroy it because of a hiccup that happened. She was by my side, and with whatever it was, I knew Essie would be there for me.

The cool draft in the bathroom didn't concern me as the numbness still seeped through my veins.

But I had to keep my Essie warm. 

And just as I dried her, she did the same for me, even grabbing me some warm clothes for us to wear. The coldness of winter wasn't something to mess with, and I was a person who hated that feeling. Getting sick was the last thing I needed — so she made sure that didn't happen.

She even blowdried my hair, smiling after finishing, then pulled my hood up, tying the strings together.

The look on her face warmed my body more than any heater — and I couldn't help but mimic it.

"I love you, Tiger."

"Thank you, baby," I said, cupping one cheek with caressing her skin with my thumb. "I love you to the stars and back."

Her blush and smile were worth the world and more. 

"Want a cuppa?" Serenity asked softly, after placing a light kiss on the palm of my hand, I let out a faint chuckle. "Knew that'd make you smile."

"Sounds good. Couch?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding once.

She never questioned if I wanted to talk about it, but just if I wanted something to drink — and I answered with a tea. Then she told me to sit on the sofa while she made our drinks.

My fingers pinched my bottom lip as I thought deeply — over and over again.

Brown hair. Dark, chocolatey eyes. Smooth, shaped brows. Tanned, olive skin. Spanish.

It didn't even make sense. If she was who she said she was, we didn't even look alike. There were no resemblances between us. I looked like my father — or so I thought, I did.

Sometimes, I don't even know if that was a compliment or a curse.

Essie reached up to push some fallen hair strands away from my forehead, she asked, "What are you thinking about, handsome?"

A teacup in her hand, Serenity sat beside me with a leg underneath her, and a foot on the ground. Passing it to me, I shook off my expression to look at my girl. Her hair was wrapped in one of my old tees, and the sight was endearing.

I held onto her hand before she pulled away to place a kiss on the top of it. "Beautiful."

The blush on her cheeks was positively adorable, but she just smiled through it.

Taking a few sips of the tea, I could feel her gaze on me. She was waiting for me to speak, to say something — anything.

"I don't understand, petal. I just — I don't fucking get it."

"I know there's a lot to not get, pretty. I can only see what you're going through. I'm sorry I can't help."

"There's just so much that doesn't make sense. If what she's saying is true, where the fuck has she been for the past two decades?"

"Harry, I'm sure that there's an explanation. I mean, there has to be."

"There can't be!" I snapped, and she jumped at the high volume of my voice.

"Hey, watch your tone with me," Serenity spoke sternly with a frown. "I didn't do anything."

"Fuck, I'm sorry, Essie. I didn't mean to," I replied, nearing her, rubbing my hand up her arm.

She sighed at my response. "You know, I think we both just need some rest. It's been a long day, and stressing about this right now won't do either of us any good. How's about we get some shut-eye and figure things out in the morning?" she suggested with a small smile. "Plus, I know you need a cuddle."

"I can never deny those," I spoke honestly, and she kissed my cheek.

"Let's go sleep, Tiger."

And when we made it to her bed, cosy and warm under the covers — I held her. I needed to hold onto something — someone.

I needed something tangible for me to grasp and still know that it was my reality. Emerald budged its way near my face sometimes, so I had to place it in the corner, but Serenity laughed whenever it travelled again whenever we moved around. So, she clutched Emmy to her stomach, keeping her hand placed over the two of us.

"I love you, Essie..." I whispered in her neck, "...so fucking much."

"Ditto, Tiger. I love you more."

I felt her drift off into sleep, but for the first time with her near me, I struggled falling into that slumber quickly.

My body stayed as still as possible, but all I wanted to do was toss and turn — but I couldn't wake her — and I didn't want to let go.

But after the exhaustion from work, the mind-destroying thoughts, and a splitting headache, my body sucked me into that abyss without a fight.

♬ ✥*

"Good morning, Mr Styles."

This morning was a continuation of last night. There wasn't much of a conversation between Serenity and me. I was starting to get bothered by myself for acting like this with her. She didn't deserve a cold treatment from me. All she wanted was to be by my side, and I was barely acknowledging her.

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't holding her; instead, Emerald was who I was clutching onto. Essie was making me breakfast, prepared my coffee, and let me sleep my exhaustion in. She called Iris to tell her that I'd be about an hour late, and it was just another thing that I loved about her — she knew exactly what I needed.

I gave her a kiss, and she corrected me by saying, "You're not getting a kiss now. You're getting kissy."

No doubt she made me smile through it.

When it came to getting dressed, she picked out the suit for me — which was something she never did before. Essie knew that I was a fashionable man, but she deliberately did so today because of one thing — colour selection.

She chose a powerful rose pink suit with a black button-down.

"Knock 'em all dead, handsome. Fuck the world, focus on yourself. You're my confident man that can conquer the world. Prove that not with your looks, but your talent. Pounce on them all. Make them your prey," she said, then grinned. "But hey, look damn sexy while you do it."

"Love you, Es."

"Oh, Tiger, I'd kill you if you didn't."

And with that, she held on tight to my suit jacket, kissing me passionately before letting me head off to work.

Archie was already waiting for me, and I was glad to see him. I didn't think today was one that I could actually drive. Everything was still heavy on my mind, and I felt the weight on my shoulders.

Even with how light Serenity tried to make me feel better, it wasn't enough to completely feel myself again.

My driver small-talked throughout the trip as I refused to check my phone, waiting for actually arriving to the company to let work take over every thought. I didn't want to put my brain into overdrive, so I knew it was best this way.

He did compliment my appearance, though. "You look cheerful today, Mr Styles."

It actually made me smile.

Serenity: 1
Harry: 1

Fuck, I loved her.

"Morning, Iris," I replied firmly. "Do I have any messages?"

"No messages. You have a meeting in a half-hour and one more at eleven."

"Thanks."

"Oh, um, actually, there is one more thing," she spoke hesitantly, but then remained silent.

"Spit it out, Iris. I don't have the patience this morning."

"The lady who came by yesterday left her number before you met with her. I'm aware she was kicked out, but I thought you should know I have that," her voice trembled, then handed me a piece of paper. I stared at it, debating what I should do with it. After a few moments, I snatched it from her hand and looked at her again.

"I need another coffee, so get that for me, would you?" I said, then mumbled a quiet "please" at the end.

Serenity would have my head if she heard how I was speaking with my employees. I already knew I was going to get an earful since she and Mark are close. He tends to have a chat whenever I act out. He's a snitch, but he takes care of my girl from having any panic attacks when she comes to see me, so he was someone that I could never fire.

And ever since she showed up in my life, my firing percentage has slightly decreased — but my threats have remained the same.

Two meetings and another three hours into my work, that piece of paper was just sitting on my desk, haunting me. I honestly didn't know what the fuck to do with it.

Part of me wanted to rip it up and never have to deal with that woman again.

But the other part of me wanted to call and ask why the fuck she's claiming to be my mother.

People have tried to mooch money off of me for years, but I knew the best way to prevent that from happening. That generally applied to most of the 'high-class' group of fakes who pretend they're going to put it towards something charitable, but they only want it to consider it as their own into stock fraud and larceny. It was fucking disgusting.

The only times I laughed in people's faces and told them to get the fuck out before I called the authorities were when any of my 'classmates' tried to get a job in my company. I even took the interviews myself just to have a little bit of petty fun.

But this was the first time that someone came in here and said something this absurd.

"Knock, knock," a soft voice spoke, and I looked up to see the love of my life smiling at me, peeking through my office door. A tray of two drinks was in her hand, and I knew what they both were.

She walked into the room, shut the door behind her, and removed her jacket with one free hand.

"Hey, baby love. What are you doing here? Thought you had classes today," I said, getting up to help her struggles as she placed the tray on my desk.

"I decided to cancel a couple for today. So Lacey and Jocelyn took over the others."

"What's the emergency? Are you alright?" I rushed out, but she hushed me quietly.

"I'm fine, Tiger. It's you. I'm worried about you."

"You cancelled them for me?"

"Yes. You're important to me, and you know that. If you're not okay, then I'm not okay," Essie explained, and I sighed, running a hand down my face.

My girl knew me too fucking well.

"I'm sorry you had to, though."

"Don't apologise, pretty," she said, then handed me a paper cup. "It's black today. I figured you'd need one. Hope it hasn't been more than two so far."

Fuck my heart.

"Thank you, Essie. It's exactly what I needed. Not going to lie, this would be my third."

"I had a feeling it wouldn't be your second."

"How're you feeling?" she asked, taking a seat on one of my guest chairs when I went back to mine.

Usually, I would've pulled her to sit on my lap, but she knew that I needed some space, even though I was incredibly thankful that she was with me. I didn't reply verbally but simply nodded my head towards the stressful note.

Her eyes travelled to where my gaze was, and she quickly caught on, reaching over to grab the paper. I could see her skim over the two lines multiple times, her brows furrowing in confusion — or possibly,

"She left that with Iris before I met with her. It's like she knew I'd kick her out or something."

Essie just nodded once, letting out a soft hum. "What's running through your mind, Tiger. Let me in."

"I don't even fucking know. I don't want to call, but at the same time, I do." I sighed, then looked up at her again, desperate for any amount of direction. "If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Don't say anything else, I just — please, I need to know what you would do."

She blinked at me a few times, remaining in silence as she studied my expression. I was drowning, and I needed a lifeboat — one that would bring me to the shoreline.

Any shoreline, if that meant she was there.

"Honestly..." she trailed off, "...I would meet with her again. I'd want to find out exactly who she was and why she said that. I wouldn't try to figure things out through your PI because it's personal. No one else needs to be involved in your personal life. I'd also do it sooner rather than later because I'd want that stress gone — just like ripping a Band-Aid off. That's what I would do."

I nodded at her truthful answer — and it made perfect sense. It was as if she was in my mind and was able to collect all of my emotions and thoughts and lay them out for me.

A saint.

"Okay."

"But, Harry. If you don't want to talk to her, then don't. Make your own decision. Don't take my words and do them just because I said so. That would be my decision, but you need to make yours."

Taking the corner of my lips between my teeth, I furrowed my brows and let out a deep sigh.

Without saying anything else, I hesitantly reached over to grab the paper from her hands. She watched me with curious eyes. Anxiously, I lifted up my phone and dialled in the number written in slightly messy handwriting.

It began to ring — once, twice, and I was so close to just hang up when the third echoed in my ear.

But then someone picked up — it was her.

"Hello?"

"Valentina?"

"H-Harry?" Her accent was thick, and I tried to push past any more thoughts as I heard the surprise in her tone. "I hope you would c—"

"We need to talk. If you want to see me, meet me at the Quaint Corner Café at seven this evening. It's in North Vancouver. Figure out the address and don't be late," I said firmly, and hung up before I could hear her reply.

My eyes were tightly shut, breaths uneven and heavy. I was seconds close to having a panic attack, but a gentle touch above my heart brought me back to reality.

Serenity's face came in view as she tenderly rubbed her hand against me, quietly whispering soothing words in my ear. All I wanted to do was scream, but with every peaceful word my darling spoke, I felt ease spread throughout my veins.

Gently, I pulled her to sit on my lap, and she immediately wrapped her arms around me. I nuzzled in the crook of her neck, breathing deeply as she smoothed her hands up and down my back.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said.

And I just fucking hoped that was the case.

♬ ✥*

I didn't have to beg Serenity to come with me tonight, I just asked, and she immediately accepted. I was nervous as fuck as it is because I was going to be out of my comfort zone listening to a woman give some pathetic speech about how someone probably paid her to say everything she told me.

Knowing my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if someone set it up as a fucking 'joke.'

It neared seven, and my knee was bouncing up and down, attempting to ease my nerves — but nothing was working.

Everything felt like hot coal, and I tried to jump over the searing flames, but I kept getting burned.

The café wasn't busy for that, and it was another thing I was beyond grateful about. The last thing I needed was to have several more strangers around me, possibly listening in on our conversations or, hell, just the excessive sound in the space.

I knew it was best to meet in a public space, though. I wasn't going to let her back into my company since I was the one who kicked her out. I didn't plan to talk about how I 'changed my mind' from my employees so soon, and they didn't need to know my fucking business.

Serenity was right about that with how she worded everything earlier.

Bless her sweet soul.

Essie tried to calm me down, and she eventually got me to look away from the door and at her. A warm smile was on her face that I couldn't help but mirror. It wasn't as wide, but just enough for her to know that I was still thankful she was here.

Even Cora saw how edgy I was, so she brought me a London Fog. "On the house," she said. Apparently, it was something she was known for.

She had the same vibe as a bartender, a nail tech, or a barber; each were there to listen to people rant and complain about their daily lives. Occasionally, they'd give decent advice, and other times, they'd get information to gossip to the other people they knew.

But Cora just knew without hearing, since she was good at reading people's body language — so that's how I ended up with a smile, a pat on the shoulder, and a warm tea.

And suddenly, the sound of chimes rang through the café, and I looked up to see the familiar woman who decided to take a stab at my life. Her brown eyes searched the space, and then they landed on mine.

She offered a small, nervous smile from a distance, but I frowned.

What the fuck was she smiling about? Was that supposed to be friendly?

Because, you know, it's not every day someone shows up and dumps the fact to claim that she's their mother.

Anxiously, she made her way towards us. A file was held tightly in her arms, the same magazine peaking through, as it was yesterday.

When she stood in front of the table, she couldn't stop looking all over my face, studying me. There was something in her eyes that I couldn't read, though. It almost seemed like she was longing to see me.

"Hello, Harry," she broke our silence. My name was soft with how it rolled off her tongue, the 'a' being a little faded.

I just nodded once in acknowledgement. She wanted to talk, so she was going to do the fucking talking. Even if I did say 'we' through the phone, I mainly meant her — she didn't need to know that.

"Um, hi, Valentina," Essie's voice was kind as she spoke to her. "Would you like something to drink? They have good tea here."

"That's ok. It's—"

"I insist," she pushed.

My love was too kind for her own good.

"A chamomile tea. Thank you," Valentina replied softly.

Essie went to order her drink, leaving the woman and me together in silence. Hesitantly, she took the seat directly in front of me, and it caused me to sit up straighter.

"So, I, um, I want to apo—I'm sorry for how I showed up yesterday." Her voice was shaky, the accent still thick. "I didn't mean for it —"

"No need for any apologies. I just want to know what exactly do you want from me? Who you really are, and why you're claiming something that's not true," I interrupted.

Before she could reply, Essie made her way back with the drink, placing it in front of Valentina as she thanked her. When my girl sat down beside me, I felt her place her hand discretely on my thigh to help me calm down. She could sense how tense I was, and her touch helped me relax.

"I know it's hard to hear, but it is true. I am your mother."

"If you want me to listen to you, don't say that word again," I snapped, and she nodded slightly.

"Your father, Eric, we..." she paused, but hearing my dad's name from her made shivers run up my spine. "...we were married, and —"

"What the fuck? No, you weren't. You're probably one of his mistr—"

"Harry," Essie stopped me immediately, her tone hard and enraged, definitely not pleased with my choice of words. "Continue, Valentina. He will not interrupt you again."

I looked at Serenity, but she gave me a stern expression that actually terrified me. We barely even started, and I knew that if I was going to keep this up, I would surely be sleeping on the couch tonight — 100 per cent.

Fuck no. I needed her cuddles tonight.

"'M'sorry," I whispered under my breath, keeping it barely audible.

"Eric and I met in a restaurant. I was one of the waitresses. I tripped, and the drinks spilled on him. He was very mad, and I was sorry about it."

Anger was definitely one of the few words that described Eric Styles. That was no lie.

"I thought I'd never see him again, but then he kept coming back. He was always asking me to serve him. I knew he wanted to pursue me, but I wanted a serious relationship. He kept trying until one day he asked me on a date."

"And you started seeing each other since then?"

"No, it took some time for him. I found out from a friend he wasn't truthful. He was with other girls too, so I refused to see or talk to him. Eventually, he said he did all of that to try and forget about me, but he couldn't. He asked me to be his girlfriend, and it was wonderful between us after that."

She paused to take a sip from her tea with shaky hands as she brought the cup up to her lips. When her gaze went up, our eyes met once more, but then she turned away, almost afraid to look at me.

"That's okay, take your time," Serenity spoke, clearly picking up on her apprehension.

"So, Eric and I were together for almost two years, and he asked me to marry him. We married six months after, and lived a happy life together. He was building his company at the same time. I encouraged him to do it. He wasn't used to responsibility in the beginning when we met, but over the years, he became very dependable. Always put food on our table. But then..." she quietly trailed off, clearing her throat. "...then he started to change."

Valentina remained quiet for some time and then gained the courage to speak again.

"He started to stay out more and would come home late at night — sometimes not at all. I thought that he was having an affair, but I found out that he wasn't. It was all just a lot of work that he was getting done. When things started to stabilize, and his company had started to take off, Eric started to act like the man I fell in love with again. We started to spend more time together, and well, I got pregnant..." she whispered the last few words, "...with you."

I couldn't help but grimace when I heard that.

This woman wasn't my mother.

No mother would leave their child. Especially one who suddenly came to prove something else.

Suddenly, I felt Essie place her hand atop of mine on the table. She saw my reaction and was trying to keep me from getting lost in my head. "Go on, Valentina."

"I was surprised that he wasn't happy that I was pregnant. He told me to get rid of you, but I refused. I wanted a child — I wanted you. In the end, he had to deal with it and accepted my decision.

"After I gave birth to you, he changed, and loved that you were a boy. Eric was estastit — how you say? Um, happy? Yes. He had a son to take over the company. He would play with you and helped as you grew into a little boy, but he only gave attention to you."

Funny, considering he gives zero shits about me now.

"We were no longer poor and bought a large house. It was very nice. But then, he started to stay out late again. Sometimes, he wouldn't come home for days, saying it was for work. You were about four when that happened. I found out then that he was seeing someone, and she's the, um, the mother you know now — Lauren."

Fuck.

"Yes. I obviously know her," I seethed, and Valentina cleared her throat, avoiding my gaze once more.

"Yes. So, I — um — when I confronted Eric, he denied it, but then it all came out in the open. He fell out of love with me and was very serious with her. She just gotten pregnant with your brother — Tommy. Lauren said that he was planning to divorce me but could never do it. I asked him if it was true, and it was. She told me that they were already planning their wedding, and I wanted a divorce."

Not confronting things is something my father would surely do. But I could only focused on one thing.

"So, what? You just left and didn't take me with you?" I said with a sarcastic laugh, and Essie's hand squeezed mine because of my tone.

"I tried, but he got me deported. I thought he filed for my papers when we got married so I could get citizenship, but he forgot to submit them or something. I don't know what he did, but he made it sure I couldn't be in the UK anymore. He gave me money and threw me out."

"Wow. You got a little cash and decided to ditch your son. Do you hear how pathetic you sound?" I snapped, standing up, and caused a scene. Serenity pulled me back to sit down again.

"Harry," Essie begged me to stay quiet, then nodded for her to continue again. Tears were streaming down the woman's cheeks now, and I didn't feel bad for what was happening. I might have a cold heart, but this was too much.

I couldn't feel sympathy for her. Not for a mother that just left her son — my supposed mother.

But it was evident that this Valentina wasn't done yet.

"Lo siento. I'm sorry. It wasn't the money. He took full custody in a bad divorce. I couldn't take you with me. I begged him, and tried to remind him of the love we had so he could maybe find something in his heart to give you to me, but nothing. In a day, I was flown back to Spain and made sure I couldn't get back in the country.

"I kept trying to find out everything I could about you," she whispered, now pushing the file towards me. "It was hard in the beginning, because there was none of the social medias and the internet."

Letting out a deep breath, I forced myself to open it, only to find everything a childhood memory book would contain. My original birth certificate with my father's signature. Baby pictures and photos of me as a toddler. Happy images with me and my dad, him smiling; and some of the three of us. They were some from when I was at boarding school of class pictures, sports, the choir that were given out. Nothing was candid, though. Some  There were also clippings of me from newspapers while I was in university. Then with Mateo and when I became CEO. Everything business was inside — all of my successes and achievements, and even the magazine I was featured on.

"I held onto everything I could."

But I pushed it all back to her.

Looking down at the table, I shook my head with a short laugh before looking up at her.

"You know what's funny? I'm twenty-nine years old. Twenty-nine," I repeated, "Since you know all this shit about me, you already know that I've left the UK for eleven fucking years, and you just decided to show up in my life? What? Just because I have money now. Did you spend all of yours? Is that what you want? What is it, huh? If that's what you came for, I'll give you that, and I never want to see you again."

"No. That's —"

"Save it," I said, pushing back my chair and got up, and began to take a few steps towards the door. I could hear as they both followed after me.

"Por favor. Please, I —"

"I don't fucking understand," I spoke, quickly turning to face her. "Why now? Why, after eleven years, did you come searching for your son? The one who you already knew where he was? You couldn't enter the UK, but you could have came to Canada. Pay a little bit from that money my father gave you to come here."

"Baby, please, calm down. I'm sure there's a logical explanation," Essie pleaded me calmly, attempting to reach out to hold my hand. But I didn't take it. Instead, I pointed my finger towards Valentina.

"Like what? Huh? What was the possible reason that she couldn't come?"

"I had cancer," the woman spoke, it was barely audible, but we heard her. "I couldn't travel. Every time they thought I was better, the results came back, and I wasn't. I'm finally healed after so many years of fighting it."

"We're both glad you're better, Valentina," Essie spoke on behalf of me.

I couldn't say anything more to that. I would never wish cancer on my worst enemy — but nothing was coming out from me to say what Serenity said.

"After I found out, I needed to find you. I gained the strength to find my son. Fate finally let me come find you."

"You clearly didn't need to find me. You knew exactly where I was," I seethed, "And tell me something, you said my father loved me as a child, so why the fuck did he throw me into boarding school and want nothing to do with me? All those happy pictures of us together don't mean anything to me, because it's clear that after you left, none of that happened. I was raised by fucking nannies who didn't really give a shit about me. I basically had no parents, and my brother could care less. He only cares about himself."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I thought you were happy," she whispered. "I came back to try and fix things. I want you to have a mother again. I love you, Ha—"

"No! Don't you dare say that." I snapped. "No one in my entire life has truly loved me, except for this woman beside me. She is the only woman in my life, and the only one that will remain that way. So you can't come all this way, after all these years, just to say you're mother and claim that you love me. You don't even know me. I don't care about what you're saying, you just left!"

"You are my son!" Her voice was clear as she raised her tone, the clearest it's ever been. "You grew inside me for eight months and twenty-two days. I watched you grow to be a little boy, and you were taken from me."

"Well, you made your trip, and it failed. So congrats, and have a swell trip back to wherever it was you came from."

And then, just as I turned around, she said something to stop me in my tracks

"Harry, you have a sister." My eyebrows furrowed as I met her eyes once more. "And you've already met her."

I scoffed. "What nonsense are you on, now? I have a brother, and you clearly know that."

"She's your half-sister. Her name is Estela."

"Estela?" Serenity's voice was sudden and soft. "Our waitress at that nice restaurant was named Estela in Banff. Nice, but a bit strange. She was always looking at you, but ""

"Sí. That was her," Valentina said, and I couldn't understand shit anymore.

That was not fucking possible.

"What?"

"She's your half-sister. When I was forced back to Spain, I was heartbroken. I lost the man I loved and my son. It took five years for me to move on from Eric and I met another man. He was travelling. He stayed for a month for business. We fell in love quickly, and I got pregnant from him. But when I told him I was, he couldn't stay for many reasons. One of them being that he wasn't ready to be a father."

"You got with two men that had no ball—"

"Harry, for the love of God, shut up!" Serenity's voice was sudden, and it silenced me.

Quiet surrounded us. The only sounds that echoed in the café were from the machines near us. The others that were sitting near us had left through another door, and Cora was nowhere to be seen. We were alone.

But I could also hear our heavy breaths, still shook up from our heavy conversation.

Then, she spoke again.

"You know her father, Harry."

"I don't even know you or her, how the fuck would I know —"

"His name is Mateo."

And my whole body went numb.

No. That was fucking impossible.

My mentor. My friend. The man who was the closest he could ever get to be a father to me.

He was the actual father of my half-sister?

Memories flashed back in my mind, remembering that he once told me a story about a woman he fell in love with, but the timing was wrong.

And if that was true, he failed to mention there was an unborn baby in the picture.

"Hello, Harry," his familiar voice rang in my ear, and I knew he was standing behind me.

No.

Fucking no.

That was the last thing that I remember before I felt like I couldn't breathe.

It was too much.

And suddenly, everything went black.

...

A/N:

So...yeah. Look at me leaving another cliffhanger. I'd say it's fun...but it's kinda not. 

Let's recap (again):

-Harry kicking his mother out (ouchies to her)
-Harry having a heartbreaking shower (ouchies to him and us)
-Harry meeting with Valentina
     **backstory
     **his dad being a dick since day 1 (lol what's new?)
     **his mum? (lauren) being a cruel since day 1 (lol...what's new?)
     **Tommy being selfish since day 1 (lol what's new?)

Oh yeah, and not to forget...
     **Harry having a half-sister. Remember Estela? (chapter 37 if you forgot)
     **Mateo being not only his mentor, but the father of his half-sister (HA...go figure, eh?)

Any of you see that coming?

And yeah...not much else to say BUT what did y'all dig the chapter? What was your favourite part and all? Y'know me and my curious self.

What do you think will happen?

And ooh, pretty please press on that little star on the chapter, I mean, it only takes a millisecond. They're nice gifts and make me (and Essie...and Harry) happy.

Kissy, stay golden, and always TPWK my beautiful tulips 🌷

S x

P.S. That gif edit...yeah, that's mine. I made it ages ago specifically for this chapter. If your heart shattered seeing it, so did mine. *hugs*

P.P.S. Y'all know that Estela means star in Spanish...just a tidbit hehe.

P.P.P.S. Harry is half English and half Spanish. That's actually hot af.

P.P.P.P.S. Here's Valentina Hernandez. Welcome to the story, Harry's biological mother. 

P.P.P.P.P.S. I totally added this in hours after I published because I forgot...anyway, if y'all don't know which suit Essie picked out for Harry (you really should tho), here it is. The iconic suit we all know and love.