Why did she look at her like that?

Annabelle couldn't help but wonder.

She had never met the woman before in her entire life so she wondered what had brought about that expression on her face and the stare. She was looking at her like she knew her from somewhere. Well, she probably did. After all, she was kinda popular when she got married to David Maxwell and ran Maxwell Inc. as the Vice President.

*

The next morning, she sat in her office with her mind whirling over whether she should accept Dominic's offer of dinner that night or reject politely.

He had called the previous night and asked at the end of the call, if she would have dinner with him and she said she would give him an answer the next day.

"Hello sweet lollipop."

Annabelle rolled her eyes as her biggest admirer in the office Jake, came over to her table with a huge grin on his face.

"Jake good morning." She drawled. "Hope you slept well?"

"Very much so my dear." He replied. "How could I not, when my dreams were filled with you?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Noted, Jake. Did you want something?"

"Oh!" He exclaimed, suddenly remembering what he came for. "You see, your beauty makes me forgetful sometimes. The boss just came in few minutes ago and she asked to see you."

Annabelle stilled.

"Do you think there's a problem?"

"I wouldn't know my dear, she told me nothing."

Annabelle walked to the CEO's office with her nerves on edge. She couldn't fathom why Lady Ingrid had stared at her like that yesterday and was now asking to see her this morning.

"Yes?"

A sultry but cold voice stopped her.

Darlene, the CEO's office assistant. A bitch when she chose to be.

"Morning Darlene..."

"I've told you several times, it's Miss Lopez to you." The assistant interrupted. "What do you want?"

You mean 'Miss bitch?''

Some people were just naturally bitter.

"Lady Ingrid asked for me."

Annabelle said coolly.

"Go right in then. She's waiting for you."

Bitch.

Lady Ingrid sat behind the vast table in her vast office sipping a mug of steaming tea when Annabelle went in after knocking.

"Good morning madam."

"Morning Ann." The woman replied in a friendly manner. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you Ma'am." She sat, already recovering from her surprise that the woman knew her name and even addressed her in one of her fond names.

"Annabelle," Lady Ingrid started. "How long have you been working with the company?"

"I've been with the company for over a year ma'am." Annabelle replied confidently.

Ingrid slowly nodded. "Are you free tonight?"

Annabelle blinked. "Ma'am?"

"I want you and I to have dinner tonight." Ingrid continued, her expression neutral. "There's something very important I need to discuss with you."

Her boss wanted to have dinner with her. Must be important.

"Okay madam."

She would have to reject or postpone Dominic's offer of dinner.

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"You look good, Annabelle." Ingrid complimented.

"Thank you ma'am." Annabelle smiled. "You look very beautiful yourself."

"Thank you." Ingrid replied then picked up the menu. "How about we make our orders first?"

*

"Tell me Annabelle," Ingrid started as she gently dropped her cutlery and dabbed at her lips then stared directly at Annabelle. "When you look at my face, what do you see?"

Your eyes, nose and mouth?

Annabelle found the question weird but decided to answer anyways, after she thought about it for a moment.

"I see the brain and the face behind the success of House Of Ingrid."

Ingrid smiled. "That's a smart answer. But that wasn't what I meant."

Annabelle looked confused then Ingrid continued.

"Tell me about yourself, Annabelle. Especially about your childhood."

Confused on where the discussion was headed, she still answered.

She summarized the story of her childhood, family and education, though leaving out names and her marriage.

"...And here I am." She finished.

"What are your parents' name?" Ingrid asked keenly.

"Matthew and Monalisa Thompson." Annabelle replied. Monalisa, her mother indeed. Ha!

But a gasp from the other woman interrupted her train of thoughts.

"They were in this city?" Ingrid asked.

"They have always been in this city." Annabelle replied slowly.

"And your father is late?"

"Yes."

Ingrid sharply relaxed back in her seat with her hand covering her mouth.

"Madam are you okay?" Annabelle asked worriedly.

Ingrid nodded. "Yes, yes I am." She took a deep breath, trying to relax and Annabelle just watched in confusion and worry.

"I'm going to ask you a rather too personal and intimate question. But I'd appreciate it if you answer me."

"Okay ma'am."

Annabelle nodded, unsure of herself.

"Do you have a rose tattoo in your left inner thigh?" She asked and Annabelle's face lit up in shock.

"Y-yes."

The same tattoo that always made David go crazy with mad desire whenever he saw it.

Dominic never liked it.

"How did you know?"

But Ingrid seemed to not have heard her. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared at Annabelle. Then Annabelle started in her seat when tears began to slid down the woman's cheeks.

"Madam..."

"My baby girl," Ingrid cried. "My child."

Annabelle froze. "Excuse me?"

"Annabelle Ingrid Rowland." Ingrid continued. "That is your real name."

Annabelle stood up sharply.

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"Your late dad, Matthew and I were in a relationship a very long time ago." Ingrid explained after Annabelle calmed and agreed to listen to her story.

"We were in love. Very much so. Even planned to get married as everyone including ourselves had believed we would. Monalisa was my best friend then."

She took a deep breath.

"But I cheated on him. And the result of that affair that only happened once was me getting pregnant. Matthew was mad and heartbroken, but I couldn't abort the baby. Couldn't even consider it. He broke up with me and we were separated for about three months until our love brought us back together and he loved and accepted my baby girl like she was his own daughter. He was a very good man.

Then a year and ten months after you were born, I got an admission to study abroad. Since I didn't have any family, I considered Matthew and Monalisa my only family.

I couldn't leave with you at that time and I was in a dilemma until Monalisa suggested I left you with them so that I could go sort things over there then come back for you.

I was a bit hesitant but they were the only family I knew so I left my child in their care promising that I'd be back after a year so I could take you with me when I've finished settling down over there. Matthew and I had also decided to get married immediately when I returned.

I trusted them both.

I wrote to them often never failing to ask how you were doing and they wrote back too as the months passed. If we had had these mobile phones then, I would have been calling everyday on video call just to see you. But I was assured that my daughter was well taken care of by my two favorite people.

Until they stopped replying my letters when it was almost time for me to return.

At first, I thought some of the letters didn't get to them but as time went on, I realized that that was not the case.

In my worry, I returned back home a month before I was supposed to and was met with the greatest shock of my life.

People thought that I had been dead, crushed to pieces by a truck many months ago. And that rumor was spread by none other than Monalisa."

"What? Why?"

"Because she wanted my Matthew as I later found out. And the last straw that broke the camel's back was when they told me that Monalisa had gotten pregnant for Matthew and had gotten him to marry her, two months before I returned."

Annabelle gasped. Monalisa was definitely capable of that.

She felt pity for the woman opposite her, understanding how she must have felt.

"So they both left the town and state which I believe was Monalisa's idea. But what had completely shattered me was that no one knew where they had moved to and they had my child with them! If Monalisa had at least left my baby girl where I could find her then I wouldn't have been broken.

That was when I realized that she had been the only one composing all those letters to me and signing Matthew's name at the end so I would think everything was still fine. But the people told me that the rumors of my death started barely two months after I travelled and Matthew himself believed that I had died.

It was all Monalisa's plans. A girl I had considered to be my best friend.

I felt lost, afraid and alone. I went round the town asking if anyone knew where y'all had moved to but nobody knew. All they knew was that they had both moved to another state. Monalisa had even lost her pregnancy before they moved but Matthew couldn't leave her as they were already married.

So after living like a zombie for two more months and going around the town in frustration like a mad woman, I went back to school, vowing to find them when I returned again and get my daughter back."

Annabelle became speechless. She didn't even know what to say but managed a;

"I'm so sorry what you've been through."

"It's not your fault my dear. Losing you had made me a tough person and also made me to be where I am today.

When I was young, I was a wild girl. Matthew was the gentler one. I had tattoos all over my arms as you can see. I was crazy to the extent that I did a permanent rose tattoo on your inner thigh when you were still a child and did a matching one on mine too. I guess I no longer regret doing that because it had really helped in chasing away those other girls that had all claimed to be my daughter."

"But how are you sure that I'm the one you're looking for?" Annabelle asked, finding all these too much for her to take. "You didn't even check to see if the tat is really there."

"I didn't have to." Ingrid replied with a smile and tearful eyes. "The moment I saw you in that conference room, I was drawn to you, something I had never felt with any of those girls.

Tell me again this time Annabelle, when you look at my face what do you see?"

Annabelle looked at her facial features for long seconds and then her eyes slightly widened. "I see how I would look when I'm in my fifties."

Ingrid nodded with a smile. "When I saw you yesterday, I saw the younger version of myself."

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