Chapter 51 - The Secret

The next day, Mason took a leave off at work and made a whole day plan with Kelsey. He was so thrilled to spend some time with Kelsey that he had to cancel his meeting with a potential client. At the very moment, he didn't really care about his career. He just really wanted to spend the day with Kelsey. Besides, being away from each other for awhile got him afflicted and upset.

Mason was buttoning up his plain white polo shirt when his phone suddenly rang. He grabbed it from his nightstand table and answered it. "Mason King speaking." He professionally spoke.

"Mr. King, I would just like to inform you that everything has been booked and planned as you have ordered." Nina informed him over the phone. Mason smiled at her news and he couldn't help but feel excited. He really wished Kelsey would enjoy what he had planned for the both of them the entire day.

"Thanks, Nina." He gratefully told her. Nina was about to hang up the phone, knowing her boss had a dismissive tone, but he suddenly spoke up over the line again. "Oh, and Nina?"

"Yes, sir?" She quickly retrieved the phone back to her ears, feeling relieved that she didn't hang up on him. The last thing she needed was another episode of 'Beauty and the Beast'. The beast being her boss every time he was furious.

"Take the day off." He calmly commanded as Nina's jaw hanged low at his words. Did she hear him correctly? Was he actually giving her a day off? Never had she ever gotten a day off from work unless she took a sick/vacation leave. "Get some rest and we'll get back to business first thing tomorrow." He lastly said as he hanged up the phone, leaving Nina flabbergasted.

Nina stared at the phone for a few seconds in awe before she gently placed it back on the landline. "Day off..." She bewilderedly whispered, still peering at the phone. Suddenly, her cellphone rang in her bag and she fished it out to answer it.

"Hello?" She answered without bothering on checking the caller ID.

"You wanna hang out? I heard it's your day off." Ricky asked her. And once again, Nina pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at the phone in astonishment. "Nina? Nina, you there?" Ricky called out, snapping her out of her trance.

"Um...yeah, yeah, I'm still here." She informed him. "What were you saying?" She sheepishly asked him, rubbing the nape of her neck.

"I asked if you wanted to go out. You know, grab something to eat, watch a movie or something? Mason mentioned earlier that he'll be giving you the day off so I figured..." He dragged out. "Well, you know..."

"Uhm... Sure." Nina hesitantly responded.

Ricky did a fist bump in the air as he heard her answer and he couldn't stop himself from grinning widely. "Great! I'll pick you up in a bit." He said before hanging up, leaving Nina in awe and anxiousness.

~ * ~ * ~

"Will you get that, please?!" Kelsey called out to Margie as she dashed back in the room she was staying in and packed her bag.

Margie stared at the door as the doorbell rang again. "Where are you going anyway? Who are you meeting with?" She asked while she was strolling towards the door.

"Just get the door!" Kelsey demanded as the doorbell rang once again.

"Okay, okay, keep your panties on." Margie kidded and unlocked the door. She opened it only to come face-to-face with the man she least wanted to see. Her eyes widened as she stared into his confused dark orbs and her mouth hanged agape.

"Margaret, Margaret Wilson right?" Mason asked in bewilderment. "Did I get the right address?" He questioned himself as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check if the address Kelsey had sent him last night was correct.

"Are you here for Kelsey?" She asked him, halting his action of checking his phone.

He looked up from his phone and stared at her in confusion. "Yes..." He answered. "Do you know Kelsey Parker?" He questioned her with a raised brow.

"Sorry, sorry. My alarm didn't go off this morning." Kelsey suddenly blurted out, interrupting the two. Kelsey kneeled down to quickly put on her flats and beamed at Mason as she rise up. "By the way, this is my best friend Margie. Margie, this is...well... I'm pretty sure you already know who he is." She introduced the two.

"Actually, we already know each other." Mason informed her as Kelsey's brows furrowed in confusion and Margie's eyes widened.

"Really? How?" She asked him. Margie sent Mason a warning look and shook her head repeatedly but Mason didn't pay any attention at her as he was too focused on Kelsey.

"Funny story, we were set up in an arranged marriage." He announced as Margie groaned inwardly. Kelsey glanced back at Margie and raised a brow and shot her a questioning look.

"You were?" She asked Margie accusingly. "I didn't know that." She said, turning her attention back to Mason.

Margie felt the guilt eating her up for lying to her best friend. They were more than best friends, they were sisters. And keeping such a big secret to her made Margie feel like she was the biggest douchebag in the world.

"Oh really?" Mason nervously laughed as he scratched the nape of his neck and took a quick glance at Margie, who was already glaring at him for exposing her secret. "Anyway, it's not that big of a deal-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kelsey whipped her head towards Margie's direction and watched her with scrutinizing eyes. "Is this the reason why Bryan left?" She asked and Margie's lips pursed into a thin line. Silence always meant yes and Kelsey sighed. "Did you talk to him?"

Margie lowered her eyes and avoided any eye contact. The least she wanted Kelsey to see was the tears that were forming in her eyes. "He's not answering my calls." She managed to utter, her voice cracking at the end.

"I'll give you girls some time to talk. I'll wait for you in the car, okay?" Mason told Kelsey as she nodded her head in agreement. Mason kissed the top of her head before leaving and gently shutting the door on his way out.

Kelsey grabbed Margie's arm and led her to the couch. They plopped themselves down on the couch and Margie couldn't held her tears any longer as they flooded her cheeks as soon as she sat down. Kelsey pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I don't know what to do, Kels. I don't know what to say to him. I don't know if he'll ever talk to me again." Margie gasped in between sobs. "What if he never takes me back? What if he'd moved on and find another woman? I don't know what I'm gonna do if I lose him."

Kelsey shushed her and placed Margie's head in between her hands so that she would look at her. "Look at me, Marg. Look." She ordered as Margie glanced at her. "I promise I'll talk to Bryan. I will explain everything to him. He loves you, Marg. He loves you so much I'm sure he's also miserable right now. I'll fix this, okay? Just hang in there."

Margie nodded her head and gratefully pulled her into a hug. She was really glad she had a great friend like Kelsey.

~ * ~ * ~

Mason and Kelsey both took off their shoes and walked on the shore of the beach. They had their hand intertwined as they took a stroll around. "Are you sure your friend is okay?" Mason suddenly asked her.

"I'm sure she will be." She positively answered as she stared off at a distance.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the arranged marriage." He apologized. "I didn't know Margaret was your friend." When he didn't hear a reply, Mason continued. "I hope the man she was with is not stupid enough to just leave her completely. He'll be a big fool if he does."

Kelsey abruptly halted her steps and finally glanced at Mason. "What do you mean?" She asked him in curiosity.

"When I met Margaret, I could already tell there was someone else. That the arranged marriage was the last thing she wanted because she already had someone in her heart. I can see it in her eyes. How much she adores and loves this Bryan guy you were talking about. He'll be the biggest fool on earth if he leaves a woman like her who's head over heels in love with him." Mason explained.

Kelsey smiled, satisfied at what she had heard. It was true, Margie was head over heels in love with Bryan and she was certain that Bryan loved Margie as much. They were destined to be together. Suddenly, an idea popped in her head. "Will you do me a favour?"

"What is it?"

~ * ~ * ~

The day of Kyle's chemotherapy, Lucas made sure to avail himself and cancelled all his meetings. He went to the hospital early in the morning to eat breakfast with his son and spent some time with him. Hilda came a few hours later and was greeted with Lucas and Kyle's booming laughter. She stared by the doorpost and smiled as she saw how happy her son was around his father. Kyle was still oblivious to the fact that Lucas was his father but Hilda wanted to tell him the truth soon. Ever since Lucas first visited Kyle, he had never missed a day visiting his son. It was his way of spending the lost time they were both deprived of.

Around lunch time, Kyle was called for his chemotherapy. It was Lucas' first time to see someone go through a therapy. He was nervous and a bit terrified. It didn't help that it was his son, his own blood and flesh, who had to go through chemotherapy. Right at that moment, Lucas really wished he could just take his son's sickness and endure the pain himself. If only he could.

Lucas and Hilda were sitting on the bench outside the chemotherapy room and waited for Kyle's session to be over. Hilda glanced at Lucas and saw how distressed he was. He was shaking his leg and fidgeting with his fingers on his lap. Hilda scooted closer towards him and hesitantly placed a hand over his.

He glanced at her hand then turned his head towards her face. Hilda shot him an assuring smile and gave his hand a little squeeze. "He'll be fine. He's always been fine. He's a lot stronger and braver than you think."

Lucas sighed and placed his left hand on top of hers that was already resting on his right one. "I'm glad he's as strong and brave as you. Thank you, Hilda. Thank you for being strong for our children. You've been nothing but a wonderful mother to them. I couldn't asked for a better mother for my children." He honestly told her.

After Kyle's chemotherapy, Lucas waited until he woke up to asked him how he was doing and to bid him a farewell before he left for the day. But Kyle requested that he stayed and eat dinner with him before he leaves. Seeing that the two wanted to spend more time together, Hilda insisted on buying dinner, leaving the two alone.

"Thank you for coming today, sir." Kyle gratefully thanked him.

"Don't mention it, kid. If you need anything, anything at all, just tell me, okay?" Lucas said as Kyle nodded his head in understanding.

"Tell me honestly, sir. Are you really just a friend of my mother?" Kyle suddenly asked him, catching him off guard. Lucas cleared his throat and sat on the chair right beside his bed. He stared at his son for a few seconds before replying.

"Yes, I am just a friend of your mother." He honestly answered.

"But you were more in the past, am I right?" Kyle added. Lucas studied his son with scrutinizing eyes. He was sure his son knew more than he should. Kyle was certainly sharp and brilliant for his age. When he didn't answer, Kyle continued. "You were my mother's first husband, right?" He asked but it sounded more like a statement.

To say that Lucas was astonished was an understatement. He was more than astonished by his son's knowledge of his true identity. "How do you know? Has your mother ever talked about me?" He questioned him.

Kyle shook his head in response. "No." He simply answered.

"Then how did you find out?"

"I've seen old pictures hidden under my mother's bed." Kyle nonchalantly replied as he simultaneously shrugged his shoulders. "It's you, right? Do you plan on getting back together with her?"

Lucas was speechless. He didn't know what to say to his son. He didn't even know if he was allowed to finally tell him about the truth. The truth that he was his father. After a few moment, Kyle finally broke the silence. "Because if you do, then you got my approval. I can see how happy you make my mom. And that's the only important thing to me. That she's happy and there is someone who will take care of her in the future." He told him.

Lucas stared at him in awe and smiled. He kissed him on the top of his bald head and hugged him. "Thank you son, thank you." It was the only thing Lucas could say after hearing his son's words. It did not only brought joy in his heart that his son had accepted him to be a part of their family, but it also encouraged him to pursue Hilda and win her over once again.