The next day…
Shonee’s POV
I stood at the edge of the pool in the only two-piece swimsuit I owned, the sun’s warmth kissing my skin.
The crystal blue water shimmered against the wind’s touch, inviting and cool.
Since I was home today with nothing to do, I decided to have a pool day with Mirasol after discovering that she didn’t know how to swim.
“Shonee.”
I turned around. Little Mirasol stood behind me wearing a purple swimsuit adorned with cartoon fish.
“Wow, look at you,” I cooed. “You look great, Mirasol.”
She just sent me a shrug, clutching her floaties in her hand like they were her lifeline. “I don’t think I want to swim anymore.”
“Aw, c’mon. It’ll be fun.” I reassured her as I got on my knees. “Swimming is like dancing with the water. You just have to let go and trust it.”
“But what if I drown?” Her eyebrows dipped in concern.
“You’re not cuz I’m right here.” I cupped her little cheeks. “And I won’t let anything bad happen to you, ok?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Along with a cute smile, Mirasol gave me a soft nod and I scooped her into my arms, earning a fit of giggles.
“In we go!” I slipped into the water, the coolness enveloping my legs, all the way up to my torso. “Ok, ready?”
Mirasol appeared tentative but gently moved out of my arms and into the water. She immediately sunk in, dark curls dancing to the tunes of the water, and then she resurfaced thanks to the floatie. “Shonee!” she sputtered. “I’m swimming!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not quite, sweetheart. The floatie is just holding you up. Let’s start with some basics.” I guided her through the water, showing her how to kick her legs and move her arms. She copied me, her giggles echoing off the tiles.
“Like this?” She asked, her strokes uneven but determined.
“Perfect,” I said. “Now, let’s try floating without the floatie.” I cradled her back, supporting her as she lay on the water’s surface. “Relax,” I murmured. “You’re lighter than air.”
Mirasol closed her eyes, her trust in me unwavering. She floated, her body bobbing gently.
Her eyes soon flew open. “I’m doing it!” She exclaimed in full excitement.
“Yeah, you are,” I laughed, watching her float around for a while before moving on to the next phase. “Now, let’s practice breathing. When your face is in the water, blow bubbles.”
We both turned and allowed an avalanche of bubbles to escape our mouths then we popped up for air, bursting into a fit of chuckles.
“That was fun! Let’s do it again!” Mirasol yelled.
“Ok, but only this once,” I said then counted us in.
We spent the next hours learning and having fun in the water. After everything I’d been through this past week, it was finally nice to relax and have a nice time with Mirasol.
I glanced up at the sun, realizing it was almost time for lunch, and then Mirasol's stomach grumbled in agreement.
"Alright, kiddo, how about we take a break and go grab something to eat?" I laughed, gently guiding her towards the pool steps.
“Mhm, I want a ham sandwich.” Mirasol nodded eagerly, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Ok, two huge ham sandwiches coming up.” We quickly dried off and made our way inside, still dripping slightly from our pool adventure. I picked up my phone from the living room table and unlocked it to find four missed calls; two from Jordin and two from James. There was also a text from Jordin which read: Been trying to reach you but you’re not answering. Call me when you see this. It’s urgent.
“Hmm.” Curious, I was just about to hit the call button at the top when Mirasol yelled, “Shoneee! My sandwich!”
“Alright, I’m coming!” I put the phone down.
As I entered the kitchen, I wrapped the towel around my waist and reached for the bread from the fully stocked pantry. Since Gerta was out visiting family, we virtually had the whole place to ourselves. Enthusiastic Mirasol skipped ahead of me and grabbed the ham, her wet hair leaving little droplets on the tiled floor.
I set about preparing a simple lunch for us, slicing up some fresh tomatoes and lettuce to go with the ham sandwiches. Mirasol eagerly helped, her small hands reaching for the ingredients as she chattered away about our time in the pool.
But our peaceful moment was rudely interrupted when the kitchen door slammed open, and Avril stormed in, a furious expression on her face. “Shonee Coleman! Care to explain these?” She demanded, slapping a handful of printed photographs on the island in front of me.
Instantly, I froze, my heart sinking as I realized what they were.
Pictures of me, Jordin and James at the Tropical Palm Hotel taken just moments after we had finished stalking Avril and finding out who her lover was.
“Uh Shonee,” Mirasol whimpered beside me, sensing the tension in the air. “I’m—”
“What the fuck are you still doing here?” Avril snapped. “Get out!”
The little girl flinched, her eyes filling with tears.
“Oh no, no Mirasol, don’t listen—” I turned to wrap her in a hug but she quickly backed away from me and exited the kitchen.
Angry, I immediately whirled on Avril. “What in heaven's name is wrong with you? You didn’t have to yell at her like that!”
“Shut up and answer the question, Shonee!” Avril yelled again; her attention focused solely on the photographs before us. "What were you doing at the hotel?" she demanded, her voice dripping with anger.
“What I do in my free time does not concern you!” I fired back. “And how did you even get these pictures?”
“Stop trying to change the subject!” She retorted. “I know you’re up to something. That’s why you were at the hotel right?”
Avril was desperate for an answer and it made my lips pull into a smug smile. “Aw, what’s the matter? Scared that I found out who your secret boy toy is?”
Her face twisted into another level of rage and her hand flew up as if to slap me.
“Put your hand down, Avril!” The order was so abrupt and fierce that it startled both of us, Avril more because she quickly pulled her hand down.
Vincent walked into the kitchen, his expression dark with anger. Teary-eyed Mirasol followed him, her tiny hand wrapped safely in her father’s.
“So this is what happens in my absence?” Vincent quizzed, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere like a knife. “You shout at my daughter, and attempt to assault the staff?”
“The staff,” Avril scoffed, laughing manically. “Yeah right. I wouldn’t attempt to assault the “staff” if she wasn’t meddling in my life!”
“Oh please…” Vincent skillfully rolled his eyes, then paused when he noticed the photographs on the kitchen island. “Wait, what are those?”
“Proof that your “staff” doesn’t have anything useful to do with her time!” Avril spat. “I don’t know what she’s up to, but I swear, if I find out that your nanny whore has been stalking me again, your secret affair won’t be a secret anymore.” With that, she pivoted on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen.
Vincent grabbed the pictures. He eyed them wearily, then his vision landed on me.
“Look, I can explain…” I prepared myself to narrate the whole story, but before I could utter a word, a familiar “Hello? Anyone home?” echoed from the living room.
“Oh that’s my music teacher,” Mirasol mumbled.
Vincent somberly shook his head. “Get her ready for her class, Shonee. After, come right over to my office.”
Nodding, I steered Mirasol out of the kitchen and towards her bedroom.
*****
After making sure Mirasol was set for her class, I headed over to Vincent’s office, ready to tell him about yesterday’s activities.
Upon my return home, I hadn’t bothered to mention anything to him because I wanted it to be a surprise. But now that my whereabouts had been revealed…
I rapped my knuckles against the wood.
“Come in,” he called out and I let myself in.
Vincent was seated at his desk, phone plastered to his ear. He gestured for me to make myself comfortable and I immediately walked straight towards the whiskey cart, helping myself to the strong, amber beverage.
“Ok good,” Vincent said into the phone. “I want you to keep an eye on her.”
The mention of ‘her’ piqued my interest. With my glass of whiskey, I sat down on the sofa and watched him intently.
“Track her every move till she returns to the mansion. I expect a full report of her activities and who she interacted with by the close of the day. And this time, do not leave anything out.” His voice was stern as he moved back and forth in his seat. “Great, thanks. Later.”
I waited till he ended the call to ask, “So…who are we tracking?”
“Avril,” Vincent simply responded. “She just left the house in a rush and I wanna know what she’s up to.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “If this is about finding out who her lover is, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time.”
His eyebrows dipped low. “What do you mean?”
“I already know who her lover is.” I confidently sat up.
“Is that where you were yesterday? Where these were taken?” He held up the photographs Avril had brought earlier.
“Yeah, the Tropical Plam Hotel. I went with a few friends as back up and we found out that Avril’s lover, who by the way you’ll never believe is actually the action movie star, Damien Jones.” My tone went a notch higher with excitement. “Shocking right?”
“Oh God. Please don’t tell me you’re the one who tipped off TMZ about this?” Vincent looked at me as if I’d just done something stupid and his expression made my excitement disappear.
This was not the reaction I was expecting from him. “I’m not, although I wanted to. But I couldn’t risk Avril discovering that I was involved in the reveal, so I asked a friend to do it.”
“Who?”
“Jordin. You met her once at the fair, remember?”
Vincent rubbed a hand over his face and I stood up, curiosity getting the best of me.
“Ok, look, I don’t know what is up with you but would you mind telling me what’s going on?”
Vincent let out a deep sigh. “Damien isn’t Avril’s lover. He’s Cheyanne’s.”
I gaped at him in unbelievable confusion. “What?”
“It’s all here.” He handed me his phone, displaying the TMZ website with the headline: Action Star Damien Jones Caught in Secret Affair with Fashion Mogul Cheyanne.
“Oh my God.” My eyes glazed over the article, unable to comprehend it all. Honestly, if there wasn’t a picture of Damien and Cheyanne sharing an intimate kiss in the underground parking lot, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I couldn’t believe that I spent the entirety of yesterday thinking I had found incriminating evidence against Avril when in actual fact, it was against Cheyanne. And my mission had absolutely nothing to do with her!
My eyes caught the time stamp at the edge of the screen: 9:08 AM.
Jordin must’ve read it by then. Why didn’t she call me to let me know… then it hit me. Jordin did call. And James too. They wanted to inform me of the new development, but I was so busy with Mirasol that I didn’t even notice.
“I get why you did it.” Vincent appeared at my side with a whiskey glass in hand. “This was your way of helping me find Avril’s lover before the merge party.”
“Yeah, and I messed it all up.” Dejected, I slumped into the nearest chair.
“Which is why you can no longer be involved in this,” he casually stated and my gaze flew over to him.
“You can’t be serious. This was my idea, my plan. You can’t just boot me out of it.”
“I know. But thanks to what you did yesterday, Avril now suspects that something is up, making it even more difficult for my men to find out who she’s sleeping with. And with only two days left to the merge party, I can’t afford to let her secure this secret any longer.”
As much as I wanted to disagree with him, I couldn’t because Vincent was a hundred per cent right. My sneaky activities yesterday had only pushed Avril to reinforce the walls surrounding her secret and we didn’t have the luxury of time to continue probing.
“Fine.” I released a pent-up sigh. “I’ll let you handle it. But the moment you find out who it is, you better tell me.”
“Trust me, you’ll be the first to know,” He smiled then laid a soft kiss on my forehead.