Chapter 59

Max's POV

Mark, Liz, Nicoles, and I spent the entire night searching for Priscilla, along with my men, but we could not find her at all. My heart was racing, and I couldn't help but feel scared and guilty at the same time. I won't be able to live with myself if anything happens to her. I don't remember feeling this scared and anxious in my life before. The thought of not knowing where she has hurt me deep in my heart. I know that wherever she is, she must be crying all alone, and it's all because of me. I have hurt her badly, and I know she wants nothing to do with me. Of course, why would she ever come back here after all the humiliation she went through? I don't even know why I was jealous after finding out that she was with Nicoles! Have I really fallen in love with her? I mean, this is the only logical explanation. I have fallen in love with Priscilla, but now she has gone so far away from me, and I don't know if I can ever find her. I will never see her again.

The sound of Liz's phone ringing brought all four of us back to reality. I furrowed my brow as Liz gasped, her eyes widening in shock before quickly getting up from the couch and walking away. At first, I thought it might have been Priscilla, but then I remembered she didn't have a phone. Being illiterate, she wouldn't have known anyone's number by heart.

"Why do I get the feeling that Liz is talking to Priscilla?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Priscilla left her phone at home and she's illiterate. There's no way she could have called us," I replied, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to remember anyone's number.

"Max, do you think that Priscilla, who is Monica Jenks's child, could be illiterate? We both know that she was hiding her true identity. What if she was also pretending to be illiterate and fooling you? I think she is the one who just called Liz," Mark said, making perfect sense. I remembered the day I gave her the contract and she was able to read it on her own. Could it be that she was pretending all along?

"Monica Jenks? Is she Priscilla's mother?" Nicolas asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"Yes, Priscilla is actually my niece," Mark revealed, leaving Nicolas gasping in disbelief.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me about this before? Oh my goodness! Priscilla is Monica's child!" Nicolas exclaimed.

"I was just respecting her privacy," Mark said, shrugging. "Priscilla wanted it to be kept a secret."

Nicolas couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Max, you are the biggest fool in the world. Do you know that Monica Jenks was the richest person in this city and town? And you dared to call her daughter a gold digger?"

"Will you stop rubbing salt into my wounds? I've told you guys a hundred times that it was a mistake. I said all that out of anger," I said, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Max, you've forgotten how to treat women because of Gucci and Nelly. But couldn't you see that Priscilla was different? She didn't want anything from you. If she wanted your money, she wouldn't have looked for a job and earned her own money. Did you know that she didn't even use the money she earned? She used that money to buy food for the kids she used to live with on the streets. You told me that she also gave Nelly the money she earned from the contest. I just don't understand why you would call her a gold digger," Mark said.

I was taken aback. What? I thought she used her salary to give to Nelly. I didn't know she used to buy food for the kids she used to live with.

Before I could respond, Liz came downstairs wearing new clothes. "Guys, an important client just called me. I'm leaving. Keep me updated if you find anything about Priscilla's whereabouts," Liz said, leaving the house with just her handbag.

"I'm telling you guys that she's going to meet Priscilla," Mark said, looking at Liz as she walked away.

"Should we follow her?" Nicolas asked.

"We definitely should. Maybe we'll find Priscilla," Mark said. I nodded, agreeing with him. The three of us followed Liz and got into the car. Nicolas started the engine and began to follow Liz.

****

After a few minutes of silence in the car, Nicolas finally stopped at the restaurant. "I don't think she's here to meet Priscilla!" Nicolas exclaimed. I said nothing but kept my eyes on Liz, hoping she would come to meet me. I wanted to apologize for everything I'd said to her and hoped she would forgive me.

"I don't think Priscilla was the one who called. If it was Priscilla, Liz would have waited for her outside, but now she went inside. I think we're just wasting our time. Liz has come here to meet a client," Nicolas said. He was right. I knew from the start that Priscilla wouldn't call; she must be hiding in a place where I wouldn't be able to find her.

"Let's just go from here. Priscilla won't risk walking in public, knowing that I would look for her everywhere. She's hiding somewhere that we'll never find her," I said. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I had no choice.

"I hope you realize your mistakes. As they say, we don't know what we have until we actually lose it. That's when we start understanding its actual value," Mark said. I covered my face with my hand. I wished I could see her and apologize. Otherwise, I would never be able to forgive myself for all those terrible things I said to her. I was wrong, and I knew it.

Nicolas drove away from the restaurant, heading back home, and I knew that there was no way I was going to find Priscilla at that moment. It was all over.

Priscilla's POV

"Priscilla, I'm not letting you stay here for another second. This place is not safe for you at all. What if something happens to you?" Liz exclaimed, looking around the half-built building.

"Liz, I will find a job. When I start earning, I will rent an apartment. For now, I will bear with this place," I said. After living in Max's luxurious villa, this place was disgusting to me, but I actually had no choice but to stay there until I found a job.

"Priscilla, I can't let you stay here, and that's final. I don't need your opinion on this matter. You and the kids are coming with me right at this moment!" Liz said sternly. I couldn't argue with a lawyer and get away with it. Her expression was "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Where are you taking us?" I decided not to argue with her. I needed my ID from her, and I needed her to keep my secret.

"To my old apartment. I used to live there when I was in college. I moved in with Brother Max when he came from abroad, so I haven't been there for a while now. You can stay there for as long as you want until you find a job and start earning," Liz said. I don't even know why she loved me this much. She was the second person who cared for me.

"Fine Liz, I will stay there, but I will pay the rent," I said. After what Max said, I didn't want anything for free from anyone. I would rather pay her the rent.

"Paying the rent would do, but I want you to use that pay for rent to send these kids to school. And cover their fees. Don't you think it would be a great idea?" Liz asked, and I sighed. She didn't want me to pay the rent, and she was using excuses.

"Okay, fine," I said. I think it was a great idea. I won't have to live in this place at all. At least I will have a proper place to live while pregnant.

"Come on now, let's go, everyone," Liz said. The kids cheered happily as they followed her out. I walked out too, following her to her car.

I

I looked out the window, feeling the chill air brush against my face. Max's face flashed in my mind and I couldn't help but miss him. Despite my efforts to forget him, his caring nature and constant attempts to make sure I didn't stress or overthink things were hard to forget. He used to be a good guy, but after he disappeared and came back, he was different. I knew he was heartbroken and felt betrayed by the women he loved, but I didn't understand why he took his anger out on me. I didn't betray him, I wasn't the one who cheated on him, so why was he treating me this way?

"Priscilla, are you crying?" Liz interrupted my thoughts, and I quickly wiped my tears away. I hadn't even noticed that I was crying. How deep had I fallen? I hoped I hadn't fallen too far.

"Um, no, I think something got in my eye. Don't worry about me," I stammered, feeling embarrassed.

"I know that you're crying. There's no need to hide everything from me," Liz said gently. "I understand that Max was wrong for saying whatever he did to you, but Nicolas is at fault too. He was the one who came up with the idea to make Max jealous by pretending to be interested in you. He wanted to know how Max felt about you. I'm not trying to defend him, but I think Max has fallen in love with you. He's in denial and doesn't want to admit it, which is why he decided to hurt you. He doesn't know how to handle his own feelings."

"I don't think Max is in love with me. I hope he isn't, because I don't believe in love and I won't return his feelings. It's best if we stay away from each other. He'll find a woman who suits his standards and get married. They'll live happily ever after, but I'm not that woman. I don't deserve his love, and I'm just not the kind of woman who deserves any love. I'm better off alone," I said. "I just hope what Liz is saying isn't true."

"Isn't it too late for that? You might try to hide it, but I know that deep down, you have feelings for him too. Can you actually bury those feelings forever?" Liz asked. I swallowed hard, feeling my body heat rising. Can I actually bury my feelings and forget about him?