Chapter 50: No Family Like This

Adani's POV

As always, I was stuck in the middle of the unraveling tension between the two women. My mother's eyes narrowed in as Mrs. Parriston made one step away her.

"I should have known this sooner. It all makes perfect sense now, like mother like daughter," Mrs. Parriston said to my mother then gaze coldly at me .

"You two know each other?" I asked.
How they knew each other?

"We've met," my mother answered.

"When?"

"A long time ago," Mrs. Parriston responded.

The doors opened and Ricardo stepped in. I breathe a sigh of relief. He headed towards us and greeted me with a quick kiss, then greeted my mom and his mom.

"Let me guess, you have spares," he directed to his mother.

"You know me too well," she responded.

"Hmm. Let's get settle and have something to eat then. Rockett would be joining us," he said and showed us to the dinning room where Beth was serving the food.

~
"Well, isn't this a surprise," Mrs. Parriston said as she sat down.

" It is. I've also invited Derick and his fianceé," Ricardo said, "And Adonna and Mavielle."

"Yay," I acclaimed and took my seat next to my mother. Ricardo left to get freshen up as everyone else arrived and joined us at the table.

~
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this mom, what was it between you and Mrs. Parriston?" I asked my mother, "Were you friends?"

"Hell no!" they answered at the same time.

"More like enemies," mom stated.

"Elucidate this situation," I said with great confusion.

"She was a home-wrecker!" Mrs. Parriston shouted.

Everyone at the table became uneasy.

My mom cackled. " Since you're set on knowing, Corrine here is whom your father left me for."

"My father and Mrs. Parriston were a couple?" I questioned and felt my stomach becoming upset.

"Please don't tell me this is some kinda flowers in the attic shit going on with Adani and Ricardo," Adonna inputted.

I felt sick to my stomach. My breathing increased rapidly and my vision blurred.

"Adani! She's having a panic attack, baby, breathe!" my mother shouted. Beth handed her a paper bag and she placed it on my mouth, instructing me to breathe.

Mrs. Parriston rolled her eyes before speaking. "That is not the case here. Ricardo's father isn't Adani's father."

~
Ricardo came into the room.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked and came over to my side.

"Just a little panic attack. She'll be fine," mom said, "She just needs to calm down and breathe."

I felt better and my breathing resumed to normalcy. Ricardo sat down on the other side to me and rested his hand on my thigh.

"Rockett, how was Paris?" Derick asked her, changing the subject but that didn't work out in his favor.

"Why should you care?" Eloise, his fianceé, asked him.

"I'm just trying to make conversation," Derick answered her.

"Then why don't you make conversation with Ricardo, he's the one who invited you and he's your friend. Not her," she spat.

Derick sighed deeply with embarrassment.

"Paris was wonderful. My clothing line won at the three major events and would be launching in all fashion stores over the capital in the next three months, thanks for asking," Rockett answered.

Eloise stared daggers at her and Rockett was looking staring right back.

"Sweetie, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea," I whispered to Ricardo. There were too much hostility in the air.

"I have an announcement and I want everyone here to know," he whispered back.

"Then maybe you should say what you have to say to shift things into another direction."

"Not yet, baby."

"Hello everyone," a voice said. I looked over and saw Penelope.

"What the hell. What is she doing here?" I questioned.

"Mrs. Parriston invited me," she answered and took a seat next to her.

"Ricardo..."

"She'll need to hear this too," he cut me off, "Mother, Where's Tim?"

"Late."

"We can start without him," Rockett said.

At the mention of his name, Tim, Mrs. Parriston's husband, walked into the room.

"Hello everyone," he greeted. He went straight for his wife and kissed her on the cheek before he sat down.

He looked around the table and his eyes popped when they landed on my mother.

"Alexis?" he asked.

"Timothy," mom said.

"I can't believe my eyes. It's been ages."

My mom looked away in distaste.

"Good, now that we're all here, let's eat," Ricardo commanded.

We ate in silence.

After dinner, dessert was served.

"I don't have a sweet tooth today," Rockett said and pushed her plate away.

"You never did," Tim told her.

"Please don't speak to me like you know me," Rockett said back.

"Rockett, there's no need for your attitude," Mrs. Parriston told her.

"Oh please, mom, let's not talk about attitude because I'll school you on yours," she sassed.

I dug into my chocolate ice-cream.

"Alexis, how's your ice-cream?" Mrs. Parriston asked my mom.

"Great. Yours?"

"Fantastic."

"Mine is too," Tim chimed in.

"Yeah, you always did like chocolate," mom told him.

"It's a good flavor," he said.

"Cut the shit!" Mrs. Parriston said.

"Corrine.. I..," Tim started but she didn't let him finish.

"You think I don't see what is going on! You are flirting with her, yet again, in my damn face!" she exclaimed.

"Honey, we're talking about the ice-cream!"

"No you're not! You're talking about her and she's talking about you!"

"How insecure can you be?" mom asked her, "I don't want him anymore."

"Anymore?" I questioned.

"We were an item," Tim said, "Alexis and I."

"How long ago was that?" I asked.

"About thirty-one years ago."

"Could he.. could he be my father?" I asked again.

"Yes. He's your father," mom laid out.

"Wow. I didn't see that one coming," Mavielle spoke up. Everyone looked between Tim and I then at my mom.

"He's my father?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. That's why Corrine and I are familiar with each other. He was playing the both of us."

"He's was mine first!" Mrs. Parriston claimed.

"There you go again, fighting a battle you shouldn't even be fighting had Timothy be a man and be honest for once in his life."

"I'm sorry. All this is my fault," Tim said.

"And you think saying that would fix anything, Tim, you left me all alone, in a time I needed you the most, you upped and left me! You left us!" Mom expressed her frustration.

"You knew the kind of person he was. You knew he was seeing me," Mrs. Parriston told her.

"No, I didn't know about you until I got pregnant. He didn't claim you because you were already married."

"He wanted me. And because I didn't leave my husband for him, he ran to you to make me jealous and angry. He used you as a trigger to set me off," Mrs. Parriston said.

"He was playing the both of us at the same time. But the energy you had for me, you didn't have that for him. You bashed me, bad-mouthed me and when you found out I was pregnant with his children, you did all you could to stop us from becoming a family, you miserable woman!" mom shouted.

"You meant child?" I questioned her.

"Huh?"

"You said 'children' but I think you meant child," I corrected what I thought was my mother's error.

"No. She meant 'children', she was having my twins," Tim clarified and my bottom jaw dropped.