Chapter 46

When Veronica saw the news and papers, her eyes burned red, who could it be? Who could hate her family so much? She thought back to who might know of the news and remembering that Sharon was the one that called her and told her about the pregnancy, she couldn't contain her anger, she got her phone immediately and dialed her number.
Sharon picked at second call "oh my God Vero, how did the papers got to know? Who gave them such assumption?" She sounded frantic and for a minute, Veronica thought she might not be the culprit, but then who will it be if not her?
"Don't sound like that with me Sharon, how could you do this!" Veronica was angry.
Sharon was speechless for a while before saying "you think I did this?"
"Who else will it be? You are the only one that knows Anna is pregnant, you are the one that called and told me. Even if Benita knows, I don't think she will do this kind of thing!"
"I don't understand you Vero, Benita is my sister, I am your friend. If you can believe that Benita didn't do it then why can't you believe I didn't?"
"I'm finding that difficult to believe."
"But Vero..."
"Sharon, you know better. You know Jason is not my son, why give this fake news to the press?"
"Vero I didn't do this. I'm as surprise as you are. I woke up this morning and it was Grace that even brought the papers to me, I was shocked when I saw the headlines, I was still about to call you when Benjamin called me to see the news, we were both worried. I will never do that to you Vero, please, you have to believe me."
"I'm finding that difficult to do, and you know the reason."
Sharon heaved a heavy sigh on the other side "Jason's mother. It was a mistake, a mistake that I always blame myself for whenever I see Jason. I find it difficult to forgive myself of that, and I understand that you wouldn't too. But Vero, I have hurt Jason enough, I can't bring myself to hurt him again... But wait, is he really? Anna's baby daddy I mean."
It was Veronica's turn to heave a sigh "yes, they are both in love. Sam and I only got to know last night."
"Oh my" Sharon said "but it's not wrong, I mean they are not actually related, it's true you have been taking care of him since he was a baby but we can never forget biology."
"Exactly, which is why this news that is circulating is a scam, and I need to do something about it."
"Um duh, aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
"You just need to tell the press that he is not your son. I mean, even if they don't believe it, you have an advantage to your side, you can either go for maternity test with Jason, or you have the press dig up news from when Jason was born, no one saw you get pregnant and that's because you weren't. It's not such a big deal."
Veronica nodded in agreement "you are right but I really want to know who spread the news. Tell me Sharon, you and your blabbermouth, who did you tell?"
"Hey, I don't go by that name anymore."
"I don't care, just tell me. If you didn't spread it and I'm sure Benita didn't either because I know how much she hates the press, then who did? Who did you tell?"
Sharon was silent for some seconds "um, after I drop the call with you. Anita called me, and during the process of discussing, I might have told her Anna is pregnant."
"You what?" Veronica shouted.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. We were discussing, telling each other things we know, I just told her with the heat of the discussion. I'm sorry, really."
"In all the people in the world, you told Anita!"
"I'm sorry. You don't think she is the one that did it, do you?"
"Who else? Two days ago, she has been calling me, warning me to put an eye on Jason's and Anna's interactions. She told me they were too close. She was the first person that told me Jason was in Anna's school and that she also saw him kiss her. I didn't believe her, of course I didn't, and I had warned her to stop monitoring my children in anger. And you my dear talkative friend just gave her a trump card to get back at me."
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was like that. What are you going to do now?"
"What else? First I'm going to step out there and clear my family's name, then I'm going to give her a taste of her own medicine. No body messes with my family."
"Wow, I trust you and now I'm afraid for her."
"You better be, cause what I have up my sleeve, you too would be surprised."
"Wow. You go girl, and I am really sorry for telling Anita, I didn't mean it."
"The deed has been done."
"So, I'm I a soothsayer now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you have forgotten. When you were still in the hospital after Anna's birth, have you forgotten what I said? I told you what if Jason and Anna end up together?"
Veronica chuckled softly then "and I had said they wouldn't because they will believe they are siblings" she shook her head "it's funny how nature works atimes, I always know Jason will bring a girl to me as his wife, I just never knew it would be my own daughter."
"I'm happy for you and also them. You will rest well knowing your daughter is in good hands, after all you raised Jason yourself."
"I guess that's true, how come I didn't think about that? Well, we will talk about that later, it's time to save my family."
"Oh, okay then, I will always be by your side."
"Thank you Sharon" Veronica ended the call and stood, staring into nothingness.
"What are you going to do?" Jason asked behind her and she turned to see him leaning against the wall "how are you going to prove it?"
Veronica smiled and walked up to him, she cupped his face in her hands "have you forgotten who your mother is? Although I'm not your biological mother and..." She was saying when Jason pressed a finger on her lips to shush her.
Jason smiled "you will always be my mother, always."
Veronica smiled from the bottom of her heart and pinched his nose "then have you forgotten who your mother is?"
Jason shook his head with a smile "nope, go kick their ass."
Veronica laughed then and pinched his nose again before walking away "mom" Jason called to her and she stopped to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you really comfortable with me being with Anna?"
"When I clear our family name, I will show you how comfortable I am with it" she smiled and walked away.
?
Veronica stepped out of the house and as she expected, there were reporters everywhere, they all rushed to her when they saw her, all of them pointing their microphones to her face and some actually hurting her with it. Veronica frowned and snatched the microphone from the annoying reporter, she slammed it on the ground and the others were shocked at the attitude "if you want me to talk, show your manners."
Hearing that from her, they all recovered from their shock and started asking their questions "is what that is in the news true?"
"What do you have to say as their mother?"
"A lot of parents are holding you responsible for this outcome, what do you have to say in defense for yourself?"
"How are you going to treat this news?"
"How can you be such a bad mother?"
"Why didn't you create more time for your children?"
"What effect do you think this will have in your company?"
"Do you think Legal Rights could survive this blow?"
"Do you think you are good enough to be the CEO of Legal Rights?
"How sweet does Jason find his sister?"
Veronica glared at the reporter that asked the last question and he shut up immediately, she withdrew her gaze from him and looked directly at the cameras "none of you have asked me a question that deserves an answer. But since I already know you won't ask that, I will just go straight to the point. Let me tell you a story, a story I told myself I will never tell anyone, especially my Jason, for I fear what effect it will have on him but seeing the situation at hand, I don't see myself avoiding it.
It all started twenty two years ago, a friend of mine, a very good friend of mine, Eunice Raine, had come to me, she told me she was pregnant and I was shocked because Eunice is not the type that wants a family. I know about her long time boyfriend Gerald Holmes, who had proposed to her three times but she refused and he also refused to let her go, we all attended the same college and I had gotten married a year after school, Gerald had proposed to her the first time on my wedding day but she turned him down and two years into my marriage, he proposed to her again but the answer was the same.
I on the other hand, was having issues of my own, I have been married for two years but have not gotten pregnant, three years later, making it five years into marriage, I still hadn't gotten pregnant and Gerald proposed to Eunice the day she told me she was pregnant, I thought she will accept but she still refused and when he left brokenhearted, I talked to Eunice but she said she was afraid of having a baby and should Gerald know, he must insist on marrying her.?
I asked her if she didn't want to marry him but she said she was sacred because both of them are orphans. Eunice ran out of an orphanage home when she was thirteen, I had been the one that picked her up on the road and took her home with me, my parents loved her and treated her like their daughter. Gerald on the other hand, I don't know about him, I only know he was an orphan, I don't know how it happened, whether his parents died on him and he has siblings or if he came from an orphanage home like Eunice.
So she was afraid, because she doesn't want her baby to only have both of them, she wants her children to have grandmothers and grandfathers and since Gerald is also an orphan, she don't see that happening with him, I know it's a lame excuse but that was her fear but she loved him, she loved him so much that even though she refused marrying him, she couldn't get herself to breakup with him. Gerald finally got to know about her pregnancy and was by her side twenty four seven. I was by her side too as well as my parents and my husband.
The day she delivered, I was by her side and I fell in love with her son the first time I saw him, he has this shiny blonde hair like her but his father's blue eyes, he looked so adorable. I was with her in the hospital with my friend Sharon who immediately called Gerald and told him about his handsome son, according to her, she said Gerald told her he was on his way immediately to see them. After ten minutes, Sharon's phone rang and she excused herself to answer, returning again, she looked like a ghost, I knew something was wrong and I signaled to her with my eyes to hold whatever news it was because of Eunice but Sharon didn't catch it and just blurted it out, Gerald had an accident and he died on the spot" she stopped and wiped away the tears from her eyes.
Some of the reporters were already dabbing at their eyes while some of them had their eyes red like a tomato. Veronica heaved a sigh and continued "you can imagine what happened next, Eunice just gave birth not up to an hour ago, only to receive the news that the love of her life and also the father of her newborn baby was dead. She went into shock and died shortly after. Jason was lying in his crib, without any idea, that his parents both died on his birthday. Eunice feared of him not having grandparents but he ended up not even having parents.
My heart ached for him, his mother didn't want him not to have grandparents but never did she know that he won't even be having parents. As her closest friend, I know her heart desire for her son and I too on the other hand, was looking for a child, so I decided to satisfy both of us by giving myself a child and giving her son both parents and grand parents" she looked at the cameras with her teary eyes "Jason is not my son. Jason is adopted and whatever it is he is doing with my daughter is not an abomination neither is it an atrocity. Their love is very much accepted both to moral, to biology, to nature and to us their parents. And by all means it is also accepted to the world.
So whoever it was that spread this rumor, I hope you know now that what you shared is false and I will also have you know, for trying to ruin my family, watch over yours" after dropping such threat, Veronica turned and walked back into her house where she saw Jason, Anna and Samuel waiting for her.