June woke up with a sense of heaviness and insecurity. Her hand placed on her stomach.
It was hard for her to forget the incident at the introduction party.
Though she had tried as much as she could to avoid this sort of life, it was now the kind of life she had no choice but to live.
Her mother was part of it, her brother, the father of her unborn child, and it seemed her best friend was also getting dragged into it.
June believed she needed to know more than how to fight.
Not that the fighting was leading anywhere, though.
She was still angry with Rauf for teaching her only words of mouth and nothing that would help her conquer her enemies.
She needed information.
If there was something she was certain of, it was the fact that information was power.
She picked up her phone and opened the browser.
Everything she needed was already on the phone.
She typed the name Monterrio.
There were different Monterrios, but one name stood out to her.
Dante Monterrio.
It was the name that appeared the most, with different things attached to it.
She clicked on the name.
If she was being honest with herself, this Monterrio looked young, with a sharp jaw, pointed nose, and sharp eyes that looked like they could see through a person’s soul.
Ever since the name had been introduced to her, she had imagined the Monterrios as some ugly monsters.
With the force they had used in separating her from the mother she had just found, she had never imagined this.
"So, this is the reason my life has been asked to be put on hold."
She pointed at Dante’s picture.
Her hand tightened beside her.
Then she started noting things down.
She found more information about the Monterrio group, but June knew everything she was getting was probably the legal part of their business.
She moved on to learning about more important people listed under the Monterrio name. It was written that they were related.
She was able to gather some news about her family online too.
The news of the introduction party was already making headlines, with Serena’s and Amie’s pictures displayed side by side.
June fisted her hand as she stared at it.
Her mother was going to extremes to make sure Amie was recognized as her daughter.
But soon, June would prove that she was useful too.
She wouldn’t wait for people to protect her alone.
So, June pushed the thought aside and started noting down the things she considered important.
By the time she heard a knock on the door, it was already late afternoon.
June got down from the bed and closed the notebook where she had written everything.
Satisfied with the knowledge she had acquired, she opened the door to see Fleur looking at her.
"What do you want, Fleur?"
Fleur bowed slightly. "Ma’am, it’s past your lunchtime. You didn’t come out to eat, so I decided to come and check on you."
A sudden warmth engulfed June.
"Thank you."
Then she remembered the incident at breakfast and sighed.
"What about Mrs Salvador Snr?"
"Ma’am, she already ate her meal and returned to her room."
Still, June felt uneasy about eating in the dining room.
"Can you bring my food here?"
Fleur nodded immediately.
What June needed at the moment was more information, not a fight.
"How’s the guest house I asked you to find for Mother?" Rauf asked Henson, putting away the last file he had been going through.
Even though he had been busy, business had been going fine without him there.
He hated how uncomfortable June felt because of his mother. This was supposed to be June’s home, and he wanted her to feel comfortable here.
"I’m working on it, Boss. I’m yet to find one that suits Madam’s taste."
Rauf’s nostrils flared.
"I don’t care about her taste. I care that she’s out of the house as soon as possible."
Henson nodded.
It wasn’t every day he saw his boss angry.
Henson noted that getting the boss’s mother a guest house was very important, but Rauf was already issuing a new command.
"What about our guest outside?"
Immediately, Henson understood what he meant.
"He has been absent, Boss."
That made Rauf sit upright.
"You mean no one is watching the gate anymore?"
Henson nodded. "Yes, sir. Since the night of the party, I’ve checked every angle on the CCTV. He hasn’t returned."
Rauf stroked his beard.
What did that mean for them?
Did the man finally give up?
Or had they finally gotten the information they were looking for?
It was hard for Rauf to believe they had simply left without a reason.
"Continue keeping an eye on the gate. Maybe they went on a break. If you notice anything, let me know immediately."
Henson nodded.
After a few more questions, he was finally off the hook.
Once Henson left, Rauf took a deep breath.
He had to do something about that marriage certificate.
Amie’s name was clearly written on it, but Rauf knew she wasn’t the woman who had stood beside him and lived as his wife for five years.
He needed to know exactly what that meant legally.
Rauf picked up his phone and called his lawyer.
He wanted to know the legal consequences of the certificate and what he could do to terminate whatever marriage it represented completely.
He had already ordered the man who sent him the picture to bring the certificate to New Central State.
Simply burning it wouldn’t solve anything.
What if there were other copies of the certificate somewhere?
Handling it legally seemed like the best solution.
And once he had gotten that settled, he could focus back on June.
The little kick he had felt that morning had meant everything to him.
He wanted more moments like that with her.
And he would do anything to have them.
There was no way he was losing this again.