"No, Mother. You don’t get it. It’s not about me. It’s about the baby."
The room was plunged into silence as everyone stared at June.
Rauf’s gaze moved to her stomach. Chris sighed, roughening his hair, and Serena’s mouth was agape.
Regardless of how observant she was, she hadn’t noticed it because she hadn’t even thought about it.
June was unmarried, as far as she could tell. So, how?
"You’re pregnant."
June placed her hand on her stomach, nodding. "Yes. I’m almost three months gone. Almost ending my first trimester."
Serena’s frown deepened. "I had no idea. I mean, your stomach isn’t even showing."
"That’s because I hide it with big clothes, but it’s getting a bit difficult to do now," she said, avoiding stealing a glance at Rauf. "If those people discover I am pregnant, wouldn’t they attack my baby first?"
Serena had a lot of questions running through her head, but she knew that protecting June came first.
She should be resting according to the doctor, but she couldn’t when her daughter and, probably, her ’granddaughter’ were in danger.
Protecting June came first.
"I think what June needs is more guards. She should be followed by detailed security everywhere she goes," Chris said, nodding.
June furrowed her brow.
Having Nate follow her alone was already suffocating. She really didn’t buy into the idea of having more guards following her.
"I’m open to supplying more guards if needed," Rauf said from behind her.
June turned towards him, and he shrugged.
She didn’t want to overthink the whole issue.
But Serena was shaking her head at the suggestion. "You don’t know how the Monterrio operate. They are ruthless. They are ready to kill thousands just to capture one." Her voice was calm as she explained, but it sent shivers through June’s body.
She could already picture herself being wrapped up and thrown into the back seat of some car.
Serena turned to Chris. "Are you certain they are very certain June is my daughter?"
Chris thought about it for a while. "Not really, Mother. But they know one of the ladies whose DNA was run is your daughter. They came to the hospital to confirm who it might be."
"How could they be confused if they had done a DNA test for both of them?" Rauf asked.
"There was a mix-up."
Serena nodded. "Then, that’s good."
They all turned to her.
June shook her head. "There’s nothing good about this. My life and the baby are probably in danger right now."
Serena nodded. "I already told you I am going to protect you." She turned to Rauf. "Since they’re confused, we have to make them certain."
Chris furrowed his brow in confusion. "How?"
"We’ll make Amie my daughter."
The others in the room shared a look of confusion. June parted her mouth, but only closed it back.
Rauf inched closer to her.
It was Chris who broke the silence. "You want to make Amie your daughter?"
Serena nodded. "Since Amie is so interested in reaping the benefits of being my daughter, I believe she would also love the consequences."
Understanding dawned on Chris and Rauf while June remained confused.
Her brain refused to accept that after years of finally finding her mother, she was going to pick Amie over her.
Just as everyone she knew had been doing.
But the conversation around her went on.
"Then what about June, Mother?"
June nodded.
Yes, what about her?
Serena turned to her with a smile.
June frowned. She didn’t like the look on her face.
Serena hadn’t said a word, but she already had a feeling she wasn’t going to like whatever Serena was about to say.
"June, who is the father of the baby?"
Both June and Chris turned to Rauf while Rauf blinked.
No one had to explain it to Serena.
"Him?" she asked, pointing her hand at Rauf.
Her forehead creased in confusion.
As far as she knew, Rauf was married to Amie, so how could he also be the father of June’s unborn child?
"It’s a long story, Mother," Chris said. "But I want you to know June isn’t at fault."
June stared from Chris to Serena.
She could see it in Serena’s face. She must loathe her right now.
But the look of confusion was slowly turning to amusement, and June couldn’t help but think Serena was wild.
"I think that’s even better," she said suddenly.
This time, June hadn’t bothered looking confused.
Her mother was a strange woman. It was no wonder she was the queen of the mafia.
Being blind had made June think she was the most peaceful woman she had met, but right now, she could tell that one needed to tread carefully in her presence.
"What plan do you have, Mother?" Chris asked, not bothered by her strange behaviour at all.
"June, I’m sorry, darling, but you’ll need to go stay with the father of your baby."
"What!" she screamed, putting more distance between her and Rauf as if to show how much she couldn’t stand him.
Didn’t her mother understand her words when she had claimed to hate Rauf?
"Mother!" she said in the most pitiful voice she could muster. "We just got back together, and you’re already pushing me away."
The hurtful look on June’s face finally dawned on Serena.
Serena cast her head down. "I don’t mean it that way."
But June wasn’t ready to listen to any reasoning.
"You want me to leave with him, Mother." She pointed at Rauf. "What else could you have meant?"
Chris stepped closer to her. "June, I think what Mother meant is that if you live somewhere else, it will be easy for the Monterrio to believe you’re really not Mother’s daughter."
She stared at Chris as if he were a stranger. "Then, if that’s the case, I would rather stay with Ellie."
"Ellie. Who is Ellie?" Serena asked.
Chris’s cheeks reddened, and Rauf blinked.
Still annoyed, June answered. "Ellie is my best friend, and she never minded hosting me." She turned to face Chris, like all of this was his fault. "I already told you I was fine staying with Ellie."
But Serena was shaking her head again. "You can’t."
"Why?"
"Because even if the Monterrio believe Amie is my daughter, you are still a suspect, and your friend, Ellie, doesn’t have any security."
June frowned.
When she dreamt of finding her mother, she never thought she would be in danger in any way. And she certainly never thought they would be separated as soon as they met.
Serena touched the necklace June had given her. "I don’t want this as much as you do. But I have no choice here. I have experienced the Monterrio’s brutality firsthand, and I will do anything rather than allow my daughter to experience it."
June could still feel the anger radiating from her, but she knew this wasn’t just about her. It was also about her unborn child.
Chris held her hand. "Rauf has security, and he can protect you. With him, you are safe."
June turned to glare at Rauf. "But he lives in Kansas. Am I supposed to drop my new idea here and return to Kansas?"
They turned to him.
That was the problem.
"There’s no way my daughter is returning to Kansas," Serena said. "I think we have to find another option."
But Rauf was already clearing his throat. This was a golden opportunity he wasn’t ready to let slip through his fingers.
"Actually, I already got a house in New Central State."
"You did?" Chris turned to him, a look of amusement on his face now that they were resolving the issue. "You really work fast. Already solving the problem before it comes."
A quick glance at June glaring at him made him shut up straight.
"If not for you, June, please do it for the baby."
June sighed. Apart from the people here, she had no other person to turn to in the world.
And she knew deep within her that whatever decision they made here, it was because they actually cared about her.
She turned to Rauf. "If I accept to go back to your place, there will be rules."
Rauf stared at her in amazement.
How could he have ever treated her as anything less than a princess?
He gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma’am."
And when June wasn’t looking at him, he sent a wink to Chris.
June turned towards her mother.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
Serena wore a scary smile on her face. June felt sorry for whoever her enemies were.
"I plan on doing two things."
They were all silent as they listened to her, like students listening to a lecture.
"First, since no one knows about the operation and the fact that I can see now, I plan to pretend I am still very blind."
June gasped. She wanted to ask if pretending to be blind wouldn’t be too difficult, but the look of determination on Serena’s face stated otherwise.
"And two, I plan to introduce Amie to the world as my daughter."