you can't escape reality

Wichita Kansas City, at 10 a.m.

Victoria started her day as a café waitress with her colleagues after dropping Sophia off at kindergarten. The beautiful girl wore a gray mini skirt with a white shirt, leaving the top buttons undone, looking stunning and quite sexy, tying her hair up leaving long bangs, then applying peace lipstick and 5 cm heels.

She walked back to the kitchen with a tray, waiting for the chef who was preparing food and drinks for the next customers. In the spacious metallic-toned kitchen, she fell silent with a thin smile, feeling relieved that she could finally return to work, but a little worried every time she remembered Brandon was in town.

"Hopefully he never wants to see me again," she whispered.

"Victoria..."

She startled from her reverie and then saw the black-suited female manager approaching her.

"Leah," she greeted.

"Byron is cooking for the customers in VIP room number 6, you'll take the food there later," Leah said hurriedly. "I have to meet a client now, bye!" she continued, quickly leaving the kitchen.

Victoria just smiled thinly, slightly pleased with her manager's kindness, even her friends there so she was still accepted to work again even though she had skipped without notice before.

"You're lucky the manager here is Leah," said a chef named Byron, wearing a white uniform and black cap busy making a steak. "If not, you might have been fired for your behavior a few days ago," he continued.

"Yeah... I know I was wrong."

"Lucky the big boss didn't show up when you weren't here."

"Yeah... I'm very lucky." Victoria nodded and imagined what happened in Canada. 'but I'm not sure if what happened in Canada was luck or not. After so long, I finally met Brandon... I could alleviate this longing a little... But he's also a problem...'

After a few minutes, Byron finished preparing the steak, then another chef finished making cocktails and desserts. Victoria arranged it all on a black tray, then took it to the VIP room.

She hurriedly walked, occasionally smiling as she passed her colleagues busy serving customers. She crossed the hallway lined with VIP rooms until she finally arrived at room number six, then entered and saw a man standing with his back turned while talking on the phone.

She immediately placed the food neatly on the glass table, then stood back and saw the man turn around to look at her.

'Oh my God?'

She was startled, her heart pounding as she realized the person was Brandon. Now she was nervous, her mouth felt stiff to speak as a waitress.

"What?"

"Um... Enjoy your meal," she said nervously, then quickly walked towards the door.

"I know you're lying," Brandon said.

Victoria instantly stopped in her tracks.

"I already know everything... She's my daughter."

Victoria was trembling, confused, about whether to leave or to respond to Brandon's words, but also curious how he knew all that or was just bluffing.

"I'll take her with me," Brandon said again.

Victoria turned back to him with irritation. "What right do you have to take her?"

"Because she's my daughter!"

"No!" Victoria insisted, approaching Brandon angrily. "She's not your daughter! Get that into your head!" She pointed at Brandon's chest.

Brandon just smiled thinly, looking at Victoria's face so close to his, and then immediately grabbed her hand in front of his chest.

She fell silent, confused, pulling her hand but he didn't let go.

"You can't avoid me any more, Miss Clark," Brandon whispered calmly. "I've done my investigation... There's no college friend named Gabriel, no prom night on the day I left town... And you gave my name as Sophia's surname because you knew she's my daughter... Of course, she's my daughter Because you only ever had sex with me... And the fact you can't avoid is, she has my eyes, she has the same blood type as me..."

Victoria became more nervous, scared, and confused, her secret had been exposed.

"And I know you still love me," Brandon whispered, moving closer to Victoria's lips.

"No!" Victoria pushed Brandon away immediately, then walked back away from him. "What you're saying is nonsense. She's not your daughter!"

"Fine, then who's the father?" Brandon asked. "Why didn't you tell me and instead mention Gabriel as the father... Are you going to mention another random name now? I think that will only confuse you... You will never be able to run away from this reality. My daughter remains my daughter even if you say she's not... I can feel it... The bond between us... Even if you keep forcing me not to think she's my daughter, we can do a DNA test..."

Victoria was stunned again, feeling completely cornered.

"We'll do a DNA test, how much percentage of her DNA matches mine. If she is my daughter but you keep evading, I'll use every means to take her from you," Brandon said again.

"No!" Victoria replied angrily. "You will never be able to take her away from me... Even if she's your daughter!"

"So, she is my daughter?" Brandon asked.

Victoria was immediately stunned, now unable to deny it anymore.

Brandon sighed, swallowing his saliva, and looking at the food but his mind wandered, remembering the factual documents about Victoria he read this morning.

"You should have told me so you wouldn't go through this alone," he said anxiously.

Victoria fell silent, her mind instantly drifting back to that bitter past.

Flashback on:

In her small monochrome-themed room, Victoria sat pensively staring at the pregnancy test showing a positive result.

'What should I do? Should I tell Brandon? But what if it makes him marry me immediately? I can't bear to see his mother's reaction... What if his mother rejects me, then Brandon will follow his mother's wishes and... And I'll just be discarded?' she wondered, confused, then reached for her phone lying next to her.

Click...

Her attention was diverted to the door that just opened until she saw her mother coming in carrying a stack of laundry in a basket.

"You have to iron these," Juliana said, looking so tired and pale. "I've tidied up the entire mansion while you keep sitting here doing nothing. What's going on with you?" she asked, placing the basket on the floor.

Victoria sighed when she had already hidden the pregnancy test under the pillow, then walked slowly towards her mother.

"Sorry, I have no energy. I feel a bit dizzy," she said.

"What happened? Are you going to have your period?" Juliana asked, walking towards the window and opening the curtains. "Usually you feel very unwell when you're about to have your period."

"Maybe..." Victoria picked up the folding table next to the wardrobe, and then unfolded it lazily.

"You should order some medicine."

"I don't need it, I'll be fine."

"Okay then... I'll rest for a while."

Juliana moved to the bed, then sat down and took a pillow until her attention was drawn to the pregnancy test there.