Sylvester glanced at her briefly, not believing what she just said, before turning his gaze back to his phone. “Don't say that about someone's father. Yes, we only care about the money, but in this situation, I have to go and see her. You can see she’s upset. She’s already mad at me for talking about the money. And if I don’t show up, it’ll only make things worse.”
“Oh! Now you want to care about how she feels?” She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Since when do you care about anything other than what you can get from her? I thought you only cared about her money. Don't tell me you are catching feelings for her.”
"Why will I have feelings for a baby mama? A pregnant divorced woman? Think about it. I don't have any single feelings for her."
"Then why are you caring how she feels?" Vanessa asked. She didn't want Sylvester to visit her. She needed him on the bed with her at that moment.
Sylvester shot her an unimpressed look. “Don’t twist this. We are in this together. I will never betray you. Not for a baby mama. You know exactly why I have to go.” He said, expecting her to be reasonable. But rather, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at him. “No, actually, I don’t understand,” she retorted.
“What’s the point of going there? You have already played your part by telling her sorry. You have gotten her to trust you. All you have to do now is keep pushing for the money. That’s it. Why are you suddenly acting like you care whether she’s upset?” She asked, and Sylvester leaned back against the headboard and let out a slow breath before speaking up. “Because if she starts seeing through me, she will hesitate. She will delay things. And we cannot afford delays.” He explained, but Vanessa rolled her eyes instead, then shifted on the bed with visible frustration.
“Then lie to her,” she bluntly suggested. “You can tell her you were busy or that something urgent came up. She will believe it. Both of us know better that she is easy to convince.”
Sylvester smirked and shook his head. “You are right—usually, she’s easy to convince,” he admitted. “But not this time. Not in this situation. Her father is dying. She’s emotional, on edge. She is paying attention to everything right now. You heard how she reacted. Has she ever reacted like that before? So, if I don’t show up, she will start questioning things. And I can’t let that happen.”
"This is ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. “You still don’t need to go. You can handle this without dragging yourself there.”
Sylvester turned to her and tried to make her understand. “Vanessa, I have to do this. It’s part of the plan.” But Vanessa huffed, narrowing her eyes at him. “I don’t like it. But since you must go, it's fine. Go. But don’t waste time there. Handle whatever you need to handle and come back.”
Sylvester chuckled and leaned in to peck kisses against her cheek. “Let me go and prepare,” he murmured before pulling away.
He took his bath and wore one of his fine dresses. It didn't take him much time to prepare.
Vanessa watched him grab his jacket with an unreadable expression. She didn’t speak when he made his way toward the door. But as the door shut behind him, the unease in her chest only grew.
She lay back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with questions she didn’t want to ask. She was thinking maybe Sylvester was starting to feel for Anabel.