Chapter 7 -- Sept.
Della's manager had informed her that Garreth had booked the royal suite and was requesting to see her. She wondered what could be the problem... She had known the forty-five year old man ever since she started working at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. He was a very nice humble person. Della wondered at first why a rich successful man like him would have any interest in a maid like herself. Garreth said he saw her as family, he mentioned seeing his young sister in her—
which Della found very weird.
Whenever she needed anything, he was always there for her. Even though she would never accept his money, he offered to sponsor her college fees so she could get her degree in Literature. That, she accepted.
"Sugar daddy can't seem to get away from you." Mila said sarcastically. It made Della laugh ofcourse that's what it looked like to anyone who didn't know her friendship with Garreth.
"You know Mila, God can use anyone and anything to help you in times of crisis and I think Garreth is that person for me." Della smiled briefly. "Besides he is close to over two decades older than me."
"I know, I just think there is something more to it." Mila replied as they walked down the hallway of the hotel's twenty-second floor. "That much kindness is rare, what if he will use it later to blackmail you ?"
"I really doubt it for some odd reason, in the four years that I have known him. I know I can trust him. He is a good listener besides if he wanted me in that way he would have approached me." Della said putting a strand of hair behind her ear.
Mila nodded and they changed the topic and spoke about something else. Mila still didn't trust it but she would keep it to herself until she found some dirt on the old man called Garreth. She didn't even know what he did for a living but all they knew was that he had some shares in the Ritz-Carlton hotel and some various businesses. He was honestly creepy and Mila thought he was a conniving pervert who wanted to kidnap Della and make her his mafia Queen.
or maybe Mila watched too many Telenovelas.
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Garreth uncomfortably fixed his armani suit, he knew today was the day when he would finally tell Della the truth and his intentions. He was nervous, he had never been nervous whenever he opened up to Della and talked about everything that bothered him. It all started four years ago when he was drunk and accidentally broke the whisky bottle or maybe it wasn't a mistake rather he was angry that his ex-wife had once again kicked him out of their house.
Della was there like an angel helping him clean up the mess ;which was her job but cleaning up his wound wasn't part of her job description. He blabbered all his problems to this girl who was understanding and didn't judge him. The next morning he apologised for his behavior and even offered to pay her a chunk of money but she refused. The rest of the following months that led to Garreth's divorce, he talked to Della about it. She was way better than his personal advisor ;Mrs. Henderson.
With Della he felt sane but when she opened up to him about her own problems, he realised he had it good. He felt like a brat because his problems weren't even that bad. Della's problems were much worse. All he wanted to do was help her, she refused but the least he could do was offer her scholarship to study. He read some of her drafts and realised how substantially talented she is.
He was startled when he heard someone enter his huge suite.
"Room Service." Della's voice echoed. He smiled thinking about how much he missed her. He had been gone for a while. He had many properties around the world but still choose to stay at Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
"Della, how are you ?" He opened his arms wide so he could hug her. she didn't hesitate to hug him back.
"I'm alright, you just disappeared!"
"Is everything okay ?" She asked taking a seat on the expensive looking couch with gold carvings.
"Yes, everything is fine but there is a matter I have been meaning to talk to you about." He walked towards her. Handing Della a glass of water, he knew she wasn't much of a drinker and that's all he could offer her besides bourbon.
"Uhm okay, now I'm nervous. Did I do something wrong or wait Simon said something bad about me." Della panicked.
"No no no, you know I would never allow them to fire you. I am the majority shareholder and you do your job very well. You are always employee of the month aren't you ?" Garreth said proudly taking a sip of his whiskey on the rocks.
"Uhm thank you, Garreth." Della was short of words. She wondered what could be so important that he had to call her at this time of the evening when her shift was almost over. Leo must be sitted alone and bored alone in the Lobby, Della thought but little did she know that he was far from being bored with his father or rather friend around.
"And how's our little boy doing at school?" Garreth asked with a solemn expression.
"He is just always excited for school and he is a math genius. You were right about that school, it's honestly the best and that's all I want for Leo, the best!" Della added.
"Roosevelt International Private School is quite an admirable and reputable school." He paused. "My step son went there." Garreth looked sad talking about his past life. He couldn't have kids but adored kids dearly.
"Anyways I'm becoming anxious over here, what did you want to talk about ?" Della responded calmly.
"I just want you to know that, I hope whatever I say doesn't change anything between us. I have grown to love you so much like family and all I want is to see you happy Adela." He said his eyes becoming blurry, what always touched Della's heart was that he always called her by her full name Adela and Andre used to do that but that was the past.
"Please don't tell me you are dying?" She facepalmed clearly dying of anxiety.
"No no no." He chuckled. "It's quite the opposite. To myself it's good news but to you, I'm not sure it might be good or bad." He explained.
"Okay." Della sighed holding her breath waiting for him to speak.
"Adela have you ever asked yourself why you have an American citizenship and your surname isn't as Spanish as you are?" He genuinely asked gulped down all his whiskey to give him courage.
"Well kids in my class always teased me saying I'm a fake latino because of my last name but I really didn't mind it." Della explained reminiscing parts of her childhood.
"My grandparents had citizenship maybe that's how I also got it." She added.
"Well Adela, my last name is also McCarthy." He said leaving Della appalled but most of all confused. It was as if a ton of bricks were cascading on top of her head as she processed this new information.
"Does-" Della's eyes became blurry and the tears couldn't stop streaming from her eyes to her cheeks. She almost choked on her saliva. "Does does- but— what?" She asked oblivious to the whole truth her hand clasped on her lips as she refused to let out a sound of crying.
"It makes me your father, darling." Garreth said letting out a sigh.
"But but but no —Uh—you are so young, it can't be." She let out a whimper as tears streamed from each eye like the Niagara Falls, this was indeed a touchy topic.
"I'm forty-five and I was only sixteen or seventeen when you were born." He let out another sigh, he didn't know if he should comfort her or give her some space after tapping such a touchy subject.
Della couldn't believe it, she had always wanted her father around in her life. So many questions were now answered as to why sometimes her skin grew pale or how her eyes a lighter shade of brown. How her hair wasn't always jet black but instead rather brownish.
"You-" Della choked on her breath. "You you didn't wanted me!"Della let out another cry. Garreth was beyond heartbroken by the state his daughter was in, so he shifted a little so he could hold his little girl as she cried. She needed to let it all out. She cried softly in his arms as he softly rubbed circles on her back. She cried for everytime that her mother told her she was useless, unwanted, unloved, undesirable, good-for-nothing, waste and worthless. She cried for the words her ex-husband threw at her on the last day they ever saw each other.
"YOU CHEATING WHORE OR PERRA PENDEJA WHATEVER YOU LATINAS CALL IT. YOUR FATHER KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING WHEN HE LEFT BECAUSE YOU ARE A DAMN CURSE. NO WONDER YOUR MOTHER DOESN'T EVEN WANT YOU AROUND. I'M SO DISGUSTED TO HAVE FELL FOR A CUNNING WOMEN LIKE YOU."
She cried because of all these questions that her abuela was never able to answer. After a while she was silent, just thinking. Every Flashback was just hitting her right in the face.
"I'm sorry Adela." Garreth let out, he had tears on his cheeks, watching his daughter cry, this pulled his heart out of it's ribcage. Della didn't reply, she stayed silent and hid her face on his chest.
"My parents—"
"My parents when they found out... I had impregnated a girl especially the fact that she was Latina. They cared more about their reputation and what people would say. They shipped me off to a boarding school in Manchester. I didn't even know I had a child. When your mother came with her parents to confront me, I wasn't around. My parents took this opportunity to threaten them with deportation or whatever threat they could use since your grandparents were refugees. I think it worked because I never heard from your family again or your mother. My parents didn't tell me anything until I was married and told them that I couldn't have children. That's when my mother finally told me what she had done years back. Meeting you was a mistake, it wasn't planned but the night you told me about your personal life. Everything seemed to click, I knew then and there that you were my daughter. I looked at your file and everything but I just knew you were mine from the very first day there was something that drew you to me."
Della was listening attentively as her father stroked her soft hair, like she always saw in the movies except in this category she wasn't a little girl anymore.
"I'm sorry Adela." He said with silence following right after.