Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Brody's POV

"That was wonderful. I laughed when I saw Greg's face, he was also shocked." I told her as we walked into the house.

"Basketball was my favourite highschool game, I played it with passion."

"Surprisingly, I also loved basketball." I said.

She chuckled and looked at me with a smirk. "You missed a shot." She reminded me.

"Yeah, I was distracted."

"By what?" She quickly inquired.

I shrugged and Helen came out of the kitchen. "Just in time." She muttered and hugged Karen.

"I've missed you." Karen replied and I sat down on the sofa, looking at the two ladies.

"We're traveling to Los Angeles tomorrow." She said and screamed.

I blinked my eyes in confusion. "I wasn't informed about it."

A grin plastered on her face. "It's for ladies," she replied and turned to Karen. "I can't wait to get to Los Angeles. It's a carnival and hot guys are going to be in the house. It's fun because you can pick any guy to be with." She said and my eyes widened.

"Why can't I come along? This is totally not fair." I grumbled, annoyed.

"Mom specifically asked you to stay at home." She replied with a smirk.

I angrily left and climbed the stairs. Mom was standing in front of her room holding a glass of wine and I swept past her. "Brody?" She prompted softly and I grumbled and turned back."I know you're angry at my decision but it's the best."

"Best? I don't know if you're taking her to somewhere safe."

"It's a carnival." She reminded me. "For wealthy people. If she truly loves you, she'll come back to this house without any man. If she falls in love with another man and brings him here, she doesn't love you. It's a test."

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't sure that Karen would return without a man. She definitely loved money, she could abandon the contract and return with a man. "Mom, I don't think that's necessary." I told her.

She held the glass of wine close to her lips and gulped down it's content slowly. "Well, you shouldn't feel insecure about your sweetheart."

I frowned and watched her enter into her room. This was totally crazy. Walking into my bedroom, I closed the door and removed my shoes. I didn't want Karen to go, she was already stuck in my life and I wanted her to stay with me.

The door opened and she walked in. She slammed the door after her and looked at me, tears in her eyes. "Helen said the carnival is compulsory. This is not fair." She said.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, sincerely.

"I'm sure this is all your mom's idea."

"How many days are you going to be staying in Los Angeles?" I asked, concerned.

She shot me a sad look. "Maybe five days or a week."

I knew my mom was trying to play a wise game and that was the reason why I couldn't tell her the truth. She would become annoyed if she knew the purpose of the game. "I'm sure you'll be alright. I'm wishing you good luck."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." She answered and gave me a displeased look. "I don't think I want to go, my dad works there and we might end up talking to each other."

"I'm sure you'll make her love you." I said with a smile.

*********

Helen walked towards me as I watched a movie on TV. "You hardly watch movies, are you bored?" She asked and sat down near me.

"Kinda a little bit bored."

"Or sad?" She asked.

"I'd rather say complicated." I answered. I wondered if it was also Helen's plan to make Karen attend the carnival.

"Mom has told you her plans, right?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Well, she doesn't keep secrets for too long unlike Daddy."

"Yeah, Dad has too many secrets. Mom's full of surprises and I'm sure they're both destined to be together. They're both annoying."

Helen chuckled and rested her head on my shoulder. "She wants to prove to you that Karen does not love you and she is only after your money."

I smiled but I couldn't tell her about the contract. She was damn right, Karen only needed the money and that was the main reason for signing the contract. We didn't love each other. "Don't let Sarah maltreat Karen, I'm begging you."

She frowned. "Sarah is not going with us, she's your mom's...." She paused and stared at me wondering if it was safe to tell me. "You should probably wait for the surprise."

I switched off the television and looked at her. "This is not right and you know it, she doesn't need to prove her love for me."

"Yes she does, you were seriously heartbroken because of Sarah, mom doesn't want you to get heartbroken and that was why she came up with this idea."

Fiddling with the remote, Diego came out of his room and smiled at both of us. "Mom, can we go out shopping?" He pleaded.

Helen looked at me before turning to face him. "I'm very busy, Diego."

His happiness turned into tears within seconds. "You and daddy hate me, you don't love me, you're always busy. I hate you guys." With that, he ran back into his room.

"You shouldn't have done that." I rebuked hee behavior.

"Well, it's my child not yours. You can adopt a child and tell him what to do."

I snatched the popcorn from her hands and poured it on her hair. "That's gross." She muttered, irritated.

"It's not." I sighed. "Are you sure Karen would come back without a man?"

"I'm definitely going to urge her to return with a man." Helen replied and I faked a smile.

"I should prepare for work tomorrow." I said, standing up.

"I'll be absent from work for two weeks even though my director was angry when I told her. She wanted the film to be released quickly but I had to bribe her."

I chuckled and adjusted my tie. "The house would be boring with Karen or you..."

"You have Diego right here, he's a good boy and I'm sure you'll love him." She replied.