Make a Comeback
Make a Comeback
Maybe it was true that people tend to fear what they couldn't understand. Was she afraid that her love for her husband could falter just because she was once associated with Hiro Liu?
"We're done for today. We can go and pick up Skyler from his school before we go for tonight's family dinner," Eli whispered to her. He removed his gray necktie and opened the top buttons of his dress shirt.
"Alright." She pushed all of her worries aside for the meantime and decided to deal with it later.
They would have to spend dinner with the whole Park family and to discuss the changes in the management of S&S Enterprise while Eli worked for HZ to help the Han siblings.
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Another day spent with his classmates. Sometimes, Skyler wondered if he could stay at home and play with Jiro. He was starting to get bored of attending his preschool classes. Most of their lessons were already taught to him by his mommy. He didn't get the point why he should learn about it again.
He wasn't bored of having Jiro with him, but he couldn't find any interesting new things to kill his boredom. Maybe he should ask his mommy if they could buy a new set of toys and books for him to read.
He waited patiently as Jiro and Mika decided to play tag. Most of their classmates already left, and only a few students stayed, waiting for their parents and guardians to pick them up.
"Sky! Come and play with us!" Jiro called his best friend.
"No. My mommy will be here soon. I don't want to be dirty and sweaty when she arrives."
Skyler shook his head before taking a book from his bag. He needed some quiet time for himself.
"Why won't he play with us?" Mika asked. She always found Skyler alone or quiet in the corner. There were times that she couldn't understand him. Sometimes, he even talked like he was a grown-up boy.
"Sky is always like that. He doesn't like the crowd and noisy people so don't annoy him, alright?"
"Ohh…" Mika hoped that Skyler didn't find her annoying. She really liked Skyler, and she wanted to be his friend like Jiro.
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When they arrived at the preschool premise, Ririna slipped out from the car, leaving Eli so she could pick up Skyler. She found her son playing with Jiro and another girl. Maybe that was the classmate that Skyler was talking about before. The girl had pale skin and a chubby round face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes sparkled as she played tag with Jiro.
Jiro was the first one to notice Ririna.
"Auntie Ririna!" he called out.
"Hi, Jiro." She turned her attention to her son. "Ready to leave, honey?"
"Yes, Mommy!" Skyler brought down his book and beamed a bright smile to his mother. He took his backpack from the ground and ran towards his mother.
The little girl stared at Ririna silently. Mika thought she was a very pretty woman and wondered who she could be. Then, she saw Skyler running to the pretty woman and called her 'Mommy'.
'Skyler's mommy is really young,' she thought.
"Hi, Skyler's mommy." She waved at Ririna.
Ririna turned her head to the girl and smiled. She then remembered things about the girl's mother and wondered if she could meet her today.
"Hello," she replied, "You're new here?"
Mika nodded. Brushing the back of her dress, she moved toward Ririna. Ririna could see some resemblance between the girl and her mother, especially with their eyes. Whenever they were excited, their eyes turned round and bright.
"Yes. My name is Mikaela Yi, but they call me Mika," the little girl said.
"What a beautiful name? Are you waiting for your mommy?"
"Yes, Mrs. Skyler's mommy."
Ririna laughed at the nickname given to her by Mika. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. She really hoped that when she and Eli conceived a daughter, she would be as cute and adorable as Mika.
"Mika!" A woman's voice called the little girl from afar.
"Oh, there's my mommy!" Mika squealed and took her bag from the bench and ran into her mother's embrace. Her mother hoisted her up and balanced her on her hip.
"Hi, Mommy!" Mika kissed her mother's cheeks and grinned at her. "Skyler's mommy is here, too."
"Ooh?" Annika Yi blinked before noticing the other woman who was talking to her child earlier. She hadn't noticed who she was because she could only see her back from afar. Looking at the young woman up this close, she stared at her.
"Hello, Annika. It's been a long time. What a small world, isn't it?" Ririna asked with her son standing beside her, holding her hand.
Annika Yi removed her sunglasses and smiled. She hadn't seen Ririna for a long time. The last time she saw her was when Ririna held an auction five years ago.
"Ririna Han. Indeed, it's been a long time." She looked around warily, hoping no one had seen her face and replaced her sunglasses to cover her eyes.
"Don't worry, nobody's around," Ririna assured her.
"I'm not worried about myself. I just don't like my Mika to be subjected to gossip and rumors."
Right. She was a popular actress before but had decided to leave the limelight for the sake of her daughter. She also didn't want anyone to find out who fathered her child. As much as she loved to work as an actress, her previous affair with a married man ruined her chance to pursue her dreams.
"Aren't you coming back?" Ririna asked.
Annika heard about Ririna and her brother taking over Han-Zhou Entertainment. Was there a chance for her to get back to her acting career? However, there were rumors about Gamaliel Park managing the company. Furthermore, her last attempt was blocked by Cindy Zhou when she blackmailed her to withdraw her audition for an endorsement they were both seeking.
"I would love to but…" She really needed a job right now, but Cindy Zhou was trying to intimidate her again. The savings she had kept for years were almost depleted, and it wouldn't be enough to support her and her daughter's needs.
"Give it a chance. You don't have to worry about Cindy Zhou taking all your job offers and endorsements." She would give Annika Yi a comeback she deserved. Remembering Cindy Zhou also made her aware that she hadn't taken their home back from Cindy and her mother. Ah, maybe she should pay a visit to them very soon.
Of course, Ririna found out how Cindy sabotaged her competitors to get what she wanted; and that included Annika Yi. Cindy probably found out about Annika having a child out of wedlock, and because Annika feared that her previous affair would be revealed, she dropped all of her applications.
Ririna dug something out from her bag and handed a card to Annika.
"Here. Take this. I will give you enough time to think about it. If you ever accept my proposal, I will see to it that you and Mika will be protected."
"Are you going to be my manager?" Annika asked. She always wondered how Ririna was able to pick herself up and stand her ground even if everyone was against her. She remembered how people treated Ririna when she was starting as an artist. Ririna struggled with her artworks until she found a curator to help her.
"Do you want me to?"
Annika scratched the back of her neck and sighed. She trusted Ririna, but she had no idea if she was capable of managing artists like her.
"Well…" she hesitated.
"It's fine. We will give you a capable manager to help you. Give me a call when you make up your mind,��� Ririna said. She was sure that Annika would cooperate with her sooner or later. With all the issues they found earlier, securing Annika's contract with Han Zhou as a returning star would also help their company to return to its glory.