CHAPTER 156: WHEN THE PAST LANDS AT HEATHROW
A young, breathtaking woman stood in the center of Heathrow Airport, unmoved by the crowd that bustled past her. Her presence demanded attention; black sunglasses shielding her eyes, a short leather skirt flaunting her flawless legs, sleek knee-length boots hugging her calves, and a snug tank top layered beneath a tailored black jacket that framed her like a work of art. From a distance, she looked like a supermodel just stepping off a runway. But a closer look told a different story. Her beauty wasn't just runway-beautiful—it was dangerous, magnetic. She wasn't just pretty; she was poetry dressed as poison, her heart as black as midnight ash.
She slid her hand into her designer bag and pulled out her phone, dialing a number without hesitation.
The line rang once.
"Hello?" Timothy's gruff voice answered, heavy with fatigue.
"I'm here, Tim," the woman said calmly, a slow smile tugging at her lips.
Elsewhere in the dim-lit hotel suite, Timothy lay tangled in bedsheets with Roberta, their bodies warm and entangled from recent passion. Roberta giggled like a girl in love as he trailed kisses down her neck. He had a way of making her feel special, young again, adored.
But the moment he heard that voice on the line, everything shifted.
He froze.
He sat upright instantly, the heat of the moment vanishing like smoke.
Roberta noticed the change, her smile fading. She pushed herself up on one elbow. "Tim? What's wrong?"
He didn't respond.
"Here?" Timothy asked the woman on the phone, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
"Why, London, of course." Her voice was laced with amusement, dripping in mockery.
Silence.
She laughed, a cold, amused sound that sent a chill through his spine.
"Oh, Tim… don't tell me you expected me to sit idly by while you ruin everything, frolicking with his family members?"
"Member," Timothy snapped, correcting her, teeth gritted. "Family member."
"Whatever," she shrugged through the phone. "Same difference."
His jaw clenched tighter.
"Well, I'm here now," she continued, tone now silk and venom. "And I think we should make the most of it. Things are about to get very, very interesting... don't you think?"
Timothy's face shifted through a storm of emotions—first confusion, then realization, then dread. His knuckles whitened as his hands curled into tight fists.
"So this is a game to you, huh?" he bit out. "Are you even serious about the so-called revenge you've been preaching? Or was that just another way to string me along?"
A beat of silence passed. Then she said, low and slow, "Well, Tim... we'll just have to see about that."
There was a pause, enough to unsettle him.
"Guess I'll be seeing you around. Be a good boy for mama," she taunted with a teasing purr.
"Oh—and one more thing," she added almost as an afterthought. "We'll be having a new addition to our little team. Don't ask me who. Just play nice when you see them."
Before he could say a word, the line went dead.
Timothy flung the phone across the room with a savage growl, barely missing the mirror. Roberta flinched. Her eyes widened as she stared at the broken man sitting beside her, no longer sweet, no longer charming.
He was boiling inside.
This was spiraling. That woman, that viper, had just stepped into London like a ticking bomb. And if he didn't move first, she'd detonate everything he had built... including Roberta, his pride, his secrets, and every carefully plotted scheme.
She had to be stopped.
Before the bitch ruined everything.
A man came beside her, just as she was dropping the call and nuzzled her neck gently, inhaling her scent.
"We should head home now babe, our home is waiting…"
The woman giggled as she walked with him to where a chauffeur stood beside a luxury car and got in with him.
Throughout the week, Diana tried her best to focus on work and not think about her first antenatal appointment that weekend or the fact that she hadn't heard from her husband in over 24 hours.
The last time she had heard from him was Wednesday morning. Now it was already Thursday evening.
She had tried calling him several times, just to know if he'd make it for the appointment, but his line remained unreachable.
By Friday evening, the line still wasn't connecting, and that alone plunged her deeper into an already brewing bad mood.
All week, she had fought off nausea, fatigue, and stress from her demanding job, despite both her parents and Grandma Suzanne begging her to take things easier.
The last thing she needed now was to be stressed over her husband's silence. He was supposed to be checking on her every second of the day, seeing that she was carrying his child, but instead, he had left her hanging.
She felt hurt. Betrayed. So wronged.
She sat quietly in the living room of the Pierce household, deep in thought, her emotions dangerously close to the surface.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she bit down on her bottom lip, trying hard not to let them fall. But it was no use.
That was exactly the state Grandma Suzanne found her when she walked in.
Grandma had been settling in nicely since her arrival and was thoroughly enjoying the various African dishes Katherine had been preparing for her.
Noticing Diana's mood, Suzanne walked over and quietly sat beside her.
"Diana dear, what is wrong?" the older woman asked gently.
Diana looked up at her, and just like that, the tears she'd been holding back began to fall, one after the other.
"Oh, dear," Suzanne cooed, pulling her into her arms immediately. "It's alright now. Come on, love. Don't cry."
She rocked Diana gently as she sobbed harder. The soft cries drew the attention of Katherine and Raymond, who both rushed in.
They were alarmed to see their daughter crying so much.
"Diana, honey, what's wrong?" Katherine asked, sitting beside her on the other side.
"I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered, wrapping an arm around her. "Please stop crying now."
Diana sniffed, wiped her tears, and looked at the elders gathered before her, unsure how to explain her heartache.
"I'm just scared… for tomorrow."
"Why would you be scared about tomorrow?" Katherine asked softly.
"I don't know, Mom. What if something's wrong with me… or with the baby?"
"Why would something be wrong with the baby?" Raymond asked, clearly confused, sharing a look with his wife.
There was silence for a moment.
Only Grandma Suzanne truly understood what Diana's fear was rooted in.
"Nonsense," she spoke up firmly. "Nothing will happen to you, darling. You and my great-grandchild will be in perfect health. And you know Harry will make sure of that."
Diana looked at Grandma and smiled, grateful. But the truth was, her tears weren't really about the antenatal. She was crying because her husband had ghosted her… and she didn't want to go through the appointment alone.
She needed him. She wanted his presence, his support.
But of course, she couldn't say that aloud. She had to make up an excuse and deflect their worry. There was no way she'd tell her parents that James hadn't called her in days. They'd see him as irresponsible and that was the last thing she wanted.
Only Grandma would understand.
"Honey, all of us will be going with you," Katherine assured gently. "So you have nothing to be worried about, okay? Whatever happens, we face it together."
"Yes!" Phoebe shouted from behind them. "Exactly what Mom said!"
She pointed proudly to herself and her siblings gathered behind her. Jason stepped forward and placed a steadying hand on Diana's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Di. We've got you. Even Rebs said she's coming along."
Diana smiled, feeling the weight on her chest lighten.
"Thanks, guys," she said with a grateful grin.
"Well… how about your husband?" Raymond asked suddenly.
She hesitated for a split second before replying, "He said he'll make it. So we should be seeing him tomorrow."
But deep down, she wasn't so sure.
She had just said that to put their minds at ease.
Still… she decided to trust James. He had promised her and that had to count for something.