Love is the Sunshine

Chapter 24 Lay Bare The Identity

Carla was about to step into the elevator, when she heard a familiar voice from behind. She froze and

couldn't move.

"I told you to wait for me. Why didn't you listen to me?"

he said as he walked quickly towards her.

"Just stay away from me!"

She turned her back to him and faced the elevator not having the courage to look him in the eyes.

Before she entered she said in a shaky voice, "Terence, since your grandfather has traveled all the way

here to see you, so please spend more time with him and don't come to my house tonight."

She then went in the elevator and began to press the close button quickly so the door shut before he

had time to join her.

"Sean and I will take care of ourselves. As for you, take care," she said just before they closed.

She felt a sense of relief when the doors shut separating her and Terence. Carla leaned against the

wall feebly. It seemed like there were thousands of bees buzzing inside her head. She felt numb and

confused and had trouble thinking straight.

Carla was overwhelmed with emotions.

She didn't know how to face Terence.

Terence stood silently staring at the closed elevator doors. He could have stopped her, but he thought it Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

was best to just let it all sink in. It was a lot for her to accept all at once.

It was hard for her to bear so much in such a short time, so he let her go. Terence closed his eyes

helplessly.

"Race, arrange a car for Carla and take her home. Make sure she gets home safely and wait until she

is inside her home before you leave,"

Terence told his grandfather's most trusted man, Race, who followed him.

When Carla reached the bottom floor of the hotel and left the building, a Rolls-Royce limousine was

waiting out the front for her.

The parking boy stood by the limousine and immediately stepped forward to open the door when he

saw Carla. With white-gloved hands, he ushered her towards the limo.

"Miss Carla, this way please," he said formally.

Carla was taken aback by the formality of the situation. She stepped back frightened, she was way out

of her depth. For all of her twenty years, she had never once experienced such extravagance.

"No, no, I can go back by taxi. Thank you all the same," she waved her hand as if to shoo him away. As

a poor citizen, she couldn't afford such a luxury.

Race had just stepped out of the elevator and noticed Carla's reluctance to get into the limousine. He

approached her and said respectfully, "Miss Carla, Mr. Terence has given them instructions to take you

home safely.

Please, be compliant and allow them to drive you home. Otherwise, they will have to answer to Mr.

Terence."

She understood now, that it was Terence who had given the orders. Carla sighed and got into the

limousine awkwardly. She knew what it was like when Karen yelled at her for doing something wrong,

so she didn't want to get the men that worked for Terence into trouble either.

Once inside, Carla sat quietly in the luxuriously leather upholstered seats. She felt intimidated by all of

the pomp and extravagance that surrounded her, from the leather seats, expensive crystal wine

goblets, flat-screen television, and so the list went on. Carla dared not touch anything, and she felt way

out of her comfort zone. But nothing had attracted her attention, because she was too shaken and

dismayed to notice.

When they had arrived at her home, the limousine pulled into the curb and the chauffeur opened the

door for Carla. She got out in a daze.

Carla trudged up the stairs. The chauffeur first made sure that Carla was safely inside the building, just

as Terence had instructed and then slowly drove away.

'It was a dream, just a dream. Yes, it must be my dream. It was an illusion which couldn't possibly be

true.

It must be! Wake up, Carla!' she thought.

"Carla? I heard a noise from behind the door and it turns out that it was you. Why didn't you come in?"

Sean said when he opened the door and saw Carla just standing there with a blank look on her face.

"By the way, where's Terence?"

he asked scratching his head and looking behind her and then down the corridor.

Carla went inside silently, with her shoulders slumped and her head down.

"Carla, why don't you answer me? Where's Terence? Aren't you two together?"

Sean followed her and kept asking questions.

Carla was becoming annoyed by his endless bombardment of questions. She gave him a cold stare,

"Sean, don't mention him to me.

Not even a word. Do you hear me?"

"But why? Why can't I speak of him? Everything was fine when you left. What happened? Why didn't

Terence come back with you? I want to know the truth."

Sean was unwilling to give up, so he kept persisting with his questions. Although he could tell that

Carla was unhappy, he still wanted to know where Terence was.

"He's fine. He isn't coming back because he will be staying with his family. That's it!"

Carla said, finally giving into him. "Oh, I see," murmured Sean.

"Sean, Terence is different from us and we live in two, very different worlds. If he does leave, we need

to accept it. Don't cry or try to persuade him to stay. Are we clear?"

Sean was bewildered by what she had said. "Why? Even if Terence does go home to live with his

family, he can still hang out with us. We're friends, aren't we?" he asked.

Sean couldn't understand what the problem was.

However, when he saw how upset Carla was, he hung his head down and didn't ask any more

questions.

"I see," he replied in a quiet voice.

Carla was emotionally exhausted. She crawled into her bed and wrapped the quilt around herself.

The whole night she tossed and turned and didn't sleep a wink. All she saw in front of her was

Terence's handsome face. Whether she closed her eyes or opened them, his image was always there.

It was nearly sunrise when Carla dragged herself out of bed. She went to the bathroom and looked at

her reflection in the mirror, and what stared back at her was a woman drained with two black bags

under her eyes. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and went into the kitchen to make

breakfast for Sean.

'It was Terence who had taken charge of the cooking, but now...'

Carla thought of Terence unintentionally and she shook her head, trying to shake away the thoughts of

him.

She couldn't expect a privileged child of noble birth, who had led an easy life with everything provided

for him, would be willing to fall for her and do mundane household chores.

Thinking of this, she laughed ironically.

A tea towel that she was holding dropped from her hand all of a sudden when she wiped the table

absentmindedly. She sat at the dining table and brought her knees up to her chest, and hugged them

as she stared blankly into space.

She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, when a sound coming from the front door roused

her from her trance.

Terence walked in quietly and was surprised to see Carla sitting there on her own.

"Carla,"

he called. But Carla stood up and went to her bedroom. Terence followed her and took her by the hand.

"Don't ignore me. We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about. You wouldn't have told me anything if I hadn't followed you,"

Carla tried to remove her hand several times, but couldn't.

Terence held her tightly, fearing she would disappear.

Mustering all her strength and fighting hard to hold back her tears, Carla said, "Terence, I'm sorry,

Master Terence. It was only by chance that we had met. But I think we should shake hands now and go

our separate ways. Take care of yourself, Terence." Carla finally withdrew her shaky hand.

"Carla, please don't do this. Your reaction is the reason why I haven't told you the truth. I was afraid

that you would become estranged from me when you found out my identity, just like you are now."

Terence sighed deeply. He tried to keep the secret so they would accept him easier. Spending time with

Carla was the happiest time in his life.

He was planning to tell her the truth little by little when the time was right. So she had time to process it

all and accept it.

However, he didn't expect that his grandfather would suddenly turn up in BH City.

Nor did he expect that Carla would follow him to the hotel. His worries had come to light.

Carla looked at the floor, feeling pitiful, "No wonder you never gave me a direct answer to my

questions. Now, I know why.

A privileged child and a poor delivery girl, we really don't make a good match. You deserve much

better. I should thank you for your kindness. For without you, I would never have ridden in a luxurious

vehicle, nor would I have ever commanded a person of noble birth.

One day when I am older and tell my tale, I will feel proud of myself."

Carla had hardly finished her sentence when suddenly

she found herself wrapped in Terence's strong arms. Her head was pressed gently against his hard

chest. He smelled so good and she closed her eyes enjoying his embrace, even if it was only for a

moment.

Indeed, she felt calm for the moment.

"I'm sorry, Carla," Terence whispered in her ear, holding her tightly begging for her forgiveness.

He should have done things differently.

No matter what excuses he had, it was his fault.

Opening her eyes, Carla tried to wriggle out of his embrace as she said with self-mockery, "Don't say

sorry, Master Terence. Don't humiliate yourself to say sorry to a person of lower status in such a dingy

place, which doesn't match your dignity or stature. Let your hands go, otherwise, you'll stain them."

Terence's heart broke when he heard she belittle and degrade herself. He gently lifted her chin up

and bent over and kissed her hard on the lips.