Truth Untold (Eligible Bachelors #1)

Chapter Thirteen

Vanessa had never spoken about her biological mother. Whether she knew the woman's name or not, Alexander had never asked but he had wanted to do something meaningful for his wife. Her own father dismissed her existence in favour of his other daughter, and Eloisa never spared Vanessa a kind word.

Suffice it to say, his wife didn't have any type of healthy relationship with a parental figure. She took Sean and Renee Roche into stride, conducting herself in polite fashion in their presence but never seeking to foster a proper relationship with her in-laws. She didn't know how. But Alexander wanted to change that.

If she couldn't have the desired father-daughter relationship she wished for, then perhaps he'd be able to help in the mother-daughter department. It wasn't just about his own curiosity and finding answers to questions that plagued him.

It was around 10:34 AM on a Wednesday morning, when he was busy in his office that his phone started to ring with an unknown number flashing across the screen. He was averse to answering such calls because he never knew what type of wacko had managed to get hold of his personal number even though he was careful of who he gave it to.

With a grain of uncertainty, he received the call, and from the other end, the voice of an unknown woman came through. She said, "Is this Mr. Alexander Roche?"

"This is he. May I ask to whom I'm speaking?"

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end and Alexander wondered if maybe the connection had dropped, or she'd hung up. But then, she spoke again. "I'm Georgina Frank, and I got your letter yesterday concerning my daughter. You are her husband?"

Alexander swung the office chair around to face the skyline. He knew chances of a response might've been fifty-fifty, and he was not expecting to receive one so soon if it swung to his favour. "I am. I have to say, Ms. Frank. I wasn't expecting you to reach out so soon. It's a pleasure to hear from you."

The woman, Georgina, chuckled quietly on the other end. "It's Mrs. Frank, dear. I haven't been a Miss for the last two decades," she replied with a good-natured intonation.

"My apologies, Mrs. Frank. I meant no disrespect."

"That's quite alright, my dear boy. But since you have a relationship with my Vanessa, I would prefer meeting in person to answer your queries. When would you be available for a meeting?"

Alexander felt a flutter of excitement run through him. This conversation was going better than he expected. It was formal, but at the same time, he could detect the excitement in the woman's voice as well. She was probably looking forward to this meeting just as much as he was.

"Will it be possible for you to come to my city?"

"Amazingly, I will be in the city tomorrow afternoon. My other daughter, Camille, has a birthday coming up and I'm searching for a gift. Would you be open to lunch?"

"I can make myself available by then. I will forward you details on a meeting point."

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Roche. It's been wonderful hearing from you."

Alexander wasn't too sure about that, but he had something he wanted to ask since she was the one who brought it up. "Before you go," he said, and when she responded in the positive, he continued. "May I ask a question?"

Georgina chuckled, the sound reminding him a lot of Vanessa. "Of course."

"If it's not too personal a question, other than Vanessa, how many children do you have?"