Get Back to You 325 Turn of events

When today's horoscope said that it would be a fulfilling day, Lillian Grey had her hopes settled for agreement, which did persist until evening. Crashing those thoughts was a sight that tortured her eyes to witness. She opened the door to its calling, only to encounter the image of a little child standing outside, accompanied by an adult. Both the familiar faces are what struck Lillian like lightning in her head, distrusting that daily horoscope she reads for fun.

Jake stood behind Lia, and the two had smiles plastered on their faces upon witnessing the recently famed novelist. Unable to digest the scene, Lillian peeks out of her apartment to look around. She was hoping that this could turn out to be an accidental hallucination of her so-far peaceful day. But it wasn't, Lillian did see Lia, alive and a little dormant in the visual.

"Surprise!" Jake cheered.

Lillian, who was still in a daze, didn't react to his merry greeting. Instead, she erupted instantly.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" she stormed the surprise visitors.

Jarred by the unkind comment, Jake's smile vanishes to a downcast scowl. Meanwhile, Lia saw Lillian not taken in surprise by her unexpected visit, and it put discontent in her countenance.

Seeing those two pitiful expressions, Lillian sighed to invite them inside at once. Jake's face lit up to support Lia and urged the child to cheer up. Sandwiched between Lillian and Jake, Lia quietly enters the dwelling to unveil its grandeur. Her eyes stuck to several spots in awe, bumping into Lillian when their walk ended to reach the living room.

Lillian stopped to repeat the question, "Tell me, what are you two doing here? Isn't Lia supposed to be at school, wait-" Lillian paused to check the time and realizes that the school ended ages. She looked at Jake and Lia, studying their faces in confusion, only to conclude a mad possibility, "Jake! Perhaps, did you- kidnap-"

The proud man interrupted right there before Lillian could finish sprouting her madness.

"Stop it!" he sternly warned.

"We- more likely, Lia, here, wished to meet you," he declared.

Lillian glanced at the little girl, still being silently stunned.

"Lia?" Jake called to signal.

Lia finally explains her reason to visit Lillian Grey. Gathering her best face, she spoke confidently,

"Ms. Lillian- I- I would like to invite you to my school's Christmas celebration-"

To her nightmare, Lia thought it was the best she could do at present, given the circumstance, and remained steady in her purpose.

"Surprise, again!" Jake cheered next to Lillian, watching the child work. He whispered about the handmade invitations secretly, to entice Lia's proposal.

"Wait- you want to invite me to some school event! Then, why are you with Jake? Where is your mother? Where is Giselle?"

Both Jake and Lia stammered to Lillian's investigation.

"What is going on?"

The scent of suspicions positively increased to the visitor's behavior.

"Lia?"

"Jake?"

As they stood baffled and speechless, Jake heard his phone ringing. Their fears amplified to its sound, yet Jake cuts the call abruptly without heeding any attention to it.

"Lia?" Lillian called from the rising tension.

Seeing the child struggle to speak up, Lillian directed her attention towards the idle adult. She compelled Jake to spill the details without hiding.

Jake heard his phone buzz again to a disturbance. He cut the call after looking at it.

"Jake? Are you going to tell me, or shall I call Giselle and ask her myself?" Lillian threatens, forcing Jake to expose their secret plan.

He mentions the last night's conversation with Lia, including her wish to invite Lillian without Giselle's notice for a pleasant surprise. Jake made sure to let Lillian understand Lia's pure intention, hoping that it would make her happy. Supporting Lia's wish to surprise her mother, Jake strived to speak amid the intrusion of incoming calls to his annoyance.

"So, Giselle has no clue that Lia is here!" Lillian innocently asked, and both nodded.

"What did you- then, what did you tell her?"

"I told Andy's mother is taking us for ice cream," Lia replied.

"And she agreed?

Lia admitted.

'Giselle! What were you thinking?' Lillian thought to herself.

"Wait, what about Anna? Did she agree to any of this?"

This time, the question was for Jake to answer, and both nodded again to disappoint Lillian.

"Anna allowed you two to do this? Did I hear it correctly?" Lillian exploded from the turn of the event. She had expected that Anna, the right-minded one, would have called for the correct decision. But it wasn't the case. Hearing that Anna took part in this plan, let down Lillian terribly.

Jake's phone rings again, highly threatening the anxious atmosphere.

"Just answer your phone, it's annoying both of us," Lillian grunted.

"Who knows? It could be Giselle, who found your little secretive work," she added with a little rage.

Lillian let Jake take his call privately while noticing Lia's face shrink in fear.

Jake picks his phone to announce it was a work call to excuse himself, saving Lia from getting frightened. He moves to an isolated space while Lillian and Lia stood facing each other. Lia didn't dare to look up straight. She held her face down, beginning to feel remorseful of her decision. Witnessing the child suffer, Lillian asked for the handmade invitation.

Startled, Lia hesitantly removed her school bag, unzipped to unveil a neatly folded postcard. She handed it to Lillian, all while keeping her eyes lowered.

Lillian accepts the card, opened it to find a letter. Reading the content of it, she dropped her gaze to meet with Lia's face again. Lillian rejoiced within the child's affection. She was proud of Lia's thoughtfulness and her kindness in including her.

"Thank you, Lia."

"It's a very adorable invitation, and I got impressed by your sweet message," Lillian exclaimed to find Lia flinch at her comment. The little one finally looked up to see Lillian smile. Exhaling to find that Ms. Lillian liked her efforts, Lia found herself pleased a little. On the other hand, Jake returned to join the ladies. His face tensed from answering the phone calls.

"What is it?" Lillian inquired.

Jake replied to disregard. However, knowing him, she knew that his mind occupied those phone calls.

"Spit it out! What? Did something happen at work?" Lillian groaned from his earnest silence.

"Nothing- Okay, it's just some stuff from today's meeting! There's been an issue with the client-side, some miscommunication. Forget it, nothing to worry," Jake vaguely explained to neglect the topic. He saw Lillian holding a card and got distracted voluntarily.

"Oh, wow, you gave her the invitation. So, what do you think, Ms. Lillian?" Jake said to steer his gaze at Lillian.

"I'm thinking that you should be going to your office!"

"What? No- It's nothing! I can handle it. Plus, I promised to get Lia home safely."

"Oh! I'm sure you did!" Lillian repeated as a tease.

Seeing how the situation turned out and worried that Jake needs to attend his work calls, Lillian suggests a new plan. She promised to take care of Lia and drive her home safely while letting Jake return to his office. Jake initially disagrees strongly, letting her know his promise to Lia and Anna in this regard. Lillian insists and reveals that she plans to call Giselle, herself, which sparks horror to the visitors. They both beg Lillian not to follow the thought. Regardless of their desperate pleas, Lillian stays stubborn with her decision that Giselle must know the truth. Overtaking Jake, Lia pleaded Lillian, admitting that her mother would feel disappointed if she happens to learn the truth.

"Disappointed? Then, when were you planning on telling your mother?" Lillian asked.

Lia went mute from not having thought about the aftermath of this secret surprise. She imagined that meeting Lillian on her school day would compensate for an apology in pulling this act together. However, receiving no support from Lillian changed their game, driving fear into each.

Jake interrupted to try convincing Lillian. Despite his continuing phone calls, he failed to his building irritation. Chaos exploded inside the living room, and Lillian raised her voice to hush the two.

"Lia,"

"Sweetie, your mother believes in you. Imagine if she learns that you made risky calls like this behind her back! You got saved because Uncle Jake was there to help you, but what if he didn't? Would you have decided to do this by yourself?"

Her words of advice silenced Lia and let Jake catch a breath.

"Lying is wrong, especially to your mother, Lia. I understand your good intentions, but I'm afraid to think that Giselle would not like this. I don't want her to worry about you- when it involves me!"

Little by little, Lia began to realize the vulnerability in her plan.

"Sweetie, you're still a child. You can always be true to your mother, and I think that would forever help you. I can say for sure that if you be honest, your mother would never object to your desires. Therefore, I will call your mother and inform her that you are visiting me- and not eating ice cream with your dear friends," Lillian proposed to get Lia to approve of it.

Jake stood alone to admit it was for the best.

"Because if we don't tell your mother, then she would start not to believe in your words. Do you want that?"

Lia stoutly denied, willing to submit. She agreed to apologize to her mother for this risky objective. Returning to Jake, Lillian asked him to leave because if Anna hears about this, she would feel bad too, ensuring again to leave Lia in her hands.

"Are you sure? Your fans might be stalking outside the building to catch you off guard," Jake returned with a deliberate excuse.

"Jake, I'm not a celebrity. I don't think they are fans either. Jenna said she got several calls for different interviews and shows. I'm guessing it's them. Not too big deal, I can handle myself."

"Oh-" Jake, finding his presence no longer needed, chose to depart.

But before leaving, he met with little Lia, whose face appeared much lighter than before. He sincerely confesses about not keeping up with his word. Lia returned by thanking him for generously helping out to her selfish wish. Also, she removed her backpack to present Jake with his copy of the invitation.

"I understand that you two might be busy, but still, I made this for you and Aunt Anna. I would like you to have it. Thank you for helping me, Uncle Jake."

Jake praised the child's kind heart with an abundance of love. He said goodbye to both and left with another promise to Lia, which is speaking to Giselle.

Finally disappeared, Lillian and Lia alone stood in the living room.

"Settle down, Lia. Since you will be here for a while!"

Chapter end