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JUNO's POV

"I'm sorry, Ms. Morgan, but I just can't risk my money in investing to your company. I am a business man and I want to gain profit out of my investments." Mr. Henry said. He was already the 12th business man that I approached and encouraged to invest in MMTC but just like the first 11 persons, he also declined.

"Our company will get through this, Mr. Henry. Our cars are top class. I can assure you that---"

"---Ms. Morgan, don't bluff. It's already known in the business world that MMTC is in the brink of bankruptcy. I even heard that some of the shareholders already left MMTC because they don't want to go down together with it. Don't take this the wrong way, Ms. Morgan. I am just stating the fact. Investing in a company that's not stable and in the brink of bankruptcy is like picking up a rock and use it to hit your own head. Just a friendly advice, why don't you give up and just liquidate your shares before it's too late?"

A rush of anger rose within me.

"No! I won't give up MMTC, Mr. Henry, because that's my father's legacy. Thank you for coming and hearing me out. Have a good day." I said and then marched towards the exit of that restaurant.

All of the people that I approached told me the exact the same thing. Everyone of them believes that there's no hope for MMTC anymore and that was making me mad.

Why does it so hard for people to try and see the positive side of one thing and just use that to help and uplift it? MMTC has a lot of potential if it would just be given a chance to get back on track again. People really are hard to find when you need help but if you're on top of the world, everyone flocks around you like bees.

I already approached my father's friends when he was alive but they didn't want to associate themselves with us anymore let alone invest in our company.

I went straight to my car and then sat inside, feeling hopeless. I wanted to scream or cry in frustration but I knew that that would do me any help in my current situation.

It has been 3 days since Mr. Amouretti came to MMTC and until now, I still couldn't find any investor. I knew that it was already hard for me to find investors in such a short period of time but I just couldn't give up everything just like that.

Five more days and the finalization of Mr. Amouretti's withdrawal of his shares from MMTC that's why I have to work double time to try to find solutions to my problems. But as the days go by, the hope in me was decreasing as well.

I looked at the time on my watch and it was already 8 pm. I heaved a sigh before I started the engine of my car and then drove my way home. It was already 8:45 pm when I arrived home. I felt so tired and drained.

I took care of my night hygiene right away. I just finished blow drying my hair when someone knocked at my door.

I strode towards the door to open it. It was my mom.

"Hi, sweetie. Can I come in?" she asked with a small smile on her lips.

"Sure, mom?" I opened the door wider.

"I thought you were already asleep, mom, because you were in your room when I arrived home." I said after she sat on the edge of my bed.

"I wasn't feeling well so I lied down earlier and just slept it off." worry suddenly filled me.

"Are you feeling okay now, mom?" she nodded her head.

"I'm okay now." My eyebrows creased when I noticed that she was looking at me weirdly as if she wanted to tell me something.

"Is there anything that you want to tell me, mom?" she bit her lower lip and then reached for my hand. I sat beside her.

"Nothing. I just want to hug you." she answered gently and then hugged me. I hugged her back. She was acting weird and I knew that something was wrong.

"Mom, please tell me about what's bothering you because I'm getting worried." I voiced out and then pulled away from her a little bit.

She touched my face and then smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Mom, please! You're killing me. You know that I hate it when you're hiding something from me." I couldn't help but to raise my voice an octave. I wasn't numb and stupid not realize that she has something that's bothering her. She heaved a sigh.

"You already have enough problems at MMTC and I don't want to add to your burdens."

"That's nonsense! You know our family always comes first for me so please, tell me about it." she squeezed her eyes shut for a couple of seconds and then opened them again before she spoke.

"Sweetheart...I-I need to go back to the USA." That made my eyebrows furrowed even more.

"Why? What do you want to do there? I thought you said that there was no reason for you to go back anymore? " She took a deep breath before she opened her lips to speak but she was having a hard time to do so because she's beginning to get emotional.

"I need to find someone in the USA, Juno."

"Who?" tears were already started to brim in her eyes. She tilted up her head to stop her tears from falling but they still fell.

"Mom, please don't cry. Tell me about it and I'll help you." I said soothingly and then hugged her tightly again, consoling her.

I've never seen her this emotional before and it was bothering me. I could see the devastation, regret, sadness and other emotions that I couldn't name in her eyes.

"I-I want to find my son." My eyes widened in shock. I pulled away from her and stared at her face in disbelief. Did I hear it right?

"Y-Your son? I thought you didn't have a son?" a pained smile broke across her lips.

"I have one, Juno, and I committed the biggest mistake of my life the moment I left him alone. I became so selfish because I was just thinking of myself back then. I thought it was enough for me to just support him financially but it never dawned on me that I was being unfair to him since the beginning. It's been more than 10 years since I last saw him and I've been regretting that I've abandoned him because of selfish reasons." Unexplainable regret was written all over her face.

I couldn't react right away. I was in shock. My lips opened as I tried to speak but I couldn't find the right words to say for a couple of seconds.

"B-But why did you lie to us, mom? Did you inform about this to dad?" she nodded head as tears continued to pool down her cheeks.

"He knew." I shook my head, still in disbelief.

"I can't believe this. If daddy knew about your son, then why didn't you get him to live with us?" she sobbed upon hearing that question as she covered her face with her palms.

I didn't know what to feel about all this.

"Because your f-father couldn't a-accept him, Juno." That made me gasp.

"I don't understand. How come he couldn't accept him? Was he aware of your son's existence when you two got married?"

She took a deep breath in order to calm herself down before she answered.

"Yes. But he didn't want me to take my son to our house." I gasped against my palm. I couldn't believe of what I was hearing. My dad whom I've known to be a kind man did that kind of terrible thing? My mind was refusing to believe but I could feel that she was telling the truth.

"But it wasn't entirely your father's fault. Everything was my fault because I didn't have enough backbone to fight for my son. I was afraid that I might lose your father..." she chuckled humorlessly.

"Not just that. I was afraid to leave all the good life that your father could give me. I was nothing but a selfish and horrible mother, Juno, and I want to make everything right. Even though it's already late, I still want to try because I can't take it anymore. Every night, I kept on dreaming about him. I want to know what happened to him before I die."

"Mom! Don't talk like you're going to die!" she took my hand and then held it.

"The doctor said that my heart is slowly getting worse, sweetie. You know that my heart is weak and who knows what would happen to me in the near future? I want to find my son before that. I want to make it up to him and tell him how sorry I am for leaving him. For being an irresponsible and terrible mother ever since he was a kid.

"He was a good son but I treated him like he didn't matter. I pushed him away and never loved him. Now, I am regretting all of it. I know that he loathes me now because of what I did to him but I still want to try and reconnect with him. I want to ask for his forgiveness." Worry suddenly consumed me as her sobs became louder.

My stepmother has a heart disease since five years ago. She had a heart attack three years ago and the doctor said that we shouldn't give her any reason to be so emotional because that could trigger another heart attack and it would surely be fatal.

I didn't know what to feel of the fact that she abandoned her own son because of my father and me. She became the best mother to me but she was the worst mother to her own son. I wanted to tell her that but I couldn't risk hurting her now.

She's all I have and I can't lose her too.

"Why didn't you tell me about this right away, mom? Even about your condition, you didn't inform me that your health is getting worse."

"Because I know that you have a lot of problems at the company and I don't want to give you additional problem."

"Oh, mom. Don't ever do that again. You know that you're more important to me than my work so you shouldn't keep anything form me especially when it comes to your health." I said and then hugged her. We stayed like that for a minute or so.

"Did your son ever come visit you at our house in the USA, mom?" She took a deep breath.

"Y-Yes. But not often because Tony didn't like him stepping foot in our house." she answered as if she was having the hard time remembering those times. Her voice was shaking as well.

I couldn't help but to feel so bad for her son. All those times that I was being showered with a lot of love, her son got nothing but pain, longing and cold treatment. I could imagine the pain that he must have felt during those times.

"Do you remember that time when you came home from school and your father and I were talking to a teenage boy?" my eyebrows creased and tried to remember that event that she was referring to. Then a couple of seconds later, I gasped when I remembered that one particular time.

"He was your son?" she nodded her head. Even though I could barely remember his face; there was one thing that I could clearly recall about him and that was his tantalizing amethyst eyes. Just like Brey's...

I mentally shook my head. Why did I remember about that man anyway?

"Yes, sweetie. His name is Brey Austin." My body went stiff which made my mom pull away from hugging me and stared at me.

"Are you okay? You look surprised." she asked. I gulped inaudibly. Don't tell me her son is that guy?!

"What is the complete name of your son, mom?" she looked at me quizzically.

"Brey Austin Carter. Why?"

"Carter? He has your maiden name?" not Amouretti? I wanted to ask but I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"Yes. He's using my maiden name because his father left me before I discovered that I was pregnant." Now, I really felt bad for her son because his parents were never there with him as he grew up. It was partly my father and I's fault because mom chose to be with us instead of him.

I bit my lower lip as guilt flooded my chest.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll help you find your son." I promised her and then hugged her again. Now, it's my turn to make it up to her son by reuniting them because all my life, I had his mother loving me and taking care of me while he didn't have anyone.

Two days after that, my situation was still the same. I couldn't find any investor so I decided to do the one thing that I hate doing and that's to borrow money. If only I had another choice, I would never borrow money.

The first person that came to my mind was my best friend, Angelique Novell. I've been thinking of approaching her for quite sometime now but I was having a second thought. Even though that I knew for sure that she would help me, I was kinda embarrassed to ask for money from her.

I breathed in and breathed out for a couple of times before I dialed her number on my phone. To my surprise, her number was unreachable.

I heaved a sigh. I tried again but it was the same. I leaned my back on against my seat and stared at nothingness. Should I just give up? I felt like the world was against me.

I was pulled out of my reverie when my phone rang. I excitedly answered it when I saw that it was Rocco.

"Hi, babe. Thank God, you finally called me!" I said happily before he could even talk. I've been trying to contact him for a couple of days already but he wasn't answering. I knew that he was mad at me and I wanted to apologize of my behavior the last time we were together.

"Yeah. Sorry for not answering. I was just busy lately. Why did you call?" I was about to answer when I heard a woman's voice on the background.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"She's just one of my co-stars."

"Ah, I see." I answered.

"So, why did you call, babe? Is there a problem?" I released a harsh breath.

"Babe, I know this is kinda embarrassing but I need your help."

"Help in what?" I swallowed hard and then bit my lower lip. He told me before that I could ask him for anything because he would marry me someday anyway.

"I need---" before I could even say whatever I wanted to tell him, he interrupted me.

"---sorry, babe, but I need to go. They're calling me. We're in the middle of shooting right now. I'll call you tonight. Bye." He didn't wait for my answer before he ended the call.

I groaned in frustration.

"What now, Juno?" I asked myself hopelessly. No, don't give up. You can't just give up now!

I stood up as I decided to do my last resort. I went out of MMTC and got inside my car. I drove towards Amouretti Motor Corporation.

I did a little bit of research about Mr. Amouretti the other day and I discovered that he was a member of the Amouretti family in France.

AMC is the number one in the automotive industry in the world. No wonder everyone at MMTC knew about him.

I tried to practice every word that I'd say to Mr. Amouretti in my mind while I was driving but when I arrived at AMC, his EA informed me that he was no longer in Greece because he went back to the USA and would return after five months.

Even though he wanted to pull his shares from MMTC, he's my only resort as well and I won't stop until I talk to him. If this won't work either, I'll give up MMTC even though I don't want to.

"You're going to the USA?" my mom asked while I was packing my things.

"Yes, mom. I need to talk to Mr. Amouretti."

"Amouretti?" she looked surprised upon hearing that surname.

"Yes, mom. Don't worry, I'll come back as soon as I can."

"What about MMTC?" she asked confusedly.

"The COO will take charge for now." I answered as I zipped my suitcase.

"I'll come with you. I am planning to go back to the USA anyway to find my son." I took her hand and held it.

"Just rest here, mom. I'll find him for you. I don't want you to stress yourself out. I promise, I'll bring him to you."

"But---"

"Please, no buts, mom. Just stay here and continue your medication. Just send me the details about him on my email. Just trust me on this." She heaved a sigh and nodded her head.

I knew that she wanted to go find her son herself but she wasn't in the right condition because of her health issues. Besides, I already had an idea who her son was.

If my suspicion was right, I will try to hit two birds with one stone this time. I hope I'll succeed.

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What do you think is Juno's plan this time? 

Does Brey's mother deserves another chance to be with him?

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