The Faceless Billionaire Celebrity Wife-Chapter 336: Hello, Mom.

"Perfect? Maybe. But my main concern is you. If you have to stress yourself a day before—"

Shikera watched him switch the car to self drive mode before interrupting him, "I won’t have to, Mr DeLoach. It’s just an hour or two and you’ll be with me the whole time. Worry about yourself instead," she chuckled, "You’ll be exposed to a whole bunch of ravenous suitors and fan girls. Not sure you can handle that."

"That’s why I have guards," Ethan dismissed it immediately, "Let’s talk about you. Would you be needing my help with anything?"

Shikera exhaled out loud, a hint of disappointment flickering across her face.

’Sadly, no. I wish you could help with them...but I guess it’s alright." She sighed again, "I’m the one who wanted to cheat in the first place." She didn’t have to meet Ethan’s eyes before knowing curiosity was vividly expressed in them right now, so she went ahead to answer all the questions he might have.

"Everyone found out I am an Anderson, so the impact I had been aiming for by revealing your face would be demeaned. They would think I was able to make you agree to taking off your mask because I used my dad’s authority," she stated. "I know it’s partly true but hey! I did all the work myself. Convincing you and all. My dad had nothing to do with it."

"Oh...so you just need them to know you did it all by yourself. Doesn’t matter what medium you used in convincing me, right?" Ethan asked, his voice sounding a bit thoughtful.

Her tone bearing a hint of firmness, Shikera replied, "It doesn’t matter how. You don’t know what length reporters, or let me put it this way, paparazzis would go to reveal faces of people like you, do you?"

Ethan shrugged. "I don’t. But I remember vividly how persistent they used to be, especially that one with the nickname Ice cream."

"That’s not the definition of persistence in reporter’s language, Honey. If you had seen a picture of you in the toilet or bathroom splashed all over the news, you won’t be saying that," Shikera laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Anyways, the point is, I need to prove that I convinced you to take off your mask all by myself and you didn’t do it unwillingly just to succumb to my dad. I mean, everyone knows you two are different power houses but we can’t stop the public from imagining, and rumors sometimes end up spreading more than the actual news."

Ethan hummed in agreement.

"So, what you’re trying to say right now is that you want the main focus to be on us both on that day? And we’re to give no one the chance to think your father influenced any part of this, right?"

"Correct. But alas, that’s impossible," Shikera replied, "If only I could post on social media that I seduced you into doing this. I might get bashed but still, the focus would be on both of us and everyone would know you weren’t forced, and that I also placed my all into this."

"Oh..." Ethan said simply, the silence that accompanied his single words stretching for seconds until the sound of a phone ringing broke it.

Shikera leaned forward and picked up her phone, murmuring as she did, "Team Leader Zuresh? Shit! I should have met her back at the TV," she hissed, " Why’s she calling though?"

She swiped the dial button to connect the call, a broad smile spreading on her face as she took the phone to her ear.

"Team Leader..." she trailed off, the smile falling from her face when her brain registered the words she heard. She turned to meet Ethan’s gaze as she asked, "Where?"

★★★

The private graveyard was serene, tucked away from the world like a secret garden. Tall, ancient trees framed the edges, their leaves casting soft shadows across the neatly kept grass. A low iron fence surrounded the space, its black bars worn smooth by years, giving the graveyard a sense of quiet dignity. The air felt still, almost sacred, as if the land itself held the memories of those resting there in a gentle, eternal embrace.

"She really did chose the best place to rest," Shikera muttered beneath her breath. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

She was standing in front of the only headstone in the wide space, her gaze tracing the name etched into the smooth stone:

’Natalia Anderson’

Below it was a picture of a woman with warm, kind eyes who looked exactly as she did right now. The mother she had never met, but had spent her entire life trying to please.

A sad smile tugged at her lips, but no tears came. She felt numb, as if her emotions were tangled in a knot she couldn’t unravel. She crouched down, lowering herself onto the grass in front of the grave. The air was still, the only sound coming from the distant rustling of leaves in the wind.

Behind her, Ethan and Esther stood in silence, giving her space, the hand of the latter wrapped tightly around the former’s. Even though they were a few steps away from her, the feel of their eyes on her back seemed to serve as a reassuring cocoon for her.

A few meters away, Liam and Noah watched with small frowns on their faces, the weight of their earlier decision hanging between them. They had come to this grave days ago while Shikera was still unconscious, debating whether to keep it from her so she could recover without the added burden of grief. In the end, they had decided against it, and only now had Team Leader Zuresh thought to call and tell her the truth.

Here she was, finally meeting the woman she had never known but had always tried to make proud.

For a moment, the words stuck in her throat, her heart heavy with everything unsaid. She swallowed, then softly, almost like a whisper carried by the wind, she said, "Hello, Mom."