The Single Dad's Royal Pursuit

Chapter 3- Perfect lady

Ten weeks earlier

“Tell him I’ll be home soon,” Mickey smilingly said on the phone while tapping his fingers on his table.

“Sure, he is so excited this afternoon. Your son is so smart he never forgets your promises, bro,” Mikaela said on the phone while watching over the two toddlers playing on her bed. She was baby-sitting Miggy and Adrienne.

“I know, I miss that little bugger, tell him daddy is coming soon,” Mickey added while checking the mail that just popped up on his screen. His brows knitted as he read his secretary Jimmy's email.

“I will. See you later,” Mikaela said before hanging up the phone.

Mickey rested the phone on the table before wearing his glasses on. He re-read the email. “s**t,” He cursed. It was said there that his canceled meeting earlier had been rescheduled at four in the afternoon.

It was already half-past three, and he planned to leave in an hour to take his son Miggy out to the carnival. He promised his little man this morning, and like his sister said, his little boy was looking forward to it.

Mickey took his receiver and dialed his secretary. “Jimmy, come over here,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” Jimmy replied.

After hanging up the phone, Mickey took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He wanted to bail out of the meeting, but the client he would be talking with flew from Australia just for the business deal they had spoken about last week. He wasn’t sure at what stage they were now in, but he must know once Jimmy came and enlightened him about the progress.

He was the current acting CEO of the family’s company. However, it was more on the realty side business where they dealt with the buying, selling, managing, or investment of real estate properties. He had been handling it for almost two years after his father, Daniel Ricaforte, stepped down from his position and gave way to him.

It wasn’t that his dad abandoned the job. More likely, he was training him to handle and manage the business. He was just lucky that even if he lacked experience operating a big company, he got support and help from his twin sister Andy, his consultant, and the company’s senior accountant.

He had knowledge of the managerial position since he had worked in one of the most prominent hotels in the state. But to operate a company, handle people and decide certain things that involved so much money and significant transactions, he was still learning it.

“Sir Michael,” Mickey heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw Jimmy in front of his office table.

“Jimmy, what’s the deal with this, Mr. Lyndon again?” He asked after composing back himself.

“Oh, he said he’s willing to buy the property in Florida,” Jimmy replied. “It’s the one that your dad and Mr. Carlson had agreed upon last year,” he added.

“Oh yes, yes. Mr. Lydon,” Mickey mumbled, remembering now the details of his transactions.

“Yes, as far as I know, he’s willing to pay for the ten housing properties within the next two months, so he wanted to speak with you in person. His secretary just emailed me earlier, the one I forwarded to you. So Mr. Lyndon is on their way soon,” Jimmy explained.

“Damn…” Mickey mumbled, “I promised my son I would take him out tonight,”

“Oh…that’s sad…but Mr. Lyndon wanted to see you first, sir. I don’t think it will take much time. All you need to do is explain this contract,” Jimmy said, placing down the folders on Mickey’s desk.

Mickey took it and opened it. His eyes scanned the details he was already familiar with upon browsing them earlier. “Thank you, prepare the meeting room. I’ll meet them there,” he added, still looking at the papers.

“Copy, sir,” Jimmy said before going out of the room.

Half an hour later, Mr. Glen Lyndon arrived with his secretary and headed straight to the meeting room. Mickey met the two with Jimmy by his side. There, they spoke about the details of their contract and the transactions of the deal they were about to close.

By the time Mickey and Glen finished the meeting, it was already eight in the evening. They hadn't sealed it, but they would speak after a month as Mickey would forward the information to their business partners.

“Damn…” Mickey huffed as he sat on his swivel chair. He just left the meeting room and entered his own office. He once more checked the time, and it was half-past eight. It meant that his son was already asleep, and he failed him again.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered before taking Miggy’s picture from his table and brushing the glass with his thumb.

It was their photo of his son’s first birthday. He celebrated it in Hawaii together with his family. Miggy was sitting on his neck while they played in the water on the beach. He was still small and young. He couldn’t believe how time quickly passed by.

His son was turning two years old in five weeks, and it seemed it was only yesterday when Luisa handed him the three-month-old baby boy. It was unexpected, but he cherished the moment even though he missed so much time with him, especially when he was inside his mom’s tummy.

Luisa was a one-night stand he had prior to Miggy’s existence. But, like what he had always told his family, it was an accident. Luisa was good-hearted enough not to abort the baby even if she had no idea about the father. She was an Australian tourist he met at one of his favorite bars.

He remembered how steamy they got that he overlooked using protection. He did, though, but the night was so intense that his condoms perhaps broke and became useless. He was so wasted that he woke up alone in bed, and Luisa had already left him in their hotel.

Months passed, and he didn’t hear anything from her until the day she went to his office, presenting pictures of a newborn baby. The baby looked like him, and it was uncanny that the newborn baby was his. Judging only by the photos Luisa had shown, Mickey knew it was his son right away.

They did another DNA test just to be extra sure, and within a week, it was confirmed that the little boy was his flesh and blood.

Luisa said she didn’t know he had gotten her pregnant until she went back to Florida to visit her cousin. She planned to find him, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack. There were so many Miguel in New York. It was the name he used that night.

Mickey somehow thought about knowing Luisa more, but the next thing he knew, Luisa confessed that she was already married back home and only stayed in the states to give birth to his baby. It was too late to abort the pregnancy, so she planned to give the baby to the orphanage, but her luck struck when she found his featured interview in the magazine her cousin bought one time.

She went to him and offered the baby in exchange for a little bit of support. According to Luisa, she had owed so much money while staying with her cousin, and she wanted some help to pay that amount.

Mickey didn’t have a second thought and gave Luisa a large amount of money in return for full custody of his son. Since Luisa didn’t intend to keep Miggy because of her status back in Australia and didn’t want to complicate her mistakes with her husband, it was easy for him to acquire guardianship and parental rights for Miguel.

Palming his forehead, Mickey stood up and started fixing his stuff. He left the office as soon as he gathered them. His driver was already waiting for him in the lobby and quickly hopped inside the car. He arrived at their mansion about an hour later and headed straight to his sister Mikaela’s room.

“Mika…” He whispered after knocking on her door.

Seconds later, Mika opened it. “Shhh…” She shushed her brother. “He just fell asleep,” she whispered, opening it wider.

“I’m sorry,” Mickey mumbled. “I got held back from work.”

“It’s okay, but he waited for you and cried for hours until he fell asleep,” Mika added. “He never forgets it and kept asking about you,” smiling at Mickey. She quickly noticed Mickey’s red freckles on his forehead, indicating how stressed he was.

Mickey sadly smiled. Miggy was barely two, but he was way more advance and intelligent than the other kids of his age. He and his cousin Adrienne were clever enough to understand things even though they were still young.

“I know. Miggy will remember it again tomorrow,” Mickey replied as he walked closer to Mika’s bed. He saw his son already in his pajamas but still wearing his shoes.

“He refused to remove them,” Mika chuckled.

Mickey inhaled a deep breath. “I’ll take him to the office tomorrow,” he said, fixedly looking at his a bit chunky son, who was peacefully snuggling closer to his pillow, “Where's Adrienne?”

“With Mom and dad,” Mika replied, “Andy’s morning sickness is bad,”

“Oh, no…” Mickey mumbled. His twin sister Andy was pregnant and in her fourth month. She was having triplets, so he expected her symptoms to be triple.

“Yes, Damien was up all night last night as well,” Mika added, “Andy is always online for Charlene,”

“How is she?”

“Charlene? Bad,” Mika replied.

“Ugh,” Mickey huffed, sitting next to his son on Mika’s bed.

“I know. Charlene needed someone to speak with, so Andy has been a night owl for a week now,” Mika added. She had spoken with her sister earlier. Her best friend Charlene was still heartbroken after divorcing her husband, Max.

“I shall visit that poor lady,” Mickey said, thinking about Charlene and her troubles. She had been good to him, and he somewhat wanted to do the same thing with her.

“You should, bro,” Mika agreed, “You haven’t had time for yourself, so perhaps go to Thailand and visit Charlene,” she quickly suggested.

“But how about this little boy?” Mickey asked, rubbing his son’s tiny legs and gently removing his shoes.

“Diane’s family planned to bring Julio to Disneyland for a week for his birthday,” Mika said, “They invited me, and I thought about bringing Miggy with me as well. Damien and Andy have already agreed for Adrienne,” she continued.

“When is it?”

“Fortnight,”

Mickey nodded. “I’m too busy.”

“Well, Dad said he would take over for a while,” Mika arched her brow, “I already vouched and planned for your holiday,” she stated, wiggling her brows this time.

“You just suggested it about a minute ago, and now it appears it's already sealed,” Mickey sneered.

“Yup,” Mika giggled, “Come on, bro, you need to chill and also check Charlene. She needs you,” she mumbled.

“I know, I hate Max so much,” Mickey replied, “But yes, let me see. Two more weeks, right?”

“Yes. Take a week off and chill,” Mika answered, “And perhaps find Miggy’s future mom,” she teasingly said.

Mickey snorted. “Well, let me see that too,”

“Miggy needs a mom, someone who will accept him,” Mika stated, “As I said, he’s too smart now. He knew Andy as his mom but not his real mom. You know what I’m saying. Miggy is only two, but he knows what he wants,” she added, quoting the word.

Mickey once more looked at his son and caressed his thick brown hair that he got from him, “I hear you,” he replied, “But you’re right, I need a perfect lady for him,” he agreed with his youngest sister.

He hadn’t been in a dating circle. He does hook-ups but discreetly and primarily not within his real identity. He loved disguising himself. Not a billionaire and heir, but most of his one-night ladies knew him as a manager or as a server for the restaurants.

He wasn’t ready for commitment yet, since he was too busy with his CEO job and being a father to his son. But sometimes, those thoughts of finding Miguel a real mom who would step up for him crossed his head. His son received a mother figure and care aside from Andy and his mom, but that wasn't enough.

He had past girlfriends, but they weren't open-minded and accepting of him being a single dad. If they weren't caught hurting his son, they wouldn’t have fancied bringing Miggy on some of their dates or like family time.

The last one he had didn’t last. About two months ago, Krissa openly told him that she didn’t want kids in the future. It was already a turn-off for him. His ex may have liked Miggy, but she didn’t want to have her own one, which Mickey didn’t approve of.

Mickey left Miggy in Mika’s room for a while to freshen up. Soon as he was done, he took his son and decided to let the boy sleep on his bed instead of in his own room. After covering his son with a blanket, Mickey laid next to him and softly brushed his hair and touched his rosy chubby cheek.

“I love you, my little man,” Mickey whispered, kissing his son's forehead. “I’ll find a perfect mom for you someday, trust daddy,” he added before closing his eyes.