Never Judge

One year later

"Emilio, don't run so fast." Cedric scolded as he tried to catch up to his son. Today was one of his rare days off so he decided to spend it with his three year old son. Work had been hectic, MT Summit was continuously attacking him and Cedric was continuously trying to grow the Reyes Group so he didn't have that much free time in the past year.

"Did you really have to pick the mall of all places to take him?" Adrianna asked as she chased after the father and son duo.

"I wanted to buy him new toys." Cedric said as he picked his son up from the ground and placed him on his shoulders. He wasn't worried about Emilio going too far, the whole place was littered with bodyguards. A trip to the mall for them required a lot of preparation. Leon insisted on heightening the security around Cedric and his family since MT Summit ramped up their actions against the Reyes Group. They had seen how the people behind MT Summit were not afraid of breaking the law to the point that they would have an innocent person murdered.

"He has a room full of toys already." Adrianna complained.

Cedric smiled at his wife and pulled her closer to him, planting a playful kiss on her lips while keeping his son skillfully balanced on his shoulders.

"Ewww daddy and mommy." Emilio cried out as he watched his parents being affectionate. 

"These are one of the freedoms we need to cherish." Cedric said as he held his wife's hand and walked through the mall with her. "One day, when you let me, everyone will know that you are the mistress of the Reyes family and I am the CEO of the Reyes group. When that day comes we won't be able to casually walk in a mall like this anymore. When you want to go shopping it will be like when you go with my mom and my sister, the mall would either be closed for your use or there would be so many bodyguards around you that people will think of you as some aloof mistress."

"Sometimes I want you to reveal your identity, sometimes I wish we could stay like this." Adrianna told Cedric as they entered a toy store. "Moments like this." Adrianna said as she spotted two women who annoyed her to no end.

"Daddy, daddy, I want that!" Emilio said as he pulled Cedric towards a bounce house. 

"Emilio, let's buy a smaller toy. Not everything big and shiny is the best, sometimes small toys will make you happier." Cedric said as he picked his son up once more. He didn't want his son to become a spoiled kid like all the others he had seen in the past. He was planning on raising his son with an appreciation for money and the hard work it involved. 

"Just admit you can't buy your son something that nice because you can't afford it." Lorisa De Jesus said as she suddenly walked up to Cedric and Emilio while pushing a very posh baby stroller. Cedric has seen on social media that she had given birth to a baby boy a few months back, she boasted about how she gave Anton an heir on their first try.

"Lorisa, my son and I are not bothering you." Cedric said as he walked past Lorisa.

"Ugh, why would they let scum like you in here?" Lorisa's friend, Mary asked as she looked at the father and son in disgust.

"Do you own this mall Mary?" Cedric asked as he glared at the two women. 

"Of course not, but I am friends with the one that does." Mary boasted.

"Really? You know the Reyes Group CEO?" Adrianna asked as she approached carrying some items she bought. She decided to buy a few things for Nicole's son, Tristan, while she accompanied Cedric and Emilio.

"No, but I had lunch with his sister the other day." Mary said proudly.

"Really? You had lunch with Ayanna Laurence?" Adrianna asked as she raised an eyebrow at Mary.

"See Adrianna, you aren't the only one that can boast a friendship with them. As a matter of fact I haven't seen you hanging out with the sisters recently, have they grown tired of you?" Lorisa asked as she eyed Adrianna. 

The only reason why Adrianna had not been seen in public with the sisters was because Cedric had gone into over protective mode again. He was afraid that she would be targeted by the people behind MT Summit because she associated with his sister and her friends.

"So if I give Miss Ayanna a call now, she will confirm that you know each other?" Cedric asked as he stood up to defend his wife. It was moments like this that he wished he didn't need to hide his identity. 

"You would dare bother her on her personal line?" Mary scoffed. She had been quite confident that neither Adrianna nor Cedric could confirm that Ayanna knew her, so when Cedric threatened to call Ayanna she was suddenly worried that he would.

"I don't see a reason not to." Cedric said with a shrug. "If someone is falsely claiming to be her friend I'm sure she would be more than happy to know. If you truly are friends, then we will owe you an apology." Cedric said with a grin. He was of course confident that Mary was not friends with his younger sister.

"We just had lunch." Mary said in a weak voice.

"Mary don't be afraid of him." Lorisa egged on. "He can't just call someone that important." 

"You're right." Mary said as she looked Cedric in the eyes. "Go, call her. I bet she won't even pick the phone up."

Cedric smiled as he dialed his sister's number, he was hoping they would dare him to do so. While they were busy boasting he had sent Ayanna a message and she was already expecting his call.

After two rings Ayanna picked up the call.

"Hello? Cedric?" Ayanna's distinct voice said over the phone's speaker.

"This is fake!" Mary accused.

"Hi Miss Ayanna, someone is claiming to be your friend and wants to send us away from Elisia Mall." Cedric said in a professional tone. 

"Oh, I have very few friends. Who is it?" Ayanna asked. Cedric was sure that his sister was already smirking at the other end of the line.

"Mary." Cedric said simply.

"I don't know a Mary." Ayanna said in an annoyed tone. 

"Mrs. Laurence we had lunch the other day." Mary said in a pitiful tone.

"Lunch, lunch, lunch. Oh you mean that charity lunch I had to attend in my sister-in-law's place?" Ayanna said as she recalled where she had lunch the previous day. There many functions where people attempted to invite the Mistress of the Reyes Family, they were often politely declined by Dave or Mae, but there were still some that Cedric felt he had to send a representative. He often asked either Ayanna or his cousin Marie to attend in Adrianna's place.

"Yes Mrs. Laurence, that one." Mary said in a hopeful tone. "We were even on the same table." Mary's husband had actually paid quite a sum just for her to sit in the same table as Ayanna, and Ayanna didn't even utter a word to her.

"I don't know you." Ayanna finally said in a cold tone over the phone. "If you insist on driving away paying customers from my mall, I will have someone escort you out immediately." 

Cedric watched as Mary suddenly turned pale at Ayanna's words.