The results were out!
Michelle and Miguel stared at the tablet screen, each refusing to make a single move.
This had been what they wanted, searching the nation's gene pool and finally finding out who their father was, but now that the time had come, both children couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over them.
"D-Do you think..." Miguel began, trying to ignore the way his voice cracked, "Do you think this is really okay?" He asked.
Michelle didn't respond. She instead quietly stared at the tablet screen and after a few seconds, was hesitant to click and check the result.
Even though they both wanted to know who their father was and what type of man he was, they feared that he'd be a bad person.
In their earliest memories, each time Amelie spoke about their father, Michelle, and Miguel could both see the way their mother's face soured and the pain in her eyes even though she tried telling happy stories.
The memory of their father was definitely a painful topic for their mother.
So, was it really the right choice? Finding their father? What if their actions accidentally cause their mother more pain?
The little girl couldn't help but bite on her fingernail as she stared at the tablet's blank screen in thought.
Miguel seemed to share similar thoughts. He was quiet for a while, then spoke. "Maybe... maybe we shouldn't-"
"No." Michelle interrupted her brother, speaking with an unusual determination in her tone.
Her mind was full of different possibilities, but no matter what she imagined, their father was still their father and he would always be her father. Even if the man was a criminal or a scumbag, he was still related to her and Miguel by blood.
"I want to know who our father is." She declared, then looked up and saw Miguel looking back at her with a conflicted expression.
"But, what about Mommy?"
Michelle was silent, but her eyes hardened with determination. "We'll make sure she won't find out and besides, if that man is a bad person we'll just have to teach him a good lesson and let him know that he should never have messed with our mommy." She stated.
Miguel didn't seem very convinced, but alas, nodded along to the plan of his twin sister. He also wanted to know who their father was.
"So, are you ready?" Michelle asked, her hand hovering over the tablet.
"Yeah," Miguel answered.
"Okay," she took a deep breath. "Three, two, one!" Immediately after she ended the countdown, Michelle switched the tablet on and unlocked the screen, but much to their surprise, the matching results on the screen showed an error message.
The results had been concluded, but the matching couldn't be found!
"Huh?!" Miguel and Michelle exclaimed.
"What is going on?" Michelle asked, confused.
"Let me check," Miguel said, tapping on the screen to check the system's report. "It says here that the matching wasn't possible, because the DNA gene we are trying to match doesn't exist." He explained.
"Wh-What? The DNA doesn't exist? What does that mean?" Michelle asked.
"Uhm, let's try and see," Miguel answered, then began to browse through the national's gene pool and after a few seconds he spoke. "It says here that only the DNA of the living can be matched."
"So...does that mean...that man isn't alive?" Michelle asked.
Miguel didn't immediately respond, but instead checked the results more thoroughly, before turning to Michelle and responding with a nod.
"Seems so," Miguel answered.
The room fell silent for a bit, each twin deep in their own thoughts. Michelle felt a sense of relief. She believed that even though they had just learned that their father was dead, it was better than learning that he was some low-cl*ss scumbag.
Miguel on the other hand, couldn't help the suspicious thoughts that were roaming his mind. The gene pool had shown that the result had been completed, meaning that a match had indeed been made, yet when they clicked to view it, the conclusion changed. Almost as if it had been manipulated.
Was this perhaps the handiwork of someone else, or had it just been a glitch caused by the nonfrequent maintenance that the site received?
After thinking for some time, both Miguel and Michelle sighed out simultaneously.
"Well, guess that's it," Miguel stated.
"Yup." Michelle agreed.
Both twins turned to look at each other and shared a smile.
"You know," Michelle began, "Even though I'm disappointed that I didn't get to know what type of person that man was, I'm glad that he is actually dead." She revealed, surprising her brother.
"Really? Why?"
"Because, if he was still alive, I'd have wanted to see him and ask him some questions."
Miguel nodded his head in understanding, realizing that he too would have done the same.
"Well, then I guess it's for the better that he isn't." He concluded and exited the gene pool, tuning into their favorite show on YouTube and placing the tablet between him and his sister.
As the video continued, Miguel couldn't help but turn to glance at his sister. Her eyes were focused on the screen, watching the cartoon in its entirety.
He smiled, seeing the relieved expression on his twin's face, and then turned back to focus on the cartoon.
Somewhere along the line, both twins began to feel sleepy but refused to turn the cartoon off. Their eyes slowly drooped down and the next thing they knew, the two were fast asleep, the tablet lying beside them on the bed and the video was still playing.
** ** ** **
The next morning, Amelie woke up feeling much more refreshed.
She had slept just enough to feel as if her entire being had been reborn.
She got out of bed and proceeded to do her daily morning routine which began with waking the twins up. She stepped into their room to find them sleeping and was just about to wake them up when she noticed the tablet lying in between them both.
Amelie shook her head. Just because she had gone to sleep early last night, the children had gotten the privilege of using their tablets late into the night.
She walked over to their bed and plucked the tablet out from in between them. She then went to the setting and turned on parental control, making sure that the kids couldn't use the tablet past their bedtime, making sure that this little mistake never repeated itself.
After doing that, Amelie set down the tablet on their study table and instead of waking them up, she tucked them underneath their duvets allowing them to sleep a little while longer before she woke them up for school.
As she left their room, she couldn't help but wonder what she'd make for breakfast. She felt hungry, which was surprising since she normally didn't have a big appetite and could eat anything.
Amelie walked into the kitchen and began searching through the cabinets and fridge, looking for ingredients she could use to cook her famous breakfast omelets.
She grabbed everything she needed and after setting the ingredients down, she washed her hands, put on her apron, and began to cook.
Amelie was good and efficient at cooking. Having lived alone with two kids for the past eight years, she had grown to know her way around the kitchen without even needing to bat a lash.
In a matter of minutes, the entire apartment was filled with the smell of freshly cooked food. Amelie dished out a small portion for herself, packed the ones the twins were going to eat during lunch in school, and then decided to wake the twins up after she had eaten.
Luckily, today was one of her days off and she wasn't in any rush to get to work. Settling down in one of the dining chairs, Amelie was about to scoop the first spoon of omelet into her mouth when her phone suddenly began to ring.
"Ha." Amelie sighed as she placed her spoon down and reached for her phone which was beside her.
When she saw who was calling, a small frown marred her lips.
'Why the hell is he calling me? His wicked wife must have spread the news.' Amelie thought to herself as she stared at her father's called ID across her screen, the frown on her lips deepening with every p*ssing second.
The nerves he had to call her after selling her to save his company all those years ago!
Forget how Audrey and Chloe had treated her, he was the main cause. Chloe and Audrey were her stepmother and stepsister, but he...he was her father!
Never in a thousand years could she have believed that he hated her as much as he did if not for what Chloe had said.
Amelie felt angry as she continued to stare at her phone screen. She no longer felt any form of emotional attachment to those people, thus she couldn't feel the grief and heartache that her previous self felt and could only feel anger and hatred. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She had no idea why he was calling her, but she did know that the man had the most inconvenient timing ever. She had just cooked a wonderful meal and now had to leave it to get cold.
"Ugh, he really just has to ruin my day before it begins." She cursed as she pressed the 'answer' button on the screen and raised the phone to her ear.
"Hello," She greeted coldly.
"Amelie, sweetie, is that you?" Her father spoke.
"Who are you to call me that? And why are you calling?" She asked, her voice sounding more irritated than she intended.
"Well, I was just...wanting to confirm if it was you."
"What do you want?"
"Amelie my dear, I know that you are angry at your humble father over what happened all those years ago, so I've called to apologize."
"Apologize." Amelie scoffed at the word. She wasn't the same woman as before and knew that her father was lying. She knew that he had never cared for her, even from the moment her mother had died and she was sure that the apology was merely an act.
"Apologize? Is that what you think I want? You know, for the first couple of months, I actually thought that maybe you really did feel bad about what you did and hoped that you'd come back and beg for forgiveness. But you never did. So no, I don't want your apology and neither do I care for your excuses." She stated, her voice sounding as cold as ice. "I'll never accept your fickle apology."
"Please sweetie, just give your humble father another chance."
"And why should I?" Amelie sneered, "Only if you bring Mother back from the dead, perhaps then I'll consider accepting an apology from the likes of corrupt scum like you."
"How can you be so difficult, Amelie? I've had enough! Come home this instance else there will be consequences!"
"Consequences?" Amelie asked confused, after all, her father had nothing on her. She had nothing to fear from the old man and his threats were merely that, empty threats.
"You heard me! I can make you come back whether you like it or not. Now come home or else I'll have your mother's things sold off, starting from that sapphire necklace you cherish so much."
At that moment, Amelie was so mad, that she could feel the veins throb on her temples.
"Are you threatening me?!" She sneered into the phone. "How dare you even think of laying your filthy hands on my mother's things?!"
"Watch the way you speak to me child, I am still your father! Now come home at once!"
Amelie gritted her teeth, she wanted to refuse, but when remembering how her mother loved that Sapphire necklace and later p*ssed it to her during her final days, Amelie felt conflicted.
She was tempted to say no, but the thought of the necklace in the hands of Audrey and Chloe, or even worse, sold off for petty money, had her biting the inside of her cheek.
She took a deep breath, "Fine." She hissed into the phone.
"Good. Remember, the sooner you arrive the better." With that, the call ended.
Amelie stared at her phone, her hands shaking with rage.
'That bast*rd.'
She threw the phone back onto the table and immediately covered her face with her hands, a pained groan escaping her throat. She couldn't just sit by and watch the relic of her mother get sold off.
'What should I do, Mom?' Amelie thought with a sigh.
Meanwhile, back at the Arnaud Villa, Fernando had just ended the call with Amelie when Audrey rushed towards him anxiously.
"So? Is she coming? Did you get her to come back?" She peppered her husband with questions.
Fernando turned to look at his wife and nodded his head, the corners of his lips bending into a calculating frown.
"Yes, she is..." he said, allowing the rest of his words to trail off, yet, Audrey knew what he was going to say.
Amelie had to come back in order for them to satisfy the request of their golden client. The same person who had requested Amelie's blood eight years ago.
One way or the other, they had to get Amelie to come home!
Amelie had taken a taxi straight to the Arnuad Estate after dropping Michelle and Miguel at their school. As The taxi drove past the iron gates, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over her.It was unusual for her father to demand so adamantly that she returned home after what he had done eight years ago.For a fact, she knew he didn't feel guilty but she had to come for her mother's necklace.'What a pain.' Amelie thought as her taxi came to a stop in front of the grand Arnuad mansion.She paid the driver and stepped out. The house was still the same old grey, emotion-deprived mansion she'd grown up in. Even though she'd been gone for 8 years, nothing much had changed. There was no warmth and no comfort. It was cold and empty.Amelie decided to retrieve the necklace quickly. She had no intention of staying here for any second longer.With a steeled mind, Amelie approached the door and was just about to ring the doorbell when her father pulled the door open."Amelie, you
In a five-star hotel, Eric anxiously paced back and forth at the presidential level.He couldn't understand what was happening. Just yesterday his boss had been fine and then suddenly, his condition came back today. And the doctors were stumped too.Stopping his pacing, Eric gently cracked open the door to check up on his boss. Zacharie was slumped against the bed's wood frame amongst all the wreckage and destruction in the room. His eyes were half open as he looked up at the ceiling.The poor guy was drenched with sweat and numerous scars marred his body and on the exposed corners of his neck were black pulsing veins that wrapped around his body like beautifying vying. However, what they brought was far from beauty but rather an unbearable amount of pain to Zacharie."Mr. LaCroix?" Eric called out hesitantly. "Please hang in there, Madam Aubert will soon be here."The blood of Mr. LaCroix's fiancée was said to be the only thing that could ease his illness. They were waiting for her b
"Yes?" Zacharie asked.The stranger opened his mouth to speak when he spotted the woman lying in the chair behind Zacharie. His eyes widened and then hardened a few seconds later."Her, Amelie Arnaud, I'm here to pick her up." He said, not taking his eyes off the woman."What?" Zacharie asked, glancing back at the woman in confusion. "What do you mean? Who are you?""Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself. My name's Skylar Hargreaves, a close friend of Amelie's." He introduced. "Now, would you be as kind as to hand her over?""And why should I do that? How am I even sure that you're her friend?" Zacharie asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the man.Skylar reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He tinkered with it for a few seconds before flashing it in Zacharie's face.A picture of him and Amelie.They both were in the park. The man's arm around the woman's shoulder while she leaned into his embrace with a heartfelt smile on her lips.Zacharie's brows knitted toget
The room instantly fell silent after the slap. Skylar stared wide-eyed at the scene, while the men behind Zacharie were too shocked to react.Amelie herself was surprised. She had not meant to slap the man, her palm had moved on its own accord.Suddenly, Zacharie looked at her and his face was grim. She flinched upon seeing this and some part of her began regretting her action, however, the other side of her fought hard against that other side, refusing to allow her fear to win.Zacharie had disrespected her. Those words he had said and those absurd *ssumptions he had made were all way too over the line.Who was he to say that she had an affair with that greasy old Dylan White just for money? He didn’t know the full story and had no right to judge!This was just one out of the many reasons why she'd much rather be fed the dishes than stand by and allow him to spill such nonsense!And if there was one thing she had learned well in recent years, it would be that quietly tolerating insul
Miguel knew this because when he had woken up earlier in the day for school, he found Amelie acting weird. From her body language and behavior, he could tell that she was annoyed and skeptical about something.However, when he had asked if everything was alright, Amelie just ruffled his hair and told him that it was a matter concerning adults and that he didn't need to worry.Worrying about his mother, Miguel had secretly placed an invisible camera inside the purse she had carried out earlier and then he heard the evil plans of Amelie's stepmother and sister and immediately called Skylar.Of course, Amelie didn't know this and the children weren't planning on revealing this anytime soon. But then that would mean that he had to stay silent.Watching as Miguel refused to speak, Amelie spoke up. "Miguel? Don't you like this necklace? It's a precious belonging that my mother left for me. It once belonged to your grandmother."Miguel looked up at his mother and bit down hard on his lower l
Amelie's eyes grew double in size and she was made speechless upon seeing Zacharie, the same could be said for the crazy lady who slowly backed away, cowering."M..mr. LaCroix." She stammered, her body trembling as if noticing the presence of Zacharie, the city's lord of wealth."Are you okay?" Zacharie asked Amelie and she reluctantly nodded her head, grip tightening on his jacket.Zacharie then turned his gaze towards the woman and narrowed his eyes."You," he said and the woman flinched."I'm sorry! I apologies Mr. LaCroix! I wasn't aware that she was your acquaintance! I'm really sorry!" The crazy woman babbled on in fear.She was aware of how much power Zacharie held in the business world and if he so much as blow wind into the ears of others, her husband's business was sure to collapse and her family would then be really ruined.She had to avoid that fate at all cost!Bowing her head low, she apologized once more. "Please forgive me. It won't happen again!"Zacharie stared coldl
Zacharie's brows furrowed upon hearing the news."What do you mean it's been hacked? How the hell could that happen?" He asked."I don't know Sir! All I know is that I was on my lunch break and when I got back, the entire system was scrambled. All the data is currently messed up!""What?" Zacharie exclaimed."I called the technical team and they said it's the work of a very skilled hacker.""d*mnit." He cursed and then sighed out. "Don't touch anything, I'll be there soon." He said and ended the call, stuffing the device back into his pocket."I have to go," he said to Amelie and turned around, heading for the door.'Oh thank God,' Amelie thought, relief washing over her when she saw him leaving.However, he suddenly stopped just a few steps from the door."One more thing," he said. "I hope during our next appointment, you'd take my words much seriously."And with that, he stepped out of the examination room. The nurses which were waiting outside quickly bowed their heads as he walked
"Thief?" Amelie frowned at the words, confusion written all over her face."Mommy," Miguel tugged at the sleeves of her shirt. "It isn't true." He said."I know dearest," Amelie said and then turned back to the adult, raising her voice. "I beg your pardon, but I think you've got something wrong. My daughter is no thief.""Really? Cause my son here had his ice cream stolen by her." The woman said, pointing at the male child which was standing just a few feet away from her.Amelie glanced between the mother and son pair, refusing to believe what she was hearing. For one, She had raised Michelle in the best way, making sure that stealing wasn't part of her virtues and secondly, with no more than a glance, Amelie could tell that the pair of mother and son was trouble."Look here Ma'am, I think you have got something wrong. My daughter would never steal from someone even if she wanted what the other person has." Amelie said and the woman gasped, offended."How dare you! Are you calling my