“Can I please come in?”“… Alright.”Emma stepped aside, letting him in, a frown sitting between her brows, clearly not appreciating the company.Closing the door behind her, she asked him to take a seat on the sofa while she went inside the kitchen to grab him a glass of water.“I’m really sorry to disturb you at this time. Did I wake you up from sleep?”“I was awake. Is everything alright? You look worried.”Emma questioned as she handed him the glass of water, which he took with a grateful nod.Aaron took a slow sip as he bought himself some time to answer Emma’s question.“Actually… Do you remember what I told you I do for a living?”“Freelancing… Finance.”“Yeah, I have trouble with my current client.”“Did you lose their money? How much?”“No…”“You’ve helped me a lot in the past few weeks. If there is anything I can do to help you please let me know.”“Oh no. It is not about money. I had a minor disagreement with my current boss. He sent some men to my place to get me…”“Is tha
“I should be saying that, Miss. Wright.”“What?”“You tend to somehow always manage to get into my arms, willingly or unwillingly.”“Mr. Howard, let go of me.”“What do you say when requesting someone, Miss. Wright?”Christopher asked with a pleasant smile, not bothered even in the slightest with all the attention on them, not even the gaping mouths of his secretary team fazed him.Unlike him, Emma was growing redder by the moment with all the attention.Her coworkers were already guessing who she slept with to secure her job here and this situation with Christopher will simply cement her slut image in their minds.“Always a spectacle, aren’t we? Miss. Wright, I must say. You do have a talent.”Like the straw that broke the camel’s back, it was the last straw that broke her.Tears gathered in her eyes, as she stubbornly, freed herself, momentarily surprising Christopher, as he quickly supported her from falling backward in her struggle.He quickly took back his hands once he was sure s
“Mom! Dad?”Ryan called out as he hurried towards his parents, Christopher and Emma.He let out an unconscious breath when he was sure his parents were yet to properly notice Emma, how was still a question yet to be answered.As for why Christopher and Emma were involved in a situation in the first place, he knew where to look for the answers.“Ryan? Did the sun rise from the west today? You came down to receive us?”Hyacinth teased her son, as she immediately forgot about the lady and approached to hug her son.“Finally remembered your son?”Ryan joked as he embraced her briefly glancing at Emma to make sure she was alright, but her open palm with bloody traces on them, along with the fact that Christopher held her palm in a seemingly firm grip was enough for him to stiffen up.This was enough for Hyacinth to look behind along with her husba
Rudolf was a very intimidating man when he wanted to be, just like back at the vineyard, his aura was suppressive, so Emma did not dare approach him directly.Looking at his little sister pleading for another man, Ryan was not pleased in the slightest but he did not want to be upset any further than she already was, so he looked at his Dad.He could’ve called off the bodyguards on his own, but he did not want to surpass the authority of his Dad while he was present there.Not that Rudolf would’ve minded but Ryan held immense respect for his Dad that it was an unconscious move he always made, always looking for his Dad’s permission no matter how big or small, if he was present there.Looking at Ryan and then, the young lady clinging to Ryan’s sleeve in a pleading gesture, Rudolf gestured for the bodyguards to stand back.“Aaron, I’m sorry for making you come all the way here. I’m not yet done with my work here, so please carry on without me.
With nothing else to do, Emma closed her eyes but that irritated her eyes instead because of the lens.“Those lenses will damage your eyes. The restroom is over there, remove those contacts first.”“No…”“It wasn’t a choice, Eve. Now.”Ryan ordered her sternly as Emma stood up with no other choice but to comply.Whereas Rudolf and Hyacinth became the silent spectators of the budding sibling bond, thankfully not lost within the whirlpools of time.As Emma entered the lounge where an en-suite was present, Ryan stood up to fetch the first aid kit from one of the cabinets behind the sofa-set, Rudolf and Hyacinth were seated on.“I will cut to the chase. I met Emma when I was out with the rest, at first, she did not strike me anything different but as soon as she removed her contacts... See for yourself.”
Meanwhile, Rudolf was watching Emma like a hawk.Daughter or not if she hurts his wife, she would be dealt with the consequences, and he would make sure of it.“Please don’t cry…”“I’m sorry my baby… Mumma didn’t protect you well.”“It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Please don’t blame yourself.”“No… I wasn’t a good Mumma to you…”“Please stop crying… I saw all the things you did in my memory, and it is more than I could ask for. I felt your love for me and if I were dead, I would’ve…”“Don’t talk about your death!”“Don’t shout at her!”“Mom? Dad? Don’t scare her off.”Ryan sighed in hel
“Your parents?”“Foster parents.”Emma answered Rudolf calmly, not the slightest change in her emotions could be detected as her face was a blank canvas sucked out of any feelings, just like a robot.“Then why did you get married to him?”“I was tricked.”“What?!”“What?!”“Oh, my little girl!”Hyacinth exclaimed in distress as Ryan and Rudolf were furious at the revelation.“Did… Did he…”“Oh no! I willingly became a scapegoat. As I said I was a fool.”“What do you mean?”“It is in the past. I’ve moved on. I paid the price of my foolishness, that’s it.”
Pain seared throughout Emma’s right side, due to the harsh impact, knocking the air out of her lungs.With the support of the counter, Emma squatted down, bending in a fetal position still in a squat.She registered her doorbell going off but couldn’t muster up the strength to get up or even move a single muscle, the pain numbed all her senses.Another moment later she heard Fiona’s voice calling out to her and then her front door clicked open, maybe she heard Emma’s whimpers and gasps.Emma’s eyes shot open when she felt a pair of strong arms lifting her gently with utmost care, her tense body relaxed at the slightest and her eyes welled up even more.Looking at her foster father, asking her foster mother to fetch the icepack, and asking Fiona to find the first-aid kit, she remembered her university days, when she was still her daddy’s little princess.“Why are you so careless,