“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,
The sudden shift in the mood made Emma shift in her place, causing her to wince in pain.“Eve… Let’s go to the hospital, it is better to let the doctor take a look.”“No… It will be fine if I sleep it off, if not I’ll go to the doctor tomorrow morning, okay?”“Okay. Then let me carry you to bed.”“I want to sit for a while, I’m not sleepy yet.”“Then…”“Dadda, Mr. Monroe, whatever chat it is have it here. I want to be a part of it.”“Mon…”“Please?”“Okay.”Stanley agreed with a soft sigh, as Rudolf took a seat on the sofa adjacent to Stanley and Hyacinth sat down beside Catherine with an awkward smile.Ryan and Fiona settled down on the loveseat across from Emma, though not willingly it was the only remaining space left.“With my understanding from what Emma said, you just found out about her?”“Yes. And I’m speculating you already suspected it?”“Emma’s eyes… Not many people share the same eyes, and your Monroe bloodline is well known for it. I had my suspicions.”“Then why did you
“Why?”“Huh?”“There is no need for that and you’re well aware of that, so why?”“I’m done with being someone’s wife or someone’s daughter. I want to be me. I want to forge my own identity.”“You can do it after a formal introduction as well.”“I will remain as the ‘Monroe Heiress’ or ‘The Monroe’s Lost Daughter’ even worse ‘Dead Daughter’.”“Sweetheart…”“Iris… Rudolf shook his head negatively before facing Emma once again, his gaze softened at her stubbornness, he knew it was all a façade, yet he was ready to entertain her.“Eve, I’m ready to support you on this but I have some conditions.”“What is it?”“You accept our help. I and Ryan will teach you business, your mom will invest in your business, of course she’ll hold some shares, and you will accept and spend the money I give you.”“I can accept everything but the last condition.”“Even if I say that is the dealbreaker?”“Yes.”Without batting an eye Emma firmly stated her answer, making Rudolf chuckle, whereas Stanley had a pr
The family entered the airport through the VIP entrance to avoid any lingering paparazzi and hence avoided most of the crowd.As the time of separation neared, Catherine and Hyacinth’s eyes welled up with tears.Both the mothers just got back their daughter after years of separation and yet they were losing her once again, though this time they will stay connected, it still isn’t the same as having her in front of them.“Please don’t cry… It will make this even harder…”“Oh no… We’re not crying. Now come here and hug Mumma!”“Me too!”“I need one as well!”“Yeah, yeah!”Emma chuckled as she discreetly brushed off her tears and hugged everyone, including Rudolf who was pleasantly surprised by the gesture but was happy, nonetheless.In the past month, Rudolf helped Emma through a lot of things, big and small, every detail was looked after by him, he took care of many things which did not even cross Emma’s mind and she was grateful for that.He might suspect her of being a fake and he wa