NOVPUBCatrin halted when she heard Idris's voice. She turned to look, and Idris was there, standing at the door of her office.
His breathing seemed uneven, and his gaze was furious.
"Did you announce we are adopting?" he asked again, this time rephrasing his words.
He has been out for something and hadn't realized it until someone mentioned it to him. He was clueless, but for the first time, he didn't feel surprised.
His gaze darted between the two people in the room, pausing at Emily.
Emily smiled, but that was never returned. Instead, under his hostile gaze like that, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
Thai was her uncle —one she always thought was easy to talk with. But somehow, today, he didn't look the same.
"Uncle, I —"
"Catrin!" Idris didn't let her speak. Turning back to Catrin, he asked, "You haven't yet replied. Did you give any such words to the media?"
"What do you expect me to say, Idris?" Catrin's voice came unapologetic. "Did your daughter leave me any option?"
"She didn't leave you any option?" Idris voice raised in a dangerous octave. "What options do you think she would have left to make you to realize how wrong you have been?"
"I am not wrong, Idris. She is," Catrin gritted. "She is wrong to sever the ties with her own family and walk away like that. It's her. I am just letting her see the consequence of taking the decision on an impulse. So, that the next time when it happens, she knows how to act."
Idris couldn't hold back from chuckling. "On an impulse?" he laughed. "You still think it was on impulse, Catrin. If you think so, I really pity you because you might not ever see that Arwen never acted on impulse. It was us … or I might say, you, who pushed her little by little to act like this … to give us up completely. It was never sudden … never on an impulse."
"Idris, are you saying, I am responsible for all this?" Catrin was on the verge of collapse internally. And Idris's words were only further pushing her.
Can't she expect him to understand her and her reasons?
She was doing all this to bring their daughter back?
Why was he not seeing it?
Idris shook his head. "I am no longer saying anything, Catrin. I have long given up on making you see the right. Because now even if you realize everything, it will change nothing."
He had seen the finality in the eyes of Arwen yesterday.
When she left, she left forever.
Catrin might not have notice it, but he did.
Catrin was about to speak. But before she could, Idris spoke, not giving her the chance. "We aren't adopting anyone. I don't agree to it." His gaze darted to look at Emily with clear intention.
Emily was caught off guard. Idris was her uncle, and out of all, she least though he would object it.
She wanted to retort, but couldn't.
"Idris, I have made this decision for a reason," Catrin said, sounding offended.
But Idris remained nonchalant. Looking at her, he simply said, "And I have given you my decision. I won't change it no matter what your reason is."
"Idris —"
"I still have things to do." With that, he turned and left.
Watching him leave, Catrin gritted.
"Aunt, what should we do now? Uncle has —"
"Enough!" Catrin snapped. "Leave. All of you leave!"
Emily frowned, but anyway, left along with the secretary.
While inside the office room, Catin could no longer keep her calm. She moved her arms across the desk, making everything scatter on the floor.
"I don't agree to give up. I don't!"
***
It was still evening when Aiden returned back home, look furious and worried at the same time.
Furious on Emyr for not reporting things to him on time.
And worried for Arwen being alone when he should be around her.
"Sir, you are back?" Mr. Jones greeted, walking to him, extending his hand out to politely take his jacket. "Shall I get you something?"
Aiden handed him the suit jacket before shaking his head at him. Then looking around, he asked, "Where is Moon? And how is she? Is she at home, or has she gone out?"
Mr. Jones didn't understand. His briows tugged in confusion as if there was something he failed to perceive.
And his lack of prompt response made Aiden frown.
And seeing him frown, Mr. Jones quickly responded. "Sir, Madam has been at home itself. She didn't leave anywhere."
"Where is she right now?"
The butler gestured towards the kitchen. "She is cooking the dinner tonight."
"Cooking the dinner?" Aiden's brows knitted.
Mr. Jones nodded, explaining, "The lady wanted to cook the dinner herself, so we didn't stop her. She is right now in the kitchen itself."
"Fine," Aiden said and then without any delay, turned and walked in the direction.
He expected Arwen to be despirited, but the scene that greeted him … surprised him a little.
Arwen was there in the kitchen, but she wasn't alone. There were chefs around her, helping her in whatever she needed. They were laughing and talking, sharing stories.
When Aiden had walked in, a staff had just completed sharing one of the incidents that had made Arwen burst into laughter.
That sound … like a melody to Aiden's ears.
He paused at the door itself, staring inside.
Out of every possibilities that he had thought of, this was not anywhere close to any of it.
Has he been worrying for nothing?
Or was she just putting up pretense to look fine?
Suddenly, the kitchen went all silent. Aiden has been busy looking at Arwen, so he didn't realize until he saw her turning to look at him.
"And I was thinking who was the culprit? Seems like it's you," she said, her brows rising before falling back in place. "When did you come back? And why are you so early today?"
She checked her watch to confirm and she was right. This was not his usual time to return.
