âOld man?â Rosaline furrowed her brow. âThat doesnât make sense. When I saw her, I thought her eyes looked just like yours.â
âYou flatter me, Auntie,â Emmeline chuckled. âIâll introduce you to the Wonder Doctor someday.â
âThat would be great,â Rosaline said. âI donât like being left in the dark.â
âBut for now, this is a secret between us,â Emmeline said. âDonât tell Abel yet, or the whole 300 billion deal might fall apart.â
âI wonât forget,â Rosaline patted Emmelineâs hand. âLetâs go inside, the food and drinks are ready.â
As they entered the living room, Lewis beamed at his four grandchildren.
âSebastian!â he called to the butler. âBring me the envelopes I prepared.â
âSure, Mr. Lewis,â Sebastian replied promptly, heading to the study to fetch a large red lacquered tray.
On the tray were five bank cards wrapped in red paper and an exquisite jewelry box.
âCome here, my lovely grandkids!â Lewis beckoned to the four little ones.
Timothy held Heliosâ hand, who held Endymionâs, who in turn held Hesperusâ hand, and they all walked over to stand in a straight line in front of Lewis.
Looking at his precious grandkids, Lewis and Rosaline felt as if they were tasting honey, so sweet and satisfying.
âGrandpaâs giving you guys your allowance, and with that, you can buy whatever you like!â
âThank you, Grandpa!â The four little darlings replied in unison with their sweet voices.
Lewis then picked up the red- wrapped bank cards and handed them out one by one to the kids.
âEach card has 10 million in it, and thereâs no password, so keep it safe, okay?â
âThank you, Grandpa!â The little ones bowed in unison.
But there was still one card left on the lacquer tray.
Lewis picked it up and looked at Emmeline with a raised eyebrow.
âEmmeline, this is for you,â Lewis said, holding out the last card.
âUncle,â Emmeline smiled and shook her head. âIâm not a child anymore, I donât need it.â
âYou must take it,â Lewisâ voice grew hoarse and his eyes dimmed. âFor five years, the Ryker you family made you suffer, made endure hardships. This money canât make up for all that, but itâs a small token of my and your auntâs appreciation.â
His words brought tears to Emmelineâs eyes. Lewis was right, no matter how much money was on that card, it couldnât make up for the suffering and injustice she had endured.
If it werenât for Robert appearing that night, she doubted she could have survived with her children.
That night, when Robert appeared, Emmeline was feverish and unconscious, and she wondered if she could even survive with her children.
The three infants were so starved they couldnât even cry anymore.
Emmeline lowered her head and couldnât help but sniffle.
Rosaline noticed her pitiful expression and felt a pang in her heart.
She took the bank card and pressed it into Emmelineâs hand.
âEmma, if you donât take it, it means youâre rejecting Uncle and Auntie, and that would make us sad.â
âEmma,â Abel hugged Emmelineâs small shoulder, âthe past is in the past, Dad gave it to you, just take it, be a good girl.â
âUm,â Emmeline nodded and took the bank card, thanking Lewis, âThank you, Uncle.â
âI have something too,â Rosaline said, picking up a beautiful box from the lacquer tray.
âThis is the bracelet I wore on my wedding day. Iâm giving it to you now, as a sort of family heirloom.â
With that, she took Emmelineâs hand and slipped an exquisite jade bracelet onto her delicate wrist.
âSo when are you two getting married? Lewis asked. âWeâre all looking forward to the wedding.â
âAnd Iâm looking forward to finally being called âmomâ by Emma,â Rosaline added, beaming with joy.
Emmeline blushed, lowering her head and saying, âI havenât discussed it with Abel yet.â
âOf course, the sooner the better,â Abel said, grinning. âI canât wait for you to call me husband without any hesitation.â
Emmelineâs face was flushed with embarrassment, and she wished she could just disappear.
Abel held her close with tenderness and said with a smile, âHow about we do it this month? You pick a dateâ
âLet Uncle and Auntie decide,â Emmeline said, burying her face in his shoulder. âWe need to find a good day, right?â
âIâll take care of that,â Rosaline said. âIâll go and ask Mr. Ywain in Saeville to find a good day for us.â