Ch 65

Ch 65
“Milord, I'm sorry to disturb you, but you have a visitor.”
“And who might this be?” asked Ian, lost in his documents.
“He introduced himself as Reverend Chase, Milady’s father.” Ian looked up from his documents
“Where is he now?”
“In the living room, sir. Shall I report it to Milady?”
“No thanks, Jackson, I'll take care of it. Did he come alone?”
“No, sir, there's a lady with him, but she didn't introduce herself to me.”
 “All right, you take care of them while I go up and see Eden.”
“Okay, sir.”
Ian wondered how Eden would react to this news.
Eden was watching the garden from her window, watching her daughter sleep peacefully and eager to see her grow up, when suddenly someone knocked on the door and the alpha entered.
“Eden, what are you doing so close to the window in this weather? You'll catch a cold and so will the baby.”
“I was just lost in my thoughts, don't worry.” Eden sensed that something was wrong. 
“What's the matter, Ian? You look constipated.”
Eden’s remark made the alpha laugh.
“It's your father Eden”
“My father? What's he done?”
“He's downstairs in the living room.”
Eden suddenly felt sick to his stomach,her father was here. 
How was he going to react to her marriage and especially to her baby? The omega felt nauseous, and Eden reached out to stroke her cheek.
“Eden? You look pale. If you don't want to see him, I can ask Jackson to send him away.”
“It's all right. He's come a long way to meet me, I want to hear what he has to say.”
Ian helped Eden place the baby in her crib.
“All right, my angel, but don't forget that at any time you can signal me to end the conversation.”
“Thank you, Ian.”
“You're welcome. Let's go downstairs”
They were all seated in the dining room where the servants had served the meal.
 Ian had made the acquaintance of the lady accompanying Eden’s father, she was his wife’s aunt.
The atmosphere was tense, with Eden saying nothing, let alone glancing at her father. 
Ian felt obliged to start the conversation.
“Is this the first time you've been in town since we got married, almost a year ago?” remarked Ian.
“Yes," replied the reverend curtly.
“After Eden’s departure, we immediately returned to our land and haven't left it since," said the aunt with a laugh that didn't quite ring true.That's why it takes so long to get the news.”
“You've come a long way, what brings you here?” asked Ian in an almost cold tone. 
The reverend was surprised by the aura Ian exuded.
Eden couldn't believe what was happening to her, her father and aunt were at her house and she didn't know why. 
They had made no comment on her departure, her pregnancy. It all seemed so strange. Eden snapped out of her thoughts when there was a knock at the door.
“Sorry to disturb you, but Lady chase would like to see you.” Gwen announced. 
“My aunt? Show her into the parlor, please.”
When Eden arrived at the salon, she was greeted by an unexpected hug
“Eden, my child! It's been such a long time. I've missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Auntie.”
“Actually, you know, we came here because we had something to tell you.”
 “Something to tell me?”
“Yes, as you know, our parish is rather modest. So your father wants to set up several businesses to restore the value of our church, but each time, he fails. So I'd like you to give your father some money for his business. It would be even better if you spoke to the viscount about it, so that he too could participate.”
Eden couldn't believe the turn the conversation had taken; she sensed something was wrong.
“Your father continues to work for the parish, despite his advancing age," continued her aunt “Help him just once, and think of it as a way of thanking him for giving you life.”
No news for months and that's why they decide to break the silence? Eden knew she wasn't loved by her father, but the news broke her heart.
“Is that all you have to say to your niece after all these years?”
“Hm? E…Eden?”
Her aunt was surprised by Eden’s reply, in the past, she would have accepted meekly.
“Is that all you wanted to say to your niece who missed you so much? If I were you, Auntie, this is what I'd say. ‘how are you?’  ‘has anything happened to you in all this time?’  ‘is your husband taking good care of you?’ ‘your belly's a bit plump, have you been pregnant for how many months or have you already given birth?’.
 You're seeing your niece for the first time in years, shouldn't you first ask about her? Instead of asking for money?”
“Did I...did I hurt you,child? I'm terribly sorry. Yes, how are you? Is Mr. Boyle being considerate? And how's your pregnancy going?”
Her aunt tried to make up for it by taking Eden’s hand between her own.
Eden frowned, clearly seeing her game.
“I've already given birth, a little girl, it doesn't matter," she replied, abruptly withdrawing her hand.
 "If you have nothing else to tell me, I'll ask you to leave, I've got work to do”
“Eden!”
Eden turned and walked away from her.
“Eden? Please listen to me”
Eden slammed the door in her face.

Eden felt suffocated in her room and decided to take a walk in the garden to clear her head.
Despite the cold weather, the gardener had managed to keep some flowers, much to Jimin's delight.
“Eden! Here you are at last... Your maid said you were in your parlor. I've been looking everywhere for you, and now I've finally found you.” says her father.
“What do you want?”
“What do you mean, "what do I want"? I need a reason to come and see my Child? I've missed you so much. I was curious to see how you were. So, you're not sick? Nothing serious has happened in all this time?”
“Yes, I'm healthy. Nothing's happened.” Eden replied without emotion. 
“I'm glad to hear it. Anyway, Have you seen your aunt, I hear?”
“Yes”
“You know, our family's really going through a rough patch," her father said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“ But you see. I hear you're rich and got pregnant by that viscount, so you may be carrying his heir.”
‘They came to see me just for the money, they don't care about my well-being and not one of them has pretended to ask about my sisters. Money is all that matters to them.’
“You have the means," continued her father, "couldn't you help our beautiful parish? The place where you grew up. You're our one and only daughter, we're your parents and you must obey what we tell you," he finished, putting his hand on Eden’s shoulder.
“I don't know what you're talking about," Eden replied, "according to what you taught me, dear father. I'm married and therefore part of the Viscounty of Hadleigh.”
“What's this?”
“Before now, I wouldn't have dared." She said, abruptly taking her father's hand away.
 "but I'm not the same, I'm not Eden Chase but Eden Boyle of Hadleigh.”
“You ungrateful brat! How dare you say that! And to think I only have one Child, look at that. a little slut like any other omega!”
“BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS, REVEREND! Eden raised her voice at her father for the first time, I'm the Viscountess Hadleigh. 
You owe me politeness and respect, my rank obliges you regardless of your status as my father .”
“You.” Her father's eyes had turned red with anger and he took on his alpha voice to make Eden submit and raised his hand to slap her.
“I'll show you your true rank.”
Eden closed her eyes as she waited for the impact of the slap. 
She was tetanized, reliving images of her father hitting and cursing her as a child, those bad memories she'd buried in the drawers of her memory coming back like a tsunami.
 A few seconds later Eden felt nothing, but he heard her father groan in pain and a strong smell of bourbon.
“Ian?” Said Eden, still tetanized.
It was her alpha, standing there with red eyes, he'd lost all control of himself.
“I was wrong about you," he said, his voice full of rage. 
"I thought you were the father of my omega, but you're just a piece of trash who should be buried six feet under. What have you dared to do to the woman who is so precious to me?”
Ian looked in Eden’s direction and his anger grew as he saw his omega trembling with fear. 
All he wanted was to rip apart with his own teeth the man who had made his Eden cry. 
"Protect omega, scent omega" his alpha kept repeating inside him, his alpha was taking over.
“I thought a woman so full of love and kindness would have grown up loved and cherished by her parents. That's why I agreed to this meeting, but you dare raise your hand to Hadleigh's Mistress," he said angrily.
 "You sound almost like a wild animal, how dare you! I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life!”
“My...sir," he begged, trembling with fear at the look on Ian’s face.
"Since day one, he's been strangely considerate, certainly but I thought it was only out of politeness. Does he really care about my Child?" Eden’s father thought inwardly.
“I... I've made a terrible mistake! I must have been possessed by something. Please forgive me just this once, sir, it won't happen again.”
“Please, sir! I beg you, please! Let go of the poor old man, please” The reverend's sister intervened, and Ian pushed her violently.
Ian opened his mouth wide and was about to bite the reverend's neck until it was ripped off. 
He could already feel the sour taste of blood on his tongue when he felt someone embrace him from behind.
“Please, Honey, come back to me,” Eden implored with a trembling voice, “let him go, I beg you, and come back to me, I don't want you to become a monster because of him, he's not worth it”
“Omega…he hurt you, we have to protect you.” Ian’s alpha was still in control 
“Look at me, I'm fine, we're safe”
Eden released her pheromones to comfort her husband. 
Moments later, Ian began to calm down in his omega's arms.
“I'm sorry you had to see me like that.”
“Don't be, I understand," Eden reassured him.
“He didn't hurt you, did he, my angel?”
“No, thanks to you. Thank you very much, Ian.”
"Where does she hide such strength and firmness...in such a frail body?" wondered Ian.
“All the better then. Let's go inside and join Amara. Can you walk alone?”
“Yes, don't worry.”
They entered their living room, leaving Mr Chase and his sister on the floor.
Jackson the butler saw his masters enter, Ian’s gaze still cold.
“Milord and lady” 
he bowed to them.
Throw Reverend Chase and his sister's belongings in front of the gate. I don't want to keep such a piece of trash in my home for a single second.
“Yes, sir!”
They were finally in Eden’s room, with their daughter in her arms, and Ian was watching them in the distance, lost in thought.
"I know how much pain parents who don't die can cause, I should be the only one to know this suffering, I didn't want my omega to suffer the same fate. I may have had a twin, but I always felt alone. Ivan being the older of the two of us was entitled to more privilege than me, he had the title of heir, the love of our parents and on top of that he had presented himself as alpha before me. Everyone thought I was an omega, which our father hated. I wasn't good at fighting, preferring to read or help our workers in the fields, which earned me my father's wrath. He had a nasty habit of locking me up in the dark and leaving me hungry for days when I didn't obey him, which drove me to withdraw. As a teenager, I still hadn't presented myself as alpha, so he thought I was a beta and decided to arrange my marriage to freddie for the sake of the viscounty. My destiny was all mapped out by him, I didn't know the love of my parents and the brother I was given as a twin was more my enemy than a brother. My heart breaks when I think of the fact that Eden had to grow up without love. I had at least my Aunt  and Alexis but Eden, she had to have only him. I want to be her comfort.”
After that, Reverend Chase and his sister had all their possessions and land confiscated by Ian and sent to their remote village without a penny.