Chapter 36
The weather was getting colder, and the rare sunny day lifted my spirits. Flowers in the garden were still blooming with effort. Celestia said she was really looking forward to the first snow.
Since I stopped working at the Morgan Group, probably because Levi felt bad about my being tired, he had someone else handle Celestia's pick-ups and drop-offs, which made things easier for me.
These days we occasionally exchanged a few words. As for him and Jessa, I didn't pay too much attention - after all, I could leave anytime.
But Levi never took a stance, just left things hanging.
"Mrs. Morgan, someone just delivered a letter for you."
Indigo walked over with an envelope. I was about to leave for work.
A letter? In this day and age?
"Who was it from?"
"I didn't see them. Eli brought it in."
Eli was the gardener. He must have received it while trimming the garden this morning.
I opened the envelope to find a handwritten note and a photo.
The photo showed my mother's bracelet.
This bracelet was a family heirloom from my mother's side. It had been stolen years ago, and despite searching everywhere, my mother never found it.
My heart racing, I unfolded the note: Your mother's things are with me. If you want them, bring money to the Greer family.
The handwriting looked like Arabella's - her writing was terrible. Combined with asking me to come to the Greer family, it was probably her.
If it were Jessa, she would have come to me with the item already.
Pay ransom for what's mine?
This was my mother's belonging to begin with, one of the few things she left in this world, something she cared deeply about when she was alive. I had to get it back.
"Mrs. Morgan, this is..."
"It's nothing."
I went back to my room and took a card from the drawer. Arabella went through all this trouble to get money from me - she'd probably ask for a lot.
My calm heart started racing again.
The Greer family - familiar yet strange. I thought I'd never have to go back there.
On the way, I felt anxious.
I didn't know what was waiting for me.
When the car stopped at the Greer family's door, I looked at the familiar entrance from my childhood memories. The place seemed unchanged, yet everything had changed.
I'll never forget the despair in my mother's eyes when she left with me.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
An older servant greeted me. I had a vague feeling she was an old employee of the Greer family.
"I'm looking for Mrs. Greer."
The servant looked me up and down. "The resemblance, it's incredible."
"Resemblance to what?"
Her staring made me uncomfortable.
"You look so much like the former Mrs. Greer, like you were cut from the same cloth. Are you Miss Greer?" The servant's sudden question caught me off guard.
I shook my head. "No, isn't your Miss Greer at home?"
"Oh, sorry, maybe I'm getting old and mistook you for someone else," the servant said awkwardly.
Actually, her eye was good - after all these years, she could still recognize me.
I followed her to the living room. She said she'd get Arabella for me and asked me to wait, even preparing a fruit plate.
Her respect toward me must have come from the kindness my mother had shown.
After a while, Arabella arrived.
The clicking of her high heels reminded me of how she used to appear before my mother and me, full of pride from being favored. Back then, she was so arrogant, but looking at her now, she seemed worn down.
"You came. So you're interested?"
The servants quietly left, leaving just the two of us in the living room.
Arabella's eyes swept around. "How is it? My home is better than before, right? Better than when your mom managed it?"
I knew she was about to say something nasty.
Clearly, she wanted to bring up the past to provoke me.
"Is the item ready?"
I didn't want to argue with her or hear her hurtful words.
Arabella was caught off guard, then put on a smile.
"I wanted to catch up with you, but you seem in a hurry." Arabella slowly sat down.
"Name your price."
Since I came, I wanted to get my mother's belonging back.
Arabella sneered. "It's not worth much anyway. The person's gone, and the thing feels unlucky."
I clenched my fists. She'd angered me again, but I had to hold it in and stay calm.
"One million."
Arabella was asking for the moon - one million for a bracelet. I knew the bracelet had special meaning, but in terms of its actual value, it really wasn't worth much.
My mother told me it was my grandparents' token of love, didn't cost much at the time. And with my mother's broken marriage, it wasn't exactly lucky either.
But to me, it was precious.
"What, think it's too expensive?" Arabella watched my expression.
I took out the card from my bag. "Deal!"
Arabella's face lit up immediately. She didn't expect me to agree so quickly. She probably thought I was a complete sucker now.
She quickly went to a drawer, took out a jewelry box, handed me the bracelet, then snatched the card from my hand, afraid I'd change my mind.
Holding my mother's bracelet, my heart trembled. That piercing pain almost broke me.
Just as I was about to leave, Chase suddenly walked in.
"Jessa?"
Hearing him call me that again felt incredibly strange. I hadn't been called Jessa in many years.
Chase stood in front of me, trying to take my hand. I refused.
"It really is you. How are you and Mr. Morgan doing?"
Levi should have been his son-in-law, yet now he called him Mr. Morgan. When Levi and I got married, I didn't see him there - Aiden must have already sent him abroad by then.
Now the whole family was back.
"I know you're busy, so I won't keep you for dinner." Arabella's eyes darted around nervously. She was probably afraid our transaction would be discovered.
Chase glared at her. "Since you're here, stay for lunch. I'll have the kitchen prepare something."
"No need."
If not for getting back the item, I wouldn't want to stay here a minute longer.
"Jessa, my company has a project recently. Could you pass it to Mr. Morgan and see if he's interested?"
I didn't want to deal with him. I adjusted my bag and prepared to leave.
Chase blocked my way. "You're husband and wife, help your dad out."
"Are you dreaming?"
I smiled bitterly. "What kind of dad are you? I haven't had a dad for a long time, and I'm not Jessa."
"Child, how can you forget your roots? No matter what happened between your mother and me, you're still my daughter." Chase was playing the blood relation card.
"Have you fulfilled any fatherly duties all these years? When you brought them back, did you consider my mother and me at all?"
I bit my lip to stay calm, then escaped from there under his shocked gaze.
Chase followed for a few steps. Those few steps felt especially ironic to me. If he knew it would come to this, why did he do it in the first place? If he were truly a refined egoist, he'd know who treated him better.
In the end, he was just an ungrateful scumbag...