Chapter 122 122.Souvenirs
Tabitha’s POV
Her eyes sparkle. “Ooh, someone has a good memory.”
Andrew’s smile widen. “I remember names pretty well.”
Then, he turns to the rest of the girls.
“And you’re Melanie, right?” He gestures casually. “And you’re Elsie. I remember you all at the circuit.”
Melanie nods appreciatively.
Andrew turns his attention to Isabela. “And you are… ? Sorry, I think we’re meeting for the first time.”
“I’m Isabela…” Isabela steps forward and offers her hand.
“Isabela. I’ll remember that.” Andrew shakes her hand courteously. “I’m Andrew. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Melanie claps her hands together playfully. “How charming!”
Evelyn smirks while alternately glancing at me and Andrew. “Sorry for crashing on your date, by the way…”
I wave her off. “Oh, nothing like that. We’re just catching up. Do you want to sit for a bit?”
Evelyn shakes her head, smiling. “We’d love to, but we have to rush home and deal with these bad boys,” she says, tapping the shopping bags.
I grin. “Oh, you did some shopping? Looks like you had a productive day.”
Evelyn giggles.
“Yeah, the boutiques hated to see us coming. We did some shopping at Kaileani Galleria but we also dropped at KL to buy some gifts.” Evelyn winks at me. “And gosh, it’s so hard to decide what gifts to buy! We’re so beat. We need to get home and sort all these bags.”
I frown slightly, unsure what that wink means. But I shrug it off.
“Cool. Well, see you around, I guess?”
“Yes! See ya!”
Evelyn, Melanie, and Isabela call their goodbyes, and soon they are gone, leaving Andrew and me alone at the table once again.
The rest of the day is a blast. After filling our bellies with scrumptious seafoods, I keep my promise by helping Andrew buy some nice shirts, hats, and other cool souvenirs to send back to his soccer pals back in the mainland. After that, we stroll around the market some more, trying out foods from random stalls and generally just enjoying everything.
It’s already late in the afternoon when I get back to the Aldair estate. I notice the maids preparing for dinner but I’m not particularly hungry after all the snacks I’ve eaten earlier. So, I just withdraw to my room and skip dinner.
The next day, everyone is gathered around the breakfast table. Alpha Emery is there, along with my mom and the brothers. Under normal circumstances, I’d probably appreciate the fact that we’re all finally sharing a meal together. It’s been a while, after all. Mom even looks like her old self. She’s smiling again, as if the past few days in the hospital were nothing more than a bad dream.
I should be happy. And yet I can’t bring myself to believe those smiles are as genuine as I once thought them to be.
I take a small bite of my toast and try to ignore the tight feeling in my chest.
“I’m glad you’re finally well enough to join us this morning, darling.” Alpha Emery looks toward my mom.
My mom smiles and lifts her cup. “The rest did me good,” she says lightly. “I feel much better now.”
“That’s good to hear,” he replies, pleased. Then he sets his cutlery down. “Speaking of which, I’ve been invited to a dinner party at Eliott’s estate tomorrow evening. I was thinking it would be nice if you accompanied me.”
My hand tightens around my fork.
“I’m sorry,” I say, forcing my voice to stay polite even as unease creeps in. “My mom just got discharged yesterday. Don’t you think it might be too soon for parties? It could be exhausting for her.”
Alpha Emery turns his gaze to me.
For a brief second, the room feels smaller. There is something in his eyes that I have never seen this clearly before. His gaze is cold and sharp. It reminds me of Evren, except stronger. Even Evren has never made me feel this uneasy with just a look. My stomach sinks, and I realize I have crossed an invisible line.
“I would argue the opposite,” he says calmly. “Social engagements might help her regain her rhythm.”
I open my mouth to argue again, but my mom’s hand settles over mine under the table. The touch is gentle, but it is firm enough to stop me.
She turns to Alpha Emery with a smile. “I’d love to go. You know I’ve never been one to hide from a party.”
He smiles back, clearly satisfied. “Excellent. They’re expecting me, and I can hardly show up without my wife.”
I take another sip of water and glance at the brothers, who are all quietly focused on their food. Jace picks through his pasta and lifts the meatballs one by one, clearly going after the best part. Reed shovels steak into his mouth without shame. Luca gracefully slices through his steak while Evren eats the asparagus on his plate, unbothered by everything else happening at the table.
“But before I forgot…” my mom says with a soft laugh, “I don’t even have a proper dress for something like that.”
“I’ll call the atelier later. They should have something that suits your taste.”
“You always think of everything.” Mom flashes a smile.
Alpha Emery nods, then looks at the rest of us. “It’s an important event, so you’ll all be coming as well.”
My mom turns to me with an encouraging smile. I return it and swallow whatever argument that is edging at the tip of my tongue. It’s not like I can argue with them, anyway. Parties have never been kind to me, but this is not something I can opt out of now.
Across the table, the brothers barely react. Jace shrugs and just shoves another meatball in his mouth. Reed doesn’t even slow down his eating. Luca just gives a small nod. Evren continues chewing as if none of this concerns him.
For a moment, I wonder if they even heard their father at all.