37. Emma's Spell

Brandon Henderson's Narrative

Rachel emerged from the bathroom after what felt like a two-hour soak and endless gossip with her friends. She slipped into a sultry set of lingerie, moving with a sexy sway.

I lay on the bed, my hand propped under my head, watching her, but my mind was elsewhere. I was in a different world. I snapped back to reality when she straddled my body, her hands gliding teasingly over my chest as a seductive smile danced on her lips.

"I'm ready to have our own little bundle of joy," Rachel announced, grabbing my full attention. I turned my head slowly, eyeing her curiously and wondering what had gotten into her. Why was she suddenly acting like a nice wife?

"What made you change your mind?" I asked, struggling to clean up the mess of thoughts in my head. It was evident in my tone that I was still bothered by the way she lied to me about Emma's whereabouts.

"You love Julian so much, don't you?" Rachel chuckled, her words laced with a mischievous undertone. "I can see that big ol' grin on your face every time you lay eyes on him. You're head over heels for kids, and that's why you worship Emma like a goddess. So, let's bring a baby girl into our lives tonight," Rachel said, closing in on my lips.

"That will never happen," I said, gripping Rachel's shoulder firmly and slowly pushing her away.

"Why?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how you could lock Emma in a room and lie straight to my face. I'm gonna call up my lawyer tomorrow because we need to sort this out."

"Brandon, we've already discussed this a million times today," Rachel pleaded, her tone dripping with desperation. "If you go through with this divorce, I'll fight tooth and nail for custody of Julian and emerge with a sweet victory! It'll leave you feeling bitter as hell! I'm Julian Henderson's mother, and no one can take him away from me. You're gonna like how I will raise him, trust me," Rachel smirked, mischief glinting in her eyes.

Dealing with this complicated situation called for a calculated approach as I didn't want my son to fall into Rachel's clutches.

"Did you bring your toy?" I asked, trying to change the subject while my plan remained hidden in my mind.

"It's always in my handbag," Rachel responded with a sly smile.

"Have fun with it. I'm not in the mood for sex," I said, slowly pushing her off of my stomach.

"You promised you were gonna fuck me like crazy tonight," Rachel said.

"Until I found out about the horrible thing you did," I said, and Rachel pursed her lips and moved away.

"Brandon, she snuck into our bedroom and locked me out while she had sex with my newly wedded husband! She's even lucky I didn't kill her!" Rachel shouted.

"What Emma did was wrong, but don't ever take matters into your own hands again!" I said, acting as if I had forgiven her. But I'm not sure I'll ever truly forgive Rachel.

"Noted! Now, I want her out of my house. She's a devil, and I can feel her stealing your attention away from me," Rachel mumbled, and I ignored her.

"Brandon, if she attacks me again, or I catch her anywhere near you, Julian and I are gonna go on a two-month vacation!" Rachel threatened.

"She's going back to Malmö tomorrow morning," I replied.

"Alright. Are you gonna tell her father that you fucked his daughter?" Rachel chuckled trying to remind me that I was still standing on a timed bomb that would explode any time

"Yes."

"Just don't forget to mention that she gave up her child, and I kindly and legally adopted him. You can skip the part where I locked her in a secret room. Just say she went into hiding so people won't know the horrible thing she did," Rachel chuckled again.

I kept staring at the ceiling as the thought of telling Samuel that I got his daughter pregnant sent shivers down my spine. How could I look Samuel in the eye and share this devastating news with him? I kept asking myself.

"I love you, Bran," Rachel said, crouched by my side, sniffing my body. "I wanna change my name to Henderson, but before we can do that, we need to go to the marriage license office, sign another marriage paperwork, and get our names duly registered," Rachel said.

I remembered what Emma had mentioned in my office about a fake marriage, and my brows furrowed. However, I needed to tackle one problem at a time, starting with the bigger issue of sending Emma back to Malmo without Julian and facing the world that had supported me when Samuel accused me of hiding his daughter.

The next day, I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my tie and Eleanor's reflection appeared behind mine.

"Mornin', Eleanor," I greeted as I continued adjusting my tie.

"I thought she hated my house and couldn't stand being here for more than five minutes. What's she doing in my house?!" Eleanor inquired, glancing at the bed as if she saw a naked Rachel who was lying on her stomach, engrossed in her laptop as she rebooked a flight for Emma.

"Eleanor, it's only nine in the morning. It's too early for a fight," I remarked, turning to grab my wristwatch off the table. Eleanor and Rachel sighed in unison.

"Brandon, when are you gonna give me a chance? We need to talk," Eleanor pleaded.

"Talk about what?"

"What Emma told me," Eleanor replied.

"He ain't got the chance to hear whatever you and Emma talked about last night, and I doubt he ever will have enough chance to hear it," Rachel retorted. "I sent the ticket to the printer," Rachel added as she got off the bed and playfully kissed my cheek, making sure Eleanor heard the sound of her kiss. The sound of my mother's heavy breathing filled the room. I opened a drawer in my room, took out one of her inhalers, and placed it close to her nostrils.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome," I replied, grabbing Eleanor's hand and making a quick exit to avoid a fight ensuing between her and Rachel as usual.

"Emma hasn't eaten anything since yesterday. I tried to get her to have breakfast with me this morning, but she said she wasn't hungry again. If she keeps this up, I'm scared she might starve to death," Eleanor explained.

As I descended the stairs, Eleanor's words echoed in my mind. Even though I was angry at Emma for chasing me despite my warning and invading my privacy, my obsession with her continued to increase every day.

Emma can refuse anything in this world except my food. No matter how upset or down she is, she'll never turn down a meal from me. I've been cooking for her since she was a baby, and she's grown accustomed to it.

I tried to block out the voice reminding me that Emma hadn't eaten, but it was impossible. Emma's magic still had a strong hold on me even in my own home. I couldn't even remember the last time I entered the kitchen, and it shocked me that I was doing so now because of Emma. The worst part was that I couldn't stop myself no matter how hard I tried. Two of my bodyguards obediently walked behind me.

As soon as I stepped into the kitchen, all the domestic workers froze and stared at me with surprise.

"Good morning, sir," they almost said in unison.

"I need all the recipes for Swedish caviar on this table," I instructed the girls, grabbing an apron and placing it around my neck. I fastened the loop behind my back and turned on the toaster and began to make breakfast.

The girls stood by, watching me in astonishment. I don't think any of them knew their boss could cook. I quickly arranged everything in a fancy basket and left the kitchen. Paul was waiting by the stairs, holding the ticket in his hand. I took it from him and hurried up the stairs to the room where Emma had slept the night before.