Chapter 38: The Surprise

Emma's Narrative

I was drying my long, blonde hair with a hand dryer after my bath. The white towel I had tied around myself barely covered my round bottom. Suddenly, a familiar scent filled the entire room - a nostalgic aroma of Swedish caviar. I turned my head and saw Brandon staring at me. Our gazes locked, and my hand hung in the air.

I called it a nostalgic scent because when I was a child, I used to eat it every morning. Brandon wouldn't stop making it for me before I went to school. When Brandon graduated and got a job as a school teacher, he would always make Swedish caviar for me before work. However, when he left Malmo, I avoided anything that reminded me of him, including eating Swedish caviar.

Brandon critically scanned me and settled his gaze on my hair. If things had been the way they used to be between us, he would have taken the hand dryer from me to dry my hair. The only thing Brandon didn't do for me as an adult was bathe me. Otherwise, he did virtually everything for me.

Brandon dropped the fancy basket he was holding on the table and looked at me again. We communicated with our eyes, as we always did. He never stopped talking to me with his eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

When he finally sat down on the sofa after placing the basket down, I understood his intention. It was his usual way of forcing me to eat. If I didn't eat, he wouldn't leave the room. I took my time and continued drying my hair, while the nostalgic scent of Swedish caviar made my mouth water.

"The food is getting cold," Brandon said.

Moving with a sense of ease, aware that Brandon was observing my every step, I moved closer to the bed, sat down, and pulled the small table closer. I began to eat. While Brandon crossed his long legs and continued making phone calls after phone calls, his eyes never left me.

"Thank you," I whispered as I dabbed at my lips.

"You're welcome," Brandon said, standing up. It was as if he was slowly regaining his senses, or maybe his mother had informed him about our conversation last night. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. However, Brandon tossed a paper onto the table.

"This is the third ticket I've had to rebook for you. I want you gone by the time I come back from work," Brandon stated, then turned. Just as his phone rang, he paused and began talking to the caller while I continued gazing at him.

Dressed in a well-tailored black suit that fit him perfectly, Brandon was a captivating combination of rugged masculinity and refined elegance. He exuded a gentle demeanor in every sense. However, his recent actions didn't reflect the grace of his appearance.

After a few minutes, Brandon turned back to me.

"It's your dad," he said, handing me his wireless earbud.

"Put it on speaker," I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the mirror. Brandon activated the speaker, and my dad's voice echoed through the room. Brandon took a seat and waited, while I spoke to my dad. As I glanced at him through the mirror, Brandon was busy staring back at me.

Having known him since I came into this world, all I could see in his dilated pupils, beyond his authoritative demeanor, was deep, painful love and confusion.

"Pumpkin," my father called for the third time.

"Good morning, dad," I replied. Samuel let out a sigh of relief, which was evident through the speaker.

"So this really is your voice. I thought you were dead for a moment," Samuel said, and I remained silent.

"Brandon informed me that you're coming home this morning. He mentioned booking a flight for you. Please hurry, everyone wants to see you. People are curious about where you've been all this time," Samuel said excitedly.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I'm not coming home today," I replied, meeting Brandon's eyes through the mirror. The painful love in his eyes quickly turned into anger.

"Why?" Samuel asked.

"I will come home soon," I said.

"How soon?" He inquired.

"Very soon," I assured him.

"Kaiden has lifted the restrictions on you. He has unfrozen your account. Kaiden also ordered a new Irish wolfhound for you this morning," My dad chuckled.

"Dad, I want to speak to Vera," I said, wondering if Vera had returned to Malmo.

"She disappeared the night you left. We thought you had gone with her," Samuel explained, but I remained silent.

"Pumpkin..."

"See you soon, Dad," I said before the call ended.

"There's no such thing as 'very soon'! Emma, you're going back to Malmo at 11 am, so get dressed and start preparing," Brandon said, standing up.

"Brandon," I pleaded softly.

"I don't want to argue about this again!" Brandon snapped.

"I need to buy some clothes and personal items," I explained. Brandon left the room without saying a word to me. A domestic worker entered a few minutes later and placed a credit card on my table.

"The boss said to give this to you. You can use it to make online purchases," the young girl informed me.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied before leaving. As soon as I dropped my towel on the bed, Brandon came back into the room, standing frozen in the doorway. He stared at me as though he was seeing me for the first time. His narrowed gaze fixated on two incision lines on my abdomen.

Even though they weren't visible, as someone who knew me well enough, I knew he would notice the first incision on the lower quadrant of my abdomen. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with me asking questions with his eyes.

"I…I.." I tried to talk but couldn't form a coherent word. I quickly pulled my towel and tied it back on my chest.

"We really need to talk!" Brandon said.