Chapter 165 034
AMELIA excused herself from Clara with a small apologetic smile and reached for her phone when it began to ring again. The name flashing on the screen instantly softened her expression.
“Hello, mom,” she answered, stepping a little away from the desk.
On the other end, Mrs. Harlow’s voice sounded bright, almost sing-song.
“Amelia, my dear. Are you busy?”
Amelia chuckled.
“I’m at work, but I can always spare time for you. What is going on? You sound… happy.”
“Oh, happy is an understatement,” Mrs. Harlow replied. “Sit down first,” she said as though she knew she was standing.
Amelia frowned playfully.
“Mom, don’t scare me. What happened?”
“He is coming home,” Mrs. Harlow said.
Amelia blinked.
“Who—”
“Valentine,” her mother finished.
For a split second, Amelia froze. Then the words sank in.
“What?!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the office. Clara looked up sharply, startled. “Mom, are you serious?”
Mrs. Harlow laughed heartily.
“I knew you would scream.”
“He is coming home?” Amelia repeated, disbelief and excitement tangling in her voice. “Like… home-home? Not another famous promise?”
“Home-home,” Mrs. Harlow confirmed. “He is done. Fully done. His studies are over.”
Amelia clasped her free hand over her mouth, eyes suddenly shining.
“Oh my God… oh my God, mom. Do you know how long I have waited to hear that?”
“I do,” Mrs. Harlow said softly. “You never stopped asking.”
Amelia laughed and sniffed at the same time.
“I can’t believe this. When? Did he give a date?”
“He said two weeks,” Mrs. Harlow replied.
Amelia groaned dramatically.
“Two weeks? That is too far! Why didn’t he tell me himself, huh? Does he think I’m a stranger now?”
Mrs. Harlow hummed knowingly.
“Amelia, before you start complaining, check your phone very well.”
Amelia paused.
“What do you mean?”
“He said he has been trying to reach you,” Mrs. Harlow continued. “Messages too. According to him, big sister has been too busy to reply.”
Amelia’s brows knitted together. She pulled the phone slightly away from her ear and glanced at the screen as if answers would magically appear.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Amelia shook her head, already feeling guilty.
“That is impossible. I would never ignore him.”
“Well, phones don’t lie,” Mrs. Harlow teased. “Check properly.”
“I will,” Amelia said quickly. “I promise I will call him as soon as we hang up.”
“You better,” Mrs. Harlow replied. “He sounded like a child sulking.”
Amelia laughed.
“That hasn’t changed then.”
“No, it hasn’t,” Mrs. Harlow agreed fondly. “Anyway, I just wanted you to hear it from me.”
“Thank you, mom,” Amelia said warmly. “This just made my whole day.”
“I knew it would,” Mrs. Harlow replied. “I will let you get back to work.”
“I will call him right away,” Amelia repeated.
“Alright, my dear. Take care.”
“You too. Bye, mom.”
The call ended, but Amelia remained standing there for a moment, staring at her phone like it held a miracle.
She turned slowly back to Clara, her face glowing.
Clara arched a brow.
“Judging by the scream, someone just won the lottery.”
Amelia laughed, still breathless.
“Hmm, you wouldn’t believe this.”
Clara leaned back in her chair.
“Try me.”
“My baby brother is finally coming home,” Amelia said, almost reverently. “After so many years.”
Clara’s eyes lit up.
“Valentine?”
“Yes!” Amelia exclaimed. “Him. He is finally done. Finally.”
Clara smiled warmly.
“Wow. That’s really nice.”
“Nice?” Amelia echoed, shaking her head. “It’s very nice. I can’t even explain it. I feel like my heart wants to burst.”
She picked up her phone again, already scrolling through her contacts with familiar ease.
“I can’t wait to see him,” she murmured. “Oh my goodness.”
Clara watched her with amusement.
“You talk about him like a proud mother.”
Amelia glanced up, smiling softly.
“That boy… he has been my headache and my joy since forever.”
Clara laughed knowingly.
She stopped scrolling and frowned slightly.
“Strange. Mom said he has been calling.”
Clara tilted her head.
“And you didn’t notice?”
“I swear I didn’t,” Amelia said, then paused. “Or maybe I did and thought it was one of those unknown foreign numbers.”
She sighed.
“That sounds like something I would do.”
Clara chuckled.
“So what’s he like now? Still the quiet genius?”
Amelia’s smile turned nostalgic.
“Quiet? Maybe. Genius? Definitely. Always had that way of sitting somewhere with a book while the rest of us were running around.”
Clara smiled.
“I remember you used to talk about him like he was your shadow.”
“He kind of was,” Amelia said lightly. “Always following me around, asking questions, watching everything I did.”
“And now he is all grown up,” Clara mused.
“Too grown,” Amelia said, mockingly offended. “Last time we spoke properly, he corrected my pronunciation of a word.”
Clara burst out laughing.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes!” Amelia laughed too. “Can you imagine? Me. Corrected.”
Clara wiped at her eyes.
“Oh, I need to see this reunion.”
“You will,” Amelia said. “You don’t have a choice.”
She finally found Valentine’s contact and stopped scrolling. Her thumb hovered over his name.
“Are you nervous?” Clara asked gently.
Amelia hesitated. “Maybe a little.”
Clara softened. “Why?”
Amelia shrugged.
“So much time has passed. He left… young. And now he is returning as a man.”
Clara nodded thoughtfully.
“But some bonds don’t change.”
Amelia smiled at that.
“Exactly.”
She tapped the contact but didn’t press call yet.
“He always had this way of looking at me,” Amelia said suddenly. “Like I was… home.”
Clara didn’t interrupt.
“And I always felt this need to protect him,” Amelia continued. “Even when he didn’t ask.”
She laughed quietly.
“Funny how life works.”
Clara smiled.
“Sounds like family.”
Amelia’s gaze flicked up.
“He is.”
She finally pressed call.
The phone rang once. Twice.
Clara leaned forward slightly, intrigued.
Amelia held her breath, her smile small but full.
Whatever had changed over the years, whatever distance time and borders had created, one thing remained certain, some connections were too deeply rooted to fade.
And Valentine was coming home.