Chapter 28
A self-mocking smile crossed Alaric’s face at Elisa’s words. Without another word to her, he reached for his phone, intending to call Galatea. However, Elisa promptly snatched it out of his hand before he could dial.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his voice holding a trace of irritation.
“I’m obviously calling your mom to come get you,” Elisa responded matter-of-factly, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
Alaric scoffed. “Mom’s not in Arizona today. You won’t be reaching her. Besides, I’m here to handle something between the two of us—don’t involve her.”
Raising an eyebrow, intrigued by her determination, Alaric slid his phone back into his pocket. “Alright, let’s chat. What do you want to talk about?”
Elisa sat up straighter, her gaze unwavering. “I just came to ask if you truly love my mom and when you plan to marry her.”
A heavy silence fell over Alaric.
“You’re in a hurry to get your mom hitched?” Alaric asked, his tone both amused and curious.
“It’s not like that,” Elisa replied, her voice mature for her age. “I have to consider who’s asking. My mom’s got a lot of admirers. She can’t just marry any guy. At the very least, I need to vet them for her.”
Her tone was surprisingly serious, and Alaric couldn’t help but chuckle, his amusement clear. “Oh? So, there’s quite a lineup for your mom?”
“Absolutely!” Elisa said proudly, as though it were the most obvious thing. “I mean, come on. How could anyone not see how stunning my mom is?”
Alaric smirked. “And she’s super competent professionally. She entered the U.S. Medical Research Institute, ranking first in both the written and oral exams. She was even up for a promotion before she decided to come back. If she hadn’t, she would’ve been the youngest leader at the institute!”
“Is that right? That’s impressive,” Elisa said, nodding with pride.
“Of course! Not just any guy is good enough for my mom. You seem alright. You’re quite handsome, in good shape, and you’ve got some money. You just might be good enough for her.” Once again, Alaric fell silent.
‘Does this little girl even know who I am?’
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Elisa continued, her impatience creeping in. “When do you plan to marry my mom?”
Alaric hesitated. ‘This relationship was never meant to be serious. Marrying her? Not in this lifetime.’
“Are you saying you never intended to marry my mom?” Elisa’s frustration grew at his continued silence. “You’ve been with her, and now you won’t marry her? That’s just playing dirty!”
‘Does this kid even realize what she’s accusing me of?’ Alaric thought, but he kept his face neutral.
“Ugh, you jerk!” Elisa snapped.
‘Jerk? No one had ever called me that before,’ Alaric thought, momentarily taken aback.
“Kid, I’ve heard enough of your talk. Stop causing a scene,” Alaric said firmly, lifting her in his arms and stepping out of his office. “Who did you come with? Go on home now!”
“I can walk myself!” Elisa wriggled out of his grasp and jumped down. After landing, she faced Alaric and said, “My mom is the best woman in the world. If you don’t marry her, you’re the one losing out. And if you have no plans of marrying her, stay away from her. If you dare to hurt her, I’ll punch you!”
With that, Elisa turned and walked away, leaving Alaric feeling helpless. No one had ever dared to threaten him—let alone a child. The experience was oddly unsettling.
Despite his irritation, Alaric found her tenacity surprisingly charming.
Meanwhile, Caspian had been hiding just outside the building, in a spot where the surveillance cameras couldn’t detect him, waiting for Elisa. Seeing her emerge, he quickly pulled her aside to a safe place. “How did the talk go?”
“Not good. After talking to him, I realized he’s nothing but a jerk!” Elisa exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice.
Caspian’s heart sank. ‘What? Calling my father a jerk? How could this be?’
“From what he said, he never even considered marrying Mom. Isn’t that the definition of a jerk?” Elisa pressed, clearly upset.
Caspian’s mind raced. ‘His dad had no intention of marrying Galatea?! Was all their effort in vain? No. The plan must continue. We can’t just get them together—we need to make sure they develop real feelings for each other!’
Caspian’s resolve solidified. He couldn’t let this slip away. The following day, Galatea visited Aminta Thorn, who worked at the hospital. Aminta had a busy schedule with patients that day, but Galatea was able to find her easily during the lunch break.
“We’re on lunch break right now. You’ll need to wait until the afternoon for appointments unless it’s an emergency,” Aminta called out upon hearing someone enter.
“Dr. Thorn, do you remember me?” Galatea asked, hoping to stand out among the many expectant mothers Aminta had encountered. “My name’s Stellan. Does that ring a bell?”
“Stellan?” Aminta’s eyes widened as recognition dawned. “I remember, and quite vividly at that.”
Galatea nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of her memories. “I’ve come to ask you about my first child—the one I gave birth to back then. Do you know where they are?”
Aminta’s expression shifted, and she paused before answering. “The child was taken by Mrs. Marigold,” she revealed.
“Taken by Mrs. Marigold?” Galatea repeated in shock. ‘How could she, out of the goodness of her heart, want the child?’ she wondered, struggling to make sense of the information.
“And then? Do you know where she took the child?” Galatea pressed further, her voice a mix of hope and desperation.
“I’m not sure about that. I just remember Mrs. Marigold seemed reluctant to take the child at first, then something changed, and she left with the baby,” Aminta recalled, shrugging slightly.
‘Changed? What could have happened?’ Galatea wondered, her mind racing. “Do you happen to know where Mrs. Marigold is now?”
Galatea, though Mrs. Marigold was her mother-in-law, knew almost nothing about her or her family. Mrs. Marigold was notoriously tight-lipped, and even Mia had suspected that “Mrs. Marigold” might be an alias.
“How would I know that?” Aminta replied, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Galatea asked, her voice tinged with both hope and urgency.
“Miss Galatea, I’m just a doctor. How could I possibly know such things?” Aminta said with a hint of weariness in her tone.
“I’m sorry to bother you today, Aminta. Thank you so much for telling me what you know,” Galatea said, nodding in gratitude before excusing herself.
Despite everything, Galatea felt the visit had not been in vain—at least now she knew that her child had been taken by Mrs. Marigold.
Stepping out of the hospital, Galatea sought out a professional sketch artist and described Mrs. Marigold’s appearance to him. He agreed to help and quickly sketched a portrait for her.
Staring at the sketch on her desk, Galatea felt a sense of satisfaction. The resemblance to Mrs. Marigold was uncanny—as if the woman herself were trapped within the pencil lines. It was about time to track down Mrs. Marigold, but the real question was: where to begin?