Emery chose The Jade for our meetup because it offered more privacy, especially against paparazzi. By the time we arrived, Alexander was already waiting by the entrance.
“Sienna!” Alexander exclaimed zealously. Although he called my name, his eyes were on Gregory. Sensing his intention, I pulled Gregory behind me, busting his attempt to lift him up.
“Mr. Zimmerman.” I chuckled triumphantly. Even adults needed time to warm up to strangers, what more, a six-year-old. Since Anthony trusted Gregory with me, I ought to keep him safe.
Having seen through his plan, Alexander released an awkward laugh. “Emery’s waiting for you in the private room.” Then, he half-squat to match Gregory’s eye level. “You must be Anthony’s son, Gregory, right? You can call me Uncle Zimmerman!” He looked at the kid with adoration.
Gregory popped his head out from behind me. His eyes darted around nervously before replying, “I am.”
Alexander could not stop grinning at his adorable behavior. Then, he fished for some milk candies from his pocket and handed them out to the boy. “Want some?”
Had I not known Alexander’s identity, I would’ve assumed he was up to no good.
Although Gregory loved sweets, he resisted the urge to take them and reluctantly pulled his gaze away. Then he looked at me. “Ms. Stanhope, can I…”
I took the sweets and placed them in his hands. “You can have them. But what should you say?”
“Thank you, Uncle Zimmerman.”
That small interaction had Alexander on cloud nine. “Gregory, I have lots of other delicious food. Hamburgers, fried chicken, cakes…”
Preoccupied with his sweets, Gregory paid no heed to him.
Noticing his unresponsiveness, Alexander stopped his rambling.
I hurriedly added, “Gregory’s a picky eater so he won’t eat many of those. Let’s not keep Emery waiting now. Lead the way.”
Thankfully, Alexander listened and led us to the room.
Noticing our arrival, Emery walked excitedly towards us. “Sweetie! We’re finally by ourselves. Let me carry you!”
Gregory retreated a few steps back, then looked at me for assurance. Seeing how I was not stopping her, he allowed Emery to carry him.
With the boy in her arms, she was overflowing with happiness. “After so many years of interference by the Hall family, and Anthony’s unwillingness to recognize our ties, I finally have you in my arms again!” Emery checked him up, taking in all the changes. Her affectionate gaze made her seemed more of his real mom than me.
Alexander got jealous of their interaction and turned away childishly.
Based on Gregory’s behavior around Emery and Alexander made me certain that this child was not one to judge based on appearance. Although the latter had a handsome face and a good figure, I could tell the kid was more comfortable with Emery.
After a while of bonding, Emery asked sarcastically, “Don’t our superstar here have any commercials to shoot today?”
Alexander ignored her underlying message. “Work is never-ending. It’s such a rare opportunity to see Gregory. Naturally, I want to spend more time with him!”
His mischievous tone seemed like a provocation to Emery. Try all she might, but he would not leave.
She rolled her eyes and resumed playing with Gregory. She could not be bothered to entertain his childish behavior.
After the waiter served our dishes, he closed the door tight after him. Emery got down to business.
“Do you know Anthony had a fallout with his sister recently?”
“Really?” Some time back, I had noticed Anthony got mad during the company’s performance appraisal. However, he had done nothing to Tiffany then. After all, they were family. Who knew what happened afterward.
“I’m quite certain this is true. Now that Anthony discharged Tiffany from all responsibilities, many people in the upper management are getting restless.” She analyzed the situation seriously.
Alexander chipped in his two cents’ worth. “Perhaps Anthony regained his memories. He’s just paying back for what the Hall family did to him. They deserve it.”
“What’d you mean?” I asked.
Emery glared warningly at him. “That’s enough. Shouldn’t you leave now? If your fans discover you, it’ll disrupt my business.”
Alexander clearly had more to say, but kept it in. He could not go against her words and left reluctantly.
Then Emery took the spot right next to me. “So… any progress with you and Anthony?”
“Not really. But if I have to name one, I wish he would go away.”
She felt dispirited by my response. “Do you really hate him this much?”
I shrugged helplessly. If Emery was being harassed by Anthony repeatedly like I was, she probably wouldn’t even have the mood to meet me for dinner. I asked her seriously, “Has Anthony ever loved anyone seriously before?”
“I mean, if he didn’t love you, you probably won’t have given birth to his children.” While speaking, her eyes reflexively landed on Gregory. “What a looker! I’m so envious.”
I teased, “Alexander has good genes too. Why not have one with him? I bet the child won’t pale beside Gregory.”
“Forget it. One troublemaker is enough. I won’t want to get myself involved in another. And, we’re talking about you now! Don’t digress.”
As the conversation got deeper, she advised, “You know, the both of you have been through so much all these years. Obviously, it’ll be great to have your memories back. But if that’s not possible, shouldn’t you think for yourself and the kids? If the Hall family knows you’re still alive, they won’t let you off easily.”
Some words did not have to be said explicitly. Tiffany’s behavior was enough for me to infer what the Hall family was like. Pretending to recover my memories was so that I could help Anthony get his custody of our daughter back. No matter what, it would only benefit the Halls.
“I haven’t thought that far. Anthony’s plan is to get Audrey back first.”
“What about you? Do you feel the same way?”
I pondered for a few moments. “A child can’t grow up without a mother. Six years is enough. I don’t want to miss any more of her growth.”
Emery lowered her head, deep in thought.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Some things are best experienced yourself. If you think that engaging in a lawsuit with the Stanhope family is the right thing to do, then do it. But I know that rather than the outcome, some people will be happy just to see you alive and well.”
Her words stunned me momentarily.
She was clearly hinting that the Stanhopes were waiting for their Sienna to come home. But if that was true, why didn’t they search for me these past six years? They had even published her obituary to the world. As she said, there was no point figuring out with limited information. The only way was to experience everything myself.
Amidst our conversation, Gregory had fallen asleep. Before leaving, I woke him up. “Can you walk yourself?”
In a half-asleep state, he rubbed his eyes. Meanwhile, he grabbed my thumb with his other hand and replied sleepily, “Yes.”
Bequeath with this adorable scene, Emery and I smiled at each other. I held his hand as we made our way out.
At the main hall, Alexander popped out of nowhere, holding an exquisitely wrapped gift bag.
“What are you up to this time?” Emery asked suspiciously.
“Can’t you be gentler with me?” Then he squatted. In place of his furrowed brows was a tender gaze. He handed the gift bag to Gregory. “Little one, here’s a gift for you! Your laptop’s outdated, so I got you the latest model. It’ll be more efficient to use this.”
At the mention of a laptop, Gregory’s eye lit up. “Thank you, Uncle Zimmerman!” He was no longer wary of the man.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.