Elliana typed back, “Our minds must operate on the same wavelength, huh?”
“Called it perfectly!”
Seconds later, Adah’s incoming call appeared on Elliana’s screen.
Elliana answered promptly.
“So, what’s the aftermath like after dropping your Rosa bombshell today?” Adah asked, her curiosity evident.
“Nothing particularly dramatic,” Elliana replied with measured casualness.
Heeding Rita’s warning, Elliana had kept her discreet identity as Rosa under wraps before turning twenty. Now, at twenty, she saw no issue in revealing her Rosa identity to deal with Paige, especially since this move might even let Rita, wherever she was, witness more of her life’s journey.
“And how are things progressing with your husband?” Adah pressed, her voice laced with intrigue.
Elliana hesitated momentarily before divulging the full situation between herself and Cole.
Adah erupted into loud laughter. “You’re kidding! The high-and-mighty Mr. Evans actually has an endearing side beneath all that arrogant exterior?”
Adah’s characterization of Cole as “endearing” triggered Elliana’s own laughter. “Enough about him already. What’s happening in your world? How much longer will you remain in Apricot Blossom Village?”
Like Elliana, Adah enjoyed tremendous independence, living according to her own rules without constant supervision.
Technically, Adah had been fostered by a family in Apricot Blossom Village, but that family merely collected payments from the Norris family while barely checking on her. She could disappear for extended periods, and they wouldn’t express the slightest concern. Whatever she got up to out there, they were clueless about it.
Throughout the years, Elliana and Adah had orchestrated numerous clandestine meetings, embarking on countless adventures together without anyone ever discovering their escapades.
Back when Adah was initially sent away, her grandmother had established strict parameters. No one was permitted to retrieve Adah or visit her in Apricot Blossom Village without explicit approval. Consequently, Adah’s visits to Ublento had been conducted with utmost discretion, never alerting her family to her presence.
Recently, Adah had been residing in Apricot Blossom Village longer than usual, primarily to recover after completing an exhausting project that had drained her energy.
“I’ll be returning to Ublento soon,” Adah revealed with unmistakable determination. “This time, I’m making a proper reappearance as my family’s eldest daughter.”
“The Norris family is actually coming to collect you?” Elliana asked, surprise evident in her voice.
“Yup,” Adah replied, a hint of cynicism coloring her tone. “Not from any sudden wellspring of familial affection, mind you. The Shaw family patriarch is demanding my return to honor a marriage arrangement, so my family has been cornered into action.”
Elliana was familiar with Adah’s childhood engagement to Allan, the Shaw family heir-an arrangement orchestrated by Adah’s mother and Allan’s grandfather. The situation paralleled Elliana’s childhood betrothal to Raylan with remarkable similarity.
Years ago, Elliana and Adah had often joked about their mothers’ inexplicable determination to secure these arranged marriages.
Following Adah’s mother’s passing and Adah’s subsequent exile to Apricot Blossom Village, Elliana and Adah had assumed Adah’s engagement to Allan had been forgotten. Yet now, Allan’s grandfather was resurrecting the arrangement.
Allan’s grandfather’s actions stirred memories of Raylan’s grandfather’s similar persistence.
Neither Elliana nor Adah could fully comprehend why both elders remained so steadfastly committed to these arrangements. Nevertheless, both women welcomed the opportunity to finally associate openly in Ublento-an undeniable positive development.
Elliana mentioned with calculated casualness, “I’ve actually encountered your fiance, Allan. He moves in the same circles as Cole.”
“Really?” Adah responded, genuine interest animating her voice. “Paint me a picture of him. What sort of man is Allan?”
Elliana conjured Allan’s essence and offered Adah a few choice descriptors. “Handsome, steady, classy.”
Elliana paused thoughtfully and then elaborated, “He projects this polished, suave exterior, but beneath that facade? Complete control freak. Possibly even a charismatic rogue with questionable intentions.”
Adah cracked up. “Your assessment couldn’t be further from my preference,” she replied, amusement still dancing in her eyes. “You know I gravitate toward those tender-hearted, affectionate men who cherish me like royalty.”
Adah exuded confidence and spirit, her personality ablaze with determination.
The two had once discussed their ideal partners extensively. Elliana remained ambiguous during that conversation, while Adah articulated her desires with remarkable precision. She yearned for a gentle soul who would adore her unconditionally. By those standards, Allan missed Adah’s romantic criterion by miles.
“What’s your next move?” Elliana inquired.
“I’ll return to Ublento and navigate the situation as it unfolds,” Adah responded, dismissing concerns with a casual shrug. “The Shaw family engagement serves as my dignified reentry into Ublento society. I can’t abandon it immediately. Once my position solidifies, I’ll consider withdrawing from the arranged marriage.”
“I’ll await you in Ublento, ready whenever you need me,” Elliana promised.
“Perfect.”
Rita and Sally had vanished in that devastating fire years earlier, yet Elliana and Adah remained convinced their mothers still lived. They had investigated this possibility discreetly for ages. Reuniting openly in Ublento would significantly advance their search efforts.
After concluding her conversation with Adah, Elliana felt a wave of exhaustion and surrendered to sleep.
Meanwhile, Irene tossed restlessly in her room, fury keeping slumber at bay. Her altercation with Louisa had infuriated Bertram so intensely that he departed the Evans estate late, leaving her isolated in their bedroom.
No longer commanding respect as the family matriarch, coupled with Bertram’s cold shoulder and even Louisa’s disrespect, Irene seethed internally. Every moment stretched interminably.
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.