Chapter 118
Emily’s jaw dropped open at the terrible news. She had not been prepared for something so serious, and she hated to see Teddy in grave danger. Not only that, it ruined her plan for Teddy to come to Vancouver since he was obviously not well enough to travel, and it meant he might die without ever seeing Byron again.
“Teddy, why didn’t you say anything, instead of sending us so many videos of puppies?” she exclaimed.
“Because puppies are more fun than cancer?”
Emily smiled in spite of the direness of the situation. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Byron is pissed off at me, isn’t he? Sending him too many emails, asking him to loan me money. It’s too much, too soon.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s exactly pissed off…” Emily began.
“Damn, I knew it.” Teddy struck the edge of the bed with his fist.
“The thing is, he just needs to know for sure that you care about him. So many people come to him for money—”
Even though she tried to put it gently, Teddy looked completely crushed. “You’re right, I should have known. I shouldn’t have asked him for money, but I was a bit desperate, and my kids are going to need it once I’m gone. But I’ll pay it all back today. It’s going to put me in debt, but I don’t care. This is not how I want my son to remember me—” He reached for a laptop that sat on the bedside table.
“Teddy, calm down. You’re not paying the money back.” Emily put a hand on his arm, trying to be kind but firm. “You were right to make an investment for your kids’ future: they are going to need it, whether you make it through this or not… actually, I’m sure you’ll get better.”
“That makes one of us,” Teddy said. “And I had been hoping to say goodbye to my first-born son before I go…”
“When you came to visit us, did you already know you were sick?” Emily asked.
“Yeah. I was hoping to set things right. I’m glad I saw Byron, and that I met you.”
Emily smiled, putting her fears aside for the moment. “I’m glad I met you too, Teddy. You’re one of a kind.”
When the family gathered for dinner, it only confirmed Emily’s good impression of them. Although faced with a crisis, they remained steadfast and caring towards each other without seeming fake.
Teddy’s daughter Clarita was just as charming and polite as her brother. Both kids had such a dignified manner, very unlike the stereotypical teenager, that Emily thought she wouldn’t mind if one day she had such well-behaved kids.
“Your kids are so amazing,” she couldn’t help telling Aitana once the teens returned to their rooms after dinner. “I don’t know how you managed to raise them so well.”
Aitana smiled, appreciating the compliment. “My kids have always been good. Maybe I just got lucky. All I did was give them lots of love.” She paused for a moment, reflecting on something. “My own parents were incredibly strict, and I decided to always be gentle with my own kids and let them do what they like, within reason.”
“It seems to work!” Emily said. “They’re so mature and graceful.”
“Thank you,” Aitana said, “I think we all learn lessons from our parents. Sometimes the lessons are harsh, but what we choose to do with that knowledge is up to us.”
Emily couldn’t wait for Byron to meet Teddy’s family. She didn’t have an idea of how to make that happen, but she hoped news of his father’s illness might shake Byron out of his rut… at the risk of depressing him even more.
That evening, just as she went to bed in the cosy guest room the family set up for her, Emily got an urgent message from Katie. The subject heading literally said: Urgent!!!
The messaged warned her that Spenser was up to no good, and that he had quit the company after sending some shocking emails… but Katie’s warning had come too late. When Emily opened another message sent to her directly from Ruby. It read:
Have you been making out with an employee? Naughty, naughty. Enjoy the saucy attachment as your memento. I also sent it to your fiancé and all your employees. Have fun untangling this mess!
Attached was a picture of Emily being embraced Spenser. But this couldn’t be real! She didn’t remember ever getting that close with her receptionist.
After taking a couple of seconds to understand what was happening, Emily decided the picture had to be fake. It only showed her from the back, and even Spenser’s face wasn’t fully visible, blocked out by her head.
She remembered that day when Spenser said she had something on her face, and he came closer to her and tilted his head sideways while he dabbed at her cheek with a tissue. Emily thought at the time he was being helpful, but he must have been posing for that photo. With a little trick photography, it could have looked like they were making out. She didn’t remember anyone being in the office that day, though. It must have been a hidden spy camera.
This was so typical of Ruby. When Fred found the slight connection between Ruby and Spenser, Emily regretted not asking him to investigate more urgently.
Now with that photo emailed to Byron in his fragile state, it could send him over the edge.
