Chapter 284 A Little Plump
Her childhood had been unfortunate, and she wondered why she still had to face so many problems as an adult.
A harsh glint passed through her eyes, and she snatched up her phone, ringing out ferociously.
"I’ve been dumped by Gabriel and now I'm penniless. If you're so capable, go find Gabriel for the money!" she remarked.
"You got dumped because you didn't serve him well enough," came the crude reply.
Tiffany took a deep breath, knowing there was no point in reasoning with a brute like this.
"If you're really capable, help me get back together with Gabriel. Once I become the lady of the Lancaster Group, I can give you as much money as you want, and you can even have this house."
The greedy expression on Uncle Gu's face appeared as he excitedly agreed, "Fine, I’ll help you get him back."
"Don't think it will be that easy. His ex-wife and their child are always around him, he doesn’t even notice me anymore," Tiffany expressed.
"Leave it to Uncle Gu," he reassured her.
...
The day Emma had her stitches removed, broke Gabriel's heart seeing her cry. The doctors and nurses proceeded with the task under Gabriel's intimidating gaze and carefully removed all the stitches.
Ethan and Sam clutched their little sister's hands, wishing they could take her pain for her.
The following day, only Sophia and Gabriel were there when Emma was discharged. Alex went to handle the paperwork while Sophia packed Emma's belongings.
When it was time to leave, Gabriel snatched up Emma before Sophia could get to her.
Sophia was left speechless.
Bodyguards carrying the luggage followed behind, leaving Sophia with no choice but to follow Gabriel down to the lobby.
"Gabriel," Tiffany called out, cradling a bouquet of flowers in her arms. "I'm here to pick up Emma from the hospital."
"Congratulations on your discharge, Emma," she beamed, offering the flowers.
"Achoo!" Emma sneezed mightily.
Gabriel’s face darkened. Cradling Emma, he turned away and said in a cold voice, "Take the flowers away."
Tiffany was a bit flustered.
The kid visibly wasn't allergic to pollen; she had seen flowers in the hospital room just the other day.
Tiffany hid the flowers behind her back, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know the kid had a pollen allergy. I've taken note, and I definitely won't make the same mistake again."
Sophia approached.
"Let me take Emma," she said.
Emma reached out to her mom.
But Gabriel wouldn't let go and proceeded to carry Emma to the car.
Tiffany called out, "Gabriel..." She wanted to join them, but given her earlier misstep, she was sure Gabriel wouldn't be pleased.
Sophia furrowed her brow.
She knew full well that Gabriel intended to take Emma back to the Lancaster family mansion. She glanced at the several bodyguards surrounding them.
Resigned, she climbed into the car.
The door shut, and Tiffany watched, wide-eyed, as they drove away like a perfect family of three. Her heart felt as though it were being torn apart by countless ants.
Upon entering the Lancaster mansion, "Bang!" a celebratory cannon sounded, showering down countless multicolored petals.
"Welcome home, Princess Emma," the servants, lined up in orderly rows, welcomed in unison.
The matriarch, seated in a wheelchair, beamed, "Welcome home, my little princess."
This was the first time Emma felt so warmly welcomed, and she was delighted.
Ethan and Sam rolled up with a cake, and said, "Make a wish and blow out the candles.".
"But it’s not my birthday," Emma said, bewildered.
Someone explained, "You can make a wish and blow out the candles even when it's not your birthday."
Emma's eyes lit up with joy, and she closed them, whispering her wish, "I hope to always be with Mommy, um, and that Meanie Daddy dotes on Emma always."
Emma requested, "Mommy, come cut the cake with me."
Sophia walked over.
Gabriel joined in, "Daddy will help you cut, too."
"Really? Yay!" Emma exclaimed in excitement.
‘Wow, Mommy and Daddy were both there to help her cut the cake!’ she thought.
Emma felt incredibly happy.
Sophia hesitated; she didn't want any physical contact with Gabriel, yet she couldn't bear to disappoint Emma.
"Mommy, stop daydreaming," Emma chirped.
Sophia bit her lower lip, steeled herself, and took Emma's hand, only for Gabriel to envelop her hand with his.
At that moment, Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and then she desperately wanted to pull away.
Emma was nestled between her daddy and mommy enveloped in the warm love of her parents.
Sophia's hand was a bit chubby, feeling soft and squishy when held, very pleasant to squeeze. Gabriel gripped her hand with a bit more strength. Sophia’s other hand clenched into a fist.
The cake was sliced into individual pieces.
When Gabriel let go, he felt a faint emptiness in his heart.
Mrs. Lancaster stood by with a maternal smile on her face.
Sophia ate a little cake with Emma before excusing herself to the restroom, where she washed her hands twice with the soap.
In the mirror, she saw her face, full of resentment, and paused.
Why, after all these years, did she lose control of her emotions upon seeing Gabriel again?
Back then, she couldn't control her affection for him and insisted on marrying him. Now, she couldn't control the hatred in her heart.
Sophia stayed in the restroom longer than usual until Ethan, worried, came knocking at the door.
He called out, "Mommy."
Sophia opened the door and saw the concern on her little boy's face, which healed her torn heart.
She crouched down. "Ethan, Mommy might not be able to take you guys home for a while,” she sadly informed.
Ethan's voice choked up, holding back his tears, and asked, "Because of the big bad guy?"
Sophia wondered who he was referring to, ‘The big bad guy?’ She asked, "You don't like daddy?"
She knew the children would never speak it, but in their hearts, they longed for a father.
Now they had one, and they should be enjoying his love, but Ethan seemed reluctant to get close to Gabriel.
Ethan shook his head and answered, "He bullies Mommy, I don't like him."
She denied, "He hasn't bullied Mommy." If possible, Sophia didn't want to speak well of Gabriel.
But she didn't want her children's hearts to be filled with too much hate; they should grow up happily.
Ethan revealed, "I saw it; mommy had blood on her neck. He did it."
Sophia's eyes widened. Had Ethan seen everything when she and Gabriel had their unfortunate encounter in the States last year?
She hugged Ethan, gently comforting him, "This is an adult matter, let us handle it, okay? You're still little, you don't understand, and besides, mommy is now very strong, and won't be bullied easily."
"Ethan, Mommy has a task for you," she stated.
Ethan asked, "What task?"
She instructed, "Take good care of Emma. Mommy has to leave soon, and you two need to stay here without crying or fussing until Mommy comes to pick you up."
Ethan asked, "When?"
Sophia explained, "When mommy gets your custody, then we can all live together, even with Sam."
Tears pooled in Ethan's eyes as he nodded vigorously, the tears fell.
Sophia left the old family home, she did so while Emma was not paying attention, slipping away quietly.
Arguing forcibly with Gabriel would only harm the children, so she had no choice but to separate from them for the time being.
That evening, when Emma didn't see her mom, she cried, but Ethan and Sam managed to console her.
During Emma's hospital stay, Gabriel was always by her side, which didn't allow him to bond properly with Ethan.
"Ethan," Gabriel called out, spotting Ethan coming out of Emma's room.
He was prepared to have a heart-to-heart talk with his son.
Ethan glanced at him indifferently and then coldly retreated to his room.
Gabriel followed, but Ethan slammed the door shut and locked it from inside.
Gabriel stood outside, speechless.
The next day, a letter from a law firm was delivered to Gabriel.
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