Having noticed Charmaine retreating to Luke's side, Leo quickly turned to Adele and removed the arms clinging onto him. It was a bit awkward as Adele chose to greet him this way when she was usually not this touchy before. "Mom, Adele...Please sit down. I want you to meet Charmaine and Luke." he said as he tried to flee from Adele's grasp and ran to Charmaine's side.
Adele eyed the woman who was sitting on the edge of the bed but it didn't even spare her a glance. Instead, she turned to Leo's mother and greeted her with a short "Hello."
"Charmaine.... Your fiancee?", Elise asked. "You're Charmaine Song?"
"She's my wife now, mom. We're already married." Leo replied for his wife. When she heard that, Elise's brows knitted together showing displeasure.
"I can't believe you went on with that." Elise commented. Charmaine didn't answer and just looked away. She already expected this. The Elise Weber in her other life was also the same. She didn't like her one bit and she didn't try to hide it. Back then, she sought for her favor and tried to change her impression of her but it was to no avail. This time, she doesn't feel like submitting to her mother in laws will anymore.
"Mom, let's not start an argument in front of a sick child. This is our son, Luke." Leo introduced the boy. "Luke, say hi to grandma." he told the child.
Elise was stunned as she turned to look at the child. She didn't notice it before but the boy looked exactly like her son when Leo was little. She couldn't help but get overwhelmed with the boy's intimidated look. Was she fierce just now? So this is perhaps the reason why Leo married the woman? Because she gave him a child? How cunning!
Luke, although he was hesitant complied and greeted the woman with a short "hi." Elise answered with a nod and then turned to Leo. "You had a child this big but you didn't even mention to me? What's his illness? I hope it's not serious." she asked.
"It's just a fever. Everything will be alright once he gets a little rest." he replied.
Luke glanced at his quiet mommy who was sitting beside him. She looked dazed and it made him sad. It seemed to him that the visitors made his mommy unhappy. Well, he himself didn't like them either. Specially the woman who was staring at his dad as if she was planning to eat him up. Luke has been watching her and although she was startled when she heard Leo announced he's already married, she easily recovered from the blow. He didn't know why but he felt wary of the woman. There's something about him that he doesn't like but he can't specify what it is.
"Dad... I'm sleepy." Luke suddenly mumbled and then he turned to Charmaine. "Mommy... please stay with me while I rest." he said while clinging to the hem of her blouse.
With that cue, Leo led Elise and Adele outside the room. Charmaine was left alone in the room with Luke. As if sensing how her heart was breaking, Luke leaned closer to Charmaine and hugged her. "Mommy.... before mamma left, she told me something. She said... 'Luke, when I'm gone, Minmin will be your one and only mommy. Listen to her and stay with her always.' So mommy... I'm never going to leave you. I'll always be here for you." Luke uttered as he leaned on her chest. "I won't allow anyone to bully you! Not even daddy!" he declared.
Charmaine was both stunned and moved. Jienna really told that to Luke? She hugged him tighter as she remembered her sister. Luke was the best gift her sister ever left her. It was her responsibility to protect his happiness and that includes his family. She won't let anyone destroy them.
***
"Mom, why didn't you tell me you were visiting in advance?" Luke asked as they walk through the hallway. He was escorting them two women out of the building.
"You were too busy to even remember calling me. What's wrong with me wanting to see my only son?", she said with her usual cold tone and expression. Obviously, it was from Elise that Leo inherited his aloof attitude.
"I didn't say anything like that. How long are you gonna stay? Check out from the hotel and just move to my house." he suggested.
Elise raised her brows. "You don't live in the Ji mansion anymore?" she asked.
"I moved out a while ago. Charmaine wanted a quiet life so I bought a house in St. George Hill. We wanted to try living in a more relaxing environment."
Elise studied her son's expression. Contrary to what she expected, it looks like Leo was getting along quite well with Charmaine. She wondered if she did the wrong thing by bringing Adele with her for this visit.
Elise glanced at the woman silently walking behind her. When she married Franc Weber, she, along with her children: Leo and Laura moved in with their family in Bonn. Franc had two kids with his first wife: Adele and Geoff. Adele and Leo were of the same age and got along very easily. They were both ten years old by that time while Geoff and Laura were thirteen and seven years old. They all lived together for a few years before Joel Ji won over the kids custody. The four years they had been together, Elise realized Adele and Leo had made a special bond. But they just have to part because Leo had an engagement waiting for him in Chelsea. She can still remember her teenager son leaving Germany with a broken heart. She thought it was very cruel for the Jis to decide upon his son's future like that! So whenever Leo comes to visit her, she would encourage him to stay connected to Adele. She wanted him to fight for his happiness and his future. Adele was Leo's first love and Charmaine was just someone Leo complained about whenever he visited in Bonn. He would say she's annoying and clingy; he didn't like her at all. But looking at Leo after those four years he didn't visit; that he said managing the Ji business was taking a lot of his time, why does it feel like her son has changed? Something was different about him, and it doesn't look like he hates that woman anymore.
"Leo...." Elise stopped from her tracks. Leo turned to his mother with questioning eyes. "Tell me the truth. Why did you marry her?", she asked.
Leo looked straight to her mother's eyes. It was then that it downed on him: the mistakes he did in the past. "Because I like her." he declared.
Adele just watched while all these happened. She had been waiting for Leo all these years. Had he already forgotten about their promise?