"Grandma!" Aria shouted, and she ran to her grandmother's arms. "This Miss is trying to steal me away! She says that she's my mother." She cried.
The teacher narrowed her eyes.
Adriana sighed. "Mrs.Garcia, nice to meet you. I'm Adriana Price. Aria's biological mother. I hope we can have a chat. I know this is very unexpected to you both, but I don't have any plan on harming you two." She explained her intentions.
Adriana felt very awkward under the older woman's stare. She was so protective over Aria that it warmed her heart, but it also sent warning signs to her mind. What if the woman doesn't want to give her Aria back? What if her daughter doesn't want her?
Adriana pursed her lips, and she opened her purse. She took out her identification documents, and she handed them to the lady. "I'm not here to kidnap your grandaughter. Although I am her mother, I won't take her away from you." Adriana hoped this would help.
"You two look identical. It's hard to believe, but I will give it a try. We can talk in a public place, Miss Price. You see, when I adopted little Aria, she was a baby. The orphanage said her parents abandoned her." The old lady sounded resentful.
"You are right. It's best if we talk this through. There is a coffee shop nearby. I'll take us there, please." Adriana begged. She did not want to lose her daughter once again ever.
The old lady was still hesitant, so Adriana called Ralf over. "He is my assistant, and my driver, he will take us there." She told her. "If you still don't trust me, I would like it if you come with us." Adriana referred to the teacher.
Miss V, who was very concerned, agreed to leave with them. Adriana smiled, and she helped them inside her luxurious car. The three seemed surprise and even more distrustful now.
'Gosh. How will I solve this successfully?' She wondered.
"Miss, were your clothes perhaps designed by Justine?" Aria asked, and she lowered her head with a blush in her cheeks. Adriana smiled. "You can say so."
"But in the magazines I read, there is no such design." The girl gave her a questioning look. "If there isn't any, how were you able to tell it was design by Justine?" Adriana asked.
"Aria has always been interested in fashion magazines. She's a fan of Justine's work and can recognize her type of designs easily." Mrs.Garcia explained seeing how nervous Aria was being.
"I see." Adriana smiled again.
The whole car ride was as quiet as ever. When they arrived at the Cafe, Ralf helped the old lady and the teacher out from the left door. Meanwhile, Adriana exited from the right. She extended her hand to Aria. "Come with me." She offered.
She hesitated before taking her hand. As soon as she stepped foot on the ground, she ran to her grandmother's side, making Adriana purse her lips again.
Inside the cafe:
"Ma'am, I got us a private booth follow me." Ralf led them inside their booth, and Adriana instructed him to leave the folder in his hand and guard outside.
In front of her, Aria, Mrs.Garcia, and Miss V waited for her to speak and explain herself.
Adriana smiled, and she opened the folder. She took out a picture of James and passed it forwards. "James Price, five years old born on June 16, XXXX" Adriana spoke.
"Who is this child? He looks just like my granddaughter." Mrs.Garcia asked. "He is my son. Aria's twin brother," Adriana responded, and Mrs.Garcia was shocked. She took a moment to compose herself. "Miss V, please take my granddaughter. I would like to speak with her alone." She told the teacher, and the teacher agreed.
Aria glanced at Adriana with tears in her eyes. She was very shocked at what she had just heard.
Adriana took her son's birth certificate out of the folder, and she passed it to Mrs.Garcia. "They were born the same day and same year. We look extremely alike, and if you still don't believe me, I'm willing to do a DNA test. Looking at how alike we are, my mother's instinct tells me she's my daughter."
"I never abandoned her. I simply lost her. The system in the orphanage is something I know well but it was still very complicated to find her. I am very grateful that you cared for her all these years. I hope you understand that you can still see her anytime you want. I just want to get to know my daughter." Adriana explained, and she wiped her tears away.
"Mrs. Garcia, I searched for her five years. This whole time I have been looking for her. It took me a while, but I finally found her."
Mrs.Garcia nodded. "I understand, child. It must be so painful for you. I'm old now, and I have been worried about what might happen to Aria if I ever leave this world. I'm glad that her mother is here. She always wished to have siblings too." Mrs.Garcia held her hands in understanding.
"She is still small, and this must be very hard for her to comprehend. Maybe I should take her home, and we can meet up tomorrow after I explain it to her." Mrs.Garcia told her, and Adriana nodded.
"That's perfect with me." She replied, and she wiped her tears away, looked at the old lady gratefully. 'This went better than expected.' She thought happily.
"Do you mind if I spend a few minutes with her?" Adriana asked with hopeful eyes. After so many years, the only thing she wanted to do was to get to know her daughter.
"Hmm, I will talk to her first." The old lady agreed.
Adriana smiled. "I will wait outside for you guys to talk," The old lady nodded.
Aria entered the booth after Adriana left.
"Is she my mother?" She asked with a distant tone different from before. "It seems so. She looks rich too. I want you to talk to her and make her help us, yeah?" Her grandmother asked sweetly.
"But-"
"Aria, we talked about this before. You listen to me and do everything I say, or you will be quicked out of my home." Mrs.Garcia sent her a glare, and Aria smiled mockingly.
"I'm not that stupid. After so many years, I learned to survive. If that's my mommy, I will finally escape you!" Aria sniffed and held back her tears.
"Mommy! She is a bad woman to help me! Mommy, help me!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.
"You little b*tch!"
Adriana halted, and she gave Ralf a look.
'It was going way too easy.' She thought. She rushed inside the booth, and she found the so-called grandma pulling her daughter by the hair. Her little princess was in tears and shouting for her mom.
Adriana felt something within her. Something only a mother could understand. There was something telling her 'Save her. Protect her.' She immediately took her daughter in her arms, and she glared at the shameless older woman.
"Get rid of her!" She ordered Ralf.
Ralf smirked.
The teacher stood rooted on the ground in shock. "Does she harm you too?" Adriana asked, and Aria nodded.
"Scram!" She yelled at the teacher, and the woman ran away in fear.
"You know what to do with them." She sent Ralf a meaningful look.