When Briana reached her house, she was in high spirits.
"Where's my mother?" She asked the first maid she saw.
"Madam is in her bedroom." The maid responded.
She nodded and headed up the stairs to her mother's room.
"Oh, wait! Young Miss, a package arrived for you, I had it placed in your room."
"Okay!" Briana dismissed her and rushed to her mother's room.
When she reached, she knocked on the door.
"Come in." Her mother replied.
She grinned and made her way inside.
"How are you feeling ma?" She asked, sitting down next to her.
"I'm feeling a bit better." Her mother gave her a weak smile.
Briana frowned, seeing her pale complexion. "I don't understand, you were walking around perfectly fine just a few days ago."
"Well, you know how this sickness is. It will never leave me alone till' the day I die." She sighed and opened her arms.
Briana pouted and accepted her embrace.
"Don't speak about death to me, okay? You'll live long and then you'll meet your grandchildren. I just know it, you're strong and you won't leave me." Briana hugged her tighter.
Lina Brooklyn sighed and patted her head.
"The only reason I'm still fighting, it's for you, sweetie."
….
After putting her mother to sleep, Briana walked back to her bedroom. She had to go back to LABELS soon, so she only had an hour left.
As she tried to walk into her room, she almost tripped in an enormous box that reached her waist.
She frowned and closed the door behind her.
"Did mom order something?" She wondered.
Walking towards her bathroom, she knelt down and beneath all the hygienical products under her sink; she pulled out a sharp knife.
She then used it to open the box. When she had opened it, she put the knife away and her frown deepened.
Inside it was another box, and after opening that there was another.
When she was about to give up and just toss the entire package away, she reached into a rectangular box with birthday wrapping and a bow.
She looked at the note on it and read it out loud.
"Happy birthday! I hope you like what I sent."
Now that she was ready to check the contents of the box, she groaned. It was so tight and hard to open even after she got rid of all the wrapping. Because of all the strength, she was using when she pulled the box apart all of what was inside fell onto the floor.
As soon as she saw one picture on the floor, her heart started pounding loudly.
She swallowed, and as she picked up everything, her face turning uglier and uglier.
"Mom, what have you done?"
In a hurry, she walked through all the documents, credit and debit card records, addresses, security camera tapes, hotel records, and so on.
There was not a single piece of proof that could deny what her mother had done. It had dates and places where the cameras were retrieved, in case she wanted to make sure it's real.
She clenched her fists until blood started dripping down from her hand.
There was even a list of every crime her mother had committed and how many years in prison each one would gift her.
Enraged, Briana opened the door and forced her way into her sleeping mother's bedroom.
"Are you serious, mother? You were looking for my gift the day you did this, and you were hanging out with your friend the same night you f*cked some else's husband! And you have been doing it since he was a minor!" Even swallowing hurt, she couldn't believe she had to say right out of her mouth.
Tears rolled down her eyes, and she looked at her mother like she was looking at a complete stranger.
Thankfully, she had closed the door, and the walls were soundproof.
"Are you kidding me? Sick? You don't sick to me!"
Even saying it made her feel disgusted.
"Briana?' Her mother who was just waking up frowned in confusion.
"What do you plan to do about this? And of all things, why did you have to get yourself found out? How am I supposed to find the person who sent me these?" Briana tossed all the pictures onto her bed.
Lina Brooklyn's already pale complexion because of her health, turned even paler.
She was as white as a sheet, and she bit her trembling lips.
"H-How is this possible?"
Briana gnashed her teeth and put her hand on her waist.
"It's okay." She took a deep breath and calmed down. "It's fine, I'll fix this."
The first time Lina Brooklyn had heard that sentence from her daughter, she had thought little of it. The second time, Briana had said that sentence she had murdered someone's wife. And the third time she heard her daughter say that, it ended in her sister's divorce.
Now Briana's older sister hated her to the very core.
Now, this fourth time, she couldn't imagine what her daughter would do.
She knew her daughter was like this, but she loves her daughter. It didn't matter anyway, Lina was dying and at a fast rate.
Her health was worsening, and she had been hanging out with Caroline's husband because she missed him.
He was younger when they fell in love and she was married, but even then their love fought through. She knew it was wrong, they both did, but they agreed to continue in secret.
Briana picked up the images and walked out of her bedroom, slamming the door shut.
Lina Brooklyn covered her face with her palm and cried. She didn't want things to end up like this.
…..
"There has to be something." Briana started looking through all the boxes.
She fell on her knees and sobbed her heart out. This was not happening. It just had to be some kind of sickening nightmare.
"Oh, god...What the hell am I supposed to do?!" She screamed.
She felt her heart clench. Her family...it was happy and perfect. How could her mother destroy it all like this?
For years! This had been going on for years!
"A number, I need a number." She choked on her saliva, trying to control herself from breaking down.
She couldn't let her family fall apart, and so she was going to fix this. Of course, there's no way she would look at her mother the same way again.
Of course, she did not see this coming at all. And neither would she expect that there is someone near to her home with the other part of the packages that are yet to be delivered. The man was just waiting for a call, with a time where he would have to deliver the rest of her present.
Not finding anything, she ripped each box to pieces.
She then ordered a maid to bring her a black trash bag. All the boxes in pieces she put inside until she found the note again.
Looking down at it from her height and sighed in relief when she saw a number behind it.
She picked up her phone and dialed the number.
As she waited for someone to pick it up she brought and the documents and photos, she then ripped them into pieces and tossed them in her bathtub.
After it was filled up, with her hand she mixed everything around until all it was dissolved.
When she realized it was not enough, she let it soak there for as long as it needed.
Still not getting an answer from the phone, she anxiously bit her lip.
She pulled her hair in frustration and tried again...again and again and again and many more times after that.
Still frustrated by the shocking and unexpected situation, she called someone to look at all the cameras and erase any evidence of what her mother had done.
She had to make sure the information wouldn't reach her father's hands or the public.
Her father loves his mother and if he finds out, he would kick her out even if she's sick.
And Briana couldn't afford that. It is her mother, no matter what she has done.
-----
"Ma'am, Mr.Preston was the one to clear your path," Ralf informed her, of why it was so easy to leave NY without the reporter's fuss.
She hummed and told him to get some rest. Glancing, at the ringing phone in her hand she laughed and placed it away.
It was a pity, a real pity that she couldn't see Briana's expression right now. OH, but the day would come...soon very soon.
And Adriana would make sure to savor every single second of it.
When Ralf entered his own section, she looked back at her kids who were quietly discussing what they would draw in the wall.
"Ducks?"
"What are we? What have we become? Since when do we draw ducks?" Aria argued.
"But it would be cute." James insisted.
"No, the wall needs something more special! Not ducks! It's too what's the word….Hmm, cliche." She then proudly puffed her chest, because she had pronounced the word perfectly and because she thought of such a 'smart' word.
James rolled his eyes only to receive a glare from his sister.
"Now, let's try this again!" She ordered, with her professional expression.
Adriana shook her head and looked down at her purse, with a phone still constantly ringing.
.....
When they reached Paris, it was almost 6 pm in New York.
Because of the time difference, the kids were wide awake, although it was 12 am in Paris.
She could tell it would take a long time to put them to sleep.
"Let's go." She handed her hands to them and each took one.
Then they walked out of the jet, entering the VIP area.
"Aunt Kimberly! Aunt Cristy!" Aria shouted in surprise.
She then ran to the first aunt she saw, which was Kimberly.
Cristy folded her arms, tilting her head at James who hid away behind her mother's leg.
"Go beg for forgiveness, son." Adriana chuckled.
James pouted, and he cautiously walked towards his aunt Kimberly.
He did not recognize the aunt his twin was hugging, but he knew it was over for him.
As soon as she reached him, Cristy gave him a good ear pulling and scolded him.
Kimberly, who had sneakily taken a flight to Paris yesterday, knowing Adriana had plans of coming back soon, was excited to know she had reached today.
She had a long very long time to talk to Cristy about the twins and it was a very exciting moment for her. To think she has such a cute/naughty/thoughtful pair of niece and nephew.
After giving Aria lots of kisses, she placed her down and looked down at James who was rubbing his ear.
"Hello, you must be James." She knelt down and looked at his face.
She found herself frozen in her place. Aria made a wonderful combination of genes, but James….he was a freaking copy of her brother when he was little.
'No wonder Adri hid him away.' She thought.
"Nice to meet you, you look more handsome than in the pictures. Way more!"
James nodded his head, nervous because he didn't know her.
'I never thought I would someday be grateful for my little brother's annoying handsome face.' Kimberly thought with amusement.
Aria who saw how uncomfortable he was since he didn't know Kim, stepped in. She took her brother's hand and her aunties and then started cheerfully introducing them.
When James heard 'Uncle Noah's sister' he knew it. This was his real aunt, and by 'real' he meant by blood.
He was smart enough to see her spooked expression every time she saw him. Despite his still dyed hair, it didn't change his features. And so he concluded that this auntie knew the truth.
Adriana saw Cristy looking back at the twins who had sat on a couch and talked with Kimberly endlessly.
"I guess they will get along." Adriana smiled she then ran to Cristy and jumped in for a hug.
"Woah, did you miss me that much best friend?" Cristy teased.
"I did, how could I not miss my emotional support?"
"Pfft, I missed you too. You have a lot to tell, huh?"
"Hmm, but for now take the kids and their new aunt home. I have to face the reporters." Adriana replied.
"Okay, I'll see you later then." Cristy gave her a kiss on her cheek and then walked to the twins and Kimberly.
Ralf handed Adriana a cold water bottle and a pair of sunglasses.
'Wearing sunglasses inside is so douchy but necessary.' She thought.
"Now, that I have achieved my first objective, keep everyone quiet and...calm. I want nothing about me on the internet, Natalie will handle the fire situation but you need to make sure the public forgets it quickly. It won't be good for the new clothing line coming in." She ordered.
"What about your pictures?" Ralf asked.
"What's the point? Everyone knows how I look like now, just make sure my name remains unknown and anything else about me. As soon as you find anyone snooping around report to me. Also...many know that Adriana Price has come back from the dead, so send someone to handle that as well."
"Understood."
Regaining her icy front, she walked through the door that led to the main entrance of the airport.
With Ralf behind her, as soon as her very own bodyguards saw her, they build a human wall around her, stopping the aggressive reporters from overwhelming her physically.
"Justine, are the rumors true did your factory really burn down?"
"Justine, why is there no official report from the fire department about your factory burning down?"
"Justine, will the fire affect your collaboration with LABELS?"
"Justine, you promised a press conference referring to the images of your face that were exposed by a fan recently!"
"Justine, will-"
"Silence, just because I was gone for a while doesn't mean the rules aren't applicable anymore. If you want answers, please calm down and give me SPACE to breathe and speak." She told them all in a loud and cold voice.
The reporters, knowing this was her famous method to get rid of them, calmed down and followed her request.
The human wall around Adriana gradually dispersed, and they lined up behind her.
She took a deep breath and was pleased to see all the reporters in a group in front of her.
When she still heard a bit of commotion and not dead silence as she hoped, she cleared the throat. "If any of you still refuse on a CIVILIZED method, leave the airport. I will answer none of your questions."
Finally, there a pin drop of silence.
"Great, now... Yes, there was a fire, but it was only a shipment sent by a company working for an opposing brand. The matter is under investigation, involving the police itself and the people behind the exaggerated rumors, and the fire will be held accountable."
"There were no injured, people and it did not cause any deaths. I believe the motive of the rivaling company was for me to receive the public's backlash. The situation is being handled and I hope you can all understand that I cannot give any further details until I know things for sure." She continued.
"Regarding the press conference I promised, I will hold it when I have the time and energy for it. Like you all know I don't enjoy discussing my private life, which you can't deny is what you are all interested in. Because of the sudden fire, I will hold the press conference, clearing up rumors and giving you all the facts of the situation." She smiled at the pictures they were taking and then she stopped talking.
"That's all, please leave the airport and avoid disturbing others who are anxiously waiting to see either loved ones." She dismissed the reporters and waited until they were gone.
The bodyguards once again made a human wall around her and escorted her out of the airport.
It was a routine. Adriana would never go home in the same car as her children for safety, and she made sure no one was following her car as she went home.
The way she maintained her security and her secrecy made it impossible for anyone to dig up on her.
So far, no reporter could get any factual information on her unless she allowed otherwise.
She couldn't lie about her thankfulness to Noah. New York and Paris are two different places, and she couldn't expect the reporters in New York to follow her requests as the reporters in Paris did.
He did a good job of removing the stress that dealing with reporters gave her.