Chapter Five: Erin
A full week passed by in a blur. Maine Bismarck fully recovered from the shock caused by last week's traumatizing near-death experience. Aside from countless journalists outside the building writing a detailed report of the building's entrance, now known as the miraculous landmark for blocking a truck, his days had been pretty hectic due to the building's repairs.
The security team showed Maximillian the CCTV footage of the last week's events and it sent chills to everyone's bones.
Ms. Sinclair leaped from the coffee shop and shoved people out of the way and pulled him and Maine inside the building. Mrs. Jean Baden-Rodriguez held Ms. Sinclair's arms and blabbered in confusion because of her friend's actions. It all occurred in under forty seconds. After merely three seconds, a truck appeared in the footage and crashed on the revolving doors of the building and the camera broke.
"Mr. Bismarck, how can the lady know that the truck is approaching? The coffee shop is a blind spot of the northbound lane from her perspective. How can she know—"
"I expect you to keep your mouth shut, Mr. Carson. You heard me?"
The head of the security department nodded.
"No one will know about her, even the press. If the media bribes you, tell me their price and I will double it."
Maximillian massaged the bridge of his nose. He already saw irrefutable proof of Hyacinth's claims about her abilities but he still had a hard time believing it.
For Maximillian, everything feels fictional. Her abilities don't make sense. He spent the last week pondering on that.
Jean entered his office and smiled, approaching him as if she has some good news to share.
God. Damn. It.
"...A week after this day, she will have her check-up with Bismarck's company physician. Jean's condition will be sensitive, Sir. I ask you to give her fewer tasks."
"Let me guess it, Jean. You are pregnant?"
Jean's eyes widened. "How did you know, Max?!" She asked, baffled with glee.
How did he not know? After his conversation with Hyacinth, he returned to his office and watched his secretary closely. Jean always eats cake nowadays— especially tiramisu— and is always grumpy whenever he interferes with her snacks (even if it's not her break time).
"How did you know, Max? I just came from the doctor's clinic."
"It's obvious, Jean. You've been eating a lot of tiramisu cake lately and you tend to be grumpy when I disturb you. That has never occurred before."
Jean sighed and mumbled, "I wish I can tell Hyacinth the good news."
Maximillian looked down at his desk. After informing Jean last week that Hyacinth will be "going away indefinitely" and relaying the message that Hyacinth has asked him to relay, Jean's spirits immediately crashed. She often complains about Hyacinth's disappearance to her husband, Andrei Rodriguez while Max happened to be passing by.
Jean continued her tirade. "She didn't even instruct me what I should do with her cousin Erin. That woman has the nerve to—"
"What did you say, Jean?" Maximillian stood up when he heard the name.
Jean's mouth stopped talking and looked at him with a quizzical brow. "Her cousin, Erin, went to my house last week and said that Hyacinth turned her away because Hyacinth has important matters to attend to."
"Bring Erin here now. I will talk to her," he ordered with urgency in his tone.
Jean crossed her arms on her chest, raising a brow as her gaze narrowed to his face. "Come to think of it, Sir, you resembled Erin."
He cursed under his breath. "Yes, she does. Anyway, can you do that? And while you're at it, book a dinner at Chef Goodman's for two under my name. Bring your husband there and give him the good news."
Jean jumped in excitement as her employer offered the infamous Chef's restaurant In Sutton City, Northern Isles. "I will, Max!"
Jean only wished that Hyacinth is with her. She knew how much her friend begged the deities to have the money to dine in the exclusive restaurant.
Maximillian shook his head in disbelief. He can't believe that Jean is capable of jumping with her high-heeled shoes. "And remove those goddamned shoes, woman! You're pregnant!"
ERIN slammed her back on the couch in her father's office as soon as Jean escorted her inside his office. The kid dared to roam her gaze around the spacious room without interest and deliberately sat on the cream-colored sofa in front of his desk as if she owns the place.
"I am hungry, Mr. Bismarck."
Maximillian sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You, kiddo, need to behave like a woman."
"You, Maximillian Bismarck, needed to man up and find Mom."
He threw a sharp glance at Erin.
The she-devil shrugged. "You are insufferable, Mr. Bismarck. I have to travel here just to realize that no one will want you as their husband except Mom."
"I am telling you, kid. Women want me."
"Why? You're an idiot. You're a jerk. Who wanted that?" The kid shrugged. "Because I won't."
Maximillian has the urge to pick the angsty teenager from the sofa and drop her from his office window. "Why are you talking to me like that if you believe that I'm your father? Don't you respect your father?"
"No, you're not. The Maximillian Bismarck I knew is a sensitive man with a lot of heart to give, even if it's obvious that his chest is hollow. He never made me feel unwanted and irrelevant. He tried so hard to be a great father, even if he was quite lonely and depressed. The Maximillian Bismarck I knew is capable of compassion. He's twice a man than you are."
He pursed his lips together, annoyed by the kid's side-by-side comparison of him to a "Maximillian Bismarck" with good-natured attributes.
"You are not my daughter, technically. You are the same age as my younger sister and, believe me, I was an innocent virgin at the time. I started seeking pleasures at the age of twenty-six and, by then, I always used protection."
Erin's jaw dropped. "Aunt Maine's right. You were a jerk in your years as a bachelor."
He wanted to rectify that, but he realized that this kid in front of him has already formed a strong opinion against him. "Why are you not with Hyacinth? Did she really kick you out that day?" Max thought that that was just a silly stunt just to make him believe their lies.
Erin sighed and regarded him with a defeated gaze. "Mom doesn't want me."
Those words stabbed him. His hands itched to pat Erin's back and tell her that those words are trash but he stopped himself by gripping the lip of his glass desk.
"But why did you go to Jean?"
"Because she's one of my godmothers."
"Why not go to my house? You claim to be my daughter from the future. You know where my house is."
"Your mansion in Greene County? No, thanks. I don't have money to travel there on my own and I don't have my passport with me. How about your unit near this building? No, thanks. That place is dusty and I have asthma. Your Bismarck Mansion in Trudor Square? It still needed renovations, especially my room."
Maximillian liked how the kid bantered with him. He's almost convinced that this kid is his if only the information she muttered is not on the internet. Literally, everyone knew about his properties. They're everywhere. People knew the Bismarcks like common knowledge.
"You have asthma? I thought you have abilities. Can you have sickness like normal people?"
Erin rolled her eyes. "I'm a time traveler, not a god."
The corner of his lip rose into a half-smirk. "Are you always like this to your supposed 'father'? Answering like this without respect for authority?"
"Well, my Dad taught me to not give my respect to jerks, and, currently, you are one."
Burned. "I see, kiddo. You may go home now. I will call Jean."
"Can't I stay with Aunt Maine? I can cook, you know. I knew you like bacon and eggs but you will like my recipe for pancakes and pancake souffle."
Maximillian shook his head. "No, kid. Go with Jean."
"If you don't let me, I will tell Aunt Jean that you kept Andrei's love letters so that Aunt Jean never marries him. You thought of Uncle Drei being a 'gold-digger'—"
"Fine! Damn it."
Erin smiled triumphantly.
Oh, to hell with this thread-reading. If such a thing is real. Maximillian is almost convinced.
Almost but not quite.
But there's no harm in taking care of a teenager, right?