"Emma, behave," William called out. He didn't want his granddaughter to be labeled as ill-mannered.
'If Emma is to do the same as Max, what would be the difference between our family and the Davies? Now we can blame Max for being rude and easily calling off the engagement but it would not be the same if Emma was to disrespect the elder couple' William pondered deeply.
"I'm sorry, I have been rude." Emma apologized.
She knew that things were bound to be complicated if she acted rashly. But how could she sit there and listen to their hypocrisy? What did she do to deserve this?
"Take a seat, Emma. We can talk. It's discourteous and inconsiderate to let our guests stand for too long," Adrian said.
"Yes," Emma did not want to go against my father.
However, she did not sit with the Davies. She went ahead and sat with her father.
"What happened wasn't supposed to happen. I'll take full responsibility for the damages," Mr. Davies started. He sounded regretful.
"You don't have to. Just leave our daughter alone and we'll be content," It was Mrs. Woods who answered.
"Mrs. Woods, we can't suddenly break the engagement that's been decided by the elders of both families. Please try to be rational," Mrs. Davies tried to reason.
"It is a known fact that the said engagement never occurred. Your family has been putting off this engagement for years and finally, when it was to take place, your son caused a scene. Rings have never been exchanged so, to say that it's difficult to break the engagement is insensible to me as it never took place," Mrs. Woods looked fierce as she spoke.
Emma had never seen her Mom like this. Mrs. Woods had always been kind and graceful. Emma was partly stunned and partly glad that her mom stood up for her.
"Mrs. Woods, your words are quite harsh." Mrs. Davies sweated.
"Hardly so, I am merely stating facts. If there is a flaw, you can correct me," Mrs. Woods was unrelenting as she spoke gracefully with a smile.
'It's a good thing that we have come to know their attitude towards Emma. I can't dare imagine the difficulties my daughter would have to face if she were to marry their son' Mrs. Woods's attitude became even more firm at the thought.
"You are not giving us a chance to apologize, Mrs. Woods." Mr. Davies said lightly. He had come here to ask the Woods family not to break the engagement. 'The losses would be unimaginable' he thought.
'Even at this moment, they are not worried about my daughter's feelings but about their business,' Adrian thought as he could read Mr. Davies's emotions on his face. He felt resentful on behalf of his daughter.
"We will not find trouble with you. Our cooperation will continue until one of us breaches the agreement. Our personal feelings will not affect the business. You can rest assured." William said. He knew the purpose of their visit today.
It wasn't that they were remorseful of their actions or felt guilty towards Emma rather they were worried that the Woods family would break off the business contact as well.
"You have misunderstood," Mr. Davies stated but since he was never an eloquent man, he couldn't refute William's statement.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Emma doesn't want to marry Max and it will not change." William said, putting an end to the conversation.
The Davies had come today to apologize and request the Woods family but they never expected even in their wild dreams to be treated so coldly.
They weren't thick skinned so they left after saying goodbye. But it caused another misunderstanding between the two families.
Emma went to her room soon after they left. Closing the door of her room, she slid down leaning against the door frame. She felt drained.
She was at a loss for words and emotions. She didn't know how to react after meeting them. It was like meeting strangers whom you have never known before.
She decided something after a while and came downstairs. The Woods family was having dinner at the time. Emma took her seat and took some rice. They continued dining in silence.
After some time, Emma spoke, startling everyone with her request.
"Mom, I wish to go on a cruise tour".
She had been thinking of this ever since Karen introduced it to her.
'Moreover, I don't think I can deal with the awkward questions about me and Max anymore.'
"Why?" It was her grandfather who asked first.
"I want to give myself some time to relax. I'm tired of dealing with all these people." She said wearily.
"You have just been discharged and your hand needs constant monitoring. How can you think of going on a cruise all of a sudden?" Mrs. Woods voiced out her disapproval.
She was strictly against sending Emma away from her. She had been worried about her and Emma's proposal just now was inconsiderate in her eyes.
"Mom, it's just a few months. And I believe that I will be able to loosen up and recuperate much better when I'm away from all this drama," Emma put forward her case for approval.
"You can recover the same here as well. I'll strengthen the security and ask the guard not to let anyone in. Moreover, with the advanced medical technology, you'll get better in no time," Adrian tried persuading Emma. He couldn't stand the thought of sending Emma alone in the sea.
'What would we do if she needs us and we can't even reach her?' Adrian was horrified at the thought.
"Dad, you can't expect me to stay at home the whole time. I'll be even sicker if you try to force me to do something I don't want to do," Emma said tearfully.
Meeting her fake friends and the parents of her ex on the same day had been way too much for her. And that too on the day she got discharged.
"I'm exhausted. I feel hurt and betrayed. I can't explain how much I'm hurting every day knowing that my hand might never recover," Emma sobbed.
Both Mr. Woods and Mrs. Woods were shocked at the revelation that Emma knew about her hand. They had tried their best to hide it from her.
"Emma, how do you-" Mrs. Woods couldn't complete her sentence.
"I knew from the start. The nurses who were tending to me discussed it. They thought I was unconscious but I listened," Emma said feeling guilty for not telling them sooner.
For a while, no one spoke. Mr. Woods sighed after some time, "Why do you want to go on a cruise? I can arrange for you to stay abroad if you want." He suggested.
"No, it has to be a cruise," Emma said stubbornly. She was never known for being understanding.
"Emma, listen to your dad, please?" Mrs. Woods still looked hesitant.
"Mom, please let me go on one," Emma whined which always worked for her.
"Promise to report back daily and take care of yourself while you are on the sea," Emma's Grandfather who had remained quiet finally spoke in her favor.
"I promise that I'll return better both emotionally and physically and I'll call you every day to report. Please let me go," Emma said hastily giving him puppy eyes, her tears breaking into a smile.
"It's fine. But you have to take a doctor with you as well." William said as a matter of fact.
Although her parents still looked a bit hesitant, they could not oppose her grandfather's decision.
"Thank you so much, Grandad," Emma hugged him as she said.
"It's okay. Now, go to your room and freshen up before coming for dinner," William sounded strict but Emma knew that he cared about her the most.
She went straight to her room and changed her clothes. She looked in the mirror and once again was stunned by her hair.
She could not get over her new look. Karen had done a stunning job. She tossed her hair slightly and parted them from the side. The dark grey steaks revealed themselves and contrasted with the overall silver.
In the living room, Adrian lightly voiced his disapproval. He was unwilling to let his daughter go to the sea.
"Relax, Adrian. I have thought deeply before agreeing to her request. No matter how much protection we offer, we can't prevent unfortunate events from occurring completely. Like today, she will meet unwanted people whenever she goes out. And you know about the whole condition online. It'll take several months to go back to her normal lifestyle," William said.
"And I'll ask Kale to go with her. He'll take care of her and report her situation to us at all times," William ended any disagreements.
"If that's what you deem fit Father," Adrian sighed. He couldn't reason with his old father.
Sasha also remained quiet. Both the husband and wife respected William's decisions.