"Hello Allen, I've just arrived in Stanton City. I was considering meeting you for lunch tomorrow," Lenora inquired.
Despite being engaged to Allen for the past two years, Lenora Klein noticed his lack of interest in her and their relationship. Back when she was an undergraduate, she had hopes for their future, but now as a graduate, Allen's disinterest was apparent.
"I'm occupied," Allen curtly responded before ending the call, puzzled by why some women seemed so oblivious. Lenora should have known by now that he had no desire to commit to her.
Their parents, who were family friends, aimed to strengthen their bond through the union of their children. Allen felt pressured by his father into the engagement, even though he had expressed his lack of affection for Lenora. Despite his reservations, his father insisted that love wasn't a prerequisite for engagement.
He believed that he would eventually develop feelings of love for her. Love, he thought, was a gradual process. Once he acknowledged her as his fiancée, he assumed that love would naturally follow. However, two years had elapsed, and he found himself unable to love or even cultivate a love for her as his father had assured him. His disdain for her continued to mount each day.
Lenora was taken aback. What absurdity! How could Allen abruptly end the call when she was the one reaching out to him? She had invited him to lunch, and that plan would certainly come to fruition. Her return marked her readiness to marry, establish a home, and raise a family.
Allen had no right to deny her that. As his fiancée, she deserved respect. The next day, she intended to visit Mxcel's HQ and confront Allen. She would gauge his reaction and see if he dared to turn her away. If he did, she would remind him that she was a daughter of the Klein family.
***
"Where's my daughter? Why haven't you brought her home yet?" Lilian asked, worry laced in her voice.
Ryan took a deep breath and sighed.
"Well, you would have to endure the night because she would not be coming home," Ryan explained nonchalantly. He had no other way to put it to Lilian.
"Why? Can I talk to Aurora?" Lilian, visibly concerned, requested.
"Relax, Lilian. She's not with me at the moment, but I'll bring her over tomorrow." Ryan replied.
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything will be fine, don't worry," Ryan reassured her. Allen was a rich guy. He wouldn't hurt the poor girl for nothing. Undoubtedly, he would have his assistants take good care of her.
However, Lilian wasn't fully convinced.
"Tell me the truth, please." She insisted.
"I'll explain everything to you tomorrow when I bring Aurora." Ryan maintained.
Lilian wasn't sure about what to think, but she tried to calm herself down a bit. After all, Ryan was her friend. He would never let anything bad happen to her daughter, right?
Lilian wasn't so sure either.
"Okay, but please make sure she's safe," Lilian sighed, her worry apparent in her voice.
Ryan spent several minutes on the phone trying to assure Lilian that Aurora was in safe hands before she finally succumbed.
"Alright…I'll trust you." She sighed heavily.
Feeling that Lilian had been comforted enough, Ryan babe her goodnight before ending the call.
As the call ended, Lilian's worries only seemed to grow deeper.
Where could her daughter be? It seemed she wasn't with Ryan. Perhaps she was with Maureen? Lilian grabbed her phone and dialed Maureen's number, but there was no answer.
Realizing that Maureen was avoiding her, a wave of concern washed over her. If Maureen wasn't with them, then where were the children? Various unsettling thoughts began to race through her mind.
Could Isabel and Alex have taken her daughter? No, that didn't seem plausible. Ryan had assured her that Aurora was safe. But how safe is the place she was in?
The fear of something happening to her daughter gripped her heart. Aurora brought her immense joy and fulfillment, and the idea of being separated from her was unbearable.
Uncontrollable emotions overtook her, and tears began to flow down her arm. She wiped them away, trying hard to compose herself and gather her thoughts amid the overwhelming uncertainty.
The following day, specifically in the morning, Aurora would be back, Ryan had assured her, so Lilian decided to wait patiently until the next day to see her daughter. With night fast approaching, she would soon drift off to sleep. When she awoke at dawn, her daughter would finally be with her.
However, Lilian's reassurances to herself proved futile. Sleep eluded her, and she remained wide awake throughout the night. In a desperate attempt to feel close to Aurora, she would often visit her daughter's room and run her hand over the quilt, almost as if searching for her presence within it.
Exhausted by worry, Lilian eventually succumbed to sleep at 4 a.m., nestled in her daughter's room. Meanwhile, unknown to her, Allen, the man who took her daughter, had instructed Cooper, his assistant, to procure pajamas for Aurora.
The next day, a pediatrician would be consulted to guide designing the little girl's room and determining her favorite colors.
After being fed a delightful dinner of ramen noodles and juice, Aurora retired to a spacious room adjacent to Allen's. Later that night, she requested Allen to contact her mother, to which he agreed, promising to take Aurora to see her the following day.
Left with nothing more to say, Aurora then asked Allen to read her a bedtime story. Allen was taken aback. A bedtime story? How was he going to manage that?
In a moment of uncertainty, Allen phoned his housekeeper, Mrs. Celeste, a woman in her early fifties who had been Allen's nanny during his childhood. He held a fondness for her, and she continued to work for him as he grew older.
Celeste was taken by surprise when Allen called her late in the evening from her living quarters. Nevertheless, she promptly got up and made her way over.
"I'm clueless about bedtime stories. Can you assist me with my daughter?" Allen inquired. It wasn't his usual practice to seek assistance from others, but when it came to Celeste, he found it difficult to conceal his vulnerability. Besides his mother, Celeste was another woman he held in high regard.
"Daughter?" Celeste responded, staring at him in disbelief. Allen shook his head and averted his gaze, unwilling to meet her eyes.
"I'll tell you everything, Celeste. Follow me," Allen said, taking the lead as they entered the room adjacent to his own.
Upon entering, Celeste saw a charming little girl who bore a strong resemblance to her master, Allen. Meeting Allen's gaze, she smiled and shook her head in disbelief. Could it be true that Master Allen had a special woman in his life?