As Emilia stepped out of the taxi, she clutched her new phone tightly, her eyes fixed on the familiar building. She paid the driver and began walking towards the entrance, nothing has changed since the last time she was here..
As she approached the balcony, she overheard a heated argument drifting from inside. "You're an incompetent fool, Father!" a familiar voice shouted. "You never get anything right. I still don't understand how I'm related to you."
"Clara, speak politely to your father!" Another familiar voice intervened.
Clara's response was laced with venom: "Politely? Politely, you say? He's broke, Gabriel Salvador is a fucking broke ass man, and I have to live with that every fucking day."
Emilia, already at the doorstep, sighed and turned to leave.
"I hate you all!" Clara spat from inside.
As Emilia walked away, the front door flung open, and Clara's eyes locked onto Emilia, A sly smirk spread across her face "Well, well, well, look who we have here," Clara sneered, her smirk growing wider. "If it isn't Emilia, the poor little orphan my father so graciously took in. What are you doing here, bitch? Are you here to rub the good deed my pathetic father did for you? Did you come to collect more scraps from our table, or to remind us of the burden you've been to my family all these years?" Clara's voice dripped with malice, her words cutting through the air like a knife.
Emilia spun around, her eyes blazing with anger. "Oh, please, I'm not here to do that, cause what's the point of taking things from a trash can" she spat, her voice venomous. "I want to see your pathetic father"
Clara scoffed, her expression twisting in disgust. "Now I see why your parents left you, Emilia. You're nothing but a filthy, ungrateful little bra-"
Emilia didn't let Clara finish. Her eyes blazed with fury as she launched herself at Clara, her hands flying in a flurry of slaps and scratches. "How dare You to think you can talk about my parents like that?" Emilia shrieked, her voice piercing the air. "you know nothing bout my parents or what happened to them"
Clara stumbled backward, her eyes wide with shock, as Emilia's nails raked across her cheek. "Ahh!" Clara screamed, her hands flying up to defend herself.
Just then, Gabriel and his wife rushed out of the house, their faces pale with alarm. "Emilia, stop!" Gabriel shouted, trying to grab Emilia's arms.
But Emilia was beyond reason. She was a whirlwind of fury, her fists flying, her feet kicking. Clara stumbled and fell, Emilia pouncing on top of her, her hands tangled in Clara's hair.
Clara's mother screamed, trying to pull Emilia off her daughter. "Emilia, stop! You're going to hurt her!"
But Emilia just laughed, a wild, manic sound. "You think I care about hurting her?" she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. "You think I care about any of you?"
Gabriel finally managed to grab Emilia's arms and pull her off Clara, who was crying and clutching her hair. Emilia struggled and kicked, but Gabriel held her firm.
"What's wrong with you, Emilia?" Gabriel shouted, his face red with anger. "You came to my house only to act like a mad dog"
Emilia's eyes flashed with fury, but she said nothing. She just glared at Clara, who was still crying and being comforted by her mother.
Clara looked up at Emilia, her eyes filled with jealousy and malice. "You think you're so special just because Jonathan Blacksmith has taken an interest in you?" she spat. "Newsflash, Emilia: you're just a pawn to him, a way to get back at my father. You're nothing but a disposable plaything."
Clara's voice rose to a shout. "Why can't you just die, Emilia? Just like your parents! Why can't you just disappear? No one wants you here, you ungrateful bitch! Just go to hell!"
A drop of tears fell from Emilia's eyes as Clara's words cut deep. Clara's mother, who had been watching the exchange with a mixture of horror and satisfaction, smirked before quickly covering her mouth.
"That's enough, clara" Lucia said, trying to sound stern but unable to hide the hint of approval in her voice. "We don't speak to people like that, no matter how...ungrateful they may be."
Clara looked at her mother in disgust, her eyes flashing with anger. She hit her mother's hand away, shouting, "You disgust me, Mother!" before turning and storming into the house, slamming the door hard behind her.
Lucia's eyes turned to Emilia, a phony smile spreading across her face. "Oh, Emilia, dear, I'm so sorry about Clara's outburst. She can be a bit...oh come on, you know how she can be sometimes."
But before Lucia could continue, Gabriel stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger. "I don't like your presence here, Emilia," he growled. "Everywhere you go, trouble follows. You're a toxic influence, and I won't have you in my house."
Emilia's eyes flashed with hurt and anger, but Gabriel didn't stop. "You're a manipulative, selfish little girl who only cares about herself. You're not welcome here, Emilia. Get out."
Lucia's expression turned to one of mock horror, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh, Gabriel, dear, don't be so harsh. Emilia is your niece, after all. We should be showing her kindness and compassion, not driving her away."
But Gabriel just shook his head, his eyes still blazing with anger. "I don't want her here, Lucia. She's not welcome in my house."
Lucia's expression turned cold and calculating as she turned to Emilia. "Well, you heard him, Emilia," she said, her voice dripping with malice. "Leave while we're still being polite. We wouldn't want things to get...uncomfortable."
Emilia's eyes flashed with anger and hurt, but she bit her lip and turned away, her shoulders shaking with suppressed emotion. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Without a word, Emilia turned and walked away, her head held high as she struggled to keep her tears at bay. Lucia's mocking laughter echoed behind her, making Emilia's heart ache with pain and humiliation.
*****
4:30 pm, Parking Lot
Jonathan walked towards his car, his suit rumpled and his tie loose. He looked rough, his eyes tired but still holds danger and his jaw clenched. The driver, standing beside the car, greeted him with a nod and reached to open the door.
But Jonathan waved him off. "I'll drive myself," he said curtly.
The driver hesitated for a moment before handing Jonathan the keys and stepping back. Jonathan took the keys and slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.
As he drove, his phone buzzed to life. He answered, his voice low and even.
"Sir, sir, are you there?" Sir Gary's anxious voice came through the line.
Jonathan's response was curt. "I'm here. What is it?"
"Sir, it's miss Emilia. She's been missing since morning. I tried to reach you, but—"
Jonathan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his mind racing back to the morning. He'd forgotten all about Emilia slipping out the back entrance.
"I'll find her," Jonathan growled, his voice low and menacing.
"Yes, sir. I've already sent some of the guards to search for her, but—"
Jonathan cut him off. "I'll handle it. Just make sure no one else interferes."
"Understood, sir," Sir Gary replied, his voice cautious.
Jonathan ended the call, his eyes scanning the road ahead as he accelerated. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, flipping it open to reveal a GPS tracking screen. His eyes narrowed as he checked the signal, but there was nothing. No signal, no location. Emilia had vanished. Jonathan's anger spiked, his jaw clenched in frustration. Finding her would have to wait; he had a family meeting to attend. And he couldn't be late.