Shelby fell into a coughing fit upon those words. ’Sweet daughter? Did I hear mum right?’
Shelby took the phone off her ear and checked the caller ID to make sure she was talking to the right person.
"Mum? Is everything alright?" Shelby tried to lower her voice, but almost everyone at the table heard it. Her delicate frown became more pronounced as she struggled to understand the words that Clara was bringing out. However, with all the hiccups and tears, Shelby could not understand a word, except for the first few ones Clara had said.
’Could it be because James has been convicted? No, that will not make Mum react . Or could it have something to do with Rocky’s text?’ She bit her lips unknowingly as she listened to Clara continue sobbing on the other end of the phone as if the world were coming to an end.
Shelby felt uncomfortable, as if she was being coerced, and did not like that feeling too much, especially when she thought back to her last conversation with her mother. The same mother who had not bothered to call in to check on her when she had suffered that accident.
Ian leaned over and gently took the phone from her with his right hand while his left hand still clasped Shelby’s under the table. He could still hear Clara’s voice and all that sobbing, which irritated Ian. He hung up the phone, and a silence ensued.
Shelby’s eyes rounded in surprise just as Geneva remarked, "I could hear the whining all the way from here. What is wrong with that mother of yours? I would have marched over to your seat and done even worse if Ian hadn’t done that! Who does Clara think she is? Just because she brought you to this world, does that mean that you must care for her husband? Nonsense!"
Shelby stopped mid-way and let Geneva rant on. Alex smiled and shook his head at his wife. He knew what Geneva was capable of, but the way Geneva was protective of Shelby made him feel like something was up. The older man finally stared straight at Shelby. However, when Shelby met his eyes, he averted his gaze quickly, trying hard not to show how affected he was with her.
"Let’s go see them after the meal...." Ian said to her, making Shelby smile.
"Thank you, Ian!" she said in relief. She did not like Clara’s ways, but Shelby could never erase the fact that Clara was her mother.
Ian smiled in return, his eyes softening at the same time. Ava witnessed this then and stood stiffly at the back of the room, just like Suzie and the rest. She had heard all that had been said, especially by Geneva, and Ava could not have agreed any better than that. Ava had witnessed the subtle manipulation of both Shelby’s parents in her home for as long as she could remember.
Ava jolted back to reality. She pocketed her phone and thought, ’I’ll talk to Shelby about this later. This time, she needs to know too!’
"Yes, Ma’am. I just got here."
"Why are you standing stiffly at the back? Come sit!"
"No buts!" Geneva turned to Katie.
Katie bowed and gave a series of instructions, and in no time, a place was set for Ava too, right next to Samantha.
One would have thought that Geneva was done, but the rest of the brunch was filled with her dissatisfaction and rants against the Wendevors.
Ian turned sideways slightly. He nodded slightly when he noticed that both Murray and Currey were nowhere to be seen. He gave his total concentration to his wife.
A few hours later, Albert sped along the highway and turned off the final bend, arriving at the familiar home Shelby had lived in for the better part of her adulthood.
Shelby stared out the window absentmindedly as the car pulled off the final bend. Her thoughts were all on that fateful night a few weeks ago when the same driver had driven her towards the unknown.
She had no idea then that she would find a haven as she had. Shelby also had no idea then that the man who had literally terrorized her would be held behind bars, never to see the light of day. She let out a loud sigh unconsciously. Ian pulled her close to him, and she snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and inhaling his manly scent.
’Are you okay? ’ He asked without saying anything out loud, startling Shelby yet again as the voice appeared in her head as if she was listening to her thoughts. She was still not used to this new phenomenon.
’You have your whole life to get used to me!’ Ian added, and Shelby smiled up at him, making his heart skip a beat.
Ava, who was seated in the front passenger seat, cleared her throat awkwardly at the closeness of the couple in the backseat, already regretting that she had tugged along.
After their meal, Ava sought Shelby out to talk to her and had no idea why she was coerced to go with them.
’I am so happy for Shelby, though. I never thought Shelby would find such happiness in the most unlikely places!’ This was one thought that Ava thought of daily.
Ian was okay with Ava going along, so she did. Of course, we never know if there was another reason.
Albert got out and opened the door for Ian and Shelby as soon as he parked the car. Ian, in turn, helped his wife out. Ava followed quickly after, letting out a gasp of surprise.
"How did you get here before we did?" Ava asked as she saw Murray and Currey waiting in front of the Wendover mansion.
"I could have sworn that you were not there when the car pulled up...."
Currey smiled, "You must have been too engrossed in your thoughts then."
"I was?" Ava was puzzled, but she was not sure, and it did not seem possible that the two had just appeared.
Ian told them to find their own way to the Wendover mansion, and thus, the duo did just that.
Shelby chuckled mischievously at that exchange.
"Everything is re-" Currey started but was interrupted.
"Sissyyyyyyy!!!!!!! You’re the best!"
Rocky ran out of the front door and towards Shelby, his arms spread wide. Ian frowned and stopped Rocky with his index finger on the younger man’s forehead.
"Bother-in-law... you can’t be like that! I must hug my sissy!!"
Shelby chuckled at their childish selves, sidestepped Ian, and grabbed Rocky, giving him a side hug, to Ian’s dismay.
That was when Rocky noticed his Ava.
"Ava! You didn’t let me know that you were coming!"
Shelby stretched and pitched Rocky.
"Why would Ava need to tell you before she visits us?"
"Ah! Yes, why would she?" Rocky scratched his hair sheepishly, not knowing how to answer.
Ian’s eyes rested on Rocky’s. It was a knowing smile that made Rocky feel flustered.
"Ehhhh.... It’s nothing, Sisssyyyy, It-"
"Something is fishy here, Rocky. I know that you lik-"
"Errrmmm, Sis, why did you send back the funds that I sent you? I did not accept it, and it will be returned to you!"
Rocky changed the conversation quickly, feeling as if he was being put on the spot. Ava shook her head and followed the siblings into the mansion. Rocky looked over Shelby’s shoulder and winked at Ava without missing a step as he walked in with his sister.
Ava did a doubletake and nearly stumbled on her feet.
’Who is this Casanova?’ Ava thought with her hand on her chest as she tried to calm her nervous heart. Just then, she felt a set of eyes on her, only to turn and meet Ian’s gaze on her.
"Wait, Shelby!" Ava ran off. She was a bit scared of Ian, especially the way he looked to see and know everything.
Ava caught up to the siblings and looped her arms through Shelby’s right arm as Rocky was holding onto the left. She was just in time to hear,
"Where did you get that much money from, Rocky? Was it from James?"
"I’m sorry Sis, I thought that I had talked to you about it. I got it from brother-in-law, so I sent half of that to you."
Shelby stopped short.
"That is half of the money you received? That’s A LOT!"
"I know, sis! I am yet to talk to my brother-in-law about it. However, I have already spoken to Currey. It was around at the time of your accident. That’s why I could not have spoken to you about it yet. Are you mad, sis?"
"Why would I be mad?"
"I knew sis was the best!"
Shelby turned slightly to look at Ian, who was walking leisurely behind them. She had a lot of questions, but she knew that was not the time.
"But then Rocky, if Ian sent you that money, you should keep it. There is no point in sending me half of it. You are an adult now and should be able to handle such a situation."
Rocky sent a secret look at Ava when Shelby mentioned that he was an adult. Ava did not know whether to laugh or cry as she caught the meaning of his gaze.
"Sis, you are still my elder sister, and I want you to help me take charge of everything. I know that you will do better than I will-"
"Sis, I have to concentrate on my studies, and I want my sister’s help in this."
The two of them and everyone else in the room knew very well that Rocky was a very capable person and needed no such assistance, but at Rocky’s insistence, Shelby relented.
"I’ll think about it."
They walked into their living room only to stop short.
"What is going on here?" Rocky and Shelby asked at the same time at the scene that greeted them.
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