Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 3 I'm Here to Deliver Something to You

Aurelia didn't bother answering Betty's question. Instead, she asked, "Betty, who's outside?"

"Don't worry about it; just some scammers," Betty replied casually.

Right then, Aurelia heard a man's angry voice from outside. "Aurelia, you bitch! You think you're all that just because you married into the Heilbronn family! Open the door! I'm your dad!"

Betty didn't recognize the voice, but Aurelia did. It was Norman Thompson, the man who had tormented her and her mom, Helen Semona, for over a decade. Luckily, Aurelia hadn't seen Norman in over ten years.

Aurelia used to have a happy family. Her dad, Norman, ran a publicly traded company. It wasn't huge, but it gave them a comfy, well-off life.

But then, like a lot of guys who got rich, he started cheating. When Aurelia was in middle school, Helen had a car accident. Before she was even buried, Norman brought his mistress and their illegitimate daughter into the house. That daughter was Chelsea, which explained why Chelsea and Aurelia looked so much alike.

Hearing Norman's angry voice outside, Aurelia sneered. 'First, Chelsea's mom, Maria Lewin, wrecked my parents' marriage. Now Chelsea's trying to wreck mine. Those two really have a talent for being homewreckers.'

Despite having such a lousy dad, Aurelia was lucky to have a loving grandma, Amelia Martinez. Amelia couldn't stand Chelsea and Maria, thinking they were a stain on the Thompson family name. She thought Norman was too blind to see through their schemes.

So, Amelia took Aurelia and left. She had said she would never go back as long as Chelsea and Maria were there, and she kept her word. Norman didn't seem to care.

After Amelia took Aurelia away, Norman never called or visited. Even when Amelia was dying, he didn't come to see her one last time.

Aurelia knew Norman was trying to force Amelia to give up the 10% share she had in the Thompson Group. Luckily, Amelia was sharp till the end and never gave those shares back to Norman.

Amelia and Reed were old friends. When Reed found out Aurelia had no one to rely on, he arranged for Nathaniel to marry her, wanting to give her a family to take care of her.

Nathaniel married Aurelia, giving her a family, but he never gave her his heart. Aurelia used to be heartbroken over it, but as she looked at the signed divorce papers in her hand, she thought, 'Nathaniel wants out first, so don't blame me. I don't want him anymore either.'

The pounding on the door was deafening, like it would shake the whole house. Norman was still outside, banging on the door with all his might.

"Aurelia, open the door for me!" Norman's pounding on the door was full of anger and resentment, like he was trying to let out all his pent-up emotions.

Inside, Aurelia's heart clenched. The noise and the thought of Norman's greedy face made her feel sick. She rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

Betty followed her, worried Aurelia might have eaten something bad. But she always bought the freshest ingredients, and her cooking was fine. "Mrs. Heilbronn, are you pregnant?" Betty asked cautiously.

"No, I just finished my period. It's just that thinking about that person outside makes me sick," Aurelia replied.

Betty's eyes widened. "You know them?"

"Of course, that's my father," Aurelia said weakly from the bathroom.

Norman's shouting and pounding on the door created a suffocating atmosphere, filling the space with tension.

"I know you're in there! Don't hide!" Norman yelled, just like he did when he kicked her and Amelia out of the house.

After a while, Norman seemed to tire out. Then, another voice, one that made Aurelia's heart ache, called out. "Aurelia, open the door. I'm your stepmother. I know you don't want to acknowledge me, but I can't ignore you."

It was Chelsea's mother, Maria, the mistress who had destroyed Aurelia's family. Hearing her voice, Aurelia was instantly furious. 'What is Norman thinking, bringing his mistress here to find me!'

"Get lost. I don't want to see you!" Aurelia's voice was still weak from vomiting. She stood just inside the door, listening to Norman and Maria trying to persuade her to open it. But no matter what they said, Aurelia didn't open the door or respond.

They kept repeating their so-called love for Aurelia and their hope to reconnect with her. Norman even expressed some nostalgia for Amelia.

Of course, Aurelia didn't believe a word of it. "Have you said enough? If so, you can get lost."

"I'm your father, and you dare tell me to get lost!" Norman's long-suppressed anger finally erupted.

Maria, standing beside him, tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to get angry. She pulled out a bracelet from her bag. It wasn't very valuable, but it was clearly an antique, well-preserved.

Maria held the bracelet up to the peephole. "Aurelia, don't be mad at your father. We're here to give you something. Do you recognize this bracelet?"

'That's something Helen left behind. How dare Maria touch it?' Aurelia thought. Then she said, ''Go ahead and say whatever you want.''

Norman looked like he wanted to get angry again, but Maria shook her head at him, signaling him to stay calm. Norman quieted down.

Seeing this through the peephole, Aurelia felt a deep sense of irony. They really should be together forever. The biggest and only mistake Helen made in her life was marrying Norman. Without him, Helen would have been so much happier!

"Aurelia, you have to let us in so we can give you the bracelet, right?" Maria said.

"Okay," Aurelia replied.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter