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“Berta, sit right where I left you,” Emerald yelled, shooting a dreadful glare at the five-year-old who just pouts and starts bawling. This was the least Emerald wanted.

She really didn’t mean to shout or yell at Roberta, but how could she explain to the five-year-old that her dad wasn’t the goody goody she saw him as and him setting his eyes on them could ruin a long brooded plan.

She turned back, staring at Roberta’s watery blue eyes. She pressed her lips together, urging Roberta to keep shut and after a series of whispering “Mummy is sorry, princess Berta” Roberta finally adhered and stops bawling.

Emerald sighed, turning to face Robert, who just stared blankly at his sister with disgust. He hated seeing her snorting and stressing his mom.

And at times like this, Emerald can’t help but get really proud of Robert for always being the cool headed one and more understanding.

Her hands were still trembling as she ducked her head down, watching from the center mirror as Gerald proceeded into the grande elaborate mansion.

“Why are you ‘whiding’? Roberta asked again, making Melissa sigh, hoping she’ll just pass this one, but Roberta's gaze insists she needed an explanation.

“It’s like a hide and seek game... and we can’t let your daddy see us else we lose,” she manage to explain to her level.

“Oh,” Roberta lets out with an exciting smile. She bent over, tagging along with the hide and seek game.

Emerald waited until Gerald was finally out of sight before igniting the engine once again and with a high-speed limit she drove out of the grand gate and out of the mansion and hopefully out of Gerald’s chaining life.

She could still feel her heart thumping fast as she hit the busy road towards Manhattan.

**

Emerald stared at the familiar grande mansion, the one she had grown up in before eloping with Gerald.

The servants looked really happy to see her and they had prepared a feast for her return... nothing had changed that much except herself.

“Look who is here, my little princess,” Wade, Emerald’s dad, said, spreading his arms apart for her to snuggle in.

“Robert and Roberta...! My lovely grandchildren, I’m happy grandpa finally gets to meet you two little cuties,” Wade bent over to cup the two shy twins into his hands.

“Drop those angels to the ground before you hurt your back...” it was Petra, Emerald’s cousin.

“Your grandpa is always pretending to be strong and all but at night we all face the consequences” Petra informed the kids with a chuckle before bending over to peak the two twins, she gave Emerald a long girly hug after a short chat they all headed inside.

Emerald sat on a white couch alone with her father Wade while the kids were still having dessert with Petra’s helping hands.

She tried to avoid her father’s gaze. It had been five freaking years since she last saw him.

On the day she had screamed and poured out her mind, letting her dad know how she hated being raised behind those large walls with no friends, no outing and worst of all, being homeschooled.

“I’m glad you finally came to your senses...now all you need to do is divorce him...err, what’s his name again?” Mr. Wade asked after listening to Emerald’s part of the story.

“Gerald” Emerald replied in shame. She hadn’t even introduced Gerald to her father she had just eloped with him, she moved her gaze from his staring down.

“ Oh yea... You need someone strong enough to stand beside you if you want to go against your husband.. he is no joke”Wade paused adjusting in his sit before adding, “Jeremy just got back from the states and he is still very much interested in you” he waited to see her reaction.

Now everything always falls back to Jeremy...!!

Jeremy had been Emerald's only friend, and they had been best friends since she was seven. He was this little boy that always tagged along with his dad when he comes visiting Wade.

Little Emerald had started longing to see him every day since he was the only person around her age group who came around.

Everything was going great between them until their both parents began to plan an arranged marriage to which Emerald was fully contrary to.

yes she loved Jeremy but more like a brother, but on the contrary Jeremy wanted more than to be just friends and one night she had escaped the grande wall and giant gate and that same night she had met Gerald.

Emerald diverted her gaze to the chandelier, not knowing where her father was driving at now he was getting Jeremy involved.

“So all I’m saying is Jeremy is still very much single... and he can play a big role in keeping Gerald away from you and the kids”

Emerald paused for a while. Her hands were trembling, and she wished her father would stop mentioning the name “Gerald” the memories of what he inflicted on her made her traumatized.

Her beeping phone invaded their conversation and when she picked it up, she stared down at a message from Gerald and the content made her heart skip two beats.

“Are you in for Jeremy?” Wade asked, studying his daughter, who had suddenly turned pale.

She stared up at him and back at her phone... her hands trembling.

Emerald read the threat message again, trying hard to control her shaking hands. She swallowed hard, gathering all the courage she could obtain.

“I’ll do anything to keep Gerald away and if it means getting involved with Jeremy so be it” she replied trying to reassure herself that she could go up against her ruthless husband and also trying to push away Gerald threat message away from her mind.