3. Who Will Believe My Story

 "I... I..." Emma tried to speak, but tears choked her voice, and she fell silent again. The room grew as quiet as a graveyard as Emma and I locked gazes.

Emma is the daughter of Samuel Coleman, the owner of Coleman's Aviation, one of the most renowned private airways in Sweden.

Samuel and I attended the same school in Stockholm, where he and his father were living at the time. Samuel was not only my best friend but also my savior from the constant bullying caused by my half-brothers. He was strong and always stood up for me.

However, everything changed when Samuel's father was transferred back to Malmo, and Samuel had to leave our school. Unable to bear the torment unleashed by my half-brothers, I felt hopeless. 

The bullying reached its peak when my father passed away and willed his company and everything he owned to me, his twelve-year-old son from his blind mistress.

In their rage, my half-brothers intensified their threats on my life. All my blind mother could do was reach out to Anthony Coleman, Samuel's father and lay bare the situation. Anthony Coleman swiftly came to my rescue and took me away. From that moment on, I started living with the Colemans.

At the tender age of seventeen, Samuel got a sixteen-year-old girl pregnant. However, his troubles were far from over when the young mother vanished without a trace following the birth of their daughter, Emma. 

It was then that Anthony, Samuel's father, demanded that his son take responsibility and care for the baby. When I remembered the immense kindness Samuel had shown me during our time together in Stockholm, I bravely volunteered to step in and dropped out of school at the mere age of thirteen to care for Emma until she reached school age. At that time, our bond grew immeasurably. I saw her as my very own daughter and as for Emma, no man existed in this world except me. I was everything to her.

As Emma blossomed into a young woman, I couldn't help but notice a deep romantic obsession brewing within me. However, I kept this secret locked away, hidden from the world.

 When the time came for me to return home and take over my father's company, I made the difficult decision to leave without informing Emma. I knew she would insist on joining me, and as someone who couldn't bear to say no to her, I felt leaving without telling was the best thing to do. 

 I severed all communication with Emma. However, I made sure to call her father daily to inquire about her wellbeing. The positive reports I got everyday gave me joy.

Nine months ago, I paid a visit to Emma's father to share my plans of marrying Rachel Winterberg.  Little did I know, this innocent visit would take an unexpected turn. 

When I departed the next day, Samuel Coleman, Emma's father, accused me of luring his daughter with a kiss and hiding her in a secret room in my estate. This false accusation led to a heated confrontation between Samuel and I. 

The incident quickly garnered international attention, with countless individuals rallying behind me due to my well-established reputation for unwavering integrity.

In the midst of the chaos, I vehemently denied any knowledge of Emma's location, swearing upon everything sacred to me that I had not seen her since I left Malmo. 

Little did I know that Emma had been living in secret within the confines of my own estate all along. Now, I faced the daunting challenge of explaining this shocking revelation to the world, a world that had consistently supported me. 

"Jewel, why did you come after me?" I whimpered again, keeping my eyes shut and my head bowed low.

"Bran, I... I missed you," Emma stuttered, and silence hung in the air for a few moments.

"I specifically told you not to come after me, didn't I?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes and meeting the gaze of Emma who stood close to the door now.

"I missed you so much that I couldn't focus on anything else," Emma whimpered, her voice as smooth as silk. The voice I had missed so much. My eyes squinted involuntarily, and a surge of electricity coursed through my veins, sending shivers down my spine.

"What do you want me to do now?" I murmured.

"Bran, make me yours," Emma pleaded in a weak, trembling whisper.

 "I... I want to be with you. I want us to be together forever," she continued, her voice delicate and melodic.

Emma had no idea the havoc her seductive voice was wreaking on my soul. At that moment, all the steel walls I had painstakingly built around my heart, the barriers that allowed me to suppress the feelings I harbored for her, began to crumble. And when the final wall fell, I stood up in frustration and anger.

"For God's sake, Jewel, I'm married!" I exclaimed, displaying the engagement ring on my finger.

"It's a fake marriage, Bran! Rachel tricked you! She's working for the..."

"Enough!" I shouted, cutting Emma off. "Just… just keep your mouth shut!" I yelled at her. I didn't care what she had to say. Nothing she revealed about Rachel would make me divorce her. Rachel saved my life. 

"Brandon, who is she?" Richard inquired.

"She's my goddaughter," I replied and the office fell into an uneasy silence.

"Who is she, really?" Richard prodded again.

"She's Samuel Coleman's daughter," I mumbled.

"You mean, Coleman Airways?" Richard asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes," I murmured.

"Wow, Bran, you've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

"I'm not."

"Damn! W…wait a sec, isn't she the missing girl?"

"Yes, she is," I confirmed.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts as Emma's words continued echoing in my mind.

"Bran…."

 "Jewel, just... just keep quiet!" I snapped, my frustration boiling over. Emma, taken aback by my uncharacteristic anger, instinctively took a few steps backwards. 

"Jewel, I'm sorry. You've pushed me to my limits," I said, my voice heavy with exasperation, as I slowly opened the drawer of my desk. "I confided in you about the agreement I made with your father, but now you've jeopardized my reputation and everything I've worked for. How am I supposed to face the world now?" Confusion swirled inside me as I retrieved a pistol from the drawer, my hand trembling involuntarily.

"I have a company and a name to protect. I'm sorry. That night's incident is a secret that must be buried forever," I continued, my eyes tightly closed and my lips pressed together in despair.

"Bran, are you really gonna shoot the mother of your son?" Emma whimpered, taking another step backward. The sound of her voice caused my hand to drop immediately. I was lost in a sea of confusion, unsure of what to do next. Everything I had built over the years, my integrity, my marriage - Emma had shattered it all once again.

For years, thoughts of Emma Coleman had haunted my mind. Just yesterday, exactly ten months after seeking help from a marriage counselor, I had managed to construct impenetrable walls around my heart. I had pushed those forbidden feelings aside, determined to make love to my wife for the first since we got married. Tonight was supposed to be a night of celebration for Rachel and I, a celebration of moving on. 

Yet, Emma had reappeared, tearing down the walls I erected and reigniting the emotions I had paid a hefty price to bury. Where do I even begin now? I asked myself in despair.

"Jake, please, take her home and confine her to one of the guest houses until I figure out what to do," I muttered, my voice barely audible. Conflicted and confused, I made my way out of the office, projecting an image of strength and resolve, yet I was very sad.

"Where are you taking my son?" Emma's voice reached my ears, but I refused to turn back. I was taking our child to my mother's estate, where capable hands could care for him until Emma and I settled our scores.

Alone in the sanctuary of my room, I crumbled. I sank to the floor, overcome by a wave of emotion that I had suppressed for far too long. Tears streamed down my face, the weight of the mistake I made in my drunk state and the torment of my love for Emma bearing down on me.

Emma, is my Jewel. The girl I loved more than life itself, the one who held my heart in her hands and illuminated my world with her presence.

The only problem Emma had was stubbornness. She was the most headstrong woman I had ever encountered, always getting what she wanted.

"Who will believe my story? Who will believe that Samuel was right about me hiding his daughter in my estate?" I lamented, my voice choked with sorrow. 

"And the worst part is that Emma has borne my child. How do I explain this to the world? How do I explain this to my best friend? How will people react when they discover that a thirty-two-year-old man fathered a child with his best friend's nineteen-year-old daughter? What should I do about Emma? Push her away or continue living this complex existence?" I sobbed, my anguish echoing through the quiet room.