Chapter 4

Mr Hudson looked at the paper in his hands again, his hands trembled as he passed it to Roman;

He moved forward to stand in front of me; I didn't know how to react or what to say, I just stared at shocked faces as they took turns to look at the DNA papers.

But there was something in the way Mr Hudson looked at me that I've never felt before or seen directed to me before;

Pure and overflowing affection but mixed with guilt and hurt.

“My Jewel…” he whispered, voice cracking, “My baby girl…”

My chest tightened painfully.

He stared at me intensely as if he scared that I might disappear if he blinked;

Then he pulled me into a warm and comforting hug. I've never felt this way with anyone before, not even with Anthony.

I remained stiff for a moment, my heart was racing so fast and my body was unsure of how to receive the affection;

But he held me tighter like he wasn't ready to let go of me and I heard him sniffle against my shoulder, “My baby girl, where have you been. I've missed you so much.” I murmured

Then a shattered piece of me whispered, ‘Maybe I wasn't an unwanted child, maybe I finally found where I belonged after all.’

When he finally pulled back, my cheeks were wet but his eyes were worse. Tears streamed down his face and his intimidating look was completely gone.

He was just a father who found his daughter after so many years.

“Welcome home, my Jewel,” he whispered.

The brothers surrounded me, all staring to see if I was actually real.

The lawyer finally asked Caleb how he found me and he narrated the whole story to them

They all went out of their way to make me feel welcomed but I still felt like I didn't fit in. I could see the overwhelming and emotional happiness on their faces;

But they were being careful not to overwhelm and scare me and I appreciated it.

 They made their cooks prepare all my favourite foods for dinner, and I got a bedroom larger than my entire childhood home,  it was well decorated and fancied up;

A walk in closet full of luxurious and expensive items.

I really felt like a princess just like they called me all day, “Princess Jewel.”

Everything felt unreal.

Part of me feared that if I blinked too long, I’d wake up back in that cold, moldy room in my father’s house.

Part of me feared this was a dream.

The biggest fear was that it was a mistake and when everything gets cleared up, I'll be back to my miserable life.

******************

THE NEXT MORNING

I woke up with silk sheets brushing my skin and the scent of lavender filling the room. It felt foreign, like I couldn't get used to the feeling;

I still felt like I was living someone else's life.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I sat up slowly to pick it up.

It was Anthony.

My stomach twisted at the memory of him. I couldn’t think about him yesterday because of how overwhelmed I felt;

And he hadn't called me once, even after Cynthia informed him that I was at the hospital.

Why was he suddenly calling now?

I stared at the screen until the phone stopped ringing, but he called over and over again; his name flashing continuously in my face.

I inhaled sharply and finally picked up.

Before I could say anything, his voice exploded through the phone, “What the hell is this Vera?!

I flinched.

“What… what are you talking about?” I blinked

“What am I talking about?” he barked. “What’s the nonsense flying all over the internet? Is it true you’re the lost Hudson daughter or are these fake accounts pretending they’re your brothers just to taunt me?”

“What? It's on the Internet?” my breath caught in my throat.

I ended the call without listening to Anthony’s next words.

My hands shook as I rushed to my phone browser to check what was on the Internet;

“Oh my God,” I gasped as I saw the headlines without even searching.

There were lots of pictures of me, in the living room, with my brothers when they brought in lots of luxurious clothes and items for me, when I was taken to my already decorated room; me looking confused but surrounded by six men smiling at me like I was the only star in the sky.

The captions were everywhere on all media channels

“THE HUDSONS FINALLY FIND THEIR LOST PRINCESS AFTER 23 YEARS.”

“PRINCESS JEWEL HUDSON RETURNS.”

“A COMPLETE FAMILY UNITED.”

“We finally found our sister before her 26th birthday. No more celebrating in her absence.” Rhys, the popstar twins posted on his social media account with a picture of me on the dining table during dinner.

My vision blurred with unshed tears when I remembered how they always celebrated their sister's birthday that no one has ever seen;

Who could have thought that sister was me.

This was really happening. I wasn't dreaming nor imagining it.

A soft knock came.

“Princess?” a maid called. “Breakfast is ready. Your family is waiting.”

I still cringe at the sound of everyone calling me princess but I guess I had to get used to it.

I freshened up and went downstairs in a short bright yellow flared dress and put my long brown hair in a ponytail.

The Hudson men were already seated round the table with all eyes on me as I walked down the stairs.

My father smiled warmly, “Good morning princess. We are having pancakes, you used to love them as a kid.”

I smiled back at him, “Good morning…dad,” calling him that was still strange to me. “I still love them.”

The twins made sure I sat between on the table.

We ate quietly for a while before Mr Hudson spoke again

“Princess,” he began gently, “now that you’re home, we should plan your homecoming party. You deserve a celebration fitting for a Hudson.”

Roman cleared his throat. “Actually, Dad…it's her 26th birthday next week. We could use that instead. This time we are celebrating it with her here.”

I blinked. “My… birthday?”

The Russell, the second twin beamed. “Yes, Princess. Perfect timing right?”

Before I could react, gifts started coming in

“I'll give you some of my assets and investments,” the CEO said firmly. “And if you want to run a company, you will be trained to take over one of dad's firms,”

The lawyer leaned in. “Do you have a degree? I cam send your to study anywhere in the world.”

Russell face lit up, “Name any car. I’ll have it delivered to you today.”

“You can go on a world tour with me at any time you choose.” Rhys added.

Matthew crossed his arms. “I’ll take you shopping. Whatever you want.”

All of them stared at me with eager and expectant faces.

I finally found my voice, “I appreciate you all but I really don't need all of that,” I said gently “I only have one request.”

They all blinked, looking confused but eager for what I was going to ask for.

Their father’s expression softened, “name it princess. We'll make sure you get anything you want.”

I swallowed hard, “I want…’ I took a deep breath before I continued, “I want to divorce my husband.”

Instantly, I saw five hardened expressions.

“Divorce?” one of the twins echoed. “Princess, you… you were married?”

Mr Hudson leaned forward, his aura shifting from a warm father to a powerful, dangerous tycoon.

“No,” he growled. “The real question is…”

His eyes darkened with lethal rage.

“Who was the unfortunate bastard you married that made you resolve to divorce? Did he hurt you?”