"You've got what you wanted, when are you going home?" Julian asked with his face suddenly turning normal, even though a few minutes ago he looked very serious.
"Erm, after this I will ask Grandma's permission first," answered Scarlett.
Julian just nodded after that he was seen fiddling with his cell phone and calling someone.
"I've contacted Jonathan, he will take you."
"Eh, just accompanied by Jonathan?"
Julian frowned then looked closely at Scarlett's face, which still looked confused.
"Why?"
"I...don't feel comfortable traveling long distances with just Jonathan."
Julian chuckled.
"Jonathan only took you to the airport, what's a long journey?" Julian asked, a little annoyed.
"You mean by plane?"
"Flying fish maybe," answered Julian irritably.
Scarlett saw that she wasn't happy and just left Julian. Scarlett thought she wouldn't disturb anyone here, she would later ask Jonathan to take her to the bus station and she would take the bus home herself. Yes, it's better that way.
Seeing Scarlett who had just walked away from him, Julian was stunned for a moment, shocked.
"How is it possible that after this I will marry a strange woman like her? What the..."
Julian stopped talking because he heard a call from his cell phone, and it turned out it was Selena, of course his bad mood immediately disappeared, Julian smiled a happy smile and immediately answered it.
When Julian received a call from Selena and chatted intimately, Scarlett had already left Grandma Victoria's house alone without anyone accompanying her. Actually, she wanted to tell this to Grandma Victoria, but when she entered her room, Grandma Victoria was already fast asleep and this made Scarlett not have the heart to wake her.
Scarlett only left a letter stating that she would return to her hometown in a short time. Scarlett also didn't ask Jonathan to take her, she chose to take a taxi. Moreover, apart from giving a check, Julian also gave Scarlett quite a lot of money.
Nearly 5 days of traveling and changing several buses and cars, Scarlett finally arrived when the afternoon sun hung low in the Carmel sky. The salty air from the sea immediately touched her skin, cold, piercing, yet somehow soothing. She stood still longer than she should have, her fingers gripping the bag at her side, as if she needed a grip to keep it from wobbling.
Inside the bag, neatly folded was a check. The nominal amount was enough to pay off all of her father's debts. The thin object felt heavy, much heavier than it should be. Every time she remembered how the check came to be in her hands, her chest tightened.
Carmel remains the same. Cottage-style wooden houses stood quietly behind the light mist, wildflowers blooming without a care for who came or went. Nothing has changed. In fact, that made Scarlett even more nervous. The village remembers her, and perhaps, her father too.
Her steps followed the stone path she had memorized since childhood. With every step, shadows of the past walk with her. About the day she left without really explaining anything. About her decision to leave her father for a dream that turned out to be built on lies.
The name Anne, her half-sister, came into her head again. The woman who previously claimed to want to help her, who promised her a glittering world and a future as an artist. Instead, she met Grandma Victoria and a suffocating agreement with Julian. Scarlett is trapped, bound by a contract that nearly destroys her, and comes home with a shame she can't even pronounce.
She stopped for a moment, staring out at the pale sparkling sea. Her heart was beating fast, not because she was tired, but because of one question that kept haunting her:
How did her father react when she saw this check?
Will her father accept?
Or will you insult her first?
Scarlett took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed the bag tighter to her chest.
"Go away! Why are you back here again? I don't want a cheap woman like you in this house," snapped Joshua, Scarlett's father.
Deg, everything was exactly like Scarlett's fear a few minutes ago. She had just arrived at the house her mother left behind and was already facing her father's blind anger. Scarlett immediately knew who was behind everything. Yes, who else if not Anne, Ethan and Emma. They never liked Scarlett.
"Dad..."
Scarlett's expression turned very sad, subconsciously she tried to explain all this to her father, even though her father had already turned around and left her still at the door.
"Cheap woman! Why did you come back to this house, weren't you happy enough there?" said Emma, who looked scornful and looked at her stepdaughter with disgust.
Scarlett stood still, not believing what she was hearing.
"Hey, look at her appearance, she's wearing nice clothes and expensive accessories now. Scarlett, you have to say thank you very much to me," continued Anne, who also sneered at her.
Scarlett bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears from running from her beautiful eyes. Instead, she tried to laugh and then mocked them back.
"At least my life has changed now, unlike you guys. Look! You even look like bastards."
Anne and Emma looked at Scarlett with anger already rising in their heads. Anne was about to slap her, but
Scarlett swiftly held it back and grabbed Anne's hand roughly until Anne screamed hysterically in pain while wailing for her father.
Joshua returned with a very angry face.
"Let go of my daughter, Scarlett!" he said firmly and full of hatred.
Say-That word made Scarlett feel like she had been stabbed by a sharp dagger, she herself had never even been considered a child by him. Scarlett smiled coldly, then released her grip on Anne's hand.
"Why are you still here? Go away!" Joshua shouted at her again in a tone that sounded very painful.
"Are you sure you want to throw me out that fast?" Scarlett asked sarcastically while taking out a check for 500 thousand dollars from her Chanel bag.
"Don't you need this, Dad?" Scarlett continued while waving the check in front of them all.
Shock
They were all shocked, eyes wide in disbelief. Maybe in their minds, how could she earn that much money just by leaving the house for less than a week?
Joshua's expression changed, softening a little because it was clear he really needed the check. Scarlett laughed sarcastically at her father's change in emotions.
"S… Scarlett, where did you get that?" Joshua asked in a voice shaking in disbelief.
Scarlett bit her lip as she threw her father a sinister glance.
"It doesn't matter Dad, didn't you speculate about me yourself?"
Joshua took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, in his mind he had to be able to persuade his adopted daughter and get a check to pay off his debt. Meanwhile, Anne, Ethan and Emma were still frozen without saying anything.
"Scarlett, I'm sure you're a good girl. You certainly wouldn't want to let your father go to prison, right?" Joshua seemed to speak again, trying to persuade Scarlett.
"Yes, I'm a good girl, Dad, so I'm giving you this check for free, but please never believe what your beloved daughter says," she answered, glancing sharply at Anne.
Anne shuddered in fear when she saw Scarlett's sharp gaze at her, so she took a few steps back and hid behind her mother.
"You all know? Even if I become a prostitute,I would never earn that much money in such a short time. Please think about it carefully," Scarlett said firmly.
"We're all sorry, Scarlett, come on in! Let's talk nicely and..."
"No need, Dad," Scarlett quickly interrupted her father's words.
"Take it!" She continued as she handed the check free of charge to her father and turned to leave the house.
They all widened their eyes, in disbelief...