Edward is sitting in his office chair, carefully reading the report just handed to him by Hans. His forehead furrows as he tries to understand the information on each page he reads.
“So, Chloe used to live in the Saint Luca orphanage for years?” Edward looks at Hans as if he can’t believe it. A big question mark arises in his mind. Why would someone like Chloe, who is a child of the conglomerate Dylan Arley, spend years in an orphanage?
Across from him, Hans nods confidently. “That’s what you read. But let me explain in detail so you can understand better.” Hans adjusts his sitting position, preparing to give an explanation to Edward. “So, a few years ago, Dylan Arley and Patricia Hazel were forced to divorce for a cliché reason. Dylan’s extended family refused to accept Patricia because she came from a lower social class.”
“You mean they were forced to divorce even though they already had children? Isn’t that excessive?” Edward protests.
Hans shrugs his shoulders. “From the information I got, Dylan and Patricia intentionally got married secretly. Then, not long after, Patricia gave birth to a daughter named Nathalie. Initially, they lived happily, especially when Patricia was pregnant with their second child and gave birth to a daughter named Chloe. That’s when problems started arising. Victoria, who is Dylan’s mother, eventually found out that her only son married a woman from a different social stratum.”
“Ah, why were people in the past so rigid? They thought they were great just because of their lineage, class A, B, or C,” Edward protests again.
Suddenly, he feels lucky to have been born into a family that didn’t bother much about social strata. Even though he’s aware that he was born into a noble family, Alexander, his father, gave him the freedom to choose a life partner, as long as the woman came from a good family. But now, he’s in an unlucky situation as his father has decided to intervene and find him a prospective wife.
Hearing Edward’s protests, Hans grumbles in annoyance from his seated position. “Oh, come on, Ed. Let me tell the whole story first. Why do you always enjoy cutting people off?”
Edward chuckles at Hans’s annoyed expression. It’s true that he has a habit of interrupting others while they speak. “Alright, my apologies. Please continue with your story.”
Hans sighs once and continues his story. “Victoria then forced her son to divorce. Even more surprisingly, Patricia was kidnapped and taken far away from London. Meanwhile, her two children were deliberately separated and placed in Saint Luca without Dylan’s knowledge.”
“Oh, my goodness…” Edward’s eyes widen. “Why were Dylan’s parents so cruel? Didn’t that old woman think she was separating her own grandchildren?”
Hans sighs softly. “What’s even more ironic is that after Patricia was kidnapped, Dylan was forced to marry Caroline, a woman his mother chose. Unfortunately, Caroline couldn’t have children. After that, I’m sure you can guess the rest of the story.”
Edward smiles faintly. “That old lady must have ‘reclaimed’ the grandchildren she had discarded. Right?”
Hans laughs this time while clapping his hands. The guess he made to Edward is confirmed by the man himself.
“Exactly! Victoria brought her grandchildren back, announcing to the world that Nathalie and Chloe are part of the Arley’s big family. But, you also need to know something…” Before Hans continues his statement, it is evident in Edward’s eyes that he leans forward in his seat. “Mrs. Arley told the world that Nathalie and Chloe were born from Caroline’s womb.”
Edward knows exactly who the Arley family is. Frederic and Victoria Arley are a wealthy couple born into affluent families. It’s even a well-known secret that the Arley family always marries their descendants to suitable partners or other conglomerate members to preserve their business and wealth. Marrying someone from a lower social stratum is considered a disgrace to the extended family.
“Oh my God!” Edward exclaims. “This old woman is truly cunning, Hans. So, how do Nathalie and Chloe react? I mean, do they know that their own grandmother is the mastermind behind all this chaos? Well, though she doesn’t deserve to be called a grandmother,” Edward inquires. He seems more and more enthusiastic to hear all the news that Hans is sharing with him.
“I don’t know yet. I haven’t investigated that far. What I know is that Mrs. Arley passed away about ten years ago, followed by Caroline three years later, and Nathalie after that.”
This time, Edward is genuinely shocked by the news Hans reveals. “Wait… you said Nathalie has already passed away?”
Hans doesn’t immediately answer. He chooses to reach for a cup of coffee that was served for him. After taking a sip, he nods. “Yes, as you heard. Nathalie passed away about two or three years ago. According to the news, it was a car accident.”
Edward’s face turns grim. “Poor Chloe. I wonder if this string of problems has made Chloe different from other women. She seems like someone who is very reserved.”
“But, by the way, what about her biological mother? Does anyone know her current whereabouts?”
With regret, Hans shakes his head. “Unfortunately, no one knows anything about Patricia’s whereabouts up until now. We don’t know if she’s still alive or maybe she’s already passed away.”
“Do you have any pictures of her at all? You know, I’m getting more curious about Chloe’s family background.”
Hans sighs softly. “At the moment, I don’t have any. But if you really need it, I can investigate more about Patricia. I promise to find as much information as possible for you.”
Edward’s lips curve up into a satisfied smile. It’s safe to say he made the right choice in choosing Hans to investigate this case. The big man never slacks when it comes to completing the tasks given to him. “I entrust everything to you, Hans.”
****
In the evening, with an important meeting scheduled, Chloe decides to go home from work early. As she steps into her house, a maid hurries over to greet her and takes her work bag to store it in Chloe’s office.
“Has Papa come home?” Chloe asks as she takes off her black stilettos.
“Master is in his study. He’s been home since this afternoon,” the maid replies.
Chloe nods briefly, then heads to Dylan’s study room. She knocks on the door once before entering. She finds Dylan sitting relaxed, looking at the photos neatly arranged on his desk.
“What are you doing here, Pa?” Chloe pulls a chair right in front of Dylan and takes a seat.
“Papa is enjoying the chamomile tea just brought by the maid.”
Chloe smiles slightly. “Oh, come on, Pa. Don’t lie. You must be thinking about them, right?” She points to the row of photos beside Dylan’s left hand. “I can even guess that you’ve just finished crying.”
Dylan doesn’t say anything to refute or confirm Chloe’s words. Somehow, this afternoon, he got carried away by the atmosphere. He even shed tears after looking at the long line of photos of Nathalie and Chloe when they were children. Also, a photo of Patricia on their wedding day.
“Papa misses them,” Dylan whispers. “I’ve committed too many sins against your mother and Nathalie.”
Chloe takes a deep breath, reaching out her right hand to grasp Dylan’s wrist and holding it tightly. “Pa, there’s no need to blame yourself. None of this happened because of you. Back then, when I was angry at the situation, Nathalie always warned me that it was not your fault or Mom’s fault. Nathalie even pleaded with me not to hate Grandma. How kind-hearted she was, Papa’s other daughter.” Chloe speaks with teary eyes. Mentioning Nathalie’s name opens old wounds that have yet to heal in her heart.
“Forgive Papa again,” Dylan expresses remorsefully. “Also, forgive Grandma for what she has done to you. Honestly, Papa still hopes your mother is alive and that she can…”
“Pa…” Chloe quickly interrupts Dylan’s sentence. “Let’s just pray, and if Mom is still alive, may God guide her back to us.” Chloe tightens her grip on his hand, trying to console Dylan so he won’t sink deeper. Even though she knows that the detective Dylan hired to find Patricia has yet to locate her. Chloe has already accepted the fact that her mother is likely gone. She remembers what the detective said some time ago.
“We have tried searching all over the United Kingdom, even expanded the search to the borders of Ireland and Scotland. But your mother seems to have disappeared without a trace,” Chloe sighed in frustration.
“So, you mean there’s no hope that my mother is still alive?” The detective shook his head briefly.
“I’m sorry, but it turns out this case is more challenging than you might have thought. There is not a single clue that could help us find your mother.”
“Please, try to investigate again. I will pay as much as you ask. If my mother is indeed gone, at least, we will know where her resting place is.”
Chloe closed her eyes tightly as she recalled her conversation with the detectives. Even before her grandmother passed away, the old woman did not disclose where she had disposed of Patricia all these years. Chloe once asked, but Victoria remained silent, choosing to take the secret to her grave.
“Chloe…” Dylan suddenly spoke. “Thank you for always being able to calm me down.”
The gratitude from her father brought relief to Chloe. Especially when her hazel eyes locked onto Dylan’s, she could sense that his mood was improving.
“By the way, Papa said he wants to take me to the dinner party tonight.” Chloe tried to shift the conversation.
Dylan remembered something and spoke, “Ah, yes, I almost forgot.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “We still have one hour to get ready.”
Chloe released her hand from his grip and stood up. “Alright then, let me get ready.”
Spending more than thirty minutes, Chloe emerged from her room wearing an off-shoulder black dress matched with a glittery clutch of the same color. Her auburn brown hair cascaded down to cover her bare shoulders. Chloe looked truly elegant tonight. She dressed up to the fullest to make sure Dylan wouldn’t feel embarrassed introducing her to all his business associates tonight.
“Are you ready?” Dylan extended his right hand towards Chloe, ready to head to the car.
Chloe nodded with assurance. “Yes, Pa.”
The two of them then set off to the Hilton Park Lane Hotel in the upscale district of Mayfair. It took them twenty minutes to reach the venue.
Chloe could clearly see the hustle and bustle of the exclusive party. The conglomerates gathered, mingling and sometimes even showing off their wealth. It was a common sight at such events. Chloe didn’t particularly enjoy attending occasions like this unless it was necessary, like tonight, to not disappoint Dylan.
Meanwhile, since entering the ballroom, Dylan continuously smiled and exchanged greetings with the guests. Occasionally, he engaged in conversations with those who approached him. His gaze swept across the room until he found the person he had been looking for.
Quickly, Dylan took Chloe’s wrist, guiding her to follow his steps and stopping among a group of men engrossed in their conversation.
“Good evening, Dylan. My, I’ve been waiting for your arrival.” A stocky old man extended his hand to shake Dylan’s.
“Darren Alistair, I apologize for being a bit late. You know how bad the traffic can get on weekends like this.” Dylan greeted the man in front of him.
“I’ve been waiting for you, don’t forget you promised to introduce your daughter to me,” said another elderly man.
Dylan shifted his gaze and laughed, responding to the man standing next to Darren, “You need to get acquainted with my daughter first, Lex.” Dylan nudged Chloe to stand beside him. “Her name is Chloe Arley, she’s my youngest daughter.”
Chloe extended her hand politely to the man who had been conversing with Dylan. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
The old man smiled, shaking Chloe’s hand. “You can call me Mr. Alex. It turns out you are even more beautiful than what Dylan often tells me.”
Dylan chuckled in response. “Where’s your son? I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Just wait a moment,” said Alex. He then waved his hand towards another guest who was walking towards them. When the man arrived, Alex introduced him to Chloe and Dylan.
“This is my son, the sole heir of Quantum. His name is Sebastian Eduardo Martin.”
Edward extended his hand first to Dylan and then turned to Chloe. “Nice to meet you, Chloe Arley. Like I said, we are destined to meet.” A triumphant grin was evident on his face.