“Young master, it’s been two months and the little miss is all better. It is time you took over your position again.
That means, the operation for your leg is long due. I have booked the plane for tomorrow.
But you also have a choice, instead of being flown out, we can call the surgeon here and work on you at Sora Hospital.
The thing is that it will be very expensive because the doctor will have to come with all the machines required.
Sora Hospital still doesn’t have that department. Yes I know, your mother prefers opening more wards for children,” Michael explained.
They were sitting in the main office in the main Armstrong mansion that was at the center of the whole manor.
This house was five times bigger than the west wing where Richard lived with Melvin. One has to have in mind that Richard’s was a mansion of more than ten bedrooms.
“Can’t I take longer? I want to make sure that she is all better. What If she relapses while I’m away? What if…”
“Young master, all is well. She has undergone so many tests and they have all come out negative. That means that the bone marrow that was donated is compatible with her well and there are no signs of leukemia whatsoever.
It was luck that it was discovered early and we had the best doctor for the operation.
Also, haven’t you noticed that little miss has fallen for that older miss of the Philips family? I doubt whether she will miss you. Where is she now?” Michael asked.
“That’s what worries me. I don’t know what kind of dark magic that girl did to my daughter since that day they were locked in the utility room together.
Mel can’t seem to have enough of her. Can you imagine that? She cried and cried asking for auntie Macy until Ash had to take her.
For the first time, I have allowed someone I don’t know to my territory. I can’t leave my daughter to her.
What if…” Michael complained with a pout that was so unlike him.
“Young master, you aren’t leaving little miss to Macy. You are leaving her with her grandmother who adores her,” Michael tried making this hen pecked father see sense.
“But still…” he continued but Michael interrupted
“No buts! Do you prefer the operation here or China?” Michael asked sternly. “Remember you promised. We did our part and now it’s time to do yours.
You can’t go back. Go get the bones to your leg aligned, get back to your old self and come take over.
Do you know how many people have tried messing with the Dragon Empire since you disappeared? It’s time you showed them that the Dragon is back!” Michael said and Richard looked around as if he was afraid someone was eaves dropping even though they were in one of the safest places in GW.
“Don’t call me that here! What if someone heard you.
Ai! I’m going to miss my years of vacation. Why did you come to find me?” Richard reminisced about the five years he hid or he thought he had hidden.
“Have you forgotten that it was my presence that saved little miss? Get back to work so that you can come and make those mother f*ckers pay!
I can’t blame that woman you had married. She dared treat her own daughter that way…” Michael became worked up just thinking of what Mel went through.
“Michael? Do you believe that I will set you on fire if you dare speak of that woman again?” Richard said in a dangerously low voice.
“It’s just that it gets me so worked up. She is lucky that she didn’t meet the Zeus of five years ago!” Michael hissed. “You should have given me the permission to deal with them. They would all be dead by now,” he continued.
“Don’t worry. I wanted to do it personally. They would be meeting Richard Armstrong and not the useless Richard Michaels they knew. I will make them crawl to DC asking for forgiveness.
That is if they will have the knees and hands to crawl,” Michael said with a far away look.
“Has she gotten married yet?” He asked referring to his ex wife.
“Yes, a week ago. A grand wedding. They used five hundred thousand dollars to plan the wedding,” Michael spat with venom.
It couldn’t be more clear that he hated hated Cassy even more than Richard did.
“Good. That makes it easier. The more, the merrier,” Richard said and Michael beamed at that.
“I like you like that,” he said.
“Get your ugly face out of here and give me the itinerary of the journey and what I’m supposed to do and where. I don’t want anyone to go with me. I want to do it alone.
I want you here watching over my girl. Ash can be an ass sometimes I want you to keep an eye on him,” Richard said and Michael walked away with a smile.
** ** ** **
Richard was seated in the living room waiting for his daughter and his brother to come back from the main house.
He wanted to bid his daughter farewell because he was leaving the following day for an unspecified period of time.
This was because he didn’t know how long it would take him to be back on his feet.
Like the pamphlet he was given by Michael said, if all went well, he would be back home after two weeks to continue with therapy and within two months, he would be running a marathon.
He thus wanted to make sure that his daughter understood where he was going.
“Young master, what do you want for dinner today?” The cook asked bringing him back from his thoughts.
“Anything is okay. Just make sure that it is healthy for Mel,” he said absent mindedly as he looked at his phone.
He wanted to call his brother because they were taking long enough but he heard the small vehicle stopping at the door and he knew that they were back.
He was on his feet before they could open the door.
“Daddy!” Melvin said as she ran to her daddy.
“What took you so long?” Richard complained as he picked her and hugged her.
“Look daddy. Grandma gave me a present. It is a doll in the form of Elsa. She is beautiful. Isn’t she daddy?” Melvin said as she showed her father a life like doll that Asher was carrying.
“It’s so big daddy. Grandma said that she had it c… cu…,” she tried remembering but the word seemed elusive.
“Custom made,” Asher supplied.
“… yes! Cutom made. She said that she had it cutom made for me,” she said excitedly and Richard smiled.
When they moved to DC, he was worried that his daughter would have a hard time getting used to a new place. But it wasn’t like that.
He realised that what Melvin needed was the live of family. People, other than him, to show her that she was valued and loved.
He was glad that his family loved her and that helped even with her recovery.
“Come here, we have to talk,” Richard said as he walked towards the couch.
“Alex, take this to Melvin’s room,” Asher called one of the workers who was standing at the door and told him.
Richard sat down with Melvin and Asher and started explaining to her about the operation and why he had to be away for at least a week.
He also promised her that they would video call everyday because he would miss her a lot.
But contrary to what he expected, Melvin behaved like a little grownup.
“Go get treated daddy. I will be happy if you walk straight like Melvin. Don’t worry about me. I will ask aunty Macy to stay with me while you are away,” she said and he sighed.
He should have known that he was slowly being replaced in his girl’s heart.
He was jealous and also cautious. The memories of how Cassy hated and treated Melvin were still fresh in his mind. He thus found it hard to trust another woman with her.
What if she hurt his daughter’s heart again? What is she disappeared one day and hurt Melvin’s heart? He didn’t know what to do.
“Okay baby. I will talk to her. Go with nurse Lin so that you can get ready for dinner,” he said and she skipped happily towards nurse Lin who was smiling at her.
“Did she get the part?” Richard asked Asher.
“What? Who?” Asher asked in confusion because he didn’t expect Richard to talk to him.
Richard just looked at him waiting for him to reorient himself.
“Oh, Macy? Oh yes. And I didn’t have to do a thing. Apparently she didn’t even want the lead role. She wanted the second lead and from what I gathered, she arrived just on time as those interviewing those who had come for auditions were getting ready to leave.
She walked in to the room and I hear that when the director saw her, he stood up. He called her Mayra.
They asked her to show what she got and the writer of the story said that that was Maura come to live.
Maura is the name of the second female lead in the movie.
So, she got the part by her own. No help needed,” Asher said feeling proud of her.
“But of late, since I started taking Mel to see her and even the few times she has been here, I can tell that she isn’t happy.
She seems sad and she only smiles when playing wit Melvin. I can’t ask her what’s wrong because we aren’t close like that,” Asher continued.
“Put surveillance on her. Check her e-mails, and tap her phone. Find out who she is talking to. Put cameras in her apartment and make sure you have someone following her wherever she goes,” Richard ordered in a serious voice.
“Eeeiii, brother! Are you in love?” Asher teased and Richard threw him that gaze that always worked on shutting Asher up.
“Okay. On it,” Asher said seriously.
“I want to see her,” Richard said.
“Okay. That can be arranged. After the operation?” Asher asked.
“No. Now.”
“Brother! It’s almost seven in the evening. Why do you want to see her now. She lived twenty miles from here,” Asher complained.
“She is close to my daughter and I want to make sure that she is right to be with Mel. I don’t want my daughter to spend time with a psycho. Are you taking me or should I ask Cash?” Richard threatened but Asher couldn’t let such an opportunity pass.
He wanted gossip and he had very little on his brother. He wanted to see how his older brother would treat Macy and if it was true that he was going to her place to talk about Mel.