Meanwhile, at the Williams Villa, Esme keeps thinking about what she saw earlier. At the banquet, when she was about to go to the restroom, he even saw Tristan helping Belle out.
De Clarion Empire’s CEO led her to the elevator and even carried her in. She waited to see where the elevator would stop, but it kept going until it reached the topmost floor, the VIP suite.
‘What is her relationship with Tristan? Why was she so close to him? It can’t be, this can’t be happening!’
The face of the woman she saw earlier is way too familiar for her to deny that she knows her. It is her indeed! It’s none other than Yssabelle Williams, Lawrence and Rose’s daughter.
Years ago, after the search and rescue team reported that they failed to find her and announced that Yssabelle was dead, Esme wanted to make doubly sure. He contacted three investigators to look for her in nearby hospitals, not just in Bree, but in Dale as well.
Two days later, she received a report that a child around the age of 6 to 8 was rescued from the sea by a fisherman and was taken to a hospital in Dale. She then went to Dale to confirm and, sure enough, it was Yssabelle.
She was rescued not far from Bree port, but the fishermen who rescued her were residents of Dale. That was why she was taken to a hospital there instead.
Esme approached the couple to ask, pretending she was just a curious passerby. The wife of the fisherman told her that Yssabelle was her daughter and that they were looking for her for days after she fell into the sea.
The wife seemed unstable at that time. She looked like she was going thru depression or something close to that. So Esme assumed that it was a case of mistaken identity or that the fisherman’s wife was simply being delusional.
But since it was a favorable situation for her, she did not bother telling them what she knew. She did not inform the couple that Yssabelle’s family was from Bree and they had been looking for her.
Esme, instead, lets the couple take Yssabelle in as their child. Knowing her whereabouts, she made sure she put her under close monitoring.
She contacted an old friend and asked him to move to Dale. Esme instructed him to keep a close eye on the young girl and inform her immediately if something unusual happened.
However, in the past years, she never left Dale. Esme was confident that Lawrence wouldn’t find out about her.
But now, she is actually in Bree and Lawrence has already seen him. She can’t help but feel anxious. She can’t help but think about what will happen to her once Lawrence finds out what she did.
Although her husband didn’t know yet that Belle Roberts was her long lost daughter, Yssabelle Williams, Esme thought she needed to come up with a plan immediately. It’s either to stop Lawrence from knowing she is still alive or to make her life a living hell that she would wish she had died a long time ago. Those are the only options she could think of.
Esme went to the backyard of the villa and put out her phone. She started dialing Vernice’s number but she was not answering the call.
Mrs. Williams was frustrated. She needs to talk to her daughter before she comes back to Bree. Vernice needs to know the current situation they are in.
Still unable to get a hold of Vernice, Esme decided to go back. She had only taken a few steps when her phone rang.
She looked at the caller ID and it was her daughter, so she immediately answered her call. “Where are you right now?” Esme asked right away.
“I’m in Lys of course! In our rented apartment,” she answered.
“I’m flying to Lys tomorrow. I’ll be there around eight or nine in the morning. Make sure you meet me at the airport. I’ll have to go back right after we talk. I can’t stay long. There’s something important we need to discuss,” she told her nonstop.
Vernice let out a sigh. She doesn’t know what her mother is up to, nor is she aware of her plans. “Okay Mom, I’ll wait for you at the café inside the airport. I’ll be there at 8 AM sharp!” she answered before ending the call.
Back at the hotel, “You can spend the night here,” Tristan told Belle. They were done eating and his grandfather was ready to leave. “You can call your friend over so someone can accompany you,” he added.
Belle nodded at him, then she started bidding farewell to Frederick. He kissed the old man’s hand and hugged him.
Frederick even asked her to make sure to visit him at the villa to continue their conversation. She also waved at Jacob before he went out of the suite.
“Thank you, Tristan,” she uttered. Belle wanted to take it back as she called him by his first name instead of ‘Boss’ or ‘Sir’, but Tristan smiled. ‘I guess that’s fine!’ Belle thought. “You’ve done so much for me tonight,” then she smiled sweetly at him. Tristan just gave her a nod and tapped her shoulder before leaving.
As soon as they left, Belle closed the door and went back to the bedroom to lie down. She’s still feeling the throbbing pain at the back of her head, as well as the pain in her arm.
‘I’ll make sure to pay her back for what she did!’
On the ground floor of the Royal Palace, Jacob leaves to get the car, while Tristan and Frederick wait for him. As soon as he arrived, both grandfather and grandson went in.
Seated at the back of the car with his grandson next to him, Frederick cleared his throat. “I like that girl. She’s fun to talk to and she’s smart,” he stated, glancing at the man next to him.
“He likes her too, Sir!” Jacob chimed in, glancing at Tristan from the rearview mirror. Tristan chuckled at their conversation. “But he can’t tell her…” Jacob whispered under his breath, not knowing both men behind him heard it.
Frederick looked sideways, observing his grandson’s reaction. He caught him smirking after hearing what Jacob said.
“Why can’t you tell her? I thought you were a certified ladykiller,” he teased.
Tristan looked out the window, “I will. Soon,” he just said.
“You can’t, maybe not after a year or two,” Frederick stated, leaning backward. “I think the reason Lawrence will be visiting me is to talk about your marriage with Vernice. I think they want us to reconsider,” he advised his grandson before letting out a long, depressing sigh.
“I also thought of that,” Tristan replied. “But I want you to know, Grandpa, aside from a prenuptial agreement, I also want her to sign a divorce agreement before getting married.”
“What do you mean?” his grandfather’s brows were knitted.
Tristan sighed before turning his body to face the old man. “There’s a reason why they want us to reconsider marriage and money’s one of their agenda. If that is the case, they will try to suck up as much as they could from us. If we don’t take prior actions, we’ll be on the losing end. So before that happens, we need to take precautions. When they’re deep in their mess, they would probably resist divorcing, so it’s much better to have one signed before getting married,” he explained.
Frederick nodded slowly. He understood his grandson’s worries and was amazed at how he could think like this in advance.
He knows Tristan is smart, but he always thought he thinks with the lower half of his body most of the time. He smiled, knowing he was wrong.
‘I guess he can actually use the head above his shoulders.’
“Also, I think someone is trying to play something here,” he looked at Jacob through the rearview mirror. His assistant was listening attentively. “Someone’s trying to play tricks, but I’m not sure yet. We’ll have to investigate more, but I’ll let you know as soon as I confirm things.” Once again, Frederick nodded.
After a few minutes more, they reached the De Clarion Villa. John assisted Frederick out of the car. He could only nod at his son to acknowledge his presence.
As soon as Frederick and John entered the villa, Tristan and Jacob went back inside the car. “Go to Eden,” he told Jacob. “There are things we need to discuss.”