Her Captain, The Gamemaster

Not Yours Anymore

*Emily's POV*

We hailed a cab from the airport about an hour after arrival and split into two groups. I went with my father and his lawyer, Charles or whatever his name is. After about half an hour, we arrived into a new town and all I could think was 'SHE LIVES HERE?!?'

The entire town was very rich looking and it seemed so nice and warm. I took countless pictures as my father made small talk with the taxi driver in Chinese. Growing up, I never really cared much about my roots. I see enough trash on the news but how come I never even bothered to learn Chinese?

All the people here spoke a different type of Chinese and it sounded more like Cantonese but for some reason, my dad spoke Mandarin instead. I thought he would know the local language but I suppose it has been a long time since he's been in China.

After taking millions of more photos, we eventually pulled up to a large bronze gate and at this point, even the driver was looking at us suspiciously alongside the police officers who were in small stations at the gate.

'You live here?' he asked in English with a thick accent.

My dad nods.

'Are you sure?' he asks again in English, despite my father having proven that he understands Mandarin.

He looked baffled when my dad nodded again and my dad pulls out an old card to scan against a scanner that opened the gates for the two cars. For a while, we were only driving through a tall forest but at the end, we emerged into a great grass land and there were mountains behind the plains. I even caught a glimpse of a lake.

It was beautiful and I take out my camera again, taking dozens of pictures per second. After filling up two camera memory chips, we arrive at another gate, though it was much smaller and had gold entwined around it. This time, the security officers opened it up without identification.

We exit the car, taking our luggage with us. Dad said we wouldn't be staying for too long so we all packed light. He walked up a polished staircase to a massive marble mansion with three levels. Each of them were larger than my whole family's penthouse.

He rang the doorbell and waited. I still didn't know exactly what was gonna happen. What was I gonna say? Should I be try strong and cold? Or be approachable and shy? (gurl stfu)

The door eventually opened and I met eyes with an old woman who looked to be in her early 50's in an apron. Maid or something?

She looked at my father in shock and he returned it with an empty face. The woman was stunning despite being like two generations older and opened the door wider to look at him.

'Jonathan,' she spoke in a monotone voice with hardly an accent.

'Hello,' my father's tone was oddly cocky but still had a formal sound to it. Like a crooked lawyer who got what they wanted.

'You actually came,' the woman rolled her eyes.

'Yes, I did. Brought company as well. Mind if we come in?' my father asked in a chirpy voice.

She moved away to us in and despite only knowing her for less than a minute, I knew there was history between her and my father. My brothers walked in with my mum who stared at the shiny floors while the rest of us were in shock at the tall ceiling.

'Kids, this is the woman who gave birth to me,' he addressed the older woman. 

My eyes widened. There was hardly any resemblance but my father, too, was very good-looking. My mother is a gorgeous woman but neither me nor my brothers got good genes. We were above average at the most.

'Hello, Grandma,' I step up, smiling sweetly. My brothers followed suite but she didn't look all too pleased.

'Don't know Chinese?' she tutted.

'It's the 21st Century. We're evolving into a space where we all speak English, a common language,' my father defends us and I feel slightly ashamed.

'Forgetting old customs, ignoring tradition and insulting culture. What a wonderful and knowledgeable space,' she spoke back in the same tone as my father.

There was silence as they stared daggers, my mother still staring at the floor as I reached for her hand, trying to reassure myself of something I've got a bad feeling about.

'Why are you here?' my father's mother asked.

'You know why. Your husband basically dead. You're not entitled to his will as a female older than him,'

'I don't intend on altering or stealing his will, you brat,' the woman spat back.

'I'm sure you have some great plan to save yourself,' my father rolled his eyes at her.

'If that's all, I must ask you all to leave,' she pulled a fake smile at us as my mother started shaking. I eye her pale fingers as she starts to rub her thumb nail against her forefinger.

'Isn't this my house as well?'

'No, this is a new house and it's not under either of our names. The property belongs to the rightful heir,' she continued arguing, smoothly.

'Who?' my father asks.

'I thought it was obvious,' the woman rubbed her temples. 'Foolish boy. It belongs to my granddaughter,'

'Right. Now that actually is smart. Speaking of which, where is she?'

I turn to look at the staircase peeping behind another set of doors. Someone was there. My sister?

I wanted to go in but I couldn't leave my mother. Her grip was now slowly cutting off the blood circulation in my hands and I winced. She noticed and let me go, apologizing quietly.

'Why do you want to know?'

'Why can't I see my daughter?'

'She's not yours anymore. She's mine,' the lady cut my father off before he could say another word.

'Excuse me?' my father choked out sarcastically.

'You lost the right to her years ago and you know that,'

'Tell me where my daughter is, woman,'

The tension in the air was thick as the mother and son duo stared each other down. I gulp as I pull my brothers backwards in case something were to happen.

'She's not here,'

I turn back. That voice wasn't a familiar one and it came from the room in which I was eyeing earlier. It belonged to a bleached Asian girl. Around my height but very pretty and had a fit body.

'Who are you?' my father asked. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm a friend,' she says, calmly. 'She's not here right now,'

'Where is she?' my father asks.

'She went out an hour ago,' my father's mother answered.

'Try again tomorrow,' the girl said as she pushed my father out the door, dragging my brothers with her.

'Excuse me?' my father retaliated as I almost trip over the door frame.

'I said try again tomorrow,'

Author's Note:

its not late at night. its just early in the morning

im a night-owl hoot hoot

thxx.