Harper

SHE'S HOME

Tyrus pov:

I sat in my office, surrounded by the familiar smell of leather and mahogany, with my whiskey in one hand and the other occupied by the files from my legal companies. 

The dim light from the window cast eerie shadows across the room, illuminating my tired but determined expression. I took a sip of my whiskey, feeling the warmth spread through my body as I signed on the files, finalising deals that would secure my position in the city.

Suddenly, my business phone rang, breaking the silence of the room. This was unexpected – my phone had been quiet for years, ever since I had risen to the top of the criminal underworld. But curiosity got the better of me, and I picked up the receiver.

"Hello," I said gruffly, "I'm sorry to disturb Mr. Moretti." A woman's voice replied professionally.

"Go straight to the point," I demanded, my tone monotone.

"This is the police organisation from Suriname," she began, "We have your daughter, Hazel Moretti, and would like if you could take her in."

As I tried to catch my breath, my heart raced, and I couldn't believe my ears. I quickly ended the call and informed my wife, who was probably going to faint upon hearing the news. 

We needed to act fast, so I called for a family meeting to discuss our lost princess, who was finally coming back to us.

As the family members gathered in the living room, their faces displayed a mix of worry and anticipation. 

I could see the concern etched on their faces, either because of the family meeting or my smile.It was a tense atmosphere, but I knew we had to stay strong and focused on the news at hand.

The moment had come, and we all sat down, eager to hear the good news. As we took our seats, I noticed the concern etched on everyone's faces, but I remained hopeful and determined to bring Harper back into our lives.

"We have finally found our lost princess," I said, trying to hide my emotions but failing as the happiness in my voice shone through. The boys had shocked faces, while my wife had a confused one. I looked at them all, my heart swelling with joy and gratitude.

The reactions were varied - shock from the boys, confusion from my wife. And then, just minutes later, she fainted. My wife has always been a bit dramatic, and that's part of why we love her. She's the heart of our family, always there to help us through tough times. 

As the maids took her to our room to rest, I continued with the news.

"So Hades and I will be going to get her," I declared. This caught Hades off guard, but a smile crept onto his face before he quickly composed himself. There were many disagreements in the room, but one look from Hades silenced them all.

*     

We were currently at the entrance of the police station waiting for our little girl to arrive at her own pace, even though we were hella nervous.

 The anticipation was killing us, but we knew that we had to be patient. We couldn't rush this moment, as it was one of the most important ones in our lives.

After some time, a black lady came with some files, it consisted of all the Adoption papers, which I already signed. 

It was surreal to finally hold those documents in my hands, knowing that they would soon be the key to bringing Harper Moretti into our family.

The lady introduced herself as Officer Mia. She had a warm smile on her face, which immediately put us at ease. She said, "Good evening, Mr. Moretti. What would you like to know about your daughter, Harper Moretti?"

I responded with a straight face, "Bring her to me. I will ask her what I need to know about her."

   Minutes later, a young girl around the age of 13 entered the room. Her striking green eyes immediately caught my attention, causing confusion to well up within me.

 My daughter, Harper, had always possessed ice blue eyes that exuded innocence, and her dirty blonde hair was a trait inherited from my great grandfather. She was the only Moretti to inherit those distinct features from our family lineage.

As the only Moretti to possess these distinctive features, she stood out among us.

Hades seemed to share my thoughts as he cast doubtful glances her way. Despite his uncertainty, he approached her and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Hades, and this is OUR father Tyrus," he said, bending down to her height. Her reaction was a mix of confusion and amusement, which I found endearing yet unsettling.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that she didn't comprehend our words. I turned to her social worker, who had been observing us with a hopeful yet envious expression. "Is she deaf?" I inquired. The social worker assured me that she didn't believe so and excused herself, leaving us alone.

As she walked away, my daughter's amused expression lingered as she watched the social worker's departure. It struck me as peculiar, but I chose not to dwell on it at that moment.

I turned back to look at my beautiful daughter, who kept an amused face while looking at her social worker walking away, which was weird, but I didn't mention it. 

We stared at her for some time as she was lost in her own world, but I think Hades got tired of all the staring, so he decided to hear her voice by asking her a few questions, which she didn't respond to or decided to ignore. 

He placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention, but she flinched, which was very odd, but I just decided to ignore it and so did Hades.

However, when she realised that we had noticed her flinch, she finally spoke.

"Hallo, Ik ben Riley," she said.

Upon hearing those words, I was taken aback. My baby girl had never known how to speak English; she could never understand what we were saying. How had she managed to attend school?