Aurelia grew up without much love from her mother, and she never thought her real dad would ever come into her life. But then, he did. Now, she wonders if it's too late for him to rescue her from the darkness her parents left her in, or if there's s...
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The drive continued in silence until I felt a heavy weight on my shoulder. Glancing to my right, I saw Aurelia's head resting there, sound asleep.
As the car came to a stop, I carefully lifted her up, carrying her up the plane stairs and gently laying her in the bedroom to rest. I knew I needed to talk to my father about the events of the past four hours.
"Is she asleep?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," I confirmed.
"I can't believe it. I never thought I would see my mother again," I admitted, breaking the silence.
"I know it's a lot, Cristían, but we need to keep things low-key for Aurelia's sake. If we start bringing up everything at once, it'll overwhelm her," he reasoned.
He was right. We couldn't burden her with too much too soon.
"And we can't mention any of the other business matters just yet. So make sure nobody spills anything, Cristían. I mean it, or you won't like what happens," he warned sternly.
I'd never heard him threaten me like that before, but I knew he meant it. We had to tread carefully to avoid any unnecessary complications.
"We need to tell the others, or they'll mess everything up," I added.
"Right, let me handle that," he agreed, stepping away to talk to the others.
Lost in my thoughts, I reflected on the surreal feeling of having Aurelia back. I remembered how tiny she was when my parents showed me the hologram of her as a newborn, earning her the nickname "peanut." But she couldn't remember any of that. Dad had suffered immensely without her, and he still carried that pain, blaming himself for what happened. Yet, despite everything, a part of him would always love Leandra for giving him us, his family.
Lost in contemplation, I didn't notice the stewardess addressing me until she spoke louder.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like a drink?"
"Yes, a glass of whiskey on the rocks, please."
"Of course. And would Mr. Ramírez like something to drink as well?"
"Bring him a cup of coffee, please," I requested.
Sipping our drinks, we waited for the others to calm down after the news. They were predictably overreacting, but we couldn't expect anything less from them.
"Is she still asleep?" Dad inquired upon returning to his seat.
"Yeah, I think she's exhausted after today's events," I replied.
"Did you tell the others?"
"I did, and they're freaking out like drama queens," I chuckled.
