Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 31 : A Grandfather's Love (2)

Uriah stood in the kitchen and behind the kitchen island as he worked on a loaf of bread, while ingredients such as a fried egg, lettuce, tomato and bacon lay on a huge plate in front of the cutting board. Alfred was inviting towards those who visited and access to the kitchen was allowed, provided that you didn't make a mess. As he worked on the bread his previous thoughts still lingered. 

When Isabella told him that her childhood friend and the same woman who tried to kill her were lovers Uriah was shocked, but he did nothing, as it was his own choice after all. When Isabella was caught up in their unhealthy romance, however, Uriah decided to step in and protect his granddaughter, as she had nothing to do with the romance. Isabella was hesitant as one night, Bruce showed up at her apartment, claiming that he had lost his car and hoping to stay in her residence for one night only. Uriah didn't believe a word in what the young man said at all when Isabella told him the story after she returned from a late-night meeting with her British and Russian uncles, to discuss a case at the Lincoln Memorial. 

He didn't know what the young man wanted with his granddaughter, but Isabella was more than resolute in her decision to distance herself from her childhood friend to protect her reputation. When Isabella began dating Samuel Banks, the son of a wine merchant and owner of his own brand of wine Uriah gave his blessing for the relationship, not because of his wealth or status, but for his good-natured personality and the mutual love both parties had for one another. Uriah was glad that his granddaughter was both happy and contented in her romance with the young man, far away from her childhood friend, which he was deeply suspicious of. 

"Preparing food Mr Kim?" Alfred entered the kitchen.

"I am." Uriah said, quickly returning to reality. "I do hope that it is fine that I used the kitchen to prepare food."

"Indeed." the butler replied. "Your granddaughter was well prepared to manage a household, even while she is at work." 

"We rather raise our children to be independent, rather than dependent on people such as servants." Uriah replied. "When I grew up during the Great Depression, we had no maid nor manservant in the home. My parents lost a sizable amount of their fortunes when the Crash occurred, but was enough to keep the family afloat."

"Must have been hard."

"My mother looked after the household while my father continued working as a financial consultant. He was seen as an unsympathetic man by the struggling populace due to his line of work, but he won back some of their affection and sympathy by giving away small sums of money enough to keep the poorest families afloat."

"It is clear that despite hailing from a well-to-do family you too had a struggling upbringing as a child." 

"I would not call 'struggling' a word in describing my childhood years. My mother often cooked and packed our lunches for us to have at school, but we secretly shared them with our classmates because she often packed too much food for us." 

"The Great Depression was indeed a trying time for the American population, but your parents pulled through." Alfred said. "Very well Mr Kim, I will not interrupt you in making your food, but do help yourselves to the varying ingredients we have at Wayne Manor." Once Alfred left the kitchen Uriah returned to his thoughts. 

Isabella suffered a terrible loss when Samuel was murdered by Russian agents and his body was thrown from the balcony of the rented apartment they shared in Berlin while on a mission. She was grief-stricken and sought emotional comfort from her family. When she decided to grieve for the loss of the man she loved by staying in England and spending time with her relatives Bruce and his lover showed up. Her situation was complicated however, as Bruce's lover did not even bother acknowledging that Isabella was mourning, and continued to deliberately show affection towards Bruce when she was around, as though the mourning black Isabella was wearing was not enough to show them she was in mourning. 

Her attempt angered the Duke of Malborough, his Duchess, which is Uriah's sister Helen, and the other guests who were there to see it. Despite her grief Isabella still noticed the cold indifference Bruce showed towards his lover whenever she showed affection towards him. "Elizabeth was always asking God in her prayers : 'Why is this happening to me?', 'I know I have no interest in their love affair but why do I have to go through this?'" said his sister in the letters they exchanged. Uriah can only imagine the torment in her heart as she asked God in her prayers, even though later on, she confided in him that she had feelings for Bruce, and she also swore to him that she had never acted on those feelings. 

Uriah did not doubt her words, as he had believed her in her conduct, unlike Bruce's lover, who according to rumours, had not changed her ways, even when she was with Bruce. Fabian had a set of jewellery ordered for Isabella to be worn on her wedding day, but it was stolen by Bruce's lover while on a visit to the duke's ducal seat. The accident however, was the straw that broke the camel's back, when the lover deliberately sped in front of Isabella and abruptly stopped, causing Isabella to brake but was not enough and slammed hard into the vehicle, the crash sending her flying and landing hard on the paved road, ripping open the previous sutures and she nearly died. 

When the news reached South Korea, Uriah was shocked, while his wife Kassandra fainted, and had to be sent to a hospital. Three days after the accident the couple arrived at the hospital, but their beloved granddaughter was still in a coma. Seeing their granddaughter in this state, caused Uriah's anger to flare up even more, as if Bruce Wayne had stopped seeing Isabella and stayed with the lover of his she wouldn't have ended up like this. But Bruce's cold indifference towards the same lover got him thinking however. If he is still together with his lover, why would he show this expression?