Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 38 : Displays Of Grandeur

Another man entered the living room, wearing a button-down shirt with a blazer and a pair of jeans, a combination of formal and casual styles. The man had greying hair and stubble, while a backpack was slung over his shoulder and a tablet in his hand. A woman was holding him by the arm, wearing a soft purple dress and a white jacket. Alice smiled as she hugged the woman tightly and the woman too returned the favor. "Just arrived?" the woman asked.

"Yes. With father too." Alice replied. "Going out?"

"He is." she smiled. "Seung Moon had to return to Seoul University for some briefing for lecturers."

"Are you coming home for dinner Seung Moon?" Uriah asked. 

"I'll squeeze in the time, I'm not expecting the briefing to be a short one." the man replied. "I can see that some unwanted guests have arrived." he coldly remarked, particularly towards Damian and his adopted siblings. 

"I'll send you to the university." the woman smiled, pulling the man by the arm. Alice smiled to herself as she watched the pair leave. They, were her sister and brother-in-law, Sophia Kim and Daniel Oh. 

"Brian's waiting for me." Se-hun said, checking his phone. "I'll be home with him later." The doors closed back once the trio left, leaving Baek-Hyun on the couch watching television. "Spend more time with your wife Baek. She had just given birth you know." he reminded, poking his head back in through the open door.

"Our bedroom is stuffy because of Sanhujori." Baek rolled his eyes. "I came down here because it's hot in the room." 

"I'll add more coal in the room."

"Not you too Aunt Jacky." Baek said, rolling his eyes with his back facing her. 

"I better head to the kitchen to check if dinner is ready." the butler said, taking her leave. "But on second thought, I should show you all to your respective rooms first before heading there." 

The group followed Jacqueline as she climbed the staircase. Climbing the stairs of a manor house which resembled a quintessentially British country estate would have its fair share of burdens, but elderly people like Jacqueline, Uriah, Kassandra, and Lee, have grown accustomed to the daily exercise. At the stage when the manor underwent renovations Uriah also had an elevator installed as an alternative to the staircase. 

Duke and Damian followed behind Isabella's parents, as he marvelled in the grandeur of the manor house owned by her family for generations. Duke did remember that Isabella's grandfather was a wealthy man but did not expect that his wealth would stretch this far, as he did not openly discuss how wealthy he was. Duke can probably come to the conclusion that Isabella's grandfather had an amount of wealth that rivals Bruce's, except that Bruce had used his wealth to finance his activities as Batman while Uriah did not. 

Uriah often patronizes charitable organizations, influenced by his upbringing during the Great Depression as his mother would bring him and his siblings to volunteer at soup kitchens. His wife provided fresh food and supplies to food banks and charitable organizations such as retirement homes and orphanages, aside from running business transactions, often declining payments in return with each food and supplies provided. To Uriah, charity is a choice, not a chore, while Kassandra herself too was influenced by her parents' method of helping out the less fortunate during tough times.

Reaching the first floor Uriah and Kassandra turned left down the hallway, as their bedroom was on this floor, the same as Alice's as she and her siblings had their rooms on the same floor as their parents'. Jacqueline continued to climb the stairs, reaching the second to last floor, where Alice and Jeffery turned left down the hallway because this was where their grandchildren would reside during their stay here. "Follow me." she said once the couple was out of earshot. Returning to the same floor where the living room is located Jacqueline led them down a long hallway with a series of rooms. "This will be the guest rooms." she added. "Settle in first and take a break, dinner will be served in an hour or two." 

Guest rooms in the Kim Family mansion were decorated simply, with the necessary items of furniture. They met again in Jason's room after settling in. 

"Bruce is already rich, but I didn't expect that Isabella's family would be as wealthy as he is, minus the whole Batman thing." Stephanie Brown, known under the code name Spoiler within the Batfamily, said. "I guess being wealthy attracts more money."

"As if you know how my father and Isabella met." Damian scoffed. "You're still believing in what his ex-lover had told you." 

"They were childhood friends." Duke said. 

"After my grandparents died they went their separate ways." Damian said. 

"Ok, Alfred had already lectured us on that." Jason said. "But now we should think about how we can persuade Isabella to stay in the family." 

"She's not coming back." Damian said. "She was already mourning for her late biological father when what you all did reached her, and she lost her children. Isabella's not coming back, you guys should have known the consequences." 

"Hold up. A miscarriage?" Jason asked. "No wonder Bruce disappeared for a few days." 

"She was three months pregnant according to Bruce." Duke explained. "She was having twins." A knock was heard on the door and Duke answered the door. 

"You must be the children from my cousin's husband's side of the family." another man stood outside the guest room. 

"Um... hi." Duke greeted. "And you are...?"

"Jong-In." he said, extending a hand. "My father worked as a trauma surgeon at John Hopkins."

"The youngest uncle." 

"Yes." Jong-In replied. "Grandmother sent me here to see if the guests are settling in well." 

"We're doing fine." 

"Good." Jong-In said. "Dinner's ready. Come down if you're ready."