Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 40 : Family Dinner

The highway was quiet, quite unusual for the day, as most people would have been stuck in long lines of traffic as they made their way back to their hometowns to celebrate Chuseok, the traditional harvest festival observed by Koreans, both north and south of the borders. The sounds of engine roaring broke the silence on the highway, as two motorcycles sped down the road in unison. Planted at the sides of the highway trees swayed, causing countless leaves to fall from their branches as the strong winds blow in the sky. The two motorcycles did not have the intention to stop at all as they raced down the long highway. 

Both riders were men, wearing riding gear and motorcycle helmets with their visors lowered to cover their faces. Their gear might look identical, but their motorcycles were spray-painted and maintained in their flair. One rider motioned at the other, signalling that they had to return and the other rider agreed, as they had been riding along the quiet hallway for nearly three hours. 

The Kim Family Residence, Cheongdam-dong District

The motorcycles pulled up in front of the auto gate, which slid open to grant them entry. The riders then continued down the road after turning right, entering the garage to park their bikes after the ride. The distance between the vehicle garage and the manor house was short, so they walked to the manor and climbed the staircase, holding their motorcycle helmets in their hands. "Master Park, Master Oh." Jacqueline Kim, the butler to the Kim Family, greeted them. "Please, take off your shoes and leave them on the shoe rack if you will." 

Brian Park Jong Dae, eldest grandson of Uriah Kim and Kassandra Castellanos, nodded and unzipped his riding boots. Oh Se-hun, the fourth grandson of the couple followed suit. "You exceeded the usual speed limit by a margin today." Brian remarked as they entered the living hall. "Getting slow?"

"You want to beat me in a race?" Se-hun raised a brow. "Let's not forget who got the chance to race in a tournament with amateur racers."

"Isa would've left us in the dust if we threw down the gauntlet." Brian said. "So... I'll pass that." 

"But she's here now, far from that woman who tried to kill her but wrecked her bike instead." Se-hun said. "And I'm not forgiving her for hurting Isabella."

"We all do in the family. You're not the only one." Brian remarked as Jacqueline led the guests to the room. "And look who is this."

"Doing things to hurt Isabella and yet they were welcomed into our home." Se-hun said, in a resentful tone. 

"I'd rather have my dinner in my room instead." Brian said. "But grandfather would have disapproved of it."

"True, but we should head to the dining room." Se-hun said. 

The dining room was quiet when Brian and Se-hun arrived, and their grandfather Uriah waved them in. They scanned the table in silence as they took their seats. Most of their relatives including their parents are back home by now and were waiting for dinner to be served to the table. The sounds of eating utensils clacking against ceramic plates and soup bowls remained the only voice heard in the dining hall as the family ate in silence. "How is the weather today?" Uriah asked, his gaze on his two grandsons who went out for a motorcycle ride. 

"The highways were empty, for some reason." Brian replied. "But the weather's doing fine, even though it might rain in a few hours or so."

"We have visited Elizabeth in the hospital, she and Bruce have just woken up from their medically-induced coma following their surgery." Xavier said. "Both are doing well." 

"Good." Uriah said. "With the scoundrel locked up, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief."  

"But Isabella will have to stay in South Korea for the duration of the mandated physiotherapy sessions." Xavier said. "Even though she wanted to return to her job in the United States."

"Which reminded me of something." Daniel said, looking up from his plate. "The university had decided to send me and some of my colleagues to New York, as part of a staff exchange between Seoul University and New York University."

"That's great news." Alice said. "But have you asked Sophia about it?"

"Remember Germany?" Sophia smiled, her gaze shifting a little. "I'm going with you, that's me if you will."

"How do you think that our boy was born there?" Daniel said. "But it does give Sophia the chance to expose her boss for his artefact smuggling activities." 

"He had a fake degree." Sophia said. "How did he get the position? I don't know."

"When will you be leaving?" Kassandra interrupted. 

"In five weeks or so." Daniel said, a hand at the back of his head. "If you count the time needed for a visa application."

"Ah, it is notoriously difficult to get an American visa." Kassandra said. "But I'm sure you can pull through, with your academic credentials."

"I'll be at the American embassy tomorrow to get that visa." Daniel said. "I'm pretty sure it might take up half a day." 

"Are you going to visit Isabella in the morning before going off to the embassy?" Sophia asked. 

"Maybe, but I'm sure that she'll understand." Daniel replied. 

Later

After dinner Jason, Tim, Stephanie, Duke and Damian gathered in Damian's room, deciding to share their thoughts on Isabella's family after seeing them interact during the meal. "Isabella's family was normal and natural, even though we're around." Stephanie said. "They're just normal guys, even though they have loads of money." 

"People can still live normally, even though they're rich." Tim said. "They're loving, caring, and just... well... normal." he added, sitting on the couch. "They were not as dysfunctional as Selina claimed to be."

"She didn't know Isabella's family to begin with." Damian said. "She only did this when her relationship with father fell apart and he began to see Isabella." 

"Based on the evidence we gathered, even though there might be more that we didn't know and is waiting to be found, I can say that... we had a lapse in judgment." Jason said. "And we let our familiarity with Selina cloud our judgment towards Isabella."

"You bet that you did Todd." Damian said. "You are more willing to listen to her at that fateful party."

"You think that Isabella's grandfather met Babe Ruth?" Duke asked. "He grew up during the Great Depression." 

"You can ask him that tomorrow." Damian replied. "He was welcoming towards you."

"And you." Duke retorted.