CH. 28: There Is No Second Time

One of those whom the shadow Amanda placed on Heather mentioned, was now bowing behind Cyrus, who was standing on his office by the floor to ceiling slanted window.

Nighttime has come and the events in the main house was just occurring.

"Sir."

Cyrus nodded his head without turning to face him.

In contrast to what Amanda thought, Cyrus didn't send any guards to follow Heather.

He simply had his people stop the shadows from putting more strain on Heather.

"But don't appear near those people, make sure they are not to see you within the time span she spends in the mountain. But if they approach you for what you have seen then simply tell them she spent her time in leisure," he instructed.

The guilt placed on him by Amelia's words caused him to make such a decision.

If this was before, when Heather was still acting and all, making him irritated and hating her more, he wouldn't care.

The past week where Heather showed a different strong side of hers didn't cause him to be irritated and he felt even calmer facing her.

May be because if she acts the way Susan does, he felt that she was insulting Susan instead.

He didn't love Susan for her personality alone, he had loved her for the years she spent the difficult times with him.

When not even his mother was there to tell him that he can do it, where she only wanted results, it was Susan who was there with him.

He lashed out on her but she didn't stop.

And no, she didn't only endure, she actually went against him as well.

Having been severely injured by his accident to the point of being placed in the news, the most difficult time for him was the fact that he had to rehabilitate in order to be able to walk again.

The pain and irritation he had back then was truly the worst that caused his character to be at its most irritating state as well.

Susan was the one who endured that with him.

She used everything she got to support him and allowed him to get back up his feet.

'If you don't help yourself then how will others help you? You think lashing out and going at it until you barely had any energy is the way to be healed? Don't be stupid, proper rest is also stupid. I don't care if you are smart or if you are the most capable of them all. At this moment I am your attending nurse and what I am seeing is my patient. And at this moment, if not for the fact that I might get sued, I would have hit this patient, who does not know how to listen at all.'

All her words were still clear in his head.

The berating that he had not experienced for so long because of fear they had for him.

It was only Susan who showed him that and even continued supporting him nonstop.

Until he was able to stand up again, it was Susan who had been there for him.

The more Heather acts the way Susan usually does, the more he felt that she was insulting Susan.

"Yes, sir."

After that the man left, not asking any question and simply followed unconditionally.

'It seems that a game was ongoing silently between the three of us,' he thought when he was alone.

He can see that Heather was now openly going against Amanda, not as open as to show in public but as compared to the person she was before who was acting like the daughter in law she is. Heather was showing attitude towards Amanda.

Amanda, who was also keeping up an image, was doing the same, watching her closely in the shadows.

And was also keeping an eye on him, on his movements.

Because one of the things that Amanda hated the most was of him, her son, doing things against what she was doing.

He knew she must have thought that he wanted to keep up their image of a harmonious family. But the people she sent to be her shadows shows nothing but ill intent.

Him sending his own guard would make her think that he was doing what she was, watching Heather closely.

The reason for his task on his own person.

'I'll join only this time because of how I neglected you so much, there is no second time.'

*****

Hours before the event of each of their sides, Heather drove to the agreed upon place with her brothers and her double.

Before getting inside the tunnel, Heather took a picture and posted on her IG account.

'Darkness may come, but as long as you can see that little light in the end. Keep going because towards that place, there is beauty and freedom not everyone could have.'

She took a photo of the tunnel but focused more on the light coming from the other entrance on the other side.

So, the sides of the picture were dark but the little opening on the center was visible.

After making sure she did as she had planned, she drove inside. They did as they planned, interrupting the signals and exchanging places as fast as they can before the they went out of the tunnel.

Soon the one driving the red Veneno was someone else entirely.

Heather was already riding the Mercedes Sprinter Van that Aldger was driving.

It was a modified six seater luxury van with a bed at the back part.

They didn't have a driver because they wish to drive back to where their parents are on their own.

And due to how low profile they always move, not everyone knew that they had such a car or that they are together at this moment driving back to their plantation where their parents and grandparents stay.

Alexander was looking at her with a dark face while Heather was grinning at him.

The moment he saw her, he knew she was sick.

"I fell sick yesterday due to the sudden rain," she said sheepishly.

The middle seats have a space in between, there were two rows and then a bed at the back.

Alexander raised his hand and pointed at the bed, "Sleep."

She smiled widely and didn't reject him, she was feeling heavy still but she felt light in the heart because of the fact that she was spending time with her brothers again.

"What do you need? Do you want to drink water? Or eat something? Do we need medicine? Or some hot packs? This is bad, there is no stores around here. What-"

Alexander massaged his temples before raising his hand in front of Dexter who was behind him since Heather seated beside him.

Aldger and Hunter were the ones at the front.

"Who am I?" he asked Dexter.

Dexter raised both hands, "I'm just worried."

Heather waved her hand, "I will sleep and take proper food and medicine, don't worry."

Then she lay down on the bed, Alexander was actually well prepared as he has a drip with him.

As he was with his family, he tends to bring the bare minimum that they might need when it comes to medical stuffs. Everything was of course placed inside the van in a compartment allotted only for these ones.

"You were in a drip," he commented.

"Yeah, I was in a drip from last night to this morning," she replied as she watched him closely.

"You were in the hospital?"

She shook her head, "I was in the villa. We called a doctor in."

'More like my husband called for a doctor and it just so happens that it was one of the best doctors,' she added in her mind.

Alexander wanted to ask if she really was not having a hard time at the villa when he noticed the way she was watching him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm just happy that I can spend time with you guys and that we are going to visit mom, dad and our grandparents. It is truly a happy day, don't you think so?"

Alexander raised his hand and flicked a finger on her forehead, though only lightly.

"I think you are being delirious right now, go on and sleep. When you wake up we have arrived."

Her personality was not like this, a clingy one.

So he only thought that it was due to her fever that she was acting like this.

Heather held his hand as he was about to return to his seat.

Her brothers who heard her words was also looking back, worry filling their eyes.

"I love you guys. Thank you for being born as my brothers. I am the luckiest to be a part of this family."

Then she succumbed to her sleepiness.

Alexander sighed before tucking her in properly.

Aldger also slowed down in his driving.

"No one would have imagined that she was that same girl who asked to be disowned a decade ago," Dexter sighed as he watched her before sitting properly after Alexander sat down.

"She was hurt by her blood and family name, yet here she was saying that she was the luckiest to be here," Alexander added.

Hunter smiled but didn't say a thing.

He has the same sentiments as his other brothers.

Aldger sighed contentedly, "Mom and Dad will surely be pleasantly surprised, grandma and grandpa as well."

All four of them ended up having smiles on their lips.

Heather came with a fever where one would be worried but because of her words, they felt warmth instead.

Plus Alexander was here, they really didn't need to worry at all.