16. The Assembly (2)

Edith broke her silence against this crucial discussion regarding Hazel's fate, as it was getting nowhere, and she would like to execute her custody effective immediately.

Edith: "Wimble, you know as well as I do that Hazel's disappearance had left a void in the Axelson household. Her parents were both worried. Her return, albeit under unfortunate circumstances, presents us with a decision to make: to take her into the household immediately.

Winona: "Surely, Mother, the decision would be obvious and based on her compromising performance, her punishment must equally justify itself."

Wimble: "Winona, you harbor deep hatred towards the girl, which drove the girl away in the first place. Besides, her viral performance received more praise than criticism. The ending, probably tragic, receives more sympathy and empathy than disgust. If anything, her performance is a chance to boost the Axel Entertainment Industries further."

Roxy: "Granduncle Wimble, her actions were far from what an Axelson can condone. A good penalty will make her remember her place within the family and enforce discipline. Besides, she is betrothed. If her betrothal failed due to this one video, it would further tarnish our name."

Wimble: "Yes, her actions were far from decent. But if we look beyond the surface, Hazel still holds the potential to carry out its legacy forward. We must consider rehabilitation and integration, not just for her sake but for the family's future. Besides, her betrothal still holds, even after she was missing for five years. The gentlemen remained faithful to his end of the bargain; even with the prerogative video, the family still maintained their stance."

Lilly: "Which surprises everyone of us. Who is he? Which family is he from? Why would he be so adamant about marrying Hazel? What is so good about her? If she decides to stay missing forever, will the engagement be held for as long?"

Wimble: "This arrangement was made when your grandfather was in the pink. One of the clauses was not to reveal the family's identity, as they didn't want the news to reach the press. Besides, there are spies lurking among us. I didn't say this, dear; your grandfather did."

Wimble replied with a hint of a playful smirk, while Lilly's eyes rolled in exasperation.

Roxy: "But rehabilitation? Granduncle, do you mean to welcome her back with open arms as if nothing happened? As if she hasn't humiliated us? I think we need to enforce our stance against her to show her betrothal family and the public that we take our reputation seriously."

Wimble: "Honestly, there weren't any articles or reports from social media relating "the Crimson Girl" to the Axelson household. Since she changed her name, nobody has put these two together. So her actions didn't affect our household name unless somebody within the household decided to leak out the information to the press."

Roxy: "And what of the public's perception? Our investors? The board?"

Wimble: "Edith, I think we can handle it, as the Axelson's have always handled adversity with grace and strategy. We present Hazel's return as a testament to the strength of our family values, a story of coming home, learning, and growing."

Winona, Ramsey, Roxy and Lilly were mainly reluctant to accept Wimble's suggestion of providing Hazel with a second chance at redemption. However, Wimble's opinions were highly regarded within the family as those of the youngest brother of the patriarch, who is holding the fort as his brother is still comatose.

Winona: "With all due respect, Uncle, she might retaliate and refuse our goodwill. We do not need to keep our hopes up for her to change to a new leaf."

Wimble: "I suggest to personally reach out to Hazel. I have not seen my grandniece for a while and I really miss her. Hopefully, she doesn't see my presence as a threat."

Edith: "Very well, Wimble. I will accept your opinion and trust your help and judgement. Let us hope that, for the sake of Axelson's sake, Hazel Enid can prove to be more than her past mistakes, or even her mother's mistake."

Wimble: "Edith, I trust that you know Archimedes would be thrilled to hear that you are willing to accept her as your granddaughter. I will personally see that Hazel will recover from this unfortunate circumstance. "

Wimble smiled slightly at Edith, which brought a slight frown to her forehead, but she quickly recovered.

Secretary: "The assembly ended with the final decision to retrieve Hazel Enid, a.k.a. Selina Lucia Anderson for intervention and rehabilitation. Mr. Wimble Womble Axelson will look into her retrieval and rehabilitation. Meeting adjourned.

The members of the family dispersed to either leave or stay for refreshments. Wimble and his wife left immediately. Roxy and Lilly took a swift bow at Edith and left as well. Until then, only Edith, Winona and Ramsey were left in the conference room. The butler, Amos, prepared refreshments for all of them to enjoy, knowing that they were about to discuss the meeting's outcome.

Winona: "Mother, Wimble must be stopped."

Ramsey: "Yes, grandmother. We cannot let him retrieve Hazel. We need to be one step ahead of him and capture her or make her disappear, just like before.

Winona: "We will hire mercenaries to the hospital and kill her immediately."

Edith: "Winona, do not be rash; we have every opportunity to intervene, but do not visit the hospital again."

Ramsey: "Grandmother!"

Edith: "If you both did not know, that hospital belonged to the Hawkes. Even though the physician was not pleasant to you at the hospital, you did trespass the place to see her state. They will investigate and fish out the spy that we have placed at the Hawkes residence. Lay low now. Let Wimble do what he wants. We will get what we want soon enough."

Winona and Ramsey glanced at each other, dissatisfied with the lack of action against Edith. Both of them were impatient to have Hazel locked up for good.

Edith: "I need to visit your residence, darlings, to see my son and my daughter-in-law."

Winona twitched as her brows slightly furrowed. "Both of them are in good hands, mother."

Edith: "We do not want Wimble to suddenly give you a surprise visit to see his nephew, so let me visit him so that we can improve their state before the Annual Grand Festival."

Winona's eyes suddenly shone brightly. "What if we approach Hazel and persuade her to come back? Inform her that her parents will attend the annual grand festival."

Edith: "If she is willing to come back and finally adhere to our terms, of course. Besides, her engagement is still ongoing. I am surprised that they refuse to break the engagement since Hazel was missing in action. But the boy's sentiment remains the same."

Winona: "We never met the boy, did we?"

Edith: "We might have the opportunity at this coming festival. I believe he is a man now."

Winona: "We were so close, trying so hard to get rid of her, and now she is back."

Edith: "Wimble always has a soft spot for her, just like Archimedes."

Winona: "What is so good about her? She was just a whore's child."

Edith stayed silent, refusing to speak any further. Winona took it as a sign to excuse herself and her son.

Winona: "We should make a move now. I will keep you posted on approaching Hazel."

Edith: "Stay vigilant. Wimble will be watching us."

Both mother and son left the conference room after Edith's dismissal. The butler then appeared and said, "You called Madam?"

"Eliminate Hazel immediately, do it discretely, and assign someone to follow Wimble; make sure he doesn't meet Hazel at all. Keep an eye on Winona too."

"Yes, Madam," as the butler disappeared behind the door.