Exciting News

It had been a few days since William agreed to send Emma on a cruise tour. 2 weeks to be precise.

The days were uneventful. Adrian stood by his word and rejected all visitors. Emma's three "best" friends stopped by countless times but were rejected at the gate.

Emma had been lazing around the house, watching dramas with her mom, or playing chess with her grandfather.

It was a cloudy day today. Emma was feeling gloomy due to the unpredictable weather.

"They didn't tell in the news that there was a thunderstorm today," Emma said as she looked out of the French window on the second floor.

Max never contacted her throughout this period. He had disappeared completely from her life giving the illusion as if he had never been there, to begin with.

He didn't even try to call Emma to apologize for his behavior. But then again why would he be calling her?

'He would be ecstatic 'cause he was free to do whatever he wanted without a sword named Emma hanging above his head.' Emma felt even gloomier at the thought.

Max was still a sensitive topic for Emma as he was her first love and somewhere inside a corner of her heart, she still loved him.

Deep in her thoughts, Emma failed to realize that a person was standing behind her for a while now, quietly observing.

"Hi!"

She was startled. Her heart almost dropped to the floor. She hastily glanced back to find Kale.

Gritting her teeth, Emma yelled, "Do you want to frighten me to death?"

"I'm sorry, young miss. You didn't pay attention to me so I decided to say hi," Kale reasoned.

"Who says hi right by the other's ear and that too so creepily?" Emma wanted to scream at him but held back to maintain some dignity.

"I do," Kale went quiet after saying this. His personality irritated Emma as he spoke a few words each day and failed to understand basic humor.

"Forget it," She massaged her forehead. Talking to him gave her a headache every time without fail, "What are you doing here? Grandfather's in the study."

"I have business with you," Kale said and went quiet without explaining the details. Emma motioned to him to continue talking but he remained silent. She got annoyed.

Just as she was about to go find her grandfather to deal with his sloth of an apprentice, she saw him coming down the stairs.

"Grandfather, why is he here?" Emma asked bitterly pointing at Kale without waiting for William to come down.

"Didn't you say that you want to go on a cruise tour?" William asked bemusedly.

"I did. But what does that have to do with Kale?" Emma was confused.

"I called him to accompany you," William dropped the bomb, without caring how Emma might react to this piece of information.

Emma could not react for a few minutes. "Why would this sloth, no I mean, Kale accompanies me on the tour? I thought I made it clear that it would be a solo trip." Emma said exasperatedly.

The whole trip would be meaningless if she were to take Kale with her. Instead of getting better, she would get mentally ill. Explaining a simple concept to him would take an hour.

'No, I have to shake this sloth off before going.'

William glared at Emma for calling his favorite student a sloth but didn't make any move to clarify the situation.

"Grandfather, why are you doing this?" Emma was irritated by the lack of response.

"Because Kale belongs to the sea," Adrian who had just arrived thought that it was the perfect opportunity to crack a dad joke.

"It's not funny Dad," Emma was unamused.

"Oh, it's because you didn't understand the deeper meaning. I meant to say that since Kale comes from an island and is familiar with water bodies, he'll be the perfect tour guide for you," Adrian further elucidated.

"Even with this "deep" explanation, I don't find it necessary to take Kale along with me. Then the 'solo' trip will lose its meaning," Emma replied in the same tone.

"Kale is going with you. I'm not asking you rather I'm informing you. You are going to take Kale with you or you are staying at home. The decision is up to you. I don't want any more arguments about this," William said in a no-nonsense voice.

Emma swallowed the unwillingness at the tip of her tongue.

'I can deal with Kale later but if Grandfather gets angry and calls off the whole trip then I'll never be able to go on one.' She weighed the pros and cons.

"Kale, join us for dinner," William sounded pleased. "Okay," Kale answered in a single word. Emma frowned. 'How does one not get annoyed with his personality? I could never tolerate it.'

'You have won the battle but I'll win the war' Emma thought as she stared at her Grandfather's back.

"Emma, why are you standing there? Come quickly, the food's getting cold," Mrs. Woods disrupted her train of thought.

"I'm coming. Let me go and wash my hands real quick," Emma replied.

When she returned, William was talking with Adrian about the recent development in the suburban area. Emma paid no attention to it.

Sitting on her chair, she glared at Kale who was eating heartily.

'How does he eat so much without any expression?'

Emma's thoughts were once again interrupted when her Grandfather called me.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I booked you a cabin on the Royal Caribbean Cruise. The duration of the tour is 6 months. You'll be traveling across Europe and other tourist destinations as well. The boarding starts tomorrow and will continue for three days. All activities onboard are included in the ticket, so you don't need to pay separately for each one," William told the details of the voyage.

Emma was thrilled. She got up and back hugged her grandfather, "You're the best Granddad in the world. Thank you so much."

"That's enough buttering," William said wanting to look strict but the upturned corner of his lips gave him away.

"Ahem, go back to your seat. As I was saying, don't get scammed there. There are a lot of con artists asking for money for various purposes. I've asked James to apply for a visa for the countries that don't welcome in-country tourists. You'll get it before you dock in those countries."

William was thorough with his dealings. It was delightful.

'I don't remember the last time I was this happy.' Emma's heart pounded at the thought of visiting new places by the sea and embracing new cultures.

"Emma, I've called your college and asked for a leave. But you must pay attention to your studies even on board. You'll take the exam with your fellows but have been exempted from attending classes," Adrian said putting a piece of lobster in his mouth.

Emma didn't know how her Dad convinced the dean to make an exception for her but she was moved.

'Would I have realized how much my family cared for me if I had been still with Max?' The answer was clear.

'Maybe this breakup was a blessing in disguise.'

Emma was impressed by how efficiently these matters were dealt with. It wasn't easy to book a first-class cabin 2 weeks before departure. William must have pulled a lot of strings. And Adrian also helped her gain an exemption.

She was so happy that her gloomy mood from before was nowhere to be found.

"Thank you so much. Dad, Mom, Grandfather." Emma bowed deep toward her family.

"This child, why are you so touched? It's just a few words," Mrs. Woods said putting lobster meat on Emma's plate.

She sat back with happiness radiating from her whole body. They started eating again when the guard came in, looking flustered.

"What's the matter?" Adrian was the first one to ask.

"Um, sir. Ms. Jennifer is here. I informed her that you have forbidden me to not let her enter. But she is insisting that her necklace was lost on the day of the ball and she is here to retrieve it," The Guard looked to be in a dilemma.

"Tell her that if we find it, we'll return it to her. We are busy. Don't disturb us for such trivial things again." Adrian instructed but the mellow sweetness of the lobster turned bitter in Emma's mouth.

She clenched her jaw. 'Why is she still bothering me after all that? Does she think I don't know who asked Ana Smith to approach Max?' Emma was seething with anger.

"There's no need to ruin the atmosphere. Focus on eating," William said interrupting their thoughts.

"By the way, Emma, I'll meet you in Thailand after two months. And I want my granddaughter to be in much better condition then."

"I promise." Emma smiled at him.

After dinner, Kale got called to study and Mrs. Woods went to her room since she was tired.

Emma took a bath and came out. Everything felt surreal to her. She still couldn't believe that her Grandfather agreed to send her on the Cruise.

She was excited. 'I can't wait for tomorrow.' Was her last thought before sleep overcame her.