RETURN TO THE HAVANA GRACELAND (1): RODALIND'S SECRET

The next morning,

Arianna and Mira bid farewell to the group and board the plane straight to Havana Graceland.

After 7 hours travel, they arrived at Havana Graceland where Butler Phillip was waiting to receive them.

' Good afternoon Uncle Phillip.' Arianna and Mira greeted.

' Good afternoon Miss Olivia and Miss Amira.' Butler Phillip replies.

' Miss Olivia, madam would like to speak with you.' Butler Phillip says..

' Mira go ahead and greet mom and dad. I will meet you later. Uncle Philip let's go.' Arianna says as she follows Butler Phillip.

In Rosalind's Quarter,

' Greeting Grandmother.' Arianna says.

' Make some tea for me Olivia.' Rosalind replies.

Arianna sits on the floor and starts working with the ingredients on the tray.

' When did you plan to come clean about Aiden?' Rosalind asks studying Arianna's expression.

Arianna is calm. Brandon had told her someone was investigating the hospital's statement and she knew such strong and precise force could only come from the Havana family's matriarch.

' Honestly grandmother, I was never planning to come clean.' Arianna replies frankly.

Rosalind chuckled at her blunt response. Butler Phillip started panicking on Arianna's behalf.

' And why is that?' Rosalind asks.

' Because I love Arian and I wasn't ready to gamble on the chance of the family members accepting Arian.' Arianna replies.

' What if I had investigated?' Rosalind asks.

' I knew grandmother wouldn't suspect me because no one would think an eighteen year old girl would lie about being pregnant at 16.' Arianna replies as she added two spoons of honey and stirred the tea.

' Grandmother tea.' Arianna says as she serves a cup of tea to Rosalind.

' Very well played Olivia but I cannot accept a child without the Havana blood to bear our name.You have to return him to where you found him.' Rosalind says, observing Arianna while sipping tea.

Arianna tightened her fists.

' You can ask me for anything else and I will happily agree to it but I can't live without Aiden.' Arianna replies.

' Very well then, you want to stay with the boy fine. But then the both of you will be expelled from the Havana family and you are not to take anything belonging to the Havana with you not a single cent and you will refund your settlement fee with an additional interest of 15 billion dollars or Havana Industry will claim your share in ARADEC.' Grandmother Rosalind says.

Arianna is stunned for a few seconds.

' Very well grandmother. I will pay the sum of 55 billion and I will leave the Havana family. But grandmother please don't severe the ties between me and my parents and in return I promise not to accept even a copper coin from them.' Arianna replies.

' Olivia, are you willing to let go everything for a child that isn't even related to you?' Rosalind asks with surprise.

' Grandmother, I can't live without my son.' Arianna replies..

*************

' You have to help me cousin. I don't want to stay here anymore.' Sage pleaded to a brunette at the other side.

The brunette looks up revealing a familiar face.

Savannah.. Savannah Thompson.

( A bit of flashback. Lucian's ex. The one he planned to make jealous with Arianna's help.)

Savannah Thompson is a currently rising Designer but her fame is being cut short by the rise of ARADEC designs in the market..

You could imagine her fury when she saw Arianna on TV as the CEO of ARADEC industry.

Not to mention when Arianna became trending with Ken who was her long time crush.

She had seem him once while waiting for Lucian and she became infatuated with his face. He had directly ignored her but her hope rekindled when she saw a poster of him in her cousin's room a few years later.

She could only silently like him as her cousin also had a crush on him but now..

While Sage was rotting in jail, she would slowly win Ken's heart.

' Cousin. I tried my best but to no avail. They refused to grant bail. I'm meeting up with a judge to retry your case. I will give you feedback. Take care of yourself.' Savannah says.

Sage reluctantly agreed and headed to her hell like cell.

******************

Rosalind nods to butler Phillip who brings a chair.

' Sit down Olivia.' Rosalind says.

Arianna sits down.

' I'm proud of you Olivia. You made the right choice.' Rosalind says.

Arianna looks up confused.

' I was only 5 years old when my parents brought me back home from the orphanage. I was scared and happy. I just tried my best to do things right while avoiding the other children of the Havana branches because they never forget to remind me my place as an adopted child. You could only imagine my surprise when my great-aunt named me as the next matriarch of the family. Today, I'm proud because you chose to keep your child and hold on to him till the very end.' Rosalind says.

' Grandmother, if you are not a Havana and Grandfather was a Franklin, doesn't that mean none of us are really Havanas?' Arianna asks shocked.

This was totally unexpected. The previous matriarch handed over the entire Havana family to someone who wasn't blood related!

' Bloodline doesn't make people family. Noone knows that better than you, since you have your big family in America.' Rosalind says..

Her Grandmother was right. She has Arian, Riona, Ashley, Raymond, Skyler, Mira, Arthur, Brandon, Blake, Tyler and Dylan. Most of them were not blood related but they are definitely her family.

Rosalind and Arianna chat some more till Arianna leaves to greet her parents.