Inside the apartment, Aldrich threw himself onto the sofa and sighed to calm himself down after a long argument with Monica.
Shortly thereafter, his smartphone, which was lying next to him, rang. He swiped the screen with his thumb and saw that the call was from his father-in-law.
"What did you do to my daughter? Why did she call me crying?
"I didn't do anything to your daughter, Mr. Wilson. We just had a little misunderstanding. There's no need for Mr. Wilson to intervene."
"Are you sure? Why did Monica say she caught you alone with Elena?
"Ah... about that, Monica misunderstood what she saw. Elena was drunk last night and entered the wrong apartment. I just gave her permission to rest so she could recover from her drunkenness. After all, Elena is also a woman, and your daughter, Mr. Wilson. You can't possibly favor one over the other, can you?"
"Of course not. I love both my daughters. If it's true what you say, then I won't make an issue of it. Also, next time, treat Monica more gently. She is my precious daughter. If I find out that Monica is crying because of you, believe me, I won't let you go!"
"Are you threatening me again, Mr. Wilson?"
"How could that be possible? You are my beloved son-in-law. I'm just warning you to be more careful in your behavior. Remember, that important item is still with me. There's no way you could have forgotten that, right?"
Hearing this, Aldrich became emotional as he remembered that the important item was still with old man Wilson. He angrily slammed his smartphone onto the floor, cracking it.
"Shit you, old man!"
Aldrich bowed his head. For a moment, he reflected on everything that had happened over the past five years.
He wiped his tired face. "I'm sorry, Elena. I hope you're still willing to be patient and wait a little longer. I will definitely come back to you."
Elena's POV
After leaving the apartment where Aldrich lived, I decided to go back to sleep. When I woke up, it was no longer morning and I hadn't had breakfast yet. I ended up just making a glass of milk and toasting two slices of bread, then spreading strawberry jam on them that I had bought yesterday at the minimarket.
I had just returned to City X and moved into this apartment a week ago after hearing the news that my maternal grandfather had passed away. During my three years on the run, I lived in a small corner of town and ran a cake shop that doubled as a small cafe.
There, I lived peacefully, as if my problems had simply disappeared. Moreover, the people there were friendly and no one knew me before. But I couldn't keep running from the problems that haunted me at night. So I decided to return to City X to resolve them.
I will start with the company my grandfather left for me. Then I will think about the next steps to reclaim the company that James Wilson forcibly took from my late mother. The company that my mother worked so hard to build into a large enterprise.
The clock showed 3:00 PM. I then took a shower and changed out of the clothes I hadn't changed since last night into my pajamas.
Today, I didn't want to go out or even meet anyone, choosing instead to focus on my pending work.
My mother used to have an interest in fashion. Because of that, my grandfather, who originally owned a textile company, expanded his business for my mother until the company now has many branches, including clothing designers, retail stores, e-commerce, collaborations with famous brands, and ventures into fashion media.
But unfortunately, since my mother passed away seven years ago, James Wilson took over the company and brought Monica and his new wife into the house. I don't know what tricks James used to get some of the companies to be transferred to his name.
Now, the only thing left is the textile factory that James didn't take over because it was small and on the verge of bankruptcy. Luckily, my grandfather, who was still alive at the time, was willing to manage it again.
The textile factory is now in my name. Starting from here, I will rebuild what my mother once built.
After finishing my late breakfast at 10:00 a.m., I checked my smartphone. There were several messages from people who had long managed the factory. They sent financial and operational data from the past few years.
I took my laptop and sat comfortably on the sofa with some macaroon cookies and strawberry juice to start auditing the financial and operational data to find out why the factory was in crisis and threatened with bankruptcy.
My hands typed nonstop, my eyes fixed on the screen. I don't know how long I had been doing this until I heard the doorbell ring several times.
I looked at the clock on my smartphone and saw that it was already 3:00 p.m. "Oh my God, it's already afternoon!? Suddenly, I felt hungry."
I held my rumbling stomach. I put my laptop aside and walked to the front door and opened it.
"Hi, Elena. Am I disturbing you?" asked a man who had been my confidant for several years. He was Felix.
"No. Wow, what brings Mr. Felix to my apartment?" I asked enthusiastically. I glanced at the package in his hand.
He understood my glance and smiled, showing me the package in his hand and handing it to me.
"I brought you some food. I know you haven't eaten yet, right?"
I took the package with sparkling eyes. "Oh my gosh, Felix. You know, you're like a food god who knows I'm hungry. Come on in,"
I closed the door and took Felix by the hand to enter the living room.