When I woke up again, I was in the master bedroom. I struggled to force open my eye, only to see Isaac standing beside me, looking so worried.
“Riley, you’re awake?” His voice was low and gentle, laced with just the right amount of concern and pity. He was acting as if the intense confrontation at the funeral, in the living room and the blood I had spit out had never happened.
“How are you feeling? The doctor has already come by to examine you. He said you had a heart attack due to a sudden surge of anger, so you need to rest and avoid any further stimulation," he explained
He carefully helped me sit up and then tenderly brought a glass of water to my lips.
I lowered my eyes, staring at my pale, almost translucent fingers.
These hands once held this family together, but now, they didn’t even have the strength to clench.
Isaac watched me in silence. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision. Carefully, he pulled out a delicate, gold-embossed envelope from the pocket of his robe.
“Riley,” he coaxed, his voice even softer now.
“I know this period has been too painful for you. The matter with Yosef… and the kidnapping… I want to take you away from here, just the two of us, to find some peace and clear our minds," he continued.
Then, he gently placed the gold-embossed envelope on the silk blanket covering me. The envelope featured an abstract design of icy blue glaciers and snow-white auroras, with a line of elegant English text below, “A Romantic Journey to the Arctic.”
As soon as I saw the plane ticket, my heart clenched and a bone-chilling coldness surged through my spine, making my fingertips grow even colder.
The Arctic? As in the land of ice and snow that symbolizes eternity and exile? How perfect. That's an ideal place for a “redemption” trip.
In a land where life is so fragile, who would question an “accident”? They’d never even find my body.
Isaac did not realize how my body stiffened or the storm churning in the depths of my eyes. He remained immersed in his own “loving” script. He leaned forward slightly with eyes glowing with anticipation toward me and his expression was full of approval.
“Riley, let’s start over, okay?" he pleaded. "Forget about the pain … It's just you and me.”
I slowly raised my eyes to look at Isaac's eyes, which were filled with pretend tenderness.
He couldn't possibly think I'd submit to his every arrangement like I had for the past forty years, including this “recreational trip” to hell, could he?
“Start over?” My voice was eerily calm. “Isaac, without our son, what exactly is there to start over from?”
His tender expression froze in a second, his eyes flickering with surprise and barely concealed irritation. He hadn’t expected me to reject his offer so bluntly.
“But…” I paused deliberately, my gaze lingering on the fake marriage certificate on the bedside table. “I’ve also come to realize that Sofia and her daughter have had it tough. Since we no longer have a son, recognizing you as their godfather is also a good thing.”
Isaac was stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected me to agree to the “adoption” so easily.
“Isaac,” I called out softly, “Although I agree to the adoption, you are still the head of the Braun Corporation. How can the matter of adopting a son that is so important be done in secret, like a thief?”
I met his bewildered eyes head-on and delivered the line that would both thrill him and nail him to the cross of humiliation for good, slowly. “Let’s throw a grand banquet. Five days from now.”
My voice was calm and composed, as if discussing the most ordinary household matter, “Invite every prominent figure, media outlet and business partner you can. I want you to acknowledge Jack as your son in front of everyone, with dignity and honor. Give him his rightful status and everything he deserves.”
“Let the whole city know that Isaac Braun has an heir again.”
Isaac shot up from the bed in an instant. He gripped my cold hand, which was on the quilt, tightly and asked, “Riley, are you serious?”
His voice cracked with excitement. “I knew it! I knew you still understood me the most. You ….”
Isaac was so excited. He acted as if he had been injected with adrenaline. Without saying another word, he turned and rushed out of the bedroom, eager to share this “great news” with Sofia.
He also wanted to prepare for the “reunion banquet” that would become the most glorious and most fateful turning point in his life.
The master bedroom fell silent once more.
I extended my pale, almost translucent fingers and gently traced the Arctic flight ticket that was with the aurora. The banquet was about to begin.
