CHAPTER 32
It was not the kind of reunion one could hope for. His daughters were no longer the teenagers he left behind. Adriana was married to twins, he heard. He had been checking up on her social media accounts for regular updates. His wife wouldn't update him. So, desperate times and desperate measures. He had resorted to social media for the checks.
Pete, his chief security officer, had also been handy, always monitoring the kids if they were in any danger. Of course, Pete dug into his first daughter's family and found the butter truth. He was the one who later informed him after series of in-depth follow-ups about the man his first daughter had married. But the news had come in too late. They were already married with the kids. So, he did what every father could have done in the situation: to let the drama play out and let Noah deal his cards. And now, the young man finally seems to be showing his card.
His second daughter, Evangeline, had a certain glow. He couldn't place that just yet. But he had a feeling she might be pregnant. Pete had also hinted at an affair. He sat down stiffly and let them dictate the pace. Adriana awkwardly hugged him. That was something he hadn't expected. But he let himself get swept into the warm embrace. Then Evangeline came over too for a quick hug. They were civil with him. In that atmosphere, he asked how they've been, even if he knew exactly how. The family sat down in their inner dining room to eat but mostly to have that talk. The maid served them and closed for the day following Mrs. Swiss instruction. As they ate, everyone awkwardly checks out each other.
Evangeline dropped her spoon, sensing her father's gaze on her. He was different, maybe a little fatter and older too, "So, why are you here?" Her father stared right back at her and smiled genuinely. She didn't know what to make of the smile. For someone who had left without a simple goodbye and suddenly appeared after almost fifteen years, he sure had some balls coming back home. She didn't return the smile.
Instead, she gave her bossy smile, the one she used when Audrey was too much of a pain in the ass that lasted all but a second, and she then turned away from him. She looked at Adriana, who, on her part, pretended to enjoy her meals. She was stuffing food in her mouth. It was something she did when she didn't want to say anything. Evangeline could understand why she didn't want to say anything. It had been long. They probably got used to the idea of their father not being available. His sudden appearance now...it did no good as far she could tell. She picked her spoon and resumed eating.
Mrs. Swiss sighed. "There's something you both need to know. Perhaps I should let your dad do the telling part." She nudged her husband.
"The question was directed to him actually, Mother."
Mrs. Swiss nodded as if not noticing the sarcastic tone in Evan's voice. Robert Swiss nodded too. Both parents looked at each other. They said nothing for a while.
"We made some decision years back that changed this family." Robert Swiss began. "And now, it's time we corrected that." He sat straighter in his chair. "I made a mistake."
Adriana dropped her spoon with a loud clang. "If this is you trying to apologize for walking out on us. Please don't. We made peace with it. That happened years back. Can we please leave that chapter close." She said a little harshly? "Why are you here is what she wanted to know? I honestly don't even need the answer to that. So...?"
"Adriana." Mrs. Swiss cautioned. "You will not disrespect your father that way. Whatever he did then, it was for everyone."
Evangeline scoffed. "Really?" She stares at her mother coldly. For one, she wanted to know about the mother's role in it all. But there was no way she would get that answer. Dad would never let her take the fall. He wouldn't tell her even if she asked.
"Let's exercise a little patience, okay?" Turning to Mrs. Swiss, He said, "I deserve every insult and disdainful look they throw at me. Leave them. I can take it." Then he turned to the two ladies. The look on his older daughter hurt him. The disappointment was written all over her face. He turned to Evan, and the look on hers wasn't good either. "I didn't walk out." He blurted out, his frowned expression showed how much he hated hurting them. "I was forced to because I made a bad call during a case."
"You?" Evan said in disbelieve. It was just like their father to cover up for mother. "You, not mother?" She asked deliberating looking at her mother, who shook her head and turned away from her abruptly.
"I was the one who made the wrong call during a case I presided in court. It brought a lot of chaos. Our lives were on the line. We needed help, and I had to get it. Your mother tried to stop me" when Evan scoffed in disbelieve again, he repeated the last line. "She did try to make me stay. But a united front wasn't what we needed then. We needed allies. And that was what I left for."
"We needed allies." She seems to turn the phrase over in her mind. "Allies for what?" Adriana asked.
"For the battle that is about to start." Robert Swiss replied raising a brow. "That's if it hasn't already started."
Evan looked on, quite shaken about what she was about to ask. 'Noah?' That was what she had been about to ask. Instead, she asked. "At the company?"
Adriana hoped they weren't about to say what she was thinking of. "Noah?" Evan's look confirmed she had been about to say that very name.
"Someone has been robbing from the company. It's a start. Any attack on our finances is an attack on cutting off our financial power." Both Evan and Adriana stared at him, even his wife. "To attack us. That's how they work." He dropped his cutlery and moved his chair back. "Okay this is it. When a cartel plans to destroy a foe's family, they start with the finances. If the money flow is cut off, their enemy has little resources to fight back or hire help. Got it?"
"Oh! That's why you said to call when the money starts missing." Mrs. Swiss looked bewildered. "You think they're ready to attack us?"
"Yes." He replied. Everyone was silent, taking that in.
"So, I take it we must have offended this cartel people to be on their blacklist." Adriana said. "What is it?"
Mrs. Swiss decided to give a brief recap of the events that happened years back. "The case your father presided over-involved the founding members of Miami. Two powerful families were at war; the Monterey and Smiths. As the judge, he did all he could to serve justice the right way, but things went south. The families had been having series of clashes over the years." She sighed heavily. "Nothing serious until the last one. It was a total takeover. They fought dirty. The Monterey was brutally murdered. A few escaped. Of course, the ones who escaped will very blame us for their ruin even though they brought it upon themselves." She sighed.
"The Smiths doesn't trust us either. When they assumed power, it may have looked like we supported the Monterey all along." Robert chipped in. "So, we were left in the middle of a war." he concluded the story.
"The summary of it all being that we made two enemies. The Monterey and the Smiths. Either of them could be after us now." Evan said. The Parent Swiss nodded.
"Noah is a Monterey." Disclosed Robert Swiss.
"No, he is Noah Dwayne."
"Did you listen to anything we've just said? The..." Mrs. Swiss said and was suddenly cut short before she could go on.
"As we said, the Monterey's' who escaped changed their names. For survival." Robert Swiss cut off his wife, giving her a seriously sad look. This was their child going through something he couldn't even imagine. He knew it was difficult to hear this. What more could hurt more than having someone you thought loved you become an enemy that had a vendetta on the family?
"Are you saying he married me to get his revenge?"
"I'm saying he shouldn't have married into this family at all."
And it was all Adriana could take in. She didn't know when the tears began to drop. It was her sister offering her a handkerchief that made her realise it. She stood up from the dining and went to her old room. Evangeline stood up to go after her. She met her sister crying bitterly. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you, Ad." She said, patting her sister's back. "I know how much you love him. For what it's worth, I know he adores you too."
Adriana sniffed loudly in the handkerchief. "You think so too? The other night, I saw him with the kids. He's so good with them. He takes care of them." She sniffed again, "Me too. You'd think it's real."
"Don't do this to yourself."
"Oh, but you heard, dad. Noah changed his name. he had come after me to avenge his family."
Evangeline suddenly remembered the other day when he mentioned he had lost most of his family. So he had been right about that. "Did he ever talk about his family?" she asked.
"No. not much. He claims it's a sore topic for him. So, I try not to bring it up."
"Did he ever talk about losing his family? Because the other day, when he made the macaroni cheese, he said that the twins were the best thing that's happened to him in a long time and that he had lost most of his family members. But he suddenly stopped talking. I didn't see anything wrong in that."
Adriana smiled sadly. "You assumed he didn't want to talk about it. Because it must hurt." She hit the bed angrily. "How could not wanting him to hurt come back to haunt me this way?" She wailed. "I feel so stupid."
"You're the smartest woman I know."
She laughed. "Please, don't patronise me." Still laughing sadly, "I feel so stupid right now. I don't even know how to handle this."
Evangeline smiled. "You'll figure it out."
