Chapter 2 Return To The Motherland

Madeline's mind went blank as the blood drained from her face. She just wanted to faint right there and then, but she knew she had better things to do. She quickly threw on her clothes and left the room as stealthily as possible.

When she walked out of the room, a card from her pocket fell on the ground.

It was a room card with numbers 1619 written on it.

Her colleague's statement rang in her head as the memories of what had transpired last night came rushing into her mind.

She quickly peered at the door behind her. Madeline almost lost her footing when she saw the room number.

1618!

She entered the wrong room! Since she was one of the employees that were responsible for the VIP rooms in the hotel, she had a key card that could open every room of the establishment.

"Madeline, what are you doing standing here?" a colleague walked over to her and asked.

She tugged her lips to a forced smile and answered, "Nothing."

"You look pale. Are you sick?" her co-worker inquired as she tried to feel her temperature.

Madeline only shook her head at her. "I'm fine. Maybe I drank too much yesterday."

"Do you want me to walk you to your room so that you can have some rest?"

"No, thank you. I have a flight at noon."

"How did it feel to sleep in the suite?" she asked enviously.

"It's a nice experience, I guess." That was all Madeline could say.

She was in a low mood as the plane traveled to send her home.

The excitement that she felt now that she was going home dissipated into the air in a snap.

Madeline couldn't help but reprimand herself. She shouldn't have drunk too much yesterday. She should have seen the room number clearly before she entered. Or she could have turned on the light once she entered the room...

The kindness of her colleagues led her to an irreversible mistake.

There was no one to blame but herself.

Maybe she had been restraining her emotions for the longest time that her tears started to fall one by one.

She had been through so much throughout her life, but she had never been this desperate. The walls that Rory built in her heart that were supposed to guard it failed their purpose.

At that moment, she didn't have enough strength.

It was like every wall that she built so far came crumbling down.

How could she face him now that this happened? He had been waiting for her for five long years!

Unfortunately, no matter how much shameful she felt, she had to go back. She wanted to see him achieve his dream and have a happy life.

In no time, the plane landed in Spring City in China.

"You're back!"

"What took you so long? We've been waiting for you for such a long time."

They were her stepmother, Emilee Qin, and her half-sister, Helen Luo.

Madeline didn't know what to say. Why did they bother to pick her up at the airport in the first place?

She just nodded at them before she gave a timid smile. "Well..."

She didn't like them at all.

They sat in the Mercedes back home as silence filled up the car.

After a while, they arrived at the luxurious villa that was halfway up in the mountain. She suddenly felt that she didn't belong to that family.

Everything on her body was cheap. A shirt she just found in her closet, jeans that were almost washed off, and the soles of her shoes were almost worn out. She couldn't even afford a piece of simple jewelry.

She looked like she came from the slums of the United States but still, this was her home.

Madeline was born in a rich family and for a while, she was the center of attention. But those days didn't last especially when she turned six years old. Her father brought a new woman home, and those good days were over in a snap.

"You're finally back, Miss Madeline." A middle-aged woman greeted her with tearful eyes.

She squinted her eyes and tried to recognize the emotional woman. "Auntie Nia! It's been a long time! How are you?"

"I'm fine, how about you?"

"Are you at the funeral? Why are you crying?" Helen interrupted with displeasure.

Nia immediately wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly picked Madeline's luggage up.

The younger woman held her arm gently and said, "Everything's fine with me, Auntie Nia."

The older woman smiled back at her and continued to finish the task at hand.

Madeline went to her room so she could rest. She had been gone for five years but everything was still the same. Nia cleaned the room for a bit and changed the bed sheet for her. Once they had bid their goodbye, she closed the door, freshened up a bit and finally relaxed.

She sat on the bed and ran her hand through the soft silk fabric. Even though she had been gone for so long, her room didn't fail to give her comfort.

When she didn't see his father, she asked Emilee about his whereabouts. She had found out that he was on a business trip.

The atmosphere was weird considering that she wasn't acquainted with them for the past five years. It made her inexplicably flustered.

Dinner was much awkward that the only thing one could hear was the utensils. Everyone refused to speak.

Once dinner was over, Emilee summoned her to the study room.

"Do you still hate me?" Emilee asked as she didn't want to walk on eggshells anymore.

"I want to see Rory," Madeline answered instead.

"I'll let you see him, but you have to promise me one thing," she proposed.

The younger woman could only stare at the beautiful yet intimidating woman in front of her. "You said that as long as I stayed in America for five years, you'll let us be together, right?"

This woman was the sole reason why she had to go to America at the age of sixteen. Alone. She threatened her by using Rory.

Emilee smiled at her. "He finished his college smoothly. Now he should be called Dr. Fu. Aren't you happy for him?"

Madeline gaped at her in surprise. "Really? He got the degree?"

Her stepmother nodded at her. "Do you think I will deceive you?"

"Then what is it that you want?" she asked warily.

She already lost too much. Her five years with him and even the chance to get her college degree. She had grown up and she would no longer repeat the same mistake.

"I want you to be my daughter. I want you to call me Mom." Her voice was filled with sincerity.

Emilee's words caught her off-guard.

"What? Aren't you the one who hated me the most?" Her forehead creased with confusion.

"That was before. I now have a different opinion about you. I know it isn't an easy task, but I won't ask you for anything else. I just want you to respect me in front of other people and call me your mom. I'll give you some time to think about it. Once you make up your mind, come to me."

Without waiting for her response, Emilee pushed the door open and walked out of the study room.

Madeline did think about it for a long time. However, the drastic change in Emilee's attitude was still strange for her.

She had now become the hostess of the Luo family and the elders already passed away. Madeline had been away for five years and she had never seen her father during those years. They only settled for an occasional phone call. Emilee had successfully alienated the relationship between her and her father.

Now, what else did she want from her?

No matter how much she pondered it, she couldn't figure it out.

That night, she went to Emilee's bedroom.

On the next day, she had asked her to dress up nicely which she agreed with.

They were going to attend a party and there, she finally realized what Emilee wanted from her.

It was her title as the daughter of the Luo family, her body, and her life!