The Heiress Is Back!

“Phoebe!” Leah called the young lady running away from the living room of the Thompson’s mansion. She stood up from bending on the floor and was about to follow Phoebe outside when she suddenly felt a hand stopping her from running away. She faced the person who was holding her.

It was Amelia. And there was begging visible in her eyes. “Please return our daughter to us, Leah. Eighteen years is already enough,” she pleaded.

Leah was left with no other choice but to agree with her. After all, this was the reason why they appeared again in Brenn City after so many years.

With a heavy heart, Leah went outside to look for the young lady that she had been treating as her own for years.

“Phoebe…” She found her in the garden, staring at the nothingness. She did not even bother to glance at her after calling her. “Phoebe, I know that all of this seems abrupt to you, but you need to accept the truth–”

Phoebe sharply turned to her mom. There was anger in her eyes. “What truth are you talking about, mom? Why don’t we just go home? I still have classes to attend to. Let’s go.” She reached for her mother’s hand to convince her. But Leah moved away.

“Listen to me, Phoebe, please?” Leah begged.

Phoebe shook her head in disapproval. “I can’t understand you, mom. I’ve been asking you so many times where we are going today last night. But you never answered me. And you just bombarded me with a thing that is so hard to understand now!” she exclaimed in frustration. Her mind was in chaos. She just confirmed that her instinct about this trip was right. There was something weird in here.

Leah sighed in defeat. This would be hard. But she would do everything for her Phoebe to understand it. “Honey, I am telling the truth. Do you remember what I answered you when you asked about your dad? I told you that he died long ago. And that’s because I just took you away from your real parents,” Leah started. “Amelia and Henry were my bosses before. And during that time, we were both in need of something. For me, I needed money for the hospital bills of my first daughter, Lily. She had cancer back then. While the Thompson’s were also eager to have a child. But Amelia had PCOS which made it hard for them to make a baby. That was when they offered me to become a gestational carrier in exchange, they would pay for all Lily’s bills and for her maintenance.”

As the explanation went further, Phoebe got more confused. But she chose to listen to Leah.

“I agreed to carry Amelia’s egg and Henry’s sperm to make you. They took care of me so much that time and also Lily. But in my fourth month of pregnancy, they decided to have a trip to an island for their wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Lily bled that night. I sent her to the hospital and she was in need of an urgent operation. And I needed a big amount that time, But I couldn't contact Amelia and Henry because the island had no signal there. Lily died that night. Anger rose in my heart. I was blaming them for the death of my only child. That was why after Lily’s burial, I decided to escape from their household and went to a remote place where I gave birth to you.

“After a year or two, I finally realized the wrong thing that I did. I was sorry for you and the Thompsons. But I couldn’t take you back. As I’ve said earlier, I already learned to love you as my own. That was the reason why I decided to keep you all these years.”

“Then why did you bring me here now?” Phoebe asked.

Leah felt a lump in her throat for her sudden question. She then bit her lips.

“Mom?”

“Because I have lung cancer, too,” Leah confessed.

Now, it was Phoebe’s turn to be dumbfounded. “What?!”

Leah avoided her questioning eyes. “Yes. I just found out the day you told me to go to the hospital for a check-up. And it is already in its terminal stage, stage four.”

Phoebe’s tears automatically fell down her cheeks. She was frozen in her place. “Then why didn’t you tell me about it immediately, mom?” she asked with dismay in her voice.

Leah was silent.

Phoebe ran her fingers to her hair frustratedly. “Why didn’t you tell me, mom?!” She started to get hysterical while crying.

So Leah immediately pulled her to a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Phoebe,” she whispered these sentences multiple times to her.

Phoebe cried harder because of her mother’s words.

The truth about her identity instantly left her mind because of the revelation about her mother’s health.

Fear crept her heart.

Of all the people in the world, why was her mother the one to get that kind of disease?

She was the kindest person that any person could meet. So, why her?

***

Henry was still consoling his wife when he saw Leah and Phoebe come back from outside.

Phoebe looked more composed now than a while ago.

“They’re here,” he whispered to Amelia.

Amelia moved away from him and wiped her tears. She cleared her throat and fixed her posture as she watched Phoebe take her seat.

After they took a seat, Phoebe directly glanced at Amelia and Henry. She felt nervous right at the moment. And she could also feel how tense the two were while waiting for her to speak. She heaved a deep sigh before voicing out the decision that she made up in her mind. “Mom already explained everything to me–”

She almost regretted pronouncing that word when she saw pain in Amelia’s face. She did not know why she felt hurt seeing the woman in pain. But since there was nothing she could do anymore, she just continued her speech. “And I’ve agreed with her to stay here.”

Amelia and Henry felt an instant relief after hearing those words from their long lost daughter that now appeared. “Thank you so much,” Amelia said towards Leah.

Leah smiled weakly at them.

“But with conditions,” Phoebe interrupted them.

“Anything that you will ask for,” Henry responded.

“Tell us. What is it?” Amelia asked, too.

Phoebe took a glance at Leah, then smiled at her.

Leah smiled back.

“I want mom to stay here with me. And I also want you to help her with the hospital bills. She has lung cancer. And I can’t afford to just send her back to our hometown just like that,” she politely explained.

Amelia and Henry looked at each other. A few seconds later, they nodded her head before facing Phoebe.

“Sure. We will help her with everything,” Henry said.

Phoebe smiled at them. “Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson.”

“Please call us mommy and daddy, P-Phoebe,” Amelia requested with longing in her voice and eyes.

Phoebe bit her lips as she looked at Leah.

Leah just nodded her head at her with a curve on her lips.

“Okay, m-mommy.”

***

“Have you heard the news about the Thompsons?”

Alfred Evans stopped from reading the newspaper because of his wife’s question. He took a sip of his coffee first before answering her. “Yes. Actually, I have already scheduled a meeting with Henry today. Now that the heiress of the Thompsons came back already, I think this is the right time to fulfill our agreement with them. This is the right time for the top 1 and top 2 in the fashion industry to merge forces to dominate the fashion world,” he responded with a victorious smile on his lips.

The wife also curved her lips upward after her husband’s statement.

They were not aware of the crisis that the Thompsons were facing at the moment.

***

“It is really great to hear that your heiress is already found. I am happy for both of you,” Alfred greeted them in the middle of their meal.

“Thank you, Alfred,” Henry responded before taking a bite of his food.

Alfred cleared his throat to start with his purpose of calling for this dinner meeting. “Now that your daughter is already here, don’t you think that this is the right time to continue our agreement years ago?”

Henry was all ears to his business friend. He liked where this conversation was going. “What do you mean, Alfred?” He acted like he was clueless of what the other man was talking about.

Alfred laughed at his business friend’s pretension. “Oh, c’mon, Henry. Didn’t we have an agreement that we will arrange marriage for our son and daughter when they reach the right age?”

“Oh!” Henry acted like he was enlightened about the agreement. “Yes. Yes. I actually think that this is the right time for that to happen,” he agreed.

Actually, this was what he was waiting for. This was what their company needed to survive the crisis.

Amelia, who was also worried for their company’s status, but more worried that this sudden implementation of the agreement might shock their daughter, held her husband’s hand.

Henry looked down their intertwined fingers, then lifted his gaze to her. He looked at her with a look implying, ‘Trust me on this.’

Amelia just sighed in defeat. It was clear that they were left with no choice now.

***

“Are you really sure about this, Phoebe?” Amelia worriedly asked.

They just finished telling her the situation of the company right now. They told her about the crisis that they were facing. And told her that they could still provide for her needs for years, but they did not know how long they could manage to support her. And they were shocked when Phoebe unhesitatingly agreed.

It had already been six months since Phoebe stayed in her real parents’ mansion. And she saw and felt how longed for her. She saw how willing they were to provide everything that she would ask for, even if it meant helping someone who did them wrong before.

And upon hearing their explanation about their company, Phoebe felt worried for them, too. She knew that her real parents worked hard for them to reach their place right now. And it would not be too much for her to agree and marry someone that could help their company rise again.

“Yes, mommy. I’ve already made up my mind. I will accept the marriage proposal from the Evans,” she answered them.