Glass Sneakers

21st ♕

21st ♕

"We are tracking down the source of the call. Yes, I know. There's no need to remind me about what's going on. I'll call again. Bye," Bridge said, taking a deep breath before plunging into another call. "No comment. What? Look, if that's what you're thinking, I can't do anything about it. Unless yes, unless I'll send you to the hospital for brain surgery."

Everything was clearly not okay.

One moment, someone took a picture of me holding my half-brothers, with my hair and shirt in absolute mess. I was too stunned to even process what was going on. The next, Art and I were forcefully dragged to the palace; my family was relocated to a hotel room.

"This is the palace's hotline. Yes and no. We have no comment," Famy said, circling the phone line around her slender fingers.

Lisbeth slammed the phone she had been assigned to its receiver, before realizing what she'd done. "Sorry! He was just outright rude! I can't take this anymore."

"But hon, you got a hundred more call waiting," Jen specified to her, taking a deep breath, before picking up her phone again. "Let me hear some more amusing human thoughts."

Even Lenora's assistants were answering the endless phone calls directed to the palace's public hotline. Two hours ago, the public hotline only got one caller, who was looking for her missing cat. It turned out that the acrobatic cat belonged to an elderly lady, who lived a few streets from Winterlace Palace. Thankfully, Jack picked up the cat again and delivered it to its owner before her calls were categorized as 'Georgiette File'.

The media wanted to get the first scoop on what I would say. That was why they had secured me in Winterlace Palace, before anyone would get the chance to take another picture of me. With or without half-brothers. Or extra moms.

"The call came from the shelter where you're working at," Bridge said, glancing at my direction while holding a call. She said thank you to the caller, before putting dow the phone. Walking over to me, she added, "The caller told the pizza parlor that that his name was Pete. But Lenora already confirmed that they were having lunch together, so that couldn't possibly happen. We did check the CCTV at the shelter. Guess who called?"

I shrugged, having no clue.

"Robin Marc," Bridge informed me, shaking her head.

"What would he gain from doing that? Why did he suddenly send the pizza guy to our house?" I asked.

"From the other CCTV recordings, it seemed like he saw your mom stop by at the convenience store near your house. Coincidentally, your other mom, Hannah, was also there, buying things. Robin must have had overheard their conversation. Then putting two and two together, he'd decided to mess up things for you," Bridge said.

"Ah." I frowned. Mom no. 1 and 2 did meet first at the convenience store, before going to our house. "I seriously have no idea what's his motive."

"Temporary fame," Bridge answered. "And I'm very disappointed with Jack."

"Please don't take this all out on him," I said. "They've been busy holding back the reporters. The pizza dude only managed to slip in the perimeter by entering a broken fence that only a few in our block knows."

"It's their job. Jack and the others would be reprimanded. He's currently on a meeting with his department head. Let's just hope his punishment won't be permanent," Bridge said, feeling my worries.

I nodded, smiling a bit as we hoped for the best.

"I'll get back to you later. I still have to answer calls," Bridge said to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, before she answered another phone that was ringing.