I slowly walked towards the familiar grand house, glancing at the guards in suits lingering in the surrounding, some eyed me sternly while others were too focused to even spare a glance at me. As I eventually reached the steps, I took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell twice, waiting patiently for someone to open up.
Standing idly, I eventually thought of the things I would say to her, and gathered myself, preparing for some acting I would be doing in front of her. I knew it would be hard to act according to the plan, but I was ready. I was ready to fool her, get close to her, and wrap her around my finger, but still, I was feeling anxious, knowing that revealing myself to her would be a huge risk, as there could be a possibility she would tell Cliff about my identity after I told her the truth.
As my mind was started to cloud with thoughts, the door had slowly opened, shifting my attention to it as a shy-looking maid appeared in front.
"Is Mrs. Coldwell inside?" I eventually asked.
"Yes, Ms. Kensington?" she queried, and I nodded, "...please come in," she added, before stepping aside to let me in. I made my way in, and waited for the housemaid to close the door behind me, before facing her.
"Where is she?"
"I'm afraid you'll gonna have to wait for Mrs. Coldwell in the living room, Ms. Kensington. She's... caught up with something at the moment."
"If that is so, she could have told me beforehand. I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here," I mumbled, causing her expression to fade into an apologetic one.
"It just came up Ms. Kensington...sir Ethan is going at it again," she mumbled, making me frown.
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious as what she was referring, but when she was about to answer, someone had spoke behind me, beating her to it. Looking past behind me, her expression had turned into shocked, causing her to hang her head low. "Excuse me, Ms. Kensington," she added quietly, before walking away, leaving me with the woman I came to talk to.
Sighing inwardly, I turned to her, and eventually forced a smile, "Amelia," I called, causing her to return the smile.
"It's always nice to see you Alex dear," she said, walking up to me, and unexpectedly buried me in a hug. I stood still, silently wanting to pry her arms away as it made me uncomfortable.
She eventually pulled away, and brushed a strand of my hair to the side, eyeing it curiously.
"Why did you dye your hair?"
"I didn't...I'm actually a blonde," I answered, making her stop at what she was doing.
"Really?"
I nodded, "Yes," I mumbled, causing her to smile again.
"You look beautiful Alex...as always," she commented, and I just gave her a smile, unsure of what I would say to her.
She looked genuinely happy right now, that she could fool other people with it, but not me. I knew deep down she was faking it, and it was laudable how great she was doing it.
"Um, thank you," I said when it only came to mind.
"So, what are we going to talk about?" she asked curiously.
"Um..." I paused, reluctant to continue as we were still standing by the entrance.
"You know what, why don't you wait for a bit in the living room? I'm gonna go change...Let's go out and talk," she said, and before I could argue, she had already pulled me to the living room, making me clench my jaw at being helpless for the time being. She then made me sit down on the couch, and smiled, "Stay here, I won't take long Alex," she added, before turning her back on me, and walked away, leaving me exasperated.
Sighing in displeasure, I slumped my back on the backrest, and took deep breaths to ease myself down. I didn't imagine acting this friendly to her could be so hard, I probably wouldn't last long if this would go on.
I just despise her that much, I couldn't stand her.
Few minutes had passed, and I had grown impatient waiting for her, so instead of doing nothing, I decided to stand up, roaming my gaze around the room as I thought of something I was going to do. I wasn't gonna wait for her, it would just be a waste of time, and if she was planning to make me wait that long, might as well use the opportunity to search for something, anything that could be useful...and I would start at the nearest room, the library.
As I started walking to the library's direction, I suddenly heard echoes of familiar voices, making me stop on my tracks eventually. Turning to face the living room's entrance, I waited for Cliff and Ethan to show up as they kept on talking, though I couldn't make out their conversation.
But as they got nearer, I could now clearly hear their heavy steps, so as their conversation.
"I'll wait for your update dad, and hopefully, soon," I heard Ethan said, sounding a bit edgy.
"Don't worry Ethan, we'll find whoever is behind this," Cliff responded, and both of them showed up at the entrance, but they eventually stopped on their tracks as they both looked at me in surprise.
"Ms. Kensington...I didn't know you would be here," Cliff said, after composing himself first.
"Didn't Mrs. Coldwell tell you?" I asked, and he slowly shook his head.
"How long have you been standing there?" Ethan's turn to ask as he looked at me, frowning. Now that I got a good look at him, I could tell he didn't sleep well last night, judging by the dark circles under his eyes.
"Long enough..." I paused, seeing their serious expressions instantly turned deep, "to start feeling bored," I continued calmly, catching Cliff as he let out a faint sigh.
"Ah, that's understandable Ms. Kensington. My wife usually takes long to get ready," Cliff calmly said, and I gave him a small smile in return.
"It's fine though, Mr. Coldwell, I don't really mind." Cliff then strode in my direction, followed by Ethan, and stopped in front of me.
"You...didn't hear anything, right?" he slowly asked, his voice was faintly laced with hidden threat.
I smiled, "Not a thing Mr. Coldwell...but say, I did hear something, you really have nothing to worry about...I'm a good secret-keeper," I mumbled the last part, causing him to look at me inquisitively, as if examining my expression, but it was just for a brief moment when I saw him returning my smile.
"You are something, Ms. Kensington...I like you," he said.
"It's a pleasure to hear that from you Mr. Coldwell."
"Don't be so formal around me Ms. Kensington...Call me Cliff, after all, we're still working on a same goal."
"If you say so...Cliff..."
He beamed, "That's what I like to hear!...Anyway, we're gonna leave you behind now, Ethan and I, we...have something to do...It's always nice seeing you Alex...You look great, by the way."
I smiled, "Thanks, Mr. Cold-- I mean Cliff." With a smile, he then touched my shoulder, and gave it a light tap, before walking past me, leaving me with Ethan who stayed silent the whole time. I shifted my attention, and looked at him blankly.
"Alexandra," he called wearily.
"Ethan..."
"I would really like to talk to you Alex... Would you mind coming to my office later?" he slowly asked, and I mentally rolled my eyes at him, thinking how he could ask me to come by at his office when he was the one who wanted to talk, not me. It should be the other way around.
"Of course not Ethan. I'll come see you later," I replied, causing him to eventually smile.
"That's good to hear...I'll see you then." Giving him a nod, he smiled, before walking past me, and followed to where his dad went. I turned to look at his retreating form, and stared at his back until he turned to the corner, disappearing from my view. I could tell they were now on the hunt for Mike who sent the video last night, but I wasn't worried though, as we had planned everything thoroughly.
They were just wasting their time.
"Alex," Amelia's familiar voice rang through my head, and I turned around to see her all dressed up, and ready. "Did you just talk to my boys?" she asked curiously.
I nodded, "Yeah..."
"What were you talking about?" she queried as she slowly stalked towards me, and stopped in front.
"About Ethan?" I paused, and saw her raised an eyebrow at the mention of his son's name.
"What about him?"
I smirked, slightly goading her, as I thought of messing up with her, "Well...I know something's going on with him..."
"Care to enlighten me?" she slowly mumbled.
"After everything that has happened...I know for a fact that Ethan is having a difficult time, he's not handling it well, and he would be the talk of the media again, if they know that he's going into...depression," I lied with the only thing I could think of, and as soon as she heard the last word, she eventually burst into laughter, momentarily clutching her stomach.
"God, y-you are amusing Alex," she stammered after a moment, as she continued laughing, and watching her, I let out a fake chuckle, even though I didn't find it funny, just so she would think I was just messing with her.
"You were so serious Amelia, I couldn't help but make fun of you," I commented, smiling.
She wiped the corner of her eyes with the handky she was holding as her laughter died down, "Oh, that was a good laugh...You almost got me Alex."
"Yeah, I know...So, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I am...Let's go." Giving her a faint nod, she turned her back on me, and started walking while I followed her, my smile had completely disappeared as I stared at her back, thinking if only she knew that I knew something, then she wouldn't be laughing at my face, like she just did.
As we reached outside, I averted my gaze from her, and glanced at the guards surrounding us, noticing how they were few of them now. Cliff must had asked some of them to come with him and Ethan, and it was making me curious, not knowing what they were planning to do. If only I wasn't gonna talk to Amelia today, I would have already tailed them.
Reaching her car, we eventually got inside, and I settled beside her.
"We're gonna go grab a bite first, and then you decide where to go next, that okay Alex?" she said, smiling, and I nodded, favoring the idea.
"Okay, Amelia," I replied, before turning away from her, and looked out through the window as the car started moving.
This is gonna be a long ride.
*
We reached the restaurant not long after, and eventually settled ourselves to the table she had managed to get a reservation when she called earlier, and ordered our preferred food. I admit, sitting down opposite her the whole time, and watched her talked about herself and her family was totally cringey. Though it was my fault for asking her to tell me about her and the Coldwell guys, I felt disgusted how she really admired and loved them knowing the kind of people they were.
It didn't take long before we finished eating, thankfully, and we then went to the place I had in mind, the Central Park. Back at the restaurant, I decided not to tell her the truth, and let her talked fondly about her Coldwells, as I thought the place wasn't that nostalgic for the conversation we would have.
"Thank you," I said gratefully at the vendor as he handed me the cup of ice creams, with a grateful nod. I then turned towards Amelia, and handed her the raspberry-flavored one, which I remembered was her favorite. She then reluctantly accepted the cup, and looked at me curiously.
"Um...how'd you know this is what I like?"
I smiled, "I still remember..." I trailed off, causing her to instantly frown.
"What?"
"Walk with me?" I asked, looking at her confused expression, and without waiting for her reply, I slowly started walking, expecting her to catch up. She did eventually walked up beside me, but I continued walking, and so did she, noticing her glancing at random people in our surrounding.
"Why are we here Alex?" she mumbled without sparing a glance.
"Start eating your ice cream, it'll melt," I answered instead, making her look down at the cup she was holding. Reluctantly, she held the small plastic spoon, scooped some of her ice cream, and brought it to her mouth, making her eventually moan in delight.
"This taste so good," she commented, making me smile as it reminded me how she used to say that every time she had her favorite ice cream. Though she turned to be a bad person, she was once a soft person I used to love and admire, and seeing that side of her now, just for a brief moment still made me smile.
"I know you will like it," I mumbled, making her stop eventually. She then held my arm, and made me turn to look at her. Expecting her reaction, I mustered a blank expression, and stared firmly at her.
"Why are we really here Alex? And what did you mean when you said you still remember?...How did you know...I like this?" she questioned, gesturing to her ice cream.
"I thought you figured that out already..."
"Figured out what?" she queried desperately, and when I just stared at her, her grim expression had immediately gone lighter as if she realized what I was trying to say. "Are you trying to--"
"Yes Amelia...I'm trying to show you the truth...the truth that you already knew."
"Alex..."
"You are right the whole time Amelia...I am your daughter...I'm Alexandra King," I admitted, causing her to eventually stare at me in shock as her mouth hung opened, unexpectedly dropping her cup.
"I-Is this for real?" she stammered, and I just looked at her as if I didn't drop a bomb at her. Even if she already knew, she was still caught by surprise, though I couldn't blame her, as it was different when someone had confirmed your suspicions.
"Yeah, this is for real Amelia," I answered nonchalantly, even though I still felt apprehensive for what she was gonna do. Picking up my little plastic spoon, I scooped some of my vanilla ice cream, and brought it to my mouth. With a smile, I turned away from her, and continued walking through the park, leaving her dumbfounded. I doubted she was expecting me to do something now that I confirmed her suspicion, considering she already knew who I was. But as I kept on walking, I suddenly felt a hand grabbed my arm, then I was unexpectedly yanked back, causing me to let go of my cup, and crashed on someone's hug, instantly feeling tender arms wrapped around me.
As I realized what was happening, I felt Amelia's hug tightened as she started sobbing.
"Oh, Alex, thank you...Thank you for telling me the truth...I miss you so much baby," she sobbed as I stared ahead, completely surprised at her reaction. "I'm so glad...It feels so different hearing the truth from you."
"Amelia," I called as I slowly pried her arms off me, and looked at her confused, "Why would you do that?"
"What? The hug?" she asked, and I nodded, "I just...I couldn't help it, I'm just so happy right now," she answered, wiping the tears off her face, "Can't I hug you, like a mother does to her child?"
I snorted sarcastically, "Really?...Let me tell you, Amelia... nothing has changed between us, only that I just confirmed your suspicion, but that's it...Don't get too excited," I deadpanned, making her expression fall.
"I...understand Alex..."
"Okay, great...Though, now that I remember, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?" she reluctantly queried.
"Why haven't you told Cliff and Ethan about me?"
"I couldn't...You know damn well what he did in the past...He's a dangerous man Alex, so as my so--Ethan. I was just trying to protect you."
"Protect me?...Okay, tell me Amelia, why the hell did you marry him in the first place? The man who murdered my dad, your husband!"
Her dejected had eventually turned solemn, "This is not the right place to have that conversation Alex...If you want to know the answer to that, then meet me tomorrow, and we'll talk. I also have a question I need you to answer."
"What is it?"
"Why have you been pretending to be Alexandra Kensington?"
*
Staring blankly on the road as I drove my car, my mind replayed what happened earlier back at the Central Park. I admit, I didn't expect Amelia would act that way after I told her the truth, which was the total opposite of what I thought she would do. A tiny part of me believed that what she did was genuine, that she really did miss me, but the bigger part was telling me that it was all just an act, knowing she was used to fooling people to get what she wanted, and earlier was just a reminder she could do just that easily. The only difference was that, she hadn't fooled me.
As for her question earlier, I kind of expected she would ask that. I had thought of possible questions she could ask beforehand, and I had already made up lies I would answer to her, and one of those lies was my answer to her concern. I was prepared, even if she didn't ask me to meet her tomorrow, I was ready to play with her...
Still thinking about Amelia, I slowly pulled the car to a stop, and looked at the tall building in front, before slowly maneuvering to the parking lot. I immediately found a spot, and eventually got out of my car, and walked towards the entrance of the building. Night had already fallen, and I could feel the cold breeze was starting to blow, making me shiver lightly.
As I looked up at the entrance, I eventually noticed Ethan just walked out of the building, and training my gaze on him as he strode, I saw him met a woman halfway. And as I got a good look at them, I realized the woman was none other than my former boss, making me frown, curious as to why she would see him.
I made my way towards them as they looked like they were starting to argue.
"...and if you think you could convince me, then think again Ethan," Lauren spat.
"You know what, I've been going easy on you Lauren, and frankly, I'm getting tired of you treating me like a lowlife bastard!...You will regret this, bitch," Ethan retorted.
"Ethan!" I hissed as I stopped near them, glaring at the cheating bastard.
"Alex?" Lauren called confusedly, looking at me with a frown etched on her face, "What are you doing here?" she added, before darting her gaze to Ethan.
Ethan sighed, "Alex," he mumbled, and walked up to me, "Sorry, you had to see that..."
"What is going on Alex?" Lauren questioned, and I just stared at her blankly even if seeing her right now had eventually reminded me about that kiss we shared.
"You have no more business here Lauren. You can go," Ethan demanded, and I gritted my teeth, keeping my anger at bay. "You have said what you wanted to say, now leave..."
"Shut up Ethan, I'm not talking to you," she retorted, causing Ethan to snort humorlessly.
"Bitch," he mumbled.
"Alex," Lauren called once again, her voice tinted with plea. As she stared at me with a pleading look, her attention had quickly averted behind us the same time I heard a roaring sound of a car. Following her gaze, I turned my head to the car's direction, and eventually saw a black cargo van speeding our way, and before I could react, it screeched to a stop, and the door had eventually opened, revealing two people wearing black masked, covering their whole face.
"Lauren, run!" I immediately shouted, before I felt a strong arm snaked around my waist, instantly pulling me towards the van. My gaze darted from Lauren who stood frozen in her spot as the masked guy who was holding me pointed a gun at her, to Ethan who was also being taken by the other criminal.
"Let me go, you bastard!" he shouted as he thrashed, eventually earning him a punch to his gut.
"Who are you people?" I questioned in alarm, struggling to free myself, but the guy was too strong, and he was able to get me in the van. Ethan then was hauled up inside, before the guy that took him eventually closed the door, locking us up inside.
"Go, go, go!" he shouted, and the van had immediately moved, leaving Lauren in distress as she kept on my shouting my name, until her voice faded in the distance.
As I glared at the masked men who were pointing their guns at us, I tried to keep myself calm, thinking about one thing;
This will never be the end of me...