Chapter 335: Just a Boss-Subordinate Relationship
And then, there were the clothes.
This bedroom led into an enormous walk-in closet, overflowing with clothes of every kind-everything from dresses for little girls to sophisticated outfits for adults, covering all styles and ages.
Much like with the dolls, whenever they saw something beautiful, they couldn't help but think that this would be perfect for their daughter.
They always held onto the hope that maybe they would find her soon.
Then, the clothes they bought for her would be worn.
Even now that their daughter was right there with them, the memories of those long years of longing still made Gracie's eyes well up with emotion.
"Adeline, do you like it?" Isaac asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Adeline felt tears threatening to spill as well, but she held them back. She nodded and said, "I love it. Thank you, Mom, Dad."
"Alright, you've had a long journey. Go rest for a while," Gracie said gently. "I'll have the kitchen prepare something for you. What do you feel like eating? Would you like to try the local dishes?"
Adeline thought for a moment and nodded.
Now that she was here, she might as well experience the local flavors.
Gracie and Isaac left, and Adeline collapsed onto the plush bed.
Ever since her mother passed away, she never imagined she'd find herself living a life like this, so full of warmth and happiness.
But...
As soon as Harrison crossed her mind, a deep ache settled in her chest.
It had been hours since she boarded the plane-over ten hours, in fact.
And yet, Harrison still hadn't reached out to her.
The moment she stepped off the plane, she checked her phone, only to find a flood of
messages —messages from her aunt, her siblings, her friends...
Even Sam had written to her.
But not a word from Harrison.
Adeline thought, "So, is he really not going to explain himself? Is he still angry about what happened that day? Or maybe he thinks since we haven't defined our relationship, there's no need to clear the air?"
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.
Fighting back the tears, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to sleep.
She had already slept on the plane.
But all she could dream about was Harrison.
In her dream, she saw Harrison with another woman, his arms wrapped around her, standing there with a cold, indifferent expression.
In the dream, he said, "You're just my subordinate. You didn't really think I'd need to report every time I'm with someone else, did you?”
Adeline cried. She cried as though her heart was breaking, sobbing in a way she never had in real life.
What stung even more was that despite her tears, Harrison didn't even flinch. He didn't show the slightest bit of concern.
Thinking back to that dream, Adeline felt a spark of anger.
She bolted upright in bed, grabbed her phone, and nearly called Harrison to shout at him.
But just as her fingers wrapped around the phone, she paused.
Maybe Harrison didn't want to talk to her.
If he did, why hadn't he reached out? Why hadn't he said anything?
Adeline dropped her phone and got up from the bed, frustrated.
She decided to make the best of it and set up a circle of stuffed animals around her, pretending they were at a party.
As she played, a laugh escaped her.
Here she was, in her twenties, still playing with dolls.
But no matter how old she was, sometimes the heart of a child would come alive.
Besides, since her mother passed, she hadn't had any toys to call her own.
All the dolls her mother had bought her were taken away by Millie.
Millie didn't even like them; she only wanted to take what was Adeline's.
Those dolls had eventually been ruined or tossed aside by Millie.
When she was a child, Adeline had gone mad over it-wanted to strangle Millie. But back then, she was too small and too powerless.
In the end, Mateo and Janiyah had to step in to "calm" her down.
Adeline sighed deeply and thought, "Never mind those unhappy memories."
She played with the dolls for a while
before deciding to try on some clothes.
There was a large mirror in her walk-in closet.
She tried on one outfit after another, and strangely enough, even though these clothes had been bought before they found her, they fit her perfectly.
Her favorite was a white dress. It was so comfortable and fit her elegant, serene vibe
perfectly.
Just as she was admiring herself, there was a knock at the door.
Adeline walked over to open it, still wearing the dress.
It was Gracie standing in the doorway.
"Adeline, it's time to eat," Gracie said with a warm smile.
When Gracie saw the dress, her eyes lit up.
"It's beautiful," she said.
Adeline smiled and said, "This is my favorite dress."
Gracie led her downstairs, chatting along the way. "Guess who picked it out for you?"
Adeline paused, thinking. "Was it my brother?"
"How did you know?" Gracie asked, surprised.
"Did he tell you?"
"No," Adeline shook her head. "I just had a feeling."
"You two really are in sync. Alberto bought this dress for you six months ago. When he saw it, he said, 'This will look amazing on her.' And now, it looks like he was right."
Adeline followed Gracie downstairs.
Isaac and Alberto were waiting for them at the foot of the stairs.
When they saw Adeline, both of them couldn't stop praising her.
Even though they were family, Adeline still felt a bit embarrassed by their compliments.
"My daughter is so beautiful. At the banquet, you're going to steal the show," Isaac said proudly. "Is your gown ready?"
"Don't worry. It's ready. The butler said it was delivered yesterday."
Isaac nodded in satisfaction and turned to Adeline. "There will be a lot of talented young people at the banquet. If you see someone you like, just tell me."
Adeline laughed, a bit exasperated. "Dad, what are you talking about? What banquet?"
"We're hosting a banquet," Alberto said gently.
"We'll be announcing to everyone that my daughter has returned."
They had planned to throw it as soon as Adeline came home.
But Gracie, sensing Adeline's mood, had decided to delay it for a few days.
The invitations hadn't gone out yet.
When the time came, not just the Mendoza family's relatives and friends would be there.
The noble people in Yewhaina would show up.
After all, it was the return of the Mendoza family's heiress. No one would want to miss it.
Everyone already knew the Mendoza family had found their daughter.
But the banquet, the grand announcement of Miss Mendoza's return, was a sign of how much she was valued.
"Isn't this a bit too much?" Adeline asked, surprised.
"The more extravagant, the better," Gracie said, her voice filled with warmth. "We want the world to know that you're our precious treasure, found after all these years."
The Mendoza family was thrilled to have Adeline back, and they couldn't wait to give her everything they had.
Adeline didn't mind the banquet, but the idea of mingling with all those "young, talented" people?
Maybe not so much.
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