Chapter 341: SS2 08: The Give and Take

"Hi, Eve." Russell bowed his head slightly in the presence of his oldest daughter. His hands shaking, he held onto Ede's shoulders to hide them. "How have you been?"

Eve watched her dad carefully. He smiled without showing his teeth. She suspected they had darkened over time from smoking. Other than wrinkles, his face had become sunken, especially the area around his eyes.

"Hi… dad," she replied with some reluctance. "I've been well. Come here, Ede."

Her youngest sister walked over to her side at once. Russell had no choice but to his trembling hands behind his back. A stiff chuckle came out of his mouth. "Uh, aren't you… going to introduce me?"

"Dad, this is Ambryan. Ambryan, this is my father." 

"Nice to see you," Ambryan greeted out of politeness. He took a step forward, as if ready to get in between the family if needed. "What brings you to Maize City?"

"Oh, I—I had some business," Russell stuttered. He scratched the back of his head before continuing. "Then, I saw my little girls the other day. I wasn't sure it was them. I didn't want to frighten anyone so I took my time until I found a good opportunity."

"By picking them up during the music lessons that only happen every Saturday?" Eve shot back. The words flew out of her lips like bullets. The flaw was obvious in the story. She exhaled sharply and averted her eyes. "I'm guessing you had intentions? It's been years after all. You've never tried to contact us before."

Russell scoffed but stopped halfway. He placed his hands on his hips, looking up at different spots on the ceiling. "How can you be sure I haven't tried? You have changed your names. You made it hard to find you."

Eve leaned forward. Her grip around her sisters tightened. "We changed it to mother's maiden name. It's not rocket science."

"Well, I know that NOW." Russell stepped forward and Ambryan retaliated. He got the message immediately and stopped. Eve openly glared in his direction. His temple throbbed at the sight of it. "Do you want to know how I found out?"

"The news?" It was a shot in the dark but Eve knew it was the most obvious place.

"I had to find out from a third party," her father said. "Not from my own daughter. Do you know how much that hurts? How humiliating it is?"

"Well, I found out you ran with the money from a third party too. Not from my own father."

Ambryan sneaked a glance at Eve. His worry levels rose up. She wasn't normally this cunning and cut-throat. The subject about her father dug deeper than he thought. His attention shifted back to Russell Spinster.

The twins took after him more than their mother. He had their cinnamon hair and their brown eyes—same as Eve. His build was thinner than Ambryan expected, almost similar to a skeleton. He wore worn out but clean clothes. The leather jacket made him seem youthful but the deep lines on his face stated otherwise.

"You really have some nerve…" Eve taunted after a moment of silence. She smirked then pursed her lips. There was no time to waste. He'd never understand anyway. "You must want something to show up like this. Instead of flattering me, you're accusing me of things I did that were the consequences of your actions. Is that how you try to get on someone's side?"

Russell opened his mouth.

But, nothing came out.

"It surprised me to see the twins," he said, recovering quickly. She was right. He had a motive and a plan. It wasn't the time to be distracted by trivial matters. "The sight of them brought back a lot of memories. I was never a good father. That… guilt ate me up inside. I had nothing but pure intentions when I finally decided to meet them."

Eve clicked her tongue. Her father could go into the acting industry. That had to be the biggest load of bullshit she had ever heard come out of his mouth. It hurt so much she wanted to laugh. She squashed that feeling down and chose a different tactic.

"Then, I hope you understand that I…" Eve paused but met her father's eyes once more. This time, she stared straight into them. "I have nothing but pure intentions by asking you not to approach me or the twins again. If you dare even try… I'll file a restraining order. Goodbye."

Eve switched to her sisters' hands and led them out of the arcade. Ambryan followed them by sight before checking on Russell Spinster. The latter had dropped any warm expression off his face. His hands clenched into fists. 

After raising her all those years, putting a roof over her head, providing food on the table—this was how she'd repay him? Was it because she was some big shot now? Success after success in her modelling career plus a big fish as her boyfriend?

If anyone had some nerve, it was his daughter!

"If I were you," Ambryan whispered near his ear. "I would listen to her."

He waved goodbye before leaving the arcade, tucking his hand inside his pocket and gripping his phone. An ominous feeling tickled his mind as if a dark aura emanated in his direction. 

One move from Russell and he'd have their security team intervene. The feeling hadn't faded even when he and the girls safely left the premises. His eyebrows scrunched into a deep scowl. This couldn't be the end of it.

It was too easy.

Way too easy.

Unbeknownst to Ambryan, his hunches were correct. Russell had moved his fists to his sides. He glowered at the door where he last saw his children. The whites in his eyes had more red than white. His arms began to shake along with his fists.

"Don't say I didn't try, Everlee," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Then again, maybe you'd rather have an eye for an eye. You'll know soon enough what it feels like to taste 'the consequences of your own actions.'"

Another week had gone by and Russell smoked a cigarette in his hiding spot. It gave him a good view of The Magical Symphony. Not once had he seen anyone look in his direction. He could almost laugh at how ignorant people could be. 

The ringtone of his cell phone reached his ears.

He answered the call without peeling his gaze off the school.

"Hello?"

"Yes. I'm aware."

"No, I'm not running this time."

"I will have your money soon enough."

Cutting the call, Russell heard the bell this time. It signaled that classes were almost over—a time used to pack up so everyone could leave at the exact time. He threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. A puff of smoke flowed out of his lips.

If he wanted to proceed with his plan, this would be the perfect time to do it.

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Eve had just finished a photoshoot. Riding in the backseat of the car, she checked her reflection in a compact mirror. It had become a habit since Ambryan proposed. Aunt Avery had given her a list to remember as the future madam of the household.

It was a lot longer than the five rules she received as a secretary.

Her spirits stayed positive. Because of her success with those old rules, Eve had taken the measure to learn these new ones five at a time. 

"Well, look at you," Cale commented from the other end of the backseat. Eve retouched her lipstick and tenderness displayed in his aqua blue eyes. "I've never seen you so attentive to your appearance, especially the makeup. I feel like a proud parent."

Eve gaped at him. "This is a proud parent moment? But not Fashion Week?"

"That's a career proud parent moment. This is a self-care proud parent moment."

She returned his remark with a skeptical expression. The steady vibrate of her cell phone caught her attention. Andie's name and photo flashed on the screen. She closed the compact mirror and leaned back.

"Hello?"

"EVE!"

"Andie?" Eve answered, her posture stiffening. The tone of her best friend almost gave her goosebumps. This couldn't be good. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Tell me where you are and I'll be right there."

"I'm fine, Eve! I'm fine!" Andie blew out a long breath. She craned her neck, massaging that connected her neck and her shoulder. "Jarrett just called. He got an alert that an incident is happening at The Magical Symphony. Before you asked, he didn't tell me what it was because it might aggravate me and the baby."

"The Magical Symphony…" Eve thought out loud. If it was the school, could there possibly be an accident? Like a fire? Different possibilities flooded her mind. "Is he still there?"

"I think so. He hasn't responded to me."

"I'll go and see what it's about."

"Don't forget to call me!"

Eve hung up. She glanced at the rearview mirror and made contact with a pair of turquoise eyes. Her tone of voice had turned serious. "Nanzie, let's stop by The Magical Symphony."

Cale frowned in confusion. The frazzled face Eve wore made his heart race. Her lips had paled during the phone conversation. She lost composure in an instant.

"What's going on?" He asked. Then, he took out his phone to look up the school's name. If it was that serious, it should be all over the news by now.

"I'm not sure," Eve admitted. She dialled Ambryan, thinking he could provide answers before they arrived at the scene. His cell rang twice. "But I will find out."

Oh, my…" Cale breathed out. His hand flew to his mouth. A live footage of the article was shown at the bottom. He clicked on it and it covered his entire screen. The voice of the reporter came out of his mobile's speakers.

"Reporting live from The Magical Symphony, the police have arrived at the scene where a hostage situation had taken place. The suspect's identity is still unidentified and, based on given information, he has yet to contact anyone for negotiation."