279 All They Have To Do Is To Listen

Russel slowly shook her head, "It is fine, you already reserved the table. Let's just eat shall we?"

Amber no longer said anything and checked the menu for what to order.

"Good day ladies, as a special event for this night where we have a live cooking. The dishes prepared by the chef's on stage, which are their signature dish, are to be given to the guests who have reservations, free."

A server approached them and said putting down two plates of spring carbonara in front of them and if Amber was not mistaken, this was the same dish that the woman whom Russel was staring was cooking.

"Thank you," she politely said before turning to the food in front of her.

She can feel how fidgety Russel was as she too stared at the dish in front of her.

Amber didn't say anything and just started eating.

The vegetables were crunchy enough and the meat has the right crisp in it. The taste of the parmesan cheese making it even more delicious.

Amber bit her lower lip, this is one hell of a dish and she didn't want to comment in front of Russel who was still staring at her own carbonara.

She finished hers and ordered another food.

It was when she was half done with her second dish did Russel picked up her fork and started eating the carbonara that was about to get cold.

Her first taste made her purse her lips and the next made her bit her lower lip. The next her nose turned red and the following, tear started dropping form her eyes.

Amber didn't speak and kept going with her food, they were luckily at the edge so barely anyone would notice it. Unless she called for a server.

She was already full so didn't need to order more at the same time her drink was already there, she could just focus on her things and let Russel cry her heart out.

With one dish, Amber knew who that person was. She knew her importance to Russel.

'Really, their dish speaks of the same things. An emotion called longing.'

Russel's signature dish was pasta and this one was carbonara. They were two dish that is the same but at the same time different.

Wanting to be with each other but a wall was stopping them from closing the distance.

It was half an hour later did Russel calm down and the two of them left the place. Amber took in the night air and felt even more relaxed.

Russel was walking a step behind her with her still down eyes.

"My parents..."

She looked at Amber when she spoke without looking at her and was just staring ahead.

Amber chuckled upon remembering the looks of her parents when they found her doing some programming.

They were both amazed and terrified, not terrified about her but to the codes itself. They said that it was dizzying just by staring at the screen of the computer.

Then she turned around and walked backwards, "Sometimes what children grew up to be is either inherited or something they chance upon as they grow up."

"Mine is the latter, I suppose yours is the former," she added before giving a gentle smile.

Russel had a bitter smile, "She never met me, nor father after I was born."

Amber smiled and took hold of her hand leading her to a nearby coffee shop. She can tell that this will be a long talk for the two of them.

After receiving their orders and settling down, another half an hour of silence enveloped them.

"Just like other love stories, they met and fell in love with one another. But father never told her his real name. They stayed together for two years until father was threatened to return home."

She had a solemn look as she spoke about their story.

"He disappeared on her but had someone watch over her, he loved her deeply but he can't risk her with his family's power."

Amber remained silent, listening to her.

Sometimes that's what others need, someone who didn't have to speak their mind. All they have to do is to listen, just listen.

"Then my mother found out that she was pregnant."

Russel smiled, "But she didn't give her baby up."

Her smile turned to hatred as she continue, "But the family didn't want to have a child outside of the family. So they planned on getting her and the baby, he did his best to save her and knew that if the baby stayed with her. Both of them would die."

"What she thought was that her daughter died in that sudden accident but she didn't know that her daughter had survived and was taken in by her father. And vowed that he will never meet with her again in order for his daughter and the person he loves to live."

Silence followed after her sentence.

"She was a chef? Back then? A starting one?" Amber asked.

Russel nodded her head, "Father said that she was a starting chef back then and had just started a restaurant. It didn't sink into me when we enter, but that was her restaurant."

"I see."

There is no more words she could say.

"I never knew until my father was on his deathbed, he was still young but he got sick. He was an only child and he only has another daughter with his wife. That was what he asked them, he'll give them a grandchild with her but only one."

Russel laughed bitterly, maybe it was better if they entered a bar instead of a coffee shop. She felt like she needed a drink somehow.

"Then it was a daughter, they pressured him in having another but he was vehement. He never loved her, why would he sleep with her again when all he felt while doing it with her was a none ending excruciating pain in his chest?"

"After that he got sick and finally told me everything. I was wondering why? Why can't mother love me? Why can't she just spare a glance towards me not just my sister? On that day, I finally understand."

"Of course she will never spare a glance towards me, I was a child born from her husband and his love. No wonder I got too much attention from father compared to his other child. I feel bad for her at times, when father ignores her. But then I can see how much she mocks me when it was mother who ignores me."

She looked up at Amber, her eyes threatening to have another bout of crying.

"When he died, the lawyer came to me in secret and told me that what mother holds was not the real inheritance and gave me the real one. I remained quiet all these years until I could stand on my own."

"After that I left without telling them anything but soon they found out, they found out that it was really with me. That I was the real inheritor but they didn't say anything to the outside. So all these time I could only run around."

Then the tears came.

"You wanted to tell your mother everything and stay with her but you felt like you would instead put her into danger if you do so. That is why you decided to stay away and today was just a coincidence."

Amber spoke, remembering how she tried to stay away from her brothers.

But she was lucky for she had the others with her, she had Ashton with her.

Russel didn't, she could no longer trust anyone after being tailed over and over again.

Russel looked up at her and was staring at her as if knowing how she could say it. Amber smiled at her.

"Let's just say I was just like that a year or so ago until just recently."

Then realization hit her, "Your mother, we have to do something about her."

"Huh? You know there's currently nothing I can do," Russel answered.

"There is only one reason why they remained patient towards you, they are playing with you over and over again for they know they have something that will make you follow them in the end. Once their patience reached it's end, they will use that."

Russel's eyes grew wide, "That's right they knew about her. But they haven't use her because they enjoy watching me stay in fear and runaway from them when all along they could use her to make me run back."

"Do you know her address?" Amber asked.