ELLE
“Looks like you’re happy today.”
I was startled from my thoughts when Grandma suddenly spoke. I hadn’t even noticed that she had already entered my room.
I was standing in front of the mirror, fixing my short, slightly curly hair. I was getting ready to go back to work at the company, and I was excited because I would finally get to see Blade again.
“I just woke up in a good mood, grandma.”
Grandma sat down on the chair beside me. I noticed that she was carrying a red photo album.
“Is that a photo album, grandma?”
“Yes, Elle. I just wanted to show you a picture of Elena when she was pregnant with you.”
She was referring to my mother.
I immediately became excited. The only pictures I had ever seen of my mother were from when she was still young and single. I had no idea Grandma had pictures of her while she was pregnant with me.
“Why are you only showing this to me now, Grandma?”
“Because your father is also in these pictures.”
I didn’t know how to feel. I had just found out that Grandma had been hiding a photo album containing pictures of my father.
I stared at her in surprise.
“There’s a picture of my father? But why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
Grandma’s expression changed.
“I was angry with him because after Elena gave birth, he disappeared without a trace.”
She had kept this from me just because she was angry with my father?
I had been so hurt growing up because I had no parents. I didn’t even know what my father looked like. And now I was finding out that Grandma had actually had a picture of him all along.
It hurt so much. All the pain I had felt as a child came rushing back.
“But he’s still my father.”
Tears began to form in my eyes.
Ever since I was a child, my only wish had been to at least see what my father looked like. If he was still alive, I wanted to find him and meet him in person.
“Forgive me, Elle. I was selfish. I never thought that you had the right to see him and know him too.”
Tears began to fall from Grandma’s eyes.
“You have no idea how badly I wanted to see what my real father looked like, even if it was only in a photograph.”
My tears finally fell.
“It hurts because you took that wish away from me.”
“I-I’m sorry, Elle. I understand if you end up being angry with me.”
It hurt so much. I felt betrayed.
Grandma had no idea what I had gone through as a child because I didn’t have parents. I never told her everything because I didn’t want her to worry about me. I was afraid of losing her too, because she was the only family I had left.
“I hope you can forgive me, Elle. I made a huge mistake. Please don’t be angry with me.”
She hugged me.
“I’m hurt, grandma, but I could never hate you. I’m still incredibly grateful because, in some way, you filled the emptiness I felt from losing my parents.”
I hugged her back.
I loved Grandma. I couldn’t bring myself to hate her. We were the only ones we had left in this world, and I didn’t want us to fight.
“Thank you, Elle.”
“Please don’t cry anymore, Grandma. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
Grandma straightened up and wiped her tears.
I never expected the two of us to end up having an emotional moment like this. Just last night, I was incredibly happy because Blade and I were finally together.
I smiled again when I thought about him.
“Come here, Elle. Look at the photo album.”
Grandma handed me the album.
I opened it, and the first picture I saw was my mother smiling happily while holding her large belly. Standing beside her was a fair-skinned man who looked quite young.
“Is this my father?” I asked Grandma.
“Yes. His name is Lazarus. He is your real father. You inherited your complexion from him.”
It was obvious that I had inherited my skin tone from him. We had almost the same complexion, although he was slightly fairer than me.
I was incredibly happy. It felt like a huge emptiness in my life had finally been filled because, at last, I knew what my father looked like.
“How long was Mom’s pregnancy in this picture?”
“Five months.”
My mouth fell open. Her belly already looked so big that it didn’t seem like she was only five months pregnant.
“But why is her stomach already that big?”
Grandma looked away, unsure of how to answer.
“I-I don’t know, Apo. Maybe that’s also the reason why her body couldn’t handle giving birth to you.”
There were still many pictures inside the album. I smiled as I looked through them.
My father looked exactly the same in every picture. His appearance never seemed to change, and he wasn’t smiling in any of the pictures.
“Grandma, I have a question.”
I closed the photo album.
“What is it, Elle?”
“Is my father still alive?”
Grandma looked surprised by my question.
“The truth is, Elle, I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything from him since the day he disappeared.”
“I see.”
I felt sad. I wanted to meet him in person.
“But I think he’s still alive because—”
Grandma suddenly stopped speaking when we heard a car honk outside our house.
“That must be Blade, Grandma. I’ll go first.”
“Is Blade your boyfriend, Elle? You have a different kind of smile today.”
I was startled by her question. Was it really that obvious?
“Ah—uh… I’ll go now, grandma. I’ll answer your question next time.”
I kissed her cheek before quickly leaving.
I saw Blade leaning against his car outside.
He really was incredibly handsome.
“How are you, Elle?”
“Why are you asking? We were together just yesterday.”
He laughed at my response.
“Even so. I just want to make sure you’re safe and okay all the time.”
I looked away, feeling my cheeks turning red.
“Ooh, someone’s blushing!”
“Idiot! Come on, we’ll be late.”
“It’s okay if we’re late. I’m the boss. If you want, we don’t even have to go to work. We can just stay at home.”
He raised both eyebrows.
“You’re such a pervert! Let’s go!”
I heard him laugh.
“Wait. Where’s my…?”
I didn’t understand what he meant.
“What’s that?”
“My… you know.”
He pouted his lips, and I immediately realized he wanted a kiss.
“Not here, Blade. Grandma might see us.”
“No. I want it here.”
He stubbornly insisted like a child.
I had no choice. I stepped closer and gave him a kiss. He gently pressed my head closer to him, making our kiss last longer.
“Delicious.”
“Tsk! Come on.”
Blade opened the car door and let me get inside first. I couldn’t help smiling because of our little kiss.
Once Blade got inside, he started the car. We talked throughout the drive, so the trip wasn’t quiet at all.
After a while, we finally arrived at the company. Blade drove directly into the parking lot and parked in the front area, which was reserved exclusively for his car.
We got out and headed toward the elevator.
A few moments later, we stepped out of the elevator and started walking. I was surprised when Blade suddenly took my hand.
I tried to pull away, but he held on tightly.
“Someone might see us, Blade.”
“Let them. Besides, I’m the only one who uses this floor, so there’s no one here.”
I didn’t say anything after that. I felt relieved by what he said.
I didn’t want the other employees at the company to find out about Blade and me because they might think badly of us. Dixy and I had already talked about how I shouldn’t worry about what other people thought, but I still wanted to be careful.
When we reached the office, we noticed that the lights inside were already on, although they weren’t very bright.
Maybe Ms. Jane was inside.
The door was still closed, so Blade opened it.
I was surprised when I saw two men inside his office.
Both were wearing black long-sleeved polo shirts. I didn’t recognize either of them. It was my first time seeing them here.
“Good, you’re finally here, Blade,” said the muscular man. His complexion was similar to Blade’s, and he had a faux-hawk haircut.
“What do you need, Draco? And why are you here in my office?”
Blade stared seriously at them.
Draco’s eyes dropped toward our intertwined hands.
I was about to pull mine away, but Blade wouldn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his grip around my hand, though he wasn’t hurting me.
“A human,” the other man said.
“Is she your girlfriend?”
Blade didn’t answer Draco’s question.
“What do you need?”
He repeated his earlier question.
Blade and Draco stared at each other.
Draco stepped closer to Blade before finally speaking.
“We were sent here by Damien, your father.”
Blade showed no emotion.
What could they possibly want from Blade?