Chapter 49 - GOOD NEWS
"Yes, It is about the Hotel Project including the land where the building would rise. I'm sorry if we have to discuss the issue at this untimely hour papa. The truth is, I barely slept last night thinking about it. I couldn't?put my mind at ease unless we discuss the people's welfare first."
When I finished my litany, I slowly raised my gaze to Alexander Crawford. I was half expecting to see fury gleaming upon his inky eyes as I looked up. But instead, it was tenderness I saw swelling in him that nearly made my heart burst with pride.
"I just want to tell you that I'm so proud of you Beatrix. Despite your condition, you never stopped caring about other people. We haven't been together for a long time but I could feel how good you are."
Alexander Crawford slowly crossed the distance between us and stopped when he was a few meters away from my reach.
Despite the tears that made my eyes hazy, I smiled at him. It must be the post effect of giving birth that was making me emotional over minute things.
"I couldn't let Elisa's family down papa. They've been there for me when I'm on my lowest point. They gave me everything I needed—food, shelter, clothing, and above all love and affection. I don't know what would have become of me if they haven't found me." Tears I failed to contain came tumbling down my cheeks.
"And I am so thankful for your friend and her parents Beatrix." He said, wiping my tears as if I was still his little girl. The affectionate gesture did not stop the tears instead it gushed abundantly than before. "If it weren't for them, I would never be able to see my only daughter whom I'd been searching for the past twenty-three years."
"That is why I'm asking you to do me a favor, Papa," I whispered while praying on the heavens he would listen to my plea. I took his hand and wrapped my fingers firmly around them. "Please give them more time to stay on the property so they could find a better home relocation."
"You don't need to beg Beatrix. In fact, I am here to deliver the good news for you!?The Crawford Resthouse, from now on would belong to Elisa's family. Not only that,?your friend could continue her college education. She has been chosen for the Crawford Scholarship on Harvey University."
Astounded, I stared at him with my eyes stretched wide that an apple could almost fit inside. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out of my lips. Instead, it was a sob I heard erupting from my lips. Before I knew it, I was heavily crying from the wonderful news and he was hugging me tightly like a father providing comfort to his wailing child.
"Hush, Beatrix. Please stop crying. If you don't I would change my mind." He jested, attempting to stop her tears from flowing.
"I don't know how to thank you, Papa."
"Just stop crying, my angel, I would feel better if you would."
I wiped the tears that soaked my now crimson cheeks using the back of my palms, and when it was dry, I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a tight hug. My heart swelled with love and contentment as he held me. It never occurred to me, I could be this happy. I don't know what I have done to deserve this blessing. Everything I ever asked for was almost within my reach. I couldn't ask for more since there's nothing more I could ask.
"Thank you, Papa," I murmured.
"It was me who should thank you for coming into my life and bringing this little girl angel with you." His eyes softened when they landed on Faith Vienne who was surprisingly awake, a charming smile playing on her soft, pinkish lips.
"Oh look who's awake!" He laughed with eyes bright with pride and an elated grin spreading on his cheeks.?"You adorable little thing. You're gonna melt my heart with that amazing smile of yours. And those dimples! Good gracious! God, forgive me if I could punch a dozen of admirers when you're older." The baby smiled and winked her eyes, making her grandfather's heart melt with tenderness.
"Did you see that Beatrix?" Alexander exclaimed gleefully, his expression priceless. He looked as if he won the lottery. "A dozen men will undoubtedly cry when this baby blooms into a beautiful lady. I wish I would still be alive when that time comes."
A soft knock sounded on the door. Lifting their gaze, they caught in time as the door burst open. The Crawford brothers—eight of them—crowded the entrance, waiting for their father to finally signaled them to enter.
Alexander Crawford shook his head in disapproval but he admonished his children to enter using his authoritative tone that could make his adversaries tremble with fear but not his children who were used to his strict demeanor.
"To formally introduce you to each other,?Beatrix, these are your younger brothers. You're older than them by a year." He motioned to the men who just entered the room. The remarkable thing that my eyes spotted first was their colossal height that seems to reach the low ceiling of the room. Just like Alexander Crawford, his son inherited his ebony black hair, broad shoulders, and deeply penetrating eyes.
I assume they must be twenty-two—since I'm twenty-three now. Yet, looking at them now, they unbelievably have the aura and confidence which an old, dignified man possesses. They too are undeniably handsome with fine, aristocratic features, a large muscular physique, and a smile that could make a woman swoon. The sight of them was a delight in the eyes. It seems the finest and the hottest men ever found in Cordova were trapped in room 203 where I was confined now.
I gave them a soft, reluctant smile while trying to vanish the awkwardness that bubbling inside me.?It was the first time?I had the chance to watch them closely and I was becoming uncomfortable as they studied my face with scrutinizing eyes.
"You look exactly like Clarissa—our grandmother—but hopefully you won't be as strict as her. She sometimes suspends my allowance when I refuse to follow her orders." The earnest remark from the youngest-looking men earned him a poke on the chest that left him wincing in pain.
"Ignore our youngest brother's audacity. I am Ethan, the oldest among the eight of us." The man who spoke was a spitting image of Alexander Crawford. He was the tallest among his brothers. When he spoke, the others looked at him with high regard as if he was someone they wouldn't dare mess with.
Ethan flashed me a smile, showing a perfect set of pearly white teeth like a toothpaste commercial model. He was handsome but there was more to him than just looks. He exudes this warmth that could make anyone fall to his charm. He was no doubt a Crawford.
"From now on we will be your guardian angel and protector," Ethan said the words with more determination than needed. Right at the moment, he was making a promise on behalf of his brothers. "Whoever dares to hurt you, attempts to lay a finger on your hair, and dares to draw tears in your eyes—the Crawford men will beat the shit out of him!"
Ethan's words reverberated in my thoughts. For a fleeting moment, an image of a man came to my thoughts. He has the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Even in my thoughts, his exquisite eyes trapped in mine made me take a deep intake of breath. But before the puzzle could fit together and form an image, the thoughts vanished as fast as they arrived. Leaving me craving for more but the memories refuse to allow me another glimpse of the forgotten past.
"Beatrix? Beatrix!"
I snapped out of my trance after hearing my name called with urgency.?Without me knowing, I suddenly lapsed into silence while staring into space.
"I-I am sorry Papa. My head suddenly throbbed. I must be tired." I lied instead, unable to describe the sudden surge of memories that quickly faded in an instant before I could fathom the details.
Alexander sobered and signaled his children to leave so I could rest. They follow the order obediently and close the door behind when they're out of sight.
"Please take your rest, Beatrix. You must be tired." He said when we were alone and he helped me lie down on the hospital bed. "I shall watch over Faith Vienne while you rest."
I did not respond, instead, I nodded in approval, and smiled at him but the glow barely reached my eyes. There was this sudden long, hollow tunnel of emptiness looming inside me. No matter how I fill that void, the emptier I feel within. The emptiness suddenly made me realize that something important was missing in my life. What that thing? I don't know.
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