Chasing Back The Secret Heiress

Chapter 4: Home

After an hour and a half travel by helicopter, we finally arrived at Verdant Valley just outside the city.

For the past two years, I've never tried going here where I grew up. It's still nice to be back home.

The fresh air of the land came up to my nostrils and I couldn't help but to close my eyes and smell and feel it. I missed this.

Though the sky is already dark, with the solar panelled lights around, the place is still viewable from up here at the helipad of one of the many buildings here.

Not so far from where this building stands, a massive rice field stretched through the vast land, approximately a few hundred square kilometers wide. The last time I was here, it was the harvest season, but now, everything is still green.

"Ms. Michelle, your father's waiting for you at the Estate."

I frowned as I looked up to see my father's butler, standing beside me.

"At the Estate? You mean I still need to travel by land?"

He didn't say anything.

This is so damn crazy. They could have just landed there, but they chose the other end of the valley. My father's damn mad.

Hacienda Viazon Estate is on the farthest, almost at the end of this thirty-five thousand hectares Valley.

I pulled out my phone from my pink sweatpants and opened it fast. A few clicks away, I found my location in the valley.

Right now, we are on top of BioVaults, one of the storage centers around the valley. If I am here at the other end and would need to drive to get to the Estate, I'd be needing to go past everything else, even the massive rice fields and the Exclusive Zone's security gate.

"Your father asked you to ride the self-driving electric cars to make it more efficient."

Wow. I'll give it a ten for thinking about efficiency, but only five for doing this torture. That would take me about an hour and a half to just go past the Exclusive Zone, and about half an hour to arrive at the Estate.

"Are you coming with me or I'm going alone?" I asked.

"You're on your own, Ms. Michelle." That smile on his face has never delivered any good luck.

"Alright then. I'm going."

The three of them bowed at me before I turned my back on them. I just ignored it and went for an elevator ride down the ground floor.

There are still people working inside the building even at this hour and they all greeted me with a smile, some were bowing their heads down, but I ignored them all, like I always do.

When finally I was out of the building, I thought the car would be there, but the driveway’s empty.

Seriously. This is pissing me off. I need rest.

From my phone, I opened the application designed for booking an automatic electric cars from inside the valley and I also created its way for its navigation.

Not too long had past, an empty white car stopped in front of me. I took the back seat to settle in and to have some rest. It drove off on its own and I just watched the passing trees, rice field, and vegetable field in silence.

Everything's the same. If there's something that has changed, maybe it's how I feel towards it after being completely away for two years.

After a very long drive, I reached the Exclusive Zone of the Valley. This is where they create all the new equipment for farming, as well as a place for research and technology.

This is also where the military camp is based, as well as where the Solar Panel Plantation is located. Also, the main water tanks are placed here somewhere.

For security purposes, the car stopped in front of the huge gate.

Two Military personnels came out of the gate, assessing the car.

I opened the window and let them see me.

"Miss Michelle." The two of them bowed when they saw me and I just nodded. They are both holding their rifles and are in uniforms.

"You're going to the Estate?"

"Yes. I was asked to travel by land."

"We'll secure the way." When they went away, I closed the window back. On the green signal, the car started driving again.

My father would be asleep by the time I arrive. It's already past nine. He'd always sleep at this time, so coming home now would be of no use.

After another minutes of driving, the car stopped in front of the mansion. People in uniforms, women and men, flocked at the entrance of the mansion, waiting for me to step out.

Automatically, my eyes scanned my clothing. I sighed. Their grand welcome is not fitted for my clothes. I wanted to just run away.

"Miss Michelle." One security personnel knocked on the door of the car and opened it for me.

I am left with no other choice but to get out. Just as I stepped out and stood straight, their voices echoed in the whole mansion.

"Welcome back Miss Michelle!" All of them bowed before me. Just as the welcoming feeling hit me, my heart started beating so fast that I thought it would leave my body. An unexpected person is standing at the middle end of the long line.

My father's there, standing tall and proud while his cold eyes meet mine. He's not wearing his nightgown, instead he's in his corporate attire with a vest.

"You can now all leave." He said at once with his cold and flat voice, leaving everyone in surprise.

They all left, leaving only the two of us.

"Follow me." Damn. I don't like his tone, but instead of saying anything, I quietly followed him to his office on the third floor.

As surprised as I could be, His butler opened the door for us when we got there. He arrived even before me.

"Do not leave the door unmanned." My father told him before entering.

He bowed before me while entering the house with a smile. Now I'm wondering why he's doing that.

We were the only one inside his office. As I let my eyes circled the room, I realized a big difference from when I last saw it. Everything is still placed where I last saw them, but all the furniture is replaced with new sleek designs, and he made them all in brown color with gold accents. It's a perfect look of classic elegance and modern luxury.

"Have you had fun?"

It's starting. His cold voice became more disturbing, and I fear that my answers wouldn't be to his likings.

He sat down on his leather chair while I stood in front of his elegant mahogany table.

"You decided on your own without telling me anything. Do you really think I wouldn't know?"

Though nervous, I inhaled and breathed out to calm myself.

"I didn't want to hide it from you."

"But you still did." He never raised his voice on me, but I felt every bit of sharp ice fragments piercing through my skin tonight.

"Now, since you made that decision before and you already showed yourself today, I guess you're done with whatever you had in mind. Now, I'll do mine and you need to comply with it, just as I remained silent for the past two years."

I remained silent. That was so smooth, but I guess I also need to comply with the consequences of my actions.

"I am holding a banquet on Saturday for your engagement party."

"Wait, what engagement?" I heard it from Louie, but it's a lot more different than that news!

"I thought you'll only be choosing someone? What engagement are you talking about now, Dad?"

"So you heard the news." He nodded. "The banquet will move onwards to your engagement as soon as I have chosen a man for you."

My right hand reached for my hair and I pulled it, the other hand reached for my waist. Nothing is making sense.

"I just had a divorce a few hours ago. I know you know that." My heart's beating in anger, but I needed to control myself and keep myself from raising my voice.

I brought down my hands and stood straight.

"From your husband who has another woman who kept pestering you, threatening your life along with those families? Yes. I know it all well."

I pursed my lips tighter as I stared at him wide eyed. My brows formed deep furrows as well.

"Why? Do you really think I wouldn't know? I know everything, Michelle. I have been suppressing everything just so you could have your freedom and so you could live your choices."

My hand clenched as I looked away. I never felt so guilty in my entire life. His anger has never been this much, but now I know that it wasn't directed on me.

"Now, I will choose what's best for you as your father."

"But you invited them." Suppressing my tears from falling, I looked back at him, pulling all my courage to speak.

"I invited everyone who had wronged you, mocked you, and shamed you."

Once again, I couldn't say anything.

"I am letting the world know that you are my daughter. You are a Viazon, and my only Heiress, the owner of this Estate and this land. This time, you can't stop me from doing that. I've had enough."

The only reason why I can freely roam around the city is because my identity is only known for a few people, mostly from the people who work for us. I've been asking him not to tell anyone about my real identity, so I go by the name Mitchie Sullivan, using my mother's surname.

Now I'm afraid that the freedom I had for all these years is officially coming to an end.

"If you want to leave and enjoy your remaining freedom, go on. You have a choice not to attend the banquet. Nonetheless, the plan will go on even without your presence."

I can't really say anything about this, then. It's final.

"Use the tunnel if you'll leave. The reason why I asked you to move on land is to show yourself to everyone that you're back. Now, you can't leave through that or by air. Your only option is through the tunnel so no one would see you leaving. You can now go if you don't have anything to say."

Just as he said that, I marched out of his office. Leaving now is the best option I have, but doing it now means another long trip out of the Valley to the city.

My body could never keep up to that now.