Chasing the Shrew

Welcome Home

The drive to the villa was quiet and serene. The kids and Mary fell asleep early into the ride leaving DS and Amelia on their own. Since DS was driving this time, Amelia had the luxury of looking out the window at the passing scenery. This was her town six years ago; where she grew up in a run-down orphanage fighting for scraps on the table; where she persevered and graduated with honors despite being bullied; where she finally pulled herself out of poverty landing a respectable job and built her career; where she met the man of her dreams and thought she was finally able to have her own "happily ever after"; and where she discovered that life launched s**t from all sides and there was never any chance to walk away unscathed.

She scoffed quietly, she was originally blunt and uncouth due to her upbringing, but she tried to put on a graceful facade to fit in with the Roger family. Despite all her hard work and attempts to emulate their classy mannerisms, she always fell short of their requirements. It wasn't until she left that she realized how foolish she was. She would never fit in and it was meaningless to try.

She looked back at her sleeping angels. The one good gift that she got from the past was these two adorable children. She would stop at nothing to protect them and give them a good future. She had invested her money wisely and raked in a healthy interest income that she stashed away for their education and future. She continued to live frugally but spared no expense on their education and health, thus the children were able to grow up strong in mind and body.

Soon they pulled into the private driveway to the villa, they went through a long stretch of fruit trees before they spotted the tidy little villa nestled in the clearing. Amelia sighed, it is such a pity to sell this estate. Dustin had only paid for the upkeep and everyone's salary for ten years and that deadline was quickly approaching. She wanted to spend a few days here to let the children explore and enjoy the bounties of the land like she had six years ago. Besides, she had to break the news to the remaining staff.

As she got out of the car, the staff rushed out to greet them.

"AMELIA!! Oh my goodness!! You haven't come back for years!"

"Wait, who are those two... are they your children? When did you get married??"

Questions came left and right, and the noise woke the children. They blinked groggily and looked at the inquisitive faces pressed against the glass. Jenny cried. Mary quickly got out of the car and proceeded to shoo the crowd away.

"You're scaring the children! You'll see them soon enough! Back up so I can get them out of their car seats."

They dutifully backed away and eyed the man coming out of the driver's seat. He was Asian and the children had blonde hair. Wait... blonde hair? The children looked to be about 5 or 6... it couldn't be...

The older ones looked at Amelia, their eyes begging for more information but she just smiled and ushered the children in, "Children, say hello. This is mom's family that took care of her a long time ago."

The twins dutifully smiled, "Hello."

Everyone felt their hearts squeeze at the adorable twins.

Amelia frowned as she looked around, "Is Godfrey still cooking? I don't see him."

Stephen smiled, "Yes, when he heard you were coming over he started slaving away in the kitchens. We have lunch prepared so once you freshen up, please come down to the dining room. Miss Amelia, your room has been prepared and I have prepared two guest rooms for your guest and Ms. Mary."

Amelia thanked him and walked in with the children. They used the washroom and then walked to the dining room.

All the staff were helping to bring the food in and set the table. There were sandwiches, steaming bowls of vegetable soup, mushroom pasties, cheese fritters, and a variety of danishes and cookies. They never ate course by course and instead opted to just have everything spread on the table for everyone to dig in.

Amelia smiled, sniffing the air, "AH! I can't get enough of this smell. I can't wait to dig in! Is there anything I can do to help?"

Godfrey came out carrying a huge platter of sweetmeats, "Nope! This is the last item. If we're all here, let's sit down to eat."

Peter and Jenny stared at all the food in wonder. Amelia sat them down in their portable highchairs and made them a plate. Then she sat down. She looked down and found a plate made for her, she smiled over at DS who was stuffing food on his plate. Since they met six years ago, they would always take care of each other. DS wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to anything outside of technology but he made up for it with effort and thoughtfulness. They all ate in relative silence which was the effect of delicious food. After the meal, Amelia stood up.

"It's been six years since I have come back. I wanted to take this time to introduce my two wonderful children, Peter and Jenny. Kids, say your greetings."

"Hello everyone, I'm Peter. I'm five years old!"

"Hello, I'm Jenny. I'm also five years old."'

The adults all smiled at the cute children. Amelia cleared her throat and turned to DS and Mary, "I'm sorry to bother you, but DS can you and Mary take the kids upstairs to play for a little bit, I have to talk quickly with the staff."

Everyone's expressions froze as Mary and DS ushered the children out of the room. Amelia took a sip of water to moisten her lips before continuing, "As you all know, this place has been both my haven and my nightmare. After six years, I have decided I will not be coming back. I will be selling the villa and surrounding estate. I will request for the new owner to look upon you all favorably and should you choose to stay, I will negotiate it into the selling price to keep your jobs here. As for the remaining four years of salary that had been set aside, I will pay them all out to you in one lump sum as severance pay. I will be putting this villa up for sale in a few months which will give you some time to look for a job."

The staff looked around at each other and then at Stephen. He stood up and spoke for the group, "Miss Amelia, there is no need for you to be so courteous and give us advance notice. This is your villa and it is for you to decide how you want to proceed. We appreciate the consideration and generous severance pay. We are all nearing retirement age so don't wait to sell. You should take care of all the necessary paperwork while you're here so you don't have to go back and forth. We will assist you in any way that we can."

Amelia's eyes stung as tears welled up. This was her family, they were never selfish and always had her best interest at heart. In tears, she thanked them for being so considerate and for not taking it the wrong way. She apologized for not coming back sooner to see them and for selling the place. The staff hugged her and assured her it was fine.

Amelia sniffed, "There is one more thing. Please keep my children a secret. You can probably tell who the father is but you know what the Roger family is like. They are cruel and heartless, I don't want my precious children to have anything to do with them."

The staff looked at each other grimly and nodded, "Is that why you left us six years ago? You were afraid your children would be exposed to that wretched family?"

Amelia bowed her head, then nodded slightly.

Stephen sighed, "We wouldn't have told them but you're not wrong; this is their town, they would have known as soon as you stepped into the hospital. We're glad that you trust us enough to visit with your children now. We'll make it an enjoyable visit for them while they're here so you can focus on selling the place. We're your family after all."

Amelia smiled through her tears. Although this was a place where her heart was broken, it was still a place she called home.