After a long journey of over ten hours, Saoirse landed in Poralis.
Bjoern Madden and Madeline Myrth were waiting at the gate. As soon as they spotted her, they waved enthusiastically.
“Saoirse! Over here!”
Now that Saoirse saw her parents after six months, her spirits lifted immediately. She ran toward them and pounced into their embrace.
“Dad! Mom! How long have you been waiting?”
Bjoern took her luggage, while Madeline hugged her tightly and kissed her.
Madeline’s voice was laced with evident joy as she replied, “Just over an hour. It wasn’t too long. You, on the other hand… You must have been through quite a journey on that long flight.”
No matter how old Saoirse was, she always felt like a child again whenever she was in her mother’s embrace. She couldn’t help but act like
one.
“I have! I’m exhausted! Mom, you’ll have to make some delicious food to make up for my fragile heart!”
Madeline tapped her nose affectionately, her eyes full of love.
“You glutton, just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll cook it for you!”
The family of three smilingly went home.
As soon as Bjoern dropped off the luggage, he headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Madeline led her daughter to the bedroom.
Looking at the sunlit room and the neatly arranged furniture and bedding, Saoirse dropped her suitcase and flopped onto the bed.
“The bed is so soft. You know me best, Mom!”
“You’re tired, so rest up.
so rest up. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
2/3
Saoirse nodded repeatedly. After Madeline left, she stretched lazily. The smell of sunlight on the sheets helped her tense nerves gradually relax. Her heavy eyelids closed as she drifted off to sleep.
Bjoern came in after preparing the meal. Seeing Saoirse sound asleep, he pulled the curtains slightly to shield her from the glaring sunlight. Just ast he was about to leave, Saoirse’s phone on the dreer suddenly started. vibrating.
Not wanting to wake her, Bjoern quickly grabbed the phone and slipped out of the room before closing the door behind him.
In the kitchen, he finally looked at the screen as the phone kept ringing. When he saw the name “Julian Stone,” his expression turned serious. He nudged Madeline and showed her the screen.
Madeline took a glance and immediately put down the spatula, her face reflecting a mixture of concern and surprise.
The couple exchanged worried glances for a while before Bjoern finally answered the call.
Julian’s angry voice came through.
“Saoirse! What’s the meaning of this?”
Hearing his tone, Bjoern and Madeline exchanged a look, silently agreeing not to respond.
Julian’s frustration only grew as he continued to wait for an answer.
“Where are you? Send me the address. Let’s meet and talk!”
After a few more seconds of silence in the kitchen, Madeline finally responded.
“I don’t think you and her can talk now. Saoirse is in Flenca. You can contact her once she wakes up.”
With that, Madeline ended the call and picked up the spatula again.
Seeing her calmly resume her cooking, Bjoern became agitated.
“Who is this guy? Why is he acting like this toward Saoirse? Aren’t you worried at all? And you’re still cooking!”
Madeline gave him a sidelong glance and shushed him with a gesture.
“What’s there to worry about with our child right here? Stop making all that noise. Don’t wake her up. We can deal with this after she’s had her meal.”
Bjoern thought about it and agreed with his wife’s logic. He put his phone back into his pocket and started helping clean up the kitchen waste.
40 minutes later, six dishes were served. Madeline went in to wake up Saoirse.
Saoirse opened her eyes, instinctively reaching for her bedside table but found it empty. She groggily looked at Madeline and asked in a voice still heavy with sleep, “Mom, where’s my phone?”
A jolt of realization hit Saoirse as she turned sharply to glare at Bjoern. He rubbed his nose, giving a sheepish smile as he walked in and handed her the phone.
“It’s here. It’s here.”
Before Saoirse could process what was happening, her parents both leaned in and asked in unison, “Saoirse, who is Julian Stone?”
