Victor folded his arms tighter. "Skip all the usual babble about how I am not good enough because I don’t buy you Gucci and Prada like Alden. Just get to the point. I am sure Mr. money bags sent you here. Am I right?"
"Alden doesn’t even know that we are here. But your poor younger brother is troubled by everything that has been happening in your families." Stephen said defensively.
Emelda leaned forward, her eyes scanning the room. "We came to see Claire. Call her down."
Donna shook her head coldly. "Claire doesn’t live with us. She has her own place."
The two old people exchanged shocked, disbelieving glances. "Where?" Stephen asked.
Victor pointed his chin toward the side window. "Next door."
Stephen gasped loudly.
Emelda screamed, "What!?"
The house next door was Stephen and Emelda’s old home. When they sold it, they had never met the buyer directly. Once the lump sum hit their bank account. They had left all the paperwork to their lawyer and real estate agent.
"Claire bought that house?!" Emelda scoffed in utter disbelief, her jaw slack. "And she kept it a secret from the family! Why on earth would she do that?"
"I’m sure she had her very good reasons," Donna said coldly.
Victor wiped his forehead and spoke in defense of his daughter, "She said she has some nice memories there, that was why."
"What is nice about it?" Emelda mumbled.
Without saying another word, the old couple stood up, their bones creaking. Emelda turned her walker around, and they shuffled rapidly like old turtles toward the door.
Victor had already knocked down the wooden fence wall between the two properties days ago to make walking back and forth easy, so the old couple just marched right across the green grass into Claire’s yard.
The front door of Claire’s house was open. Donovan and Paddy were sitting out on the porch. Both man and dog did not stand to welcome the guests.
Wilder was sitting comfortably on the couch in the living room, sipping warm milk. The moment she saw Emelda and Stephen push past the threshold, her face lit up like it was a holiday.
"What are you two doing here?" Emelda demanded, stepping inside and looking around the entryway with an air of superiority. She seemed to have lost her fear of Wilder.
Wilder crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "We live here now. Got a problem with that, Satan?"
"Why are you living here!?" Emelda asked, horrified.
Before anyone could answer, Claire’s car pulled in with a low growl. She stepped out alone and walked straight to the door. Donna immediately hurried to her side, standing by her daughter protectively.
Claire noticed the Dane grandparents quickly. "Hello grandma, grandpa," she said with zero enthusiasm in her voice.
Emelda frowned, stepping closer and squinting at Claire’s pale skin and dark circles. "You look terrible, Claire! Goodness, look at those bags under your eyes! Have you been crying a lot over Andrew?"
"She looks fine! Why would she cry over that loser?" Wilder snapped, her sharp voice echoing through the living room. "I pity the moron marrying him. It is only a matter of time before he does to her what he did to Claire."
"You do not know that!" Emelda barked, "Andrew treasures Ritah."
Wilder tsked while shaking her head. "It is sad that the grey hair on your head does not represent wisdom."
Emelda’s lips thinned in anger. She smoothed down her cardigan, calmed herself and attempted to sound gentle and grandmotherly. "Claire... sweetheart, we came here because we care about you. We are so terribly sorry about how things turned out."
Stephen added quickly, nodding his head, "We only found out the full details a week ago! We were just as shocked as you were!"
Wilder let out a loud, sarcastic laugh that rattled the picture frames on the wall. "Shocked, my foot! You two knew what was going on years ago and you still kept your big traps shut. I feel sorry for the fools that trust you to put in a good word for them with the Lord, Stephen."
Emelda shifted her glare from Stephen_ whom she privately thought had a loose tongue_ over to Wilder. "Alden promised us that he would give you a soft landing after the truth came out. Unfortunately, things escalated in an unexpected way. You are owed a lot, my dear, and we will see that you get it."
"That is why Alden and Heimi have decided to welcome you back home." Stephen said like it was supposed to be joyful news.
Wilder let out a big sarcastic laugh.
"So, they want to keep both the girls!" Victor asked just to be certain.
Emelda nodded and smiled ignoring Wilder that was still cackling. "Yes, and I beg that you let them after all they have the resources to give them both prosperous lives. Of course, Claire can visit you whenever she wants...."
"Emelda please stop!" Donna spoke up sharply from behind Claire. "What you people are suggesting is just selfish!" Her voice trembled with deep-seated maternal rage. "They are keeping Ritah_ the girl I poured my heart, soul, and life into raising for over twenty-seven years as if she were my own blood!
They took Ritah back without even giving me a chance to say goodbye, and now they want Claire, my real daughter. What about me and Victor? We love our daughter and want her by our side. How can any human being be so wicked and greedy? We all know why they now want Claire back. To write more recipes?"
"Don’t say such terrible things!" Stephen scolded, raising his voice at Donna. "We are still a family! We have to act like one!"
"Damnation!" Wilder barked, slamming her fist hard against her knee. "Did you just say family?! Bloody hell, if that’s how family treats each other, I’d rather be adopted by a pack of rabid wild dogs! You two are talking straight out of your asses!"
Emelda gasped dramatically at the foul language. She focused her eyes on Claire, the only one who mattered in her books. "Listen to me dear. What happened in the past is in the past! We have to move forward... past all this drama. Claire, my dear child, Alden and Heimi are ready to take you back. They want to make things right with you, you are still their daughter. This is your choice and not that of your parents."
Claire didn’t even look up at them. She stared blankly at her own hands. "I want nothing to do with them."
Wilder smirked proudly. "That’s my girl! Tell them to take a hike!"
Emelda turned on Wilder, her voice rising in irritation. "Stay out of this, woman! This is a private family matter!"
"Not when it involves my granddaughter, it isn’t!" Wilder barked. "You don’t get to come in here blowing smoke up her nose!"
"You’ve been playing grandmother to her for two minutes!" Emelda yelled, her pale face turning red. "We’ve known Claire her whole life and we know what’s good for her. She is coming with us back to Alden’s house and that’s final."