NARRATIVE
"Ms. Grey, your elder sister is with the Chairman at the moment. Do you want to proceed in unannounced or should I inform him of your presence?" Imogen cast a glance at her father's secretary, pausing briefly on her attempt towards the door.
Each time she thought on checking on her Dad these days, it's either he's busy or Scarlett_her halfsister, had to be around.
"Don't bother." She said, proceeding to opening the door and walking in.
"Alright, Ms." The Secretary said just as the door closed after her.
However, Imogen was stunned the moment she walked in and saw Scarlett and their father in such a lovely father to daughter mood.
All her life, Imogen couldn't remember the last time she was in her father's arms like this. No, has she ever been in his arms before? Was she ever really accepted by him?
Imogen had long yearned for her father's love right from her teenage till now. She had never seen him smile like this before_neither at her or at Ashton. It was always an acknowledging nod, a slight pat, a ghost of a smile and nothing else from him.
They never got such affection from their father before but now, this new sister_who's not been even a month with them already won his love and support totally.
What did they do wrong? No, what did Imogen do wrong to be the least acknowledged by their father?
She was bitter, resentful and jealous. She wanted to get close to her Dad but he never gave her the benefit of the doubt.
As Imogen watched the sight, heart clenching painfully against her chest, fists tightly clenched against her gray fitted dress, her eyes pooled up and she bit her lips in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
In that moment, Jamie Grey raise his gaze towards the door and was surprised to see Imogen standing there. Scarlett who had just disengaged from hugging him, trails his gaze to see none other than Imogen, staring intently at her with such bitterness and resentment in her cloudy eyes. Scarlett raised a brow in a confused stare. She couldn't understand Imogen's attitude just now.
"Imogen," Jamie started. "I didn't know you were here. Why didn't you say a thing?" Tears ran down her cheeks the moment she heard her father's words.
Instead of replying, she sniffed, wiped her eyes and gave a cryptic smirk before turning around briskly and walking out of the office.
Jamie Grey let out a sigh, pushing his hands into his hair. Scarlett stared at her father, obviously confused.
"Dad, what's wrong? Why did she cry? Is it because of me? Did she leave because of me? No, this isn't right. I'll go talk to her and bring her back here." Before she could attempt at making a step towards the door, Jamie stopped her.
"No Heidi, it's not your fault but mine. I've failed Imogen a lot but I hope with time, she'll understand."
"Huh? I don't understand Dad." Scarlett glanced at the door Imogen just walked out from and back at her father.
"Heidi, you must do something for me." Jamie said instead.
"Tell me, Dad."
"Could you ignore her childish behaviors and get along with her for my sake?" Scarlett paused for a while, giving a brief thought to his request.
"I'll try, Dad. I'll keep trying." She said and Jamie nodded with a small smile.
"Thank you." He said as he immediately dialed a number on his phone. "Keep an eye on her." He ordered the moment the call connected.
Scarlett watched this new development, much more flustered than ever before. What could be wrong?
From her observations since she became a member of the Grey's family, Scarlett couldn't deny that Imogen's relationship with her father wasn't so smooth like it was with Ashton's.
______
"Dad, I'm home." Amelia pushed the door open to her family's two-room apartment, located at the sixth floor of the condo they live in. She lives alone with her father as she lost her mother at a young age.
On getting no response, she smiled and walked into the corridor. She could hear the TV, seems like he's engrossed in a program.
Amelia was right from her guess. Her middle-aged father, sat down on the couch, an arm supporting his chin while he stared with keen interest, at the TV. A news report was going on at the moment and Mr Mills_who'd been busy due to the nature of his job, finally takes a break off work and was only just learning about the trending matters in the city today.
"Amelia, you're home." He said, his gaze still on the screen.
"Yes. Dad. What are you watching?" She asked, walking ahead to sit beside him on the couch.
"This girl," he pointed at the screen and Amelia followed his gesture with her eyes.
She found it's a report about JPs stock market and briefings on the Chairman's eldest daughter. Also showing recaps of the press conference held at JP's Enterprise.
"What about her?" She looked sideways at her father.
"I know her." He said. "She..."
"Come on Dad. Is that a joke?" Amelia interrupted. "That's Chairman Grey's daughter, the mysterious lady at the canal. Late Paige Grey's only child with the chairman. The child whom society thought died alongside her mother. She'd never been at this city only till recently so what are you saying?"
"I know what I'm saying Amelia. I drove her and her friend, from the airport." Mr Mills announced.
"What!" Amelia was stunned.
"They were tourists_I know from how they acted, discussed and even made plans on places they'll check before returning home. I even wished them a safe tour around the city. How comes she's the daughter to Chairman Grey? Goodness! It's a small world indeed." Mr Mills shakes his head.
Amelia blinked her widened eyes severally before her reporter instinct kicked in instantly. She began to compare two and two together and suddenly, her eyes widened from realization.
The Chairman could have sent a private car to pick up his daughter at the airport_instead of letting her hire an uber on the first day of her entrance into her birth country, but he didn't. Why? There's only two possible reasons to this.
One. It's either Scarlett Grey never knew about her origin before, only until the canal incident when she got startled by the women mourning her mother's death and was eventually taken away by a masked man. Or??
Two. She possibly just wanted to use an uber for personal reasons.
However, the more Amelia thought on this, the more convinced she was that the correct answer would be the former. But if that's the case, how do one explain the fact that Scarlett was already answering the surname 'Grey' right from Australia? Except, there's really a lot that the family is silent about and not saying to the public. But Amelia, was determined to find out what exactly...
An excited glint appeared in her eyes the moment she turned sideways to her father.
"Dad, please tell me everything you notice about the girls that day in detail." She was holding a jotter and a pen in her hand already.