Man of Fiction

6 years ago

Christmas morning came to Gallop Port, warming every tiny household. Every family gathered around in their living rooms, wearing joyous smiles and holding food or presents in hand. Everyone was happy, except for the Rose household.

"Leon, wait!"

"I'll see you soon, babe." he put down the phone and faced his mother.

"Don't do this," she begged. "Wilhelm was just sharing his opinion." She tried to hold her son's face, but he backed away. He could not believe that his mother was defending a terrible person. "No, he was not." Leon scowled. "What kind of person criticizes someone they just met?"

Mr. Pemble rushed to Helena's side, and he reached out a hand to her son. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement--"

"There's no need," Emily's brother cut him off, stepping away. A silver car arrived at their house, and Leon marched towards it. A brown-haired man was about to come out from his driver seat, but Leon held up a firm hand, telling him to stay where he is. Helena blocked her son's way, tears filling her eyes. "Please, I haven't seen you and Donnie in a year." she begged again, sobbing. "Let it pass and invite him inside. It's Christmas, so we're supposed to be at home together."

"I'm sorry, mom." Leon said, sorrowfully. "This isn't home, anymore." He passed by her and joined his boyfriend at the passenger seat. Helena called out to him, but she felt another presence pass by her. She saw her other son walk to the car, with a suitcase in hand. "Donnie?" she asked, shivering. "Donnie, where are you going???"

"Sorry, mom." her son said, holding the door to the backseat. "I'm spending Christmas with my brother."

He got in Caius' car and it left Helena's house, forever.

A young Emily slowly walked towards her mother, who watched the car leave their neighborhood. She linked her arm around hers, then she held her mother's hand tightly. When she could no longer see the car, Helena began to sob into her only daughter's shoulder.

"Promise you won't leave, Emily." she whispered. "Please promise me."

Emily could only nod, her brown eyes fixated on the empty street. That's when she realized one thing; her brothers were not sorry for what they have done--they were sorry for their mother.

*****

2 years ago

She has had enough.

Emily quietly climbed down the stairs, carrying her heavy suitcase. The landlady of Sunrise was ready to meet her in Opal City that night, and she wanted to get there as quickly as possible. She has suffered for a very long time, so it was time to live her life--without a Mr. Pemble dragging her down. She did not want to be talked down or gaslighted, anymore. She wanted to be surrounded by people who would support her.

She carried her suitcase all the way to the front door, for she did not want the rolling of its wheels to alert the adults inside. Emily carefully placed the luggage down, making sure the wheels below did not creak against the floor. Her hand went for the doorknob and when she turned it, a voice called out to her.

"Emily?" her mom asked. "Where are you going?"

Darn it, Emily cursed to herself. She did not consider the possibility of her mother hanging around the kitchen at this late hour. Her daughter froze in place, giving a confused Helena Rose time to figure out what she was really up to. "Where on Agapen are you going?" she asked again.

"I found an apartment at Opal City," Emily said, facing the front door. She did not want to look at her. "It's about time, I move out."

"Move out???" her mom repeated. "And you're only telling me this now???"

"I made up my mind about it, this afternoon." she said, still refusing to face her mother. "I can't live with him anymore, either."

"What is it that you don't like about him??? Maybe we can talk about this!"

"That's the thing!" Emily raised her voice, finally facing her. For years, she held back the anger and spite. She has finally let it out, earning a fearful gaze from Helena. Emily was happy to release the negativity, but a tinge of pain still tugged at her. Helena may have made questionable decisions, but she was still her mother. And she did not like being the one who caused her pain. But Emily grew tired of carrying her deadweight. "He won't let us talk! It's always about him, and I've had it!" she yelled. "Donnie and Leon are right, this place is no longer home!"

She walked out, rolling her suitcase away. The wheels of her baggage banged the asphalt, creating the noise that it had always wanted to make.

Emily could hear her mom call out to her, begging her to stay. She wanted her mom to run after--go with her, leaving her rotten husband forever. But then her cries suddenly stopped. Emily looked back to see Mr. Pemble holding Helena. Her mother gave her another look of pleading, and it almost made Emily go back inside. But she took one glance at her stepfather, and she regained her purpose. She walked away from her childhood home and took a cab to Opal City, where a new life awaited her.

The farther she moved away from Gallop Port, the bigger the pain became. She sobbed inside the cab, ashamed of not fulfilling the promise she made to her mother.

I'm so sorry, mom. I cannot stay with you, anymore.

*****

The Rose siblings sat together in an empty tea shop, and across them was their pregnant mother and stepfather. Helena's delicate pregnancy made her sensitive to any sort of outdoor smell, so she requested her children to have tea with them indoors before she could faint from the smoke. Mrs. Rose stared longingly at her children, but the three siblings wore cold expressions.

Ever since their falling out on their last Christmas together, Donnie and Leon cut off all connections they had with their mother. Their hatred for Mr. Pemble was much stronger than Emily's--strong enough to make them move to another region. They made it a point to not share any sort of information about their home or lives on the internet, so Helena would not go to them. Because of their passive use of social media, her brothers were not told of the couple's recent move to the East. Their mom's pregnancy added more to the shock that they were feeling. "How long did you live here?" Leon began, glaring at the two unexpected visitors.

"Two or three years." Helena answered. "I tried finding you two, but you weren't always on SoPop."

"We're pretty busy with our business." Donnie explained. "We simply did not have the time."

"How did you find us, then?" Leon asked on, frowning at his tea.

"I have a close friend working at Blates Luxury Hotel." Mr. Pemble answered. The sound of his pretentious voice made the three sick to their stomachs. "Apparently, he knew of Emily and informed me that she was traveling to the eastern branch. We were supposed to just meet her at Blates, but we miraculously found the three of you here." Suddenly, Emily felt violated. There was a person at work who kept tabs on her this whole time???

"It sounds like you hired someone to stalk our sister," Donnie said, rubbing his beard.

"Donald!" their mom said.

"Okay, fine. Let's have it your way, mom." Donnie continued, crossing his arms. "Why did you want to see, Emily?"

"We only wanted to talk," Mr. Pemble said. "With the three of you together, it has become quite clear what the heavens want for all of us--and that is to be a family again. I know that I haven't been good to any of you in the past, and for that I apologize. I--rather, we want to reconnect with you guys, again. So please, give us another chance."

Leon exhaled through his nose, showing signs that he was not willing to comply. Emily glanced at her mother, who looked at them with the saddest eyes. Guilt ate away at her, but the anger in her was more dominant. She already gave them a million chances to be better parents, but the result was always the same--nothing.

Mr. Pemble looked at them expectantly, holding his wife's hand. Donnie sighed and leaned towards the wooden table. "My wife and I are also expecting." he told them. This brought a spark in Helena's eyes. She smiled at her son and said, "Oh, Donnie. You have no idea how exhilarated I feel right now."

Donnie Rose only nodded, not returning her smile. "We're having a baby shower on Thursday." He continued. "You're both invited. Just give me your contact numbers, and I will send you the party details." He brought out his phone, which Mr. Pemble immediately took so he could type down his number.

"How long have you been married?" Helena asked, her gestures telling them that she has been dreaming of having this conversation. "What's the name of your spouse?"

"Only a year." Donnie answered gently, this time. "Her name is Deborah."

"I can't wait to meet her."

Mr. Pemble returned his phone to Donnie. "Thank you for your invite." he said, plainly.

"I'd like to make it clear that you guys only get one chance." Donnie said. "One slip-up, and it's over." This brought a deep frown to Mr. Pemble's face. Their father sighed and crossed his arms. "We're still your parents." Mr. Pemble argued. "Not your business partners."

"You said you wanted a chance to reconnect." Leon countered. "And we're giving it to you. Technically, Donnie is. You're just lucky that it's his party and not mine. If it were up to me, I wouldn't invite you."

"I don't think you would be the type to throw a baby shower, anyway." Mr. Pemble smirked. "Unless you've finally decided to settle for a woman?" Leon flexed his arms, leaning towards the man. Emily held her brother down, soothing his back. "Don't," she warned. "Not here, Leon."

"Wilhelm, that's enough." Helena said, patting her husband's arm. "I'm so sorry, Leon. Just forget what he said."

"Sure, we're used to doing that, anyway." Leon scoffed. Donnie decided to change the subject, before things got out of hand. "It's settled then," he said. "We will see you guys at the baby shower."

"Of course," Mr. Pemble nodded. "I think we should all call it a night. Helena has a check-up tomorrow."

The Rose family went their separate ways that night. The twin brothers drove their sister back to the hotel, no longer their mischievous selves. Emily held the agitated Leon's hand, which shook with his rage. Leon took it but then he bursted at his brother. "Damn it, Donnie!" he yelled at the driver. "Why did you have to invite them?! They're just going to ruin everything!"

"We've ignored them long enough," Donnie said. "I still don't trust Wilhelm but I'd like my mom to meet Deborah. Don't you want her to meet Hiram?"

"Of course I do, but not with that jerk!"

Donnie pulled up at the resort entrance and got out of the truck. Leon also got down, then he helped his sister get off their vehicle. Once Emily was on the ground, Leon gave her a tight hug. "Don't forget to bring your boyfriend to the baby shower, okay?" he asked. Emily gulped, wanting to differ.

"Emily?"

Gareth emerged from the steps of the reception's villa walking towards the Rose sibling. Leon's sour mood melted away, and his body vibrated with eagerness. "Is this the boyfriend?!" he said. The blonde approached and smiled at Leon. "That would be me. My name is Gareth." he greeted, offering his hand.

"Hey!" Leon exclaimed, shaking Gareth's hand. "You have the same name as that character in Mob Boy Order!"

"So I've been told." the monk chuckled. Donnie stood by them and took his hand. "I'm Donnie and this is my twin, Leon." he introduced.

"Ah yes, Emily's brothers." Gareth said. "I trust that you three had a splendid evening, together."

"In a way, we did." Donnie said. "I'm sure Emily has told you about the baby shower. You should come."

"Oh, I do not wish to impose myself on a family matter."

"Nonsense!" Leon said. "Any man who courts our turtle dog, is automatically family to us!"

"Don't call me that!" Emily said, blushing.

"When she was seven, she had to memorize the 12 Days of Christmas song." Leon explained. "And she kept on saying turtle dogs, instead of turtle doves!"

"LEON!"

"I think it's adorable," Gareth told her. Emily's one quick glance of him, made her heart race. She could no longer hide the redness of her bashful face. Her body flared up even more, when he placed a gentle arm around her. "I'm afraid we have to turn in early." Gareth told her brothers. "She has a conference to attend, tomorrow."

"Of course," Donnie said, heading back to his car. "But we will be seeing you two this Thursday, no exceptions!"

Gareth smiled again, holding Emily's shoulder. Please calm down, she thought. "Very well, if you insist." he said. The two brothers bid farewell and left the premises. Emily Rose slowly took his hand away and faced him. "Why did you wait out here?" she asked. "Were there wiretaps in the room?"

"No our room is fine," he said, placing his hands behind him again. "I just have something urgent to tell you, and I did not want to state this near the villas."

"What is it?"

*****

Earlier That Evening

Gareth fell on the bed, exhausted. He checked every single part of their room for more wiretaps and bugs. Caesar Goh made him feel uneasy. It felt like he was transported back to the times he had to guard Rowan from men who were after her and her abilities. Gareth rubbed his temples, telling himself that he was just overthinking. This world was not like his Earth, so there was no chance anyone would go after an innocent secretary like Emily.

He walked towards the patio, allowing the cold breeze to wash his tired face. He had to stop thinking about Caesar Goh. Gareth already had a mission, and it was Operation Adonis. He had to come up with scenarios of discussing his situation with the author, instead. Before he could come up with potential questions, he had to look down.

He saw Caesar Goh walking by the cove, with the hotel's General Manager and another man that they have not traveled with. The stranger wore the same suit as Caesar and it appeared like he was informing the General Manager about something. He had the gestures of a Junior Protector giving a status report to a superior of Wolf rank. They stopped and stood before the lake, still conversing. Gareth took a deep breath. Don't do it, he thought. Don't fall for it.

He left the room and headed down to the cove.

In a couple of minutes, he landed on the gravel. Gareth went behind pine trees, his eyes peeled for the three mysterious figures. Soon, he caught up to them, still immersed in their conversation. The monk stood still behind a pine tree and he began to listen in.

"Our boss will come tomorrow afternoon," the man in the suit told them.

"Why all of these precautions?" the General Manager asked, impatient. "I'm the one giving the money, meaning I'm the one who's got more to lose."

"My apologies for the wait, sir." Caesar said. "I met up with him earlier, with the hotel's asset vault, just like you asked. However, the boss prefers we do this exchange his way, with you present."

Exchange? Asset Vault? Was that the box he saw Caesar carry to the villa, next to them?

"Careful, as ever." the General Manager muttered. "They're going to be expecting me at the conference tomorrow. Tell your boss to adjust our schedule to a later time. Perhaps, an hour after my speech."

"I will relay it to him, as soon as possible." the man in the suit said.

"I better get what I was promised," the General Manager threatened the suited men. "You're putting me at risk, making me give the hotel's assets to you on the day of our conference. I was hoping that we would be more discreet."

"We will fulfill the matters that were discussed." Caesar promised. "You will get your new business, very soon."

*****

"They said something about giving them the asset vault, what does that mean?" Gareth asked Emily.

Emily Rose sat on the steps, scared of the story that the monk shared to her. "Are you sure of everything that you've heard?" she asked him.

"I'm positive." Gareth said, sitting beside her. "Now, what is the asset vault?"

"It's a device that contains the hotel's money." she explained. "It has our revenue, savings, and that's where they get the people's salaries. How did it get out of the Accounting Department?" Then it dawned on Gareth, sharing a grave look with her. Emily could not believe that it was happening, again. "Does your boss Helga know that the General Manager is spending your company's money with another unknown group?" he asked her. "Does she know, he's using it as capital for something else?"

"No," she said. "We would've been informed about it. A major transaction like this is supposed to be known throughout the entire office. I'm certain that he has not mentioned anything like this, recently. This is a memo that I would never forget."

"Then that means--"

"He's stealing the company's money."