Chapter 41 Esong Is Here
They were just wrapping up going over building plans when Scarlet received the message from Esong that he was coming.
"I am coming." it simply read. Three simple words and yet to her they sounded like the firing of a bullet. Why was he coming? What did he want? What if he tried to take Justin away from her?
In a panic, she told Dorian, "Dad, we have to go back right now."
"Why, has something happened at home?"
"Justin's father has sent a message saying that he is coming and I don't know why. I need to find my son and keep him close just in case."
Dorian knew that Esong's mother had once threatened to take Justin away from Scarlet. If that family was not afraid of scandals, they probably would have done so already.
And Esong did not like his daughter or his family moreover, it would be better for them to be present when he arrived.
He gave authority to the leader of the building team to commence work and break ground on the foundation of the castle and two sky scrappers. He did not even request for Scarlet's permission this time before lifting her up and forcefully bringing her into the mecha she hated. Swiftly, they headed back home.
A journey of two and a half hours was covered in thirty minutes at maximum speed. Scarlet was retching like a pregnant woman when they arrived and she had to drink some crystal water to calm her stomach down.
"Why are you back so soon?" Mega asked them. They were supposed to spend the rest of the day at the building site and return late in the evening. In fact, if they had those high energy lamps construction could be done during the day and night with the builders taking shifts.
"Esong Wu is coming." Scarlet answered after gurgling warm water and spitting it into a sink.
"Your husband is coming!!!!" Mega Su screeched. "Why?"
Scarlet shook her head because she had no idea. She was just as clueless as her mother was.
"Is his family coming along?" Mega asked.
"I have no idea, I just need to find Justin right now and tie him to myself as if he is an extension of my body."
"You can't keep the boy away from his father." Adler said.
Scarlet did not even know where he came from but he looking at her with disapproval in his face.
"I don't know what his intentions are. I am simply protecting my son." she replied stubbornly.
"Then wait before you judge. Esong's family may be afraid of a scandal but he is not. If he wanted full custody of Justin he would have petitioned the tribunal already and given how jaded your past is, he would have won the case.
I am sure that the GBCS informed him about the abuse. He could be here to physically verify that Justin is in good shape." Adler explained. "My advise is that you prepare some food for him and try to be as cordial as possible for your sake and Justin's."
Scarlet stomped her foot childishly and she replied, "I will not give him my food."
Adler was exasperated slightly at his sister's irrational behavior in his point of view. "I thought you were maturing Scarlet. In case you have forgotten, you offended Esong Wu, it's not the other way round. He can still chose to press charges against you for drugging him illegally."
"And defiling his body." Carolyn added.
"I didn't defile him." she mumbled with a red face that was a sure sign of embarrassment and guilt.
"Your four year old son begs to differ." Adler retorted.
Scarlet stomped her foot once again and she huffed.
"If I were you, I would kill Esong Wu with so much kindness." Adler added.
All eyes were on Scarlet, most of them were waiting for her to decide what she would do. She could feel their curious eyes penetrating the small shield of self preservation that she had up. She was not the shameless Scarlet of old and she would rather not face the man she had offended.
Scarlet had humiliated herself so much in front of Esong and in front of the empire for Esong. Knowing that he was out there was one thing but facing him physically was another.
She was not ready for this moment at all.
"It's so weird seeing you be so conflicted about Esong Wu's visit when back then you would be in your bathroom beautifying yourself to impress him with your looks." Carolyn suddenly said.
"Well, that was then and this is now." she replied.
"It doesn't change the fact that he is your husband. You chose to marry him Scarlet, you practically blackmailed him into becoming his wife. There is no such thing as divorce in the royal family.
You have to live with your choices even though you made them in a moment of illness. Don't be afraid though, we are all rallying behind you. " Adler assured her whole heartedly. "If he is here with negative intentions, I will fight him."
"Me too, I will fight him." Gregor added in his small voice.
It looked like the entire family had gathered here because of Esong Wu's unplanned visit.
"I will help in the kitchen." Fey raised her hand.
"I..I..." Mega Su started to say and then she surprised them by crying.
Carolyn wiped her mother's tears away but they just kept coming. "I can't believe that you are still going through this crying phase. Why didn't you use an artificial incubator if you wanted one more child."
"It's simply unnatural." Mega replied as she sniveled and tried to hold herself together.
Child birth in the Sun star empire could be done naturally or artificially. Only five percent of the women in this interstellar era chose to carry a pregnancy to full term. Most of them chose the artificial incubators to avoid the stress involved with natural pregnancies. At the end of the day, there was no difference in the child that was grown in a natural womb and an artificial one after all.
To some women like Mega though, there was a difference so they endured all the discomfort that came with a natural pregnancy and the pain which came with child birth,
Despite the distraction of a weepy Mega, the men of the family kept their eyes on Scarlet. "Have you made up your mind Scarlet?" Adler asked her.
He knew that she could strong willed a lot of the time. He needed to make sure that she was on board with the 'all smiles all the time' plan during the duration of Esong's visit.
Dorian Su looked up at the sky and he said, "Time is up, Esong Wu's space ship has landed."