"I will go through the messages but that's only because I don't want them to keep bothering you." Ximena rubbed her temples tiredly. Did she owe them a huge debt that she refused to pay in her past life? Why did they have to keep barging into her life even when she was trying her best to avoid them?

Zaria forwarded the emails and Creszone messages and promised to send the letters within an hour. Once they arrived, she glanced through the first letter and cringed. Her mother had actually sent her a card wishing her good luck with her brand. The very brand that she and her husband had worked so hard to destroy. They must be up to something and she had a feeling that it would not end well. She did not want them to keep harassing Zaria with their pretentious messages so she dialled her father's cell phone number. She had deleted it from her phone but that was useless because she could remember it by heart.

​​

He picked up on the first ring.

"Ximena, you finally returned my calls. I couldn't get through to you." He sounded overjoyed and that just confirmed it. There really was something that had triggered them to act pretentious and claim to have missed her.

"What do you want?" She was too impatient to deal with their crap right now.

"Is that how you speak to your father?" He reprimanded her, his pretense almost fading in his annoyance.

She gulped down a few sips of the water that she fetched from the dispenser while deliberately making him wait for her response. "If my so-called father is impossible to please and has never been a father when it was needed but suddenly started acting like he missed me, I have no obligation to respect him." She sat on the couch and added, "Not to mention, only you would express fatherly love by sabotaging your daughter. Why can't I be the only daughter who reciprocates the love however I want to?"

He remained silent for so long that she thought he had hung up. Surprisingly, he didn't. He didn't dwell on the matters he had pointed out either. "Mena, let's forget the past, okay? We can start over."

"Easy for you to say." She huffed. Did he have any idea how she had survived for years away from home? He certainly didn't know that, nor did he know how hard it had been on her after her return. If it wasn't for their unique way of showing parental love, she wouldn't have had to collaborate with Liam either. Luckily the man was no longer trying to make her life a living hell. But that didn't change her spite towards them. Also, "Don't call me Mena. You know that I hate it."

"You will always be my little Mena." He sounded so proud saying it that it was nauseating. "Daughter, can you come home for dinner this evening? Your mom and I have something important to discuss with you."

There it was. There was something bothering them and she was probably the only one who could help out.

She chuckled into the phone. "What? Have you found some company's CEO who is older than you that you want to marry me off to?"

"Ximena!" He roared. "See you this evening." He hung up.

That was expected.

She finished her water and filled the bath, and slid in. Should she simply ignore the order and continue her life as if she didn't hear them? But if she did that, would they bother Zaria again? She rubbed her palms against her arms. Well, it would be much easier to get it done as soon as possible. In their meeting, she would express her dislike of the fact that they were still related and negotiate a way to stay out of each other's lives. Of course, it was easier said than done.

…

In the evening, she received a call just as she left the building.

"Mr. Preston, do you miss me so soon? We only saw each other last night." Surprisingly, she was in the mood to taunt him despite feeling out of sorts all day.

"Don't mention last night to me, little devil." He groaned.

"You can call me a devil but drop the prefix. I'm not little." She reprimanded him.

"Oh yeah? I'll have to take a clearer look at you to decide that you aren't." He let out a low chuckle.

"Why did you call? I need to get somewhere in a few minutes." She probed as she headed for the parking lot.

"Oh, what a bummer." He sounded disappointed. "I wanted to call you out for dinner. We could have taken advantage of the time to discuss something I just thought of. If you will be too busy, I can drop by your office at the time you find convenient tomorrow."

"I'll let you know." She promised and didn't hang up.

He had nothing business related to tell her at the moment but he kept the call on and encouraged her to turn on the hands free mode. She did, and started driving as she listened to him tell her the awkward moment he had experienced at work today. It somehow morphed into them talking about their embarrassing moments in the past and laughing at each other. When she arrived at her parents' villa, she was reluctant to end the call.

"If you want to continue talking, I can give you a call tonight." He promised.

"That depends on what you want to discuss so late at night. Because I will only be free to talk at 11pm." She teased.

"We can discuss anything you want. Now go and have a word with your parents." He urged her. She had mentioned that she was meeting her parents and was displeased about it, but she had refrained from blurting out everything regarding her bad relationship with them.

She groaned."You just had to remind me that I have to face them."

He laughed at her misfortune. "But you do. It wouldn't change a thing if I were to shut my mouth about it. And the sooner you go in, the sooner it will end."

She had to agree with him. She forced out a smile. Here goes nothing.

Her parents were especially friendly. They even rushed to meet her at the door and hug her. They had already prepared dinner and had included her favorite dishes. Heaven knew how they found out what she liked to eat. They must have asked Zaria when they bugged her on Creszone.

"The two of you are being creepy. Did you suddenly find out that I'm not your daughter? It would be even more thrilling if you also found out that my real parents have been looking for me and you are now ready to give me to them." She taunted as she took the farthest seat from them at the dining table.

"Watch your tone." Her father warned.

"Mena likes to joke a lot." Mrs. Morel smiled, the fakest smile on earth.

Ximena was almost spooked. She didn't know that parents could also give their children such fake, scheming smiles. What she hated most was her childhood nickname. They would call her that when they wanted to emotionally blackmail her into doing things she did not want in the name of preserving the family's pride.

"I cooked your favorite dishes. You should have a taste before it gets cold. Your father also prepared strawberry pudding for dessert. You love it so much." She added.

Ximena wanted to roll her eyes. Who said that she loved strawberry pudding? She didn't! She had only once begged her father to make it for her because Theodore often made it for Zaria. It was not the pudding that she craved at the time, but the feeling of receiving something made by her father. To be fair, Theodore had been more of a father to her than the man sitting several chairs away from her could ever be.

"Speak." She was tired of their acting.

"Can't we call our daughter back for dinner?" They exchanged glances as her father spoke.

"Since you have nothing to say, I will get going."

That got them to open up. Her mother faked a smile. "I forgot to mention that we have a guest. He will be here any time now."

Her lips twitched. Of course.