Chapter 21: Redemption! (1)

“ You have until the end of today to make things right, Martin. Don't disappoint me! “ She glared at him as her statement concluded.

Retorting straightforwardly to her, he said from the bottom of his heart, “ Thank you, Jennifer. I promise you not to waste the precious help you're offering me. Thank you. Thank you. “

Answering sarcastically to him, she said, “ I'm not doing any of this for you, just so we’re clear. That family that had to suffer greatly because of you, I’m simply reestablishing things the way they once were and nothing more. “

Not waiting for his answer to come, she walked away. Observing as she walked through the distance, Martin mumbled silently, “ No matter your reasons for this, Jennifer, I feel that your aid is somewhat related to you. Am I wrong for thinking that? “

On the way back, Jennifer aka Princess Vanessa kept reminiscing about the event that led her to support Martin to rectify his past mistakes and felt somewhat sad to the core.

Even while at the restaurant helping out, her expression remained unmoved. Mrs. Evangelina and Sarah were working diligently while Lucas was glancing in Jennifer’s direction most of the time.

At lunch, while taking a ten-minute break to eat, Mrs Evangelina and Sarah were tense. Noticing this, the princess asked them, “ What seemed to be the problem? Is there something troubling you? “

“ Well, that’s—---------- “

“ We were just wondering about something—-------- “

Seeing the hesitation in each of their words, the princess asked, “ What you want to ask me so eagerly is related to Louis, isn’t it? “

—

—

Busted, they couldn’t deny it. Continuing her statement, she said, “ Don’t worry too much about him! By the end of this day, Louis will be reunited with the both of you. You have my word, so trust me on this! “

Somewhat relieved by her words, they both grinned and kept on eating. At the same time, in Martin’s hideout, Louis was yet again refusing to eat what was prepared for him, giving the chefs a hard time.

Showing up there was Martin Kyung. Seeing what was going on, he dismissed the staff and approached Louis. Sitting opposite him on the dining table, he stared at him and said, “ You’re refusing to eat again, but how will you gain the strength to see your family if you don’t? “

!

Stunned by what he just heard coming out from Martin’s mouth, he asked, stunned, “ Are you saying I can go see my family? Am I allowed to see Mommy and Sarah? “

Seeing the eagerness and joyfulness with which he was asking, Martin nodded and said, “ Not only can you see them, but you can also stay with them. In other words, you’ll be going home with them, but if you don’t eat something, then I might change my mind. Would you want that? “

Listening to him attentively, Louis’s tears started to drop uncontrollably, worrying Martin in the process.

“ Why are you crying? Have what I said upset you? “ He asked, recklessly to which Louis responded as even more tears were shed, “ I’m just so happy, so happy that I can see Mommy and Sarah again. Thank you, Mister. Thank you for allowing me to go back home. You don’t know how much I’ve missed my family. I’ve missed them so much, so thank you. “

After crying some more, Louis looked at the food served to him and started eating it with tears rolling down his eyes. Watching him eat emotionally, Martin reminisces about all the bad things he had done to Sarah by kidnapping her brother, how badly he was mistreated while being his captive, and Sarah’s hatred toward him that resulted from his past actions.

Overcome by guilt, he walked out of the room, unable to take in Louis’s tears any longer. Walking some steps away from the hideout, he stared at the sky and mumbled, surprising even himself, “ What have I done? What got into me? Just to get someone to love me, I went as far as kidnapping someone. Was I always like this? “

Meanwhile, at the restaurant, things were going well and work was booming as usual. There were more and more customers by the minute that passed to the delight of Jennifer and Lucas who were watching from the side as they tended to even more customers that were coming in.

When heading to the kitchen for orders, Lucas commented, “ It’s good, isn’t it? With this many customers, the Esperanza Restaurant will be back in business in no time. “ He chuckled slightly at the end of his statement.

Retorting to his statement, Jennifer agreed with him, “ You’re right, Lucas! With the Esperanza Restaurant back in business, things should slowly get back to normal. “

—

For some reason, the way Jennifer had spoken seemed odd to Lucas, who asked his colleague and friend straightforwardly, “ Jennifer, what’s wrong? Why do you seem sad? “

“ Well, I—-------- “

Before she could give Lucas a straightforward answer, Sarah showed up in the kitchen, and seeing the two, she strode at them and asked, “ What are you still doing in the kitchen? The customers are waiting for their orders. “

“ Sorry, we’ll be right out! “

Picking up her orders, Jennifer walked out of the kitchen, leaving Sarah to wonder whether something was going on.

“ Is everything alright with her? “ She asked Lucas who was still in the kitchen. “ She seemed down for some reason. “

“ Yes, she’s alright, don’t worry, Sarah! “ Lucas responded naturally to her question before walking out of the kitchen.

“ What’s wrong with those two? Something is amiss, I just know it. I can feel it from a mile away. “ She mumbled silently.

Hours later, as the Esperanza Restaurant finally closed for the day, Mrs. Evangelina and Sarah sat on the chair tirelessly.

“ Today has been such a busy day, hasn’t it? “ Jennifer muttered suddenly to lift everyone’s spirits.

Looking at her joyful expression, Mrs. Evangelina surprised herself when she said while grinning slightly, “ You’re right, Jennifer! It has been a busy day, but if we were able to pull through, and not just today, it’s entirely thanks to the two of you, so thanks to you both. “

!

!

Jennifer and Lucas were surprised by this. Exclaiming in return, Jennifer said, “ You needn’t have to thank us for anything, Mrs. Evangelina. If anything, we should be the ones thanking you for your hospitality. Hadn’t you given us a roof over our heads, who knows where we’ll be? “

Surprising them even more, Mrs. Evangelina said in response, “ Exactly! Had we not given you guys lodging, we would have regretted it so much. Had we not met you guys, we would have still been in despair. Your arrival in our vicinity is a blessing which we will never forget, so thanks once again. “

Smiling brightly, Lucas responded the following after Mrs. Evangelina had ended her statement, “ Seriously, we don’t deserve so much praise, but if you still insist on thanking us regardless, then, there might be something you can do for us. “

?

Confused by Lucas’s words, she was wondering what he could have met by that. When, however, Mrs. Evangelina asked, “ What’s that? “ He simply grinned brightly and said in response as normally as possible, “ I’ll tell you later. “

Just like that, the discussion between them concluded. By the time we were done cleaning the restaurant and were about to close off for the day, something happened.

“ Mom! Sister! “

!

Hearing a voice they recognized far too well, Mrs. Evangelina and Sarah turned around to see the one they’d been eagerly awaiting the arrival of.

Standing by the door of the restaurant was Louis, Mrs. Evangelina’s son, and Sarah’s younger brother.

“ Louis, is that you? “ The mom shed tears of joy at that very moment. “ Is that truly you? “

“ Brother, you’ve returned! “ Sarah uttered emotionally as tears rolled down her eyes nonstop.

Noticing Martin Kyung right next to him, Sarah flinched. “ What are you doing here, Mr. Kyung? “ She shouted at him angrily.

Seeing this, Martin Kyung felt saddened by the way he was being treated by Sarah and felt even more remorseful. Trying to calm the situation down a little, Jennifer softly tapped on Sarah’s shoulder, getting her attention.

“ Sarah, please calm down! Control yourself, please! “

Saying so gently, Sarah managed to calm her emotions down slightly.

Spreading her arms wide open, Louis, who was still standing by the door, ran into his mother’s lovely embrace whom he hadn’t seen for years.

“ Mom, I missed you and your cooking so much. “ Louis cried tears of joy upon reuniting with his mother. Holding him tightly, they both enjoyed the moment.

After enjoying the moment for some time, Louis jumped into the arms of Sarah next. “ Big Sis, I thought I’d never see you again. I was so scared. “ He said, paining Sarah’s heart to the core.

Comforting him, she told him, “ Never again will you be separated from us. Never again will you be in a place where I can’t reach you. “ As that statement made its way through her mouth, she glared at him. “ No matter what may happen from now on, I’ll always be with you and protect you, my baby brother. I promise never to lose sight of you like this ever again. “

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