Chapter 434 Take Care Of Your Cousin
“Is this Amelia?”
Although it was just a phone call, Amelia could recognize the elderly person’s voice in a heartbeat. A childhood memory suddenly came to her. This owner of the voice had always treated her with silence. Not only was he sparing when it came to giving her food and clothes, but he also rarely showed her any affection.
“Dad, it’s me.” Having to utter a word she had not used in more than eight years made Amelia’s voice feel extremely hoarse. She thought she would not have any hatred for the Winters family’s indifference toward her. She thought she had done her best to remain calm. Despite that, the voice on the phone and the overlapping voices in her memory caused a complicated mixture of emotions to stir in her heart.
The feeling of hate was there, but it was also mixed with an indescribable feeling of longingness.
“Your second uncle’s second daughter is going to work in your city. She’s already found a job and will be flying over there on Saturday. You should go pick her up since you’re her cousin. Both of you are related, after all. Don’t mistreat her,” he finally said after a long silence. It was clear that the man was not good with his words.
Amelia’s eyes reddened. When she got married, not a single member of the Winters family attended her wedding. She thought they would have forgotten about her, a daughter they did not value, after not being in touch for so many years. On top of that, they might not even know who she got married to and where was she living. However, she did not expect them to still remember her.
Amelia was at a loss, not knowing if she should laugh or cry. She realized her wish was really simple—as long as the Winters family could show her some concern, she could actually forgive them without hesitation.
Despite that, she still longed for the caller to apologize to her, to tell her that the family actually missed her over the years she was gone. After a long wait, the caller merely said, “That’s all I have to say, Amelia. Take good care of your cousin. Goodbye.”
Amelia’s expectations instantly vanished.
It’s been more than twenty years. Why would I expect them to acknowledge that I was their daughter? Regardless of whether I’m related to them by blood or I’m adopted, I’m still their daughter.
She bit her lip. Unwilling to accept the situation, she asked, “Hold on, Dad. How did you get my number?”
There was a long silence on the other end before the call hung up.
Amelia laughed bitterly when she heard the disconnected tone.
After so many years, they still won’t ask me how I am doing.
Immediately after that, she received a text. She tapped on it, only to find the flight details of her cousin, whose face she had almost forgotten. The text also specifically instructed her to take good care of her relative, describing her as someone who was slightly nonsensical and wild. Hence, she had to bear with her nonsense and not scare her.
Tiffany took the phone from Amelia’s hands and read the contents of the text. She could not help but snort. “It’s been so many years but Mr. Winters’ character is still the same. He’s always treating his nephews and nieces better than his own daughter. I wonder what goes on in the Winters family’s mind. Even if you’re not related to them by blood, can’t they at least treat you a little nicer if they have decided to bring you up?”
Amelia forced a smile trying to calm down.
She buried her head in her hands and muttered, “You know what, Tiff? I thought I’ve forgotten them after so many years. But as soon as I heard my dad’s voice, I finally realized they were only hidden in my memories. It’s not something I can forget just because I want to. Besides, I realized my dad’s voice seem to have aged a lot. Although he’s never been close to me since young, I can’t help but long for his love. Tiff, do you think I’m an idiot?”
Tiffany pulled the woman into her embrace while Tony approached his mother too, patting her on the back with his small hands. “Mommy, don’t cry. You still have me. I’ll help you chase away the bad guys.”
Amelia, who was filled with sadness, could not help but laugh after hearing Tony’s words. They had relieved her of almost all of her sorrow.
She pulled away from Tiffany’s embrace and held Tony in her arms. “I’m not sad, Tony. I just haven’t heard your grandpa’s voice in a long time. That’s why I got a little emotional.”
“Grandpa?” Tony tilted his head, puzzled. Since young, the only family members he had were Amelia, Kurt, and Tiffany. As time passed, unfamiliar words such as Daddy, Grandpa, and Grandma started to pop up.
“It’s Mommy’s daddy.”
“Then, why haven’t I seen him before? Are you on bad terms with Grandpa? If not, you wouldn’t be like this after the call. Grandpa must be a big meanie, right?” Tony asked.
Not understanding his words, Amelia asked, “Why do you think Grandpa is a big meanie?”
Tony tilted his head and said, “Because he made you sad.”
Amelia froze upon hearing his words. She had not expected a child’s thoughts to be so simple.
“Oh, my precious Sweetheart. I was feeling a little troubled earlier but all my troubles are now gone with such a caring baby like you.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You’re my biggest sweetheart. With you around, I’ll never feel sad, no matter what happens.”
Tony clapped his hands and cheered, “I’m Mommy’s biggest sweetheart!”
After all the fuss, Tiffany finally let out a sigh of relief when she realized Amelia had become much calmer. She waved the latter’s phone in the air and asked, “What do you plan to do with that cousin of yours?”
Amelia sighed. “I’ll think about it after picking her up from the airport. After all, we’re a family. Well, I might’ve forgotten what she looks like, but I hope she won’t be a pain in the ass.”
“You’re unbelievable. I don’t understand why you’re still going to pick her up and treat her like a princess. What exactly are you thinking? Why does your IQ naturally drop whenever it comes to anything related to the Winters family?” Tiffany asked as she was not amused.
In truth, Tiffany was not blaming Amelia for wanting to pick her cousin up. Rather, she was mad at how the Winters family had neglected Amelia completely. Regardless of whether the latter was their biological or adopted daughter, they never carried out their responsibilities as her parents.
“Tiff, I know you’re worried about me, but the Winters family is still my family. My relationship with them might be as cold as ice and they might not acknowledge me as their daughter, but I can never be that heartless and cut ties with them. If I remember correctly, my second uncle’s daughter is a millennial. She should be around twenty-two years old. It’s normal for youngsters to leave their parents at this age. I can still handle this. Don’t worry,” Amelia reassured, patting Tiffany’s hand.
Tiffany side-eyed her friend, wanting to tell her she was focusing on the wrong point. She did not mean that Amelia could not handle her cousin; she was commenting on the Winters family deliberately ignoring her.
However, she still swallowed the words.
“I’ll go with you to pick her up on Saturday. Since Mr. Winters says she’s a wild one, I’m afraid you might not be able to handle this millennial alone.” Tiffany waved her hands, deciding to give in.
Amelia could not help but laugh. “Okay. You’ll be coming with me then.”
Tiffany sighed and rolled her eyes at Amelia. “Babe, I’m really amazed by you. This is obviously something I should not be bothered about. But then I just can’t get mad at you. I’m worried once you take in your uncle’s daughter, another cousin might appear in the future. Who knows what kind of relatives might come looking for you next? When that happens, I’m afraid you’ll be the only person who’s suffering.”
Much to Tiffany’s surprise, Amelia replied determinedly, “They would’ve done that long ago if they wanted to. Don’t you agree? I think my cousin is really here to work. I just wasn’t expecting my dad to lower his pride and make this call.”
Tiffany shrugged. The Winters family had always been unpredictable people. In fact, they never showed up even when their daughter got married. Neither did they show up to gain any benefit even after knowing that she had married into the Clinton family.
Tiffany had to admit that she could never see through the Winters family.
“Babe, let’s not talk about the Winters family anymore. I rather use my time to think of what to eat later than try to understand what’s going on. We’ll just go with the flow, no matter what motives your uncle has in sending your cousin here,” Tiffany said nonchalantly. Deep down, she had formed a prejudice against the Winters family—the only family that treated their daughter so coldly.
Amelia nodded in a calm manner, though she knew Dominic’s call had stirred a wave of emotions within her.
His aged and feeble voice still formed a lump in her throat. She had the sudden urge to rush home, wanting to pay a visit to the man who once treated her coldly yet did not cut ties with her. She wanted to ask him if she was really not his daughter.
Of course, this was just an impulse. Now that she was all grown up, there was no point in asking the question. She had long passed the age of needing the love of a family member.
