Chapter 9
A week later, Murphy and Evangeline returned to the villa.
The house was eerily quiet, and Murphy instinctively frowned. Something felt off. It did not take long for him to realize what it
was–Gemma had not come out to greet him.
Every time he returned from a business trip, Gemma would rush to him, throw herself into his arms, and exclaim in her playful
way, “Uncle Murphy, what took you so long? I missed you so much!”
Yet this time, there was no one waiting for him.
Murphy felt a twinge of irritation, but then he remembered how he had stood her up before leaving. That small spark of
annoyance was quickly suppressed.
“Gemma?” he called out, hoping she would come out.
This time, he had brought her a gift from his trip–a gesture to make up for what had happened.
Even so, the villa remained silent. There was no reply.
“That girl, why isn’t she saying anything?” Evangeline chimed in with a bright smile.
“Do you think she’s still upset with you? After all, we left in such a rush that we didn’t even stay through the end of our wedding before flying off to Arupe.
“I was worried your assistant wouldn’t explain things clearly, so I personally spoke to Gemma to smooth things over, but she…”
Evangeline deliberately left the sentence unfinished, leaving Murphy to fill in the blanks himself.
Murphy’s temper flared immediately. “I’ve really spoiled her too much!”
“Now, now,” Evangeline soothed, stepping closer to him. “It was Gemma’s birthday that day. It’s normal for her to be upset about being stood up. She’s just throwing a little tantrum.”
Her tone was gentle as she continued, “Let me call her and bring her back. Don’t be angry. We’re all family, and harmony is key to happiness.”
On the surface, Evangeline appeared to be speak
