Chapter 13
Spring arrived in the coastal town with an explosion of wild rhododendrons and brilliant green ferns that carpeted the forest floor right up to the edge of their backyard. Leo was now walking, his unsteady, toddling steps taking him on endless explorations across the living room rug while David and Mei cheered him on from the kitchen table.
An unexpected knock at the front door broke the domestic tranquility one Saturday morning. David paused, exchanging a questioning glance with Mei. Visitors were rare in their quiet corner of the coast, and they had maintained strict anonymity since their relocation.
David walked to the door and pulled it open cautiously. Standing on the porch was a figure wrapped in a heavy trench coat, shielding herself from the coastal mist. As she turned around, Mei gasped softly from the kitchen.
It was Aunt Eleanor. But she looked entirely different from the formidable matriarch who had ruled the Chen dynasty with an iron fist. Her hair was completely grey now, unstyled and pulled back into a simple knot; the expensive jade jewelry and designer suits were gone, replaced by plain wool and sensible shoes. The federal indictments and the subsequent asset forfeiture had stripped her of everything except her unrelenting pride—and even that looked frayed at the edges.
"May I come in, David?" Eleanor’s voice lacked its old commanding boom; it sounded thin, tired, and fragile.
May you like
David stood in the doorway for a long moment, weighing the ghosts of his past against the peace of his present. He did not invite her in immediately, but he did not slam the door in her face either. "You're a long way from the estate, Eleanor."
"The estate is gone, David," Eleanor said quietly, her eyes shifting past his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Mei holding Leo safely by the living room window. "The receivership took everything. The board members abandoned ship the moment the indictments dropped. I came here... not to demand anything. But to see if my grandson is being raised by people who actually know how to love."
