Aliya's Shoes-Chapter 571: Deal of Fate (2)

The happenings of the dining room still felt surreal to Ian’s team, though hours had passed since then. Murray always knew that his mistress was destined for greatness, but it still felt all too coincidental. Why then? At that time? What changed? They had no answers, but this was an incredible feat, which brought immense satisfaction as well as a sense of embarrassment to them.

At this moment, in the cold room, they were glad that Samantha was not there with them, or else the questions asked would have raised more issues than they intended. They already had Ian to contend with, but if Shelby was thrown into the loop, it meant that there would be no secrets kept at all.

Shelby took in the two assistants, who had a rare blush on their faces after they confessed to their masters.

Suzie was the most coy-looking of them all, though.

"Looks like Mum is going to be really happy at all of this.... hahaha!" Ian said, thinking of Geneva’s possible reaction to this.

Suzie and Murray thought that they were the only ones with a budding relationship to report, so they looked at Currey in surprise as soon as he mentioned his interest in Angela.

Currey in a relationship was a bit far-fetched to piece together.

Him, of all people, in a relationship? The idea was too far-fetched for anyone sane to believe. And yet, Currey had said it himself. He! The brutal, unwavering, no-nonsense Fae who could kill without blinking .... in love? Ha!

The very notion rippled through them like some scandalous wine. Suzie wanted to laugh outright, and Murray, especially half secretly longed to know how Angela had accomplished this, for he had never seen his brother talk to the woman. And he knew her enough from his past monitoring of his mistress.

Somehow, Angela had hooked and tamed Currey without any effort, from the looks of things. But just before any other person in the cold room could comment, they received an unexpected visitor. An unlikely visitor made its presence known.

Ian sensed the presence before she fully appeared there, and he shielded Shelby immediately.

"Who-"

"Oh, you’re all here?" The child said, taking in her surroundings. She looked flustered, as if she were nearly experiencing a heat stroke. She sat down cross-legged on the cold floor, immediately finding relief from it.

"How did sh-" Murray started before remembering that she was the Timeless Witch, and a mere barrier to the cold room could not keep her out if she so desired.

Ian relaxed, but his eyes remained narrowed on her, "I thought we had nothing linking us anymore, so what brings you here?"

Shelby glanced at Murray, sending him a silent command, and he disappeared from the room instantly, returning mere seconds later with Samantha in tow.

The witch pretended not to have seen that and smiled sweetly.

Samantha shivered when she was brought in, and Murray draped his jacket around her shoulder. Though Samantha was unsure, she knew that her Mum needed her presence, so she found a seat, settled comfortably, and just waited.

"Of course, I must come pay a visit to my new ’Mummy’ and ’Daddy’."

"Say what?" Ian asked, puzzled and wondering if he had heard her right. Shelby’s eyes widened, for she saw no taunting nor lies in what the witch was saying, courtesy of Samantha.

The witch tilted her head, eyes glinting with a strange knowing.

"Well... I came to my new mummy and daddy. Not sure how else to put that...." She shrugged as the room went still. The words were clear, but their meaning was not so much for most.

"Come again? Who?" Ian repeated, still wanting clarity.

She smiled. A smile too sweet for comfort. "I came to be adopted. You, Ian and Shelby will be my new mum and dad for this lifetime."

To hear an ancient being calling one mum or dad in that coquettish child’s voice was a bit much. Even Samantha gaped, wondering who this child was. However, Samantha could guess that the child was more than met the eye.

The witch’s gaze flickered, almost fond, almost mocking.

"Looks like mum’s power grew more! That’s exciting... though it’s a long way from ...." She cut herself off, brows knitting as if she’d just walked into a memory she didn’t like, then she sighed.

"Wait. What is going on?" Shelby couldn’t help but ask as well. Though she could sense no threat from the witch, she couldn’t read her thoroughly like she could all the others in the room.

"You know, mum? You’re really loved...." The witch started,

"I witnessed the formation of your bond that day years ago... I had always been interested in you as a person, for you are a unique one. Not anyone could have ingested that pill, too ..."

The words were random and strange, but the witch studied Shelby, keeping an eye on Ian as well. No one knew, but for Shelby, to have been able to ingest that pill that was not meant for her was peculiar in itself.

It was at this time, and after the Witch’s last encounter in the forest, that it finally clicked into place. The effect was more on Shelby than it should have been. Contrary to Clara’s and even Aliya’s deductions, both of them, though human and siren, would not have achieved this level of beauty and charm as Shelby had. It was because of who and what Shelby was. Whatever that was, it was inherent only to her.

The Timeless witch had already said that she wouldn’t hold a grudge because of this same favour, but apparently, it had not been enough, and still, she had to atone. So, she had herself a human lifetime before she made any other deal, hence this conversation.

Samantha, watching on, could not understand what was going on, but she stayed out of the adult conversation.

"I have seen you grow through the times till now.... I wanted to be friends, but your dad drives a hard bargain; I can only come under the guise of your tutelage to fulfil his wish...."

"Mr Monroe?"

"My Dad?"

"Yes, the details are irrelevant," she said, waving a small hand dismissively. But I have decided to live through one lifetime without deals and just be here, to provide protection, until it’s no longer needed. Since I find myself in this body now...."

She paused, looking at her child-like arms and body, sighing a bit dramatically,

"Then, I’ll best protect you through a role that can make me remain by your side at all times.... Besides, the people under your care look happy, so I want to try that...."

"This is unheard of!" Currey interjected while the rest were reeling from this info.

’My dad.... made a deal with the Timeless Witch?’

’Is this why she has been helping?’ Ian also thought,

The Witch turned to Currey, then Murray,

"You’re the assistant, right?" Make the adoption happen! I trust you can manage this little feat, right?" Then, without waiting, as if it was a given for her to command the assistants, she turned to Samantha,

"Hello Samantha...."

Samantha was unsure whether to smile or gawk at this.

"Oh.... I see where our mother’s perceived power comes from. You."

While the others were still dumbstruck at the Witch’s words, she added, "I can’t believe that there is a real-life ’Resonant’ here...."

"Resonant?"

"Really? There is a Resonant?" A voice that was very familiar to all, except Suzie and Samantha, sounded, causing them all to look towards the new person.

The unknown lanky man went down on his knees, bowing deeply,

"Apologies for intruding, your majesties. I followed Murray’s trail here, but I couldn’t help but chime in because I have never seen a real-life Resonant before. I have only read about them."

"See? I told you that your barrier here is weak." The little girl said at the new presence.

Ian frowned, not liking the direction of events. Though this barrier had been set up a long while back, when he wasn’t in his prime, if creatures could just enter when they wanted, then that was a big issue for him.

Despite this, he turned towards the new person, Brian,

"Are there others with you?"

"Yes-"

"Don’t worry, Dad. I just reinforced the barrier, and no one can enter without permission from this moment on."

Ian felt a headache coming at the thought that a woman who was too ancient to be placed above him in a family tree was calling him ’Dad’. But he appreciated what she had done,

"Go on about the Resonant. What is that?" Ian asked Brian instead,

".... their soul resonates with another’s, magnifying power, but cannot be forced into another’s ’frequency’, hence immune to compulsion."

At that, they all turned to Samantha in surprise.

"They are rare humans who, for some turn of events, get this ability, but it’s tied to only one person."

They nodded, understanding dawning on them.

’So, that was what Samantha was. It was truly fascinating, but one couldn’t fathom if and what Aliya would have done if she had known this.’

At the thought of Aliya, the witch interjected,

’Come to think of it, isn’t leaving that ominous painting out there like seeking trouble? I mean, though she is locked, there will never be cessation of loss and uncontrolled factors. For instance, I just entered it for a short visit an-

"Burn it!" Came Ian’s short and crisp answer.

*********

Thank you so much to all for your votes and comments! I hope we can keep it up ^_^

Support the author by reading only on Webnovel :) ~Uploaded only on novelkiss by Loctovia ~