Chapter 386: Chapter 386

Shelby turned to look at Ingrid, who was following in her every footstep. It was a rather amusing scene, but she was not in the mood to laugh. She had been pacing and in deep thought for the past ten minutes since returning to her parlour, and little Ingrid was following her like a chick to a hen.

Ingrid bumped into her at the sudden halt. Shelby chuckled, while she wondered where she was even able to summon that ounce of humour from.

"What is it, Ingrid?" She asked as she went down on her knees in front of the little girl, her eyes softening as a tinge of worry also marred her features.

’Silly me.... why would I ask this?’ Shelby chided herself and then, looking solemnly at Ingrid, changed her question,

"Ingrid, dear, you know that I love you, right?"

Ingrid nodded vigorously as her solemn face also broke into a wide smile.

"You know," Shelby continued, "adults have issues, I mean lots of issues that they have to solve in order to live their daily lives, but they do so so that little girls like you can live a carefree life...."

Shelby paused and took both of Ingrid’s hands into hers,

"What I mean is that little girls need their mothers. Mothers provide special guidance for their kids, so.... so, what I want to say is that I don’t want to be the reason that yo-"

"You are not the reason,"

Ingrid interrupted, the smile already gone from her,

"Mummy, you are not the reason." Ingrid cupped Shelby’s cheeks, making her heart tremble. Ingrid looked so pensive and cute at the same time.

Shelby waited for a while for Ingrid to explain for a while, but Ingrid said nothing. So, Shelby decided to ask,

"Well, do you have any misgivings against your mother?"

Ingrid’s lips parted, ever so slightly trembling lips as if the words were caught somewhere between her heart and her tongue. Shelby wondered what had happened to make the kids so tight-lipped but wary of Aliya. Nothing made sense, and she made a mental note to make Murray investigate this further.

Ingrid’s fingers twisted the hem of her dress, her wide eyes darting to Shelby and then to the floor, hesitant but yearning to speak. No matter how exasperating the scene was, Shelby was ever so gentle.

Shelby leaned forward slightly, her face softening. "It’s alright, Ingrid, you know that you can tell me anything...." she coaxed gently, her voice quiet but firm, urging the child to let the words come.

Ingrid’s gaze flickered up, a storm of emotion swirling in her eyes, and then, just as quickly, she looked away, her mouth clamping shut as if afraid of what might escape. Shelby knew right then that the chance might have slipped again, but she did not want to force something that they did not want. Despite this, her chest tightened. What are they holding back? How could she draw it out without pushing too hard?

The silence stretched, fraught with tension and unspoken truths, until Shelby took a careful breath.

"Sweetheart," she began softly, building up the determination to try again, "if there’s something you need to tell me, it’s okay—"

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her, making turn swiftly to the door. Ingrid shrank back slightly, and the moment was gone, making Shelby straighten with a sigh.

The fragile moment between them had been snapped by the intrusion, and Shelby knew that she could never get what was going on with the children, at least in that moment. To add to this, the door creaked open before she could respond to the knock, making her frown. That forgotten anger threatened to come up again, but Shelby used all her self-will to suppress it.

Very few people dared to knock on this very door and enter without an invitation, so Shelby had a hunch of whom it might be.

Eyes turned in unison toward the figure entering, a mix of curiosity and annoyance flickering across the room, which gave way as Shelby’s eyes landed on her brother.

Shelby’s mood was unbalanced, and she really wanted that time to herself.

Shelby glanced tiredly at the door as she stood and then sighed. With that, Murray, who had been a quiet observer all this while, moved from the corner of the room and stood right in front of Ava and Rocky, who had entered.

"Not now, Ava.... I want to clear my head."

Shelby finally got off her knees and then took Ingrid’s hand, and they walked back to a sofa to sit.

Murray stood firmly there, with no intentions of moving, while Ava watched on helplessly. In fact, for Ava, it had ceased to be about her and Rocky a long time back. At that moment, Ava just wanted to be there for her friend, but she could also understand to a certain point. In fact, Ava recognised the signs that Shelby was coiling into her shell.

She had witnessed this more than once over the year, and it had always been sad to watch. Of course, the situations were very different with this new family. However, such devils and witches always had a way of seeking out people. Like where and which grave did this one crawl out from? Ava seethed, more at Aliya back in the receiving room that at Shelby.

Rocky placed his arm on Ava’s. A signal that she understood very well.

Ava looked at Shelby with a complex gaze and then left the room. In her haste, she nearly bumped into Samantha and Gabriel just outside the door.

Ava stepped aside for the two. Even though she had wanted to stop them, Ava did not have it in her. She walked dejectedly along the corridor and back into her room. In fact, for the better part of that one month, she had never stepped foot in her apartment and because of this, Rocky had started spending a whole lot of time in the Thornston Estate as well.

One would have thought that with this proximity, they would get to talk to Shelby but Ava had come to the realization that her best friend had amassed a new level of stubbornness that was unmatched. AT the same time, Ava did not hold it against Shelby... not one bit!

Rocky said the endearment that he was used to calling his sister by. He waited patiently till Shelby raised her head and beckoned to him. What marvelled Rocky was that, Shelby’s assistant promptly stepped aside, even though he had his back to her when Shelby had given the go-ahead.

Rocky looked at Murray warily and then walked over to Shelby, relief flooding his chest that Shelby was willing to see him finally.

He sat right next to Shelby and then pulled her in for a tight hug in the seated position.

"I missed you so much!"

Rocky tightened his grip on Shelby’s shoulders and then kissed her temple.

"Are you okay, sissy?"

Shelby lifted the corner of her lips and relaxed in Rocky’s embrace. It’s been a while since the siblings had been that close.

"You seem to have maned up more..." Shelby mumbled, making Rocky push her back, fondly, feigning like his emotions were hurt.

He clutched his chest, "Do you mean that I was not a man then?"

Shelby rolled her eyes and smiled at him,

"You’re still just a boy and will forever be my little brother...." Shelby stopped short, a scene replaying in her head. Back then, she could not believe her eyes when she had seen Ava and Rocky entangled like that. To say that she was shocked was an understatement.

Shelby knew Rocky like the back of her hand and also knew that Rocky had had a crush on Ava like forever. However, Shelby had seriously thought that he was going through a phase and had turned a blind eye to how Ava had always been Rocky’s go-to person. That aside, never in her wildest dreams did she think that Ava would agree to be in a relationship with Rocky. Also, judging from the passion that emanated for that kiss, she had witnessed....

Unknowingly, Rocky had been calling her for some time.

Shelby blinked and then focused on Rocky.

Rocky chuckled, "Your bro is all grown a-"

Shelby tapped his forehead playfully.... "All grown-up, huh?"

At the door, Gabriel rushed in, "Mama S-"

Samantha clamped her hand on his lips before the full words could come out and then she gestured to Ingrid as well. Samantha did not have to shout or anything for Ingrid to understand what had been signalled to her.

Ingrid slipped away from the sofa, leaving the siblings to talk as she joined hers.

Samantha led the two across the room as Murray resumed his position somewhere out of sight but always watching.

Samantha did her best to engage her siblings.... well it was more Gabriel, as Ingrid did not need that minute handling. There was a high level of maturity hidden inside tiny Ingrid that even Samantha could not match at times.

With Shelby and Rocky finally alone, she asked,

"How long has this been going on behind my back?" Shelby suddenly asked, but then she waved her arms as if denying something,

"What I really want to know is.... When were you planning to tell me? Or were you just going to keep this a secret forever?" Shelby sounded hurt.

Rocky was startled at this because he had thought that Shelby was feigning being hurt but she was not.

"I-" he hesitated a bit,

"Sissyyy... I didn’t know how you would take the news, but most importantly, Ava wanted to talk to you first."

Rocky got off the seat and went on his knees. He had come there to console his sister and be there for her because of the unexpected happening in her life but ...

"So, what’s the plan, Rocky?"

"What do you mean, Sissy... I love her. There is no other path for me but to see this through to the end. I think I am like you in a way."

"What do you mean, Rocky?"

"We both like a certain type of people..." He grinned mischievously. It took a few seconds for it to sink in before Shelby bushed.

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