Chapter 33: A Storm Called Papa

#screen time#

Ahoy Matey!

Your captain is back with grander stories than before. Being in a new place warrants me a raving eye, your stories will be rarer than treasure maps and pearls if I didn't stumble upon this oasis for the mind.

Long story short, we had a change of wind and while I'm out of the cuffs, I'm not on my ship. True, me is a stowaway for now. Humble as a mouse and silent as a shadow. However, from my secret spot, me spies juicy tales from everywhere. Walls don't always have ears but the one I'm hiding behind certainly does.

I will start with the Madam of the ship. She injects fear into the blood of men the same as how we gut a fish - effortlessly. The Madam jokes around but nobody laughs at the shanty. They know to move their hands more than their mouths. The cats don't have eyes and bloodied backs are normal sights. The ship doc is amazing, doesn't even care unless the wound starts to fester. Hardy bunch they all are.

Today we talk about this Madam. As harsh as she may seem, I know that old lass is still a lady at heart. The world of seafarers can be a cruel one. Not many can leave the storms behind even after they stopped adventuring.

The Madam is good at swashbuckling and I can tell ya, she is even better at firing shots. While it may seem like she is violent, it is not her skill on the deck that impresses me. Rather, I am talking about the shooting and sparring unseen by the common eye. The Madam is an expert in parrying words and shutting down logic but it isn't her beauty that does it. God forbid she knows what methinks, I'm just an honest thief making an observation.

One good example of the Madam's talent is when she told the scrubs to recruit a weapon repairman and they came back with a fool with the personality of an airbag. The Madam not only marooned the two scrubs, but she also talked the airbag into walking the plank herself. Of course, this is merely a more violent example. In reality, she simply got the poor chap to turn in his resignation letter with a mere look.

If I hadn't seen the double side to this lady, I would have never believed that such a warm person had such a frosty side either. The same lady who fed me hot cocoa and hugged me when I cried could also ruin someone else's life within a minute. Perhaps this is what it means to be human. What do you think?

Personally, I think that I like her very much. Maybe she's a witch to the ones who were marooned and talked into walking the plank but for me, she's my one and only heroine. There is nobody in this world who could replace her. With that, please look forward to my future posts. I will be including more entries about this lady's crew. Every single one of them deserves a dedicated post.

Till then and fair winds,

Pirate S.

#screen ends#

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Jenna was tense and it reflected. There were no maids or footmen with time to idle. The butler inspected every nook and cranny, dished out orders, and was constantly coordinating something on the phone.

Scarlet didn't understand what was happening. Alex and Mrs Wilde looked very excited and Jasper made his appearance scarce. The blogger wanted to know what was going on but she didn't want to bother anyone. Even Claire was often hurrying to get something done.

It was on a Tuesday evening that Scarlet understood why the mansion was suddenly bustling with activity. A storm by the name of Wilmer Wilde appeared and swept everyone away.

The man showed up in the middle of dinner and literally lifted Alex from her seat. Scarlet was immediately alarmed and hid under the table when the loud gentleman started crushing her sister in a hug. Mrs Wilde joined in and it took the blogger a while to understand what was going on.

"Is that..."

Claire nodded, her expression never changed. "That's the master of this house, Mr Wilmer Wilde - your father."

Mr Wilde nuzzled his wife and biological daughter before pausing as he remembered something. "Darling, I heard that we have a lovely addition to our small family. Where is she?"

Mrs Wilde blinked and looked around before smiling at Scarlet who was half-hidden behind Claire. Seeing that all the attention was now on her, Scarlet grabbed onto Claire's dress tighter. The young genius wanted nothing more than to just disappear. Seeing them so close as a family only made her feel more alienated. One would think that compared to an average family, a rich family would feel colder with less affection. If only these people knew how wrong they were. Not only are the Wilde's kind, but they were also very loving and Scarlet thought that they were the most perfect people in the world.

Seeing that the newest addition to their family wasn't acting normally, Mr Wilde gave his wife a questioning look. The socialite shook her head and cast a sad glance over to Scarlet's direction. Alex too was worried and gave her father a begging look. They've tried everything in their book to bring the girl out of her shell to no avail. Mrs Wilde called her husband when she was out of ideas. She explained to him everything about Scarlet's situation and Jenna's reports. Mr Wilde took the opportunity to take a break from work to sort the family matters out. While he missed his wife and daughter dearly, he was also curious to know who Scarlet was. His wife wasn't someone who opened up to others easily. For his wife to adopt a child without asking for his opinions first, that girl must be very special. Not even Jasper who had grown up with Alex was offered anything apart from an education sponsored by the Wilde's so that he could keep an eye on Alex for them.

"Scarlet," Mr Wilde spoke and the blogger trembled but stopped hiding behind her personal maid. The blogger stood stiffly and had her head bowed, avoiding any eye contact. The image she gave off was very small and vulnerable. Mr Wilde finally understood why his wife made such a decision. After hearing Scarlet's capabilities and ambition, one couldn't help but want to support and nurture such a treasure.

Sadly, Scarlet was badly scarred by what happened and it wasn't easy to help her recover. Mr Wilde understood that it would be difficult for the young girl to trust anyone easily after witnessing how uncaring her parents were. In this case, the president of the Wilde conglomerate decided to use a different approach. If he couldn't approach a wounded animal easily, he would simply give it the weapons it needed to fend for itself.

"I have a job for you."

That sentence stunned everyone in the room. Mrs Wilde wanted to ask if her husband had lost his mind but to Scarlet, that got her attention. When the blogger looked up, she only saw the seriousness in the CEO's eyes. Immediately, that made the gears in her head start turning.

"How can I help you?"

Mrs Wilde was startled at the change. Mr Wilde was internally relieved that his approach worked. "The Wilde Conglomerate is currently facing stagnant growth in our sales for a few years now. We lack the original ideas for new products and I heard that you are a very creative person. I would like to engage your services but will not be giving you a wage. In exchange, I will provide you with a shelter, a name, and an opportunity for you to pursue the path you choose to take in life after you've reached eighteen. Due to the shortage of time, this is going to be a verbal agreement. If you feel like you're not up to the task, forget what I just said. We can continue playing the family game. I will love you like how I love Alex, nothing more and nothing less."

Alex wanted to say something but a glare from Wimer Wilde made her quiet. Everyone waited for Scarlet's response.

"I accept your condition. How do you want me to help? I don't have enough knowledge for any jobs in the company... I don't know how I could assist..."

Mr Wilde grinned. "I have just the thing for you..."