CHAPTER 566: I HAVE HEARD THAT VOICE BEFORE ...

Samantha stopped along one of the many hallways at Gabriel’s insistent questions. They had just exited the ongoing wedding reception. A happy Gabriel was a good thing, just a tad annoying sometimes.

Though she and her siblings had left the reception, Samantha was only going in to relax for a bit before coming back, as it would be considered rude if she did not. It was getting a little stifling with all the fawning.

"Yes, Gabriel, there is a baby in Aunt Ava’s tummy like Mum’s too!"

"Wow! I want to touch it...."

Ingrid rolled her eyes, and Samantha sighed. At least Gabriel was back to his old self and wasn’t crying insistently every day.

Gabriel’s eyes shone like stars, and before Samantha or Ingrid could say any word, he had already dashed off and back to the wedding.

The reception hall was filled with the hum of laughter and clinking glasses, and the warm glow of lights bounced off gilded decorations. Relatives crowded close, telling stories, teasing the new groom, and fussing over the bride.

Ava had never been so welcomed in her life, and she was moved to tears. She wished her adoptive parents were there to see her. Marvin was totally out of her mind, though.

Although they were not the main couple of the day, that did not stop the well-wishes and the gifts, as well as the fawning. The fact that Geneva had named her as their goddaughter had already elevated Ava’s status, but she was yet to come to that realization.

Rocky finally led Ava to a seat – the seat that was supposed to be for Brad and his bride. Through Geneva’s direction and Suzie’s commands, even their names had appeared on the couple of the day’s board.

"You need to stay off your feet a little more, Ava. You need to mind your health."

Rocky said quietly and Alex nodded at this.

"Yes, you should."

"We don’t want any harm coming to you or the precious baby. You two have been through a hellish time, and it would be sad for something to happen at this time." Geneva added.

With a nod at Suzie, warm soup was served to Ava, making her eyes brim with unshed tears. She was touched!

"No crying on such a good day...."

She smiled through it all, thanking them all as she made herself comfortable in the seat. Ava was glad to be off her feet so that she could rest her lower back.

In the middle of it all, Gabriel broke through the guests with his usual gusto and marched up to Ava with the confidence only children had. He went up right to her on the main table, squeezing himself between the table and Ava. Ava leaned back a little more, wondering what he was up to. He pressed his palm curiously against her stomach, tilting his head.

"Aunty Ava?" he asked with wide eyes, his voice carrying across the room, "Is there really a baby in here? Sam told me that you have a baby, just like Mama does."

Ava nodded, looking down at Gabriel. The child was brimming with so much innocence that it was a breath of fresh air to watch him.

"Wow! Is it a boy or a girl? You know, I don’t really mind. I know that I can play with either, but I really prefer a boy like me ...."

For a heartbeat, the room fell quiet, as all ears turned to Gabriel’s ramblings, then erupted into laughter. Ava flushed, looking down, half-embarrassed, half-delighted, while Rocky doubled over, clutching his sides. Gabriel paused, grinning proudly, thinking he had discovered something marvellous, while all looked on. Finally, it was Ian who personally approached and picked Gabriel off of Ava to the surprise of all.

The laughter from Gabriel’s innocent question lingered, rippling through the gathered family. Ava ruffled Gabriel’s hair before Ian dropped him on the other side of the table. Ian then helped Shelby come up and take the other seat on Ava’s side.

In all of this, it was Geneva who could barely contain her happiness. Her eyes shone as she looked around the room, noticing the contrast from merely a few weeks back – there was so much life, so much love.

Many families were now woven together as one with budding new lives. Both Geneva’s and Alex’s hearts swelled. After weeks of waiting, of worry, of wondering how the future might unfold, here it was... laughter ringing, glasses raised, the promise of new beginnings standing hand-in-hand at the centre of it all.

"Are you that happy?" Shelby teased softly, settling deeper into her chair with a fond smile.

Ava nodded so vigorously her earrings swayed. "More than happy. I don’t even know if there’s a word for it. If I knew this was what was waiting, I would have responded to Rocky’s advances early enough, though I know that my decisions are right now ... I mean, I would never trade any of my decisions till today, because I know that all those experiences play into what we have become today."

"Congrats, Ava," Shelby nodded at the words and reached over to squeeze her hand. "You finally found a family you can call your own, and I am happy to be part of that."

Ava’s eyes shone as she looked around the room again. She still couldn’t believe that she had come that far in her life.

Her throat tightened, but in the best way. "Yeah," she whispered. "It feels like home." And she sat back, brimming with happiness, letting it all wash over her.

The moment became another happy memory folded into the day, one of those tiny, unplanned sparks of joy that sealed the day in everyone’s hearts. Rocky was having a chat with Carmichaels and Alex, but he was not too far away and kept one ear on his wife.

Before the moment could grow too misty, and as though on cue, Murray, who had mainly remained in the background, stepped forward, holding a long, velvet-lined box with both hands. The chatter in the hall dimmed.

"This," he announced clearly, "is a token of blessing from my lady to the new couple."

The lid was lifted. Inside lay a set of heirloom jewels. It was not just ornate, but unmistakably royal in craftsmanship, gems cut in a way few living jewellers could still replicate. The entire hall gasped; even those who lived and breathed wealth and influence leaned forward, stunned into silence.

Ava clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes widening, while Rocky stumbled over. He could only mutter, "That’s... that’s impossible."

And for once, in a room full of influential, worldly people, no one had a clever comment ready .... only awe. Even without knowing the origin, they knew that, despite their statuses, this was not something that they could buy flippantly.

"Sissy... that’s too much. I have seen this, and it costs as much as seven figures, so why-"

"If she’s given it, then take it!"

Ian chidden lightly, then went for Shelby, carrying her off the chair and heading out of the room. Shelby sighed, making a mental note to have some alone time with Roy and Ava together later in the day.

"You need some rest,"

Rocky laughed, as did most of the people around. Ian, as father-to-be, was a joy to watch and frustrating.

But both Rocky and Ava knew that his actions were coming from a good place, and for him to dismiss the gift like that just translated to Ian’s congrats as well.

Ava took it from Murray and thanked both Ian and Shelby, but Ian was almost out of the room by then.

No one found that action rude, and they just went back to the celebrations as a long line of uniformed workers served the meals, overseen by Suzie.

Just on the side,

"Hey Nicholas?" Matt prompted for the nth time, wondering what had captured Nicholas’ attention. While all were glued to the gift given by Ian and his wife, Nicholas’s attention was captured by something else, which was unusual.

"HEY!"

Nicholas snapped back and looked down a little, composing his expression before he turned to look at the cozy atmosphere between Rocky and Ava, then at Matt.

"It’s nothing!"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely!"

A little later, Rocky joined his two friends, and Nicholas said, "Hey Rocky, I’ve been meaning to ask you..."

"Sure, shoot! What’s up?"

However, Nicholas was distracted once more, and the two followed his gaze, only to see the back of a girl disappearing through a door.

"Who is it that’s caught your attention, Nicholas?"

Nicholas blushed, surprising his two friends,

"No one has caught my attention!"

None of them believed his words, though, but they had only seen the person’s back.

"Why do I feel that the person is familiar?"

"It’s your family’s gathering, obviously, you would recognize most of the people here...." Matt interjected, but he was also very interested in who had caught Nicholas’ attention, but Nicholas did not badge!

Not far from them, Ian had disappeared down the hallway with Shelby, just as Ingrid and Samantha also returned from their chambers. Just as they entered the reception hall, someone walked briskly past the two, causing Samantha to stop short.

"What is it, Sam?"

"I’ve heard that voice before..."

"Who?"

"The person who just passed us."

"Can you remember where?"

It took Samantha a few minutes before her eyes widened in shock, anger and something else! Even before she had started talking, Ingrid felt that this was not going to be good, and she was not far from it.

"It was ..."

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