22 A New Chapter

Ezra turned to Alex and asked, "Can I borrow your phone?"

He was expecting him to ask why, but the latter handed us over to him without a question. It made Ezra speechless. Alexander Lexington was known for always keeping his phone close. No one touched it. Not even his assistant. The fact that he handed it over so easily, knowing that he had so many business contacts and information on it, made Ezra's heart warm and loosened the knot in it just a bit more. 

Is this how a family is supposed to treat each other? He mused to himself. If so, then he had truly missed out before. 

Clearing his head of unnecessary thoughts, he quickly opened the camera and snapped a picture of the contents of the storage unit. He sent it privately to an email address he knew his parents checked in the evenings, took a deep breath, and made a phone call. 

The other side answered with a crisp, "Good morning." No fluctuations in her tone or even the slightest warmth that a greeting should have. 

Ezra steeled himself before replying, "Good morning, Mrs. Dupree. I received the information that was sent concerning the items you sent to the storage area. "

"I don't see why you needed to ca---"

"However," Ezra continued, cutting her across in the process, "I don't want anything from the both of you, so you can collect it or do as you wish with it."

Mrs. Dupree paused, slightly stunned. "In that case, why don't you just give the---"

"In case Mrs. Dupree was about to ask why I didn't give the items away, the answer is simple. They are not mine to do so with. I did not purchase them, so that would be theft. More importantly, we have nothing to do with each other, so why would I take charity from a stranger? "

As Ezra said this, he smiled. For the first time in his life, he seemed to be able to say what was on his mind without fear of further alienation. They couldn't do more than disown him regardless. 

"I sent a picture directly to your email so you can see for yourself what was there when I left. The only items I took were the few things that my grandparents personally left me, as well as the handful of things I purchased myself with my own money. I will inform the manager of the facility as well, and you can coordinate with them. "

"Not a problem, bu---"

"My apologies for taking up your valuable time, Mrs. Dupree. I'm going to get off the phone now because I doubt I'd be able to afford the money your time costs. Good bye. "

After the conversation ended, Ezra found Theia hugging him. He looked down at her, a bit baffled, before Alex handed him a handkerchief. It was only then that he realized that he was crying. He burst into laughter, surprising them both. He patted Theia's head and smiled at Alex. 

"I'm fine. The tears were probably a reaction to hearing her voice after everything. I won't say I'm over it or that it doesn't hurt, but I'm much better now after venting a bit of my frustration. "

He looked around at all the things that had previously made up his life and turned, closing his eyes and walking out of the unit with the two people he was becoming more and more fond of. For him, it felt like he was closing the chapter of his old life and walking into the new one with the people who made it possible. His lips curved into a sunny smile. Sometimes, life can feel good. Even in the midst of a crappy situation, the key was having good people with you. 

***

Angela Dupree sat with her hands holding her face, staring at the picture her son had sent. Their son didn't even want a single thing from them, and worst of all was that she couldn't blame him. Her eyes were filled with tears before she even realized it. She felt arms wrap around her waist and turned, burying her face in his chest. Jonathan looked at his wife as she sobbed, heartbroken, and felt his own eyes sting. He quickly blinked them away and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her as best as he could. 

"Angie, are you sure you're making the right decision? Maybe you were too hasty. "

He felt her struggle to contain her sobs before staring up at him, her gorgeous tear-filled amber eyes containing disbelief. He silently cursed himself for mentioning it now. 

"What do you mean, Jon? You know why we're doing this. Are you blam---"

"NO!" He shouted quickly. "That isn't at all what I meant. I mean, are you sure it should have been done now? "

Angela looked down, her eyes hooded, not saying anything for a while before she quietly said, "It was the best opportunity. It was the best and most believable opportunity, and it had to be done. We kept delaying for the longest time, unable to create a suitable excuse, and one fell into my lap. "

She added. "Plus, the time frame we were given has expired. She has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. You know that."

She was Ezra's mother, for all intents and purposes. How could she not know the little boy she raised? How could she not know that he would never have done something like that? She was in this society for far too long. What scheme and set up had she not seen? Her naive, sweet baby boy wouldn't even hurt a fly, much less suddenly decide to kidnap someone. She was well aware that her deceitful nephew was behind it. However, he gave her such a golden opportunity, she'd have been a fool not to take it. 

"It was the right thing to do, Jon. And now, he has the opportunity to be with them. It's a win-win situation."

Jonathan looked down at his wife, as various emotions flitted through her face, but the most prominent ones were rage and sorrow. He could understand her feelings well. Although he was not their biological child, they loved him all the same. For various reasons, they had not been able to show it, but they loved him. Furthermore, the fact that Theodore Lexington was involved with this was … It was truly beyond their understanding. The fact that he had tried to set Ezra up with Theia was also too much for them to sift through themselves. 

"I agree. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, but I'm surprised. Knowing Alexander's personality, how could he allow Ezra to get that close to him? Or even his sister? " 

Angela frowned in thought before answering, "Perhaps it's a connection they felt to him?"

Jonathan nodded in agreement before thinking of her.

It seemed like they needed to give her a call. He would bet his company that she hadn't known exactly who was being set up.