Hey everyone so sorry for the late update, school and work has been pretty much keeping me busy. This chapter will be the last one for this story. It's basically more of an epilogue than anything. I know it might seemed rushed, and I'm sorry but I am kind of ready to just have the story be finished. Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors as well, didn't really get a chance to go over it. Thank you again for all of your support! I hope to have another project out soon!
Chapter 18
The plan had been going perfectly. Just as Josh had predicted, Richard had gotten drunk and was letting his frustration out on Emma. Josh and Gin were keeping an eye on their daughter as Richard had only stepped out into the, outside of the loud noisy room. They could see them because there were no doors, just a wide open entrance. And though the music was loud, Josh was confident that whatever Richard was saying to his daughter was all being recorded.
He felt horrible seeing his daughter looking visibly shaken and was about ready to go march over there right then and there. He had agreed to allow Richard to have a word with his daughter, because Richard had explained he wanted to say a few things to her. He had been furious that Emma had snuck in here, claiming to wish to be with her new found parents a little more. But he put on a good face saying that he could understand, but reminding her that this was an adult party. He wanted to have a few last words with his daughter, knowing that he was no longer going to officially be his adopted daughter come tomorrow once all the paper work was settled.
After first Richard seemed to be talking calmly to his daughter, but after a few minutes he started yelling thinking nobody was really paying attention to him. Nobody could hear what he was saying over the loud music, but Josh and Gin could see the look of fear in their daughter's eyes. She mumbled something that must have made him upset because he had his hand raised, and looked as if he was actually about to strike her!
Josh was about dash over and put a stop to this, but the angry mother was already running over to the pair. His hand had nearly made contact with Emma's cheek, Emma had closed her eyes waiting for the impact but it never came. She opens her eyes and is in awe at what she sees. Her mother had been struck by the man, but she didn't look like she was in pain, she looked like she was pissed.
"What the hell where you just trying to do to my daughter!?" Gin yells in fury.
This causes some attention, and someone instantly turns the music off making the room go quiet with tension.
"You mean the daughter you just found out about!?" The drunk man grinned. "Some mother you are, you couldn't even make sure that your child's seat was safe all those years ago" He taunts cruelly.
A flash of regret hits Gin's heart like bullet as she looks down at Emma who was now hiding behind her, scared of the drunken man.
"Watch how you talk to my wife Richard" Josh warns, as he was now standing beside his wife.
"So, you all think you are so perfect now do you! You take the one chance I have to prove to my father that I'm a damn good person. And that I deserve to own this hotel on my own without my damned spoiled brother, who father only cares about!" He shouted. Swinging a little due to being so drunk.
"You were about to hit a child!" Lana snaps, as she made her way over to her friends.
"She had it coming! She needs to be disciplined more! Due to her upbringing in the foster system I doubt she was disciplined very well at al. She's 14 and she's trying to sneak into an adult party" He argues.
Emma flinched and hid more behind her mother, Gin didn't miss her daughters flinch at the mention of being disciplined. She shuttered to think just how often her daughter really did have to endure so much abuse in the foster system.
"You can discipline a child without abusing them" Megan argues back angrily, now joining the group. Taking a stand next to Gin on her left side, as her husband stood at her right side. Lana stood next to Josh.
Emma glances up over at Meg from behind her mother. The young actress offers the girl an encouraging smile, Emma gives her a small smile back but stays behind the safety of her mother. She had never had so many people wanting to defend her before.
The rest of the cast watched and stood not too far from the group, and where ready to take action should their friends need them. They all saw Emma as their family now, even before finding out that she was actually the long lost child of Gin and Josh.
"I wasn't abusing the girl! You all are over reacting" He said irritably.
"You try and touch my daughter again, and I will ruin you Richard" Gin threatens dangerously.
"Ha, as if you can! I am untouchable. You people will be gone once you've finished recording for your show. But I will still have my loyal customers who come here, and people who adore me" He smirks proudly.
"He admitted it" Emma said softly.
Everyone turned to Emma completely stunned, even Richard looked like he paled up at the quiet girl's confession.
"Emma, you didn't stutter" Gin says with nearly tears of joy.
Emma blinks surprised as she realizes herself that she indeed hadn't stuttered. "He admitted what he did to me" She explained, feeling more confident as she looks at the group of people who she now considered family.
"What did he admit doing to you Emma?" Josh asks.
Emma looks down feeling ashamed. "He did inappropriate things to me, made me do inappropriate things to me"
"Oh Emma" Gin is instantly down at her daughter's side and bringing her into a safe warm hug. Emma didn't protest as she hung onto her mother.
"That girl is lying, you have no proof! I would never do anything to a child!" Richard shouts back angrily.
Emma flinches in her mother's arms at the hateful tone. Gin glares over at the man, if looks could kill he'd be dead.
Josh grins. "Oh but we do Richard, Gin love would you mind?" He asks his wife kindly.
Gin smiles and nods. She pulls Emma slightly away from her embrace so that she could pull out the small devices from her jean front pocket. Once she held out in her hand for everyone to see Richard lost all the color to his face. "You recorded everything?" He says stunned.
"That's right. Once Emma told me her story, I knew I had to get a clear confession out of you somehow so that you could be put away for good. And never bother our daughter again" Josh explained.
"Richard tell me this isn't true?"
Richard turns around to see his father and brother. His father looked stunned and heartbroken, while his brother looked pissed with his arms folded over his chest.
"I knew you were a perverted pig brother, but touching a child like that!" he shouts furiously.
"It's not true! They tricked me!" Richard shouts back.
David rewinds the recording devices and places it for everyone to hear. "After everything I did for you, I can't believe you are leaving me! I gave you a place to live, a place that would put envy of all the orphan kids you came across in your pathetic life. All you had to do was keep me happy. So I made you play with my penis a little so what! I know you liked it when I rubbed it all over you, you wanted more! We could have had a great thing you me, but you had to ruin it by finding your real parents!" Richard shouted in the recording. Josh stop the recording, unable to listen to more. He had heard enough.
"It's all lies!" Richard yells.
William ignored his brother, he had pulled out his cell phone and was already talking to the police on the phone. "You have buried yourself too far my son, and now you will have to live with your consequences" He sighs shaking his head.
"No you can't do this to me dad! After everything I did for this hotel! After all the years and hours I put into this place! I won't let a damn selfish brat ruin my life!" He was about to charge after Emma and Gin. But Josh was too quick and punches him in the stomach. Richard ignores his pain and uses his arm throwing a sloppy punch at Josh's faces, causes the actor to lose his balance.
"Josh!" Gin cries as she watches her husband hit the ground hard. The actor grumbles a few aggravated words as he positions himself back up. But before Josh could fully stand back up Richard was after the mother and daughter again. Emma clung to her mother and buried her face against her chest in fear. Gin wanted to do something but she couldn't just push Emma away as her frighten daughter clung onto her for safety.
Lana and Megan quickly step in front of Gin and Emma. Lana uses her black heel to kick Josh hard in his private. This causes the drunken man to scrunch up in pain, and Megan throws a killer punch at his face causing him to fall hard to the ground with a loud cry in agony. The crowd cheers. Josh then grabs a chair, lifts the fallen man off the floor with some help from Colin, and Robert. They place him on the chair, and Robert leaves to find some rope. With a few minutes he returns and the tie up the man so that he can't try anything while they wait for the cops to arrive.
"It's over Richard" Josh announces to the man.
The drunken man in pain just groans in response and refuses to look at the people who have destroyed his life.
"It's really over?" Emma asks, as she looks up from her mother's safety.
Josh smiles and walks over to his daughter, knowing that the other guys would keep an eye on Richard. "Yes my princess, it's over. You were so brave" He says proudly.
Emma beams and runs into her father's now open arms. Gin couldn't help but smile with pride at her family. She finally had her daughter back for good, and she was safe.
After the warm embrace Emma pulls out to look at everyone. "Thank you everyone, for protecting me"
"Hey kid your one of us now" Jen says from the crowd.
"That's right, we look after each other" Lana adds in.
Emma nods and smiles, she couldn't believe these people were actually her family now.
Minutes later the police arrived and took Richard away. "Well William it looks like the hotel is completely yours now" His father says with all smiles.
William stunned. "Are you certain father?"
"Of course, I know if anyone can run this place successfully it's you"
The young man beams. "I won't let you down father!" He then walks over to Emma and kneels down to her level, Emma watches carefully. "I'm sorry for everything my brother put you through Emma. No matter what you will always be welcome here, completely free of course. I know it can't make for what Richard put you through, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to notice anything, but I hope this can at least help show you that not all my family is bad" He looks at Emma with worried eyes.
Emma smiles as she can tell the brother is being truthful. She hugs the man, and he blinks completely surprised, thinking the child would want nothing to do with him or his father after what his brother did to her. "Thank you for being kind to me" She said softly.
This brought tears to his eyes as he hugged the young girl back. If he had known what his brother had been doing to this sweet girl, he would have done anything to save her.
Gin, Josh, and everyone watched with nothing but smiles at the beautiful scene in front of them. Emma pulls away and offers William one last smile, she also smiles at the father and of course can't help but smile back at the girl. She was a strong child indeed, even an old man like himself could see that. Emma walks back over to her family.
"All right, a free round of drinks on me everyone!" William announces as he stands back up. Everyone cheered, the music was back on, and so was the party.
"Do I have to go back upstairs?" Emma frowns as she stares up at her parents.
Gin laughs. "Well I guess not, but you can't stay up too late" The mother replies.
Emma smiles. "I love you mom, dad"
The proud parents couldn't stop the happy tears even if they tried. Emma just smiled as she now realized that she had finally gotten her fairytale ending.
THE END!