Chapter 119 - Jackson's Mother

Emerson sensed the awkwardness at the table so he quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Bro, did you know that you've actually met Haili before?" he said.

Halia and Jackson looked at Emerson with confusion.

"Haili used to visit us in Hong Kong when she was a child," Emerson explained.

Halia breathed a sigh of relief. She almost thought Emerson somehow knew that Jackson was meant to be her boyfriend. Technically, there was no problem in letting everyone know about their relationship, but the man seemed to have forgotten her. If she wanted him to remember, she would have to tell him the story of how they met and everything they had been through. She couldn't discuss that in front of everyone; that would simply raise suspicions about her identity. So, she decided keep it to herself for the time being.

"Haili, remember how you almost drowned in our pool?" Emerson suddenly asked.

Halia thought about the conversation they shared a few weeks ago at the Wu Household and nodded her head, "Yes, your br..."

Halia paused.

Emerson had told her that his brother saved her that day.

Suddenly, she realized something: was Jackson that brother?!

"Emerson, do you only have one brother?" Halia asked.

Emerson smiled and nodded his head. "You said you wanted to thank him in person," he said, as he gestured to the man beside her, "Here's your chance."

Halia immediately turned to look at Jackson. How could it be such a coincidence? Was fate playing a game on her?

She suddenly felt a rush of emotions.

"You were the one that saved me that day," she explained to Jackson with a shaky voice. "If not for you, I would have drowned in that pool."

She wanted to tell him that the pool was the first time he saved her, but not the last time; that he had saved her four times in total. But, she didn't want to go into detail at the dinner table.

"Thank you," she whispered as she looked into the man's eyes.

Jackson stared back in silence.

At that moment, the last two members of the family arrived and broke the silence. It was the auntie that Emerson introduced Halia to in Hong Kong and next to her was a young woman that appeared to be her daughter. "Sorry, the brat couldn't decide which dress to wear, so we ended up a little late," the auntie explained.

But, to Halia's surprise, the young woman suddenly ran over to Emerson's father and hugged him affectionately, "I'm sorry for being late, Daddy. I didn't want to embarrass you."

Father Wu laughed and gestured for the mother and daughter to sit next to him. "It's worth it. My precious daughter looks beautiful," he praised.

Emerson noticed the confusion on Halia's face, so he leaned forward and explained quietly that the young woman was his and Jackson's younger sister.

He then stood up and introduced them, "Halia, you met Auntie Lily before. The young woman beside her is my sister Jaclyn Wu."

"Ahem, please be precise. I am only your half sister!" Jaclyn said in a bratty manner.

Halia stood up and nodded politely at the two women. She then sat back down as the two women also sat down at the other end of the table.

The Chinese often greeted any older woman as an Auntie. So, Halia realized at that moment, that Auntie Lily wasn't a blood-related aunt as she originally thought.

It seemed, she was a mistress.

Hong Kong was one of those places where polygamy was still practiced. Even though it had become illegal in 1971, it wasn't uncommon for wealthy men to have a few unregistered 'wives' and one legal one. Halia was a little surprised to witness it, but the the two wives seemed to get along, so she shrugged it off.

She didn't know what these women were thinking, but she would never be able to share her man with someone else. As she thought this, she subconsciously glanced at Amelie.

Just as everyone settled down at the table, some waiters came around with the entrees and placed the beautifully plated morsel in front of each person on the table.

This entree was more like a piece of art than food. There were so many complex ingredients on the small plate that Halia couldn't help but gasp in awe.

But, while she admired the plate, everyone around her began to eat indifferently. It seemed, this was just a normal meal for these guys.

Halia began to wonder if her family often ate like this too. After all, it had been a long time since they shared a dinner together.

After everyone finished their entrees, Auntie Lily suddenly pulled out a photo and passed it down the table. "This was our last family photo together," she smiled. "I found it while I was packing for this trip."

Jackson received the photo and held it in his hand. He then looked at it in detail as everyone waited to see his reaction.

Halia noticed the man's arm begin to tremble. It wasn't obvious, but she was sitting right next to him, so she sensed it. Out of curiosity, she took a peek to see what he was looking at.

Everyone at the table was obviously in the photo, but they looked much younger since it was taken at least a decade ago. Jackson and Emerson were handsome even in their teens and Jaclyn was surprisingly chubby when she was young. Halia couldn't help but chuckle at how cute they looked. However, her eyes eventually paused on one particular person. There was one beautiful woman standing beside Father Wu that Halia hadn't seen before.

"Who's the woman next to Uncle Wu?" Halia asked curiously as she looked around the table.

Father Wu cleared his throat and looked down awkwardly as the rest of the table avoided eye contact. For some reason, no one wanted to answer her question.

Halia realized she may have asked something she shouldn't, so she looked at Emerson for help.

But, a voice suddenly said beside her, "That's my mother."

Halia glanced at Jackson and saw the pain in his eyes.

"Where is she now?" Halia asked quietly.

"She's​ dead," Jackson replied.

At that moment, Emerson's mother looked at Jackson in surprise."Do you remember something?" she asked.