What could she possibly mean by saved?

Her eyes were still carefully studying me. Though it seemed like a hard topic, she continued. 

“You see, my father owned and operated his own construction business, while my mother ran her own tailoring shop. Both businesses were doing fairly well, my mother’s probably more so. Regardless, our family was earning steady income. We were happy. Then one day, it seemed that my father had struck gold. He’d attracted the attention of a big business mogul who was looking to hire his company. He was reputable and stated he wished to sign a longterm contract. It all happened so fast. My father was thrilled to be able to not only give his employees more money, but also himself. He always took care of everyone else first. It was like a dream for the first year, then suddenly there was a multitude of problems with current and previous constructions. Oddly enough all the problems surfaced on the same day.” 

She sighed softly while taking a sip from the coffee on the table. 

“I was only twelve when it happened. So, I don’t know every detail. I just remember the whispered conversations my parents had while my siblings and I were in other rooms. The bits and pieces I caught were enough for my heart to turn cold. My parents watched the vast majority of the company’s workforce turn their backs on them. They made false statements placing blame on my father for mishandling funds and constructing unstable buildings. Documents suddenly surfaced that my parent’s had never seen before. And you know what the kicker was? The employees that did this were my parent’s own family. They had partaken in messing with the business’ materials and structures and planting forged documents.” 

Her voice was calm, but I saw her eyes get glossy. I didn’t say a word, I wanted her to express all that she wished to me. It was clear she just needed someone to listen. 

“It pained me in more ways than one. My parents were strong, they tried their best to hide these troubles, but I still saw more than enough. I was terribly angered, so angered that I couldn’t help but let the emotion overrun any other feeling. When this man showed up one day very late into the night, I only could assume he was another person looking to take advantage of my family. For months, he showed up at our home. He was kind to all of us, never forgetting to spare a smile or a small toy or card trick for my siblings. Of course, I remained on guard. I have to admit, I was quite rude to him, but he still tried. I remember the very last time I saw him, he came with someone. Still being on the fence, I was still quite rude. However, I’ll never forget the words that that person shared with me. The things I was going through at that moment were not my forever. It turned out they were right. I don’t know if I could’ve found my way without them.”

She laughed as she finished, she went on to tell me that my father had continued working with hers, signing exclusively with his company to handle all of his construction needs. He even paid for all of Emmie’s tuition fees. She had found out about that only recently though.

“I never got the chance to thank and apologize to Mr. Park. I tried many times to work up the courage, but it never happened. I’m sure he is far too busy to meet with me anyways. So, I do what I do best to recruit honest and hard working people to his companies, though it couldn’t possibly amount to what he did for us. That was why I was so happy to see her again. They are also tirelessly helping people like Mr. Park.”

Again? Anxiety washed over her face immediately. She wasn’t able to hide the anxiousness so easily like the others around me. She had become too emotional during our conversation to hide it right away.

It seems as though she was speaking about Astrid. I decided to let it go to let Emmie feel at ease. I pretended not to notice and changed the subject. 

“You know, you’re also amazing in many ways.” 

She was now looking at me with a puzzled, but also grateful expression for having moved on from her minor slip up. 

“It might have taken you a little longer, but you would have found your way. A person doesn’t speak about such experiences that way or thinks to repay people and help others in similar situations.”

“You’re kind like them. Which make me realize that my initial thoughts about you were spot on. I guess I am quite talented.” 

“Kind? I assumed you didn’t like me much.” 

“No, on the contrary. I just assumed that you were jealous of the closeness I shared with your friends. So, I decided to be a little petty and give you back the same energy you gave me.” 

Giggles filled the air and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Damn it, I didn’t think she would catch onto that.    

As our conversation drew to a close, everyone had returned to the table. Emmie’s eyes shifted between me and Astrid uneasily. I became all the more certain that the person who had offered her such kind and meaningful words was Astrid. However, if that were true, that means my father has known her far longer than I had originally thought. 

It seems there is a lot I don’t know about her life.