As soon as Adam stepped into the kitchen, he spotted his mother, father Yusuf, Annabelle, and Stella.

"Hey mum," Adam greeted, casually taking a seat on a stool at the kitchen island.

"Hi love," Melissa responded warmly.

"Where's my greeting?" Yusuf chimed in, a playful smirk on his face as he leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, where's my greeting too, Adam?" Stella added with a laugh, nudging him slightly with her elbow.

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Adam grinned. "Ok, ok guys. How is everyone doing?"

Melissa just rolled her eyes at their antics, but a soft smile played on her lips. "We're doing good," she replied.

“I’ve made you some breakfast” She pushed a plate in front of him.

“Thanks mum.” Adam wasn’t feeling particularly hungry at the moment, the situation of the previous day was playing on his mind.

Adam cast a glance at Annabelle, his brow furrowed in frustration. "So what the hell is going on with grandma? Why did you stop me from dealing with her?"

The rest of them exchanged wary looks before Melissa nodded at Annabelle, giving her the go-ahead.

"Well," Annabelle began, her voice steady despite the tension in the room. "While you were busy leveling, your grandmother was quietly biding her time, probing for information about your whereabouts and plans. She wanted to know when you would be back."

"As you were gone, I kept an eye on her. I knew she was up to something, and unfortunately, I was right." Annabelle added, her expression hardening.

"What happened?" Adam interjected, his impatience growing with every second.

"Matriarch Emmanuel exploited her relationship with you and used her wealth, along with the Emmanuel family's influence on Earth, to sway some people over to her side," Annabelle continued, her words like a punch in the gut for Adam.

"She picked the perfect moment," Melissa chimed in, her voice laced with barely suppressed anger.

"We had multiple hunting parties, and everything was going smoothly until she decided to form her own group, siphoning off members from each party. It created a lot of problems, from people getting hurt due to lack of healers to us having to suspend hunts just to reorganize the parties."

Stella added in, "And don't forget that she led her party to steal our kills. The hive ended up recalling some of their units since we were hunting in the same area reducing everyone's safety in the forest, and of course, her group blamed us for it."

Annabelle nodded in agreement, "The party she led started believing we were the enemy. She manipulated them into thinking we were bullying them. It got so bad that even some of our own people started giving us strange looks."

"It was a blessing in disguise when you returned, Adam," Yusuf said gravely. "If you hadn't, I fear more of our staff would have been swayed by her."

Adam clenched his jaw, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. "I regret ever inviting her."

Annabelle, however, shook her head, "You didn't have a choice, Adam. It was a situation forced upon you."

His fingers drummed a rhythmic beat against the surface of the kitchen island, betraying his frustration.

"I think it's time for her to leave the cult," he finally asserted, his gaze hardening. "She's been stirring up trouble from the start, and it took her barely a few hours to start causing me problems again."

Melissa and Annabelle shared a look, an unspoken understanding passing between them before Annabelle took the initiative to voice their shared concern.

"Adam, I don't think that would be wise," she warned, her voice measured.

Adam’s brows knitted together in disbelief. "Why wouldn't it be wise?" he questioned. "She's clearly up to no good. I'm tired of having to deal with her all the time."

Annabelle sighed heavily, conveying the weight of the situation. "She has some influence in the cult now. The damage, as unfortunate as it is, has already been done, Adam. Try and distance your personal frustration with Matriarch Emmanuel from the bigger picture for a moment and think about the ramifications of kicking her out at this point."

Adam fell silent, taking in her words.

It was true, he realized. He was thinking emotionally rather than logically. His hand stilled on the countertop as he considered the implications of his decision.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

'No, she's right,' he admitted to himself. 'I can't continue to let my emotions dictate my decisions. I need to think this through.'

He acknowledged the fact that his grandmother’s removal from the cult could cause unrest among those she had swayed.

Her expulsion would trigger a series of consequences that he wasn't prepared to deal with and might lead to the erosion of trust among his followers.

Even though every fiber in his being wanted to remove the tumor that was his grandmother from the cult, he knew it wasn't a wise choice.

"Adam," Annabelle continued, her voice bringing him back to the present, "You are the leader of an organization. Every decision you make affects everyone in the cult. If we remove her, we stand to lose the Emmanuels’ influence here on Earth. No matter your personal feelings towards them, the Emmanuels have eased our journey and they are currently wreaking havoc for the Children of the End. Kicking her out could result in us losing all that leverage and turning them on us instead."

Adam, intrigued, asked, "What did they do to the Children of the End?"

Stella chimed in, "It's all over the news. Some of the largest donors of the Children of the End have been involved in various scandals. The public sentiment towards them has turned rather distrustful."

Adam felt a sliver of satisfaction creep up his spine at this news. Any trouble for the Children of the End was a win in his book.

Yusuf added, "That Dawson character decided to address the issues in a public speech, which only served to make matters worse as he sided with the accused donors. These donors are powerful and well-connected, so it's unlikely that they will face any real consequences, but this scandal has tarnished the image of the Children of the End."

Hearing this, a hint of a smile graced Adam's lips. "That's great news," he responded, his voice laden with satisfaction.

With a sigh, Melissa steered the conversation back on track. "Let's get back on topic," she said, a determined look in her eyes.

"Adam, we don't want you to kick my mother out of the cult. Instead, we want you to keep her in. In fact, I want you to recruit more Emmanuels."

"Wait, what?" Adam stuttered, incredulity etched across his face. "So, you're telling me we shouldn't expel grandma, but instead we should welcome more Emmanuels into our cult?"

"That's correct, Adam," Melissa responded, maintaining a steady eye contact with her son.

Adam's hand slapped onto the kitchen counter, his confusion spilling into frustration. "But that...that doesn’t make any sense. She's been causing problems, creating division and now, we not only avoid punishing her, but we add to her influence by introducing more of her family members?”

Before the anger could bubble up any further, Annabelle stepped in. "Adam, listen. It's not about rewarding her or adding to her influence. It's a strategy. Your mother has come up with a plan, one we all believe can work."

Adam frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright, I’m all ears. What's this plan then?”

Melissa let out a heavy sigh before speaking. “When I left the Emmanuels, Adam, I thought I was done with them. I thought I could finally escape my mother's influence, live life the way I wanted, with Yusuf, with you... I thought I was free. But it was all an illusion."

She glanced at Annabelle, her eyes misting over. "And what she did to Bellie... I cannot ignore that anymore."

Annabelle's hand reached across the island to hold Melissa's.

"It's fine Melissa, It's not your fault," she said, her own eyes mirroring the pain in Melissa's.

Stella looked on, her brows furrowed in worry.

Melissa nodded in agreement before addressing Adam again. Her voice, though still shaky, carried an undeniable resolve. "I've spent years burying my head in the sand, Adam. But I can't keep doing that. I can't ignore the influence my family has had on us, on our lives."

Adam watched his mother, a mixture of surprise and concern coloring his features. She pressed on, her voice growing stronger with each word. "I’ve ignored so much, Adam. Whether it was consciously or subconsciously, the worst being Dr. Taylor. My mother has given me the illusion of choice and I’m starting to see things that don't add up. All of that ends today."

Adam watched his mother, feeling a knot of concern form in his chest. He remembered the revelation about Dr. Taylor being a plant of the Emmanuel family, and how much it had upset her.

She paused for a moment, letting the weight of her words sink in. "Adam, the best way to deal with this is to face it head-on, confront my family, my past. I need to stop running."

"But mom," Adam began to protest, but Melissa stopped him with a shake of her head.

"No, Adam. It's time. It’s time I returned to the Emmanuel family."

Adam stared at his mother in shock. She had always hated the Emmanuel family's manipulative nature.

He knew she preferred to keep her distance unless it involved his own interactions with his cousins.

Yet now, she was talking about plunging head-first back into their tangled web.

"I’m going to fight my mother for the position of Matriarch. It’s time for the Emmanuel’s to have a change of leadership,” Melissa announced.

Adam studied his mother, seeing the spark of determination in her eyes that made him pause. "Mum, are you sure this is what you want? I know you don’t like them…”

“Then I’ll spend time changing them,” she replied firmly, locking eyes with Annabelle.

“There are many changes that need to happen. Wrongs that need to be righted.” Melissa looked at Annabelle with resolve.

As she spoke, silent tears began to stream down Annabelle's face. Melissa moved to embrace her.

Stella, watching in concern, tugged at her mother's arm. "What’s wrong, Mum?"

Wrapping her daughter into the embrace, Annabelle tried to reassure her. "Nothing's wrong, honey. It’s just a big decision that Melissa is going through. I couldn't help but get emotional."

As Adam watched the guilty look pass over Annabelle's face, he felt a twinge of sadness.

He had an inkling of what was happening, based on previous hints from Annabelle.

He glanced at Stella, his heart heavy, then turned back to his mother.

"If that’s your decision, then I’ll help you," he said finally. "How will you go about it though? Grandmother has a lot of support from the family. I can't see them being unhappy with her in power…"

Melissa smiled, her eyes sparkling with resolve. "It's nearly impossible to remove her from her throne under normal circumstances. But we have something they want."

Adam guessed, "This has to do with my cult, doesn't it?"

Before Melissa could respond, Yusuf interjected, "Sorry to interrupt. But does anyone want any coffee?" After a chorus of declines, he shrugged, "I’ll be making some for myself then. You are all missing out."

Adam offered a small smile at his father's interruption, grateful for the lightened atmosphere.

Once Yusuf had moved off to make his coffee, Melissa continued, "Your cult is indeed critical for my plans, Adam. Here is what we are going to do…”