Chapter 23

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Emma gasps, trying to keep her voice low in the crowded food court. The other women in the group were also stunned by the sudden news.

"It's an anonymous bid, I'd need to email to get more information."

"How much higher is it than ours?"

"Substantially, it's over the asking price," she shows Emma the bid. The blonde's jaw dropped at the offer. There was no way that either her or Killian's salaries could even match it.

"Is there any way to turn it down?" Elsa asks.

"It's up to the owners of the property. Often, it's hard to even get the person to agree at a lower price, but this will be an offer they can't refuse."

Emma swallows a large lump in her throat and fights back tears. This was the house she wanted to move into; where she, Killian and Henry would have a fresh start. To leave as much trauma as possible behind and prepare for the new addition to the family. The place would allow her children to grow and thrive as much as possible as well as provide stability and reassurance, something she'd lacked most her life. It was also a place that would mean a lot to Killian, recapturing the happy memories down by the harbour and hopefully open new doors for all of them. Now, it seemed as if the rug had been pulled right out from under her feet and she was falling, further and further into confusion and disappointment. She and Killian hand sunk a large amount of their savings into the bid on the place, with the hope for a brighter future and now it looked like it wasn't going to happen.

Regina can see the sadness in her client's eyes. She could always show the family other houses, but it wouldn't be quite the same. She saw the way Henry's face lit up when he picked which room would be his, she watched Killian stare out the window in awe at the harbour from one of the upstairs windows, and she'd seen the hope in Emma's eyes as she tried to picture a happy life here.

"Don't freak out just yet," she says. "I'm going to find out more about the buyer and maybe can persuade them to purchase something else. Or convince the landowners to take your offer instead."

"You'd do that?" Emma says quietly.

"For you and Henry, anything."

The blonde embraces her friend tightly and then the real-estate agent rushes off to begin her search.

Once she gets back to her apartment, Regina opens her email and briefcase, prepared to get to work. She calls the landowners and does her best to persuade them to consider taking the first offer. It was less, but she made up reasons as for why it would benefit them overall. She discusses that the home would be put to good use for a growing family and they would enjoy many years out of it. Unfortunately, the owner wanted the higher price because they'd make a large profit from the home and could finally move to a condominium in Florida. Despite being disgusted with the man's selfish means, she thanks the person before hanging up. She makes several more phone calls to her company office to see if she can dig up information, but all they can give her is the bid and phone number.

With little confidence, she dials the phone number to try and get in touch with the buyer.

"Hello?" an oddly familiar voice says.

"Hello, my name is Regina Mills. I'm the agent of the house you are looking to purchase."

"Ah yes, and tell me, dear sister, ask Emma how it feels to have her happiness taken away like that?"

…

Regina marches into her half-sister's office without an ounce of calm inside of her. She was overflowing with rage, ready to confront this wicked woman.

The redhead is at her desk, looking through a client's case, trying not to smile as her sister barges in.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Cut the bullshit, Zelena!"

"Why hello to you too sister. How can I help you?" she asks, looking up from her work, trying to hold her laughter in.

"You manipulative bitch!" Regina barks.

"That's hardly a nice thing to say."

"It's a title you deserve!" the brunette says. "What the hell are you doing bidding on Emma's house?!"

"Oh, that house belongs to Emma now? I thought you had to buy a home first before it belonged to you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why do you assume that I have some ulterior motive? I thought it might be time that I sell my apartment and move into a nice house; settle down with a husband, have children."

"That's bullshit! You don't have any use for that place. You love your million-dollar apartment too much. And you will never have either of those things because you don't have the heart to love them with! You sleep around too much to ever think about settling down. You're doing this to spite me."

"How could you think such a thing?" the lawyer feigns shock. "How does buying a house spite you?!"

"You're just doing it to get even with Emma and get it all blamed on me because I'm the one who's selling it."

"That's not true. I'm sorry if they can't afford it, probably spending money on keeping Emma out of an asylum, but I can pay for that house, more than any of them can make in a year. It's not the end of the world"

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Regina repeats.

Zelena smiles and stands up from her desk.

"To show her what it's like to have her happiness taken away."

"When have you ever had your happiness taken away?"

"Plenty of times," eyeing her sister.

Regina rolls her own eyes and sighs angrily. "This is getting very old, we were children for God's sake. If you want to blame someone, blame Mom, she's the one who decided to pick favourites. It's not our fault she's a bad mother. Don't take it out on someone who used to call you her friend and who, may I remind you, was held prisoner for four months, is now pregnant and in need of more space."

"My heart bleeds for her and her brat. But you are still the one who had me kicked out of the house."

"For something that you gave to me. We both share blame for that. How much longer are you going to hold this hatred in your heart?"

"As long as it takes to finally get what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"I want you to break up with Robin."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me, break up with him. You two do not have a future together, after all, you can't carry any of his children."

Regina's hands clench into fists and she fights the urge to throw a punch at her bitch of a sister. She also is fighting tears in her eyes.

"Why should that make a difference?"

"It doesn't, but it makes it so much more fun for me and finally, you won't get what you want."

"I've spent my whole life not getting what I want! I can't have the man that I loved, I can't find stable relationships, I can't have children! I know what it's like to never get what you want."

"It was your decision to drive that night."

Regina opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it again. She sighs heavily. "If I break up with Robin, will you let Emma and Killian have the house?"

"It's a possibility. Better hurry, the seller wants to talk to me about closing the deal at the end of the day."

Regina swallows the lump in her throat and just wants to scream at her sister. She lasers in on the woman whom she now hated with a passion.

"You've crossed a line and it will come back to get you. Maybe not today, but someday you will pay for what you've done."

"I highly doubt that now get out of my office before I call security."

Regina turns and exits the room, being sure to smash a valuable ornament on her way out. She again swallows a lump in her throat before bringing out her phone and dialing Robin's number.