While waiting for her father to co ho, Angela fell asleep in her bed while reading a chapter of her new book. She didn't wake up when the door slowly opened that night, and her father ca inside. He tried to hurry ho to surprise his children with so gifts he bought from France, but they were already asleep when he arrived.
Smiling down at his daughter's sleeping form, he put away the book from her tiny hands and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. His hands stilled, noticing the open notebook under her pillow. Thinking that it was one of her school notebooks, he pulled it out and was about to keep it away when he happened to glance at her entry.
Needless to say, Chairman Su ca ho to surprise them—instead, he was the one who got the surprise that night.
***
The next morning when Angela woke up, she looked for her diary everywhere in her room. It wasn't under her pillow like she rembered she put it last night and not in her bottom drawer where she usually hid it either. Wondering where it could be, she walked out of her bedroom with her hair still disheveled from her sleep and her eyes still a little droopy and strolled to the other side of the mansion where her parents' bedroom was.
At first, she thought Oliver took her diary, but he didn't really go to her room that much. Then she rembered that her father arrived last night, so she wanted to go see him and wake them up so they could have breakfast together. Maybe she could also ask her mother if she saw her diary—though she prayed her mother didn't.
Her steps slowed as she approached the door to the master bedroom when she heard muffled sounds of voices. The door was closed, and she knew that her parents were there. Although she couldn't hear anything from where she stood, the voices sounded like yells.
Angela wrung her hands together, curiosity eating her up. She stood a few feet away from the closed door, her bare feet digging into the carpet as she stopped herself from walking closer.
Angela's parents rarely fought, and when they did, they would try not to do it in front of their children. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she carefully opened the door, trying so hard not to make a sound as she pushed it a tiny bit enough to peek inside.
Her parents were in the middle of the room, facing each other. Cynthia was in her nightgown while Charlie wore a crumpled suit as if he had slept on it. But from the look in his red-rimd eyes, it seed as though he hadn't slept a wink.
"I forgave you the first ti, Cynthia! How dare you do this to again? Do I not matter to you anymore?" Charlie questioned, his eyes full of dark emotions swirling in them.
"I've had enough, Charles. Your work is more important to you! You said you would change and spend more ti with us. The kids are growing so fast, and you missed a lot of activities because of your business!"
"Is that why you did it? I'm working hard for our family so you can have all these nice things around you!"
"We already have enough. We don't need more. You don't have to work so hard anymore." She sobbed.
"When you married , Cynthia, you already know how I am when it cos to working. Why are you telling this as if it's the first ti? If you don't accept , why the hell did you marry ?"
"I left Ivan for you!"
Charlie clenched his fists together, anger pulsing in his veins. "Is that supposed to make feel grateful? You ca with because you told you wanted to be with . The way you are right now only tells that you're only with because you want to escape that mobster!"
Cynthia full-on sobbed, unable to respond.
He ran his fingers through his hair and slamd a fist on the nearby dresser. "Why did you marry if you're just going to cheat on , Cynthia? We have two children, for God's sake!"
"I'm not cheating on you. I—"
Charlie spun around so fast and got in her face. "Don't fucking lie to . You invited that goon to our house! Our daughter saw you together. What the hell is wrong with you? I don't know you anymore!"
"I didn't invite him here, I swear! Why would I do that? I would never. He found and refused to leave."
Charlie shook his head as though he couldn't believe anything that ca out of Cynthia's mouth anymore. "I should have told the police about him years ago. Now you've tainted our child—our family. What do you plan to do now, huh?"
"I'll make him go away…" Her voice was weak as she wiped her tears away.
"You think that son of a bitch would just leave? I'll throw him to the wolves where he belongs." He stalked across the room and picked up his cellphone from a console table.
"Charles… W-What are you doing? Who are you calling?"
"I'm calling Leos. He'll take care of this scumbag once and for all. He has connections. I'm sure handing over your lover will be a feast for the police."
Her eyes widened, and she dropped to her knees, clutching his arm. "Charles, no! Please, don't do that. If he finds out, he'll hurt you."
"Do you think I care about being hurt right now? You already did that."
A large gloved hand covered Angela's mouth, and the door softly closed before her.
With her teary eyes, she looked up and t Elias's stern ones. Her chin trembled, and a wave of sadness spread all over her body. He contemplated for a second before he crouched down, picked her up in his arms, and walked away from the door.
Elias rarely carried her, and he was always so uptight and serious. But at that mont, Angela was thankful that his strong shoulders were there to catch her as tears continuously stread down her cheeks, wetting his crisp suit. He brought her out of the house, and they stayed by the lake until she stopped sobbing, his heavy hand brushing her back in an attempt to comfort her.
Angela didn't understand what her parents were fighting about. All she saw was the two of them yelling and her mother was crying by sothing her father was doing or saying. Their fight felt like it was not like the other tis.
When she cald down, Elias put her down to her feet and bent to her level, his face still wearing his usual serious expression.
He handed her a white handkerchief and told her, "A lady must not cry in front of people, Young Miss. Wipe your face, and we'll go back inside. Tilt your chin up and smile. Understood?"
She made a face, showing that she disliked that he put up his butler face again. But she grabbed the handkerchief and wiped her face anyway. Then she lifted her chin and smiled, just like Elias told her.
As they walked back to the mansion, Angela quietly asked, "Elias… What does cheating an?"
Elias was quiet for a few beats, only their footsteps on the grass could be heard as he contemplated how to answer her question. Then he said, "Cheating ans breaking the rules."
"S-So… Mommy broke the rules?" she wondered. And for once, Elias didn't have anything to say.
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