Chapter 25
1250 Words
“I heard your sister has been staying in your house since last week,” Merlin said as he stood from his office desk and strode toward his son’s direction. He sat right across him and folded both arms together. “Is she causing you and your wife any trouble?”
“Not really,” Sander replied briefly. He kept himself busy by fixing his cufflinks instead of meeting his gaze. “Why did you ask me here? We could’ve talked on the phone if that’s what you wanted to hear from me.”
The business magnate heaved a small smile on his lips and shook his head. “I thought you needed a breather. Sydney isn’t one who beats around the bush. I’m sure she already told you the things that have been bothering her.”
“Did you perhaps tell her?” The eldest of the Mortel siblings tilted his head up and darted him a sharp gaze. “All the while, I thought we had an agreement that it’ll stay between us. Are you planning to disclose it now that I’m married?”
“I didn’t tell her.”
His father’s firm denial brought an ominous silence in the four-cornered room. He knew right off the bat that the man wasn’t lying, but he just couldn’t help but ask that question. Maybe Primrose was right. The way he treated Sydney differs from how he usually acted with the rest of his family.
Whether he admit it or not, his younger sister’s words lingered in his mind. He was under a lot of stress because he didn’t know how to act after their verbal altercation.
“You know that I always stand by my words, Sander.”
“I know,” he heaved a low sigh, feeling defeated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
“How was Primrose?” Merlin asked.
“She’s doing great.”
“That’s not what I meant,” his father’s skeptical tone made his eyebrows gather in. “I heard you’re participating in a painting auction arranged by the Winter Galleria.”
“The news does travel fast,” he smirked.
“The company received an invitation to sponsor the event,” Merlin leaned closer, placing both elbows on top of his knees. His hands formed into a steeple as he continued to exchange glances with his eldest child. “Do you think Cecil is purposely doing this?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I understand why you doubt her after all that has happened in the past. But I don’t think she’s that childish. It’s her career and business we’re talking about.”
The business mogul’s gaze wavered. His lips were pressed tightly, almost as if he was suppressing himself to say something. Sander knew that expression quite well, so he couldn’t help but blow his cheeks out.
“What did you find out, Dad? Is it something I should know?”
“There’s no doubt that you should know about it. I just don’t know if this is the right time to tell you,” he explained.
“There’s no time better than now. Once all flights are running, you know that Primrose and I will bail out of this country.”
Merlin nodded and pulled out a tablet PC from the hidden drawer under the coffee table. He dabbed his finger on it before sliding it on the tabletop in his son’s direction.
“Our team found an article. It was released on an anonymous blog site, so the media didn’t get wind of it yet.”
“An article about what….” his words halted upon reading the content of the said article on the tablet’s screen. No sound emerged from his throat, but his mouth fell slightly open. “What the hell is this?”
“Your name isn’t mentioned, but it clearly states that the last male descendant of the family who owned the biggest mall chain in the country is going to participate in his ex-wife’s museum exhibit,” Merlin exclaimed while running a hand through his forehead. He clasped his hands together along with a shake of the head. “It won’t be long until the media finds this.”
“We can take this down, right?” It was Sander’s immediate resolution. For a moment, the face of his new bride flashed at the back of his mind. “Use any means possible. I’ll drop by the legal department to take care of this.”
“Yes, we could do that. However, as long as you’re participating in the auction, this issue could come up again. It’ll take time, but you know the media. They’ll bite into this any time of day.”
“Goddamit,” the man hissed in a low voice.
“Does your wife know about Cecil?”
He nodded in confirmation and met his father’s gaze again. “She’s not as naive as you think.”
“If you want to know what I think,” Merlin paused and skimmed his hand through his jaw. “It’s best for you and Primrose not to engage with anything relating to Cecil or her foundation.”
He had opposing emotions with the business mogul’s suggestion. While they always made sure to be practical when it comes to issues affecting their business, it was different this time. Primrose could be dragged into this mess. He didn’t want what happened between him and Cecil to affect her affairs when she had nothing to do with it.
“No, I’ll find another way. Give me time.”
“You sure about this?” Merlin’s voice was filled with worry and reluctance.
“Yes, Dad. As much as possible, I don’t want her to miss opportunities just because of me or our family.” He balled his fists and heaved a deep breath. “I’ll protect what I have this time.”
It was a long day for the man. After the discussion with his father, he went to the legal department right away to personally mandate the removal of those malicious articles on the internet. The possibility of pressing charges was also in the cards, but he chose to put it off for a while until he got full control of the situation.
He arrived at a seemingly quiet home. No one was in the living room, and there wasn’t any sound emerging anywhere. Except for the meal covered in the dining table, there wasn’t much change from when he went out earlier.
His quick steps unknowingly led him in the direction of the master bedroom. He had this tingling feeling in his chest to see her face because she was all he could think about after finding out about the article.
“Rosey?” he exclaimed upon finding her lying on the floor along with all her paint material.
Panicked over the unusual sight, the man immediately went to her side. He was about to touch her cheek when soft snoring was heard from her nose. It took a while before he realized that she was just fast asleep.
“You’re gonna be the death of me. Seriously,” he whispered while shaking his head in disbelief.
Amid his amusement, his gaze shifted to the canvas where Snowflake’s image was painted. As if on cue, the white cat walked to his side and snuggled his knees.
“You did well,” he smiled while caressing its fur.
- Writer
