Chapter 7
Angeline brought a chair over to the couch and sat down opposite Sean, with the coffee table
between them.
Sean treated Ned and Ingrid coldly and with hostility, but he was a whole different person when talking to Angeline. He sounded a lot more gentler with her. âWhatâs with the injuries on your body?â
âNed pushed me. I then banged my head against the fake hill â¦â
âIâm not talking about the injuries on your head,â Sean interrupted.
Ned had just sent Ingrid off and was on his way back to his ward when he overheard Sean asking the question. He stepped back and peered through the crack in the door to Angelineâs
ward.
Angeline had a reserved expression on her face. She spoke calmly as if she was just reciting someone elseâs story. âThe Emmersons said it was time for Benjamin to get married, so they wanted me to buy him a car and a house. Thatâs why we fought at the college gates.â
Angeline wasnât lying. However, she only told him part of the full story.
The Emmersons didnât come to Oceanford just to look for her. They were also looking for Jessica Lawson, who was Angelineâs and Benjaminâs birth mother.
They couldnât find her. When they also realized that Angeline was still studying in college instead of working and giving them her wages, the Emmersons were enraged.
George Emmerson then demanded that the college refund all of Angelineâs tuition fees to him simply because he was Angelineâs biological father. He kept bugging the dean and even made a huge fuss at the deanâs office.
Seeing that they werenât able to get any money from Angeline, George demanded that Angeline return with him to Emmerson Village so that he would be able to sell her off to the highest bidder back home. Then, he would use that money to pay for Benjaminâs wedding. It was then that Angeline got into a huge fight with the Emmersons.
Sean rubbed his hand against his knees as he stared at the bruises on Angelineâs chin and
neck.
Since Angeline didnât want to go into details, then he wasnât going to press any further. Sean straightened his legs and leaned forward, looking at her seriously. âWhat I told you eight
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years ago still counts. If youâre willing to give up on Ned, I can always send you abroad anytime.â
Angeline looked up and stared into Seanâs eyes, feeling his calm gaze piercing into her. She
clenched and unclenched her hands on her knees.
âI know the reason behind the Fletchers taking me under their wing and bringing me up in Oceanford. Itâs so that the Lawsons will continue investing in them and supporting them whenever they need it.
âIâm sure that the reason you talked to me eight years ago was because the Fletchers didnât want their only son to get into a relationship with me, but they didnât want to say it outright. They then conveyed their wishes to the Lawsons, which is why you want to send me abroad so that Iâd cut all connections with Ned.â
Angeline then frowned. There was confusion in her eyes. âBut now, Ned has forgotten me and loves another. I donât think the Lawsons are going to benefit even if they insisted on sending me abroad now.â
âYouâre a smart kid,â Sean said, still trying to convince Angeline otherwise. âBut aside from the benefits you mentioned, itâs also because youâre related to the Lawsons.â
Angeline tensed when she heard him say that.
She then said in a determined voice, âNo, I have absolutely nothing to do with the Lawsons. The fact that Iâm alive is living proof of the hell that she went through. I hope that she or I have nothing more to do with the Lawsons for the rest of our lives!â
âBut with your predicament now, youâre facing a lot of troubles alone. Even so, are you still reluctant to let the Lawsons help you?â
âIâm thankful to the Lawsons and the Fletchers for bringing me out of Emmerson Village and giving me a chance to further my studies. Even if weâre bloodârelated, I think that the Lawsons have done more than enough for me. I donât want to owe them any more favors.â Sean remembered the first time he met Angeline. Her grandparents once told him that she was a cold and indifferent person.
However, he knew that Angelineâs indifference was because of her kindness, high morals, and deep love for her mother.
Angeline suppressed her emotions and longing for kinship. Instead, she turned herself into an âorphanâ so that the Lawsons would feel less guilty about her. She chose to live with the Fletchers so that the Lawsons would be able to continue living with their conscience.