.
Bam!
Tanya closed the door right after she said that.
Joel: ââ¦â
Joel could faintly hear Pete ask, âWasnât that Mom at the door, Godmother? Who was it, then?â
âOh, just an annoying fly,â Tanya replied.
Joel: ââ¦â
Half an hour later.
Disturbed and distracted Tanya looked toward the window.
The moment she did, she found herself dazed.
Joel was standing by the door, his tall, straight figure casting a long, elongated shadow on the floor.
The stunned Tanya felt as if she had stepped back a few years in time. Back then, every time she left the classroom after class, she would see a figure like his standing outside.
At the time, the sight of the man had excited and delighted her.
But now, however, the figure seemed somewhat lonely to her, which made her sad.
Tanya withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and looked at the ground. In the depths of her heart, complicated emotions were stirring.
Some time later, when Tanya looked up again, she discovered that the figure in the doorway had disappeared. A feeling of emptiness came over her.
She couldnât tell what kind of feeling it was. She forced a smile, looked at Pete and said, âYour mom should be home soon.â
Pete nodded. Then, however, he said, âUncle Joel doesnât seem to be well.â
Not well?
Tanya followed his gaze and saw that Joel had changed positions at some point. He was now standing in a corner visible from the living room window.
His head was bent down and one hand was resting on his abdomen and the other on the wall for support.
I couldnât tell if it was because of the light or because he was really unwell, but he looked as pale as a sheet. His lips were so pale they were practically transparent and there was cold sweat on his forehead.
âUncle Joel must be in pain, mustnât he, why donât you let him in, Godmother?â
Peteâs words interrupted Tanyaâs thoughts.
She said coldly, âIt has nothing to do with me even if heâs dead.â
However, despite saying that, she continued to look out.
She couldnât help but grimace inwardly.
It was the same old trick.
He always appeared weak and fragile when they were still studying. Whenever he made her angry, she stayed out of his dorm room. Even when it rained, he refused to go out.
He never apologized, but always stubbornly stayed there to make her give in.
She had been so naive back then.
When the sun was bright and shining, she worried that he would get burned. When it rained, she worried that he would get soakedâ¦..
He really had her wrapped around his little finger.
However, his heart was as hard as iron, so how could she continue to be fooled by his little tricks?
Besides, it was impossible for her to leave the house without bodyguards or her personal assistant. After all, as Chief Smith, his status was terribly noble and prestigious.
The thought had just formed when she saw Joelâs legs give way and he dropped to one knee on the floor.
Unconsciously, Tanya took a few steps toward him. Then, she opened the door and ran out.
She approached Joel. The man, who had probably heard her footsteps, turned to look at her. He was very pale, so he probably wasnât faking it. His voice was also very soft, and he sounded a little aggrieved when he said, âI knew you wouldnât ignore me, Tanya.â
ââ¦â
For a moment, tears almost fell from Tanyaâs eyes.
However, she held them back and looked around. âWhere are your assistants, and your bodyguards?â
Joel seemed to want to say something, but in the end he merely said, âI donât want to go to the hospital.â Then his eyes closed and he passed out.
Tanyaâs jaw dropped.
There was a reason Joel said he didnât want to go to the hospital. He had always refused to go, even when they were still in school.
He had always held out when he was sick, so he never went for checkups, even when he had stomach problems.
What was he doing now, though, was he setting up an accident?
Tanya was so angry that she stretched out her foot with the intention of kicking him hard.
The bodyguard hiding in the distance wanted to step forward, but was stopped by Joelâs assistant.
The assistant said, âThe gesture Lord Joel made before he fainted told us not to approach!â.
The bodyguard replied, âEven so, we wonât be able to see if anyone attacks him!â.
âHe wonât attack him.â
âWhat?â
The bodyguards looked to see that Tanyaâs foot had stopped less than an inch from him.
Tanya looked around hesitantly. She frowned and wondered aloud, âDid he really not bring his assistant?
What incompetent bodyguards! What if he were sick somewhere else instead? What are they going to do if that happens?â
Despite his grumbling, he bent down and lifted the man up.
Without further ado, the bodyguards in the distance watched as their master was dragged inside the house while the woman stumbled and beat him.
The rude girl was also still cursing as she movedâ¦..
ð ð ð ð ð
Nora slept until the next day.
After catching up on all the lost sleep, she got out of bed very refreshed and stretched. Then, she looked at her phone and realized that Tanya had sent her several messages.
They seemed very urgent.
However, Tanya probably knew she had to catch up on her lost sleep, so she hadnât called her or disturbed her rest, anxious as she was.
She picked up the phone and glanced at it. Her chat was still at the point where she had arrived home the day before. At that point, when she saw the messages Tanya had sent, she had replied, âIâm home now. You can send Pete with Joel now.â
After that she had fallen sound asleep.
But why wasnât Pete beside her when she woke up?
She looked at the chat again. Tanya had sent him the same thing:
âAre you awake?
âAre you awake?
âAre you awake?
She had practically asked the same question once every hour, which made a total of seven or eight times. It was enough to show how bad she was having a hard time.
Nora was quite hesitant. Pete was a very well-behaved boy. Surely he wasnât that hard to take care of, was he?
As she wondered, she replied, âIâm awake.â
Tanya called the next moment.
She answered. She had barely said âhelloâ when Tanyaâs strong voice came through the phone. âMy goodness, youâve slept twelve hours again! Didnât you wake up too late?â
Nora rubbed her ears. âYes. Whatâs wrong?â
âHurry up and come pick up your son.â
Nora uttered an âokay.â Then she asked, âIs he done?â
Tanya paused and then added quietly, âAnd! To You! Brother! Major! Also.â
She seemed to grind her teeth in fury with every word she said, which showed how angry and resentful she was.
But had she said âbig brotherâ?
Nora didnât realize what she was saying for a moment. She asked, âWhat brother?â
ââ¦How many older brothers do you have?â
Tanya practically roared at the question.
Nora answered seriously, âIf you try to count, there are six boys in the Smiths, so I have five older brothers and one younger brother. Are you talking aboutâ¦.. Joel?â
â⦠Yes!â
Nora was puzzled. âDidnât he go pick up Pete for me? How did he end up staying there instead?â.
ââ¦â
The woman on the other end stifled her anger and said, âYou have half an hour. If you donât come on time, this friendship is over!!! Beep⦠beep⦠beep⦠beepâ¦â
Nora looked at the phone in horror and raised her eyebrows.
Then she slowly brushed her teeth and cleaned herself up. When she was done, she finally went out.
As soon as she came downstairs, Lucy saw her and said excitedly, âYouâre finally awake, Miss Nora!â.
âWhatâs the matter?â asked Nora.
Lucy replied, âYour cousin is here!!!â.
.
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