Chapter 298: His father’s mistress
She had lost weight. He would think when reminded of how thin she had felt in his arms last night.
She had improved her disguise by another notch. She has not been looking at him. Did she have her breakfast? What was she thinking being here in a place like this? Where was Angel?
The calmer he had seemed, the more chaotic it had been in his mind. He could not even bear to see Daisy lift a spoon in front of him and here she was doing all this work as a maid, his heart was in ruins.
But amidst the chaos, he did not fail to notice the abrupt change in Daisy’s behavior. He watched as her fingers curled into fists till her knuckles turned pale. And this change was caused by the laughter that was reverberating in this living room.
The laughter of his father’s new mistress.
Since the moment Ryle had stepped inside this mansion, he had not expressed his interest in anything around here. He had not bothered to stop and stare.
But at that moment, he tilted his head to the side and looked above his shoulder. He did not recognize that voice which he had barely heard once or twice in his life but the face he had asked Benjamin to track down was unrecognizable.
Si Yena.
’’Something amusing, sweetheart?" Nathan tilted his head to look at the woman who was descending the stairs and his eyes softened.
Si Yena sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear as she walked towards the dining table, ’’It’s adorable to see the interaction between you father and son.’’
Nathan frowned, ’’Interaction? Are you saying you like to see me humiliated?" He wrapped an arm around Si Yena’s waist and pulled her to his lap, his chin tilting slightly as he looked at her.
Si Yena squealed, ’’Come on, don’t do this,’’ she swatted his hand and stood up from his lap.
He frowned, almost disgruntled.
She leaned in and whispered in his ear, ’’Father has just passed away. It’s not proper for us to behave this way.’’
’’You are still the most filial one,’’ he pinched her waist and released her and she walked around the table before sitting on Nathan’s right.
The head chair of the dining table was occupied by Nathan while Ryle occupied the end chair.
’’Stop looking at your mother like that. It doesn’t please me in the slightest,’’ Nathan said coldly.
’’She is your new mistress?" Ryle’s tone took a sharp tone as he looked at Nathan, ’’Did you even bother to look into her when you pulled her up from who knows where?"
Contrast to simmering anger prominent in Ryle’s voice, Nathan sat there unruffled, ’’It’s good to see that you finally showed some emotion other than indifference but I would not keep tolerating it if your behavior stays the same towards her.’’
After a brief pause, Nathan continued speaking, "I know the both of you have some past grudges but it is time that you put that behind. She is my future wife and you are the heir to this empire. Father is gone and even on his last breath, his wish was to see you. He had many hopes and expectations from you but you remained absent during that time. I am certain you did it on purpose.’’
’’But it is time you stop throwing tantrums like a child. I let you out and play there by yourself for a long time. Now, it is time you get back here and fulfill your responsibilities. I will train you so that you can carry on our legacy. As for your marriage, the daughter of the Queens family who used to come over is a good option but I don’t think you have been seeing her in the recent years.’’
’’So, I would make arrangements and send them over to your mother. She will look into these things and find a woman who will be the best choice for our family...’’
’’My mother is dead,’’ Ryle’s chest heaved, his breathing ragged and constrained, ’’You all killed her, remember?"
Nathan paused, ’’That’s some bold accusation you have there, boy. If people heard it, they would think we have some dark family history. Even your mother should be frowning at you from wherever she is.’’
"That’s enough!" Ryle pushed himself to his feet and the chair screeched a few inches back. He had just taken a step to leave when his gaze flew past Daisy who was standing there stonily. His gaze did not linger on her for long but he could not forget that blank expression on her face.
She also wanted to leave this place but if she did, her disguise would be blown. In one way or another, she would get into trouble.
Ryle inhaled a deep breath and sat on the chair, his face abnormally composed.
Nathan arched a brow, a hint of surprise on his face but other than that, he did not say anything.
Si Yena, on the other hand, fluttered her eyelashes as she looked at Ryle before letting her eyes roam around all the servants standing in the living room thoughtfully.
...
After breakfast, Daisy had somewhat calmed herself down. Maria was rather unwell after yesterday’s incident.
’’You take some rest. I will finish your work....’’
’’But...’’ Maria looked reluctant.
’’Don’t worry. It will be fine.’’
Daisy needed an excuse to go to the main mansion again. She needed to get to the bottom of it. Even if Si Yena was alive, how did she end up here?
Those thoughts bugged Daisy constantly as she worked. After finishing most of the tasks that Maria was responsible for, Daisy made her way upstairs.
Her footsteps were light and her movements remained fast. Although she had not seen the upper floor, she had the mental map of it in her mind. She had traced Ryle’s movements last night to find out where he was staying and after calculating it again and again, she was able to locate Ryle’s room from the outside.
