Dominic loosened his tie slightly, his eyes narrowed slightly, and then he nodded.
"You said you were honest with me."
"Yes."
"So what was your purpose in doing the three-month deal with me? You said you needed something from Joan's family, did you get it?"
"...Yes."
"What is it?"
"Something you shouldn't know, Esther." He took off his vest and knelt before me. He pats my head, then touches my earlobe and cheekbones. "The less secrets a person knows, the happier he or she is. Be obedient to me, and then everything will be fine."
I held the hand that was touching my cheek, looking him straight in the eyes with determination.
"So what if I insist on it?"
"The one who gets hurt will be you."
"..."
We looked at each other, obviously I could feel in his eyes there was tenderness and love for me, but it also contained too many secrets. He is like an ancient castle covered with thorns, in order to be with him, he has to accept too much pain.
"Please Dominic, don't make a fool of me. Do you think I'll just be a dumb mistress forever, staying with you, loving you and forgiving you?" I shoved his hand away. "I won't. I want to know the truth. What are you and my father up to? Why are you targeting me, I have nothing I can give you."
This is probably the first time I have reacted so harshly to him. I stood up, looking at him with suspicion and disappointment.
"You should..."
"No, don't tell me to be obedient, and don't tell me to listen to anyone." I took a step back as Dominic stood up and stretched out his hand towards me. "I need to know the truth. That's all. And if you keep hiding from me, then we're done."
I took my bag and left Dominic's mansion.
He didn't chase me, and I ran away in anger. At first, I was going to go back to the house where my mother and I used to be, but I was worried that Dominic might find me easily. Besides, I don't want to go home in such a depressed and sad mood.
I can't afford to rent a hotel room for so long, and using Dominic's bank black card is ridiculous.
After all, I asked Veronica's help.
She did not reject me, nor did she rush to ask why I suddenly came to her.
Veronica prepared a warm room for me.
"I don't know what happened to you, but you can rest assured here. My house is always welcoming." Veronica sat down beside my bed.
She's so delicate and delicate, she knows I'm in a bad mood right now, so she doesn't try to figure out why I'm like this at all. The only thing she did was encourage me in a gentle and caring way.
"Thanks Veronica. I'm really sorry I disturbed your family. I'll only be here for a few days."
"It's okay, you can stay here for as long as you want. You know, even though my family isn't as high-class as Joan's, it's still enough to feed you." Veronica teased and pinched my cheek.
That made me laugh, but it took a while for my smile to fade.
Veronica thought I was tired, so she left the room and didn't forget to close the door for me.
I stayed at Veronica's house for about three days, my mood gradually calmed down, but I had absolutely no intention of going back to Dominic's mansion. My three-month agreement with him has ended, the only thing that binds us is love.
Right now, I still don't want to meet him, I hope he will give me a satisfactory answer instead of sweet coaxes or demands that force me to obey.
If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's the text Garrick sent me a few days ago.
Because today my father called me after many months.
"Hello?"
"Esther Joan, come home. We need to talk." Mr. Curtis said succinctly.
"Do we have something to talk about?" I coldly asked my father.
"Go home, don't make me wait for you too long."
He hung up before me, nor did he wait for my answer. I know very well that in order to solve our confusion, all we need to do is meet and talk. Although this made us both uncomfortable, I still went back to my father's words.
Mr. Curtis was sitting in the living room. Mrs. Ernesta and Kaylin were not here, but instead Aunt Juliet Joan and her husband, Sir Michael.
"Sit down." My father glanced at me, took a sip of his tea, and then jerked his chin toward an empty chair.
After I sat down, he started talking.
"There are three things I need to tell you. First, I will officially take you home and declare that you are Joan's daughter. Second, I want to reconcile with you our disagreements of the past. And the last one is the problem between you and Dominic."
"Wait... wait..." I waved my hand and frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
My father didn't answer, he lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. His cheeks were sunken and his eyes looked tired. Rarely do I see my father's stomach like that, it feels like he's aged a few years after just a few months.
He glanced over at his sister, Aunt Juliet. She explained everything to me on his behalf. Aunt Juliet's tone was slow but cold, her face was calm, her intonation didn't hide any emotion. She was always like that, acting as an observer and speaking only when necessary.
"The fact that we want to take you home is to fulfill the wish of our great-grandfather Joan. You are of Joan's bloodline, this is where you belong."
"Aunt Juliet, you yourself find what you just said funny, don't you?" I clicked my tongue and laughed sarcastically.
It's ridiculous, but this rich guy is trying to admit I'm part of their family. When I was just the child of a poor ballerina, without money or anything, they didn't see me as anything. They despised and abandoned me, always thinking that my existence was a mistake.
So what now? When they saw that I had acquired the identity of Dominic's fiancée, they rushed to find a way to bring me 'home', where I had never lived even a single day.
When Aunt Juliet heard me say that, her eyes drooped slightly, containing a hint of displeasure. However, her personality is not as brash and hot-tempered as my father, she is very good at controlling her emotions.
"I know you're mad at our family. We were wrong to treat you the wrong way. But you should listen to our advice. Your return home benefits both you and us. You get a home and a decent title, and we get... what we want."
Aunt Juliet has no intention of hiding their true intentions, her frankness makes me believe that there is still a wise and rational person in Joan's family.
"What about the second thing?" I ask.
"I'm so sorry about your mother's sudden passing. She probably rests in heaven. However, without her, you still have your father. You can't hate him for the rest of your life."
"So I need to forgive him?" I looked at my father, then back at Aunt Juliet. "Besides, I haven't even mentioned the inheritance my great-grandfather Joan left me. Kevin's law or some goddamn guy, it's all your tricks, isn't it, Dad?"
"Why do you mention that? Joan's inheritance should not have belonged to you." Mr. Curtis roared, then he coughed heavily from the smoke.
Aunt Juliet turned to look at her brother and patted him on the back to comfort him. The aunt turned to her husband and motioned for him to take Mr. Curtis away. Although he did not want to, Mr. Curtis did not object.
Looking at Mr. Michael's silence and quietness, it can be seen that Aunt Juliet is the more powerful person in this family. He usually doesn't give his opinion and only does what his wife says.
Sir Michael led Mr. Curtis away, leaving only me and Aunt Juliet in the living room.
"I know this makes you uncomfortable." Aunt Juliet sighed. "But please sympathize with your father. He is the one who carries this family, there is a lot of pressure and the high life is not as simple as you think. He needs the inheritance left by his great-grandfather Joan, not for himself, but for this family."
Aunt Juliet's words were like an excuse for my father's sinful behavior. However, aunt used morality and responsibility to prove that my father was not wrong, and I was just an immature and ignorant child. I wanted to refute, but suddenly realized that it was impossible to argue with my aunt's sharp argument.