Part 19

19

"It's hot, Dad," Chelsea complained as she fanned the coffee stain on her outfit.

"Oh my... you weren't careful. It was clearly hot, but you still grabbed it," Carlos led Chelsea to a nearby room.

The room wasn't too big, but it had a bathroom. Carlos used it as a resting place when he had urgent work and couldn't go home. Instead of commuting back home tired and drowsy, Carlos sometimes decided to stay overnight at the office, and this room was his designated resting place.

There was nothing special about the room, just a small wardrobe where Carlos kept spare clothes and a small-sized bed. Perfect for Carlos alone when he needed to rest there.

"It's so hot, Dad," Chelsea cried a little to make Carlos feel more sympathetic. Whether he liked it or not, Carlos had to take off Chelsea's tank top and pants, and indeed, her stomach and thighs were red due to the hot coffee spill earlier.

"Let's go to the bathroom to clean up!" Chelsea shook her head.

"But, Dad, I'm embarrassed. You might think I did this on purpose."

"You must not think like that. I swear, Dad never suspects anything bad about you. Besides, this injury is real."

"Just help me with a compress, okay, Dad?"

"You are sure?"

 Chelsea nodded. "Yeah, wait here for a bit." Carlos grabbed a shirt and took it to the bathroom. There was no small towel there, so his shirt was forced to be used as a compress. As soon as Carlos's back disappeared behind the bathroom door, Chelsea rushed to remove the last covering of her upper body leaving her lower underwear. He lay on the bed, holding his breath, hoping that Carlos wouldn't go berserk seeing his current condition. Chelsea also strengthened her heart not to run away when Carlos arrived. 

"Chelsea, come on .." Carlos froze. This is the second time seeing Chelsea's springy spheres. Even though it was hot and cold, Carlos still approached. Compresses Chelsea's stomach. "Sorry, Daddy. It's wet too, I'm not comfortable.. There's no blanket, so I just leave it.” Chelsea sat down. Holding Carlos' hand. 

"Dad, I want to say something." Carlos looked at Chelsea. "I fell in love with Daddy. Since the first time we met.” Carlos was stunned. His hand, which was holding the compress, was no longer able to work.

 "Dad, I'm sorry I can't hold this love growing." Chelsea cupped Carlos's cheeks. 

"But daddy needn't worry. I will not disturb the relationship between my father and my mother. I will still help you to get married. But, let me love you, Dad.” He pressed his lips against Carlos's. 

"This is not right, Chelsea."

Pull away, because Chelsea even crushed his lips. “I know, but I love Daddy. I want to be with Daddy." Chelsea is getting closer. Didn't want Carlos to be far from her. 

“Daddy doesn't believe it? I will provide evidence, and I promise no one will find out about this.” Taking off the jacket Carlos was wearing. Followed by unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing. Chelsea forced herself to forget all the pride she had... It didn't matter what happened, most importantly revenge. With the perfection of her body, Chelsea was sure that Carlos would not be able to turn her back on her, let alone Margaret. 

“Chelsea!” cried Carlos, clutching Chelsea's wrist tightly, wanting to take off his shirt. “Why, Dad? Am I not worthy of Daddy?" His eyes started to fill with tears. She wasn't doing drama, but rather embarrassed that Carlos refused. "Daddy is angry?"

"I already considered you like my own child. In fact, I didn't want you to end up like this. I know you're a good girl who needs money, that's why you offered to be my sugar baby back then. Know your worth, that's why I accepted to be your son-in-law." Carlos embraced Chelsea and hugged her. "Kill that love, we can never be together."

"I will do that, but let me have Daddy. Let me..."

"Chelsea, listen. You are Vano's destiny!"

Chelsea shook her head. "I love Daddy. I started to cry, choking up. Breaking Carlos's little heart. "It's up to Daddy whether he wants to consider me a cheap woman or whatever, but I love Daddy. But, I promise, I'll help Daddy marry my mother and keep Vano away from Celine." She released her embrace from Carlos. "It's okay to be rejected, it's understandable that an honorable and respectable man like Daddy wouldn't want to accept the love of a poor girl like me!" she said.

She got off the bed and picked up all her scattered clothes from the floor. With quick steps, she headed to the bathroom, making Carlos feel guilty for the rejection she had just made.

In the bathroom, Chelsea took a long sigh. She was thankful that Carlos hadn't succumbed to her seduction. Her eyes welled up as she stared at the mirror on the sink. There was no cover except for a triangular-shaped item at the bottom. Chelsea tried to push away her heartache and her own behavior. She also convinced herself to be able to seek revenge, to make Margareth frustrated and slowly die.

Chelsea reluctantly declined Carlos's offer to take her home because she was still upset about his rejection. She also acted as if she were heartbroken due to the rejection.

Chelsea immediately contacted Vano and asked him to meet, to discuss what had happened earlier. Vano casually mentioned that he was currently on campus and asked Chelsea to come there.

As for Chelsea's current position, she was on leave from campus after her father's death. It would be about two more days before Chelsea could show up there. As a result, Vano asked her to go home first and make sure Margareth wasn't at home.

Chelsea didn't know what other plans the man had in mind, but in order to comply with all the rules outlined in their agreement contract, Chelsea just followed what Vano wanted.

Upon arriving home, Chelsea informed Vano that her mother was at the salon. Chelsea didn't know what kind of treatments the middle-aged woman received, but according to her house assistant, as long as Margareth lived there, she spent her time at the salon every day.

She left at 10:00 AM and returned at the last minute before Carlos came back home. Chelsea, who was with Carlos, of course had no idea what her mother had been doing while left alone at the house.

However, because Chelsea claimed not to feel well and weak after Carlos's rejection earlier, he allowed her to go home first. Besides, Carlos also needed time to calm down after what Chelsea had done to him.

Which normal man could refuse Chelsea's enticing and charming body? Maybe only Carlos could do it because he tried to remember the face of Vano's birth mother so as not to be carried away. A woman whom he still loved dearly until this moment. If only that accident hadn't happened, of course, Carlos wouldn't have wanted to know Margareth.

While waiting, Chelsea sat on the back porch, observing the well-maintained garden. Her hands itched to arrange and improve the garden, but the scorching heat deterred her from doing so. She decided to allocate some time later in the evening to take care of all the plants.

"The garden was created by Vano's late mother," a middle-aged woman approached Chelsea with a glass of orange juice in her hand. "Auntie has great respect for the lady because she preferred gardening over gallivanting outside. She wasted Mr. Carlos's hard-earned money."

Chelsea didn't know whether the housemaid meant to mock Margareth or not, but suddenly, this household assistant came bearing a glass of juice without being asked and spoke about how graceful and good Vano's late mother was.

"That's right, . Very different from my mother, isn't it?" Chelsea replied, making it clear to the housemaid that she wasn't on her mother's side.

"Auntie didn't say that, Non." The middle-aged woman chuckled a bit. "But if Non thinks so, then that's how Non's mother is."

"I know that, . That's why I'm here to separate the two of them. Honestly, I feel embarrassed to have a mother like Margareth. She's already received so much love from Mr. Carlos, but she has no sense of propriety. She squanders the hard-earned money that Mr. Carlos works so hard for."

The middle-aged woman nodded. "If allowed, Auntie would like to help Non do that. Vano has also told Auntie about the plans you're making for Mr. Carlos."

Suddenly, that confession startled Chelsea. How could Vano share their secrets with this household assistant? How influential was this housemaid that Vano would bother telling her their plans?

"You don't need to be surprised to hear Auntie's statement. Since the Lady passed away, it was Auntie who took care of and raised Vano. Mr. Carlos only gives Auntie money as her salary for her service. So, you could say Auntie knows Vano's background. His attitude. What he likes and dislikes. And Auntie knows that Vano hasn't obtained the approval he's been seeking for, but in this regard, Auntie doesn't agree with Vano because, to be honest, even until now, Auntie doesn't believe that the accident was just a mere accident.

Unfortunately, for that part, Auntie hasn't been able to change Vano's mind, even though five years have passed since his relationship with Celine began. Auntie doesn't want Vano to be far from her, so Auntie just accepts and goes along with Vano's wishes. While waiting for Mr. to find a girl to replace Miss Celine."

"Me, then," Chelsea sighed in relief. She had been worried that this middle-aged woman might be a spy sent by someone to gather information from her.

However, hearing the heartfelt affection this woman had for Vano, Chelsea knew and realized that with her, she could change the lives of Vano and Carlos.

"One more thing, Miss." Before Chelsea could reach for the juice in front of her, the middle-aged woman made her hesitate because there was one more thing she hadn't mentioned yet.

Uncertain of what else the mother was doing in the house, which made Carlos's household assistant feel uncomfortable and disturbed, she feared her employer had made a mistake in choosing a wife.

"Yesterday, Mrs. Margareth contacted someone. By chance, I overheard her calling that person 'darling.' As far as I know, Mr. Carlos doesn't like overly affectionate terms like that. But Mrs. Margareth used it.

She contacted that person for quite some time and sat here alone. Occasionally, she laughed at that person's flattery. I can also confirm that Mr. Carlos is not a romantic person to that extent.

I've been working here for years, long before Vano's mother passed away. I've been here, and not once have I heard Mr. calling his wife endearing names.

He's a cold and stiff person. I'm very sure that the person Mrs. Margareth was talking to is not the master of this house."

Chelsea furrowed her brows. "Is that so, ?" She confirmed once again whether what the household assistant said was true or not about her mother's behavior.

Although she had only recently met and spent time with Carlos, Chelsea also agreed with what the household assistant had said. Carlos did indeed seem rigid and not romantic at all. Despite his aggression, Carlos remained tense, like a freshly dried washcloth under the sun.

"True, it's better for Miss to investigate who the person is that Mrs. Margareth often contacts. Honestly, Auntie doesn't want Mr. Carlos's money to be spent by that woman to make another man happy. These words may sound a bit harsh, Non, but that's the reality. Mr. Carlos has done so much good for Auntie, so it's only humane to defend and save Auntie's employer from misery. From that snake-like woman too."