3

Antonia stepped out of the door and left , Axel stared at her back with a hurt expression until she disappeared from their sight . Mr Donovan turned his head towards Axel and looked at him ashamed .

" I have no words to express how mortified I am for everything that happened . " said Mr Donovan with his face filled with shame . 

" .......It's not your fault Mr Donovan . I shall take my leave now . " said Axel then let go of his arm from Annette softly .

" Brother Axel ! Please don't be sad . I........I can't stand seeing you sad . " said Annette with a worried expression .

" I will be better . Thank you for your care Annette . " said Axel .

" You are more than welcome . " said Annette with a smile .

Alex looked at Karlo and Laura then nodded his head and left the mansion followed by his assistant .

When the door closed , Mr Donovan used his gun and broke a decorative vase that was at the entrance hall .

" ........Hmmmmph ! We are not highly ashamed in front of the Danados family . Such shame can never be cleared with words . " said mr Donovan trying his best to control his anger then turned his sight towards his son .

" In such cases , only blood can ease the relationship . Am I right Karlo ? " said mr Donovan .

Despite mr Karlo being cold towards Antonia , she was still his child and he would never want to harm her . He was very angry at her but at the same time , not that angry to the point of taking her life .

" No ! No one will touch a strand of my daughter's hair . " said Laura with a serious expresison .

" Auntie , we understand that you care about Antonia because she is your only child but can you please be more realistic and see clearly the mess in which Antonia placed us ? " said Annette . 

" Annette , go to your room . This is grown up's talk . You also have a fault in all this . How could you simply leave her there and come back alone ?.......Even when you came back and you couldn't convince her to come with you , couldn't you simply call the bodyguards to help you take her home ?! You are highly guilty for what happened too ." said Laura with an annoyed tone . 

" I....... " said Annette and clenched her teeth from anger .

" Your auntie is right Annette . You are also guilty .  Go back to your room , right this instant . " said Karlo with a serious tone .

Annette sighed then climbed the stairs and went to her room , leaving the three of them alone at the entrance hall .

" I know what you are gonna say but , no. I cannot allow you to interfere this time . " said mr Donovan .

" .....I understand that very well , that's why I will not ask for it without giving something in return . I have a proposal for you , father . " said Laura with a serious tone .

" A proposal ? " said mr Donovan .

" I want to trade my daughter's life and well-being with a project that will increase the funds of the company . " said Laura with a serious expression .

Mr Donovan knew perfectly well what Laura was talking about and nodded his head .

" Very well ! We shall agree . " said mr Donovan with a smirk and the both of them started to talk about business stuff .

Laura knew that if she could change mr Donovan's mind in any was way , was through business affairs .

" You are a wonderful daughter-in-law . " said mr Donovan .

" Thank you father for your generosity . " said Laura with a sad smile .

She really couldn't hide the sadness she was feeling at that moment .

" ......Haaaah ! After all , Antonia is your daughter and also my biological grandaughter . She has the blood of the Landar family . The suggestion that you proposed is the best outcome . " said mr Donovan with a serious expression .

" I only hope that father will keep his word just like I will do with mine . " said Laura with serious look in her eyes .

" Of course ! We even have an agreement . An agreement that can never be violated . " said mr Donovan with a smile .

Mr Donovan was scary and ruled over the family with an iron fist but he had a soft spot for Laura . she was the daughter he always wished to have and finally got it through his son .

After closing the discussion , Laura took her bag and checked her wallet then rushed outside . Her husband followed her from behind and grabbed her hand and stopped her .

" Why are you doing so much for that girl ? She almost took your life . Is it worth it for you to treat the one who nearly killed you ? How can that child deserve your sincere love and care ? " said Karlo with a confused , annoyed and sad expression as he watched his wife , giving up everything just for their daughter .

" She didn't kill me Karlo . I was reborn through her . Giving birth to Antonia was one of the happiest moments of my life . She is our child , she is the fruit of our love . I know your pain of the thought of having nearly lost me...............I know the heavy burden of the family and its rules falling upon you but dealing with them by giving your daughter the cold shoulder isn't the right way . Antonia is innocent . If you , her father will not protect her , then I , her mother will always will . " said Laura taking her hand away from Karlo's grip and walking out of the mansion .

Mr Donovan looked at Laura entering the car and leaving the mansion from the wisdom . 

" I never thought that she would arrive till this point just to protect her daughter . " said mr Donovan .

" Madam Laura is always well-known for her love towards Antonia . " said mr Donovan's secretary , Paul .

" Sir........are you really going to just let this matter slide like this ? " said Paul .

" I already signed the agreement with Laura . There is no turning back now . Furthermore , that girl will not be a problem as long as she doesn't come near us anymore . " said mr Donovan .

" ......Antonia is indeed a bright and hard-working child with a kind heart . With her abilities , she would be able to make the family prosper even more . The reason why you hate her is that you can't make her the heir to the family , am I right sir ? " said Paul .

" ...........Ask the maids to prepare me a cup of chamomile tea . " said mr Donovan without answering his question .

" Yes , sir ! " said Paul with a discouraged smile and left the office .

' ..............A boy..........if only you were a boy . That's what I used to tell myself when I watched your excellent performance in both academy and talents............the one who you should blame for your fate Antonia is not me , nor my harsh behavior but your fate . ' thought mr Donovan then sat down his office and started to look at the files he had to work on . 

Meanwhile , Laura was searching everywhere for Antonia but with no result .

" Where is she ? " said Laura looking at her phone .

It took a while to sign the agreement with mr Donovan and to ease his anger . Since Antonia left the house , hours passed and it was already dark . Laura had searched in all the places possible but she couldn't find anything . the last place she thought of checking was the playpark where Antonia would often sneak out to play when she was little . When they arrived there , Laura saw her daughter sitting on the single with a lost expression and immediately got out of the car .

" Anotinia ! " yelled a voice from behind .

When Antonia turned her head , she saw her mother running towards her .

" Antonia , are you alright ? " said her mother worried as she checked on her .

" Mother...........why are you here ? " asked Antonia .

" I was very worried about you . I knew I would find you here . It's late now , let's go . " said her mother .

" Mother , where are we going ? " Asked Antonia confused when she saw her mother grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the car . 

" We shall go to a safe place first . It's already so late . You shouldn't wander out alone . " said her mother .

After they entered the car , the driver started to drive . Through the dark road that was shined by the car lights , they arrived at an apartment which was located on the top floor of a luxurious building . Antonia kept asking her mother but she didn't say anything to her . When they reached the apartment and entered inside , Antonia saw two luggage and a few bags on the entrance floor then looked at her mother confused . 

" Madam , the sir ordered me to remind you to finish as soon as possible . " said the driver , who accompanied them also to the apartment .

" Yes ! " said her mother and nodded her head .

She grabbed her daughter by the hand and went to the living room then sat down on the couch in front of Antonia .

" Mother , what's going on ? " asked Antonia confused .

" ..........Haaaaaahhh ! You are in big trouble this time Antonia . " said her mother .

" Mother , please believe me ! It's not my fault ! It was Annette that...... " said Antonia then her mother held her hands .

" ......I know......I know my dear . Even without evidence, I know that she planned this whole thing but.........the others don't think the same way as me . " said her mother with a sincerely worried tone .

" Is dad.......still angry ? " asked Antonia .

" .......The whole family has turned against us . There's nothing we can do . I........barely managed to convince your father to ease his anger and the family to stop searching for you . " said her mother and opened her bag , taking out some papers . 

" Does it mean that father forgave me ?  Did they realize that it wasn't my fault ? " said Antonia with a smile and a face filled with hope .

her mother didn't dare to look her in the eye but still found the courage to push the papers towards her and give her a pen .

" What's this ? " asked Antonia looking at the paper .

" Antonia..............As long as you sign this paper , this apartment will become yours . You will also have two million dollars in your account . It is enough for you to I've a good life without causing any trouble ." said her mother with a serious expression opening the pen and passing it to her .

When Antonia read the documents , she noticed that they weren't simple documents . As she read it , her face became filled with shock and pain .

" Mom........are you and dad........disowning me ? " said Antonia with a hurt expression .

The shock of Antonia could be seen all over her face . She felt hurt but unless she had a strong attitude , she couldn't make her daughter accept the money and apartment .

" ...........Antonia , you need to be thankful that you are escaping lightly . Now , you are an easy prey for Annette and the others in the family who hate you . This was all I could do for you . Apart from this , I managed to make them sign a document stating that whoever tries to harm you will have to give up his money and position in the family . This is a chance that I worked hard to get for you Antonia . Please , don't let all my effort go to waste . Don't put yourself in a difficult spot . Now that everything has already happened , the only thing we can do is find a peaceful route . Sign this ! If you don't wanna sign this for your own wellbeing , at least do it for me . " said her mother with a serious tone .

Antonia looked at her mother and could see the dark circles she had under her eyes , despite having covered them with powder .

" .......Will I ever be able to meet with you again after signing this document ? " asked Antonia with a sad expression .

" .........No ! You are forbidden from having any type of contact with other family members . " said her mother .

" I have never had any family members apart from your mother . Will I ever be able to see you , only you again ? " said Antonia trying hard to keep her tears from falling .

" ......If we happen to crossways in the future , we can be nothing more than mere strangers . I.........I want you to know that everything I do is for your own good Antonia . Right now , what's best for you is this . I love you so much, my daughter . It breaks my heart that I will not be able to hug you or see you again . " said her mother with tears in her eyes and hugged Antonia tightly .

Antonia hugged her mother again , not wanting to ever let go of her warm embrace .

" Madam , we have to hurry .  " said the driver checking his watch .

" I know..... " said her mother and held Antonia's cheek warmly .

" My beautiful , talented , wise , kind-hearted , brave , innocently naive daughter.....Never forget to take care of yourself . I won't be here to take care of you anymore . Be strong because fate smiles only to those who are strong , not to those who are weak . When you sign this , you will also be able to be free . The freedom that you had always yearned for . " said her mother with a smile kissing her forehead with tears .