"Good observation." Ethan"s low voice suddenly became cold. Although there was no superfluous expression on his face, Kylie could see right through him; he was unpleasant.
What had she said to turn him against her?
The man continued to eat without making eye contact with Kylie. He could enjoy his dish, but now, Kylie couldn"t.
Absent-minded, the fork dangled from her mouth, as her mind went back in time, to ten years before.
***
When Kylie"s mother pa.s.sed away, and her stepmother, Alice Davis, entered the house, Kylie didn"t merely lose maternal love, but paternal love as well.
Laurence didn"t treat her well, no matter how hard she worked in the school. He only seemed to care about Khloe, who, in his eyes, was sensible and clever.
Once, Kylie intentionally tore up her homework, so that her teacher would order her to bring her parents to school, for a serious talk.
She wasn"t frightened, as any other child would have been, but very happy. Laurence would be forced to go to school and act like her father.
But this was only a way to get attention. Not only did she get that, but she also got a terrible beating. Even so, Kylie was happy.
After that, she started to do even crazier things. Even though she couldn"t avoid abuse and insult, at least Laurence would show up.
She no longer had to live at home without any attention. Instead, she became an influential member of the family—though not exactly welcomed.
Once, on her way home from school, she was laughed at by several boys. They accused her of killing her own mother, and they said that Laurence didn"t care about her, because she wasn"t his real daughter.
Kylie was p.i.s.sed off, then fought with the boys. They were one against three, so she couldn"t possibly win. Still, the boys were beaten up pretty badly.
With blood and mud on her school uniform, she rushed home to question Laurence. But Laurence didn"t comfort her but said that it was a shame he couldn"t erase her from his life.
Kylie ran out into the heavy rain.
She hid under a truck, to keep out of the rain. Relentless winds forced her to curl up to keep warm. After a long time, she saw a pair of men"s legs appear in the curtain of rain.
Thinking it was the driver, she scrambled to get out from under the truck, in order to avoid getting caught in the wheel.
As soon as she raised her head, she found that the rain had stopped. She looked up at a boy holding an umbrella. He hunched down in front of her and reached out his hands.
That day, she heard the sweetest words ever. "Let me protect you," he said.
Kylie gave her hand to the stranger.
He carried her on his back while she held the umbrella. They walked towards the demolition site.
Because of her swollen eye, she couldn"t quite see the boy, but she knew that he wiped away the blood and mud from her face.
She ate the shapeless bread that he offered and drank rainwater from the eaves. He sat there, head down, and did her homework with seriousness.
Kylie remembered that he wrote with his left hand. His writing was neat and in cursive. The paper was still stored away in her piggy bank.
All night, the two strangers hugged to keep warm. There were no other intimate actions. But she fell in love with him.
Unfortunately, the boy left at daybreak.
***
Pa!
The sound of a fork hitting the table interrupted her thoughts.
His eyes were colder than before. He stared at her as if she had committed a sin.
"What"s the matter?" Kylie blinked, to push back the moisture in her eyes. Then she looked down and took a bite of her food.
Ethan also looked down. She had become absent-minded as soon as Aiden had come up!
Ethan had heard from the housekeeper that Kylie had met Aiden at the gate. He had thought that Kylie would never forgive Aiden for what had happened at Baleney.
Yet, unexpectedly, she had gotten into his car. Could she forgive Aiden for anything?
Ethan looked at her unkindly, which made Kylie feel uncomfortable. "Are you choking?" she asked, standing up to get him a drink of water.
"You���re thinking of Aiden," the man answered.
She stiffened and scratched her head, to have something to do. "I was just thinking... That"s all."
The man stood up fiercely. The cold eyes could almost turn her to stone. Just when Kylie thought he was going to do something violent, he suddenly turned around and went upstairs.
"Oh..." Kylie wanted to say something, but nothing would come out. She looked at the dishes on the table. Did Lucy put gunpowder in the dishes? How could he blow up so quickly?
She had wanted to eat the pan-fried salmon, but her appet.i.te was gone. Instead, she took her plate to the kitchen. Lucy was flattered and took it from her.
"Just leave it, ma"am, let me do it."
But Kylie stood to the side and helped Lucy dry the dishes. "Lucy, is Lord Ethan always so weird?"
"No." Lucy thought for a while, then added: "He"s always been cold. He has become warmer since you arrived."
Kylie wondered if Lucy was really his servant and not a lobbyist.
Kylie changed the subject. "You"ve been working here for a long time, right? Was he this cold before he joined the army?"
Lucy turned off the tap, looked at her, and said: "Ma"am, I"m just a servant." By implication, she couldn"t talk so casually about her boss"s affairs.
Ah, a strict family, Kylie thought. Even the servants kept secrets.
Knowing that Kylie wanted to know more about Ethan, Lucy said, while peeling an orange: "Ma"am, he doesn"t speak much. But it is very nice. He is kind to us servants. He is a good man."
Kylie nodded and put the peeled orange into her mouth.
"Lover"s quarrels are soon mended," Lucy said, pushing a plate of fruit towards Kylie. "One silent, and one active."
Although some things about Ethan"s past couldn"t be discussed with Kylie, Lucy sincerely hoped that he would be happy. And maybe Kylie was the one for the job.