"Why do you hate your life?" Mr. White asks.Sheen looks at him frowning, her tears shine from the moonlight while her lips tremble, shaking from the fear that he might not understand.
She"s ashamed.
"What if he just laughs because it"s petty?" she thought, hesitating to speak.
"Sheen, I... I am not forcing you to speak if you do not want to," Mr. White sighs.
He looks at the city lights and rests his chin on his hand.
"You know, when I was brought here, I was so alone," Mr. White said.
Sheen looks at him with surprise, she didn"t know he will talk about his life.
They are both vulnerable.
They are both lonely.
They are both broken.
And two broken pieces make a whole piece.
"I have no one, my father got too busy in the company and left me. My grandfather didn"t even take a look at me. I was alone. I hated everything, my father, my grandfather, and myself,"
Mr. White remembers the days where he will have to beg for attention and end up crying alone in his room.
"I wanted to go back to you so bad, I want to run away and go back but I was just a kid. I don"t know the world, I don"t know anything. I thought no one wants me so I distanced myself from everyone and now, my loneliness is caused by myself."
Sheen felt sadder with what he said.
She wanted to find him when he left.
She wants to run and follow him.
She thought she could never see him again and even forgot about him.
But here he is, so fragile in front of her.
"I was alone all my life and I have to work for myself. I have to stand on my own every time I fall but don"t we all need a hand sometimes to stand up?"
Sheen smiles, she felt the same way.
She always wanted to stand on her own but when she just needs help no ones there.
"Sometimes our broken hearts shatter quickly and might even turn to dust when we keep on trying to put it back to pieces just to stay strong, why don"t we let it stay broken until it heals itself? We don"t have to keep on trying to stay strong, " Mr. White looks at her with a smile and kind eyes.
The moonlight shines on his face, making him look like an angel sent from above.
It"s as if he"s consoling her heart to stay broken for a little while.
Sheen suddenly felt like waves are coming from her eyes.
Her tears suddenly flow once again, heavier than before.
"I... am so tired," she whispers.
Mr. White smiles as she opens up.
Her hands are on her mouth, trying to hide her trembling lips and shaky voice.
"They always use me to get what they want, they only see me as a tool. It"s suffocating me every time I think they can use me as a puppet and pull my strings. I thought after what happened with Kady, they will let me go, but here they are again, after Kady, it"s you they want to get," she said and cried hard.
It"s embarra.s.sing for her but it"s even more painful that she"s going to be used against Mr. White.
"What do you mean, Sheen. Tell me, I promise I can help you," Mr. White said in a comforting voice.
He reached out his hand and touched Sheen"s arm and caress it.
"They want to be your business partners, but they will only steal from you. They planned the same thing with Kady but while on the process of stealing, we had a problem with their company and Kady"s family cut all the connections with them," Sheen said in between sobs.
"I see," Mr. White was shocked with the revelation, but it hurts him more to know that Sheen was used to hurt people she dearly loves.
"They say if I don"t make an appointment for them tomorrow morning they will destroy my father"s business and make sure that no one will accept them anymore," She covers her face.
She"s just so broken that she needs to hold herself to feel like she"s still a whole.
"Okay," Mr. White said in a low voice.
He"s angry to the people she is talking about.
He wants them to apologize to Sheen for hurting her for a long time.
And also, he once used to call Sheen"s parent his own.
If they ever hurt them, they are hurting his own parents too and that is unacceptable.
"What do you mean?" Sheen asks.
"I will do what they want... but they will be playing with their own fire," Mr. White"s eyes are full of anger and revenge.
Even the moonlight shines with it.
His devilish smile that Sheen has never seen run shivers down her spine but it still feels more comforting than anything she has ever received.
"Don"t worry, Sheen, I promise you, they will never hurt you again," Mr. White stands up and leans to Sheen and held her head, "You don"t have to be alone anymore," he said and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you, Clark," Sheen whispers while holding Mr. White"s arm.
"Hey, Clark, I decided, I will write a story, even though I only have 3 months left, maybe I still can submit, right? What do you think?" Sheen said while smiling.
Even though they stayed up all night they both woke up early.
Cj is still sleeping and they have decided to have a quick jog around the mansion.
"Yes, but what story do you have in mind?" Mr. White"s sweating and his breath turn to fog, Sheen can"t help but stare at him.
"Well, I am not yet sure. The one I started before sucks, and I think of something new. A lady who was kicked out of her family because she does not want to marry her fiance they set her up with then she became a simple woman who works at a department store. Then she met a rude customer who turns out to be her fiance but she still doesn"t know and then they always stumble upon each other. And the spice of the story is a bit of magic, this fiance is from another world where he is a king..." Sheen non-stop talks about the story until the end. "What do you think?"
She looks at Mr. White who seems to be in deep thought, " Hm," he brushed his hair and wipes his sweat.
Sheen unconsciously bits her lips while staring at him.
"I think it"s good, the twist was unexpected but since you are still telling me the plot it was quite not understandable, but it was a great story. I can see tons of offers to make it a series and comics just like your first book," Mr. White said.
They are running through the wood behind the mansion and the smell of trees and dew have made Sheen feel refreshed.
She wants to stay longer in the forest with Mr. White, she wants to stay relax for longer.
"As I have told you, I"ll give time to write during your work days. As you can see, Dan is the one who usually does the things that you should do," Mr. White said while enjoying the cold morning breeze and the scent of the trees.
For Sheen, it might sound like she"s not doing her job and Dan is the one who is doing it, but that is not Mr. White is telling.
She"s been getting immune to the way Mr. White tells some things that might seem different to what he means.
"Why is that?" Sheen asks.
"Because he"s good at it. And he"s been doing it for years, sometimes it just comes off as a habit. And he"s not doing anything usually so he wants to help you. I don"t know why but maybe Bea has something to do with it, and his salary is quite higher than an average editor-in-chief."
They stopped to check a stream.
It has small fishes and tadpoles in it.
Sheen took a photo while Mr. white is sitting on a boulder while watching Sheen.
"Sheen, have you been in a relationship?" Mr. White asks out of curiosity.
Sheen suddenly stops from taking photos and almost drop her phone on the stream due to nervousness.
"Why is he curious?" she thought.
She looks at him but he was just staring at her waiting for an answer.
"No, not really. But I was engaged before to..." she began telling the story of Gerwyn being a fake fiance for Kady and how Blue kept the secret even though he is her best friend.
"And now, we"re just friends. Honestly, more of a best friend," Sheen smiles while remembering Wyn.
Then suddenly she panicked.
When he asked Wyn if they were in the city, he answered but she forgot to answer until now.
She checked the message and he said they are leaving tomorrow.
"Whattttt," she screamed at her phone while typing a reply saying that she forgot to reply and she wants to see them.
Mr. White just looks at Sheen, "So you"re single?" he thought.
"Mr. White! I have to meet someone today!" She shouted due to excitement and embarra.s.sment to Wyn.
"Is that so, then why don"t you take the day off, I have already prepared the appointment with your Uncle," Mr. White stands up and went to help Sheen through the muddy part.
"Yes, thank you, but Clark, about my relatives, they are smart and they can trick you and they are very aggressive and disrespectful if you turn them down, they can even spread rumors about you," Sheen worriedly said.
"Don"t worry, I am more capable than them. I will make sure they will pay," Mr. White began walking while Sheen follows him with a frown.
"But don"t be too harsh, I hate them but still, they are my relatives," Sheen sighs.
"I know, but crime is a crime, Sheen, abuse is abuse, and I know you know the consequences of such actions."
"Yes, I know that too well," she also once wish for them to suffer and now here is the chance.
"Clark, I am glad that you are my friend. You"re the best!" Sheen ran to him and pat his back.
Suddenly he felt weird, "Is this friend zone?" he thought while looking at Sheen"s cheerful smile.
He felt discouraged for a second but when her face lightens up like this, he can"t resist but smile as well.
"I hope I am not friendzoned," he thought before entering the mansion.
When they pa.s.s by the living room, they saw Cj crying and throwing the pillows and books around the living room.
"Sir, please calm down, they will come back later," a maid said to CJ.
Sheen and Mr. White both looked at each other and entered the room.
"What is this about?" Mr. White asks as he watches Cj throw tantrums.
Cj suddenly stops climbing the bookshelf and looks at them, "MOMMY!" he shouted and ran to Sheen.
"Good morning," Sheen bends her knees and hugs Cj but she still looks confused.
"The young Sir suddenly scream in Miss Sheen"s room when he woke up and she"s not beside him, he looked for the Master but he"s also not around and we try to tell them that you just went out for a jog but he won"t listen," a butler answered.
"I thought you left me behind," Cj started crying again.
Sheen kissed his forehead, "No, we won"t. Why would you say that?"
"I use to leave him here when I have an urgent matter to attend, that may be the reason," Mr. White ma.s.sages his temples.
He suddenly felt his head ached with Cj"s loud cries.
Sheen looks at Mr. White sharply, "How can you leave such cute little you behind?"
"I can"t bring him to meetings and he"s so young back then."
Sheen smiled at Mr. White, of course, she knows why.
She just wants to make Cj feel better.
"Don"t worry, you won"t be left behind, I"m here," Sheen carries him as they go out of the room.
Cj looks at Mr. White with a devilish smile while being carried away by Sheen.
"What the... that disrespectful brat," Mr. White whispered while glaring at Cj.
"Now, why don"t we take a bath? The breakfast will be ready soon and we"ll have to go," Sheen said as she prepares Cj"s clothes.
"Let"s take a bath, together Mommy!" Cj said while taking his pajamas off.
"No ones taking a bath together," Mr. White suddenly appeared behind Cj.
"Wah!" He screamed and jumps to Sheen.
"How can you act so childish, you even made a mess," Mr. White sits down with his fatherly tone.
Cj hides behind Sheen, "You can"t always act like a brat whenever you like, aren"t you embarra.s.sed?"
Mr. White folds his arm, "Act properly, Clark Brent White Junior."
Sheen sweatdrop with Mr. White"s aura and tone then he turned to Cj, "You know when your Dad was kid, my mom used to tell me that he likes to cut the pictures from a magazine and make a flipbook," Sheen whispers then she and Cj looks at Mr. white with a mocking smile.
Mr. White shivers with their expression, "What are you talking about?"
"And he used to take leaves and flowers then act as if he"s playing cook," Sheen grins.
She"s playing with him that time but she has to make it sound that Mr. White became a child as well.
"Ew, that"s too girly," Cj looks at his father who stares at them confused.
"Did he cry too?" Cj asks.
"Yes, a lot, especially when I eat his food," Sheen chuckles.
Cj looks at Sheen amazed then to his father, "You were kids like me before?"
Sheen was shocked to hear Cj, she thought since CJ"s mature and smart he wouldn"t ask such a question.
She smiled cheerfully, "Yes. So, Cj, it"s fine if you act like a kid, but be sure to know when and how. You can"t throw things because you"re upset, it"s big trouble. And learn how to listen, okay?"
Cj nods happily.
He never imagines that they were kids even though he has seen photos, he never thought how they acted like kids.
"Can you tell me more stories?" Cj asks Sheen.
Sheen nods, "But when he"s not around."
Mr. White just watch Sheen and Cj whisper and smile at each other, "Take a bath, we"ll leave after eating breakfast," he stands up and leaves with a smile on his face.