If someone who isn’t invited attended a party, it is given that there will be chaos soon.
“Your wife is so pretty, Mr. Gilbhey.”
“I know that ever since before,” Gilbhey, the main host of the party answered.
From afar, someone watched Gilbhey talk to the guests with smile on his face. But when Gilbhey met the gaze of his observer, the beam on his lips subsided.
The man on the other side, avoided his eyes and pretended nothing has happened.
Since when he will make me feel that he’s not happy every time he sees me?’ Chaylen wondered.
“Hey Chaylen! What are you doing here?”
Chaylen looked at the man who rudely asked him the question. It is Neil, his step-brother.
Neil approached him with a smirk on his lips.
“Do you need to use the comfort room?” he teased, the leaned closer to whisper, “You have such a thick-face, coming here in dad’s company. Did you forget your position as his illegitimate child?”
Chaylen chuckled huskily upon hearing those obvious words. He looked at Neil then dropped his cold remarks.
“It is also confusing to me that I took some of my precious time just to attend this party. Maybe, I just missed seeing my trashy brother.”
Neil clenched his fists. Veins popped in his neck like snakes as he gritted his teeth.
“That’s funny,” Neil let out a sardonic response. “To let you call me ‘trash’ when you came here even though you aren’t invited. Don’t you have shame? Chaylen? How does it feel to show to the world how pathetic you are. Got bored playing with women every night? Or you want to ask some pocket money from dad? If it is money, I can give some.”
Chaylen wiped the invisible dust on Neil’s shoulder. Then, he answered with a grin, “If we need to talk about shame, then I think you had to look in front of the mirror. I heard that staffs found you naked inside your office, with a woman above your lap.”
“...”
“I applauded you for having the courage to attend in this party. The guests might share the same thoughts.”
Neil’s eyes turned sharper. Chaylen found it funny that Neil always lose in their conversation, even though it is him who always started the fight.
“I will go now,”Chaylen added. “My real purpose for coming is to find pretty woman. But no one caught my attention. So bye~” He turned around, about to walk away when Neil murmured something that made his blood boils.
“Slut like your mom.”
Chaylen did his best to ignore the words. However..
“You and your mom are both useless.”
Trembling, Chaylen charged forward Neil. He grabbed his collar, which stole the attention of all the guests in the party.
“What did you say again? You bastard?” Chaylen asked while gritting his teeth.
Slyly grinning, Neil repeated, “Useless mom.”
Chaylen brought his fist upward, causing Neil to shut his eyes in fear. Yet Chaylen couldn’t beat him as he saw Mr. Gilbhey approached their side. Chaylen withdrew his fist and just pushed Neil down on the ground.
“Ahhh!” Neil winced, followed by Gilbhey shout.
“What are you doing?!”
Chaylen didn’t meet his father’s gaze. Without answering, he turned around and dashed to the exit. He didn’t know that Gilbhey followed him on the way to the parking lot.
“What the hell are you doing?! Chaylen!” Gilbhey’s shout that made him stopped.
Gathering an inch of courage, Chaylen looked back. But as soon as he saw his father’s crumpled face, he could feel the tears knocking at the corner of his eyes. Therefore, he firmly bit his lower lip to suppress his pain.
“You’re such a troublemaker!” his father added, standing before his trembling so,
Forging a smile, Chaylen opened his lips, “All I wanted is to greet you a ‘Happy Anniversary’ today. Wasn’t that really bad?”
“Bad? You are asking me if creating chaos during the party is bad?! I am so embarrassed to my guests! If you are too bored and want to do something funny, then get my family out of it!”
Chaylen’s eyes widened. Even Gilbhey, who spoke out of impulsiveness, got shocked at his own words. That was only a slip of tongue due of his anger. However, that mistake, that very mistake is enough to break Chaylen’s already broken heart.
“Your…family?”Chaylen asked with cracked voice. “If they are your family, then what about me?” he asked to his father.
Gilbhey turned pale. It wasn’t his purpose to hurt his son using that term.
“C-Chaylen. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
He tried holding Chaylen’s arm but his son dodged from his touch.
With downcast eyes, Chaylen spoke, “You never consider me as your son in the first place. I don’t have a role in your life, even just an illegitimate son.”
He licked the corner of his lips before breathing sharply. Next, he stared at his father and continue.
“Mr. Gilbhey, it wasn’t my fault to be born. But if you will keep on making me feel that I am f*cking worthless, then you should have think carefully before hurting my mom.”
“Chayley. I am really sorry. I actually didn’t mean to say that I…”
“Don’t worry. From this moment now on, I won’t ever pry myself into your so-called family.”
Chaylen turned around, and as soon as he did, tears flowed down on his cheeks.
His father is the reason why Chaylen gave up walking in the right path. He is also the cause of Chaylen’s loveless towards himself; the person who crushed his whole being. But in the end, Chaylen is still hoping that he could get even a tiny piece of love from his dad; something that he would never ever experience.
----------------------------------------------------
It was already 11pm when Slyvester arrived back at the boarding house. Standing in front of the entrance, he noticed the door was slightly opened. So he held the doorknob and gently opened the door, only to see two people inside hugging each other.
He stopped.
His hand withdrew from the knob as he watched the surprising scene from the inside.
“Oh?” Slyvester gasped in low tone. With rounded eyes, as if he saw a ghost, he saw Ryan and Chaylen hugging each other!
‘What’s happening?!’ Slyvester asked himself inly. He continued watching them without saying anything or telling them about his presence.
“C-Chaylen, are you okay?”
He heard Ryan asked Chaylen while hugging him. Since Slyvester could only see Chaylen’s back from his position, he didn’t know what kind of expression Chaylen is making right now.
However, Chaylen’s shoulder moves up and down, thus this gave Slyvester a clue.
‘He’s crying?’
“Why me? Why does it have to be me?” Chaylen complained, sobbing on her shoulder.
From Slyvester’s position, he could smell the rotten scent of the alcohol.
‘Chaylen is drunk,’ Slyvester concluded.
Then, he he stepped back and leaned somewhere.
‘Perhaps, something bad happened to Chaylen that’s why he got drunk. And now, he’s crying on her shoulder,’ he continued inside his head.
Slyvester let out a faint smile while leaning his back on the wall.
He has no rights to meddle between the know, he knew that. However, when he noticed how the corner of his lips elevated down, he felt a premonition.
Yes.
Slyvester admitted that he has a slight crush on Ryan. It started when he first met her.
When he saw her innocent face, he was captivated. When he found out she’s strong and a bit boyish, he thinks she’s cool. Every time she smiles at him, something prickled in his hear. Yet, he likes the pain.
'I have a crush on her,' He confessed.
However, he won’t deny that the only reason why he felt attracted to her is because she reminded him of his dead ex-girlfriend in the past.
So he thought that this feeling is something that only lingers from his old memories.
And that one day, it will vanish. Thus, Slyvester was doing all of his best to befriend Ryan, so that he can kill the silly emotions created by his illusion of the past.
‘But if this is only a simple crush, then why am I getting jealous?’ Slyvester asked himself while biting his lower lip.