As the two men were enveloped in silence, Leslie made her appearance there. The brightness of the lamps hanging above basked her under its glow, casting shadows on her face.
Leslie made eye contact with Calix who immediately noticed her presence. She slowly approached him until she stood next to the low bamboo table.
"I wanna know what he needs to talk to you about, is that okay?"
Leslie's frankness put Calix in a brief pause. She was smiling like always but, why did it seem to be forced?
Pressing his lips together, Calix nodded, allowing Leslie to be here.
Even though...
Calix was actually afraid that anything Rowan might say would actually hurt Leslie's feelings. He couldn't deny the possibility of it happening.
Leslie grasped the reluctance Calix tried to hide despite quickly agreeing with her. The curve of her lips softened.
"Thank you, Calix."
Calix subtly hummed at Leslie's whisper. He averted his eyes from her, focusing back on Rowan. The latter hadn't spoken yet.
The middle-aged man seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts until he didn't realize the briefly uncanny action coming from his new son-in-law.
Calix entered his acting mode. He didn't show that he wanted to pry the reason Rowan wanted to have a private chat with him.
Keeping his professional smile on, Calix politely asked Rowan, "Father, please be comfortable with me. Do you want to talk about Charlene? Or, anything related to your work?"
Calix rarely bumped into Rowan. He usually came across Geoffrey, the younger brother in banquets. If he was to be honest, he disliked both of them.
Rowan, because of his pushover nature while Geoffrey, due to his boundless arrogance. Yet, Calix could say his aversion toward the younger brother was greater.
Even though Rowan was initially reluctant to let Calix marry Leslie, the young man couldn't help but wonder if his father-in-law actually had any hidden agenda. The former might put on a charade.
Most probably, Rowan would see this marriage as an opportunity to go against Geoffrey who had been oppressing him.
To presume that Rowan might request some assistance was not a far-fetched guess. After all, Calix and Leslie's marriage brought greater benefits to the Li family. The former could take credit for that.
Yet, Rowan's first sentence formed cracks in Calix's assumption.
"I'm a bad father to Charlene."
"...pardon?"
Calix was not the only one who was surprised. Leslie's expression told him that she felt the same way. Her widened eyes were solely directed at the middle-aged man.
What did he mean by bringing that up now?
Rowan clasped his hands together, assuming a hunched posture. Under Calix's perplexed yet intrigued gaze, he hesitated before continuing to speak.
"Charlene... I'm aware that she's not happy living with us. And... I can't protect her well so, I want to entrust her to you, Calix. She can finally leave the place... that only brings bad memories to her."
Rowan was swamped with shock and disbelief when a marriage proposal came to his daughter Charlene. Furthermore, the man was revealed to be Calix Xu, the CEO of Xu International, one of the most sought-after bachelors in the city.
The unforeseen arrival of the proposal cast doubts in Rowan's heart. He couldn't help but think that Calix had an undisclosed plan. Yet, he wavered under the young man's continuous persuasion.
One of the reasons because Rowan knew Calix's clean reputation. The young man wasn't one to fool around with women or drown in alcohol, unlike most young masters in high society.
At the same time, the Xu family was known for its stellar prestige.
Because of that, Rowan finally agreed to let Calix get married to Charlene. Still, he signed the contract that the young man came up with.
Exhaling a sigh, Rowan shared some more details, "My mother and the others only learned about your marriage yesterday. They... to say they're angry is an understatement. So, I'm happy to know that you'll visit our home tomorrow."
Because Calix ordered Edward to contact Rowan discreetly, Old Madam Li and Geoffrey didn't know anything about the marriage proposal. Rowan delivered the news this afternoon, one day after the marriage was legally registered.
Thus...
Chaos burst forth in the Li family's ancestral home.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? How could you let Calix Xu marry that comatose girl?"
"Elder Brother, didn't he actually request for Glady's hand in marriage? You intentionally sabotaged my daughter, right?"
"First Uncle! Charlene doesn't deserve him! What have you done?"
His mother, younger brother and niece, all of them were enraged. None of them believed Rowan when he said Calix really intended to choose Charlene as his bride.
Rowan lowered his head, seemingly to bow to Calix.
"Please, Calix. I humbly request... you to protect Charlene. The daughter whom I've failed."
A surge of complicated feelings swamped Calix's heart. He surreptitiously glanced at Leslie. He quickly clenched his hands, holding back from grasping her wrist once he saw her tear-stricken eyes.
Leslie's whole attention was on Rowan. Teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
Listening to his words brought some memories she had just gained to resurface. All of them showed how his daughter, the one who wished to leave this world, was thoroughly disappointed in him.
Calix refrained from sighing. His firm tone overtook the sullen ambiance between them.
"I won't let Charlene be wronged again by anyone, Father."
Rowan slowly lifted up his head. His lips shivered, unable to produce any words.
Calix resumed speaking. Resolution was manifested through his unwavering gaze and steady voice.
"Charlene is now Young Madam Xu. As my wife, I won't tolerate anyone who dares to mistreat her. Believe in me, Father."
Calix knew that his marriage to Leslie was due to his whim. But, it didn't mean other people could freely harass her. They needed to face him and the Xu family first before doing so.
Rowan blinked. A faint smile curled on his lips. The shadows on his face seemed to be dispersed, indicating how relieved he was.
"Thank you, Calix. That... that's the only thing my wife and I wish for."
Calix said nothing anymore. After nodding to Rowan, his gaze returned to Leslie whose expression remained darkened.