"Mom? Are you paying attention here?" Emilia realized her mother was avoiding eye contact, her brow furrowed in confusion about why she wasn't confronting the man sitting beside her.
"Yes, Elly, it's just I..." The woman wished to share the truth but avoided making eye contact with Emilia, feeling too burdened to say anything to her daughter.
"Aunty, I would like to take my leave." With a grin, Damien interrupted, drawing the attention of Emilia and the woman, who glanced his way just as he finished the small pudding on the table. He tilted his head slightly and offered the woman a gentle smile, her eyes widening in surprise before she relaxed, feeling grateful for his support.
Indeed, she could understand that he interrupted to prevent her image from dropping in her daughter's eyes.
"Please go," Emilia responded with a dull gaze, blinking while focusing on Damien, who had unexpectedly said something that was advantageous to her.
"....Can I get the documents first?" Damien felt his mouth twitch but, prioritizing his play, he directly turned towards the woman, ignoring Emilia, who was definitely itching for a good teaching moment.
"Wait, what? Right now? B-but?" The woman was caught off guard when Damien requested the documents they had agreed to sign after his return tonight. What surprised her most was that he asked in front of her daughter. 'What is he trying to accomplish?'
While she felt a sense of relief that he interrupted her before she could admit her role in today's mess, witnessing him preparing to unveil the truth in front of her daughter raised her suspicions.
"What document is he talking about?" Emilia's ears perked up as she glanced towards the woman and took a peek at Damien while cursing inside since earlier he had placed his hand on her thighs and was going overboard by molding her thigh.
Above all else, she struggled to comprehend how her mother could be so oblivious, failing to ask why she was in a bridal gown. Instead, she had to inform her mother about marrying Damien, yet her mother's reaction remained surprisingly casual.
Unknowingly, Emilia was blind to the fact that her mother stayed quiet and refrained from discussing the bridal dress, as she wished to avoid the issue, knowing deep down that her actions—trading her daughter for shares—were truly reprehensible.
"That's—" The woman tried to handle the situation by dodging the inquiry, trying to transfer it as the documents regarding some small work or something, but Damien interrupted.
"I intend to give back all the shares I acquired to your mother, Emilia." Damien nudged closer, supporting his head on the knuckles of one hand on the table, while his other hand attempted to gently explore her thighs, his pinky finger reaching toward her sensitive area but falling short due to the space between them.
'?!'
"Wh-what! For real!" Emilia, already clenching her fist for a punch due to feeling his hand, suddenly pulled back from his words. She stood from her chair, looking between him and her mother with lightened eyes, believing in Damien's words because he accepted it in front of her mother. It was highly possible that he wouldn't lie.
Or even if he did, wouldn't it be favorable for her that even her mother would see his true face?
"I don't quite grasp what you're trying to convey, Sir Damien," the woman remarked, momentarily disregarding her daughter. She felt somewhat relieved that he hadn't revealed all the details, yet she was cautious since he mentioned the transfer of shares to her.
"I just want to transfer all my shares to you, Aunt." Damien, seeing how this woman was trying to cover up her image in front of her daughter, felt amused but not caring much since she didn't hold much value to him compared to Emilia.
So, he prioritized her over this woman who needed to prove her worth.
"Mom, what are you waiting for?!" Emilia, seeing how her mother remained seated while looking at Damien, felt this moment slipping as it was possible that this man could change his offer, prompting her to leave the dining room, adding, "Leave it, I know where those documents could be. I will just bring the documents myself."
"E-elly? How do you..." The woman wanted to inquire about how Emilia was able to find the document she hid somewhere inside the room secretly, but Emilia had already left.
"You are treating her as a child," Damien, pulling his hand which was once on Emilia's thighs but now due to her sudden leaving felt ache from the previous fracture resurfacing, massaged it while trying to pick on this woman who from the start was treating Emilia as a child.
Did he care if she treated her daughter as naive?
Nope.
It was just that his hand was in pain and he wanted to not heal it before utilizing it for gain, so for now, he just wanted to relieve his irritation.
"She is my child, so? What are you even trying to say?" The woman felt confused, with a twitch on her face visible, seeing how her daughter had just left and this man who had messed up her plan acting up.
"Tch, you call her a child when she could have her own child at this age?" Damien scoffed, shaking his head as he folded his arms, meeting the woman's cold gaze, who felt her mind snap at his words.
"Here, sign it." Emilia arrived inside the dining room before placing a document and the pen on the desk, looking at Damien with her folded hands, who seemed to rub his other hand, prompting her to notice red blood clots near it. 'Is he okay?'
"Hm, here you go." Damien, calming himself, lifted the pen and signed the document, causing Emilia to feel a burden lifting from her shoulders with each sign while thinking about such a change in the heart of this man, who acted evil all the time but now suddenly decided to help her out. 'It can't be.'
For a second, she thought something unbelievable but rejected the notion, knowing how he could not have fallen in love with her when she was just a mere tool for his use.
"Done." Damien finally signed the last page before placing the pen down and standing up as he gave a sidelong glance to the woman, who kept glaring at him but controlled herself due to her daughter's presence.