Olivia looked at Angel and felt that she seemed to be too quiet and wouldn't speak unless someone spoken to. She said wondering if she might get Angel to talk to her and get used to the place: "What grade are you in school, Angel?"
"I'm just starting my university studies."
Olivia said with a faint smile as she sat on the edge of the bed: "This means that you are a year younger than me."
Angel didn't comment on her statement. Olivia said as she urged her to talk: "What does it feel like studying under the supervision of teachers at home? Surely it is a hundred times better than studying in a university, with students and classes, Isn't it?"
Angel looked at her and then said: " Your wrong, I wish to be in an atmosphere like this instead of being confined to the house and this seat as well."
Olivia quickly changed the subject when she felt that Angel might get hurt and said: "You haven't seen my brother Liam yet. He's three years older than me. And he doesn't care about anything at all. But he's better than Mark at least. He never quarrels with me."
Angel said while sighing: "I wish I had a brother like you do, even if he would fight with me all day."
Olivia felt that every time she spoke to Angel, brings the latter back to the bitter reality she was living in. She said with a smile: "You know, we haven't seen my uncle Henry for a long time and I didn't know that he had a daughter, otherwise I would have asked him to bring you to our house with him when he arrives."
"He wouldn't agree," Angel said, shaking her head.
"Why?"
Angel said as she exhaled sharply: "I have always asked him to invite you to our house, but he would always refuse."
Olivia furrowed her eyebrows and said strangely: "Why?"
Angel said, shrugging her shoulders helplessly: "I don't know. Every time he says this is for your own good. Things are better like this."
On another part of the house, Mark looked at his father and said with confusion: "What do you mean, dad, when you say that things are better this way?"
James looked at him firmly and said: "I mean, don't open the pages of the past. Things are much better like this."
Mark insisted : "But I want to know the reason for this rift between you and my uncle."
James said sharply: "I told you it was because of his daughter, Angel."
"I know that, but why because of her? What did she do to cause this estrangement between her family and all of my uncles' families?"
James sighed heavily and then said: "If you want the truth, she never did anything."
Mark asked with interest:" what do you mean??"
His father motioned for him to sit on the chair and then said: "The matter began about two years after Angel's mother died. Since then, Henry has seemed strange, he was silent, introverted, not caring about anything except his daughter, especially after he learned that she had injured her spine and would remain disabled forever."
Mark said quickly: "And then??"
James continued, saying: "Then my brother did what none of us expected. He registered half of his company in the name of his daughter, Angel."
Mark sat on the seat and said calmly: "If I were in his place, I would do the same."
James furrowed his eyebrows and then continued, saying: "Your uncles and aunt didn't like this at all. If, God forbid, something happened to Henry, half of the company would be transferred to his daughter Angel. Although her share in the inheritance supposed to be much less than this, especially since he doesn't have any sons. Then the rest of the shares would be distributed among his brothers. The important thing is that they decided that day to start with the simplest ways to change his mind . They tried to convince him to marry a girl of their choice. They had already agreed with her that she would convince him after the marriage to write half of the company in her name and thus Henry and his company would be in their hands.
Mark said strangely: "All this happened while you stayed silent, dad, not doing anything."
"What can I do? If I stood by my brother, they would have withdrawn the capital from my companies, my companies would have suffered losses, and I would have to pay the loss from my own pocket."
Mark said angrily: "But my uncle didn't care about all this and he made them withdraw their money from his company and abandon him, right?"
James sighed and said while nodding his head: "Yes, and there is still more to the story, After that they all went to him and asked him to withdraw from registering half of the company in Angel's name as she would be disabled for the rest of her life she would not benefit from the company and he could instead, put a sum of money in her account. But my brother Henry strongly opposed them and asked them not to interfere in his life. Because this is his company and he has the right to register it in the name of whoever he wants. "
" They continued to threaten him that if he didn't do what they wanted, they would turn his life and the life of his daughter into hell. Especially since she will remain disabled for the rest of her life, and any word from them may hurt her. That is why Henry isolated himself with his daughter in a house somewhere in the country. And no one knows his whereabouts until now.
Mark furrowed his brows and said in astonishment: "Didn't any of my uncles try to contact him or search for him?"
"They did, but to no avail and when they saw that they were unable to reach his house they started to threaten him with the company but until now Henry didn't submit to their threat "
Mark said firmly: "How long will he last, dad? Will you leave him alone to challenge my uncles' greed?"
James exhaled and clasping his fingers as he said: "I don't know. I have no power to do anything. The important thing now is that I don't want anyone to know that your cousin angel is in this house."
Mark said: "What should we say to my uncle or aunt if they came to visit us?"
James said while waving his palm: "Anything. maybe say that Olivia's friend has come to spend a few days here until her father comes from abroad. And don't forget to warn your brother and sister that no one should know about the presence of your cousin's angel in our house. As for the servants, I will take care of it."
He added in a decisive tone: "You can leave now after knowing everything you want to know."
Mark shrugged his shoulders indifferently, then got up from his seat to leave the office room.
Even though he felt pity for his cousin, who was born to face the harshness of life and its bitter reality.