PAK!
Plunging into the enormous living room, the smack startled everyone there.
"You, ungrateful brat. I warned you not to show me your face again, but here you are, daring to step foot in the city with that daughter of yours. Do you understand what your presence has led us to?"
Winter stood there feeling the stinging pain on her cheek, and tears welled up in her eyes as she glanced up to see her irate father.
She thought for once this man would appreciate her, but she was mistaken. She should have known that his invitation to meet them would be more heartbreaking than welcoming.
"Please clarify, Mr. Grayson, because I never intend to show my face to you. I returned for my grandfather." She refused to cry and stood firm on her ground.
"You..." David was about to raise his hand on Winter bluntness once more when Dorothy stepped in.
"Honey, stop," she urged, standing between the father and the daughter.
Her nasty eyes searched Winter as she scoffed mockingly.
"Still the same rebellion, Winter. Even after so many years, you didn't seem to change yourself a bit, huh," she added, causing Winter to scowl.
"We do not expect you to ever change. Your presence itself is a burden in our lives, but please refrain from disputing with your father because he has always been correct. You shouldn't have come here. Have you seen what it caused us and that disgusting little being of yours? You're both being questioned."
Winter's brow furrowed at the mention of Seren as Dorothy showed her the news about them that was circulating on the internet.
"You might never be a public figure and not have a reputation to hold on, but there are some who recognized you and now they want to know who this child is and who her father is."
Winter narrowed her eyes as she perused the photo and article that describe the whole situation. The photographer took the shot as she was leaving the airport.
It was unexpected that someone would notice her and share her online, given that she avoided social activities, let alone being known as Winter Grayson.
"Now who will handle all this?" David asked, drawing Winter's attention.
"First you ruin yourself by getting pregnant and now your child is making headlines, raising questions over her existence, destroying our reputation throughout."
Winter fisted her hand, her eyes darkening with each word he said to her daughter.
"Didn't you do the same, Mr. Grayson? This girl of yours was the fruit of your affair, which you obtained despite being married to my mother. If that is acceptable in your vocabulary, why not this? I am not as narcissistic as you, waiting for your wife to die so you may marry your mistress."
Winter decimated verbally, leaving no place for someone like him to point a finger at her daughter. She held Seren in high regard, and she expected no one to speak negatively about her.
"Winter, mind your words. Did you forget who you are talking to?" Agnes, who was also present, butted.
She simply waited for an opportunity to further degrade Winter in her father's eyes.
"Here comes another fool," Winter scoffed, finding Agnes' statements amusing.
"Like mother, like daughter," she mocked, causing Agnes' face to flush with rage.
"You…"
"I said stop it before I forget my limits," David cautioned, peering at Winter.
He blamed Winter alone because she was never as submissive as Agnes and always fought back in response to attacks.
Winter gave her father a stern look. She then stepped forward and stated, "I don't care how you handle this because I never considered you to be my family. So stop blaming me, as nothing concerns me or my daughter."
With that, she turned on her heels and left, but on her way out, she came across Eric.
"W-Winter" The words came out of his mouth flawlessly. He surprisingly fixed his eyes on her.
He intended to say, "It has been some time," but the words remained lodged in his throat like a lump.
Winter hesitated for a second but recovered swiftly as the memory of him kissing Agnes came to mind. As she attempted to pass by him, Eric firmly grasped her hand.
"Winter, wait!" he pleaded, but before he could say anything else, a voice broke through, interrupting them.
"Eric," Agnes stood at the door, and as soon as she spotted him holding Winter's hand, she rushed to his side.
Winter seized the opportunity to break free from his grip and walked away. However, Eric refused to look away from her fleeing form, who stepped out of the gates and into a cab driving away.
Agnes clenched her teeth and looked at the gate where Winter had departed.
"What took you so long?" She instantly muffled her voice and forced Eric to look at her.
Eric jerked out of his reverie and lied, "I-I was struck with some work."
He still wasn't over the fact that he saw Winter.
Agnes smiled and wrapped her arm around his hand as the couple entered the house.
*****
Inside the cab, Winter reopened the post and began reading through the comments. People mocked her for having a child outside of marriage.
Some even believed that her negative character was the reason the Graysons kept her out of the public eye. They were worried that her actions would bring disrepute upon them and cast doubt on their ethics.
Closing the phone Winter leaned back and closed her eyes. Her life changed dramatically in a single day.
From learning about the man she had a one-night fling with to his proposing to her, her single mother's existence became a viral sensation. She instantly became a familiar face.
Winter soon arrived at the hotel and went to her room, only to discover two men already standing out in black suits. It didn't take her long to recognize who they were; she had seen them last night with the rest of the armed men.
'Arrgh! Why is this man seeking my life?' She cursed, storming into the house, ignoring the two men.
Thud!
Sean and Standley trembled at the sound. Their hearts almost skipped a beat as they remembered Winter's furious expression.
"Did she enter with the intention of throwing Boss out of the room?" Sean inquired, placing his palm on his chest. His heart was beating wildly.
Standley found his pulse equally pounding louder than a drum and whispered, "I believe so."
Meanwhile, inside, Winter arrived with the intent to lash out at the man.
"How dare you get in—" Her words faded as her gaze fell on the human horse riding her daughter, neighing loudly.
"What the hell is going on here?" she whispered, examining the entire room packed with toys scattered around.
"Mommy, come and sit on Daddy. He's giving us a ride," Winter startled out at Seren's excited voice, her mind still processing everything.
Kalix halted and looked up to meet Winter's gorgeous face, which instantly flushed scarlet at his statement.
"That's not the way Mommy likes to ride, star."
"Huh?" Seren tilts her head in confusion, glancing at her father, who simply winked at her mother, further embarrassing her with his pervertness.