Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 40: Greedy Mother

Chapter 40: Greedy Mother

While Hosea was worried for his daughter, his wife was worried, but not for the same reason. She was afraid Leander would leave. If Leander leaves unsatisfied, so will the opportunities that come with his association.

"Give me your belt!" Felicia shouted at her husband. Leander took a sip of the tea they offered him. "Nadia... don’t struggle. It is for your own good!" Felicia kissed and consoled her daughter who was sobbing uncontrollably and pleading with her mother to let her go.

Felicia won’t lie. It hurt to see her daughter cry and beg. But it is Nadia’s duty as a daughter to support her parents. Just like she supported her parents, her daughter will support her. It’s the way of the world--the circle of life.

Still seeing that Leander was unmoved and listening to the directive of his greedy wife, Hosea bowed his head and removed his belt, and passed it to his wife.

What followed was the loud swishes of leather on the air and the screams of Nadia as the leather hit her exposed legs and arms. Hosea’s wife was not sparing Nadia. She was strong and used her strength on her daughter. But maybe because she was the mother, she avoided her face and abdomen.

Leander counted the whips as Nadia’s pale legs got striped with red. Her cries made his mood better.

You deserve it for turning her hair orange and making her cry...and for making her believe that you mean something to me.

Leander stood up after he counted thirty. That’s how many seconds that woman cried in front of the mirror. Even Hosea’s wife’s arms had gone tired, and she had slowed down. Nadia was lying on the floor semi-conscious. Hosea was staring at the floor in utter desolation.

But when Hosea looked at Leander, there was no guilt in his eyes. "Sorry for letting you come out here to discipline our daughter," Hosea said.

"She should learn to stay in her lane... And your family have different disciplining practices, I see..." Leander rubbed his chin.

Hosea knitted his brows. His mouth opened and shut as he tried to form words. Leander could only scoff at him in his heart.

For a politician, he is not very bright, is he? No wonder, grandpa wants to make use of him.

"My family never disciplined anyone of us with physical pain. That was the point I made when I told you that your daughter insulted a servant of our house. Well, then... Your family, your rules," Leander placed his hands in his pockets and smiled not minding the utter disbelief on Hosea’s face. "Don’t make grandpa wait."

"I..." Hosea couldn’t believe what Leander said. He didn’t want Nadia to get hit, then?

Hosea’s wife walked with Leander to the door with a smile on her face. All that had registered in her brain was that the meeting with don Peter was not cancelled.

"Let’s go, Steve," Leander looked at Steve.

"Capo, you just mentioned his belt and his wife started hitting their daughter. Unbelievable!" Steve whispered to Leander; a "whisper" that was well heard by Hosea’s wife.

Hosea’s wife’s face went pale with disbelief. She was sure that Leander wanted them to punish Nadia. But why does his right-hand man insinuating that they never wanted to see Nadia getting punished. Did it go wrong?

No, it can’t be.

She, in her eternally deluded optimism, wondered if Leander’s heart melted after seeing Nadia’s pain. If that were the case, their family won this round! She was glad.

"Eh," Leander shrugged. "It’s their daughter and their punishment. What’s that got to do with us? Ah... the weather looks very nice today..." Leander walked to the car.

He could hear the heartless woman who hurt her daughter to unconsciousness slump on the floor. And he didn’t care.

He hated those types of women! But they are dime a dozen in his circle.

As far as that lamebrain... She better wise up and finds herself another fiancé! Otherwise, he had more ways to make her life hell.

No one can force him to go against his heart. Not even his grandfather.

-----

On the way back, their car stopped in the middle of a narrow road in the High Street. Leander looked up to see which knucklehead dared to stop their car.

"Capo, it’s Nicholai Palatini," Steve said identifying the Bentley that was parked across the road blocking it entirely.

Everyone immediately reached for their gun. This could be an ambush. If they honk the horn, they might start a fight using that as an excuse. The driver’s hand hovered above the horn as he waited for Leander’s command.

Leander relaxed seeing Helena and her mother walking out of a store. Nicholai must be waiting for them to get on. Helena was happily chatting with her mother.

Not the same smile...

Leander let out a deep breath.

Steve waved the driver to relax. He thought that Leander should have a chance to at least look at his first love from time to time. But he couldn’t help but wonder about the resemblance between "that woman" and this woman. The facial structure, the color of eyes, and hair were the same giving the illusion of resemblance.

Doppelgangers are real!

But... there were differences.

Helena was tall—just an inch shy of six feet—a perfect match for Leander’s height. She looked mature now maybe because she already had two kids at 28. But that woman looks very young at 28. Is it because she is short? Helena had silky, long hair. But that woman had messy, frizzy hair.

Upon closer look, they are not that same.

Leander observed Helena. He never has the urge to do that lately. But since everyone thinks that he found someone resembling Helena, he looked at her closely.

He still couldn’t see the resemblance.

The eyes of that woman... It’s like a dark hole and yet it emits so much light and emotions. He couldn’t describe the feeling he gets when he looks at those eyes. It’s...

*Beeeeeeeep*

The loud sound of the horn made Leander get out of his reverie. He saw Nicholai rolling down his window and shouting something at Helena. It’s not the first time he sees this. Nicholai is very short-tempered.

Maybe Helena asked if they could drop her mother, but Nicholai did not like that. Leander watched Nicholai throwing money at Helena’s mother and shouting at Helena to get inside.

Wiping the corner of her eyes, Helena got inside the car. The car zoomed off. Helena’s mother pretended that everything was fine in front of her daughter, but when she turned, Leander saw that her eyes were red.

He did not pity her. He used to. But now he didn’t. Hosea’s wife and this woman—the same kind!

Why should he feel bad when she got her daughter to marry the "heir" just like she wished for and not the second son her daughter wanted to marry?

She got what she wanted!

Leander’s eyes met with hers.

"Stop," she ran toward them. "Stop!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Go," Leander commanded the driver.

He had nothing to say to her.