One night stand with my president(chapter 455)

 

Chapter 455:  He's Always Been Selfish

Edward stood in front of Harrison's door for a long time.

Then he finally turned around.

He returned to his room like a ghost, lifeless and empty.

As soon as he shut the door and turned around, the sight of the lavish furnishings made something twist in his chest.

Years ago, he craved freedom above all else.

But now that he'd had his fill of freedom... he longed for luxury again.

And if he was being honest, he didn't want to leave the Thomson mansion.

But if he wanted to stay, what about Britney?

With how things stood, it was obvious that Lorenzo would never accept her into the Thomson family.

And even if he did, Harrison absolutely wouldn't, which meant Britney had to go.

As for Alondra? There was no way he'd let her leave with Britney.

She was his daughter-she belonged with him.

But knowing Britney, and judging from her recent behavior, she wasn't going to walk away quietly.

She'd cause a scene.

And who knew what chaos that would unleash?

If she pushed Harrison too far, things would be troublesome.

Even as his father, Edward couldn't help but shiver at the memory of that cold stare.

He feared that if Harrison really lost patience, he might not even be allowed to stay.

After tasting the glory and indulgence of this life again, the thought of going back to that cramped house in Yewhaina made his stomach churn.

Standing by the window, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, Edward finally made up his mind.

No matter what it took, he had to get rid of

Britney.

Deep down, he knew this was a betrayal. She had followed him for over a decade and given birth to his child.

But so what?

Edward had always been a selfish man.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Followed by the sweet voice of his daughter.

"Daddy? Are you in there?"

At the sound of her voice, he stubbed out his cigarette and opened the door.

Alondra was holding a piece of paper, grinning ear to ear. "Daddy, I drew a picture!"

He bent down and scooped her up, walking back inside with her in his arms. "Oh? What did my baby draw this time?"

"Look!" She held up the drawing.

It was simple, childish-but clearly a family of three.

Edward froze.

It was messy and unrefined. But he knew immediately who it was supposed to be: him, Britney, and Alondra.

His smile stiffened. He looked at his daughter and felt a pang of guilt.

"Why did you decide to draw this today?" he asked gently.

"Because our family feels weird now..." 

Alondra said, lowering her head. "I barely get to see Mommy anymore. I don't get to be with her like I used to."

Edward had no idea how to answer. Should he blame Harrison? He couldn't.

He was the one who had abandoned his wife and son.

And now, he was the one unwilling to give up this life.

Sure, Harrison had asked him to return to see Lorenzo and the family.

But Harrison never stopped him from going back to the old life.

If he wanted, he could walk out right now and return to being a simple man with a simple family.

But he didn't want that.

"Daddy, can we go home?" Alondra asked softly.

"Back to our little house?"

She had asked him this before.

Edward sat down on the couch with her in his lap and tried to coax her.

"Alondra, isn't it nice here? It's big and comfortable, and you can get pocket money, delicious food, and pretty dresses. The people here can look after you... If you stay, you'll be a real Thomson heiress. You'll live a life of luxury."

Alondra tilted her head and said seriously, "I do like all of that. But... not as much as being with Mommy and Daddy."

Edward drew a sharp breath and asked,

"What if... Mommy never comes back? What if you never see her again?"

"Never... see Mommy again?" Her eyes widened.

Within seconds, tears welled up.

"Daddy, are you leaving Mommy?" she sobbed.

She was young, but after living in the Thomson house for a while, she'd overheard bits and pieces from the maids.

At first, she didn't understand.

But after hearing it enough, she began to put the pieces together.

She thought that Edward wanted to stay here, but Britney wasn't allowed.

So Edward chose this house over Britney.

Watching the tears stream down her cheeks,

Edward grew impatient.

He thought, "Why can't she understand? She has a better life now-what is there to cry about?

"Alondra," he said, face stern. "Aren't you going to listen to me?"

He rarely used that tone with her.

So now, she was frightened, too scared to even cry.

"I... I'll listen," she stammered.

"Good. Then stay here like a good girl.  Whatever you want, I'll get it for you. This life is a hundred times better than what we had before."

Alondra wanted to say, "I liked the old life."

She just wanted her parents together.

But seeing his face, she didn't dare speak again.

"Can I at least... see Mommy one more time?" she asked, voice trembling.

Edward hesitated, then nodded. "I'll take you tomorrow."

But in his heart, he knew that would be the last time.

That night, Harrison and Adeline didn't stay at the mansion.

On the way back to Shurford Residence, Adeline turned to Harrison. "There's something off about Marshall."

Harrison's expression didn't change. "What do you mean?"

"I ran into him in the courtyard earlier," Adeline said.

She recounted their conversation in detail.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it," she said slowly. 

"But something about him just... didn't sit right with me."

Harrison reached out and gently patted her head.

"You're right. From now on, try to avoid him."

She looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly. 

"You already suspect something, don't you?"

"I have my doubts," he admitted.

He'd never forgotten the day Milania escaped.

He hadn't confronted Marshall or shown any suspicion.

But deep down, the doubt lingered.

What if Marshall had been the one to let her go? It wasn't impossible.

Marshall and his father had always kept a low profile in the Thomson family.

So low, in fact, that most people barely remembered they were there.

But sometimes, the ones who stayed silent the longest were the ones he should watch the most.