redemption
償還
Akashi's POV
It's been a month since the situation in Kaori's launching event. In the beginning, I was beyond shocked and refused to believe that she was really here. I slowly got over my initial disbelief and tried to accept the fact that things were going to change. It became surreal to think that the girl of my dreams was now studying in the same university and city as I am.
I had been dreaming of the moment when I would see her again, and it was a dream come true to be able to meet her after so many years of separation.
However, it also means that it has been a month since our conversation. I vividly remember how heavy and difficult the conversation was for us. We were both not prepared to face each other after so long. It was also a fairly heartbreaking situation because that wasn't how we expected our first meeting to be in years.
After the painful reunion we had, Miori and I became complete strangers. We avoided each other in hallways or classes and preferred to keep our distance from each other. It was for the best as we both knew the awkward and difficult position we were in right now. Also, I didn't really know how to cope or interact with her after finding out that I fell in love with the same girl again. When I thought that Kobayashi Minori was the right one for me turned out she was Miori in disguise.
So, there was no other girl it was only Miori since the start.
What happened after the catastrophic night?
It became the talk of the town for weeks and people could not stop talking about it. Almost every news paper, headlines, and social media posts were about her for a while. My father also informed me about their meeting right before she arrived at the event. I guess it was a blessing in disguise because due to the meeting between her and my father she didn't come prepare to the party and we would never know who she actually is.
As for Kaori, her family were furious at her for pulling such ridiculous stunt and they were even more horrified at the backlash that they received. The news tarnished their reputation as people labelled them as incompetent parents whose spoiled daughter caused havoc in her own event. Kaori herself were not doing well as she felt terrible and unjustly criticized by the public. The family is in shambles right now as they were trying to do whatever they can to save their dignity.
"Seijuro-sama, your father requested for you in his study right now." I was reading a book when a butler informed me. I went to my father's study and inside he was looking very serious.
"Father, you called me?" I asked as he gestured for me to sit across his table.
"Yes, Seijuro. Get ready in an hour, we have somewhere to be this afternoon."
"Where to father?"
"The Yamaguchi's residence. Be punctual as this is very important." I nodded and he dismissed me. Then an hour later, we were in a car heading to the huge mansion. On the way there, my father was more serious and cold than usual. It made me slightly uncomfortable but I felt like I could already know what to expect. After arriving at the mansion, the family invited us to sit down and Mr and Mrs. Yamaguchi both looked tensed.
"Masaomi, what is it that you wanted to discuss with us? It seems very urgent." Mr. Yamaguchi asked awkwardly to my father.
"Kohaku, yes, it is something important. I won't beat around the bushes and put it to you directly. However, first, I would like to emphasize that this won't affect any of our business agreements and our personal matters should not get in the way of our professionalism."
"All right then, continue." Both Mr and Mrs Yamaguchi looked anxious waiting for my father to continue.
"Before that is your daughter available? I would like for her to join us."
"Of course, I will call her." Mrs Yamaguchi stood up and not long after she returned with a rather confused Kaori. The girl looked surprised and scared seeing me and my father in her house. We haven't properly spoken to one another after the incident. I had enough of her childishness and wanted to stay out of it.
"Good afternoon Mr. Akashi, Sei-kun..." I just nodded at her as she sat next to her mother with her lowered.
"Kaori is here, so care to tell us what is this all about?"
"Very well. I will make this short. I would like to end the arrangements between our children."
What?
"M-my apology I must have misheard that. You wanted to what?"
"I think I have made myself heard. I would like to end the arrangements between our children, so there won't be any possible union between our families." Mrs. Yamaguchi looked like she had seen a ghost, Mr. Yamaguchi looked wide-eyed, and Kaori looked stunned as she was frozen in her place. I was stupefied when I heard the words that came out of my father's mouth. He couldn't be serious about this, right? My head could not process what I just heard when my father continued talking.
"The last month has made it clear to me that our children are terribly mismatched. I wish for my future daughter-in-law to be a woman of great character and etiquette and frankly, your daughter has not exhibited any of the desirable characteristics. For that reason, I concluded that it will be a disaster if we proceed with this arrangement."
"T-This has to be a huge misunderstanding, Masaomi...Our daughter, Kaori, is the perfect girl for your son. She is beautiful and intelligent. She will bring great delight to your family."
"Beauty and brain are only some of the traits required in an ideal bride. Your daughter's recent behavior proves to me that she is too reckless for my son. She downgraded her family's reputation with the incident involving the daughter of Harold Rhendmons and I refused to have someone like that to marry into my family."
"B-but...This is not fair at all, you're only letting your judgment determine your decision. I-I'm sure Seijuro-kun wouldn't want that...right?" Everyone looked at me waiting for my response. I was beyond surprised and no words came out of my mouth.
"See, Seijuro-kun looked as equally stunned as we were. Don't worry, son, you can still marry your princess if you want to and-"
"My apology, Yamaguchi-san, but I agree with my father."
"What?"
"Yamaguchi-san, Kaori, and I have been engaged for more than a year now. Throughout our time together, I found little to nothing in common with your daughter. She is a fine young lady but I don't think I am the perfect man for her. I feel like it will not be fair for me or Kaori if we continue with this arrangement when we both know we are far too different to be with each other. I am sure that she will be able to find someone who will cherish her for who she is but that someone is not me. Please, I ask for you to understand and forgive me." I said, finally letting go of the burden in my chest. I felt terrible for saying this but it has to be said.
There was some silence before Kaori stood up and ran out of the room.
"Kaori!" Mrs. Yamaguchi called out and then she looked at me with worried eyes.
"Seijuro-kun, I understand your concern and you have every right to decide on your future, but, as a mother, I could not stand the fact that my daughter's heart is shattered because of it..."
"Mrs. Yamaguchi, I'm so sorry that things have to end like this between me and your daughter, but I can't be with her. I can't give her the love and attention that she has so desperately longed for. It is unfair for me to take advantage of such affection when I could not reciprocate it. She deserves to be with someone who can treat her as if she is the most wonderful woman in the whole world."
"I see. Well, Masaomi and Seijuro-kun, I see you both have made up your mind...In truth, I am beyond shock and in disbelief at what I have heard. We always wanted what was best for our daughter and we genuinely grew fond of you, Seijuro-kun, but I can understand if you don't feel the same way. You also deserve to be with someone that you can love as your own. Also, about my daughter's recent behavior, believe me, both of us were disappointed with the incident, and we are currently doing our best to discipline her. So, if you feel like this is what's best for all then we can end this arrangement now."
"Darling, you can't be serious!"
"Moriko, I understood that Kaori would be crushed by this but this is the best we can do for her future. We just need to support and encourage her through this difficult phase..." Mrs. Yamaguchi sadly nodded and she excused herself to go to her daughter's room. After some talks, it is official that Kaori and I are no longer engaged. I wanted to talk to her personally but she refused to come to see me. Soon I and my father left the mansion and I both felt a sense of great relief and guilt. Relieved because I could finally be free to choose my future and guilty for doing this to Kaori. However, it is the truth. I don't love Kaori and I could never bring myself to love her. So, I guess there is also some joy that my heart can finally love freely and not be obligated to follow something that I have no say about.
It was a whirlwind of emotion, but overall I was glad to be out of this nonsense arrangement.
However, there is something that I am not convinced of.
"Father, I must say I was stunned when you decided to end the arrangement. You didn't inform me about your consideration before this, father."
"Yes, I was about to tell you but I believe that it will be more ideal to discuss this with the Yamaguchi family directly. Also, Seijuro, are you not happy that you finally earned your wish? After all, you tried many times to convince me to end it and I did."
"It is a great relief to end this, father, but I felt guilty for what happened to Kaori."
"The girl did this to herself if she wasn't brash she could have saved her reputation. Compose yourself, Seijuro, guilt won't bring you anywhere. After all, we have a much bigger fish to catch."
"Bigger fish? What do you mean, father?"
"You will find out about it, son, soon enough. Trust me." He smirked and I got a bad feeling about this.
--
Miori's POV
I was busy checking some paper documents when Emiko barged into my office looking panicky. I stood up in confusion as my friend walked up to my desk while gasping for some air.
"What happened to you? Why do you look so tensed?" I asked her.
"You...will not...believe...what my cousin told...me..." She was gasping for air and I gestured for her to sit on the couch as I sat next to her.
"Catch your breath and calm down first. What is so important that got you so worked up like this?" After a few seconds of panting, Emiko finally calmed herself down.
"Okay, I'm ready. So, basically...I was on lunch with my cousin and his parents when he spilled something that shocked me! I am about to tell you about it but first, are you ready for it?"
"I supposed so."
"Well, here it goes...Akashi and Yamaguchi are no longer engaged!"
"What?" I asked, confused.
"You heard me! They are not engaged anymore! Apparently, both families decided to end it because for some reason and now Akashi is single! Look at this!" Emiko showed me her phone screen where there were multiple news articles about it. I was wide-eyed and still trying to process what I just heard. They are no longer together?
"Isn't this good news? Finally, you can have Akashi all to yourself now!"
"How is this good news? Akashi and I are just classmates, we can't be together." I said. I don't know how to feel about all this. I feel terrible for Kaori because she was in love with Akashi but he didn't reciprocate the same feeling. However, I also feel some hint of joy and relief. Is it because Akashi is no longer tied to someone else?
"Why not? I know you must at least feel happy because of this!"
"No, I am not. It's their lives and besides I don't have any relation to Akashi anymore. He and I are just classmates and I can't risk getting myself hurt over again by being tied to him. I am glad that he can finally be out of that stupid arrangement, but even so, it doesn't have anything to do with me." I said.
"Miori, I know you're hurt...but maybe you should give Akashi a chance to explain himself...After all, if what your friend told you about his second personality back then is true then maybe you should try it once." I sighed.
"I-I don't know how to face him."
"But don't you think you should at least have some closure before you go back to the UK?"
"I will think about it," I said as I put myself back to my desk.
"Come on, it's not like you're over him completely. It is obvious that you still care for him and Akashi still harbors feelings for you. Maybe in the past things didn't work out so well for both of you but perhaps with this it can be a chance for you two to finally be together."
"Emiko, I told you over and over again. Even though I love him and I admit I still do, I can't risk it. It is too much for me to take and you don't know what kind of a mess I was back then. I just don't want to be in any more relationships anytime soon, especially after what happened with both of my previous ones." I said truthfully.
"Okay, I get it, you're hurt, but what if Akashi now since he is no longer engaged decided to court you again? Wouldn't it be sweet for him to do that?" I stopped typing hearing that.
"It's not possible."
"Oh, it's possible, all right? Akashi still loves you and who knows what will he do now?"
It can't be possible, can it? Akashi is single and available now, but I can't risk it. Nothing will come my way to live the life that I wanted now. Nothing, even him.
--
I was on campus and just finished a class when suddenly someone bumped into my shoulder and I dropped my bag accidentally with my things scattered on the floor.
"Hey! Watch it!" I said as I turned around to find that it was Yamaguchi Kaori, and she looked mad.
"Oh, look, it's the little miss popular. Well, you deserved it after everything that you had done."
"What are you talking about?" She rolled her eyes and glared at me.
"Don't act innocent, you know exactly what you did. Aren't you happy that you finally destroyed my life?" She said spitefully.
"Destroyed your life? Is this about what happened during the party? Yamaguchi, you did it to yourself. If it wasn't for your craziness then maybe it wouldn't have happened in the first place! Do I need to remind you that it was you who threw a punch at me?" I said annoyedly, our little argument brought a crowd of people to gather in the hallway.
"How many times do people have to bring that up? I'm so sick of people blaming me!"
"Well, whose idea was it to pull the stunt in the first place?-"
"Ah! You're driving me insane! Well, due to that incident, my life turned into a complete mess! I lost my friends, people ridiculed me, my parents threatened me, and now...I lost the love of my life thanks to you!" I looked at her in shock and suddenly felt sympathetic. For a second, she looked so vulnerable saying all that.
"I'm sorry that you have to go through that but it will never happen if you just act mature for once-"
"Mature? Me? Do you know why I decided to do that? It was because of you! If you weren't so close to Seijuro in the first place then I wouldn't go nuts and do that! You stick yourself to him like a leech and for what? Because you wanted to steal him for me, his fiancé, well, congratulations, your plan succeeded! His father was so mad after the event that he ended our engagement! Now, you can have him all to yourself, you wretched man-stealer!"
"You psycho! I didn't steal anyone! Do you really think I would be capable of flirting with someone's fiancé? I have some dignity too, you know! Perhaps the problem wasn't with me, but it was with you! You have always been crazy, spoiled, and ungrateful! Everyone knows that!" I angrily responded. She looked at me with rage in her eyes.
"Take that back! I'm not crazy! I'm going to destroy you, moron!" She was about to attack me but before she could someone stood between us. It was Akashi!
"That's enough, Kaori, you crossed the line!" Akashi said furiously.
"Get out of our way, Sei-kun! I need to settle something with this thief!"
"Thief? Why would you call her that?"
"Because she stole you from me! You belong with me but she came along and took you from me! She will pay for ruining our happiness!"
"She didn't steal me from you, and I don't belong to you. I decided to end the engagement because we have nothing in common and-"
"Quit with your lies! It was because you still love her after all this time, wasn't it? You never loved me..." Yamaguchi sad with a hint of sadness.
"Kaori...I'm so sorry. I should have come clear to you when I had the chance but whatever we had at the time was arranged by our parents..." Akashi said with a hint of guilt.
"You don't get it do you..." She mumbled under her breath.
"Yamaguchi...I'm so sorry, but I never tried to steal Akashi away from you not even once, and!" Without any warning, Yamaguchi pushed me aggressively and I fell onto the floor hard. Then, I felt a strong pain in my back and head as it fell directly toward the floor. I winched in pain as everyone gasped.
"Miori!" Akashi shouted frantically and he ran to my side immediately, looking terribly worried.
"You deserve that you stupid girl!"
After that, it all went black for me as I fell unconscious.
Akashi's POV
"Yamaguchi Kaori! Stop it now! How could you hurt an innocent girl!" The head of the discipline committee appeared out of nowhere and he looked furious.
"Innocent girl? She's not innocent at all! She's a monster from hell who came to ruin my life and now I simply gave her a taste of my vengeance!" She said cruelly.
She's a mad woman!
"Enough, I saw what happened. You are in so much trouble, young lady!"
"Quick, someone gets the poor girl some help!" Another student shouted worriedly as everyone panicked seeing Miori unconscious.
"Miori! God, wake up!" Emiko ran to Miori with a look of horror on her face and she tried to shake the unconscious Miori.
"Satō, call the ambulance now!" I said and she looked at me surprised, "What are you waiting for? Call them now!" I said loudly to her.
"Okay, okay, you stay with her! I will call them now!" She immediately dialed her phone and called the ambulance.
"Miori, wake up! Stay with us!" I tried to shake her but she wouldn't wake up. My heart raced crazily as fear and worry began to overwhelm me. Everything around me became silent, and the only thing I could hear was the loud beating of my heart. I looked at Miori's eyes-closed face and I hoped that those blue eyes would open anytime now. I held her hand as I prayed to God that she would be alright.
Everything happened so fast, I couldn't react to it at all. My mind was quickly dreaded with agonizing thoughts. I couldn't bear to see her in this state. Please, Miori, wake up! I tighten my hold on her hand, trying to assure her that I'm here.
"The ambulance is on its way! Oh, Miori!" Emiko held Miori's other hand and looked as as panic I am.
"How could you do this to her?" Hayashi exclaimed angrily to Kaori.
"She destroyed my life first!"
"She didn't destroy anything! You ruined yourself! Get lost!" Another student shouted.
"Boo, Yamaguchi!"
"She should be punished!"
"You're a terrible human being!"
People were furious at Kaori and a few of the professors forced her to come with them to the office. I couldn't care less for her at the moment, Miori needs me and right now her well-being is a priority. Not long after that, the ambulance came and Miori was brought to the closest hospital. Satō, Hayashi, and I came along with her. Then, they took Miori to the emergency ward and did a check-up on her while we waited in the waiting room area.
"How is she, doctor?" Satō rushed to the doctor immediately after he came out.
"Rhendmons-san suffered a minor head concussion. Fortunately, Rhendmons-san's injury is not fatal and she will wake up eventually. However, we are still not sure about the side effects after she wakes up. At the moment, we are doing our best to treat and monitor her health." We were all relieved but also anxious after hearing that.
"Can we see her now?" I asked.
"I don't think it's the right time. Let her have some rest for a little while, you may go inside in about an hour."
"We understood, thank you, doctor." The doctor nodded and bowed before excusing himself to check on the other patients.
"This is terrible! A concussion? Oh, Miori, why does it have to always be you!" Satō became so panicked that she cried and Hayashi hugged her trying to comfort her. I was quiet the whole time. I felt numb and overwhelmed with so much worry. I clenched my fists and walked toward the exit.
"Akashi, where are you going?" Hayashi asked, confused.
"To settle something with someone," I said coldly and exited the hospital.
--
"Akashi?" Kenshin opened the door and I immediately let myself in.
"What is going on? Why do you look so mad?" He asked.
"Where is she?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Kaori, where is she?"
"She's upstairs, are you here to see her? Well, that's odd-"
"Just call her," I demanded, and Kenshin stopped talking and he quickly requested one of the servants to call Kaori.
"Akashi, is everything okay? Why do you want to see my sister?"
"I have something to settle with her."
"What is it about?"
"To end this once and for all."
"Kenshin, you called? Oh, Sei-kun, hi!" Kaori came down looking happy, and it made my blood boil even more. How could she act like nothing happened?
"Drop the act, Kaori, you hurt Miori today," I said coldly.
"What is he talking about? You hurt Miori?" Kenshin asked, wide-eyed. Kaori rolled her eyes.
"Relax, will you? It was just a small push, she fell on her own. She will wake up in the end."
"You pushed her? Kaori, how could you do that?" Kenshin said angrily at his sister, who still acted like nothing had happened.
"That witch deserved every bad thing that came her way. She practically ruined everything for me! Do you think that her being unconscious could ever compare to all the pain she has caused in my life? No, and if I must do everything in my power to make sure she suffers the way I do then so be it!" She gave us an evil smile and Kenshin looked horrified at seeing his sister acting so crazy.
"You are unstable, Kaori. Miori didn't do anything, you were the one who did this to yourself. You allowed yourself to be corrupted with jealousy and insecurity that you were willing to hurt other people so you would feel better about yourself." Kaori stayed silent before finally opening her mouth to speak.
"You don't get it, do you? It wasn't only because of her I became like this...It was because of you too!"
"If you're going to blame me for all your problems because I do not return your feelings, you're ridiculous!" I said, fuming with anger.
"You don't know it, Sei-kun, but I have loved you since we were in middle school! Remember the game that you had with the school from Osaka? Well, that was against my school and I was there, watching and admiring you! Then, when the game ended your girlfriend walked up to you and you both acted lovey-dovey in front of everyone! I thought that after your break-up with Miori and when she returned back to her god-knows-where came from, I finally have a chance to be with you! When our parents decided on our engagement, I was so happy that at last, my dream would come true, but I was wrong! You never looked at me with adoration or love, there was nothing special about the moments we shared together, and you treated me just as you treat everyone else! Then, out of nowhere, 'Kobayashi Minori' appeared and she took your attention almost immediately. After I unintentionally read Kenshin's laptop and found out who she really was, I decided to expose her at the party so you would see just how fake she really was. My plan backfired and now I became ruthlessly criticized and lonelier than I have ever been and...I lost you." Tears cascaded down Kaori's cheeks as she broke down in sobs and covered her face with her hands.
"I admit it I was jealous and heartbroken because since the start it was always her who was inside your heart. Even after all those years of separation, you still loved her...I thought I really had a chance to be with you, but I was wrong. I never stood a chance against her." She continued between her sobs and something in me softened seeing her so vulnerable.
"Kaori...why did you never tell me about your real feelings?" Kenshin asked softly.
"You were always busy and when I found out you were interested in her, it drove me crazier...You were all I had, and the thought that someone else had your attention broke me, especially if it was her..." Kenshin walked up to her and hugged her tightly.
"You should have told me about this, I'm sorry if I made you feel neglected or unloved...You're my sister, nothing on this earth will ever lessen my love for you, not even Miori." Kaori hugged her brother tightly as she broke down in complete tears. It took a while for her to calm down and I took a deep breath before stepping even closer.
"Kaori...I owe you an apology. I should have come clear to you and your parents since the start and I shouldn't have brought you to all this mess. It was true what you said, I love Miori even through all the years of separation. I agreed to the engagement because I thought I had nothing left to hold on to. When Kobayashi Minori came to the scene, I was intrigued by her because she reminded me so much of Miori, and turns out it was really her. I was a coward and fool for not being brave enough to stand up to our parents and I hurt you deeply without caring for your feelings. I unintentionally took advantage of your feelings and saw you as nothing more than a friend when it was obvious you saw me more than that. I deeply apologize for all the hurt, pain, and suffering I have to put you through." I said with remorse. I realized my cowardliness didn't only pained me but it also affected her at the same time. She looked at me from her brother's shoulder and she gave me a small smile.
"I appreciate the apology, Sei-kun...I supposed I owe you an apology too. You wouldn't be stuck with the engagement if I wasn't so persistent on it in the first place. I was immature and childish during our time together. I asked a lot from you and I forced my feelings on you knowing you didn't feel the same way. It was always about what I wanted and never about what you wanted. I don't blame you if you felt burdened with the engagement because I was too much to handle. But you were always patient with me despite all my crazy demands. About Miori earlier, I allowed my jealousy to blind me from seeing reasons and I hurt her...I feel absolutely horrible about what I did, believe me...But I don't know what to do or how should I apologize for all the wrongdoings I caused her...I don't deserve your forgiveness after all that I did...I am the worst and most selfish human being on this earth." She said still with tears running down her face. This time, her apology sounded genuine and she looked distressed as she apologized.
"Kaori, what you did to Miori was absolutely sickening and dreadful. You hurt her and she is now unconscious in the hospital and the doctor is worried about the side effects after she wakes up. You also humiliated her and you exposed a secret she had desperately wanted to hide. You owe her a lot of apologies, Kaori. She never tried or did anything to you, but you always found ways to bother her. It wasn't fair for her and she had to suffer a lot because of your cruelty. If you really want to make it up to her, start by fixing yourself first. Whatever insecurity or jealousy of Miori needs to go. It has turned you into madness and out of control. Then, you need to be nicer and more caring to other people and their well-being. I know you can change but you really need to act like you meant it."
"I know...I am a terrible human being and I will try to redeem myself..."
"I think you should go to therapy, I will talk with our parents about it and I will set you up with one. You need this Kaori and I will be in every step supporting you along the way." Kenshin said with a small smile and she nodded. Then, she looked at me.
"Sei-kun, thank you for everything. I apologize again for my behavior and I wish you luck with Miori. I hope for happiness for the both of you, you both belong together." She gave me a small smile and I returned one to her.
"Thank you, Kaori. I wish for you the best for you as well."
--
Miori's POV
I opened my eyes and saw light coming through. The first thing I saw was the ceiling and it took me a few moments to process everything. My eyes began to wonder around the strange room, and I saw Emiko sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand.
"Emiko? Where am I? What happened?" I asked, still feeling confused and dizzy. She looked up at me and she rushed to my side, looking relieved.
"Miori, you woke up! Wait, I will call the doctor!" She ran outside and then I realized, it was the hospital. Emiko then returned with a doctor who did a check-up on me.
"Rhendmons-san is well. There's no major problem but her head is still suffering the impact because of the fall. So no straining activities and she needs to stay in bed for rest." The doctor said after asking me a few questions. After thanking the doctor, I asked Emiko a few questions, still feeling confused about what actually happened.
"You were pushed by Yamaguchi and you suffered a minor head concussion. Akashi, my cousin, and I were the ones that took you here."
"Akashi?" I asked, surprised at hearing that.
"Yeah, he was so worried about you. He practically carried you to the ambulance by himself. Quite surprising for someone with his character."
That can't be true. Can it?
"Where is he now?"
"He went out for a while but he should be back-"
"Miori." A familiar voice appeared and Akashi stood by the door with a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fruits.
"Well, here he is." Emiko giggled and Akashi came in and put the gifts on the table and went to my side.
"I am glad to see that you are doing well, does it still hurt?"
"Not really, but I can't really lift my head at the moment."
"That's okay, take your time to rest. Also, Satō, did you take care of the administration?"
"Oh, yes! I forgot! Wait here, I'm going to the office for a moment." She said and she went out.
"I bring you some gifts, you should rest and don't do any heavy activities."
"So, I heard you helped bring me here?" I asked, still confused.
"Yes, you scared me earlier."
"I see, I'm sorry for that, thank you, Akashi."
"No worries. I am just happy to see you finally woke up." He gave me a smile and I smiled back at him.
"But, Akashi, why did you do this?" The question finally slipped my mouth and he gave me an assuring smile.
"Because it's the right thing to do."
--
Third Person's POV
"Sir, everything is settled, when do you wish to leave?" A butler asked a man who was staring at the huge windows. The woman in the room sat on the armchair with a book in her hands.
"As soon as possible. I want to be there as fast as possible."
"Understood, sire. I shall inform the others. Thank you sir, and excuse me." The butler bowed and went out of the room, leaving the man and woman there.
"Darling, have you informed our daughter?"
"No, I want this to be a surprise. She will be very please." The man and woman smiled to each other.