Chapter 88
88 Ch. 88 The Past (part 2)
Richard felt bored with this event. His cheeks started hurting, considering he had to smile so much to everyone who greeted him.
Luckily, since he was only fifteen, the adults had their eyes on him less and more towards Diego Regnz, Chleo’s brother.
Diego was already eighteen, and the young man was the perfect candidate to become someone’s son-in-law if that person wanted to elevate his social status.
Not only handsome with his blond hair and blue eyes, but Diego was also a friendly and sociable young man.
Diego already had many fans from the younger and older circles because of his sweet, friendly manner.
Richard struggled to escape the crowd and headed out of the main hall to get some fresh air. He walked down the stairs and headed to the backyard. Just as he was about to pass through the exit, he heard a voice.
“Just do your job, or the master will whip you when you return.”
Richard frowned at this threat. And even more, he was confused when he realized the person speaking was using Chinese.
Does that mean they are guests from Asia?
.....
Well, none of his business since he wasn’t old enough to join the adult conversation yet.
Richard decided to leave but stopped when he heard a melodious voice he had heard before.
“Jiejie has been kind to me. Why do you want me to harm her? Aaaaa!”
Richard froze at the scream.
“Don’t ask any questions. Just do your job. You understand?!”
Richard immediately woke up from his reverie when he heard the sound of someone’s footsteps approaching. Luckily he had a swift reaction, so he immediately moved to hide behind the pillar.
Once he was sure the footsteps could no longer be heard, Richard peeked behind a pillar to look at the exit leading to the backyard.
Not long after, a petite figure in a pink dress walked over while holding her wrist... to be precise; she was rubbing it to relieve the pain.
Richard had a younger sister, and this child had a fragile body similar to Harmonie. His heart felt the pain of seeing the little girl’s state. What kind of adult would hurt an innocent child?
Richard decided to go out and approach the little girl. Well, he couldn’t help the girl as he didn’t know who had threatened her, nor her parents. But he was sure her parents would help her once they got here.
So all he could do right now was to comfort and entertain the teary-eyed girl.
“Hey, Xiao Xia? Why are you alone here?”
Anxia was startled at hearing Richard’s voice and reflexively hid her reddened hands behind her back.
Anxia wore a smile as if the incident of someone gripping her hand with such intense pressure was unprecedented.
“What about you? Why are you here?” Anxia asked back in a sweet tone, making Richard feel uneasy.
He saw her toothy smiley face, but why couldn’t he see the smile in her eyes?
“My cousin is looking for you. He was frantically looking for you.” Richard wasn’t entirely lying because he had seen his cousin turn deathly pale when he realized that Xiao Xia was not there. “Let’s go. I’ll take you upstairs.”
Richard stretched his hand towards the tiny child, and Anxia accepted it and let Richard hold her hand. But Anxia was still trying to hide her right hand, which was still red, making Richard feel even more sympathy.
Was it possible that this kid was trying to hide her wound?
Who would have thought that this child had such a strong heart?
As soon as the two returned to the hall where the guests were, Richard invited Anxia to return to the sweet corner. He even offered the girl to order the patissier’s most delicious mouse that Vincent had specially summoned.
“Thank you. Ray is the best.” Anxia praised while raising one thumb.
Richard was amazed that this boy still remembered to keep her hands hidden. Not only that, this child was still not tired of giving her best smile even though perhaps her heart was crying.
He became curious if this child could smile from her heart. Would her smile be any brighter than this one?
“Um... you have the wrong person. My name isn’t Ray.” Richard confessed before this child kept misunderstanding that she was talking to his twin brother.
At first, Anxia blinked her eyes a few times before opening her mouth to form a big ‘O’.
Strangely, Richard felt slightly disappointed, realizing this girl thought he was his twin brother. Well, he couldn’t blame her. He and Raymond were like a splitting image, after all. Furthermore, they wore the same attire, so it would be tough for outsiders to tell them apart.
“Okay. I’ll take you to the others, and then I’ll order the pastry chef to bring out some special snacks for you.”
With a subtle movement, Anxia withdrew while shaking her head.
“No need. I already feel full. Thanks for taking me.”
Anxia walked over to Kendrich directly, and her behavior made Richard wonder. Is the girl avoiding him? But why?
Without realizing it, Richard’s eyes could not be shifted away from the little girl. For some reason, Richard felt irritated when he saw Kendrich’s overly broad smile, and his frustration escalated when he saw Anxia take his cousin’s hand again.
Not to mention, the girl completely ignored him and only wanted to talk to Kendrich or Raymond, making him feel very sure that Anxia was avoiding him.
Not only that, he could see the blank look in the child’s eyes when no one was paying attention, but she immediately put on a big smile as soon as she faced the other person she was talking to.
How the girl spoke and how she smiled and acted made Richard even more irritated. He felt this mysterious little girl was not what she looked like, and his hunch told him that she was only acting in front of everyone.
However, he found no good reason to support his presumption, but he was challenged to reveal Anxia’s true face.
A mischievous idea crossed his mind.