Chapter 30

OLIVIA

WHEN I looked at Uncle Ernest's back, I felt a rush of anxiety rush through my veins. Standing in front of the lake, he took a drag from one of his tobacco pipes and gazed out over the water. It didn't matter that I could only see his back at this point; his powerful presence was already enough to make me tremble. What exactly was he doing here in the first place?

"Who let him in?" I asked one of the bodyguards.

"Mr. Maxwell has called your husband, Madame. He was the one who permitted us to let his father in."

"Chase?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Madame."

It was unclear why Chase didn't tell me about his father's unexpected visit if he already knew. Inhaling forcefully, I muttered a curse. I suppose I had no choice but to face his father, despite the fact that his presence made me feel uneasy for an unknown reason.

Ernest Maxwell was completely unaware of my presence until one of his men walked up to him and whispered something, causing him to turn around and look over his shoulder in the direction of where I was hiding. I tightened my grip on the strap of my sling bag and took a deep breath as I summoned all of my courage and strength, then walked in the direction of him.

Olivia, act cool. I swear you did not want him to feel that his presence bothered you, I reminded myself.

"Good evening, Reese," he greeted me with a smile plastered on his lips as soon as I stood up in front of him.

While I could still recall how he glared at me as if he wanted me gone the last time I saw him, the way he looked at me right now felt completely different to me. It was sincere, light, and soft in its expressions.

"Good evening, Uncle Ernest. Uhm, how long have you been staying here?" I asked reluctantly. "You should have come inside. It is cold here outside."

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about, Reese. I seemingly like the view from here," he said, smiling as he glanced at the lake and the forest across it, then turned to me. "Chase seems to have a taste when it comes to houses. Both of you have got a nice place here. It is cozy, pleasant, and definitely a place you can go home to relax and unwind."

I forced an awkward smile on my face. After all this time, I could not figure out why his entire aura was acting differently now that he was speaking with me face to face. It was not ruthless or dominating in any way. In fact, his expression was very soft, and his eyes were glistening as he looked around our entire house, as if he were pleased that his son had been able to acquire a gorgeous house in which he could bring his wife to live.

"I have to agree with you on that, Uncle," I managed to say.

My anxiety and fear had gradually faded away, and all that was left was a sense of bemusement at how Ernest Maxwell was able to smile and speak to me in such a soothing manner. It washed away the discomfort I had been feeling just a few minutes before, and I could not help but wonder if I had been wrong all along to think so negatively of him after all this time.

"Would you like to come inside? Chase said that he would be home late because he needs to work, but I can call him and request him to go home early so you can have a conversation with him."

"Oh, please don't bother, Reese. The reason I came here is you," he said, and gave me a small smile.

"Me… Uhm, okay, uncle. W-We can talk inside. Come with me, please."

He smiled and nodded his head. When I turned around, I pointed the way to the main entrance of our mansion. I had to admit that I was still uncomfortable in his presence, not because I was afraid of him, but because I was unsure of how I would behave in front of him after everything that had happened over the previous couple of weeks.

Remembering how he behaved when the cops accused Chase of illegal drug possession, then that day when he discovered that we were secretly married, and the death threat incident that occurred a few days ago, I had the distinct impression that he was placing the blame on me for everything. However, this was no longer the case.

To be completely honest, this situation made me rethink my judgment. Was it just a case of anxiety on my part to suspect that something was wrong with Chase's father? Because I had the distinct impression that I had been proven wrong... yet again.

"Would you like some tea, Uncle?" I asked him when we arrived in the living room of the mansion.

When I turned to face him, I noticed how his gaze wandered around the house, taking in every detail of Chase and my new home. As I continued to follow his gaze, I was struck by the obvious happiness that could be seen in his pair of oceanic eyes. It was only then that I realized Chase had inherited some of his father's facial characteristics, including his piercing blue eyes, his pointed nose, and his perfectly shaped jaws. But I couldn't deny that Ernest Maxwell was also a captivating elderly gentleman with the ability to seduce women around the same age as his.

"This mansion looks more appealing than our house." He chuckled and settled himself on the couch. "Oh, and don't bother. I had my dinner before coming here."

"Are you sure, Uncle?"

"Reese, you already married my son. I think it is time for you to address me like how you call your father," he remarked with a smile.

His statement caught me completely off guard. Was it possible that I misheard what he said? He wanted me to refer to him as "dad" from now on? I blinked several times and looked at him with wide eyes. I could not seem to grasp what he was trying to say. After a few seconds, he burst out laughing, indicating that he had picked up on my reaction. My cheeks were flushed red as the heat rushed through them. I sat across the couch from him and cleared my throat. He even laughed while shaking his head. It was as if he was amused by my joke.

"I see that you are way more shocked by it than me visiting you here." He shook his head, trying to hold back his laughter. "Yeah, I think it is time for you to call me "dad." You already became my daughter-in-law after all."

"I'm sorry. I thought you were completely against the idea of me marrying your son."

He then cleared his throat and let out a huge sigh afterwards. "I know you had an impression like that, which is why I came here to talk things out." His expression softened as he eyed me. "I want to apologize for my behavior, Reese. I know it is not right to take my anger out on you, and I did see that I went too far. You did not deserve all that. After all those things that happened, I should have acted more like a father to you instead of making you feel that you were not suited for my son. I guess I was only concerned about Chase. I've seen him in the devastating part of his life when you were gone, and I didn't like that at all. That's why when you came back, I thought you were going to hurt him all over again. As a father, I only wanted to protect my son. Even if he's already of age to make decisions, I still see him as a kid I needed to protect at any cost."

I was completely taken aback. Hearing these words from Chase's father made me want to take back all of the mistrust I had previously harbored toward him. Just looking at him right now, who was looking at me with such a fatherly expression on his face, I was completely convinced that he was only concerned about the well-being of his son. He did not want Chase to be hurt again over the same woman. In fact, if I had been in his shoes, I would have done exactly the same thing. That was what parents were expected to do, after all.

"I get it, Uncle—"

"You can call me Dad from now on, Reese. You are part of the Maxwell family already…"

My heart raced so fast because of the high emotions I felt after hearing all of his thoughts.

"Y-Yes, dad…" I responded, calling him "dad" for the very first time. It sounded foreign, but it did send warmth to my heart.

I was well aware that everything was just a charade in order for me to succeed with my plan, but there were times like this when I could not stop myself from getting carried away. That's when it dawned on me that I was just a girl who didn't have any parents or family other than Lara and Mikael, which may have contributed to my being so soft whenever a parent spoke to me in such a heartfelt manner.

"I am hoping that you can forgive me, Reese, for doing things based on my emotions. I didn't think like a real adult."

"Please don't say it, Dad…" I cleared my throat and looked him in the eyes. "I totally understand your reasons and I… I forgive you." I gave him a small smile to assure him I was telling the truth. "And I also want to apologize for causing a lot of trouble in your family. It's not my intention to stain your family name, and I never wish for Chase and Chandria to fight…"

If I was being honest, I would say I was sincere when I apologized for causing so much trouble in their family, but the thing about Chandria and Chase made me feel as if I did not have any regrets. Chandria was a bitch and mean. I thought she deserved some brutal words from her brother because she really did cross the lines.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I also want to address Chandria's behavior towards you. I know that I shouldn't take the blame, but as her father, I believe it is my responsibility to teach her moral lessons on how to treat people, and so I apologize for her actions, Reese. Chandria is still young and has a lot of things to realize and learn about. She only loves her brother so much that she thinks you're going to hurt him again."

I let out a sigh and nodded at him to give him the impression that I understood where his bitch daughter was coming from, but deep down, I knew that her reasoning was so flimsy and shallow to begin with.

"And I assure you that she is not the one who sent such death threats to you. She may be a spoiled brat but she can't do things like that to her brother's wife."

I simply smiled at him. I wanted to believe it if not for Chase, who convinced me that Chandria was capable of doing such things.

"Don't worry, Reese. I will do my best to protect both of you too. Given that you are already part of our family, I won't allow anyone to hurt you, and I will discuss it with Chase once he's able to clear his head. He's still mad at his old man."

"I can talk to him, Dad…" I said as I bit my lower lip. "Chase has a lot on his plate right now, and I think it added more for him to become so mad toward Chandria."

"Point taken. I guess I will have to try harder in order to pick up the pieces of trust he once had for me and slowly fix it."

"I promise to help you, Dad. Chase is not that heartless, I am confident that his anger will wash away anytime soon."

"Hopefully, Reese…"

Following the conversation I had with Ernest Maxwell, who preferred to be addressed as "dad" now that I had married his son, I immediately called Lara on the phone and informed her that I had decided to cancel my request to follow Chase's father around. It became clear to me that I was only being paranoid as a result of the negative circumstances that had occurred over the previous couple of weeks, and as a result of our ability to talk things out, my suspicions about him began to fade away as well. All that was left was the security of knowing that, for the first time in my life, I had a father figure that I could trust.

I had to admit, it felt good to have parents… Mrs. and Mr. Jones, then now Ernest Maxwell. Despite the fact that I was not meant to live this life, I was a little grateful for the opportunity to learn what it was like to have some parents. That alone brought me such joy, something I had never experienced before because I was accustomed to being alone, to being an orphan trying to make it in the rat race.