Change Of Hearts?

Red was disappointed to find Phoebe gone.

The word 'disappointment' was even an understatement. 'Devastated' would be a more fitting word but not close enough to describe how he felt at the moment.

From the very outset, Red was aware that Phoebe disliked him. He felt that right from the very first time their gaze met. As though her icy gaze and piercing glare wasn't enough, she made it abundantly clear she hated him by how aloof she had been when they first talked.

His wicked ways and notorious sexcapades were no secret and those perhaps drove an impenetrable wall between them.

However, he had no idea how much Phoebe hated him until tonight when he learned how she fled through the back door and drove through the night with her car upon learning of his arrival.

Rejection was once a foreign feeling to him for he never fell short of company, and women constantly threw themselves at his feet, but for the very first time he felt It's devastating blow.

Finally, there exists someone who doesn't feel the need to please him and crave his attention. At last there exists a woman who avoided him like a deadly plague. He should be pleased about that, nevertheless, he felt quite dejected.

He felt like a bird with broken wings,  falling from a staggering height before eventually swallowed by the ocean's merciless depths.

Could this be karma's retribution for leaving countless women in tears?

Not that he just dropped women like hot potatoes, he broke up with them for a solid reason or they decided to leave him after they realized he couldn't give any more than lavish gifts and sexual satisfaction. Either way, he made sure to properly end things before jumping to another relationship. He always parted with his exes in amicable ways except for those who thought they were smart enough to dare trap him into marriage through deception.

"Mr. Lorenzo," Edward Sheldon said at last after a long awkward silence.

Red collected his thoughts and stared at the man.

Edward was clenching his jaw with his face beet red. "I'm  extremely ashamed of my daughter tonight. Rest assured she'll be severely punished and learn her lessons to prevent this misconduct from ever happening again!"

As he ran a quick check on himself, Red was startled to realize he wasn't the least furious or even pissed at the idea Phoebe jilted him. In fact, he found himself far more concerned by how Edward Sheldon would deal with his daughter tomorrow once he got a hold of her.

Edward exactly had the face of a man who would hit his daughter in the face if she'd been there. If he could display that much anger in front of an audience then how far will he go if no one's watching.

"Sir, there's no need to punish your daughter." Red told him in a surprisingly calm manner, trying to ease the wrath he saw seeping through the man's glaring eyes. "Phoebe indeed did something wrong. However, she's old enough to decide what's best for herself. She's not a child you could threaten and control."

"Phoebe doesn't deserve your leniency and I only deem it right to punish her! What she had done was unforgivable!" He growled, his fists shaking as he clenched them in the air. "That fool went to that gold-digging bastard again! She never learned!"

At this point, Red had forgotten how disappointed and devastated he'd been that she left. He was too concerned for Phoebe's own welfare to even care about what he felt.

"Mr. Edward, I would understand if you want to give Phoebe a severe lashing. However, I request you not to do anything rash. She may be stubborn and hardheaded but she is still a fragile and vulnerable woman inside and out."

"You're a wonderful man Mr. Angelstone. Phoebe doesn't deserve you at all." Valerie Sheldon butt in. For a so-called caring step-mother role she played, she seems incredibly calm that her daughter just runs off alone in the night. A brief silence passed before she lifted her eyes and captured his own.

He found himself staring at a pair of exquisite blue eyes but couldn't feel any warmth coming from their depths.  

"Mr. Lorenzo, I have a wonderful daughter. Sophie's pretty and smart. She has all the good qualities a man would want for a wife."

Edwards' face lit up, magically wiping off the stress written in it. "Indeed Sir! Sophie's much better than Phoebe and she had class and grace. Would you consider marrying her instead of my rebellious daughter?"

Sophie who had been quietly listening looked down on the floor, heat creeping through her cheeks.

Red hid his surprise beneath a subtle smile. Did they think marriage is just a business arrangement? "I appreciate the offer Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon." He declined politely. "But in case I change my mind I'll let you know immediately." He added.

Edwards and Valerie looked at each other with a satisfied smile and said no more.

A short while later after the bidding successfully ended, Melinda who uttered not a single word since learning Phoebe escaped, finally invited Red to the balcony to talk in private.

Red knew she would apologize for her granddaughter's behavior and so he stopped her before she could say the words.

"Don't say it Madam…You don't have to apologize or even explain… We all have a rebellious streak in us and I understood that Phoebe could act irrational at times especially after being forced to marry someone she barely knew."

"You're not mad?" The old woman rapidly blinked in surprise.

"Not at all…Just a bit worried that she left." He answered, startling her further by how calm he sounded.

"I'll bluntly ask you now, Mr. Sheldon, did you regret asking for her hand in marriage?"

"No." Red replied with lightning speed. He didn't even bat an eye. "I haven't changed my mind one bit. I still wanted to marry your granddaughter even if she's headstrong and stubborn. I like that about her."

Melinda collapsed on the nearby chair in relief. 

At last she found a man worthy of her granddaughter, a man gazillion times richer than her, who doesn't get swayed by looks, sees past though imperfections, and most of all had that glimmer in his eyes when he talked about Phoebe.

For the first time since she learned Phoebe escaped Melinda's lips stretched into a genuine smile. She looked at Red with tears in her eyes and said, "Welcome to the family… my grandson."

***

Meanwhile…

Phoebe's heart raced inside her ribcage as she unlocked Zoe's door using a duplicate keycard which she was glad that she hadn't thrown away. She filled her chest with air then stepped inside the dark Condominium and quickly the distinctive metallic scent filled her nostrils and she nearly threw up.

Swallowing the bile in her throat, she crept inside, nearly losing her balance when she tripped into something. She grabbed into the wall, sighing in relief upon regaining her composure.

The moonlight penetrated through the glass window, bathing the room with light, and an ear piercing scream tore from her lips before she could process the scene.

Lying on the floor was Zoe, bathing in her own blood and perhaps…. Dead.