3.7

The girl stands in front of the couch with her arms crossed over her chest. She is looking at the pajamas she bought right after finishing work. She is still uncertain whether the choice was right. On the one hand, she wants to make the right impression on Joseph and prove to him that she is not a little girl who only loves fairy tale characters but a young woman who can also be sexy.

Still, she feels insecure when she looks at the short, defiant nightgown in blood-red. Should she really sleep in it, or should she save it for some special evening?

She bites her finger, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the clock hanging in the living room. The time is nine o'clock. The boy is supposed to be at her house after 8pm to tell her about his meeting with Danielle's mother, so Hannah decides to take advantage of the time and try on the shirts before he arrives.

She wants to make sure she looks good enough in them to present herself in front of her beloved one day.

One by one, she tries on all the pajamas, which she evaluates with the help of a large mirror located in the bedroom. At the very end, she leaves the red marvel, which — to her surprise — lies on her so well that she herself is impressed. The black lace located at the neckline looks great.

However, she does not regret the money she spent on this shirt. She's sure that Joseph will fall down impressed at the sight of it.

She lets her lush hair down and props her hands on her hips, admiring one last time how exquisitely the velvet material fits her.

— Getting rid of your old pajamas was a hit. Instead of a punishment, I met a reward for it — Joseph speaks, standing in the doorway and looking at Hannah with dreamy eyes. — You look insane.

The girl turns to face him, only now noticing her boyfriend in the threshold of the bedroom. She opens her eyes wide, seeing that his gaze wanders over her figure.

— Weren't you supposed to come an hour later?

— I don't know when I was supposed to come. One thing is for sure: I will not go home today. I will stay here for the night — he says in a hoarse voice, meanwhile swallowing his saliva. — You won't throw me out of here, even by force.

He looks as if he has been hypnotized by her.

— How did the meeting with Danielle's mother go? You were supposed to tell me about it.

— Don't talk to me. Currently, my thoughts are solely focused on how perfect you look in that kinky material. — His eyes even glow with desire. — I have a beautiful girl.

The brunette blushes at his words.

— In that case, I will change my clothes. I want to talk to you about Danielle.

She is about to walk past him, but he embraces her around the waist and stops her at his side. Hannah lifts her face and a smile freezes on her lips as Joseph looks deeply into her eyes. He moves his hand gently along her spine, causing shivers to run through her.

He strokes the back of her neck.

— Currently, you look so beautiful that I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time in this look.

Now she is the one staring at his lips like mesmerized as he says these words.

She parts her lips slightly.

— What is it, little one?

— Nothing. I just realized that I'm a lucky girl because you only look at me like this.

Joseph feels soft lips on hers, his tongue pushing between her lips, her hands tightly grasping his neck, pulling him closer.

He presses her close and kisses her more passionately.

— I am glad that the love between you is blossoming and in each other's arms you are happy, but until I leave here, stop your lust.

Instantly Hannah feels as if she has been struck by lightning. Over Joseph's shoulder she looks at her mother, who is standing in front of the open bedroom door.

She gasps in shame. She feels like collapsing to the ground, however, her boyfriend looks relaxed and turns to face the woman, sending her a cheerful smile.

— Hello, mother-in-law.

Hannah combed her hair, feeling her cheeks burn with living fire.

Why exactly currently did her mother decide to pay her an unannounced visit?

— I expected to find you here, Joseph. I'm glad that you take care of my little daughter and accompany her every evening.

— And every night — he adds, seducing his future mother-in-law with a captivating smile.

— Just don't flirt with my mother, I beg. She adores you anyway — Hannah whispers in his ear, jealous that he has wrapped her around his little finger.

— It's not my fault I'm attracted to older women.

The girl stays in the bedroom to change, while Joseph picks up a pizza from the woman and puts it on the living room table.

— You are an angel. You know how to seduce a man without putting on sexy pajamas — he says appreciatively, to which the woman shakes her head with amusement.

— Joseph, you are slowly getting it together. Stop coquetting me at every encounter.

— I know the lady likes it. — He playfully pokes the woman with his shoulder as he opens the pizza carton. — After a full day at the company, this killer number of calories is like salvation.

— Just don't burn that killer number of calories on my daughter because I would rather not become a grandmother yet. I look to be in my early 30s.

Joseph adores Hannah's mother from the very beginning. He thinks the woman is wonderful. She easily finds a common language with young people. She can turn everything into a joke. She is a modern woman. And occasionally, it shows all too much, especially when she is in his company.

— Relax, mother-in-law. Hannah internally is still a child. She just got rid of all the Hello Kitty stuff yesterday, so she's still not ripe to become a mother. You don't have to worry about that.

— You're the one who threw away my Hello Kitty stuff! — Hannah's loud shout is heard from the bedroom.

The boy rolls his eyes.

— All the worst is always me. She thinks so, and I just want the best for her.

— Joseph, stop playing the angel because it doesn't suit you. I know you through and through. — The woman eats a slice of pizza, watching the boy's eyebrows crinkle.

— What if I said that internally I'm an angel and your daughter is a flesh and blood devil? Should I present you with all the bruises that are the work of Hannah?

— Bruises?

— Yes, bruises. She abuses me physically, so I attack her mentally. I look like a victim of domestic violence.

— Joseph, stop tricking mom into taking her side! — Hannah comes out of the bedroom, fulminating at him with her eyes. — She fell victim to your charm a long time ago anyway. I would be the one who would flop if you dumped me.

— Really? — A satisfied Joseph raises an eyebrow. He leans over and rests his elbows on his knees, not taking his eyes off the woman. — Maybe I should dump her now?

Hannah sighs loudly. She sits down between them and takes a piece of pizza from the carton.

— Mom, why did you come to see me in the evening without any announcement? What happened?

The woman leans back against the pillows and massages her temples with her fingers.

— Your father remembered that he has a daughter. He insists on meeting you. He wants you to get to know his current wife better and befriend her daughter. He thinks I'm the one pushing you away from him.

The girl twists her lips in a smile.

— Make friends? I met her once, and that was enough for me to understand that it is impossible to talk to her normally. I don't have anything against sweet girls because I often behave this way, but her sweetness is so false that it beats the eyes.

— You never judge a person by the first meeting — Joseph interjects, touching her shoulder with his fingers.

— I know this, but she is insufferable.

— So why didn't you discover what kind of person Danielle is when you first met her?

— I think Joseph is right when he says you should give your father another chance. I don't want him to resent me. Meet with them. Maybe Ashley is not so bad after all.

— She's a nightmare — burbles Hannah, losing her appetite for pizza. She puts down a slice, ignoring the fact that Joseph is stroking her hair.

She's angry and doesn't feel like meeting her father and his current family, but she knows she has no choice anyway. She has to do it, so her father won't be angry with her.

*

When they go to bed, Joseph tells Hannah about the course of the conversation with Danielle's mother. He explains to her that the woman's behavior was strange. She seemed cold and haughty to him. She reacted too calmly to the news that her daughter was alive.

During the conversation, she showed no emotion. She listened to him with calmness, somewhat only nodding her head. Only after hearing the whole story did she wipe a lone tear from her face, repeating that it was unbelievable that her daughter could fake her death to let her mother suffer.

Joseph tried to present to her in a gentle way that Danielle was unpredictable and a danger to the environment, so she needed treatment. He asked her for help and promised to try to schedule a meeting for her and Danielle soon.

— Jin has told us many times that this woman can be a terrible viper. There must be something in that. Danielle took advantage of the situation and ran away from her for a reason. — The brunette still wonders what the real reason is. Her sister actually hates her mother and constantly tells Hannah how envious she is that she was adopted by a normal family. — She has taken it too calmly. This is not how a mother, who until now thought her child was dead, behaves.

— At first she said it was impossible that Danielle hated her, since she didn't lack anything at home.

— Probably she meant money, but what about love? It seems to me that this is the main reason. Perhaps she didn't show any concern for her at all? You said yourself that this woman seems to be a cold person. — Hannah lies on her side and watches Joseph's face. — My sister grew up to be such a person for a reason. She must have brought this from home. Perhaps even Jin didn't tell us the whole truth regarding what happened in the past. He protected Danielle for so many years for a reason.

— Perhaps you are right, too. I, too, was cruel, and I admit that I became so because of what happened in my home in the past. To this day, I can't forgive my father, even though twenty years have passed since then.

— But you have no hatred for him?

— I don't have any feelings for him. He is simply my father — he says, staring at one point. — I owe him what I have now and where I am, but if he ever leaves this world, I don't know if I will shed a single tear. For the moment he is indifferent to me.

The girl strokes his cheek with her fingers, looking at him with sadness in her eyes. If there was something she could do to turn back time, she would do anything to change the course of events so that he could grow up by his mother's side. Even if it meant they couldn't be together then.

She is sure that there would be no bitterness in his heart and he would not suffer as much through his family as he is at this very moment.

*

— Mr. Scott? — The boy looks over his shoulder and watches the secretary walking towards him, who is holding documents in her hands. — I'm sorry that I'm only now passing this on to you. I received information a while ago that your father is already returning to New York and will still show up at the company today.

Joseph had hoped to rest from him for a longer period of time, but he is already used to the fact that his father likes to give him surprises.

— Nothing new — he replies dryly, causing the petite blonde to become annoyed. She has already been ripped off a couple of times by the CEO's son, and that's because she is busy and often forgets to give him important documents or information. — Are you sure that's it? So that later it doesn't turn out that I didn't get something again.

— Yes, certainly — she replies in a shy voice, nervously squeezing her hands. — Excuse me.

He bows, then hurriedly walks away towards the elevator. Joseph heads for the exit, tossing the car remote control in his hand.

He intends to review the documents at home. I need at least one free afternoon to have lunch with Hannah out on the town.

He opens the car and throws the briefcase into the glove compartment.

— The blonde girl is pretty.

He lifts his face and looks at his girlfriend.

— Are you there yet? — He changes the subject, to which she squints.

— You didn't brag that you have such pretty secretaries in the company.

— And you didn't brag that your childhood friend is handsome — he replies, immediately closing her mouth.

He grabs Hannah's hand and leads her to a nearby restaurant, where she always eats lunch at her leisure.

— I'm craving meat. A lot of meat — says the brunette, making him laugh.

— You always crave meat. Occasionally, I wonder where you fit all that food.

Joseph's attention is drawn to a black car that stops by the sidewalk. The driver opens the back door, letting the company president pass. Getting out, the man corrects his navy-blue tie.

— Dad? — The boy looks concerned.

The girl looks over his shoulder and opens her eyes wide when she realizes it's his father. The man who gave her away to an orphanage in the past. A man who hates her because she was born out of his wife's affair.

She swallows her saliva harder out of nerves.

— You look surprised. Is it because a lady is hiding behind your back?

Joseph has a bad feeling about this meeting.

— Good morning, I'm Hannah — she finally speaks in a trembling voice, bowing to the man. When she lifts her face and looks him in the eyes, she gets the impression that he pales in the face. He stares at her for a long moment, then shifts his gaze to his son.

— Who is she, Joseph?

The boy feels like answering that the child he mercilessly got rid of from the house, but bites his tongue at the last moment. He sees that his father is already shaken enough when he looks at Hannah.

She intends to hit him.

— You've gone dark, father. Is it because Hannah resembles her mother in her youth? — A roguish smile appears on his face. — Well ... it seems to me that this is the main reason why I lost my head for her. Isn't she beautiful?

And thus, another problem arises that will soon harm their relationship. Black clouds are coming, and with them precipitation that will thoroughly wash happiness from their faces.

In a fairly short time, all the issues will fall on Hannah.