Chapter 10: Who is this man

"Star, it will take me a while to return. Will it be okay if you stay with Uncle Stanley for a while?" Winter glanced at her daughter skeptically. She had a feeling there was something wrong, as she was barely looking at her.

"No worries, Mommy. If you wish, I can stay with Uncle Stanley forever. He is such a cutie...see!" Winter was taken aback by Seren's enthusiastic voice, but as soon as she turned the camera towards the man, her lips quivered as she struggled to control her smile.

"Nice look, Stanley. You seem like a masculine doll, painted in pink and bows. "Good job, Star." Kalix, who was seeing his colleague through the screen, inquired with a straight smile but also praised his daughter with a warm smile.

Winter was astonished to see how normal he appeared. Not one muscle in his face moved when he talked with Stanley, but with Star, he had a broad smile.

'But he smiled at me too,' she said, recalling how he smiled back at her in the hotel room.

Stanley, on the other hand, remained still. He hadn't expected Seren to turn the camera on him, let alone see his boss all dolled up. Feeling embarrassed, he hurriedly put the pink bow in his hair.

"No, I haven't finished the makeup yet." Seren furrowed her brow, and he drew his hand back helplessly.

Winter was pleased by Stanley's obedience; despite his threatening aura, he was obeying Star's order without any complaint. She now understood that Kalix was right when he entrusted him with Seren.

They continued to speak with Seren for some time before hanging up the phone.

Winter heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Seren becoming comfortable with the man.

"He's not as bad as I thought," she whispered, recalling her statements about Stanley earlier.

"The most mysterious person may also be the most sensitive. Stanley may appear cold and uncaring, but he has a compassionate heart," Kalix said, praising his guy.

Winter nodded in agreement with his comments and stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, standing beside her.

Winter gave him a dubious glance and inquired, "Don't you have any work, or are all the mafia leaders out of jobs?"

"No, but for my Angel, I can sacrifice anything," he replied, surprising her with his audacious statement.

"Geez, quit being cheesy. It doesn't fit with your Mafia personality," she replied, glancing away.

She could already feel the heat surfacing on her face but refused to acknowledge it.

"You realize, aside from being a Mafia lord, I also own a company," he said, making her gasp dramatically.

"Oh, I did not know," Winter exclaimed, seeming to be astonished.

Hayes has already provided her all the necessary information about the Andreas family. Despite their dark origins, they ran a number of businesses around the world.

Not only that, but they also rank first on the list of leading business companies.

No wonder her grandfather was eager to seek assistance from them. They possessed not only the necessary resources but also the competence to safeguard them. But the question was: why them?

"Anyway, I'm hungry. Do you want to join me in the canteen?" she asked, dismissing all her thoughts.

Waking up this morning, she missed breakfast since David summoned her, and when she returned to the hotel, Kalix astonished her with his sudden arrival. Now that she could breathe, she felt her tummy grumble.

"Not the canteen, but somewhere you'll enjoy the food," Kalix remarked, taking Winter's hand and leading her out of the hospital without waiting for her response.

Winter silently followed him till they reached the parking lot.

"You don't have to be so considerate," she remarked, stopping immediately in front of his car.

Winter despised when people attempted to be overly cautious. It reminded her of Eric, who did the same for her, but in the end, he turned out to be exactly like her father.

Kalix glanced at Winter for a few seconds before taking a step closer.

"Are you scared that my genuine care would make you fall for me?" When the corner of his lips curved, Winter's heart dropped to her stomach.

No matter how much she attempted to disregard him, he always managed to make her heart skip a beat. It was the cleanest flirtation she had ever experienced.

"That will never happen," she snarled, stepping back.

Winter was afraid that if she stayed near him for too long, she'd pounce on him.

Kalix chuckled and challenged in response. "Let's see how long it takes you to give up your resistance," he stated confidently as he reached to open the door for her, but she stopped him.

"I can do it for myself," Winter answered, moving his hand away from the handle.

Kalix shook his head helplessly and moved towards the driver's seat.

Once the two were in the car, Kalix started it and drove away, unaware that someone had already caught their sight.

"Who is that man Winter went with?" Agnes mumbled as she rolled down the window and watched the retreating vehicle.

She had been dubious of anyone being interested in Winter's life since she realized that the stories about her and her daughter had been removed. Or possibly no one had the authority to remove the articles, leaving no crumbs of her insults behind.

Everything—absolutely everything—was cleared. How?

And she now notices her with a man. Who was he?

Agnes knew Winter had been physically involved with someone years before, but that person never showed up to take responsibility. So how come she suddenly found a man who was interested in her?

"I need to find it," she mumbled, and swiftly directed the driver to follow them.

Agnes had defeated Winter by ending her relationship with Eric, but despite being the woman in his life, the guy appeared to be more concerned with his profession than being her man.

Nonetheless, she finally acquired him, but with Winter's unexpected arrival, she wouldn't risk ruining their relationship.

Agnes kept covert until she arrived at the restaurant. She intended to photograph the man Winter was now involved with, but before she could, her phone rang.

"Damn it," she cursed, turning the phone upright and staring at the caller.

"Why is he calling me now?" she sneered before answering the phone.

"I told you not to bother me," Agnes yelled, but the words she heard next ripped the ground from beneath her feet.

"Agnes, we're busted. Someone found out about our scheme, and I lost my job. Please help me; I am afraid they may file a case against me." The man cried on the phone, leaving Agnes stunned.

"W-what are you saying?" she asked, stumbling out of her stupor. "Who did that?" she asked.

"I don't know, but please save me. Help me get away from it," he begged.