Sharon followed her father inside the mansion. They continued to the dining room, where Rebecca was having a conversation with her mother.
"I haven't seen Lucille recently; is she okay, Mom?" Rebecca asked. Since they moved to the countryside, she also lost connection with her personal maid.
"I've heard that she's getting married; didn't she invite you?" Bernadette replied, her eyebrow raised as she sipped her tea.
"Getting married to whom?" Rebecca asked, leaning forward slightly, interested to know more about Lucille's wedding, because she missed her.
"With Patrick Salvatore, remember that man? The man who helped us catch Brein Loi? Lucille hooked up with him the moment you and Kwan left," Bernadette replied.
"And you allowed her?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, I'm not in the position to stop others from chasing their happiness; besides, she had no more reason to stay because you also left," Bernadette replied with a shrug.
"How about you? Don't you feel lonely?" Rebecca asked.
"To be honest, I feel lonely sometimes, but the thought that everyone in our family is doing fine and is happy with their own lives made me feel at ease. Don't worry about me, dear; I also got my maids with me," Bernadette said.
"But I'm still worried, Mom. What if one of Denisse's men gets inside the house and does something wrong with you?" Rebecca asked worriedly, gripping her hands together.
"That's not going to happen, child. You should know that the mansion is highly secured, and your father's men never leave me after what happened," Bernadette reassured. "Let's talk about something else."
Rebecca nodded. "Do you know where Lucille is now, Mom? I'd like to attend her wedding if possible."
"As far as I can remember, she's currently in Paris with her boyfriend," Bernadette replied.
"Wow! So her dream to see the Eiffel Tower had finally come true? I wish I could go there too," Rebecca said wistfully.
"Why won't we go there together? Me, you, Kwan, and Sharon. Let's surprise Lucille on her wedding," Bernadette suggested.
"Really? That's a fantastic idea, Mom. But there's something I want to talk about with you right now. It's something important and serious," Rebecca said in a serious tone.
"What is it about?" Bernadette asked.
"About Denisse, Brein's cousin," Rebecca replied.
"Yeah, what's about him?" Bernadette asked.
"He had shown up recently and even kidnapped Sharon twice, but we fortunately rescued Sharon before she could get killed," Rebecca said.
"What?" Bernadette suddenly stood up from her chair, slamming her hands on the table. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? That Denisse must learn his lesson before he could land a finger on my granddaughter again."
Bernadette's blood started to boil, and her face flushed with anger, just by knowing that Sharon wasn't even safe with her own parents. She thought they were responsible, but they couldn't even assure her safety.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Rebecca apologized, her voice trembling, as if she were about to cry. "I tried to tell you, but the thought that you'll be shocked was holding me back, so I waited for the right timing."
"Right timing? Is that how you treat your family's safety?" Bernadette demanded, the volume of her voice rising. "What if your daughter was already taken away before you could tell me about it? You should have told me earlier so that he couldn't get close to your child again."
Sharon and Kwan were about to enter the dining room when they heard Bernadette's loud voice, scolding Rebecca about her negligence, so they stopped by the door, looked at them, and listened carefully.
"It seems like your grandma is angry," Kwan muttered. "Why won't you go first and try to comfort her?"
Sharon nodded and walked towards Bernadette. She hugged her from the back to tell her that she was fine, that despite she was kidnapped twice, her parents, whom she thought were irresponsible, saved her twice as well.
"I'm fine, Grandma," Sharon said, her voice muffled against her grandmother's back. "Even though I was kidnapped twice, my parents saved me both times. I'm sure they always will."
Bernadette turned around and put her hands on Sharon's shoulder, telling her to stop crying. "It's okay, my dear; from now on, that man won't be able to get near you. I'll hire the best guard to protect you."
Sharon didn't like her grandmother's idea. Having a guard following her and watching her every move wouldn't give her the freedom to do what she likes, especially now that she had someone she wanted to be with.
"You don't have to do that, Grandma. I can protect myself from the bad guys. Dad had trained me in martial arts," Sharon said, trying her best to convince Bernadette that she didn't have to hire a guard to watch over her.
"Just stop complaining, my dear; you're too young to be able to protect yourself. We're talking about your life here, so don't waste it with your hardheadedness," Bernadette replied.
"But grandma—" Sharon was about to disagree with her decision, but she found it difficult to argue with her, especially with her dominant personality.
"Have you found someone who will take the role, Mother?" Kwan asked Bernadette. "We can't just hire someone who is not trustworthy. You have to get to know the person you're hiring first before you allow them to get near our child."
"I understand your worries, son. Don't worry about it; I'll examine a person first before I'll hire them. How about you? Do you have any suggestions for who can take the role of protecting my granddaughter?" Bernadette asked.
Even though Bernadette hated Kwan Moldrick for letting someone kidnap his own child, she knew she could trust him when it came to this matter, and that was also the reason why she was asking his opinion.
"Grandma," Sharon interrupted. "There's someone I know who's very suitable for that role."
"Please behave, Sharon," Rebecca reprimanded. "I already told you to not interrupt your grandmother when she's talking with your dad."
"It's okay, Rebecca, let her talk. It's better to listen to her opinion because she's talking about her own life, and she knows it by herself if she's risking it or not. Besides, she's already of age to decide for herself," Kwan said.
Rebecca and Bernadette were both surprised to hear Kwan say those words; although he had a point, it seemed like he was just neglecting his responsibility as a father, where he should be the one making decisions for his child.
"Are you sure about this, Kwan?" Bernadette asked, doubting the man for letting his own daughter decide what is going to happen with her life.
"With all due respect, I know what I am doing, mother. Please let Sharon speak for herself," Kwan replied.
Sharon was so glad that her father defended her from her grandmother; even though he wasn't her real father, she never felt like that somehow. He always heard her thoughts and valued her opinions, and she felt special in his presence.
"Thank you, Dad," Sharon said with a grateful smile on her face. "I will introduce him to you if I see him again."
"And who is this man, child?" Rebecca asked, trying to tease her daughter to lighten up the mood. She noticed her daughter's weird smile, exactly similar to her own when she first met her husband. "You're in love, aren't you?"
"In love? Of course not!" Sharon tried to deny, but the hole of her nose grew wider, showing that she was lying or trying to hide her real feelings. Her face turned red, and she ran upstairs to hide her embarrassment.