Chapter 119 - So Smart

Tyrone impatiently looked at his wristwatch. Lunch was already finished, but Raine had not returned yet. He was starting to wonder if Raine had already eaten lunch with Janus instead. 

'So what if she had lunch with him?'

He let out a sigh of frustration as he continued to silently scold himself for overthinking things.

"Daddy, you want some tea?" 

Turning his head, Tyrone smiled at little Aire, the little girl holding a cup of tea in her hands. He accepted the drink, and Aire sat beside him.

"You look so distracted," Aire commented as she stared out at the garden in front of the veranda where they were sitting. "A bit conflicted too," Aire continued, Tyrone not responding to her words.

Tyrone looked at the girl with a meticulous smile on his face as he asked, "You're not really the secretary of defense's granddaughter, aren't you?"

Aire's face paled, and she blinked several times in seeming shock.

Tyrone chuckled, "What's with your face, dear? I was just kidding, but based on your expression, it looks like I just hit the nail right in the head."

Aire's face fell as she crossed her arms and mumbled, "Why not kick me out of here then?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure why you're pretending to be Stella, the secretary of defense's granddaughter, but since you're calling me Daddy, then maybe I'm gonna let you stay here for a bit longer and see what you're really up to. I'm confident that you're not here to harm anyone, so why would I kick you out?" Tyrone smiled. "Stay here as long as you want."

"Daddy is really good at judging character. Of course, I'm not here to harm anyone, but I can't also reveal who I am and why I'm here. I hope Daddy won't say anything to others," Aire pouted pleadingly even as she explained.

"So what happened to the real Stella?" Tyrone asked out of curiosity.

"Dead. Those rogue werewolves tore her to pieces, and I arrived too late to save her. I know you'll ask me next about how I managed to alter the details about Stella. Well the truth is, Stella actually doesn't have photos or even appear publicly anywhere, so no one really knew what exactly she looked like. The only ones who even remotely knew were also the ones that were killed in that vacation house."

"It was way too easy for me to pretend to be her. Aunty Mia didn't have an exact photo of her so they all just assumed that I was Stella because I'm the only little girl still breathing."

Aire narrated with a sigh. She still felt terrible about how Stella died so easily. However, it was simply bound to happen. There were just some things you couldn't change no matter what. If it was meant to happen, it would happen.

"So you were a werewolf right from the start. You just pretended to be someone who got infected for the first time," Tyrone concluded, earning a broad smile from Aire.

"I have my reasons, but I promise you that I'm truly harmless. I'm just curious about a lot of things. That's why I'm here. I won't meddle much in the stuff that everyone's going through right now. Please, let me just quietly stay here for a bit? With you and Mommy and the rest? Please?" Aire begged with her puppy eyes.

Tyrone shook his head, "Alright, fine. But if you don't behave and do something that'll make us all angry, then I won't be able to keep that promise."

"Okay, fine… I promise, Daddy. Don't be sad now. Mommy Raine will end up with you in one way or another, so don't think too much about it," Aire said with a wink.

"How did you even know what I'm thinking?" Tyrone asked in disbelief.

"It's way too easy. Anyone can figure it out just from the way you look at Mommy." She clicked her tongue in faux disappointment. "You should tell her about your secret unless you want to get tortured for all of eternity," Aire advised.

Tyrone shook his head, "Not all things are so simple, Aire. You're too young to understand these things at this point…"

Aire didn't say a word, but she breathed out loudly, making Tyrone chuckle, "Why do you sound like that? You're more troubled than me now?"

Aire had a pout as she mumbled, "Because you're so troublesome, Daddy." She clicked her tongue as she shook her head and added, "Just hang in there. Mommy will indeed focus on you and only you. Nothing more. Oh, and here she comes…"

Tyrone followed Aire's gaze, seeing Raine walking towards them with a wide and sweet smile on her face.

"Mommy!" 

Aire quickly burst and ran towards Raine for a hug. The mother stopped in her tracks and bent down to hug her daughter tightly.

"Look at those two acting like a real mother and daughter pair. Then again, who would even suspect that they aren't? They share so many similarities that it would make one think that nothing is coincidental for the two being together like that…" Mia, who suddenly popped out of nowhere, commented as she drank the tea in her hand. It was a cup that Aire had also prepared for her earlier.

Tyrone frowned as he stared at the two. His eyes then widened as something suddenly hit him.

"That can't be…" he unconsciously voiced out loud.

"I know, right? Those two can't be related somehow. The Boss didn't have any blood relationship with the secretary of defense," Mia replied, thinking Tyrone had commented on what she just voiced out.

Tyrone suddenly got up from his chair and informed, "Mia, I'll be out for a while to meet up with a friend from Umbra. I'll be quick and return come dinner time…"

Raine frowned, watching Tyrone as he suddenly rushed out from his seat. She held Aire's hand as they walked towards the veranda.

"Where is he going?" Raine asked Mia.

"He said that he'll meet a friend, Boss. Someone from Umbra. He said he'll be back before dinner," Mia answered.

Raine raised an eyebrow as she scoffed, "And who gave him permission to go out just like that without asking me first if he can go or not?"

Mia scratched the back of her head while Aire pulled Raine inside. The girl quickly went to defuse the situation, "Mommy, don't get mad. I'm sure Daddy will just meet with a male friend and not with a woman."

"Ah, Aire is so smart!" Mia subconsciously burst out. She quickly zipped her mouth, however, when Raine glared at her.