Over the past few days, Liesa had made some observations. She figured Angus had two major sources of frustration: his family and his leg injury. The emotional scars from his family, with his personality, she thought he could handle on his own. But his leg injury, that was a different story. The only way to calm that frustration was for him to come to terms with it.
"You want to be fired?" Angus asked, his tone as cold as ever.
Liesa forced a smile. "I'll continue the massage." It was a minor disability, really. Apart from the slight limp when walking, he was just like any other person. But Angus was so extreme about it, refusing to even walk a single step, staying in that wheelchair all day.
She couldn't help but wonder how long it would take before he'd accept his condition and let go of that resentment. The thought of the task dragging on endlessly made her sigh in frustration. Just as she was about to try persuading him again, a knock echoed through the room.
"Come in."
"Mr. Romano, Mr. Grayson is on the phone," Sam said, entering with a phone in hand, his expression serious.
Angus's lips tightened immediately, and the pressure in the room seemed to drop. Liesa braced herself, expecting him to throw the phone in anger, but instead, he took it and answered.
Liesa had already heard the story of Angus's family when she first arrived. It seemed like everyone in this world knew about it.
It was a messy, tragic tale. After a terrible accident, only Angus's mother survived, so she brought in Richard Grayson as a second husband, hoping to continue the family line. Their only child, Angus, was born soon after.
When Angus was ten, Richard Grayson's illegitimate son, Silas Grayson, showed up at the door. To his mother's shock, Silas was actually a few months older than Angus. The discovery sent her into a heart attack, and she died right there.
Without anyone to stop him, Richard immediately changed Silas Grayson to Silas Romano and announced that the two brothers would share the family inheritance. It was a dramatic, almost unbelievable twist of fate.
Angus had been young when it all started. He hadn't had the strength to fight back, so he had to grit his teeth and endure for years. Just recently, he'd managed to reclaim the family fortune from Richard, but then the accident struck, and Richard had taken advantage of the situation, seizing most of it again. His company had been devastated in the process.
Liesa wondered,
She couldn't help but glance at Angus. He spoke briefly on the phone and then hung up, his eyes meeting hers. She quickly looked down.
"Curious?" he asked.
Liesa forced a serious look. "Not at all." But inside, she was anything but indifferent.
Angus's lips curled into a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Ten minutes later, they were in the car heading to the Romano Mansion. Liesa, sitting in the passenger seat, blinked after listening to Sam.
"So, for Mr. Grayson's birthday party, I'm supposed to attend as Mr. Romano's girlfriend?"
Liesa thought,
"Yes," Sam confirmed, his tone practically a warning. "So, Dr. Valtieri, you'd better behave yourself. Given that you're so fond of the boss, you should be excited about this, but don't get too carried away."
Liesa pulled at the corners of her mouth, not feeling particularly honored. Angus had already severed ties with those people at the mansion, and as his "girlfriend," what good could she expect? She was probably just a pawn in his game.
She glanced at Angus, who looked more brooding than usual, and sighed quietly to herself.
The ride to the mansion was silent. As they neared the gates, she could see his expression darken further, especially zwhen he spotted Nina and a tall man standing at the door.
Another sigh escaped her lips. Once the car stopped, she placed her hand gently on his, giving it a little pat. "Come on, cheer up, little Angus. I told you before, the one who blows up first always loses."
Angus paused, casting her a cold glance. "What did you just call me?"
"...A pet name. Aren't we boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Liesa held back a tinge of guilt, speaking with mock seriousness.
"Liesa," Angus said slowly, his expression softening a little. "I have a few companies under my name in the entertainment industry. I'm not particularly interested in it, but I still know the basics. Little Angus is a famous comedian."
Liesa froze. She hadn't expected the line between his world and the real world to overlap so much. She should've known better. Even the comedian types were well-known to him. She'd been careless.