For a while, only the rhythmic sound of waves gently echoed between them. Winston belatedly realized what he had just said, but he couldn’t bring himself to back down. Meeting Angela’s wide-eyed gaze as she looked up at him, he waited for an answer. He was hoping—just a little—for something hopeful. But the child, usually so clever, tilted her head in confusion and said nothing. Winston began to feel anxious. He opened his mouth to ask again, but the moment vanished almost instantly.
He saw Yu-jin running toward them from a distance.
“What’s going on? What are you doing?”
Breathless from running, Yu-jin immediately stepped in between Angela and Winston. The way he acted—like Winston might do something terrible to the child—made Winston feel deeply wronged. What had he done, really? He had merely spoken to her.
“I wasn’t doing anything bad to her.”
Letting his displeasure show plainly, Winston spoke with a sharp tone, but Yu-jin didn’t lower his guard. He responded curtly, his tone still bristling.
“Back off. Stay far away. Angie’s scared of you.”
Scared of me? Angie calls me Winnie.
Winston wanted to argue right away, but Yu-jin didn’t give him the chance. Pressing both hands against Winston’s chest and urging him back, Yu-jin’s face was visibly full of anxiety. He was trying with all his might to push Winston away, but Winston didn’t budge. Yu-jin pushed at him again, but this time, he stumbled back on his own and had to bite his lip, glaring up at Winston in frustration. Winston stared back at him with a blank expression.
Disabling Yu-jin by grabbing his arm would’ve taken no effort—just one hand would be more than enough. Judging by the tense look on Yu-jin’s face, he knew that too. His jaw was clenched tight with frustration. Then Winston caught sight of Angela out of the corner of his eye. The child’s face was visibly troubled by the adults’ confrontation. Seeing her like that made Winston’s irritation melt away, replaced by a bitter sense of regret.
“You’re the one making Angela anxious. Not me.”
“What?”
Yu-jin shot back without thinking, his voice sharp in response to Winston’s pointed remark. But Winston said no more. He turned and walked away. Yu-jin stood there, eyes fixed on his retreating figure heading toward the mansion, before finally turning his attention back to the child.
“Angie, are you okay? Nothing happened, right?”
He quickly bent down to meet her eyes, and Angela nodded with a soft “Mm.” Yu-jin gently checked her body here and there, even scanning her face, and only after confirming she was fine did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t expect him to suddenly talk to you… From now on, I won’t ever leave you alone, Angie.”
He made the promise sincerely, but to his surprise, Angela didn’t respond right away. Instead, she tilted her head again, looking puzzled. When Yu-jin frowned in confusion, Angela finally opened her mouth.
“Mr. Campbell didn’t do anything to me.”
Her voice was incredibly calm. As if it really hadn’t been anything worth mentioning. Blinking at her composed answer, Yu-jin asked,
“Angie… weren’t you scared of Mr. Campbell?”
“Uh…”
The child seemed to think for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah, it was fine. Mr. Campbell just talked to me, that’s all.”
At Angela’s words, Yu-jin unconsciously furrowed his brow.
“What did Mr. Campbell say to you?”
He might’ve said something inappropriate the child didn’t understand. Yu-jin asked warily, but Angela replied with innocent ease.
“He asked if I needed a papa.”
For a moment, Yu-jin just stared at Angela’s face. He couldn’t react right away—he could only look at his daughter. It took several seconds before he finally let out a stunned,
“What?”
Seeing her daddy so bewildered, Angela explained clearly, enunciating every word.
“He asked what I was doing, so I told him I was going to play with sand. I said Daddy went to get the basket, and then he asked if I needed anything else. I told him I was okay because I had Daddy, and then he asked if I didn’t need a papa.”
Yu-jin was speechless again. His mind went blank, utterly dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Angela gave him a beaming smile and declared confidently,
“Don’t worry, Daddy! I don’t need a papa or anything like that. If Mr. Campbell asks me again, I’ll tell him so. As long as I have you, that’s all I need!”
Only then did Yu-jin finally relax and pull the child into his arms. She snuggled into his embrace as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Stroking her back gently, Yu-jin still found himself frowning.
What the hell is that man thinking?
He couldn’t begin to imagine what was going on inside Winston’s head. But one thing was certain—he was definitely plotting something.
Whatever it was, they had to get away with Angie before it happened.
Yu-jin steeled himself once more. Even while building a sandcastle with the basket alongside his daughter, he spent the whole time trying to figure out how to escape this place.
***
“You’re staying the night?”
Yu-jin had vaguely assumed Winston would leave a little late, so he was caught off guard when Winston announced it during dinner. His voice rose instinctively, and he quickly shut his mouth in surprise. Winston, however, replied without a hint of concern.
“Yeah. Wouldn’t you want to spend more time with the kid? I’m finally on vacation—might as well rest a bit.”
Yu-jin didn’t know how to feel. He was glad to have more time with Angela, but the thought of Winston being included in that time unsettled him.
“I thought you’d be more pleased.”
Winston’s indifferent tone hinted that he found Yu-jin’s reaction odd. Yu-jin didn’t bother hiding his emotions and asked with a frown,
“What are you scheming? You’ve already gotten everything you could from me.”
Winston set down his wine glass and looked directly at Yu-jin. The intensity of his gaze startled Yu-jin for a moment, but Winston then shifted his eyes away—toward Angela, who was sitting across from Yu-jin.
“When she said all she needed was you, I figured I’d give her exactly what she wanted. It’s her birthday, isn’t it?”
Then, to Yu-jin’s surprise, Winston smiled—at Angela. The unexpected sight made Yu-jin blink rapidly without meaning to. What was that? Did I just see what I think I saw?
But that wasn’t the end of it. Angela, who had been quietly eating her meal in her seat, looked at Winston and gave a firm nod.
“That’s right.”
She added clearly, as if determined not to miss her chance this time.
“I only need Daddy. I don’t need a papa!”
Silence fell like a curtain. Yu-jin couldn’t resist glancing at Winston’s face. It looked no different than usual, which left him oddly disappointed. What was the point of asking if she needed a papa?
Maybe Angela misunderstood him.
That seemed far more reasonable. Why would Winston ask her something like that out of the blue? It had nothing to do with him in the first place.
The meal came to an end. Yu-jin declined dessert and turned to Winston.
“It’s Angie’s bath and bedtime now. Do you mind if I leave first?”
Winston gave a short nod. Yu-jin scooped Angela into his arms, already finished with her meal, and quickly left the table. A moment later, Winston was left alone in the silence.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
At the attendant’s question, he ordered a whiskey. It wasn’t strong enough to make him drunk, but he needed to drink.
‘I don’t need a papa!’
As Angela’s words echoed in his head, a sharp pain struck his chest. He furrowed his brow and downed the whiskey in one go. He had managed to keep his face neutral, but the moment those words left Angela’s lips, they hit him far harder than he’d prepared for.
Be patient.
Pouring himself a second glass, he silently rebuked himself. His relationship with Angela had only just begun. Getting disappointed this early—wasn’t that just impatience?
This was only the second time in his life he had ever tried this hard for someone. Maybe it was because she was Yu-jin’s child, but Angela was proving to be even more difficult than Yu-jin himself. With a sigh, Winston rubbed the creases between his brows with his fingers. Even though a stormy road clearly lay ahead, he couldn’t bring himself to accept it easily.
…Right. There is a way.
As he mulled things over, a thought struck him. He immediately pulled out his phone. After a few rings, a familiar voice answered, and Winston got straight to the point.
“Keith, I’ve got a question. How did you get close to your kid?”
“What?”
The man on the other end sounded utterly baffled, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What the hell are you babbling about?—that tone. Winston’s pride took a hit, but now wasn’t the time to care about that. With a sigh, he quickly continued.
“There’s this kid I want to get close to, but it’s not going well. She’s even scared of getting piggyback rides. How does your kid let you give her one so easily?”
Ugh, Keith Knight Pittman mentioned!! Of course, these two POS Alphas are friends.