Leo had a smile on his 792Please respect copyright.PENANAON6rlFRNHP
face when he brought himself to a comfortable position. He never had 792Please respect copyright.PENANAJL9sgv5dVV
this excited yet happy feeling within himself just by staring at the 792Please respect copyright.PENANAkN3xmE2iAt
face right in front of him.792Please respect copyright.PENANA3tUP7KAitp
It was morning and the 792Please respect copyright.PENANAyeYiZ82dM0
sun rays managed to seep into his room giving it a wonderful golden 792Please respect copyright.PENANAwQUYobYN9W
glow. But nothing in his room shined brighter than the woman sleeping 792Please respect copyright.PENANAuox8vaYh87
next to him who had the lovely skin colour of bronze that shined 792Please respect copyright.PENANAvWWVvU4411
brilliantly in the morning sun.792Please respect copyright.PENANAqHVDjvjamL
Carly had joined him 792Please respect copyright.PENANAtHAypyYVv2
last night after she had watched a movie with Angel, Eric and Oliver. By792Please respect copyright.PENANABoMpmWdMwZ
then, it was already late, Kim had left a good two hours ago and almost792Please respect copyright.PENANAjXfwmSEGtV
everyone in the house had gone to sleep, except from the two love 792Please respect copyright.PENANATvQr8bd6la
birds, of course.792Please respect copyright.PENANAyb0Ot2aReF
It was good she came, 792Please respect copyright.PENANA0bjRcjM5Kc
Leo thought to himself as he continued to stare at her. She was still 792Please respect copyright.PENANAl6x9TtDcOl
sleeping and she looked beautiful, no doubt in his mind that she was. He792Please respect copyright.PENANAM9ro6TWFXl
wished time could slow down so that he could look at her for just a 792Please respect copyright.PENANA9vIJ19x1LE
little while longer. Sooner than later, he would have to wake her up.792Please respect copyright.PENANAi98GKTvC3b
He stretched his hand 792Please respect copyright.PENANAn92itSPgDc
and ran it through her lovely silky black hair. For an African American,792Please respect copyright.PENANADw16eeE8lk
her hair was gorgeous. He tucked away a strand of her hair that was on 792Please respect copyright.PENANAfADTuH2N0X
her cheek. When his hand brushed over her cheek, ever so gently upon 792Please respect copyright.PENANAy2F5XD8FaS
pulling it away, her eyes slowly flew open.792Please respect copyright.PENANAJaH8Zse09B
"Morning, sleepy head," said Leo with a smile.792Please respect copyright.PENANA5jaGgYUQBK
She didn't respond as 792Please respect copyright.PENANAJWSdvtXQHC
she smiled through her sleepy eyes and closed them again. She still 792Please respect copyright.PENANAdQTZtXNrWy
looked so beautiful with that goofy smile on her face, he thought to 792Please respect copyright.PENANApsxqotWTLu
himself. Leo chuckled.792Please respect copyright.PENANA66gcepOs8j
"It's already morning?" she asked as she opened her eyes again and looked at him.792Please respect copyright.PENANAJWlfGlvNMo
"Sadly, yes," he replied. "You know what that means."792Please respect copyright.PENANAjVT26G079K
Carly groaned like a little girl who didn't want to wake up to go to school as she covered her head with the bed covers.792Please respect copyright.PENANAQRuZGLgbmw
Leo continued to chuckle. "Come on, you know the drill." He sat up and uncovered the bed cover covering her head.792Please respect copyright.PENANAUZmigxcOEH
"Fine," she said as she gave up and sat up on the bed. "I really hoped that I could stay a little longer."792Please respect copyright.PENANA3yTYaBZLfi
"You're right. But I 792Please respect copyright.PENANAPMerOcgOXr
better get you out of here before anyone wakes up. It might be a weekend792Please respect copyright.PENANATf1NZ21mgi
but there are still a lot of early birds around here."792Please respect copyright.PENANALXiHIqVoLF
Carly smiled at him. "Like you?"792Please respect copyright.PENANAvXRRFTsnXC
"Like my dad. Come on, we better hurry."792Please respect copyright.PENANA1byDghwQWI
They both got out of bed792Please respect copyright.PENANAYl5z5nKqpn
and got dressed into their nightwear covering themselves with their 792Please respect copyright.PENANAB0frHYCVMo
sleeping gowns. They sneaked out of Leo's room and they tiptoed all the 792Please respect copyright.PENANAl2LkfrNSGh
way to Carly's.792Please respect copyright.PENANAmzCHfUZBIU
"Thanks," said Carly in a low voice when they got to the door. "I'll continue sleeping and we will meet later on."792Please respect copyright.PENANAGnw8rJrHIc
"Great, I'll see you soon," said Leo as he smiled.792Please respect copyright.PENANAA3Qy0iGuB0
Carly gave him a simple 792Please respect copyright.PENANABvpc5yDjoW
peck on the cheek and quickly went in her room. For a moment, Leo 792Please respect copyright.PENANAm8RdeeF1IA
couldn't help but stand there for a moment, lost in thought, until he 792Please respect copyright.PENANAKFXg1gnIQd
realised that he had been standing there looking at the door. He smiled 792Please respect copyright.PENANADeYqUEyxdh
at his stupidity as he made his way back to his room.792Please respect copyright.PENANAlir8qqfOJw
Just when he got there, he changed his mind and thought he really needed a cup of coffee.792Please respect copyright.PENANAcBtnUcmvGD
He made his way 792Please respect copyright.PENANA56OhDXWWXi
downstairs and before he could make his way to the kitchen when he 792Please respect copyright.PENANAtmKiyjRbVb
reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a noise coming from the 792Please respect copyright.PENANAxaIzWbdceB
kitchen.792Please respect copyright.PENANArw78Ej1C5F
He wondered who could be792Please respect copyright.PENANA8H6skk8jIL
up at this early hour. He knew his dad was always an early bird, but 792Please respect copyright.PENANAVlrMh3J3sI
when it came to the weekend, Leo knew he wouldn't be awake for another 792Please respect copyright.PENANAMLF2SLQau0
hour. He made his way to the kitchen and what he saw, shook him a 792Please respect copyright.PENANAI7xZSfe6aH
little.792Please respect copyright.PENANAisNxWrSYlD
Angel was standing by 792Please respect copyright.PENANA44GSeiffe1
the kitchen counter where she had put up the coffee maker to make some 792Please respect copyright.PENANAC51xplOP7r
coffee. Her presence somehow didn't matter to him, but there was some 792Please respect copyright.PENANAFmrVbgIeeC
thing that shook him the moment he got there.792Please respect copyright.PENANAV8PkUxMTfM
Angel was standing, and not on a wheelchair.792Please respect copyright.PENANAwTJfJ8RdX4
Sensing someone's presence, Angel turned to the door. When she saw Leo, she neither gave an angry look nor a smile.792Please respect copyright.PENANAzYZUeT9Net
"Morning," she greeted as she turned back to the machine on the counter.792Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9uumkuLQS
"Morning," Leo somehow managed to say. "You're up early."792Please respect copyright.PENANAJC6WNQXhCb
"I just had to."792Please respect copyright.PENANAxzYI6vXiEQ
"Ummm," Leo still 792Please respect copyright.PENANAeUrMy3Fc3d
couldn't believe that Angel was standing in front of him. He expected 792Please respect copyright.PENANAstYMUbaUYs
her to be still on her wheelchair. "Are you going somewhere?"792Please respect copyright.PENANAp8MQ9DJH0k
"Thought of taking a walk to strengthen my legs a little."792Please respect copyright.PENANANnFVUAgJQj
The coffee maker soon 792Please respect copyright.PENANAOLMFdQkDED
finished making her coffee and the room became slient. Angel went over 792Please respect copyright.PENANApO6ZDGYEMu
to the cupboard next to the sink to get a mug. There was a slight limp 792Please respect copyright.PENANAHZBScRUeUS
in her walk, but all in all, she seemed okay and not in much pain.792Please respect copyright.PENANAih5s47IXWp
Just as Angel was heading back to the coffee maker, she noticed Leo's eyes on her. She turned to look at him.792Please respect copyright.PENANAmgqrIGw7XH
"Why are you looking at me like you've just seen a ghost?" she asked.792Please respect copyright.PENANAbw913oBXcr
"Uh..." Leo hesitated. "I'm just surprised that you're walking."792Please respect copyright.PENANAVpi3sQcN1S
"Why? You wanted me 792Please respect copyright.PENANApueXn6U8gc
confined to a wheelchair forever?" Angel raised an eyebrow at him before792Please respect copyright.PENANAgm5wqj50vu
she turned towards the coffee maker and went over to it to pour herself792Please respect copyright.PENANAZg81Q4hyR8
a cup.792Please respect copyright.PENANAplCEoxohbK
"Umm, no. I'm just surprised, that's all."792Please respect copyright.PENANAcDdfdnvbel
"The doctor said I should start walking around to strengthen my legs."792Please respect copyright.PENANA3h6nxwOFWx
Leo just nodded his head but he was still in shock. He expected her to be confined to her wheelchair a little while longer.792Please respect copyright.PENANAvI1OaMjUYP
"You still don't seem 792Please respect copyright.PENANA7epSbrEN90
happy that I'm walking again," said Angel, bringing Leo back from his 792Please respect copyright.PENANAo7TCPyTovH
thoughts. "I hope you don't think that this will get in your way of 792Please respect copyright.PENANAo7ICGPQlr3
things."792Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZGicZuQ0G
Leo was the one to raise his eyebrows this time around. "What do you mean?"792Please respect copyright.PENANApsAbrBCgbi
Angel took a sip of her 792Please respect copyright.PENANAIJSOIu5kCa
coffee as she leaned on the counter and placed her hand on it. "You know792Please respect copyright.PENANAlDku3Hm6r7
what I mean. I know Carly didn't sleep in her room last night. She 792Please respect copyright.PENANAGcHYVGYJEy
spent her night with you."792Please respect copyright.PENANA5yNyHtqkuu
Leo retaliated, "that's not true."792Please respect copyright.PENANAvewaIXKyan
Angel smirked and Leo 792Please respect copyright.PENANAhs4RcTfpU3
felt his cheeks heat up suddenly. He cursed himself from the inside 792Please respect copyright.PENANA2hoFyhkp5s
still not understanding why he was feeling like this.792Please respect copyright.PENANAPOTqfZNYPZ
"Tell it to the person who is now able to walk up the stairs," she said.792Please respect copyright.PENANACinf2PfvjR
"Does that matter? Carly is a grown woman, you know?"792Please respect copyright.PENANAyv4DGzf98K
"Carly is a grown woman, yes, but that doesn't mean she knows that what she's doing might lead her into trouble."792Please respect copyright.PENANAARdscTUY0Q
Leo shook his head. "I don't think I want to talk about this with you."792Please respect copyright.PENANAzogqEQWpd4
"You're right, Leo. It's792Please respect copyright.PENANAHKxyeWRcSd
early in the morning and I would rather walk around the garden to 792Please respect copyright.PENANAqpLMugmgBx
exercise my legs rather than talk about something that I know I don't 792Please respect copyright.PENANAXFPvZXyQMV
have any control over."792Please respect copyright.PENANAwdw8804is7
Leo was a little shocked792Please respect copyright.PENANA2ruWVcDwvU
to hear Angel talk like this. Was she finally giving up, allowing Leo 792Please respect copyright.PENANAdeDuEDs9ah
and Carly the chance to be happy? Or was she playing some kind of mind 792Please respect copyright.PENANAW3Rm8EFMXq
game?792Please respect copyright.PENANARemmHQfIJ6
She slowly made her way 792Please respect copyright.PENANAl4vYV2P9dj
to the backdoor of the house still with her coffee mug. Leo continued to792Please respect copyright.PENANAX5mhkLiIJK
look at her and something came up in his mind.792Please respect copyright.PENANA330HjPbi9W
"How do you know, Carly's room?" Leo asked suddenly.792Please respect copyright.PENANAd3IxzWyB1j
Angel stopped upon reaching the door and slowly turned to look at him.792Please respect copyright.PENANAuUzJ0Xk1oT
"I beg your pardon?" she asked politely. Leo wasn't buying it.792Please respect copyright.PENANANxPY9evPvJ
"The time you came into 792Please respect copyright.PENANA1Wrv9LYnwk
this house, you were still in your wheelchair and you never made it up 792Please respect copyright.PENANAXnj4cz1rbh
the stairs. So how do you know where Carly's room is?"792Please respect copyright.PENANA2d8ZVLD44V
Angel smiled at Leo. 792Please respect copyright.PENANAycPodp1nO9
"Yesterday when Carly came home and after we argued in the study, she 792Please respect copyright.PENANAuaQYmTswvl
invited me to come over to her room since she wanted to show me what she792Please respect copyright.PENANAeBibgLRTWy
bought from the mall. With the help of two of the house helps, they got792Please respect copyright.PENANATyb1187ISX
me up the stairs and when they helped me back down afterwards."792Please respect copyright.PENANAbn3fzVajBa
"I don't believe you."792Please respect copyright.PENANAcTCakLBnHv
"You don't have to, Mr 792Please respect copyright.PENANAGBU3yuDoqq
Detective," Angel gave him a fake smile. "I don't have to prove myself 792Please respect copyright.PENANAexKnfqVFLx
that I'm telling the truth because you would never believe me and it 792Please respect copyright.PENANARUTJqxpCIS
will clearly be a waste of my precious time."792Please respect copyright.PENANADB1da5BO8N
Angel turned back to face the door and unlocked it. When she swung the door open, she turned to look at Leo.792Please respect copyright.PENANAm8CizgC8qw
"I'll be heading out for792Please respect copyright.PENANAjBTTSKtccr
a stroll in the garden. I would have liked if you would accompany me, 792Please respect copyright.PENANAzmTAYE6szR
but, as usual, things wouldn't end so well, would it?"792Please respect copyright.PENANAva0O4Ja3qW
Leo didn't have to 792Please respect copyright.PENANAxcrq7pOXpn
answer that question and Angel didn't expect him to. She slowly walked 792Please respect copyright.PENANAqWDf73U5lo
out of the kitchen as silently as she could and closed the door behind 792Please respect copyright.PENANAXOwlYHwpUS
her.792Please respect copyright.PENANAXyqbMQEVr0
Leo stared at the closed792Please respect copyright.PENANArndDMTk0Sl
door and he couldn't tell if he was angry at Angel like he always has 792Please respect copyright.PENANATC058xUbdj
or he was just surprised that she was able to walk around again. Either 792Please respect copyright.PENANAzW5Y7j8fPb
way, he forgot about making coffee and went back to his room, feeling 792Please respect copyright.PENANAzuzunNRQFj
utterly disturbed.792Please respect copyright.PENANAZlTdu4SHm5
***792Please respect copyright.PENANAauzH1ieXeI
In792Please respect copyright.PENANARZJPBnd531
an hour's time, almost everyone in the McDonell mansion was awake. At 792Please respect copyright.PENANA1te6RLEO00
the breakfast table, Mr McDonell and Amanda were having their breakfast.792Please respect copyright.PENANAr4Pd4RzikE
Leo and Eric soon came to join them.792Please respect copyright.PENANADmNlgUoxlA
"Morning grandma, morning dad," said Leo as he sat beside his grandmother.792Please respect copyright.PENANAmC1LET7FLj
"Morning," said Amanda.792Please respect copyright.PENANAfvfk1JQ9ro
"Morning," said Mr McDonell who was looking at his daily newspaper.792Please respect copyright.PENANAT994Flhf7h
"Hope you all slept well," said Eric as he sat opposite Leo and Amanda.792Please respect copyright.PENANATMULZQn808
"We did," said Amanda with a smile. "And I can see you two boys slept well too."792Please respect copyright.PENANA012PvVsKDY
"I sure as hell did," said Eric.792Please respect copyright.PENANAKOuoNLlCf2
"And792Please respect copyright.PENANAQpIb3eSOdf
Leo has this smile on his face," said Mr McDonell. He might have been 792Please respect copyright.PENANAvm9MFIE5zS
looking at the newspaper, but he was pretty observant.792Please respect copyright.PENANAZ10zgFaeb3
"Do I?" Leo asked.792Please respect copyright.PENANAj1G8E8RTUL
"Of course, dear," said Amanda. "That smile is even making you look more handsome."792Please respect copyright.PENANArlJoPIT4BW
Leo792Please respect copyright.PENANAexMR8y0bZ5
continued to smile. And he knew the reason why. He noticed his cousin 792Please respect copyright.PENANAbserlgGufJ
looking at him across the table. Leo couldn't help but feel that Eric 792Please respect copyright.PENANAu5li7CyzOC
knew the reason too.792Please respect copyright.PENANAPVLGHBvEaG
"Do you have any plans today, boys?" Amanda asked as she drank her tea.792Please respect copyright.PENANAqgS7vj3qA8
"No, granny," Eric replied as he got two slices of toast. "It's a weekend after all."792Please respect copyright.PENANAHFejOCTfWL
"I just wanted to know. It would be nice to spend some quality time with you two handsome grandsons of mine."792Please respect copyright.PENANA6XFhDeM5Wx
"You would," said Leo. "We aren't going anywhere."792Please respect copyright.PENANATnwsArvCyO
"Lovely."792Please respect copyright.PENANAO5bNAIpgSx
A few seconds later, just as Leo was pouring tea from the teapot into his cup, Angel walked in.792Please respect copyright.PENANACvtNkSFS9u
"Morning, everyone," she greeted.792Please respect copyright.PENANAedZPhQ3o5N
Upon792Please respect copyright.PENANASyGFtaw011
hearing her voice and seeing her face, Leo spelt some tea on the table.792Please respect copyright.PENANATPkibKE5xb
Some almost poured on his trousers, but he was very lucky.792Please respect copyright.PENANACJYKEMrPWP
"Oh, my, careful, Leo," said Amanda. "You would have got burnt."792Please respect copyright.PENANA0mC7vrqKw4
"I'm fine," said Leo as he cleaned up the spelt tea with a napkin.792Please respect copyright.PENANApEg8XvrMyV
"Oh, morning, Angel," said Amanda, then she gasped. "I didn't realise that you're walking and not on your wheelchair."792Please respect copyright.PENANAkIZOPsbY1O
Eric792Please respect copyright.PENANAVKPMdvutdh
quickly turned to look at Angel and he also looked surprised. Mr 792Please respect copyright.PENANAwiyDqbsNYv
McDonell smiled at Angel. Leo groaned as he realised that all that he 792Please respect copyright.PENANAMy715OSrHL
had seen earlier wasn't a dream.792Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9WXreIS05
"Yes, the doctor told me that I should start walking to strengthen my legs a little," said Angel.792Please respect copyright.PENANAXb0Ig6viiP
"Well, that's good," said Mr McDonell.792Please respect copyright.PENANAFHnJXAHrmJ
Eric stood up from his seat and drew out a chair next to him for Angel.792Please respect copyright.PENANAXMvSCnluiP
"You can take a seat here," said Eric.792Please respect copyright.PENANAM0NkTU3evf
"Thank you, Eric," said Angel as she slowly but gradually made her way to the table and sat down.792Please respect copyright.PENANAEEgwPwSU7z
"It's good to see you walking again, dear," said Amanda.792Please respect copyright.PENANAXzwLjqMlgi
"It does feel good, Amanda," Angel smiled.792Please respect copyright.PENANAYFQstmOzQu
"So does that mean you will be going back to work anytime soon?" Mr McDonell asked.792Please respect copyright.PENANAAc0mxGxCfq
"I've been given more time from work to recuperate before I go back."792Please respect copyright.PENANAUKoJQJszgc
"Okay, then. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you about something. And Carly too. After breakfast, that is."792Please respect copyright.PENANAeIEoQ06WWi
Angel nodded her head. "Of course."792Please respect copyright.PENANAnj8P0ZjwR7
Leo792Please respect copyright.PENANAGDENnTvN7s
couldn't help but feel that something was up. Could it be that his 792Please respect copyright.PENANAPmopUf7XvL
grandmother had told his father about Angel working at the company? Leo 792Please respect copyright.PENANAw8ULOYlJZh
hoped she hadn't. And if she did, he hoped his father had disagreed with792Please respect copyright.PENANAfjhhRCYjc5
her and that he wanted to talk to Angel about something else.792Please respect copyright.PENANAszAChWEegs
Angel792Please respect copyright.PENANAqDpvMeBr83
poured herself a glass of juice and looked up at Leo who had looked 792Please respect copyright.PENANAjYWFow5BQ8
away after he realised that he had been looking at her since she sat at 792Please respect copyright.PENANAIFlI5pBQxl
the table. Angel ignored him as she got some toast.792Please respect copyright.PENANAwOpBpA0kAD
While the others continued to have breakfast, Oliver and his mother, Diana, joined them.792Please respect copyright.PENANA074GgpNv5b
"I'll792Please respect copyright.PENANAboJytgKciX
be in my study if you need me," said Mr McDonell as he drank the last 792Please respect copyright.PENANAqtMNzXGUHb
of his coffee. "Angel, you can join me in the study when you're done."792Please respect copyright.PENANAsuhRmwK798
"Yes, I would," said Angel.792Please respect copyright.PENANAHWt3F6yR4x
Mr McDonell soon left the dining room.792Please respect copyright.PENANAbKeCi0K245
"I see that you're not sitting on your wheelchair, Angel," said Diana.792Please respect copyright.PENANAK3VSutqRMI
"Yes, I'm not."792Please respect copyright.PENANAzELOW1ssJ5
"That's nice," said Oliver. "It would be so much easier now taking you around."792Please respect copyright.PENANAYQnd0LH9sy
"Why? You want to take me around the house? I never got that opportunity since I wasn't feeling too well."792Please respect copyright.PENANAFKOJfg23Ax
"Yes, I would."792Please respect copyright.PENANA78wW6zYOag
Angel smiled at Oliver, sitting next to her. "Charming."792Please respect copyright.PENANAs1LAUx3eHD
"I'm afraid that's the one thing all the boys have in this house, charm," said Diana. "And sadly, no one can say no to them."792Please respect copyright.PENANAQgakPcnzfr
"Well, it doesn't work on me," said Amanda.792Please respect copyright.PENANA2J4bAlAnmn
Almost everyone at the table laughed, except Leo.792Please respect copyright.PENANAq8eMHmLyvs
"You can take me around the house after I'm done talking with your uncle, okay?"792Please respect copyright.PENANAluiRheP7oX
"Yes."792Please respect copyright.PENANACSshTbnf6m
Leo792Please respect copyright.PENANA2GYNL7ochs
soon found himself standing up, ready to leave the table. He had had 792Please respect copyright.PENANA0HuPIeZ4ye
enough of his breakfast and he certainly had had enough of everyone 792Please respect copyright.PENANA2JdiV1jfpm
talking about Angel.792Please respect copyright.PENANAg1sHhTxRmc
Surprisingly, Angel also stood up from her seat at the same time as he did. The two of them looked at each other for a moment.792Please respect copyright.PENANA0tf7Vqp7Vg
"I'll be going to see Mr McDonell in his office now," said Angel as she drew away from the table.792Please respect copyright.PENANA1C6QU5x7fY
"You'll find us here," said Amanda.792Please respect copyright.PENANAm1HK0CjTof
Before Angel could find 792Please respect copyright.PENANAiID9VUFmjs
her way out of the dining room, Carly soon came in. And she paused upon 792Please respect copyright.PENANAfJ9hGxvrV7
seeing her sister, standing on her own.792Please respect copyright.PENANAwpHYx0ekIy
"Wow, Angel," said Carly with a surprised look on his face. "You're walking again."792Please respect copyright.PENANAUf6ryFSfoL
Angel only smiled. "Yes," she said. "You should have your breakfast and come to the study."792Please respect copyright.PENANAL92MX4zgCN
"To the study? Why?" The excited look Carly had on her face, soon disappeared.792Please respect copyright.PENANAQW26AueolG
"Mr McDonell wants to have a word. You'll find me there."792Please respect copyright.PENANAyTvoTCh9y7
Angel made her way out of the dining room while Carly stood there wondering what Mr McDonell wanted to talk about.
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