Magnus thought about Stefan's words. He mulled on it over and over again; weighing down the pros and cons of his next action. He wanted to tell her the truth and hear the judgment coming directly from her. It took him a whole night to choose his better option and the next morning, he decided to pay her and Jean Albert a visit.
Stefan left for work after making sure that his family was fine and that his wife could manage things on her own with the triplets. He also instructed the helpers to be on alert in case Cayenne needed their help.
The sky looked gloomy with the dark clouds hovering above the city. Occasional thunder and lightning also appeared in the sky, and it seemed like a downpour was about to come. Stefan looked outside the window and his emotion mirrored the sky. He felt gloomy now that he had to be away from his family once again.
Even though it will only last for less than eight hours, he still felt disgruntled going to work.
In the cabin, Latticia was standing on the balcony, watching the ripples on the surface of the lake. Something was bugging her, and she felt anxious for whatever reason. As far as her medical examination shows, she was recovering just fine and there was no need to worry as long as she follows her therapy regimen with Dr. Albert's supervision.
"Are you alright?" Jean Albert asked when he noticed that she was still standing on the balcony even when it was drizzling already. She didn't seem to feel the cold droplets of rain on her skin. "Come inside or you will catch a cold out here."
"I don't... know." She answered all honesty with confusion showing on her face. "Whenever I think of Stefan, his family, and even his father, I get nervous, and I don't feeling. Is it because of my guilty conscience? Is it because I asked him to keep my identity a secret?"
"Stefan didn't just follow your words without thinking about it. He knew what was better for the whole family. You don't have to think too much about it."
It was now raining cats and dogs outside. Traffic started to form since some roads got blocked because of floods. People sought shelters in cafes, restaurants, and other establishments to prevent themselves from getting wet. Fortunately, Stefan arrived without any issues.
Tristan and Elena were waiting for him on the top floor with different agendas at hand. With Stefan shortening his working time in the office, they needed to double-check their work to make sure that they would be efficient with time management.
Elena approached him first and gave him the summary of his most important schedule for the day. "Today, you have a meeting with the marketing directors of Clover Hotel branches. It will be a conference meeting since some of the branches are located overseas. You have another conference meeting with Mr. Marriotte regarding the amusement parks in J Country. Mr.
Salazar is also coming to discuss with you the merger of his company with yours."
"I have the files for the investigation you required as well," Tristan expressed and handed Stefan a flash drive. "It is just as you suspected. Although they haven't done anything outrageous, many little things, once accumulated, would become big."
"Thank you. We'll take it one at a time."
Stefan opened his computer and inserted the flash drive into the USB port. He read the file and forwarded it to his father and grandpa. They have the right to decide what should be done to his auntie. Even if he was close with his cousin in the past, he couldn't say the same thing with his auntie. Besides, they did something to Cayenne during the wedding ceremony. He would never forget it.
He was already being lenient for not making the move against them.
In the afternoon, as the rain continued to pour, Stefan stood close to his floor-to-ceiling glass window. He was looking outside the building, wondering when the rain would stop since it was almost time for him to go back home.
The rapid knocking on his office door jolted him back to reality and before he could give his permission, Elena came inside with a horrified expression.
"Sir, your father is dead."
Stefan wasn't sure if he was hearing things and wanted to clarify the statement she said, but Elena gave him her iPad. Tristan was also standing not far from them. "Is this verified news?"
Tristan nodded his head hesitantly and Stefan's ears were ringing as if a bomb had just exploded near him. His hands were shaking and if not for Tristan catching the gadget on time, Elena's iPad could be broken already.
"Let's go to the villa. Now!"
"But boss, it is raining heavily outside." Tristan retorted in worry. "Miss Yen would be worried if we force ourselves to go back in this weather."
"My grandpa needs me."
Tristan wanted to say it was too late to go there because the senior of the Dumrique household was also sent to the hospital after a heart attack, but he didn't know how to voice it out empathetically.
Contrary to him, "Sir Stefan, I'm sorry to inform you but your grandpa was also sent to the hospital. He had a heart attack when he learned of your father's death." Elena expressed while looking apologetically. "Right now, I really hope you would prioritize your safety for Miss Yen's sake. We can contact the hospital instead. I also asked Tristan to contact the police earlier.
They should be getting back to us any moment from now."
Stefan sat on the couch and rubbed his hands on his face. With the heavy rain outside bringing danger to drivers and passengers, Stefan could only wallow in the negative emotions welling up in his heart. Even if he was angry with Magnus after he neglected him, he never wished for the man to die. He even wished that Magnus would accept Latticia's existence without throwing a fuss over it.
He just wanted both his parents to live happily.
"Tell me, he's not returning anymore like my mother did, right?"