Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

85

Baekhyun stared at the new documents, a frown appearing on his pink lips. He reread the section multiple times, hoping it would change.

Estelle Allistair

Baekhyun let out a loud sigh. The outcomes were a lot worse than he expected. Francis Allistair had impregnated one of his servants, and the result was the birth of Estelle. He figured this would occur since there were a few rumors of Allistair sleeping with multiple women. Baekhyun just didn't expect the girl to have no siblings or guardians. The servant that gave birth to her had perished during her delivery. She had an unintended pregnancy, so Estelle didn't have any siblings or relations with anyone else at the moment. From her mother's side, there was barely any information on her family, so that was out of the picture. Baek didn't want to send her to an orphanage either... or more like he physically couldn't.

The first reason was how corrupt some orphanages were. They would have to do a lot of research beforehand to send her to an organization. Some places just focused on child labor while others mainly abused the abandoned kids. The second reason was how many individuals believed that Francis Allistair did have a daughter. They would have to do a lot of work and give her a new identity before placing her in an orphanage. But that itself wasn't safe because other mafia groups who were allied with Mr. Alistair would probably look into the murder and figure out the truth. The last thing Baekhyun wanted to do was put the girl in unnecessary danger.

"I'm guessing you don't want to put her in an orphanage, correct?" Baekhyun shook his head. For some reason, he didn't want the girl to be left alone. He wanted Estelle to experience a happy family... he didn't want her to encounter the same situation as his past.

"I'll do whatever you want to do, so don't worry. She can stay under our care." Daehyun smiled as he saw his little brother let out a relieved sigh. He didn't really see the younger girl often, but he inferred that Baekhyun met the girl regularly since he didn't have that much work. Daehyun did see her a few times when he was at home, but she always hid from him or just shyly waved. Other times, Daehyun would leave for work early morning or arrive super late, so he wasn't that familiar with the toddler.

"How old is she? She doesn't seem that young, and she can't speak too well."

"She's either 4 or 5. There isn't an exact date confirmed yet. I'm guessing her father never took her anywhere, which is why her file is so brief. There is barely any information on her, and judging by her bruises, it's noticeable that Francis didn't care about her." Daehyun hummed. He tapped his fingers against the desk and wondered.

'How could anyone have the guts to hit such a beautiful child?'

He shook his head in disappointment, his heart clenching at the gory images in his mind.

"I can hire a teacher to give her a few lessons-"

"Actually... someone already took that spot." He turned to his brother with a raised brow.

"And who would that be?"

"Well..."

The living room was filled with loud laughter and the soft tone of the television. Letters and animal pictures were scattered around the whole room like a classroom. Estelle ran to each image with her princess dress on. The bright blue shades fluttered around every time she waddled to the correct characters. Heechul, on the other hand, was wearing a sharp black suit, almost as if he were going to a professional meeting. He gently tapped his chin in a thinking manner and then smiled brightly.