Poison Rose

CH- 9 Flames of happy memories

Amara took Officer Park's visiting card out of her purse while they were on their way home. With determination, she dialed his number. The man picked on the third ring. Amara didn't wait for the exchange of pleasantries and jumped straight to the point.

"Officer Park, I need your help. Would you be able to come by our home today?" Upon receiving a positive response from him, she ended the call and tucked the phone away in her bag.

Amara was lost in her thoughts when she heard Liora's excited voice from beside her. "Officer Park is coming home today?"

"Yes, Ora, he is." Amara confirmed.

The news of Officer Park's visit brought a moment of happiness, but thoughts of her late father not being with them quickly clouded her mood. She couldn't help but feel guilty for enjoying her time in that secret room instead of missing her father. Shouldn't she be grieving her loss, weeping all day and not finding happiness in anything?

As she dwelled on her thoughts, the memory of the boy who graciously offered her access to his secret room crossed her mind again.

'That boy...' she whispered. A sudden realisation jolted her. She still didn't know his name.

"Are you ok?" Amara asked in concern, noticing the sudden change in Liora's expression.

"Yes, I just remembered something."

What should she tell her mother? Liora thought to herself. Should she tell her that she didn't even know the name of the boy she spent the day with? It felt embarrassing, but she decided she would ask him tomorrow without fail.

With that thought, Liora shifted her attention out of the bus window, looking forward to meeting Officer Park.

Caspian strode swiftly to his grandfather's office at the mansion, where he didn't bother with the usual formality of knocking before entering. He was the sole person in the mansion, who was permitted to enter the Chairman's office without the formality of knocking.

The chairman was engrossed in his paperwork as Robert stood beside him. The sudden opening of the door drew their attention.

"Grandpa, would you be upset if I declined to go to the USA for further studies?"

The chairman paused, placed his pen on the desk, and removed his glasses. After a moment of calm, he met Caspian's gaze and replied, "I would be disappointed, but I anticipated this request." He continued, "However, my dear boy, you have no alternative but to go to the USA."

Caspian was well aware of his grandfather's response, yet he decided to test his luck. He walked over and sat on the couch a few meters away, directly across from his grandfather's desk.

He hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees, interlocking his fingers. His eyes turned red with a mix of frustration and anger that caused the blood to rush to his eyes.

Caspian gritted his teeth as he spoke, feeling as though his grandfather's words were rubbing salt in his wound. "Why did you keep it from me, Grandpa?" He asked, his tone somewhat strained.

The atmosphere in the room shifted from calmness to tense as they delved into a serious discussion.

"I didn't." The chairman shot him a sharp look. "You, Caspian, you failed to see. You greatly disappointed me." Taking a pause, the chairman shot a commanding look at his assistant. "Robert, I'd like some private time with my grandson."

"Yes, sir." Robert quickly exited the room, leaving the grandfather and grandson alone for their discussion, guarding outside the closed door.

Caspian, whose anger had flared in his eyes, was suddenly taken aback, making his spine straight. He began to decipher his grandpa's words, and after a moment of analysis, his own failure became clear to him.