Leo had a smile on his 938Please respect copyright.PENANAE8iDwC4Ft4
face when he brought himself to a comfortable position. He never had 938Please respect copyright.PENANA8X6xBu85fc
this excited yet happy feeling within himself just by staring at the 938Please respect copyright.PENANAeOHRKNiycX
face right in front of him.938Please respect copyright.PENANAICDaYMFkh2
It was morning and the 938Please respect copyright.PENANA7jMjc9y9XL
sun rays managed to seep into his room giving it a wonderful golden 938Please respect copyright.PENANAZghegAeYHE
glow. But nothing in his room shined brighter than the woman sleeping 938Please respect copyright.PENANAD8gGLAGgkx
next to him who had the lovely skin colour of bronze that shined 938Please respect copyright.PENANAJNkAOuDfLv
brilliantly in the morning sun.938Please respect copyright.PENANAy54CTNzWil
Carly had joined him 938Please respect copyright.PENANAcXLatJQqms
last night after she had watched a movie with Angel, Eric and Oliver. By938Please respect copyright.PENANAOWgGdpANPA
then, it was already late, Kim had left a good two hours ago and almost938Please respect copyright.PENANAiRIg11ag41
everyone in the house had gone to sleep, except from the two love 938Please respect copyright.PENANA0RcyRouj4v
birds, of course.938Please respect copyright.PENANA1f8XZJINNo
It was good she came, 938Please respect copyright.PENANAkMKmL15ddP
Leo thought to himself as he continued to stare at her. She was still 938Please respect copyright.PENANA1HcSmK9jq3
sleeping and she looked beautiful, no doubt in his mind that she was. He938Please respect copyright.PENANARtmsH9RNw8
wished time could slow down so that he could look at her for just a 938Please respect copyright.PENANAqIRTQsNpzI
little while longer. Sooner than later, he would have to wake her up.938Please respect copyright.PENANAmkuRBNbZd0
He stretched his hand 938Please respect copyright.PENANAJGN6ZW59Ex
and ran it through her lovely silky black hair. For an African American,938Please respect copyright.PENANA7c3wD0qyE6
her hair was gorgeous. He tucked away a strand of her hair that was on 938Please respect copyright.PENANAYIo6yU8KVf
her cheek. When his hand brushed over her cheek, ever so gently upon 938Please respect copyright.PENANAA3TmS2p4Et
pulling it away, her eyes slowly flew open.938Please respect copyright.PENANArJfZjm948r
"Morning, sleepy head," said Leo with a smile.938Please respect copyright.PENANA1sClMpd77w
She didn't respond as 938Please respect copyright.PENANACWUHR0HC6u
she smiled through her sleepy eyes and closed them again. She still 938Please respect copyright.PENANAGwEa7HOm3m
looked so beautiful with that goofy smile on her face, he thought to 938Please respect copyright.PENANAHLC5WTBmRe
himself. Leo chuckled.938Please respect copyright.PENANAzwRNCkHuOj
"It's already morning?" she asked as she opened her eyes again and looked at him.938Please respect copyright.PENANAEDpRQqnsQ4
"Sadly, yes," he replied. "You know what that means."938Please respect copyright.PENANA9q1aQ32g8a
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.938Please respect copyright.PENANAVf5EIxRKhE
Leo continued to chuckle. "Come on, you know the drill." He sat up and uncovered the bed cover covering her head.938Please respect copyright.PENANAT6YnGMgktG
"Fine," she said as she gave up and sat up on the bed. "I really hoped that I could stay a little longer."938Please respect copyright.PENANATDAHUzLJKL
"You're right. But I 938Please respect copyright.PENANAqldm97fl36
better get you out of here before anyone wakes up. It might be a weekend938Please respect copyright.PENANAyoZ6OMrF3a
but there are still a lot of early birds around here."938Please respect copyright.PENANAY8CAtENbmT
Carly smiled at him. "Like you?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAvbtFgb9BYI
"Like my dad. Come on, we better hurry."938Please respect copyright.PENANANwaQ3B0jAG
They both got out of bed938Please respect copyright.PENANAuEoopEpftM
and got dressed into their nightwear covering themselves with their 938Please respect copyright.PENANAKd3vTADndA
sleeping gowns. They sneaked out of Leo's room and they tiptoed all the 938Please respect copyright.PENANA9TgY1CZV1k
way to Carly's.938Please respect copyright.PENANAvqkk1xo2cp
"Thanks," said Carly in a low voice when they got to the door. "I'll continue sleeping and we will meet later on."938Please respect copyright.PENANAG0RflLlbMl
"Great, I'll see you soon," said Leo as he smiled.938Please respect copyright.PENANAXHgHvacOHI
Carly gave him a simple 938Please respect copyright.PENANAl6gJ4p0bjN
peck on the cheek and quickly went in her room. For a moment, Leo 938Please respect copyright.PENANAJDiJv4Dndk
couldn't help but stand there for a moment, lost in thought, until he 938Please respect copyright.PENANAnoeLp0JEe0
realised that he had been standing there looking at the door. He smiled 938Please respect copyright.PENANAS3DZWelt6R
at his stupidity as he made his way back to his room.938Please respect copyright.PENANAHP3VfcWov2
Just when he got there, he changed his mind and thought he really needed a cup of coffee.938Please respect copyright.PENANAKhwkEVRjsH
He made his way 938Please respect copyright.PENANAqg8HEPgjoG
downstairs and before he could make his way to the kitchen when he 938Please respect copyright.PENANACBB1MlAkbS
reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a noise coming from the 938Please respect copyright.PENANAf1YndkpesT
kitchen.938Please respect copyright.PENANAjYysbFHbOj
He wondered who could be938Please respect copyright.PENANAKCWpeKxaIp
up at this early hour. He knew his dad was always an early bird, but 938Please respect copyright.PENANAHLwdwRV6pD
when it came to the weekend, Leo knew he wouldn't be awake for another 938Please respect copyright.PENANAv4uncB9xvX
hour. He made his way to the kitchen and what he saw, shook him a 938Please respect copyright.PENANAZQYM4P8dRH
little.938Please respect copyright.PENANAwKIFXeOqV0
Angel was standing by 938Please respect copyright.PENANAH8ocDg34bC
the kitchen counter where she had put up the coffee maker to make some 938Please respect copyright.PENANAjnQtQjUpjr
coffee. Her presence somehow didn't matter to him, but there was some 938Please respect copyright.PENANAmRXeUtnWT3
thing that shook him the moment he got there.938Please respect copyright.PENANAUzYPtjhlyu
Angel was standing, and not on a wheelchair.938Please respect copyright.PENANAzV8XvgzluH
Sensing someone's presence, Angel turned to the door. When she saw Leo, she neither gave an angry look nor a smile.938Please respect copyright.PENANAGscU9i22GP
"Morning," she greeted as she turned back to the machine on the counter.938Please respect copyright.PENANAwvGJcvwHQT
"Morning," Leo somehow managed to say. "You're up early."938Please respect copyright.PENANAMy4NLP5lnz
"I just had to."938Please respect copyright.PENANA1giRRl6B8Y
"Ummm," Leo still 938Please respect copyright.PENANAmv5cNS39Dv
couldn't believe that Angel was standing in front of him. He expected 938Please respect copyright.PENANAKKEJtnCZIC
her to be still on her wheelchair. "Are you going somewhere?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAxxnTl70ffv
"Thought of taking a walk to strengthen my legs a little."938Please respect copyright.PENANAYvSd32ArCO
The coffee maker soon 938Please respect copyright.PENANAUl3QmfTfJL
finished making her coffee and the room became slient. Angel went over 938Please respect copyright.PENANAElngmCIHdj
to the cupboard next to the sink to get a mug. There was a slight limp 938Please respect copyright.PENANAf4PCylehxX
in her walk, but all in all, she seemed okay and not in much pain.938Please respect copyright.PENANArphAdYUog2
Just as Angel was heading back to the coffee maker, she noticed Leo's eyes on her. She turned to look at him.938Please respect copyright.PENANAQUrGz5lTLd
"Why are you looking at me like you've just seen a ghost?" she asked.938Please respect copyright.PENANA4l2LHSBX8j
"Uh..." Leo hesitated. "I'm just surprised that you're walking."938Please respect copyright.PENANABkgtFm6ftm
"Why? You wanted me 938Please respect copyright.PENANAnTS34q3rcH
confined to a wheelchair forever?" Angel raised an eyebrow at him before938Please respect copyright.PENANA9cRjKrlubm
she turned towards the coffee maker and went over to it to pour herself938Please respect copyright.PENANA4pjKIAq7ul
a cup.938Please respect copyright.PENANA58aAnkfMiY
"Umm, no. I'm just surprised, that's all."938Please respect copyright.PENANAizZ1mXWW0y
"The doctor said I should start walking around to strengthen my legs."938Please respect copyright.PENANAWaPVjI9diT
Leo just nodded his head but he was still in shock. He expected her to be confined to her wheelchair a little while longer.938Please respect copyright.PENANAUSrzFFKrPx
"You still don't seem 938Please respect copyright.PENANAgTjBDIFxwT
happy that I'm walking again," said Angel, bringing Leo back from his 938Please respect copyright.PENANAGctpzHQFFl
thoughts. "I hope you don't think that this will get in your way of 938Please respect copyright.PENANAqeuP3AuUbA
things."938Please respect copyright.PENANAXKbi6XUqRr
Leo was the one to raise his eyebrows this time around. "What do you mean?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAb7ADIaGgk8
Angel took a sip of her 938Please respect copyright.PENANAtWBn4Y2neQ
coffee as she leaned on the counter and placed her hand on it. "You know938Please respect copyright.PENANA6A0rmgfSm1
what I mean. I know Carly didn't sleep in her room last night. She 938Please respect copyright.PENANAAlnHkiW1V7
spent her night with you."938Please respect copyright.PENANAVUZhR2DTSe
Leo retaliated, "that's not true."938Please respect copyright.PENANAmuPPEV1KdE
Angel smirked and Leo 938Please respect copyright.PENANAqkDv8wcVfz
felt his cheeks heat up suddenly. He cursed himself from the inside 938Please respect copyright.PENANAjpxB9l0qaO
still not understanding why he was feeling like this.938Please respect copyright.PENANAGd4cbn1eZm
"Tell it to the person who is now able to walk up the stairs," she said.938Please respect copyright.PENANAChyVJkjaei
"Does that matter? Carly is a grown woman, you know?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAhJx6BtawtR
"Carly is a grown woman, yes, but that doesn't mean she knows that what she's doing might lead her into trouble."938Please respect copyright.PENANAqz5uKZOyYN
Leo shook his head. "I don't think I want to talk about this with you."938Please respect copyright.PENANAVWN5BFcrmB
"You're right, Leo. It's938Please respect copyright.PENANATBGRxkCq7O
early in the morning and I would rather walk around the garden to 938Please respect copyright.PENANApOQEMM4yGs
exercise my legs rather than talk about something that I know I don't 938Please respect copyright.PENANATrhv6GRQuD
have any control over."938Please respect copyright.PENANAhTiLCsM9FI
Leo was a little shocked938Please respect copyright.PENANAXtHiqTgHe2
to hear Angel talk like this. Was she finally giving up, allowing Leo 938Please respect copyright.PENANAGF49Ts3JrZ
and Carly the chance to be happy? Or was she playing some kind of mind 938Please respect copyright.PENANAUExh8cfqVY
game?938Please respect copyright.PENANAlfhQqTneLy
She slowly made her way 938Please respect copyright.PENANA0twFAxIufQ
to the backdoor of the house still with her coffee mug. Leo continued to938Please respect copyright.PENANAHekgJ1UpUT
look at her and something came up in his mind.938Please respect copyright.PENANAwKB1SN2qwl
"How do you know, Carly's room?" Leo asked suddenly.938Please respect copyright.PENANAkXpArfXnha
Angel stopped upon reaching the door and slowly turned to look at him.938Please respect copyright.PENANAgszone9V6l
"I beg your pardon?" she asked politely. Leo wasn't buying it.938Please respect copyright.PENANAKkFPYneMfK
"The time you came into 938Please respect copyright.PENANAWkrILt5gtA
this house, you were still in your wheelchair and you never made it up 938Please respect copyright.PENANA9hhezrmkn6
the stairs. So how do you know where Carly's room is?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAr8fvxtZTdY
Angel smiled at Leo. 938Please respect copyright.PENANAB5DM4wlr3i
"Yesterday when Carly came home and after we argued in the study, she 938Please respect copyright.PENANAyx8sxgfcwy
invited me to come over to her room since she wanted to show me what she938Please respect copyright.PENANALvPQR3fax1
bought from the mall. With the help of two of the house helps, they got938Please respect copyright.PENANAcLibsxibRJ
me up the stairs and when they helped me back down afterwards."938Please respect copyright.PENANAksUaEJRMDF
"I don't believe you."938Please respect copyright.PENANAMArlc9nnwo
"You don't have to, Mr 938Please respect copyright.PENANAfHq1gmsiuV
Detective," Angel gave him a fake smile. "I don't have to prove myself 938Please respect copyright.PENANAvNjwOq8FMa
that I'm telling the truth because you would never believe me and it 938Please respect copyright.PENANAaNFTl3KfGv
will clearly be a waste of my precious time."938Please respect copyright.PENANAZB8qPj5jtN
Angel turned back to face the door and unlocked it. When she swung the door open, she turned to look at Leo.938Please respect copyright.PENANAtrmGhOmnQr
"I'll be heading out for938Please respect copyright.PENANAROROEwhSwi
a stroll in the garden. I would have liked if you would accompany me, 938Please respect copyright.PENANA17KmisLV5k
but, as usual, things wouldn't end so well, would it?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAa0pV8zgwjP
Leo didn't have to 938Please respect copyright.PENANAhl4GkPKD80
answer that question and Angel didn't expect him to. She slowly walked 938Please respect copyright.PENANAzkIorHk9yB
out of the kitchen as silently as she could and closed the door behind 938Please respect copyright.PENANAgkBJqc94O4
her.938Please respect copyright.PENANAVpAslzH1R0
Leo stared at the closed938Please respect copyright.PENANAwctG40Kc1W
door and he couldn't tell if he was angry at Angel like he always has 938Please respect copyright.PENANAIDMhfhdM0x
or he was just surprised that she was able to walk around again. Either 938Please respect copyright.PENANAl2HGuUPulz
way, he forgot about making coffee and went back to his room, feeling 938Please respect copyright.PENANAzHsr1kxHPB
utterly disturbed.938Please respect copyright.PENANAEF2nvPLPaV
***938Please respect copyright.PENANAraNBk0QkKF
In938Please respect copyright.PENANAzhrmBhM9YC
an hour's time, almost everyone in the McDonell mansion was awake. At 938Please respect copyright.PENANA9C0qNUJLno
the breakfast table, Mr McDonell and Amanda were having their breakfast.938Please respect copyright.PENANA1RYhsgyRcQ
Leo and Eric soon came to join them.938Please respect copyright.PENANAZL9iUGa2nI
"Morning grandma, morning dad," said Leo as he sat beside his grandmother.938Please respect copyright.PENANAMYxyh8RMAh
"Morning," said Amanda.938Please respect copyright.PENANAnfXEh6a86Y
"Morning," said Mr McDonell who was looking at his daily newspaper.938Please respect copyright.PENANAWBsmDiiD3l
"Hope you all slept well," said Eric as he sat opposite Leo and Amanda.938Please respect copyright.PENANAtcps8cgFyz
"We did," said Amanda with a smile. "And I can see you two boys slept well too."938Please respect copyright.PENANAXbPJrsXZUJ
"I sure as hell did," said Eric.938Please respect copyright.PENANAKUoz7IoJHM
"And938Please respect copyright.PENANAwI5QOWFAdQ
Leo has this smile on his face," said Mr McDonell. He might have been 938Please respect copyright.PENANAlDfpE5Bf8r
looking at the newspaper, but he was pretty observant.938Please respect copyright.PENANAD2mO9Y2a5g
"Do I?" Leo asked.938Please respect copyright.PENANA8oZJGcoPfH
"Of course, dear," said Amanda. "That smile is even making you look more handsome."938Please respect copyright.PENANAqsHvVOfSmK
Leo938Please respect copyright.PENANAFZeK4dyHi9
continued to smile. And he knew the reason why. He noticed his cousin 938Please respect copyright.PENANArFw8XhoOru
looking at him across the table. Leo couldn't help but feel that Eric 938Please respect copyright.PENANAGlLU5Rfzrz
knew the reason too.938Please respect copyright.PENANAF9nR8IbJQP
"Do you have any plans today, boys?" Amanda asked as she drank her tea.938Please respect copyright.PENANAJUtOq6Zu1t
"No, granny," Eric replied as he got two slices of toast. "It's a weekend after all."938Please respect copyright.PENANAKggROs2wwe
"I just wanted to know. It would be nice to spend some quality time with you two handsome grandsons of mine."938Please respect copyright.PENANAzfHU7XvLqa
"You would," said Leo. "We aren't going anywhere."938Please respect copyright.PENANAuaqVnWdTt5
"Lovely."938Please respect copyright.PENANAzNAkK0hVrP
A few seconds later, just as Leo was pouring tea from the teapot into his cup, Angel walked in.938Please respect copyright.PENANAKaM289mp7S
"Morning, everyone," she greeted.938Please respect copyright.PENANAHC28X3T9b5
Upon938Please respect copyright.PENANA2LSXS1tXJ5
hearing her voice and seeing her face, Leo spelt some tea on the table.938Please respect copyright.PENANARKwvSwWi4W
Some almost poured on his trousers, but he was very lucky.938Please respect copyright.PENANA2eGDIyj6pN
"Oh, my, careful, Leo," said Amanda. "You would have got burnt."938Please respect copyright.PENANAzm8xce4eES
"I'm fine," said Leo as he cleaned up the spelt tea with a napkin.938Please respect copyright.PENANANywi8pcaHn
"Oh, morning, Angel," said Amanda, then she gasped. "I didn't realise that you're walking and not on your wheelchair."938Please respect copyright.PENANAU0kbTevPJC
Eric938Please respect copyright.PENANArFXwYFYFP6
quickly turned to look at Angel and he also looked surprised. Mr 938Please respect copyright.PENANAazPdNJ72ic
McDonell smiled at Angel. Leo groaned as he realised that all that he 938Please respect copyright.PENANAkhD14U1nwK
had seen earlier wasn't a dream.938Please respect copyright.PENANAUcGYJvJ89j
"Yes, the doctor told me that I should start walking to strengthen my legs a little," said Angel.938Please respect copyright.PENANAlCN93AXYkj
"Well, that's good," said Mr McDonell.938Please respect copyright.PENANAkfJA8K6ray
Eric stood up from his seat and drew out a chair next to him for Angel.938Please respect copyright.PENANA60OQTYzxQo
"You can take a seat here," said Eric.938Please respect copyright.PENANAHasPEOhOOl
"Thank you, Eric," said Angel as she slowly but gradually made her way to the table and sat down.938Please respect copyright.PENANAtonVWdRIgW
"It's good to see you walking again, dear," said Amanda.938Please respect copyright.PENANAPY3SsKGJiQ
"It does feel good, Amanda," Angel smiled.938Please respect copyright.PENANAyNBie550Dr
"So does that mean you will be going back to work anytime soon?" Mr McDonell asked.938Please respect copyright.PENANA6RULG2sY87
"I've been given more time from work to recuperate before I go back."938Please respect copyright.PENANATI2ufvqKhg
"Okay, then. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you about something. And Carly too. After breakfast, that is."938Please respect copyright.PENANAz2QQ0DFE76
Angel nodded her head. "Of course."938Please respect copyright.PENANAF2d0U9bMVy
Leo938Please respect copyright.PENANAcEWQ1HXmrb
couldn't help but feel that something was up. Could it be that his 938Please respect copyright.PENANAWhVo0Qrni7
grandmother had told his father about Angel working at the company? Leo 938Please respect copyright.PENANAffwSVJa16C
hoped she hadn't. And if she did, he hoped his father had disagreed with938Please respect copyright.PENANA6itGamThUI
her and that he wanted to talk to Angel about something else.938Please respect copyright.PENANAUoAMcE4w9L
Angel938Please respect copyright.PENANAkigZ2UGgfg
poured herself a glass of juice and looked up at Leo who had looked 938Please respect copyright.PENANAljMy7JMaNn
away after he realised that he had been looking at her since she sat at 938Please respect copyright.PENANAetKWNJ0sF2
the table. Angel ignored him as she got some toast.938Please respect copyright.PENANA7Cg0ZH12kn
While the others continued to have breakfast, Oliver and his mother, Diana, joined them.938Please respect copyright.PENANAXgfg5tQEEK
"I'll938Please respect copyright.PENANAEIGyOoXIrT
be in my study if you need me," said Mr McDonell as he drank the last 938Please respect copyright.PENANALrEewbJXy2
of his coffee. "Angel, you can join me in the study when you're done."938Please respect copyright.PENANAJSz7dzFIbV
"Yes, I would," said Angel.938Please respect copyright.PENANAIIS0vFCR5V
Mr McDonell soon left the dining room.938Please respect copyright.PENANAuWrQL7gT6Q
"I see that you're not sitting on your wheelchair, Angel," said Diana.938Please respect copyright.PENANAAli9PxMeGC
"Yes, I'm not."938Please respect copyright.PENANA6FYsQxoXH2
"That's nice," said Oliver. "It would be so much easier now taking you around."938Please respect copyright.PENANAiJ84CFbLiF
"Why? You want to take me around the house? I never got that opportunity since I wasn't feeling too well."938Please respect copyright.PENANALv18qqlVOQ
"Yes, I would."938Please respect copyright.PENANAgZMEL2J163
Angel smiled at Oliver, sitting next to her. "Charming."938Please respect copyright.PENANAiM3Gm0JObS
"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."938Please respect copyright.PENANAlHe5hLMXrV
"Well, it doesn't work on me," said Amanda.938Please respect copyright.PENANAwFcWoResAC
Almost everyone at the table laughed, except Leo.938Please respect copyright.PENANAiaD65h2l7s
"You can take me around the house after I'm done talking with your uncle, okay?"938Please respect copyright.PENANAZhoz3HY6LQ
"Yes."938Please respect copyright.PENANAUgq30nV1Ec
Leo938Please respect copyright.PENANAvjuPrYS8tx
soon found himself standing up, ready to leave the table. He had had 938Please respect copyright.PENANAu6ojk33O9D
enough of his breakfast and he certainly had had enough of everyone 938Please respect copyright.PENANAxUAJvwNZ5Z
talking about Angel.938Please respect copyright.PENANAuwfvzTbvlT
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.938Please respect copyright.PENANAyxTiXL6h9m
"I'll be going to see Mr McDonell in his office now," said Angel as she drew away from the table.938Please respect copyright.PENANAgH0Zxy4MDP
"You'll find us here," said Amanda.938Please respect copyright.PENANAs4hJr1L9xE
Before Angel could find 938Please respect copyright.PENANAdxCbtE1fUX
her way out of the dining room, Carly soon came in. And she paused upon 938Please respect copyright.PENANAHRQexrXJfa
seeing her sister, standing on her own.938Please respect copyright.PENANAiZRyuPeeut
"Wow, Angel," said Carly with a surprised look on his face. "You're walking again."938Please respect copyright.PENANAVB0cIqZIGM
Angel only smiled. "Yes," she said. "You should have your breakfast and come to the study."938Please respect copyright.PENANAmmRoJLrNSt
"To the study? Why?" The excited look Carly had on her face, soon disappeared.938Please respect copyright.PENANAyrnNhOx2LA
"Mr McDonell wants to have a word. You'll find me there."938Please respect copyright.PENANASxFLcxFjEg
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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