Leo had a smile on his 740Please respect copyright.PENANAFCFDHSj7Wd
face when he brought himself to a comfortable position. He never had 740Please respect copyright.PENANAdtSx7FNcaa
this excited yet happy feeling within himself just by staring at the 740Please respect copyright.PENANA0IES4GcB5A
face right in front of him.740Please respect copyright.PENANAEsE3AZnwKN
It was morning and the 740Please respect copyright.PENANAPNZesYiiAv
sun rays managed to seep into his room giving it a wonderful golden 740Please respect copyright.PENANAqVFBVxrnPk
glow. But nothing in his room shined brighter than the woman sleeping 740Please respect copyright.PENANALGpIrt3dqH
next to him who had the lovely skin colour of bronze that shined 740Please respect copyright.PENANA9NrLlRXyk6
brilliantly in the morning sun.740Please respect copyright.PENANAk9bwE1j1so
Carly had joined him 740Please respect copyright.PENANAqEUuE8hq0G
last night after she had watched a movie with Angel, Eric and Oliver. By740Please respect copyright.PENANAakLyaAlp0M
then, it was already late, Kim had left a good two hours ago and almost740Please respect copyright.PENANAHdCCQWs4lW
everyone in the house had gone to sleep, except from the two love 740Please respect copyright.PENANAIcUj6HP30h
birds, of course.740Please respect copyright.PENANAIasN0bKurh
It was good she came, 740Please respect copyright.PENANAXxZothEQSG
Leo thought to himself as he continued to stare at her. She was still 740Please respect copyright.PENANAT3LLAWacXX
sleeping and she looked beautiful, no doubt in his mind that she was. He740Please respect copyright.PENANAsWXDiw103C
wished time could slow down so that he could look at her for just a 740Please respect copyright.PENANAglj2gjkDv0
little while longer. Sooner than later, he would have to wake her up.740Please respect copyright.PENANAb8KMOBlr1i
He stretched his hand 740Please respect copyright.PENANAIr0a6u6vbW
and ran it through her lovely silky black hair. For an African American,740Please respect copyright.PENANA3EAmK1RTPd
her hair was gorgeous. He tucked away a strand of her hair that was on 740Please respect copyright.PENANAUlrfq1tq1X
her cheek. When his hand brushed over her cheek, ever so gently upon 740Please respect copyright.PENANA4JYjuUpoeT
pulling it away, her eyes slowly flew open.740Please respect copyright.PENANA4NG5Itb2RD
"Morning, sleepy head," said Leo with a smile.740Please respect copyright.PENANAWjfwqNEuqp
She didn't respond as 740Please respect copyright.PENANABk9xxM9rNZ
she smiled through her sleepy eyes and closed them again. She still 740Please respect copyright.PENANAUtAPT3wzgm
looked so beautiful with that goofy smile on her face, he thought to 740Please respect copyright.PENANAapOD1RSwEJ
himself. Leo chuckled.740Please respect copyright.PENANAdpY9w4pwof
"It's already morning?" she asked as she opened her eyes again and looked at him.740Please respect copyright.PENANAtexADsbw4N
"Sadly, yes," he replied. "You know what that means."740Please respect copyright.PENANABlU67WPQ3Q
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.740Please respect copyright.PENANAhV52TaYtsK
Leo continued to chuckle. "Come on, you know the drill." He sat up and uncovered the bed cover covering her head.740Please respect copyright.PENANAIHI11GYlHy
"Fine," she said as she gave up and sat up on the bed. "I really hoped that I could stay a little longer."740Please respect copyright.PENANAV6LntAUZta
"You're right. But I 740Please respect copyright.PENANA5AeHLadUrQ
better get you out of here before anyone wakes up. It might be a weekend740Please respect copyright.PENANAo5y4uXNK9j
but there are still a lot of early birds around here."740Please respect copyright.PENANAJy4CW4Ig14
Carly smiled at him. "Like you?"740Please respect copyright.PENANAKjX0gfPoHi
"Like my dad. Come on, we better hurry."740Please respect copyright.PENANAycTPZJYmeF
They both got out of bed740Please respect copyright.PENANAGEzgccaJOW
and got dressed into their nightwear covering themselves with their 740Please respect copyright.PENANAqhBmaPuNtC
sleeping gowns. They sneaked out of Leo's room and they tiptoed all the 740Please respect copyright.PENANAgPd8oyuO8h
way to Carly's.740Please respect copyright.PENANA27pNKT7nFL
"Thanks," said Carly in a low voice when they got to the door. "I'll continue sleeping and we will meet later on."740Please respect copyright.PENANA5twdECkocb
"Great, I'll see you soon," said Leo as he smiled.740Please respect copyright.PENANAKOGCQpTzK7
Carly gave him a simple 740Please respect copyright.PENANAOOGpXBBltL
peck on the cheek and quickly went in her room. For a moment, Leo 740Please respect copyright.PENANABCAo1BXw8X
couldn't help but stand there for a moment, lost in thought, until he 740Please respect copyright.PENANAMG0v2cOnx9
realised that he had been standing there looking at the door. He smiled 740Please respect copyright.PENANAJdvdOs37kV
at his stupidity as he made his way back to his room.740Please respect copyright.PENANAhW9QHkasGw
Just when he got there, he changed his mind and thought he really needed a cup of coffee.740Please respect copyright.PENANA3PNHQGfxQQ
He made his way 740Please respect copyright.PENANADCIibwHJwP
downstairs and before he could make his way to the kitchen when he 740Please respect copyright.PENANAKdqBmWLEWF
reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a noise coming from the 740Please respect copyright.PENANAAIC2q8qrGg
kitchen.740Please respect copyright.PENANAD13szufMYL
He wondered who could be740Please respect copyright.PENANAVmZnYgjmuV
up at this early hour. He knew his dad was always an early bird, but 740Please respect copyright.PENANALRlYBUtrZZ
when it came to the weekend, Leo knew he wouldn't be awake for another 740Please respect copyright.PENANAaboPPpAJj3
hour. He made his way to the kitchen and what he saw, shook him a 740Please respect copyright.PENANADagrFjQz9t
little.740Please respect copyright.PENANAKtgMZDFXUL
Angel was standing by 740Please respect copyright.PENANAQLubXoUaXJ
the kitchen counter where she had put up the coffee maker to make some 740Please respect copyright.PENANAx2z8sB6ifU
coffee. Her presence somehow didn't matter to him, but there was some 740Please respect copyright.PENANAjfUfI2vG2Z
thing that shook him the moment he got there.740Please respect copyright.PENANAItBuhVFUqr
Angel was standing, and not on a wheelchair.740Please respect copyright.PENANAQoi5Q9bqXA
Sensing someone's presence, Angel turned to the door. When she saw Leo, she neither gave an angry look nor a smile.740Please respect copyright.PENANAmJQpZYgEw8
"Morning," she greeted as she turned back to the machine on the counter.740Please respect copyright.PENANADZ6ybcvJXn
"Morning," Leo somehow managed to say. "You're up early."740Please respect copyright.PENANA7kVMY8NQIc
"I just had to."740Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3IOT2BcNB
"Ummm," Leo still 740Please respect copyright.PENANAcXvsi6hOf0
couldn't believe that Angel was standing in front of him. He expected 740Please respect copyright.PENANA74OXqSqBGw
her to be still on her wheelchair. "Are you going somewhere?"740Please respect copyright.PENANAKYcc39erKi
"Thought of taking a walk to strengthen my legs a little."740Please respect copyright.PENANAGbPngmcYlf
The coffee maker soon 740Please respect copyright.PENANAFBIiBPhlaQ
finished making her coffee and the room became slient. Angel went over 740Please respect copyright.PENANAHVJt7tsNDb
to the cupboard next to the sink to get a mug. There was a slight limp 740Please respect copyright.PENANAlcRud72FbJ
in her walk, but all in all, she seemed okay and not in much pain.740Please respect copyright.PENANAw0Maqvka27
Just as Angel was heading back to the coffee maker, she noticed Leo's eyes on her. She turned to look at him.740Please respect copyright.PENANA3LjWwY870i
"Why are you looking at me like you've just seen a ghost?" she asked.740Please respect copyright.PENANA6SiXusMZ4t
"Uh..." Leo hesitated. "I'm just surprised that you're walking."740Please respect copyright.PENANApQAURfq2TZ
"Why? You wanted me 740Please respect copyright.PENANA2oGBLyX0RJ
confined to a wheelchair forever?" Angel raised an eyebrow at him before740Please respect copyright.PENANATWqxLMvjFf
she turned towards the coffee maker and went over to it to pour herself740Please respect copyright.PENANAklapEif2dF
a cup.740Please respect copyright.PENANAR42UvHzUyz
"Umm, no. I'm just surprised, that's all."740Please respect copyright.PENANAQsg1fjeqGH
"The doctor said I should start walking around to strengthen my legs."740Please respect copyright.PENANAD8dfKLPhZX
Leo just nodded his head but he was still in shock. He expected her to be confined to her wheelchair a little while longer.740Please respect copyright.PENANA7vpfg6jwEx
"You still don't seem 740Please respect copyright.PENANAPIn0V93mym
happy that I'm walking again," said Angel, bringing Leo back from his 740Please respect copyright.PENANAjka5N97eyJ
thoughts. "I hope you don't think that this will get in your way of 740Please respect copyright.PENANAVV77K3hc1c
things."740Please respect copyright.PENANAa2KuewLMA0
Leo was the one to raise his eyebrows this time around. "What do you mean?"740Please respect copyright.PENANArvWSUP6PUX
Angel took a sip of her 740Please respect copyright.PENANA6AfwvH0R9n
coffee as she leaned on the counter and placed her hand on it. "You know740Please respect copyright.PENANAhlvMX8blB6
what I mean. I know Carly didn't sleep in her room last night. She 740Please respect copyright.PENANAUwAXeFLvry
spent her night with you."740Please respect copyright.PENANAjoz8dJ1eDb
Leo retaliated, "that's not true."740Please respect copyright.PENANA8Dspehk9xO
Angel smirked and Leo 740Please respect copyright.PENANAWM48uyNE5H
felt his cheeks heat up suddenly. He cursed himself from the inside 740Please respect copyright.PENANAOSspmZuDNC
still not understanding why he was feeling like this.740Please respect copyright.PENANAFYcU9CGrH7
"Tell it to the person who is now able to walk up the stairs," she said.740Please respect copyright.PENANA06mZIYPukF
"Does that matter? Carly is a grown woman, you know?"740Please respect copyright.PENANAIpnAXPUqeH
"Carly is a grown woman, yes, but that doesn't mean she knows that what she's doing might lead her into trouble."740Please respect copyright.PENANAVaOnjNjyXY
Leo shook his head. "I don't think I want to talk about this with you."740Please respect copyright.PENANAMz2BwHUUiy
"You're right, Leo. It's740Please respect copyright.PENANARN8TUSb00O
early in the morning and I would rather walk around the garden to 740Please respect copyright.PENANACaa7jUjkUC
exercise my legs rather than talk about something that I know I don't 740Please respect copyright.PENANA9oKBN3kgcv
have any control over."740Please respect copyright.PENANAyQoC2xXN82
Leo was a little shocked740Please respect copyright.PENANAlKRYWbLDe6
to hear Angel talk like this. Was she finally giving up, allowing Leo 740Please respect copyright.PENANAZpfMj30XO8
and Carly the chance to be happy? Or was she playing some kind of mind 740Please respect copyright.PENANAMe1roRHzzw
game?740Please respect copyright.PENANAWHBcMA60Jj
She slowly made her way 740Please respect copyright.PENANABKQVGZS1aj
to the backdoor of the house still with her coffee mug. Leo continued to740Please respect copyright.PENANAL8brTj4TRK
look at her and something came up in his mind.740Please respect copyright.PENANAojv0SL3C3K
"How do you know, Carly's room?" Leo asked suddenly.740Please respect copyright.PENANAwH7CGkIY4r
Angel stopped upon reaching the door and slowly turned to look at him.740Please respect copyright.PENANABs0b2ldLp5
"I beg your pardon?" she asked politely. Leo wasn't buying it.740Please respect copyright.PENANAUW1xrLXKHj
"The time you came into 740Please respect copyright.PENANA4bD8rhFYLh
this house, you were still in your wheelchair and you never made it up 740Please respect copyright.PENANAwxddTd2k0A
the stairs. So how do you know where Carly's room is?"740Please respect copyright.PENANAQvp36b11AT
Angel smiled at Leo. 740Please respect copyright.PENANApznVFJ75kQ
"Yesterday when Carly came home and after we argued in the study, she 740Please respect copyright.PENANA78V5TOFhP1
invited me to come over to her room since she wanted to show me what she740Please respect copyright.PENANAPdRxua15Ap
bought from the mall. With the help of two of the house helps, they got740Please respect copyright.PENANAOzgPr6L0wH
me up the stairs and when they helped me back down afterwards."740Please respect copyright.PENANAM3fzrJWqNI
"I don't believe you."740Please respect copyright.PENANAJAtGcy72Fw
"You don't have to, Mr 740Please respect copyright.PENANADYZctqO8uG
Detective," Angel gave him a fake smile. "I don't have to prove myself 740Please respect copyright.PENANAMFeWfge8VO
that I'm telling the truth because you would never believe me and it 740Please respect copyright.PENANAmhDterpBTY
will clearly be a waste of my precious time."740Please respect copyright.PENANAPzOzg7lOT2
Angel turned back to face the door and unlocked it. When she swung the door open, she turned to look at Leo.740Please respect copyright.PENANAZ4AyqRKaaT
"I'll be heading out for740Please respect copyright.PENANAbp68lIWdgT
a stroll in the garden. I would have liked if you would accompany me, 740Please respect copyright.PENANAPaQZpXyj4m
but, as usual, things wouldn't end so well, would it?"740Please respect copyright.PENANANMiCvK2w4E
Leo didn't have to 740Please respect copyright.PENANAf1SPhOKB4E
answer that question and Angel didn't expect him to. She slowly walked 740Please respect copyright.PENANAoMetgkESe5
out of the kitchen as silently as she could and closed the door behind 740Please respect copyright.PENANApSiPaghlMg
her.740Please respect copyright.PENANAz5FkmQIM9w
Leo stared at the closed740Please respect copyright.PENANAHIPmoMZVFb
door and he couldn't tell if he was angry at Angel like he always has 740Please respect copyright.PENANAg60cIBScAT
or he was just surprised that she was able to walk around again. Either 740Please respect copyright.PENANA9qWkdTHDrV
way, he forgot about making coffee and went back to his room, feeling 740Please respect copyright.PENANAXBjYDkklBJ
utterly disturbed.740Please respect copyright.PENANAsg3jZQKGI9
***740Please respect copyright.PENANAvema99iVww
In740Please respect copyright.PENANAdf8mvq9zW3
an hour's time, almost everyone in the McDonell mansion was awake. At 740Please respect copyright.PENANAOVofIfhFp7
the breakfast table, Mr McDonell and Amanda were having their breakfast.740Please respect copyright.PENANAhDG2Ie10mV
Leo and Eric soon came to join them.740Please respect copyright.PENANAAvTWqOhoK3
"Morning grandma, morning dad," said Leo as he sat beside his grandmother.740Please respect copyright.PENANADLxtI6sxRv
"Morning," said Amanda.740Please respect copyright.PENANAP8lYLfqxAE
"Morning," said Mr McDonell who was looking at his daily newspaper.740Please respect copyright.PENANAjsTi5mCilF
"Hope you all slept well," said Eric as he sat opposite Leo and Amanda.740Please respect copyright.PENANA25b19KhAYk
"We did," said Amanda with a smile. "And I can see you two boys slept well too."740Please respect copyright.PENANA4A0b31EcBw
"I sure as hell did," said Eric.740Please respect copyright.PENANAwe8BQ0qH6m
"And740Please respect copyright.PENANAk7YBYPc3xD
Leo has this smile on his face," said Mr McDonell. He might have been 740Please respect copyright.PENANAVvpE0lNyat
looking at the newspaper, but he was pretty observant.740Please respect copyright.PENANAzif6YOIl3x
"Do I?" Leo asked.740Please respect copyright.PENANA5OPscthQKp
"Of course, dear," said Amanda. "That smile is even making you look more handsome."740Please respect copyright.PENANADBTYRqzP1M
Leo740Please respect copyright.PENANA5LwSG0f0g3
continued to smile. And he knew the reason why. He noticed his cousin 740Please respect copyright.PENANAbNtsWgik0s
looking at him across the table. Leo couldn't help but feel that Eric 740Please respect copyright.PENANAWjL47ugiJj
knew the reason too.740Please respect copyright.PENANABvG61NKBLG
"Do you have any plans today, boys?" Amanda asked as she drank her tea.740Please respect copyright.PENANAKdDB3XbH8L
"No, granny," Eric replied as he got two slices of toast. "It's a weekend after all."740Please respect copyright.PENANAbapdfTGkTc
"I just wanted to know. It would be nice to spend some quality time with you two handsome grandsons of mine."740Please respect copyright.PENANAOlxdowHi4l
"You would," said Leo. "We aren't going anywhere."740Please respect copyright.PENANASxyMX6071F
"Lovely."740Please respect copyright.PENANAafi0NEfflm
A few seconds later, just as Leo was pouring tea from the teapot into his cup, Angel walked in.740Please respect copyright.PENANA6Wj5gTdCc2
"Morning, everyone," she greeted.740Please respect copyright.PENANAvIu1FQWDR5
Upon740Please respect copyright.PENANAzV4zWqS4zr
hearing her voice and seeing her face, Leo spelt some tea on the table.740Please respect copyright.PENANAlxmgQpufAS
Some almost poured on his trousers, but he was very lucky.740Please respect copyright.PENANAqbo5CCJ4H1
"Oh, my, careful, Leo," said Amanda. "You would have got burnt."740Please respect copyright.PENANAGGh6UaMJKw
"I'm fine," said Leo as he cleaned up the spelt tea with a napkin.740Please respect copyright.PENANAZRuf9tRFzH
"Oh, morning, Angel," said Amanda, then she gasped. "I didn't realise that you're walking and not on your wheelchair."740Please respect copyright.PENANAHezDHr47Ip
Eric740Please respect copyright.PENANAbcXSSKj9oj
quickly turned to look at Angel and he also looked surprised. Mr 740Please respect copyright.PENANAmgpFRsI5EK
McDonell smiled at Angel. Leo groaned as he realised that all that he 740Please respect copyright.PENANAXeYueEB2Gf
had seen earlier wasn't a dream.740Please respect copyright.PENANAv6Lza0RqnH
"Yes, the doctor told me that I should start walking to strengthen my legs a little," said Angel.740Please respect copyright.PENANA2jTAhooT77
"Well, that's good," said Mr McDonell.740Please respect copyright.PENANAqg6TU6B10p
Eric stood up from his seat and drew out a chair next to him for Angel.740Please respect copyright.PENANAAIwgpem2Nl
"You can take a seat here," said Eric.740Please respect copyright.PENANAV85NtoU3nl
"Thank you, Eric," said Angel as she slowly but gradually made her way to the table and sat down.740Please respect copyright.PENANA663Ld4kQYZ
"It's good to see you walking again, dear," said Amanda.740Please respect copyright.PENANAsEimTLSET1
"It does feel good, Amanda," Angel smiled.740Please respect copyright.PENANA18ALxR7zmp
"So does that mean you will be going back to work anytime soon?" Mr McDonell asked.740Please respect copyright.PENANAhqs3Hr1rBo
"I've been given more time from work to recuperate before I go back."740Please respect copyright.PENANASxPMHT7Sj2
"Okay, then. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you about something. And Carly too. After breakfast, that is."740Please respect copyright.PENANAofnt5zmnih
Angel nodded her head. "Of course."740Please respect copyright.PENANAkZ1TKvl6R4
Leo740Please respect copyright.PENANAuFpNPaUOwH
couldn't help but feel that something was up. Could it be that his 740Please respect copyright.PENANAmhwCGDvKZW
grandmother had told his father about Angel working at the company? Leo 740Please respect copyright.PENANAEnBaC9OtFZ
hoped she hadn't. And if she did, he hoped his father had disagreed with740Please respect copyright.PENANAGyiM18kreu
her and that he wanted to talk to Angel about something else.740Please respect copyright.PENANAvFB4N5nLA1
Angel740Please respect copyright.PENANAOTu8v3Bo3K
poured herself a glass of juice and looked up at Leo who had looked 740Please respect copyright.PENANAf5X86oCH6x
away after he realised that he had been looking at her since she sat at 740Please respect copyright.PENANAfMrpy0HA7Q
the table. Angel ignored him as she got some toast.740Please respect copyright.PENANATFQqNcpKC3
While the others continued to have breakfast, Oliver and his mother, Diana, joined them.740Please respect copyright.PENANASVVERT5NZ8
"I'll740Please respect copyright.PENANAl3GhI41I1U
be in my study if you need me," said Mr McDonell as he drank the last 740Please respect copyright.PENANAuOy6YAroWK
of his coffee. "Angel, you can join me in the study when you're done."740Please respect copyright.PENANAYFz7peH3pb
"Yes, I would," said Angel.740Please respect copyright.PENANAGKgYbkcSNC
Mr McDonell soon left the dining room.740Please respect copyright.PENANAG6GGGCFqSi
"I see that you're not sitting on your wheelchair, Angel," said Diana.740Please respect copyright.PENANAPs6aREYEvw
"Yes, I'm not."740Please respect copyright.PENANAL3XuAVTrSg
"That's nice," said Oliver. "It would be so much easier now taking you around."740Please respect copyright.PENANATAhebm4JBQ
"Why? You want to take me around the house? I never got that opportunity since I wasn't feeling too well."740Please respect copyright.PENANAlYXyUrUZmi
"Yes, I would."740Please respect copyright.PENANAMfFXEMDvyv
Angel smiled at Oliver, sitting next to her. "Charming."740Please respect copyright.PENANA7jE4SVS4Z1
"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."740Please respect copyright.PENANATuF3hqufGm
"Well, it doesn't work on me," said Amanda.740Please respect copyright.PENANAz0kEuA00er
Almost everyone at the table laughed, except Leo.740Please respect copyright.PENANAgXxJL5V44H
"You can take me around the house after I'm done talking with your uncle, okay?"740Please respect copyright.PENANAf642bk8Ln5
"Yes."740Please respect copyright.PENANANIv0jDJFjg
Leo740Please respect copyright.PENANAHopYZpzNY5
soon found himself standing up, ready to leave the table. He had had 740Please respect copyright.PENANA4e3q8zBWIJ
enough of his breakfast and he certainly had had enough of everyone 740Please respect copyright.PENANAoxqv0Ku9I2
talking about Angel.740Please respect copyright.PENANAc78nYXJEeG
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.740Please respect copyright.PENANAH9gHAfJl8m
"I'll be going to see Mr McDonell in his office now," said Angel as she drew away from the table.740Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7UrCOtjbe
"You'll find us here," said Amanda.740Please respect copyright.PENANAwSGlBMANHz
Before Angel could find 740Please respect copyright.PENANAZAr4vt2uI0
her way out of the dining room, Carly soon came in. And she paused upon 740Please respect copyright.PENANAPLPtPYtb1h
seeing her sister, standing on her own.740Please respect copyright.PENANAbC8SxycTnK
"Wow, Angel," said Carly with a surprised look on his face. "You're walking again."740Please respect copyright.PENANAyqICUfNTdM
Angel only smiled. "Yes," she said. "You should have your breakfast and come to the study."740Please respect copyright.PENANA0tXyHN84b7
"To the study? Why?" The excited look Carly had on her face, soon disappeared.740Please respect copyright.PENANANOqq7gaggT
"Mr McDonell wants to have a word. You'll find me there."740Please respect copyright.PENANAlHFODOg2ED
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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