I gently kissed Greyson's forehead and turned the lights off before I left his room. I climbed downstairs and went straight to the kitchen, where I found Aunt Esther making coffee. "How's the kid?" she asked me. I already told her what happened. "He's sleeping in his room already." I sighed heavily. "He told me that he's fine, but I'm still worried about him." She offered me a cup of coffee, but I refused because I would certainly have a hard time sleeping if I drank it "Did he tell you what his reason was for punching that kid?" she asked. I shook my head. "Unfortunately, he always avoids my questions related to that. But I'm confident that he would not do such a thing without any valid reasons." "You're absolutely right. Greyson is a logical kid," she declared. "But how about you? Are you alright? Oliver told me that you also got into a scuffle." I smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't hurt at all, aunt. Don't worry about me. But you know what? I'm still angry about that woman who hurt Greyson. If his teacher hadn't come into that scene, I would've done worse to her." I narrowed my gaze at the window as if I could see Vera's face. Aunt Esther laughed. "If I was there too, I wouldn't stop you either. Some people indeed evolve backwards." "I couldn't agree more." A question appeared in my mind out of the blue. "Don't they know Greyson's father?" I inquired. Aunt Esther gave me a confused look. "Why did you ask?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Sir Garren is one of the wealthiest men here in Merrion, so his son should at least be respected by the people around him. That's what happens in movies." My question may sound silly and ridiculous to some, but it honestly mystifies me. "But from how Vera threatened us, it doesn't seem like it," I added. A faint smile appeared on her face. "Let's just say that only a few people know that Greyson is his son." My eyebrows snapped together in utter confusion. I was supposed to ask more about her statement, but she suddenly stood up. "The night is getting deep already. Sleep now, Cleo." I just watch her as she fades into my line of sight. The deafening silence serenades me as I'm left alone. Why do I feel like she's purposely avoiding my question? My mind starts to wander around. I already said that I should not pry into their family matters, but I just can't stop my curiosity. I puffed out a heavy breath. "This is frustrating as hell. When morning came, just like what I've been doing for the past few weeks, I woke up before six and washed my face. I'm combing my hair in front of the mirror when I hear consecutive knocks. I held off on what I was doing and walked towards the door. To my surprise, Cynthia's face greeted me. "Good morning. Do you need something?" "Sir Garren is looking for you." My heart skipped a beat. He had already arrived?! "Did he tell you why?" Cynthia shakes her head. "No. But he said that you should go to his office because he has something to discuss with you." The creases on my forehead worsen. What does he need from me? I internally sighed. "Alright. His office is on the third floor, right?" "Yeah. There are only two rooms there, and the one with a black door is his office. Hurry up and go there as soon as possible. Sir Garren hates waiting," she added. I closed the door after she left. I didn't waste any time and hurriedly fixed my appearance. I changed my clothes and tied my hair in a bun. While I'm walking upstairs, I'm thinking of all the possible reasons why Garren needs to talk to me, but I can't think of any. I breathed deeply. "That must be something really important." Before I proceeded to his office, I passed by Greyson's room to check on him. I saw him sleeping soundly. He looks so peaceful and angelic at that moment, and that's better than seeing tears in his eyes, just like what happened yesterday. I didn't stay that long in his room and continued walking towards the third floor. I roamed my eyes around. This is the first time that I've been here because of what Aunt Esther had told me, that it is forbidden to go to this part of the mansion. "This floor is indeed his territory. It feels so forlorn and unnervingly silent here," I uttered to myself. I walked through the long hallway till I finally found the black door that Cynthia was talking about. My heart was pounding inside my chest as I held the knob. I'm still practicing in my head how to greet Garren when the door suddenly opens, even though I haven't turned the knob yet. I clutched my chest. I nearly jumped out of my skin because of that! "Get in." That familiar voice made me fix my posture. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I cleared my throat. "Good afternoon, sir Garren. Cynthia told me to go here according to your command." From the paper that I presumed he was reading, Garren lifted his gaze. He closed the folder and leaned against the black swivel chair. "You're here." I smiled faintly in response. "May I know your reason for calling me here, sir?" I asked formally. He clasped his hands together under his chin. "It's about the incident that transpired yesterday." My blood runs cold. "H-How did you know-" "It doesn't matter who or what my source is," he cuts me off. "But I want you to explain to me why you need to act like a mannerless benighted in front of my son." I clutched the hem of my shirt as I felt a subtle tweak in my chest. "It hasn't been a month since you started working here, and you're already proving to me that you can't do your job right." I can feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, but I'm doing my best to hold them. I don't want to look weak in front of him. "You should have apologized to the mother of the child that Greyson had punched. But you didn't. Instead, you settled the mess in such a rowdy and uncivilized way." He didn't shout those words, but I could feel the disappointment and frustration in the tone of his voice. "For fuck's sake, I hired you to guide my son, not to set a bad example and teach him to be barbaric." I clenched my fist as resentment crept up my chest. Those last words from him severed my patience. For the first time, I managed to look at him straight in the eye. "Did your source also tell you that I only did that to protect Greyson?" I finally found the courage to speak. His eyebrows snapped together. "Greyson was harassed by the woman that I slapped..." "What?!" His furious voice resounded in the corners of his office. I took a deep breath. "You heard me loud and clear, sir. And I'm sorry if this might sound rude and disrespectful, but I don't regret doing that. In fact, if the same thing happens again, I will not hesitate to do that for the second time." His jaw clenched, but he didn't tell me to stop either. "Regardless of what Greyson did, it doesn't give her the right to threaten him and push him on the floor. She could've settled the mess in a civil way instead of being rowdy. Right, Sir Garren?" I smiled sardonically. He didn't respond, and that made me nervous. I faked a cough and removed the hint of sarcasm on my face. I put back my serious face. "There are two sides to a coin, so it's not fair to put all the blame on me without even asking, sir." A distressing silence hovers in that room, intensifying the nervousness that I'm feeling. And it's not helping that Garren is just staring at me as if he's looking at the depths of my soul. He's not speaking at all! I know I might lose my job after I said those words, but I don't regret it. The heavy stillness between me and Garren was disrupted when the door behind us suddenly opened with a loud thud. My forehead creased when Greyson barged in. He's still in his PJs, but what bothers me is his eyes, which are brimming with tears. "Dad, please don't fire Cleo! She only hurt Chadwick's mother because she wanted to protect me!" My eyes widened when he shouted those words at Garren, who seemed to be as confused as me. "G-Greyson," I called his name. My voice came out like a whisper. "Greyson! Didn't I tell you to not interfere whenever adults talk? Also, who told you to go here?" Greyson slowly nodded. "Y-Yes. But you are going to fire Cleo, and I can't let that happen." A smile made its way onto my lips. He looks really bothered, but his father never mentioned the prospect of firing me, though. Garren sighed. "Explain to me why you punched your classmate. Maybe then I won't fire your nanny." My smile dropped. What the hell?! Greyson bowed his head and clutched the hem of his shirt. "C-Chadwick has been bullying me for quite some time now." My eyes widened. Surprised would be an understatement to describe the expression on my face. "He often says mean things to me, but I ignore it because I don't want to be involved in a quarrel. But what he said yesterday severed my patience, so I p-punched him on the face," he added in an obviously nervous voice. I looked at Greyson with pity. I didn't expect that behind his smiles, he's experiencing those things. "H-His mother saw what I did, a-and she got mad at me. She threatened to kick me out of the school and pushed me to the floor." He raised his gaze, and my heart broke when I saw tears falling from his eyes. "B-But Cleo protected me. So please, Dad. Don't fire her." He clasped his hands together, begging. He looked at me. I shook my head, telling him that he didn't need to do that, but he just smiled faintly. Once again, tension veiled that frigid room. The silence is so deafening that I can already hear the sounds of nonexistent crickets. "Go back to your room, Greyson," Garren ordered him. However, his son didn't move. "N-No, I won't leave unless you promise me that you won't fire Cleo." The older one frowned. "When did I teach you to answer me back?" My gaze narrowed at him when I noticed the fear in Greyson's eyes. He doesn't need to scare his son! I walked closer to Greyson and held his hands. "Go back to your room. I promise, everything's going to be alright." I smiled to assure him. He looked at me. "B-But-" I ruffled his hair. "Just listen to me, alright?" He was reluctant at first, but he nodded and turned his back. He stormed off to his dad's office without giving him a glance. "It hasn't been a month and my son is already this close to you. What did you feed him?"