Theodore’s quick return from Liara’s room worried both Sophia and Brandon. They were not expecting this.
“What happened? How did your first meeting with Lee go?” Sophia asked in tension. She wasn’t expecting Theodore to reject her daughter right away. That, too, without knowing her.
“He must have got bored, Mom. I can bet that nerd would have a hard time opening her mouth because of nervousness.” Tiara replied instead of Theodore.
“If she is stupid, then I doubt you’re anywhere near intelligent or sensible, Tee!!” Brandon said coldly.
“Da…”
“Do you think it’s funny to show your sister below you all the time?” He questioned, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t forget if Lee is like this; then you’re the major reason behind it. Being an elder sister, you should have looked after her, but you were the first to start bulling her because you couldn’t handle the fact that she was always better than you in studies.”
Tiara started, looking in the whole direction because she wasn’t expecting her dad would start revealing her past deed that she did with Liara in front of her mate.
“Brandon!!” Sophia gave him a pleading look to please keep his mouth shut. This was a way to say anything to their adult daughter that too in front of Theodore. He was embracing her.
“What? Even Theodore should know that if Lee is like this, then it's because of a part of her had received from me, i.e., her introverted nature, a part of her had received from you, i.e., her kind and forgiving nature, and the rest of things is because she faced it’s because of what she had faced.”
“If she has forgotten, then let me remind her that sometimes young kids kill themself or fall into depression because of bullying and ragging. And Liara had fallen into depression. Why? Because her sister needed FUN in her life.” Tears welled in Tiara’s eyes, hearing this while Brandon stood up on her feet.
“As a father, I can never curse you for experiencing the same trauma that Lee faced, princess. But you can never understand how people feel when she or he is targeted all the time or become a laughing stock.” Brandon said in a calm tone before leaving from there.
Once he left, even Tiara ran away from there, wiping her tears, leaving Sophia and Theodore at that place.
“No doubt my sons received their temper from their father,” Sophia said, looking at Theodore. “Don’t judge my daughters on their behavior, Theo.” She added next.
“I know after listening to this part of the story, you might be feeling that Tee was nothing but a bitch toward her sister,” Sophia said to which Theodore nodded his head. To be honest, Theodore thought that people didn’t need any villain in their life if they were blessed with such a sister.
“But she is guilty of what she did,” Sophia said, sitting on the couch and patting the area near her, signaling him to sit there. Just like Liara.
“Is she?” Theodore questioned, sitting beside her. “Because from where I look at things, she might have stopped bullying her sister, but she doesn’t leave a chance to show that she is better than her sister. I don’t understand why she is being competitive toward Liara when they aren’t even in the same field?” He said what he had observed and watched how this information made Sophia sad.
“Please don’t be sad, Ma’a..”
“Mom,” Sophia corrected him. “Call me, Mom. You’re my daughters’ mate. That makes you a part of this family.” Theodore didn’t know what to say on that part, but he just nodded his head.
“Tee is not a bad person,” Sophia said after a while when she realized that Tiara didn’t have built a good image in Theodore’s eyes. “She… she has lost her mind by getting success and glam at a younger age. Sometimes I think the reason behind her nature is Brandon and me. Maybe we failed as parents.”
“Why are you thinking in that way, Ma’am… Mom?” Theodore asked and quickly corrected himself in the middle, not able to understand how they could be bad parents when they had also raised Liara as well.
“Tee was poor in studies, impact very poor in studies. She barely used to manage passing marks. So, sometimes her teachers and including us used to compare her with Lee. I never asked her to get 99% like Lee, but maybe I accidentally made Lee her competitor.”
‘Was that a bad thing?’ Theodore tried to think.
“She wanted to become an actress leaving her studies, but at least she needed to complete her schooling first. So, by comparing her with Liara in studies, I built that nature in Tee. But I just wanted her to get marks a little better than passing marks or stop failing in one class twice.” Sophia shared her feelings with Theodore.
“I still do not think that all those things make you a bad mother. I… I don’t understand this parenting thing because neither I’m a father nor my parents were there for me when I was growing up.” Sophia gasped, learning this. She couldn’t imagine how he could have managed to survive in this world. “But I believe that parents can’t be responsible for everything that their son or daughter does, especially not after they’re old enough to use their own mind.”
“Thank you for making me feel good. Theo.” Sophia said before asking, “So, how was your first meeting with Lee?”
‘She kicked me out of the room.’ Theodore couldn’t tell this answer to her.
“I see. She didn’t talk with you, did she?” Sophia concluded. “Give her some time. I’m sure she will open up with you. She might be scared a little because stupid people around her kept telling her that her mate would reject a FREAK like her.”
“I won’t do that,” Theodore said quickly. ‘I won’t accept her rejection.’ He thought in his mind next. “I need your help in knowing her in a better way.” he requested, and he sensed Liara’s scent. He lifted his head and saw Liara looking at him coldly.
“Of course, I will help you to know her,” Sophia said in an excited tone. Theodore turned his head in another direction when he sensed Tiara.
‘He is trying to know more about Tee through mom.’ Liara thought and tried not to feel bad. But this was still affecting her, maybe because he didn’t have accepted her rejection yet.
‘He is making efforts to know about Lee but was totally uninterested when I was telling him about me.’ Tiara thought and looked at Liara, who was staring at Theodore without blinking her eyes. She needed to know what was going on in her mind.
“But at one condition,” Sophia added next with a serious face, making Theodore look at her.
“And what is that?”
“Let’s talk about it in private. Staying with werewolves means even walls have ears.” Sophia said and winked at him.
“Umm.. okay!!” Theodore agreed because he didn’t have an option of saying NO. Sophia brought him to the guest room.
“This is where you will be staying,” Sophia said, showing him his room. Theodore watched her silently. He was positive that she didn’t bring him here to talk about it. The next what Sophia did, shocked him, but he maintained a poker face. Sophia closed the door and crossed her arms around her chest. “And my condition is to answer my one question truthfully, Theo. ‘Who are you?’” She asked in a strict tone.
‘Did she recognize me? I doubt that. She is just a human.’ A lot of things started going on in his mind while Sophia waited for him to speak.
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#TBC
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A/N: Thank you for reading. Please do vote and leave a gem.