Chapter 8

• Tyler... I suppose Tyler's father.
• Cielo was taken aback for a short time. In reality, Felix was the object of many women's affections in New York City when he was younger.
• "Oh!" she exclaimed as she regained her composure. Hi."
• Even though she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to call him "Dad."
• "I was wondering if you could join me for dinner tonight?" Felix's voice sounded rich and resonant. Despite the fact that his tone was commanding, he was not intimidating.
• Cielo knew she couldn't say no to him, even if he didn't seem to be asking.
• As a result, she sheepishly replied, "Sure, I'm available."
• "I'll request that my driver pick you up then." I'll catch up with you later."
• That's when he decided to call it quits.
• Throughout the conversation, Felix maintained a calm demeanor while speaking authoritatively.
• Cielo set her phone down and dashed to Tyler's villa as quickly as she could.
• Tyler's villa would undoubtedly be the first stop for Felix's driver to pick her up.
• .......................................
• As she stood at the entrance to Tyler's property, Cielo lifted her head and looked at the gate.
• The house was built halfway up a steep slope in a desolate area. It stood in the woods, painted white and eerily silent, as if haunted.
• Cielo had given this mansion little thought the last time she was brought here. However, the more she looked at it, the more convinced she became that the place was haunted.
• She felt a tingling sensation run up her spine.
• As the cold, stinging wind of winter blew through him, Cielo's face turned paler.
• She changed her mind at the last minute and decided to wait outside the gate instead of going inside.
• Soon after, a black car pulled up to the villa's gate.
• Cielo looked up, intrigued, to see a gentle-looking middle-aged man emerge from the car in front of her.
• He looked at Cielo with astonishment as soon as he caught a glimpse of him. But he maintained a neutral expression throughout the conversation.
• "Hello, Madam Cielo," he said as he approached Cielo and nodded slightly. Hello, my name is Anton Swift. Mr. Smith requested that I pick you up for dinner."
• Cielo became aware that he was Felix's chauffeur.
• "I sincerely apologize for causing you any inconvenience." Cielo gave him a broad grin, her expression puzzled.
• Anton was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered his composure.
• "Please, Madam Cielo, this way, please," he said, opening the car door for her.
• He then got into the driver's seat and drove away.
• After the vehicle had been gone for quite some time, the curtain of a window on the second story of the property was pushed open.
• Arthur shifted his gaze to the direction of the car's departure. Following that, he approached Tyler, who was standing next to him with an ambiguous expression on his face, and asked, "Boss, are you going to allow Madam Cielo to see Mr. Smith alone?"
• "Can you tell me if there's a problem with that?" Tyler slid his hands into his slacks pockets and closed his eyes. "She's just a naive and unattractive young lady," he continued quietly. "What is Felix capable of doing to her?"
• "But she's simply making a fool of herself!"
• Tyler replied carelessly, "I could only say she is skilled in that she can trick everyone."
• He then turned around and began walking away.
• .............................
• Cielo was taken to a fine dining establishment for dinner.
• Anton led her to a quiet room and extended a warm handshake to her. "Mr. Smith is waiting for you inside," the narrator states.
• "Okay." "Thank you, Anton," Cielo said after a brief moment of reflection.
• Anton stood there watching her enter the room and close the door. Then he shook his head, as if something in his thoughts had just occurred to him.
• At the dining table, a middle-aged gentleman with an aristocratic appearance was perusing the menu.
• When he heard movement, he dropped the menu and raised his eyes.
• Cielo expected him to frown in displeasure at her unsophisticated appearance. To her surprise, he smiled and asked, "So, are you Cielo?"
• ---------
• Cielo's point of view.
• I hadn't expected the head of one of the country's most prominent families to be so friendly, but I was pleasantly surprised.
• For a few moments, I was taken aback before regaining my composure and responding, "Yes, that is correct." "Hello, my name is Cielo."
• This time, however, I was not putting on a performance. I was completely caught off guard.
• "Relax. Since you married Tyler, you've become a member of the Smith family as well as my half-daughter."
• As he spoke, Felix reached for the pitcher on the table and poured me a glass of water.
• Levin, my father, had never even looked me in the eyes as I grew up in the Hill household. Clarisse and her brother, on the other hand, had always demanded Helene's full attention and time.
• As a result, I had never before received such caring treatment from a senior in my life. For a while, I was taken aback by it.
• "Thank you, Mr. Smith," I said as I took his glass of water.
• "Just call me Dad, like Tyler," Felix replied as he scrutinized my persona.
• My physical appearance was unappealing, and I was slow to respond to commands. Furthermore, I appeared to be a person of restraint. On the other hand, he regarded me as a lovely, pure, and gentle young lady.
• "Dad..." I stammered, my voice trembling.
• Felix profusely apologized and added, "I'm sorry." You and Tyler should have had a wedding ceremony, but there wasn't one. If you're interested, I was thinking of inviting you and him to dinner at the mansion later today. Tyler, on the other hand, was adamant about not returning because what had happened to his mother had left him traumatized. I'm counting on you to calm him down and convince him to see the light."
• The Smiths were a large family with a lengthy history dating back hundreds of years.
• Aristotle thought the Smiths' ancient home was worth a fortune. Someone had made a speculative bid in the billions of dollars for the house. On the other hand, that individual became a laughingstock among those in the upper classes.
• I'd heard something about Tyler's mother, but I couldn't be sure.
• Tyler's mother was also abducted more than ten years ago and held hostage.
• Unfortunately, Tyler was the only one who was ultimately saved.
• There were many different sayings about his mother and what had happened to her.
• Some reports said she had died, while others said she was still alive. There were also allegations that her kidnapper had abused her.
• "But... I haven't... seen him yet," I said after a brief glance at Felix and a pause.
• My voice was barely audible above the din.
• Felix's expression had changed slightly, and I was able to notice it.
• Felix, on the other hand, made no further inquiries about Tyler. Instead, he expressed his concern about my health.
• I answered all of his questions truthfully. Even though I was speaking slowly and appeared sluggish, I was dead serious.
• Felix told Anton to take me back to Tyler's place as soon as we finished eating.
• ....................................................
• Anton left the villa after seeing me enter from the street.
• When I finally got my act together, I began to wonder if Felix had been putting me through some kind of test earlier.
• On second thought, however, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
• Tyler had the feeling he was being tested.
• Tyler and Felix, in my opinion, did not have a healthy relationship, despite the fact that I had never met either of them personally. There appeared to be many disagreements among them.
• Tyler was experiencing heart pain as a result of what had happened to his mother, according to Felix. Was the incident, which occurred years after his mother's death, the source of his hatred for Felix?
• "Madame Cielo." According to the sound of a bodyguard's voice...
• Only when I raised my eyes did I realize he was the bodyguard who had picked me up from Hill Villa the day before.
• A small gesture toward me was made, and the words "Young Master wishes to see you" were said in a flat tone.
• For a few seconds, I was taken aback when I realized I had misheard the phrase. "Are you the young Master?" "Are you referring to Tyler?" I was curious.
• "Yes, Young Master Tyler will be waiting for you in the study," she says.