Chapter 201: Vanessa’s family situation
Liam’s point of view
I glanced sideways at Vanessa, waiting for her to take the initiative and answer her brother. But she still seemed too lost in her own thoughts to say anything.
What was I supposed to do in that situation?
I wasn’t sure, but staying silent didn’t feel like the right choice. So, I cleared my throat and began to speak.
"I’m a business partner," I said, since introducing myself as just an employee didn’t seem like a good idea.
"For now, you could say we’re close colleagues. Though, admittedly, there has been a one-sided effort on my part to make our relationship more intimate.."
After saying that, I stepped closer to Vanessa and gently placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping the touch might help calm her down.
My joking words clearly shocked the three people staring at me. Vanessa’s parents, in particular, looked stunned.
I probably wasn’t making the best first impression in the world by acting that way, but it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t going to introduce myself as just a friend. Besides, it was better for their attention to be on me than on the girl who clearly wasn’t doing well.
After my words, an uncomfortable silence began to form, but it was quickly broken by Leo’s soft laugh.
"So, you’re planning to go after my sister?" He gave me a threatening look, but with a friendly smile.
"No, I know what I can and can’t get..." I shrugged, answering playfully. "She’s way too much for a guy like me."
"But I’ll still try if I get the chance," I added.
Playing along, Leo looked me up and down and commented in a friendly manner.
"You are just downplaying yourself, you look great man,"
"I don’t want to hear that coming from a pretty boy!" I complained.
From then on, the conversation flowed surprisingly easily, despite the way I had chosen to start it.
Leo was frighteningly good at being charming. After just a short while, I already felt like I might actually would want to be his friend in another situation.
That said, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about the guy, which made it impossible for me to trust him.
Besides, this wasn’t the first time I had dealt with someone like that. He used compliments and jokes to quickly get close to people, but deep down, it was all fake.
Anyway, while the two of us talked, Vanessa finally greeted her parents and chatted with them.
I didn’t pay too much attention to their conversation, but I did catch them criticizing her for various reasons more than once. Thankfully, that unpleasant meeting eventually came to an end.
We said our goodbyes after exactly an hour, and I followed Vanessa to her room. The other three left, chatting about other things.
I couldn’t help but notice how much more cheerful and friendly her parents were when talking to him.
Maybe Leo was the favorite child? At the very least, their treatment of him seemed very different.
I let out a quiet sigh, thinking I might once again have to deal with terrible parents.
Eva’s case didn’t bring me any kind of nostalgia or positive emotions. At least in her situation, her parents genuinely seemed to care about her.
On the other hand, I felt a shiver just remembering the look in those two’s eyes. Of course, I had no real proof, but they gave me the distinct impression that they truly didn’t like their own daughter.
Either way, I accompanied Vanessa as she walked slowly back to her room.
We didn’t exchange a single word along the way, since I figured this wasn’t the right moment to talk.
At last, once we entered the room where we’d have privacy, I turned to her and asked:
"Alright, you need to tell me what’s going on with your family."
"Sorry..." she murmured weakly. "I didn’t expect my older brother to be there."
As I thought, the main problem really was Leo.
"You seem to have a lot of issues with him?" I muttered curiously. "He seemed like a decent guy..."
At least at first glance, he didn’t look bad. He had even stepped in to help Vanessa a few times.
But as soon as I said that, I noticed her expression growing more troubled.
"What happened? Why do you get so uncomfortable just talking about him?"
I touched her shoulder gently, looking her straight in the eyes. "I’m on your side," I murmured. "Could you please tell me what it is?"
"Yes," she nodded, though her eyes didn’t seem convinced.
For a while, silence hung between us. But Vanessa finally began to speak.
"You’ll believe me, right?" She looked up at me like a cornered animal.
"Of course, I promise I’ll be on your side," I said confidently. "Besides, you’re my boss, I can’t go against you," I joked.
"You talk like I didn’t save you!" she complained, finally smiling faintly.
"Alright, here we go..." she sighed deeply. "When I was very young, all of my friends turned against me."
She started telling me how, back when she was still just a child, Leo had managed to turn all of her friends against her.
Even back then, their relationship had already been terrible for many reasons.
"I thought they were on my side, that they’d help me deal with everything, but..." Vanessa let out a long sigh.
She looked up at the ceiling and said the story was too long to tell.
"Just promise you’ll stand by me, please," she added.
"Don’t worry, I’d never side with a pretty boy," I joked.
"Don’t be an idiot," she shot back, punching my shoulder lightly.
"Alright," I stood up, "now tell me, what’s the real issue with your family?"
I placed my hand on my chest and smiled with confidence.
"I’m your best employee, so you can order me to solve any problem."
"You’re definitely confident," she said with a faint smile.