Twenty Five

Winter had already ordered wine for us to drink. We started drinking when she spoke.
"Tell me about your life, Gianna," said Winter.
“My life hasn't been good, Winter, so I have nothing to share with you. Even childhood memories I don't have. The only thing that sticks in my mind is that I grew up without a parent to take care of me. " I said.
She was suddenly saddened by what she heard from me.
“Yeah, we didn't come here to be sad. We're here to be happy, "she says.
I nodded and drank the wine. And I noticed Winter's eyes widen. And her eyes were focused on my back. I looked back at what she was looking at. I saw a man standing at the entrance of a bar. And then I heard Winter murmur something.
"Shit! What is he doing in this place? " She said,
"Are you okay, Winter? I heard you talking. " I asked her.
"Nothing, Gianna, don't mind me." She responded.
But I doubt it. I know that Winter and the man knew each other. Minutes passed when I heard a man's voice talking behind me.
"Winter? I wasn't expecting to see you in this kind of place." said the man.
Winter ignored the man. It approached our table and smiled at me. It was as if I was dazzled by his very white teeth. The man confronted Winter.
"Would you ignore me, Winter? You seem to have amnesia, "said the man.
"Can you, Dion, pretend you don't know me and find a place to sit?" Harley said to the man.
The man laughed as if the voice was music to my ears. I was thinking until I realized something. Couldn’t this man be the one Winter hated for flirting with her? This man is handsome after all.
"Why do I have to pretend I don't know you if I know you from head to toe?" asked the man.
I was glad to hear the argument between the two of them. I leaned back on the couch and faced them. The man was now sitting next to Winter. Winter's eyes widened at me, but I ignored her. Maybe she wants me to help her send the man away.
"Did your father know that you were here?" Dion asked Winter.
"Why do you care, Dion, if my father finds out that I came into the bar without him knowing? I'm not a kid anymore. " Winter said, in annoyance.
"Anyway, you're right. I'm leaving, Winter, sorry for the inconvenience. Nice to meet you." he said to me once leaving our table.
I nod at him in return.
"Is he the one you told before? It's like he gives up on you." I joke at her.
"Yeah, he is." Her response.
But when he saw a woman walking up to Dion, her face turned sour. I shook my head. Why do we women sometimes find it hard to understand? It stood up and pulled me out of the bar house.
"Wait, Harley, why did we suddenly leave? We haven't paid yet." I said.
She released me as we were outside the bar.
"I already paid, Gianna, so let's go," she told me once get in the car.
I sighed and followed him. I haven't commented yet. I understood him at this point. Sometimes, there are times when a person is confused about how they feel. Then they admit to themselves that when the person who liked them no longer pays attention to them because their attention is already focused on others. I noticed that her brows were raised and her facial expression was like she was going to burst out of anger.
It drove the car away from the bar house. And I heard her phone ring, but she ignored it.
"Answer your phone, Winter," I told her.
"Gianna, I won't answer that, because I know it's Daddy. That stupid man has already complained," she says.
I winced.
"Just drive slowly. I don't want to die early." I said.
It slowed the car down until we got home. I got out of the car and opened the gate to allow the car to enter the house. I went inside the house first. I guess the house is quiet. Isn't Pia home yet?
I was walking around the house. I couldn't be bothered when Dion texted me that he and Winter had met at a bar far from the city. I call her now but does not answer my call. He called it again. After two rings, she answered my call.
“What is it, Dad?” She asked me.
“Where are you? " I asked her.
"At home, All right, Dad, I'm going to sleep, "she says.
And she hung up the phone for me. I gasped. This is how she behaves when she sins. I decided to enter my room and sleep. I'm going to visit Winter tomorrow since it's Saturday and no one works in the office. 
The next day, I woke up early because I'm planning to surprise my daughter, Winter. I took bathed and dressed. And he took his key from the drawer and left the room. I closed the gate of the house after I got out of the car. I opened the car door and went inside. I started the car and sped away from my house. I was already feeling hungry. But I seem to have no appetite. I woke up early to cook their breakfast because Pia didn't come home.
I didn't take a bath until I finished cooking. I went to see Winter earlier in the bedroom, but she was still snoring.
I just arrived at my daughter's house. I entered the gate with my car, which I had left outside. I opened the front door and entered. In the quiet of the house, I enter. I thought Winter was still asleep today. I went straight to the kitchen because I smelled a fragrant dish being cooked. I went straight to the entrance because the door was open, but I stopped at what I saw because even with her back turned, I knew her very well, none other than Gianna.
Why don't I know this? Is Gianna what Winter says is her friend? She didn’t notice that I was standing at the door because she was busy spooning what was on the stove. She was still wearing a green nightgown with a short bottom that was up to the surface of her underwear. I gulped at Gianna's appearance. I approached her and hugged her from behind.
 I stopped by a sudden hug behind me, and I could smell its scent. I could not be wrong. I already knew the smell of it. Why is this man doing here? What if Winter catches us in this position? I removed his two hands that were holding my stomach. But I couldn't get rid of him because he hugged me tightly.
"Let me go, Marcus. We’re here at your daughter's house." I said in a serious tone.
"I miss you, Gianna. I do," he whispered in my ear. It was as if all my body hair had stood up.
“Please, I'm begging you. I don't want Winter to get mad at me. " I said.
I'm hurt because of what Gianna said, Is this how she always treats me? Is she pushing me away always? I did not let her go. I still hugged her back as she tried to remove my hands.
"What are you doing, Dad?" Winter asked.
I smiled as Gianna stopped when she let go of my hug. And I can hear the strength of her heartbeat. I deliberately didn’t give up, so Harley could see that this was how we both got along.
"Dad, let go of Gianna. She's my friend. I hope you give her at least a little respect, "said Winter to me.
I laughed at what she told me. I let go of Gianna and faced Winter. Then I just saw Gianna run out of the kitchen. I gasped. I was hurt by Gianna's reactions toward me. Shit! We had sex two times. Then her treatment of me is still the same.
“You're so insensitive, Winter. Can't you see our position earlier? Gianna and I had a relationship.” I said to her.
She smiled slightly.
“Don't say some jokes to me, Dad.” She said.
"I'm not joking, Love; I'm telling you the truth," I said.
"Daddy, I've been standing here before, so I can see Gianna's struggle to get out of your grasp," said Winter to me.
"If you don't want to believe, it's up to you. I told her, once out of the kitchen. And I was looking for her all over the house. But I can't see her.
“Gianna! Gianna! Get out of there. Let's talk. " I called her.

But she didn’t answer. I opened all the doors. But even her shadow I could not find.

"Daddy, stop it. What happened to you? "it asked me.

"If I can't talk to Aurora now, I'm going crazy," I told her.

Winter gaped, looking at me.
"Daddy, I don't understand you." She says.
I sat in the living room and leaned my back on the couch.
"Sit down, Winter, let's talk," I said.
She sat down as I faced her.
"All right, Gianna and I had a one-night stand. We were both drunk at the time. But she had a different impact on me. Compared to the other women I met. So I looked for her, but she was hiding from me. But one day, I caught her and locked her in the house one night, so what happened to the two of us happened again. And I just woke up one morning that I love her so much." I told her.
Harley's eyes widened at what she had heard from me.
"So please, sweetheart, help me talk to Gianna," I said.
"Daddy, Gianna doesn't like you. I can see that in her eyes. It's hard to do what you ask of me, "she says.
“Just try it, Winter," I said.
She took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch.
"I'll try to talk to her, Dad, just for you." She said.
I smiled. And I came and embraced her and said,
"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm leaving," I said.
I got up and left the house.
I'm overly nervous, I'm in the bathroom now in Pia's room on the third floor of the house. After I took a shower, I came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body. I looked for Pia's dress that she hadn't worn yet, and I put it on and went out of her room.
I went down the stairs to the first floor of the house. I found Winter sitting in the living room. She looked at me as I approached her.
“Aurora, I'm sorry for what my daddy did. She said to me, as I sat down on the couch in front of her.
"It's okay, Winter." I said.
She looked at me as if he wanted to say something.
"Do you want to tell me something?" I asked her.
"Daddy told me everything, Gianna," he says.
My chest heaved because she might drive me out of her house.
"But that doesn't mean my treatment of you will change. And he asked me to help him talk to you, " she said to me.
"Winter, what happened to your daddy and me was not a wish because it was just the result of our drunkenness," I said.
"Yes, I know, Gianna, but he just wants to tell you something important," she says.
"I'm not numb, Winter, to not noticing what he wants to say. But I can't give your daddy what he wants, "I said.
" Aurora, listen to me. My daddy loves you," said Winter.
I laughed bitterly.
"Winter, I don't believe what you're saying. I'm not the one to make your daddy happy. " I said.
“Is it because he has a child that you can't accept him?" she asked me.
I was stunned by what she said, and I looked at her. Winter looked at me sadly.
“Is it Daddy's fault that he loves you, Gianna? "he asked.
"At first, we didn't want Daddy to get involved with any woman because we were taken away because the women he met were just chasing him for money. But now that you're that woman, I have no reason to stop him because I know you're not that kind of woman, "she said to me.
"What if I'm that kind of woman, Harley?" I told her.
"That's all I need from your daddy is his wealth," I said.
"I know you're just saying that because you don't like him." She says I fell silent.
"Whatever you do to avoid it, Gianna, it's not like Daddy's going to just stop. So just prepare yourself for your running away moments. " She said to me,
"Don't scare me like that, Winter," I said.
"Crazy, I'm not scaring you. How come you gave him a taste of your beautiful body? "it said at once, laughing.
"All right, I'm not going to force you right now." She says.
And we stopped when the front door opened. Pia entered with a big smile.
"I'm happy that you're still alive, Pia," Winter said in a sarcastic tone.
"It's the luck of that man that you slept with him one night," said Winter, wincing. Pia's cheek flushed as a result of what Harley said. It approached us and kissed both of us, but Winter avoided it.
"Gross, I don't want to be infected by your bodily flirtation, Pia," said Winter.
"Damn you, Winter," said Pia.
Harley burst out laughing and approached Priya.
"I'm just joking, Pia, come here. Let me hug you. "
Then they start hugging each other. "
“I think I saw your Daddy's car outside the house. " Pia said.
I felt nervous. I thought he was going home. Then I noticed Winter was looking at me with a grin on her lips. Shit! She was right since her dad didn't stop chasing me.
Winter came out of the house, and Pia and I were left inside. I have a hunch that Marcus and Winter have a plan against me. I shook my head.
Pia approached me.
"What are you two talking about?" it asked me.
"Anything because we can't do anything at home right now." was my answer.
"How's your walk?" I asked to divert our topic.
I’m not ready to tell her everything yet.
"It's okay, but Rohit suddenly called me." She says.
"Seriously? What did he say? " I will ask.
"He asked something that was related to work. I was annoyed since he asked, but I was no longer in the office. " She said.
"Maybe he was just jealous." My response.
"I don't think so."