Chocolates and Damages
Hearing this, Huang Sheng Hong cleared his throat. This was something that his daughter insisted upon so she could avoid going downstairs if there were people visiting them. "This is for security," he uttered. "My daughter wanted to make sure that every corner of our house is protected, so she installed all the security cameras by herself." He was actually the one who installed them because Lyca had asked him to. But did that even matter?
"That is an extreme invasion of privacy!" Huang Xiaoxuan protested. "Why would you even have—"
"This is their house. Their rules," Old Man Huang interrupted her. "Now, is there something that you want to tell me, young lady?" His lips thinned.
"I— Grandfather—" Huang Xiaoxuan stuttered before she composed herself. "There is nothing."
"Father, why are we wasting our time over something like this? Our people are waiting. We are already late for today's appointment. Is this really necessary?" Huang Li Duo immediately tried to convince his father to stop pursuing this case. How could he let his daughter suffer the consequences of her dumb actions. "Our people have been waiting for us for almost two hours now just because we had to adjust to Lyca's schedule. I say, this is a bit over the top. We should just go."
"What are you so afraid of, elder brother?"
"I am not afraid of anything! All I'm saying is we are running a business. We can't tolerate someone who doesn't wake up until ten in the morning." Huang Li Duo tried to change the topic. According to Huang Sheng Hong, his daughter always woke up at ten in the morning. A future CEO should not do this.
"Your daughter lied," Lyca's voice attracted everyone's attention. "Is that something that we should tolerate?"
"I did not lie! You insulted my father and— "
"I insulted you," Lyca interrupted her cousin, her eyes glued on Huang Li Duo. She eyed the maid that was walking towards them and held her hand out to accept the laptop.
"Grandfather, I am telling the truth. Even Lyca said that she insulted my father. We should not tolerate this behavior at all. Insulting your elders deserves punishment."
"I agree," Lyca's finger's flew over the keyboard. She was no expert in computers but her skills were passable enough to access a recording from a tamper resistant system on a separate encrypted network. "I should be grounded." She gave a languid smile, instantly making Huang Xiaoxuan irritated.
"Here," Lyca said as she turned the video towards them.
"That— That's— "
"Alright. That's enough." Huang Li Duo tried to grab the laptop but he stopped midway when he noticed his father glare at him. He pursed his lips, anger flashing in his eyes. He eyed his pale daughter before looking at the video. He knew that Lyca would have chosen to install something that recorded audio so he had tried to divert his father's attention earlier.
Hate started coursing through his veins. As expected, it was his daughter who started ranting first. Her nasty words echoed inside the dining area for everyone to hear.
"You were lying." Old Man Huang's eyes were devoid of any expression as he turned towards Huang Xiaoxuan.
"I— " The CCTV was already unexpected enough, the voice recording was another thing that she had never expected. A normal person would install something that took video but not audio as this was a great invasion of privacy. However, she had forgotten that this cousin of hers was extremely far from normal. Lowering her head, she gritted her teeth. She balled her hand into a fist.
"And I gave you the chance to tell me the truth."
"Father… this is just a mere misunderstanding. These are children. Are we really going to let this blow out of proportion? Children fight all the time." Huang Li Duo tried to ease the situation. While he thought that his daughter was extremely dumb for coming here despite his warnings, he also thought that she didn't deserve any punishment at all.
It was clear that Lyca provoked Huang Xiaoxuan. This was Lyca's fault. If his father needed to punish anyone, it should be Lyca. However, he chose not to voice his opinions. After all, Lyca was still the heir apparent that his father chose.
"Grandfather… I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Huang Xiaoxuan could feel blood in her throat from extreme anger. However, this was not the right time for any of this. "Lyca provoked me. She knew that you were coming, and she purposely provoked me so she could record this and smear my name. However… I understand that what I did was wrong. So I… I will accept any punishment that you give."
Lyca snorted in response, mockery apparent on her face. Huang Xiaoxuan might sound apologetic, but she was still blaming her for instigating their argument. What a manipulative human. She eyed her beautiful cousin's slim throat before turning her head away. "It's alright," she uttered.
She then held her hand out in front of her cousin. "Pay for the wasted food." The only thing that irked Lyca was the wasted food. She used to live in a place where food was extremely precious as droughts often occurred. How could this woman just waste it because she was angry?
"I— How much was it?" Huang Xiaoxuan asked. A mixture of disbelief and surprise could be seen on her flawless face.
"Fifty plus damages."
"What damages are you talking about?" Huang Li Duo asked.
"Delaying my lunch," she answered before she took one of the fries and shoved it in her mouth. "Seventy in total."
Seeing Lyca's resolute expression, Huang Xiaoxuan opened her purse and put the exact amount of money in front of her elder cousin.
"Chocolates?" Lyca reminded her.
"What chocolates?"
"You're here to congratulate me, yes?" She held her hand out again, this time it was closer to Huang Xiaoxuan's face. "Chocolates."
Everyone turned silent. The thing was… they could not find what was wrong in Lyca's words. Huang Xiaoxuan said that she bought the chocolate for her cousin. It was only right that she should give it to Lyca, no?