CHAPTER 15: SECOND MOTHER

Cade shook his head, as he wasn't expecting his father to do it like that. "If you do so, then you will be caught you are in a fake marriage. And then grandmother would be on your back again!"

"Oh~" Logan was quite surprised to hear that from his son. He thought that the other would admonish him and refuse for him to share a room with Briar, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Since you want those people off your back, then better act pretty well. Only when they believe it, can they leave you alone!" Cade didn't forget to add that, ignoring his father's shock.

Lyra also added, "And before you are sure about whether you want to spend the rest of your life with nanny Briar. No, second mother, don't overstep your boundaries. She is a good person and we can't have her suffer because of your selfishness. Did you even ask her in the first place or did you take advantage of her and just order to sign the contract?" Lyra suddenly narrowed her eyes as she thought of her sly father.

Her father was gentle when he was at home. The second he leaves the mansion gates; he would turn into an asura. Even her cousins were afraid of him. They used to be scared of him, but with their second mother's urging; they got to know him more and now were less scared of him.

Second mother Briar was a softie and now she believed that her father might have coerced her to enter the marriage.

Logan, who had been accused of a crime he didn't commit, looked at his children and wondered whether they were his or someone else's.

How could they see him in such a manner?

He was innocent. He didn't coerce her at all. She signed her name willingly. He remembered that part very well. When did it turn to him being the bad guy?

Unfortunately, the kids were just starting.

The butler amusedly listened as the kids courageously roasted their father, leaving the man who was known to be ruthless and not to be trifled with, at a loss for words.

To think that these kids a few hours ago were busy condemning the second madam, but now their allegiance had shifted and was now against their father. He had a feeling that it was going to be cheerful at the house from now on.

***

Meanwhile, upstairs, Briar regretted it as she slept on the bed.

'Why did I lash out at Lyra?'

'What if I scared them and made them think that this is how I am from now on? How am I going to change this?'

Briar wanted to cry badly as she regretted letting her anger off the leash.

Before Lyra exposed her and unmasked the insecurities, she had been doing her best to pretend as if they weren't there. She had forgotten that her temper was never good.

Every time she gets angry, she always does her best to keep to herself and calm herself until she is okay. However, Lyra just had to come to her at that moment. And thinking about her shameless parents and everything that happened in Ascot, she exploded.

The thought of Logan looking at her with admonition and disappointment, Briar just wanted to bury herself deep into the ground.

'I should have accepted the charms!' she thought to herself.

With them, even if they don't like her, they would be forced to do so.

How could she mess up on the first day like that?

As she was beating herself like that, a childish voice called out to her and she froze as she listened to it.

"Second mother. It's me, Tee! Are you not going to see me?"

It was Tiana, the only child in the family who still calls her that even when she continues to refuse it.

She really loved being called second mother, but the thought of being complacent and exposing herself, which might have led to getting kicked out of the family, made her continue to reject anyone calling her this kind of title.

But who would have known that her dream would come true?

Hearing Tiana calling her second mother, tears started streaming down her cheeks.

'She doesn't hate me. She likes me. She wants me to be her mother!' that's all she could think about as she climbed down the bed before rushing to open the door.

How could she let her dear child stand outside the door when she was inside?

"Tee, you_!" Briar's words got stuck in her mouth as she saw Tiana holding a card, grinning as she looked at her.

The card looked familiar and, seeing it in Tiana's hands; she didn't know how to react.

"Second Mother, this is my gift to you!" Tiana didn't seem to notice Briar's state at all and just stretched her hands to give the other the card in her hand.

Boom!!!!

There was an explosion in her head as soon as Tiana confirmed that the card was hers.

Briar's hands shook as she accepted the card from the little one's hands. The tears, which she had been trying to suppress a moment ago, poured down heavily, startling Tiana.

"Second Mother, are you okay? Are you sad? Did I do something wrong?" Tiana panicked when she saw Briar crying. She couldn't help but ask worriedly, thinking that it was her fault.

After all, second mother was still angry a while ago. Didn't the card work?

Briar, however, shook her head as she wiped her tears. "No, dear, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just me. I am just happy! I like it!" she gratefully said as she looked at the other.

The card in her hand was a childish portrait, something that Tiana drew when she was still in kindergarten. It was a family portrait of her family and she was among that. A sticky figure was labeled as a second mother.

To her, in the mind of the little girl, she was that important to be drawn as part of her family. How could she not be touched?

However, she rejected that card, as she found it inappropriate. She didn't want to be greedy back then, so her heart was as hard as steel.

But now, getting the card again, she felt emotional. It was more of a recognition in her heart. Tiana had accepted her as her second mother and gave her such a gift in welcoming her. How could she not be touched?

Tiana, upon hearing that, heaved with relief. She had been holding onto the card for years, and now she could finally give it to her second mother. She should need it more than her, right?

After all, there weren't a lot of photos with second mother in them.

In the future, she was going to drag everyone to take a family photo and bring it everywhere.

"Come inside. Sniff …. You will get cold out there!" Briar urged as she took Tiana's hand before pulling her into the room.

She still wasn't at ease to face Lyra and Cade. She didn't even know if Logan was back. So going downstairs was a big NO.

So, for now, as she calmed down, she was going to spend time with Tiana and continue to nurture the relationship with the other.

With Tiana's approach, she had a sudden realization.

If the other person had doubts about her, then use effort to make her change her mind.

She couldn't raise the white flag now. There was so much for her to do and achieve.

There was still a long way for her to go.

With that in mind, Briar's mood got uplifted, and she started playing with Tiana, completely unaware of the fact that Logan was downstairs.

Tiana, enjoying her second mother's company, also forgot to tell her second mother that her father had arrived already and they were talking about her.

Knock. Knock.

So, when after a while, there was a knock at the door, the two of them froze, wondering who was knocking.

When the door opened, since it wasn't locked, a tall man stepped into the room, followed by two young ones. Briar and Tiana both sat on the bed abruptly, as if they had been caught doing something wrong.

"Well! It seems that everything is going perfectly well here!" Logan said amusedly as he looked at the two on the bed who looked like kids right now.

Briar wanted to badly bury herself upon being caught by Logan in such a state.

Why did he have to see such a scene after not seeing each other for days?

Briar's habit of playing with her nails surfaced once again, and Logan's lips curled upward when he saw that.

"Lo … Mas …. Si…." Briar's words came out incoherently, making Logan chuckle lightly as he stepped forward.

Briar was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Without looking at the two kids behind him, Logan asked, "Aren't you going to apologize to your second mother?" his lips curled into a teasing smile as his gaze remained fixated on Briar.