Chapter 2: He Changed His Mind?
"How many times have I told you not to drink too much?" Miranda Reese reprimands her daughter who is busy attempting to find some clue from her haze-like memory. "You always drink to the point where you can't even take care of yourself."
Being snapped out of her thoughts which seems to be only going in circles, Alycia Reese immediately wonders if her mother knew the one who brought her home the other night. She decides to ask her about it, but...
"Who brought you home last night? Elliot McCall?"
It is just proven that her mother has no idea of the one who brought her home as Alycia is sure that it could not be Elliot. He wouldn't do that right after dumping her cruelly!
Alycia also did not miss how cold her mother's voice grew when Elliot's name escaped her lips. It is always like this.
When her daughter does not respond to her, Miranda Reese is convinced that Elliot was the one who brought her daughter home the other night. She initially attempts to keep her silence about it but when she fails, she quietly asks, "Will you keep this up, Alice?"
Alycia Reese knows what her mother is talking about yet she can't bring herself to say anything. She indeed recalls her breakup with Elliot but she hesitates to tell her mother about it.
Maybe a part of her still hopes to have him back. Maybe he was just confused for a moment.
"I always let you do what you want but not this," the mother continues when her daughter maintains her silence. "If Elliot wishes to be with you, he must quit the military. That is... if he loves you enough -"
"Mother." Alycia lets out a deep breath as she has long lost count of how many times she has heard such words from her mother. With the exhaustion getting into her mind, she momentarily forgets about the hesitation she feels and ends up saying, "Elliot broke up with me. You must be happy now."
The way she speaks to her mother... that hint of defiance and annoyance in her voice... it is a rare occurrence and they both know it. No matter what the situation is, Alycia Reese has always treated her mother with respect. Insolence and defiance never really have a place when it comes to the way she treats her mother, but...
Maybe the breakup and lingering pain in her heart caused her to lose herself momentarily.
Of course, she knows her mother well and she also understands why her mother does not want her to have anything to do with soldiers and anything connected to it. She knows the reason behind everything.
If the one she loved were a businessman, a doctor, a government servant, or even an orphan with nothing to his name, Alycia knew that her mother would wholeheartedly accept the person, as long as he was not a soldier yet... she still ended up falling for someone who only dreamed of being a soldier since childhood.
"That's good," Miranda Reese remarks after a long silence but her calm tone fails to mask her bewilderment and confusion. She can't help but wonder why the two suddenly broke up when her opposition was futile for years.
"Mother," Alycia calls out again; a hint of desperation and pain in her voice. "How can you say that? Do you even know how hard it is for me?" Her tone is much more respectful than earlier though she is firmly fixating her gaze on her mother, waiting for her response.
Can't she really not see how hard it is for her?
"Then why did he break up with you?" Miranda Reese confronts her daughter back. "When he decided to join the Military Academy years ago, I told him that he should not dream of a future with you if he chose the army. He did not even love you enough to give up the military and choose something else as a career yet he confidently said that he would wait for however long it took for my approval. Now... he changed his mind?" She pauses for a moment and coldly asks, "Did he cheat on you?"
"Elliot is not that kind of person," Alycia argues while trying her best to keep her tone in check. "You know how hard he tried to change your mind, Mother. I understand and respect your wish for me not to associate with soldiers but... it was not easy for me too."
Miranda Reese quietly exchanges her daughter's gaze for a moment but when she is about to speak up, her personal assistant, who seems to have just arrived, enters the dining room.
"I apologize, Ma'am; but if we don't leave now, you will be late for the meeting."
Miranda Reese glances at her wristwatch and an unusual hint of annoyance flashes across her face. Still, she wastes no time and rises from her seat. "We will continue this later," she says to her daughter and continues, "I don't like you getting drunk alone. Even last night, you were too drunk to even come home alone." She makes a deliberate yet brief pause and adds, "From now on, don't dismiss Kevin until you come home and are sure that you don't have to step out anymore."
Her mother is literally telling her to have her assistant and bodyguard with her almost all the time and Alycia is not that entertained by the idea. Not to mention that even their family residence is already heavily guarded!
"I can protect myself," she protests but the argument comes right away.
"Not when you are wasted like last night."
Alycia wishes to continue protesting but when she notices her mother getting impatient due to her tight schedule and also a memory from her childhood adding fuel to it, she feels the pressure to give in. After all, there are only two things where her mother never budges as long as she is concerned - her safety and her disapproval of her associating with those military personnel.
"I understand," she finally says in agreement.
The mother's expression softens but as she is short of time, she immediately leaves the house with her assistant.
Even after her mother leaves, Alycia quietly remains standing in her place, narrowing her eyes as her mother's words and questions linger in her ears. She does not want to think about it yet she cannot stop herself. However...
"Would you like some hangover drinks?"
She is snapped out of her stupor by Mrs. Saunders, the housekeeper, who had quietly done her work in one corner throughout the whole conversation earlier.
Shifting her gaze to the housekeeper who must be a few years younger than her mother, Alycia Reese nods her head and takes a seat on one of the chairs. Quietly sitting for a moment, one thing suddenly crosses her mind and she looks at the housekeeper. "Mrs. Saunders, do you perhaps know the one who brought me home last night? I cannot recall any detail."
"I didn't get to see his face," Mrs. Saunders casually replies while working on preparing the hangover drink. "When I turned on the doorbell camera to know who the guest was, there was no one. I only heard his voice."
"His voice?"
The housekeeper nods. "He said that the young lady of the house was outside and drunk. He asked me to come and get you but he was already gone when I came to the gate." Pausing a moment, she adds, "He seems to know you well."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone