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Master of Lust-Chapter 210: Introducing in-laws?
Chapter - 210
Lifting her gaze, the old lady found herself in an entirely unexpected setting, her eyes widening as they darted around, absorbing the unfamiliar surroundings.
The clinical sterility of the halls was a stark contrast to the rich, decorated spaces she was accustomed to. With each step, her curiosity deepened, her mind swirling with questions about this sudden shift in their environment.
With a furrowed brow and a commanding tone, the old lady turned to Rick, her curiosity demanding answers. "Rick, where exactly have you brought us? What is happening here?" Her voice cut through the tension with a steady resolve, seeking clarity amidst the uncertainty.
But Rick, ever the master of intrigue, remained unruffled by her inquiry. With a nonchalant yet confident gesture, he pushed the door open wide, as if unveiling the next chapter of an unfolding drama. Casting a mysterious smile back at the old lady, he offered a cryptic explanation, "We are here to meet someone very special."
But the moment he entered the ward, his eyes fell on a familiar face which he didn’t expect there.
In front of him was his father and Olivia standing together in the hospital corridor, his heart skipped a beat, a mix of surprise and confusion clouding his features. It was the last place he had expected to encounter his father, making the moment all the more jarring.
His father, equally taken aback by the sight of Rick, couldn’t hide the surprise that flashed across his face. His eyebrows shot up, a clear sign of his discomfort.
Memories of catching Rick and Olivia in a compromising situation flooded his mind, replaying with vivid clarity like a relentless advertisement he couldn’t skip. The image had haunted him, creating an awkward rift that was hard to navigate.
The memory had been a tough pill to swallow, complicating his interactions with Olivia. The complexity of his feelings was compounded by his longstanding friendship with Olivia. Their history stretched back decades, long before Rick was even a twinkle in his eye.
This connection made the current situation even more complicated, intertwining feelings of betrayal with the bonds of old friendship.
Though Olivia had offered her apologies, yet the image remained, stubbornly etched in his brain.
Despite the turmoil, the reason for his presence could not be clearer—Emily, Olivia’s daughter, was in the hospital, and she was the priority. His long-standing friendship with Olivia, coupled with the current situation, demanded his support, regardless of the personal discomfort.
The air between them was thick with an awkward tension, making every second stretch on painfully. Rick broke the silence first, his voice tinged with surprise, "What are you doing here?"
His father, caught off guard by the directness, responded with a measured calmness that barely masked the complexity of his emotions, "What if I ask the same?" he countered quietly, maintaining eye contact with his son.
Rick’s response was quick, his voice carrying a hint of defiance, "I am here to meet my friend."
Rick’s father could not resist adding a touch of mockery to his voice, the words rolling off his tongue with a sly chuckle. "Ohh... Friend? Well, I’m here for my friend too," he said, the grin spreading across his face, not just mocking but underlined with a challenging tone.
The air crackled with a palpable tension as he continued, not missing a beat, "And not to forget, someone has to take care of your friend. She has not been doing well these days. It seems she could use a guardian to watch over her, don’t you think?" His words were quick, cutting off Olivia just as she opened her mouth to interject, casting a protective shield of words around her.
Olivia, caught in the crossfire, pressed her lips together in a thin line, a wave of guilt washing over her for being the inadvertent catalyst for this verbal duel between father and son.
Rick, not one to back down, retorted with a heavy layer of sarcasm, "Oh, a guardian, is it? That is indeed... intriguing. Not bad at all." His gaze then shifted to Olivia, his eyes glinting with a blend of mischief and defiance, as if to challenge the situation further.
Amidst this exchange, Rick’s father’s attention was drawn away from the verbal sparring to the elderly woman who had quietly stood by Rick’s side, unnoticed until now. His expression softened, curiosity replacing the previously sharp edge as he turned towards her, breaking the heavy silence that had momentarily settled over the group.
"And who might the lady with you be?" Rick’s father asked, his voice tinged with genuine interest, as he looked at the old woman accompanying Rick.
"Ahhh... She is Mrs..." Rick began, his voice trailing off as he realized he didn’t even know the old Matriarch’s name.
"Ummm... Mrs..." he tried again, a sheepish grin creeping across his face, his eyes darting between his father and the Old Matriarch.
Rick, caught between a rock and a hard place, turned towards the Old Matriarch with a grin that was more sheepish than confident. "Sorry, I never thought of asking your name," he ventured, the words dripping with an attempt at charm that didn’t quite mask his earlier oversight.
The Old Matriarch, unfazed by Rick’s earlier blunder, gracefully turned her attention to Rick’s father, extending a nod that was graceful and respectful, "It is a pleasure to meet you," she began, her voice a blend of nobility and warmth, "I am Eleanor BloodThrone. Rick has told us a lot about you."
Before another word could be said, Rick jumped back into the conversation, eager to steer it away from potentially murky waters. "Ah, yes, Eleanor here, she is, uh, actually my friend’s grandmother," he interjected, his tone swinging wildly between pride and panic.
Eleanor’s eyebrows arched in delicate surprise, her gaze shifting to Rick with a mix of amusement and challenge. "Just friends, you say?" she quipped, her voice rich with unspoken stories. "Are you quite certain that is all there is between my Evelina and you? I thought I was looking at my potential Grand Son in law. You break my heart dear."
And just as those words escaped the Old Matriarch’s mouth, jaws dropped in the room. Her words hung in the air, a silent bombshell that momentarily stole the room’s oxygen. Rick’s father, a mix of confusion and disapproval etched onto his face, shot a look at his son that could have curdled milk. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The notion of Rick entangled in yet another complex relationship, was more than he could digest on short notice.
’Doing it with Olivia in front of me wasn’t enough for this rascal? With the granddaughter of this lady as well?’ Rick’s father thought and his eyes could not but squint looking at his son, ’And this lady... She looks Rich. What a mess.’
Seeing his father look at him with those accusing eyes, Rick was quick to explain, "Hahaha... Grandma, you are such an absolute joy. Of course, we are just friends. I mean, friends can be close, right? Doesn’t always have to be a big drama," he retorted, his words a tightrope walk between defiance and diplomacy.
The silence that followed was palpable, the room’s atmosphere thick with unsaid thoughts and unasked questions. Rick’s father, the lines on his face deepening with each passing second, was the one to break the ice.
"And why exactly," he began, each word laced with a father’s concern and a friend’s frustration, "Is Mrs. BloodThrone here?"
Rick wanted to answer, but the Old Matriarch wasn’t done making all the trouble for Rick. So she quickly jumped in to answer.
"It’s quite simple," she explained, her voice smooth but carrying an undercurrent of nonchalance. "I am here because of my granddaughter, of course. And, well, Rick as well?"
"Your Grand-daughter? What does that suppose to mean," Rick’s father had his heart racing when he heard the rich, old lady speak. Did his rascal son got her granddaughter knocked up?
"What else? Your son..." The Old Matriarch spoke but stopped mid-way, and took a big pause, her words only increasing the anxiety of Rick’s father, "He has been such a... resourceful friend for my grand-daughter and our family. Haven’t you, dear?"
"Hushh..." Rick sighed as his grin returned, this time edged with a hint of mischief. "Resourceful, that’s me. Always happy to lend a hand, or an ear, or whatever else might be needed," he said, his words light.
"And before you ask any more questions, the old grand-mother is here to have a look at Emily," Rick continued, before anyone could interrupt him again, "And possibly cure her as well."
"She can?" Both Olivia and Rick’s father cried out together.
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"I will?" On the other hand, the old matriarch was surprised as well. She didn’t she was in the room for that.
"Oh, don’t play modest. Didn’t you say that you can..." Rick smiled looking at the old lady and then leaned forward to whisper in her ears, "Now don’t be a liability, old lady."
"Prove your worth,"
*****