At that moment, Thaddeus noticed his youngest daughter was missing from his wifeâs side. His brow furrowed. âWhereâs Lea?â
Bertha snapped out of her daze, glanced behind her, and realized that her daughter was gone.
âWhat happened? Lea was right behind me just now.â
Upon confirming Leaâs absence, Thaddeus turned to his men, his face stern.
âWhat are you all standing around for? Go find my daughter!â
His men immediately replied in unison. âYes, sir!â
Just as they were about to split up and search, a sweet girly voice rang out. âThereâs no need to search. Iâm right here.â
The group turned towards the voice. There, chewing bubblegum and striding over in her sportswear, was the now much taller Lea.
Bertha quickly pulled her daughter to her side. âLea, where did you run off to? This is a big airport; itâs not familiar to you. You canât just run around.â.
Lea shrugged. âMom, I just went to the restroom.â
Thaddeus approached. âEven if youâre going to the restroom, you should tell your mother and me. You canât just sneak off. You scared us to death. We thought we lost you.â
He then turned to scold his men. âYou bunch of imbeciles! You didnât even notice Lea sneaking off!â
The men were visibly afraid of Thaddeus. They lowered their heads without uttering a single word.
Lea rolled her eyes at her temperamental father. âCalm down, Dad. Iâm right here, arenât I? Why are you yelling at the gentlemen?â
Thaddeusâ tone softened when addressing his daughter. âLea, donât do this again. You canât just run off.â
âOkay.â Lea responded absentmindedly. She was not really paying attention.
She had tried to distance herself from the show Sophia was putting on with their father. It was annoying to watch.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Sophia, her half-sister, was someone she had never liked. She questioned Sophiaâs character and disliked the way Sophia treated her mother. Therefore, she never went out of her way to be nice to Sophia.
Bertha, relieved that her daughter was safe, patted Leaâs shoulder and reminded her Lea, you havenât greeted your sister yet. Sophiaâs over there. Say hi.â
Lea followed her motherâs gaze and met Sophiaâs disinterested eyes. She knew Sophia didnât like her, but she had to respect their parentsâ wishes.
So she waved at Sophia. âHello. Long time no see, sis.â
Sophia returned the greeting with a nod and a smile, primarily to maintain appearances in front of their father.
She had been upset watching their father fret over Lea. Before Bertha came into the picture, she had been the apple of their fatherâs eye. But after Bertha arrived and gave birth to another daughter, she felt like her fatherâs affection was being divided.
She used to think his interest in Bertha was fleeting, a mere novelty. But years have passed, and his affection for Bertha hadnât waned. Sophia couldnât help but wonder what Bertha had done to keep her father so smitten.