Chapter 684: [Bonus Chapter] Orchards

The evening sun had colored the sky a dull orange and purple. Nate was sitting in the main hall with a glass of whiskey. The mansion was shrouded in the darkness sans a few sconces that burned lazily. He was recalling the argument in the trial held by Dmitri. He couldn't believe that Dmitri had actually asked his daughter to resign. He could have transferred her to a different location, but he asked her to resign? Somehow, Nate wasn't able to come to terms with it. Dmitri, Liam and Nate's kids had played together. There was so much history between them and yet Dmitri gave a final verdict against Paige. A shaky breath left him as he tipped his head up and closed his eyes. 

"Father…" Paige's soft voice broke his reverie. 

Nate turned his face to the right and saw Paige standing near the bar's counter. "Come here," he called her as he patted the sofa beside him.

She ambled her way through the tables and chairs and came to sit beside him. She sidled with him and rested her head over her father's chest. "I am sorry…" she whispered. 

Nate stroked her hair gently. "What for?" he asked. 

"For the fiasco I created and for all the insinuations Kaizan had to bear because of me and for the insult that you had to go through. I—"

"Shhh…" Nate hushed her up. He stroked her hair more. After a long silence he said, "Paige, your mother and I have never stopped our children from doing what they wanted but at the same time we oversaw and guided you all through your teenage years. When you stepped into your adulthood, we both stopped interfering in your lives."

"I know…" she replied. Her parents had been so open and loved her with whatever she was. 

Nate said, "Love is blind, but what you fell into wasn't love. It was your need to help that girl. She posed a victim and you were more than happy to fill the role of her shining knight, and that is where you were wrong. Loving someone is your natural instinct, and protecting that loved one is greater amongst us werewolves, but in your case, it was entirely different. Had Ara been a normal girl without the ghosts of her background, don't you think she was stifling your growth, and by protecting her at all times, you were stifling hers? When you love someone, you set them free. You don't feed on their emotions as badly as Ara did. And you— you kept giving into it."

"Father, I— I—" Paige couldn't speak, her throat choked with emotions. Everything made sense and then some more. 

"Paige," Nate continued. "Unless you have found your mate, which is an entirely different game, don't trust people so easily. Let this be a lesson of your life."

"Yes, Father," she murmured. This wasn't just a lesson, but a huge setback. "I have something to tell you." 

"Sure. What is it, my sweet child?" 

Paige took a deep breath. She removed herself from her father's chest and then lowered her head. She gripped the gown in her lap in her hands and said, "I was thinking of leaving Silver Vales and go and settle in the south of the kingdom. I have enough money to buy land. I will till the land and live a peaceful life."

"So, my sweet child wants to run away?" Nate asked. 

She shook her head. "No, I just want to stay away from all the drama…" She was sure that she would be sneered at in the capital. 

Nate curled his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. "You are not going anywhere, okay?" 

"But, father, you—"

"No! And that's it." 

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"Why?" 

"Because I have plans for you."

Paige jerked her head back, as her brows bunched up. She was surely not going to stay in the house without a job and be a burden to her parents. 

"I want you to take care of the orchards we have," Nate said with a smile as he rubbed the creases off her forehead. 

Paige blinked once and then twice. The orchards were fully taken care of by Kaizan. Ara wanted to snatch the business of orchards from him and give it all to Paige. Because of that situation Kaizan went around digging Ara's background, and now her father was pushing her in the same situation. "Hell no!" she blurted. "I don't want anything that would clash with Kaizan!" From the corner of her eye, she saw Olivia coming into the main hall. Panic seized her chest. Did Olivia hear her father? 

Nate smiled. "How will that result in a clash with Kaizan?" 

"He is looking after them completely. Why would you ask me to take care of something that he is already doing?" Suddenly, her plan to go to a faraway village and grow her own crops seemed like the most lucrative idea. Her gaze darted to Olivia who came to sit on the sofa on the opposite of the table. 

"Where are you planning on going, Paige?" Olivia asked with a hand on the armrest. She curled her feet beneath her legs. There was a mysterious smile on her lips. 

Paige bit her lip and looked away. With a hesitating voice she said, "I wanted to go and settle in southern Silver Vales." 

"Why? And who will look after the orchards?" Olivia asked. 

Paige whipped her head back to Olivia. What was going on? Why was Olivia also asking about the orchards? Did she hear her father? Embarrassed that Olivia was being sarcastic, she blushed. Her father really had put her in a terrible situation. "No. I don't want to look after the orchards!" She made her stance clear so that there was no dispute with Olivia. Gods above. She was grateful that Kaizan wasn't present here. 

"Why not?" Olivia asked, her lips curving more into a deeper smile. "I was hoping that you would give me a hand now that Father and Kaizan have both relinquished their duties towards orchards." 

Paige stared at Olivia and her father, her mind trying to process the words. A moment later, she said, "Kaizan—?" 

Olivia couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud. It was as if she could no longer hold a secret. She looked at Nate and he too joined her. The mood of the air lifted up. Olivia's laughter was so infectious that Paige's lips curled up. "What is going on?" she asked, totally confused but feeling light.

Olivia stopped laughing and giggled. She glanced at Nate who said, "From now on, both Olivia and you will be looking after the orchards. If you want, I can help you, but Kaizan has said that he won't be able to!" 

"Oh. My. God!" Paige blurted. This sudden turn of events was surprising as hell. "Are you sure Father?" 

Nate nodded vehemently. "I don't want my daughter to run away. You better look after the family business!" 

"Ohhh father!" Paige exclaimed and jumped at him to hug him hard. "I love you!" 

"And what about me?" Ookashi's angry voice came from behind.

"I knew you always hated me," Kaizan growled. 

With a squeal, Paige got up from her place and leapt at her mother to hug her tightly.. Kaizan came and wrapped his arms around both of them, resting his chin on his mother's head.

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