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"I mean, you\'re right. I\'m the bad father and the annoying friend."

Conrad kept his eyes sharp, looking out at the window. He was already used to Maynard\'s insensitive and nosey nature, so he didn\'t take it to the heart. But it still hit a nerve in his head, which didn\'t sit well with him.

"I told Cosette..." Conrad spoke, making Maynard raise his brows. "... during her internship, I told her I don\'t want her to get married until she\'s fifty."

"What? Hey, that\'s even more selfish!"

"And I\'d make sure she\'ll grow old alone than have the Quinns as my in-laws," Conrad added, making Maynard gasp in dismay. The side of his lips curled up as his eyes drooped, but it still didn\'t conceal the danger lurking within them.

"The only reason you are this confident is that the Quinns are the perfect candidate to marry my daughter off. It was the same with the Quinns. Cosette is the number one on your list of candidates and seeing how persistent you are, I bet you already got their birthdays checked and she matched perfectly well with either of your sons," Conrad continued.

"Hah! She matched with both of them," Maynard blurted out and then bit his tongue when he realized the slip-up.

"You are criticizing me for how I am raising my daughter and allowing her to take home a man at such a young age." Conrad ignored Maynard\'s previous remarks, snapping his eyes ever so tenderly. "You are correct that I might be a neglectful father. However, realistically speaking, I have a good eye for business."

"What I\'m saying is, I look at my daughter and I know one of these days, a man will eventually take her away from me. The Quinns had been eyeing her like some land they should purchase before her value will increase. I\'m not selling her to greedy folks like you." Conrad smirked dangerously. "I\'d rather raise a young man and teach him how to treat my daughter like a queen, how to protect her from people like you, and share the same outlook in life."

"What?" Maynard gasped, wide-eyed, guessing where this scheme was going.

"You better tell your sons to do their best... maybe, mentor them properly, since you had a very interesting history. Or else, a nobody — just as what you folks see Max — will not share even a piece of the cake." Conrad\'s smirk stretched broad, glancing at his phone, imagining Maynard\'s horrified expression. "Thank me later since I\'m helping you teach your son that they can\'t get everything they want just because they want it."

"Hey —!" Maynard, who was also sitting behind the back seat of the car, gasped. He looked at the phone in disbelief as Conrad hung up on him just like that. "Wa — wow...! Did he — oh, goodness! Did he hold a grudge — wow...! I\'m actually speechless! That damn! Hah! Wow..."

Maynard could only scoff while shaking his head in disbelief, completely forgetting the important reason he called Conrad. Although he didn\'t plan to ruin Conrad\'s mood, the latter ruined his. But he should\'ve seen it coming.

Meanwhile, Conrad placed the phone back inside his pocket suit and chuckled with his lips closed. Just like Maynard, Conrad had known that guy for decades. Therefore, he could imagine the shock on Maynard Quinn\'s face. That man should\'ve kept his mouth shut, instead of proudly admitting to using Cosette as lecture material. Conrad wasn\'t the type to let things slide, especially if it involved his daughter.

Conrad then looked at the window once more, his lips curled up. His mind drifted several nights ago that involved Maxen.

[ FLASHBACK ]

Conrad had always been busy, and he realized he and Warren had gotten even busier when Cosette finished her internship. The day after his last business trip, Conrad returned home a bit late than expected. When he reached home, it was already nighttime.

As usual, Cosette spent time with him before bidding him goodnight, since she was considerate that he needed rest. However, instead of resting, Conrad stayed in his study to review a document so he wouldn\'t worry about it the next day.

As the night fell deeper and the world grew quiet, a knock from outside his office shattered his silence. Conrad raised his head and spoke, "come in," to the person outside. When it opened, his brows slightly rose, seeing Maxen enter his study room.

"Max," he called, watching Maxen stand near the set of couches while facing him, who sat behind the desk. "It\'s already late."

"It is already late, Sir. That is why I am here since Cosette had been worried about your schedule."

Conrad rocked his head, knowing Cosette was the type to get worried. After all, she had been quite strict during her internship and restricted Conrad from working at home. However, he couldn\'t fall asleep with the things that made his brain active.

"Why are you here?" he asked, shifting the subject and getting to the point. "Did something happen?"

Conrad furrowed his brows when a minute had passed, and Maxen just stared at him. He knew this young man since Maxen had been living under the same roof for months now. Maxen wouldn\'t come to his study and at this late hour if it wasn\'t important.

"I..." Maxen drew a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily. When he reopened his eyes, Conrad caught the determination in the young man\'s eyes. "Cosette and I are dating now."

"..." It took Conrad several seconds to process this confession. He then planted his palms on the surface of the desk, pushing himself up. Unlike the first time Maxen confessed to kissing his daughter, Conrad was calmer now.

Conrad sauntered toward the stand where the decanter and wineglass were. On his way, he stopped and looked back at Maxen\'s motionless figure.

"Continue," he urged calmly, making Maxen nod, while he resumed in his strides. As Conrad stopped in front of the stand and poured himself a glass of wine, Maxen continued his confession fearlessly.

"I like Cosette, Sir, and she likes me. So, we agreed we should date." Maxen kept his eyes on Conrad\'s back, watching the latter turn around with two glasses in his hands. "She wants to keep it a secret from you for now... because she knows you\'ll restrict us from having some time alone."