With a bright smile swaying over Mandy's oval-shaped face, she looked up to Liam's troubled expression from her cellphone.
"You've absolutely nothing to worry about, Uncle Liam, Ella is fine," she said persuasively.
Liam scratched his jaw impatiently and asked, "Where is she, Mandy?"
I'm not sure, Uncle. Although, she sounded really drunk but I think Matthew is with her, "So you've really got nothing to worry about," she completed her words with a wide grin spreading across her face.
Actually, Mandy liked the fact that Daniella and Matthew were together. In her opinion, it means those two were getting along really well.
Meanwhile, Liam's chest had collapse and lines creased his forehead from the moment Mandy had mentioned Matthew's name.
"You mean to tell me that my daughter is likely to be with Matthew now?" as he asked this question, he felt like someone was tearing his heart apart with a saw.
Mandy continued to giggle and answered, "Yes,"
"Where are they right now?" he asked coldly, swallowing tightly.
Mandy was stunned at his sudden indifference for five seconds, staring at his face.
"Like I said, Uncle Liam. Ella is with Matthew and they are dating. So it's normal_"
"Can you stop talking and get me the goddamn location for God sake, Mandy?" his eyes became red and seemed to fill with chilling anger while his jaw clenched in reproach.
Mandy got scared and couldn't help but move away from him and his car.
This was the first time Liam would be yelling at her and looking at her coldly.
She opened her mouth but failed to say a single word and like that, she looked down at her phone in her hand and called Matthew.
As she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to it rings, she kept looking at Liam in secret.
"What's up, Matthew? Are you with, Ella?" she asked as soon as the call got connected.
Good. Now tell me the address,
Soon, Mandy disconnected the call and told Liam the same thing Matthew told her over the phone.
Without wasting another moment, Liam spun around and dashed for his car door.
"Are you sure everything is alright, Uncle Liam, or do you want me to come with you?" Mandy asked with troubled eyes as she had never seen him in such a panic and acting so recklessly before.
"No, no, Mandy. Thank you for your help. You can go back inside now," Liam responded quickly while opening the door and hopping on the driver's seat.
**************
Eyes darting around the barroom, Matthew soon saw Daniella at the end of the area, her head on the table and her eyes shut.
He felt something knotted inside his chest as he scurried toward her, calling out her name softly.
"Ella," he shook her lightly.
Noting the number of beer bottles on the table. His eyes widened in disbelief. What the...?
This time, he shook her impatiently, "Wake up, Ella. Are you okay?"
Raising her head from the table, "Is that y-you, Dad?" Daniella asked from her doze, struggling to open her eyes.
"No, It's me. Matthew," Matthew told her and held her shoulders.
"Can you stand up?"
"Arrgh," Daniella moaned out while planning to stand up but she slumped back onto her seat, hitting the table in the process and caused the entire empty bottles to fell and broke into pieces.
"Damn," Matthew cursed silently and avoided everyone's gazes, still attempting to bring Daniella to her feet.
"I'm real-ly not forgi-ving you this time, Dad," her speech was slurred and she looked very drunk.
Brows furrowing, "You got yourself drunk because of your Dad, Ella?" Matthew was shocked.
"Can you ju-st take me away? To a place he wi-ll never find me," her tone was low but full of soreness.
By this time, Matthew was already crouching before her and looking at her red face in amazement.
"What did he do to you, Ella? Why do you want to run away from your Dad?" he asked quietly, holding her two hands.
"Because he doesn't love me!" Daniella yelled out and then burst into another fresh wave of tears which attracted everyone's attention.
"No, Ella. Please stop crying," Matthew coaxed but Daniella wouldn't listen as she continued to whimper bitterly.
Turning his head, he realized everyone in there had their eyes on them.
"It's not me. I'm not the one, don't misunderstand," he said lowly to them with an uneasy smile and once again tried to lift Daniella up.
But right then, Liam had gotten there; with a horrifying coldness written all over his handsome face.
"Get your hands off her now," he ordered breathlessly, pushing Matthew away and then prepared to carry Daniella who had fallen back asleep.
"Ella, its Dad. I'm here now," he muttered while lifting her up to in his arms.
After being stunned for a few seconds, Matthew hurried in tow behind Liam and helped him open the passenger seat door after which Liam positioned Daniella carefully in the seat.
He then veered around to the driver's seat and heard Matthew spoke up.
I'll come with you," "For what?" he shot at him, his eyes brimming with anger.
Matthew opened his mouth to say something.
"Listen carefully, young man," Liam cut in, walking a few steps closer to him.
"I do not want you anywhere around Daniella from now on. Do you understand?"
Matthew felt a sudden pain as he thought that Liam wasn't being fair with his judgment.
"But why, sir? I love Daniella so much and I can see that she's beginning to like me too," Matthew was optimistic. However, his smile was not reaching his lips as he was wary of Liam's next reaction.
"I'll be so glad if you could give me a chance to_"
"Stay away from my daughter," Liam halted him in mid-sentence. "As far away as possible,"
After his words, he shot Matthew a last glare and then moved toward his car, leaving Matthew no chance to voice out another word.
*
Little by little, Liam lowered his daughter to her bed, not removing his eyes from her pretty face.
He thereafter concealed her body with the comforter properly. After that, he sat very close to her on the bed, his gaze roaming every inch of her face; as if memorizing them.
He lifted his hand and cleaned some shiny and white fine beads of sweat glistening on her forehead especially her lips.
Her lips looked as if they were soaked in water and hydrated; they were like freshly washed cherry.
It was so fresh that one could not control oneself to bite.
Without thinking, he dipped his head closer and took her lips in his mouth.
After kissing for a while, he felt even hotter. A layer of sweat came out on his spine and the knot in his throat rolled up and down and his mouth was dry.
Nothing could revive him, only the woman on the bed could save him.
He uncovered a part of her body and grabbed her hand and then stuck one of her fingers into her mouth.
Right then, Daniella stirred and opened her eyes and saw that her father was crouching above her.
A tight smile stretched at the side of Liam's lips as he slowly let go of her hand but remained in that position.
"Are you okay? Headache?" he enticed with a broad wink.
"Where's Matthew?" Daniella asked formally with a gleam flashing across her sharp eyes.
Liam's eyes lifted in surprise while he moved away from her slowly, "Matthew?"
Daniella sat upright, eyes shut tightly and palming her clanging head.
"I can remember Matthew came to me. Yeah, he was with me, so where is he?" she looked at her father and asked.
Liam huffed and then rose to his feet, "I sent him away," he responded, putting his hands in his pocket.
"Why on earth would you send him away, Dad? He's my boyfriend in case you've forgotten," a hint of anger dashed across her cold face.
"And that's exactly why I sent him away, Ella. He's of no use to you, so he'd better stay away from you," his tone spoke finality.
He had become so enraged that the veins on his forehead became exposed.
Daniella was shocked to hear this from her father, so shocked was she that her eyes opened wide in disbelief.
"And why would you do that, Dad?" her voice rose to a shriek while she got out of the bed, facing her father squarely.
"Remember how you yelled at me just because I was trying to send your lover away earlier, Dad. So explain to me why you sent Matthew away. My boyfriend," she put emphasis to her last words, her blue eyes blazing.
"Ivy isn't my lover, Ella," his shoulders dropped, walking closer to her and reaching out a hand to hold her but she didn't allow him.
"I just needed to hear her excuse and you were overreacting, baby," he explained, tone soft with emotions as his eyes raked over her face with such tenderness.
"Of course, Dad. It only means one thing; you still love I-v-y," Daniella spelled out, tears fast building in her eyes.
That said, she tried to walk away but Liam had wrapped a hand around her waist and hauled into his chest in a swift.