Sherlyn thought about it before she said, “That evil b*tch, Charlotte, is counting on us to let her go now, but we can’t do that.
“We will not be able to find her again if she walked out those doors. When that happens, the wedding will be over, and we will be the laughing stock. Plus, Louis will be heartbroken.
“The way I see it. We should lock her up somewhere else and plan our next step after we have pacified Louis.”
“You are terrible at planning,” replied Robert through gritted teeth, “Who the hell do you think Charlotte Lindberg is? A maid? Do you think you can just do whatever you want with her?
“Even if we ignore the fact that Mr. Lindberg is missing and even if we assume that he is dead, we will still have to deal with his subordinates! They have more than enough power to crush us.
“Also, have you forgotten that the guy, Gordon, is still waiting for Charlotte in Pillere?
“On top of all that, Danrique might not even be dead. What if he returns from this war and makes it back to the top in the future? He will come after us then, and we will be destroyed!
“It would, maybe, be acceptable if we actually have a valid reason for making her stay here, but we will be on a road to self-destruct if you push too far.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Are you really going to let her go?” demanded Sherlyn unhappily.
Robert frowned and looked troubled. He was burdened at that moment as well, and nothing seemed to work.
I can’t keep her here, nor can I set her free… What should I do?
Knock! Knock! Knock! A series of hushed knocks suddenly came from the door. Avril’s nervous voice came at the very next second. She reported, “Sir Robert, Lady Sherlyn, I tried knocking on Sir Louis’ door, but he locked himself in and never responded. I worry that something might’ve happened to him.”
“Let’s go.” Both Robert and Sherlyn were quick to leave their room when they heard that.
The couple rushed to Louis’ room and knocked nervously. “Louis? Louis, open the door. Don’t scare us like this. Just open the door and let’s talk nicely, okay?”
No one responded.
“Louis, open the door!” shouted Robert as well. Still, no one replied.
“What do we do? You don’t think he’d do anything stupid, do you?” asked Sherlyn, who was scared mindless.
“Break the door open,” ordered Robert right away.
“Understood.” Two bodyguards moved forward and slammed the door as hard as they could. It took them several minutes before they finally broke through…
“Louis!” blurted Sherlyn when she barged in nervously. She couldn’t help being stunned when she saw what was in front of her.
Louis was curled up on the carpet and had buried his head in his lap. He was like a snail that had hidden in a shell to protect itself. In Louis’ case, however, he was hiding away so that others couldn’t see how ashamed and broken he was.
“Louis, are you okay?” asked Sherlyn as she approached him slowly, “Don’t hold your emotions in like this. Just let it all out.”
“Everyone else. Out!” ordered Robert sternly but softly.
“Understood.” Everyone left and closed the door behind them.
“Louis…” said Robert. He was heartbroken to see his son in that state, but he was still a father who only knew to give tough love. He commanded grimly, “Get your a*s up! You’re a man, so how can you break down over a matter so small? That is not right!”
“Hey, stop yelling at him,” scolded Sherlyn angrily.
“You shut up,” demanded Robert while glaring evilly, “This is all your fault. You have been spoiling him ever since he is a kid and has been shielding him his entire life. Not letting him experience any pain is what got him in this state. He is so weak that he’s not even like a man anymore!”
“You…”
“You’re right. I am not acting like a man,” said Louis suddenly.
Those words hit Louis hard. The whole ordeal made him feel more hopeless than he had been in his entire life.
He felt like the world had turned dark, and it was as if his life was one big joke.
He was an adult who had no career, no true achievements, and his love life was in a mess.
“Louis…” murmured Robert. Louis’ word had stung Robert hard, and the former ultimately couldn’t bear to continue being harsh, so he cooed, “This is not a huge issue. Every man has slept with more than one woman, and you can take this as a rite of passage into adulthood. Don’t dwell on it too much.”
