It'll Come Naturally

"Why doesn't your father do something if your mother keeps treating you like this?" Rain drew a piece of tissue from the desk and gave it to her. He was confused why Sanford would let Sheena treat their daughter like this. Something like this shouldn't be happening, in his opinion. "My dad went abroad, right after you announced that KD... no, CY Technology was founded. He said that he felt too ashamed to stay in this city anymore. He has no idea what happened after he left. That is why he couldn't do anything about it," Tiana replied in a small sobbing voice, taking the tissue from Rain's hand and used it to wipe her tears away. Her action was gentle and cautious because her face was badly hurt. Even with her gentle hands, she could still feel her face throbbing, every movement creating ripples of sharp pain from the wounds. She felt so bitter and hurt right now.

"By the way, where have you been staying these days?" Rain knew that she hadn't been going home. In fact, it had been a few days since she had left home. That was why he asked out of curiosity. He hoped that she at least had a decent place to sleep. "I have been staying at one of my friends' house," Tiana answered honestly. She knew that it wasn't a very good idea to keep staying with her friend. She couldn't intrude for too long. But she just had no other choice right now. She just needed a few more days before she figured out what to do next.

"You've been staying with your friend? I mean, don't you have your own place? Your family didn't get you your own house or something?" Upon hearing Tiana's words, Rain couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. How come Tiana didn't have her own place? Usually, rich parents would buy at least one piece of property for their children. So he couldn't understand why Tiana didn't have a place where she could stay and had to stay at someone else's house. She should have her own villa, or at least a small apartment. "No! Of course not. They only give me money to spend when I need it. They never bought me any property." Tiana wasn't lying. The car she was driving was a birthday gift from her father. Other than that, she hadn't received any big gifts. It seemed that for a girl from a wealthy family, she wasn't being treated very well.

Rain couldn't help but knit his eyebrows into a tight frown. Why was that? He had thought that Tiana was spoiled in her family. Was it all just for show to other people? The truth of the matter was, Tiana wasn't even a princess in her family, living a quite ordinary life, even as a rich girl. All of a sudden, Rain remembered a few of the words he had heard just earlier when he was downstairs. If he remembered right, Sheena said that Tiana was brought home by her? Could it be true? That Tiana was adopted and not Sheena's biological daughter after all? If it was, then a lot of things would make sense. Firstly, Sheena's attitude towards Tiana.

"Let me have a look at your face. Oh. It looks bad. It seems that you shouldn't be going out in the next few days," Rain sighed. He pulled away her hand that was holding her face and looked at the injured part closely. Her cheek was all red and swollen, and it looked kind of frightening. Rain couldn't help but sigh again. In his opinion, Tiana was a pretty nice girl, and she didn't deserve to be treated like this.

"Is it really that bad?" Tiana couldn't help but ask. She felt a bit more perplexed after hearing Rain's words. He sounded pretty serious. And she still hadn't gotten the chance to see her face through a mirror, so she had no idea how bad her face looked.

"What do you think? Tell me honestly, do you get beaten up a lot at home?" Rain asked in a pretty casual tone. He didn't want to let Tiana sense that he was fishing for information. Although in fact, he was. He wanted to know how Tiana was being treated at home. This was a possible case.

"No. In fact, this is the second time. The other day, I defended you in front of them. That's the reason why I got slapped in the face." Tiana couldn't help but pucker her lips while saying these words. But she quickly gave up and her face turned into a grimace because her cheek just hurt so much with her every move.

"Am I really that good to you that you had to defend me in front of your family?" Rain asked. He was touched by Tiana's action, not expecting that she would defend him in front of her family and get herself hurt. No one had ever done this for him. He would be lying if he said that his heart didn't melt upon hearing why she got hurt in the first place. But he quickly snapped his face back into the playful and indifferent one. He was just that good at hiding his emotions. This was no time for him to get emotional.

"Yeah. To be honest, I feel like I am with my family only when I am with you. You are easier to get along with and a far cry from my own real family who are just brutal and mean. You feel like home to me," Tiana replied honestly. She also felt that this was pretty strange. With the people that she had been living with for over twenty years, she had never felt safe and secure. But as soon as she saw Rain, she immediately felt that they had a certain connection, and she didn't waste any time letting her guard down around him. She knew that she could trust him. He felt more like home than any one else and it scared her in a nice way. She could tell that the two of them were alike, having so many similarities.

"Like home?" Rain had a confused look on his face. He didn't know how to feel about her confession. He knew that she wasn't lying at all. Did he really make her feel so much at ease and welcome? Did she really feel like she was at home when she was around him? Did he really give off that kind of family vibe that she was looking for? If the answers to his questions were yes, then why hadn't he ever felt it himself?

"Yes, like home. What is it, Rain?" Tiana asked, looking at him with confused eyes. She didn't know why he looked so serious all of a sudden. What happened?

"Nothing. I have already asked William to bring an ice pack for you. He should be here in a minute. Gently place it on your swollen cheek. I am sure that it will make you feel better." Rain avoided Tiana's question, walking over to his desk and sat down on the chair. He turned his back to her, trying to hide what he had been really thinking just now.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Thank you so much, Rain." Tiana felt happy, that he seemed to care about her. Even if it was just a tiny bit of concern, she was already satisfied. Rain's actions told her that she didn't get slapped for nothing. She defended Rain in front of her family, and in return, Rain was seriously concerned about her well being and safety.00000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐