A Lionel Si Casanova

Chapters. 24 Who are you?

"Delvin, I'll hang up. I have something to watch out for." Click! Delvin asked, Reddick ended the call.

 

"It's becoming clear that Lionel isn't the man I know. Who her? Is it possible there's a second life that means Lionel isn't the old Lionel?" Delvin thought hard.

 

...*****...

 

Reddick stepped near the door. He could no longer bear to know what Bellina was talking about and the man called the child.

 

From the outside Bellina wanted to come in. Because simultaneously, they also collided.

 

"Ah," lamented Bellina as her head hit Reddick's chest.

 

"Bellina, sorry. I didn't know you were done talking. You all right?" ask Reddick worried.

 

Bellina smiled. "I'm fine. Mom asleep?" bellina asked as she looked at her mother's bed.

 

"Yes. Who exactly is that guy?" asked Reddick who chose to ask Bellina directly.

 

"Men? Oh, Rio? He's a cousin who lives with my mom. He's the one who takes care of mom."

 

"Why do you call him son?" ask Reddick.

 

"Because she often takes care of her mother, it makes her feel like she has a son. I only have an only child, which is me." Bellina's lips smiled faintly. This information made Reddick's heart a little relieved. "I'm sorry I made our visit to my family this way."

 

"Don't apologize. It's out of your control. Of course you don't want mom to get sick. So I don't think this was the wrong visit." They walked closer to my mother's bed.

 

"When you talk to Rio, can I come?" ask Reddick surprise. Bellina who had seen mother, now turned to this man.

 

"Why?"

 

"No. It's just ... I feel I should know. In your paper my wife, if I don't know what's going on with your life, how about when someone asks about you and I don't?"

 

Bellina quiet.

 

"alright. That wasn't an important conversation. He's worried about me getting kicked out of the Wycliffs."

 

"That's an important Bellina" Reddick's sergeant took the woman by surprise. Reddick realized that he sounded angry just now. "I mean, he doesn't have to worry because you can take care of yourself, right? He doesn't know how strong you are."

 

Bellina smiled.

 

"I just look strong, Lion. I'm actually fragile. Even with Reddick I wasn't a strong woman. I try to keep looking like a solid fortress. Because I feel like Reddick doesn't like it when I'm weak."

 

I'm sorry Bellina. I didn't mean to make you that way. This is all because of my stupidity and naivety, Reddick said in his heart.

 

"I'm sorry if my conversation wasn't fun. You must be tired of hearing me tell my husband. Maybe you're even sick of it." Because Reddick was silent, Bellina felt that this man did not like her.

 

"No. I'm not bored or fed up. I'm glad you told me so much about your husband. So I know who Reddick really is" said Reddick, truly grateful Bellina told him about herself. It made him start to understand how he used to be in front of Bellina.

 

...******...

 

Bellina and Reddick return to the apartment. Reddick sent the mother to a hospital closer to where they were staying. Although Rio initially disagreed, the right decision was Reddick's idea.

 

 

"Thank you for your help choosing people to accompany Bellina's mother, Delvin," Reddick said as they met in his study.

 

"No need to thank me. It's not the first time you've told me to do this and that, Lion. Do you forget, all the things in the company, even your personal affairs, I'm the one who takes care of it."

 

"Oh, so yeah ..." Reddick chuckles. Something incredible happened today, Reddick seemed very happy.

 

"Come to Bellina's house is right. You seem happier than you were before we met" said Delvin, reading the look on his friend's face.

 

"really? I have to visit my mother's house often. But now he's in treatment." Reddick remembers the sick mother. "Is Bellina's mother safe?" ask Reddick.

 

"Yes. Why do you think Bellina's mom isn't safe?" delvin didn't understand.

 

"I'm afraid they're going to Bellina's house to force her out of everything Wycliff has to do" Reddick said. Delvin was still thinking.

 

"So this Bellina isn't the real daughter of the Reddick family secretary?" delvin's question made Reddick nod.

 

"really. I just found out too. That's very upsetting, isn't it?"

 

"Because it turns out Bellina's not an elite person?"

 

"What are you talking about, Delvin?" Reddick's facial features disagree. "I was upset because I didn't know from the beginning that Bellina had a real family of her own. If I knew about it, I wouldn't have turned a blind eye to visit him." Reddick seemed emotional as he said that. "It's not weird that I'm her husband but I don't know anything about Bellina. We've been married to Delvin for a long time, I should've been finding out about Bellina since papa set up .... " Reddick's voice slowly vanished.

 

"Why? I listened," asked Delvin.

 

"I'm talking ngawur. Just ignore it." Reddick realized that his mouth was talking.

 

"Sorry, I can't ignore, Lion," Delvin said, making Reddick turn his head quickly. The man was staring straight. Like wanting to skin the fallacy of what Reddick just said. "Since that hotel I've always heard and seen a lot of strange things from you. First it's about Clara who's no longer your favorite."

 

"Maybe my taste is changing" said Reddick.

 

"Maybe, but not with you who no longer want to play with a lot of women. That one makes me very surprised. You're a guy who lives just for fun with a lot of women, but suddenly just breaks off like that and starts chasing one woman."

 

Reddick was listening. His heart was also racing as Delvin was interrogating him.

 

"I'm the one who worked here. My brain is thinking about all sorts of corporate business. But that morning, after returning from the hotel, you immediately asked for a job and asked, 'why don't you do everything?' You're not a serious guy at work, Lionel. You hate that. But you started to change. Make all the work done without my help. That's weird."

 

Reddick is a hardworking guy and always serious about work, while being Lionel, that trait is still attached to him. That makes Delvin weird.

 

"So tell me, who are you?"

 

Reddick's eyeballs stared straight at the man in front of him. Delvin waited with a cold look

 

"It's going to be impossible for you to hear, Delvin."

 

"Tell me what you want to say. I'm ready to listen. Even the impossible" said Delvin. Reddick took a breath.

 

"Well, I'll tell you why I'm so different from Lionel the Casanova, it's because I am ... Reddick Wycliff," said Reddick steadily.

...______...