บท 135: The Madam Confronts the Illegitimate Daughter
The meal was nearing its end.
Except for Yeo Ri who was eating at a snail's pace, practically everyone had placed down their cutleries on the empty bowls and plates.
After taking several more bites, Yeo Ri could no longer shove any more food down her throat. While her penny-pinching heart ached at the sight of the leftover food, there was nothing she could do since her stomach felt so full, it might burst.
"Thank you for the meal. I've enjoyed it," Yeo Ri politely bowed her head towards the two elders.
"It's fine. I'm glad you did," Heo Woo Seung replied with a happy smile. His eyes curved as he thought about how much Yeo Ri seemed to enjoy the food. It seems like it was a good idea to have chosen this restaurant.
"Ah, please excuse me. I need to use the bathroom," Yeo Ri slowly got up, placing a hand over her over-stuffed belly. Her face was slightly pale and she felt as if she could puke at any second.
"Yeo Ri-ah, are you alright?" Gun, as caring as ever, noticed her condition and supported her back.
"I feel a little bloated..." Yeo Ri softly said to Gun.
"Do you need me to come with you?" He asked, his brows furrowed. He should have watched her food intake earlier, but Yeo Ri had been eating with such relish that he couldn't bear to stop her. It had been a while since she had such an appetite and ate so well.
Yeo Ri shook her head. "I can go alone," she smiled up at him, then left for the bathroom.
After emptying the contents of her stomach, Yeo Ri rinsed her mouth. She glanced at her reflection on the mirror. She looked somewhat better but her eyes were slightly red. Gun might worry so she washed her face and hoped that it might reduce the redness.
"Miss Yeo Ri?" A voice called out to her suddenly, startling the younger girl.
She turned to look at the person who had called her, surprised to see that it was Mrs. Heo.
"Ah—hello," she bowed her head in a fluster. She wondered what the woman wanted.
The woman stood by the door with her hands crossed. She had a contemplative look as she stared at the younger girl. Finally, after a while, she parted her lips and spoke, "You look like a carbon copy of her, huh."
"Yes?" Yeo Ri flinched.
"Your mother was a beauty, wasn't she? And you're even more beautiful than I expected. More beautiful than your mother, if I do say so myself," Mrs. Heo approached her with a smile, her heels clacking loudly in the empty bathroom.
"D-do you know my mother, Auntie?" Yeo Ri forced herself to smile, taking a step back from the intimidating woman. Still, she was unsure what the woman's objective was. Scaring her? Threat, maybe?
It was not her fault that such thoughts circled her mind; she was the illegitimate daughter that her husband had with his mistress. Under normal circumstances, it was not strange for Yeo Ri to be treated badly by the legal wife.
Noticing the vigilance in her gaze, the woman chuckled, stopping in her tracks and raising her hands as if in surrender. "Don't worry. I meant no harm. I just wanted to talk."
"..."
Mrs. Heo continued talking, "I didn't know your mother personally, but after what I'd heard from my husband, she seemed like a rather pleasant woman. But of course, it might just be his bias, because... well, you know."
"And? Why are you telling this to me?" Yeo Ri asked, her face revealing her apprehension.
Mrs. Heo sighed. "I know that nothing is your fault, but... I don't know. I suppose I just wanted to know why. I wanted to know why he kept you a secret."
"..."
"Don't get me wrong; I resent him for having cheated on me. But I can understand. We're more like business partners—Heo Woo Seung and I—rather than a married couple. If not because of Jin Goo, we might have divorced a long time ago," she said, her red-painted lips curving into a hollow smile. "What we share is trust, not love, so I do not hate him nor your mother. Actually, I wouldn't have minded it if he took you in. Having a daughter would be nice."
"Your point is—?" Yeo Ri's eyes narrowed. She wondered why this woman was suddenly speaking these words to her.
"My point is, would you like to come live with us? Even if you're an illegitimate child, you still carry his blood. It's only right for you to return to your family."
Yeo Ri stared at the woman's face with a searching look. She was supposedly in her forties yet she seemed quite youthful for her age. She had very few wrinkles and looked like a sophisticated and mature woman. Yeo Ri wondered if she was saying those things out of goodwill or because of something else.
Yeo Ri closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"...I'm sorry, but I think you're mistaken," Yeo Ri said, her face reverting to its usual calmness.
"Huh?" Mrs. Heo was caught off-guard by the girl's sudden change in attitude that she could not help but let a sound slip out from her mouth.
"You know, Mr. Heo said the same thing. He promised to adopt me in a few years," Yeo Ri began, her lips curving into an amused smile. "Isn't it funny? Why wait a few years? Why not now? If he was really my father, why did he prioritise his work over me, his supposedly illegitimate daughter?"
"So, do not be mistaken, Auntie. I am not Heo Woo Seung's daughter." Her voice dripped with alienation. Yeo Ri stared placidly at the woman with the same cold gaze she had developed since the incident.
"...You're different than I expected, Miss Yeo Ri." Mrs. Heo smiled slightly, cold sweat forming on her back. She hadn't expected the girl to be so unfeeling—almost belligerent—against her birth father. Though, she could surmise why. The man had abandoned her before she was born. There was no reason why she would be nice to him. It was just as Yeo Ri had said; Heo Woo Seung prioritised his career more than anything else.
"It seems like you don't want to come with us. Why? The Heo family is rich. You'll be well-taken care of and you'll never have to lift a single finger in your life ever again."
"So what?" Yeo Ri raised her brow challengingly. The idea of living in that kind of luxurious house was enticing, but she would never exchange her family just for the sake of wealth. Her family was Hyuk and Gun, and only them. There was nothing else and no one else that can replace them; she refused to replace them.
"Fine, then. You seemed like a good girl. What a pity," Mrs. Heo says. She had no intention of persuading the girl to come with her nor did she have any intentions to drive her away. In any case, since the girl didn't want to have anything to do with them, then so be it. It was not like she'd lose anything. The older woman had no enmity with the girl. To her, they were merely strangers.
"Is that all, Auntie? If there is nothing else you want to talk about, then shall we return?" Yeo Ri suggested, putting a stop to their conversation.
Mrs. Heo nodded in agreement. Then, they headed back to their table together in silence.
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