Kiss the Scumbag-Chapter 51

Yujin was momentarily startled and looked at his daughter’s face.

Winston’s pheromone scent.

The memory of that scent made Yujin’s heart clench in anxiety, afraid that something might have happened again, just like last time—that Angie might have gotten scared and ended up in danger.

"Did Mr. Campbell find you?"

He asked carefully. Angela nodded and explained what had happened. Her words came out in fragments, but Yujin listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

Angela had held her breath and listened carefully inside the rabbit hole, but the sound of the rain drowned out everything else. All she could tell was that the sweet scent kept growing stronger and stronger.

Her body, already trembling from the cold, froze completely. That scent. The memory of that scent—one that felt like it pressed down on her entire body—brought on a wave of terror. If someone had been by her side, she might’ve cried. But being alone, even her tears were held back by fear. Angela curled herself up as small as she could, gasping, just wishing for the scent to disappear.

I want to see you, Daddy.

As the image of the one person who made her feel safe, the only one she could lean on, came to mind, tears welled up in her eyes.

"There you are."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Angela screamed loud enough to faint when a face suddenly peered into the rabbit hole. Her terrified shriek cut through the noise of the rain, making Winston pull back for a moment. But even then, Angela kept screaming—“Aah! Aah!”—over and over again.

By the time her screams started to fade from exhaustion, Winston leaned forward again. This time, he spoke from a bit of a distance, not right up close to the hole.

"What are you doing in a place like this? Come out."

His voice sounded tired, but Angela only flinched and shrank away in fear, unable to answer. Her face frozen in terror didn’t budge an inch. Standing in the downpour, Winston let out a sigh.

"Your daddy is really worried about you. Come on out."

The moment he said daddy, Angela flinched. Just hearing the word made tears spring to her eyes again. Still, she hesitated, and seeing that, Winston spoke again.

"I’ll take you to him. Don’t you want to see your daddy?"

Just like the name Angela was a magical word for Yujin, making him endure any hardship, so too was Daddy a word that shook Angela’s heart. She had been too scared to move until now, but hearing that made her hesitate. Even though she was still frightened of the man, she wanted to see her daddy so badly. Angela hesitated, then asked in a trembling voice,

"Is Daddy really mad at me?"

"Has he ever gotten mad at you before?"

Winston asked back, and the child shook her head. He quietly reached a hand toward her.

"Then don’t worry. Come out."

The rain still poured noisily around them. Angela stared hesitantly at the man waiting beyond the rabbit hole.

I want to see Daddy.

That longing gave Angela a surge of courage. The sweet scent still scared her, but she chose to be brave.

Winston did nothing but wait, holding out one hand without moving an inch. Angela slowly crawled out toward him. Finally, when her head peeked out into the rain—

Huh?

She suddenly felt something cover her head. She let out a startled cry, but in the next moment, she realized the cold she had felt in every part of her body had lessened.

Winston had taken off his coat, wrapped it around her from head to toe, and pulled her into his arms.

"Don’t move. It’ll fall off."

He gave a low warning, then mounted his horse in one fluid motion. Holding the reins in one hand and the child in the other, he rode through the downpour, back toward the estate.

As # Nоvеlight # Yujin listened to his daughter recount her little adventure, he found himself overwhelmed by a swirl of emotions. He couldn’t easily bring himself to speak.

He felt a crushing guilt for sleeping soundly while his daughter had been out in danger, shaking in fear. He felt deep pity for Angela, who had faced that fear all on her own. But his feelings toward Winston were no less tangled.

He went that far for Angie.

It wasn’t just that Winston had done his best to find Angela. It was the way he had patiently waited for the terrified girl to come out, how he had brought her back safely into Yujin’s arms.

Didn’t he hate Angie?

Winston believed Angela was Harold’s daughter. Yujin thought he couldn’t even stand the sight of her. He never imagined Winston would go so far.

After all the things he said to humiliate me...

What was Winston really thinking? It was true he hated Yujin. But this side of him left Yujin conflicted.

Don’t expect anything.

Yujin quickly reined in his softening heart.

Nothing will change. No matter what reason Winston had for doing it, he’s not going to change how he feels about me.

Yeah. Don’t be weak.

As he chastised himself, Angela looked up at him with a worried face and asked,

"Will Mr. Campbell be okay? He got really wet because of me earlier. What if he catches a cold?"

She was genuinely worried about Winston. But extreme alphas rarely got sick, colds included. Of course, it was due to pheromones, but could Angela understand that? Yujin wondered how to explain Winston’s traits to her, then decided to leave it for later.

"He’s a grown-up, so he’ll be fine."

He gently stroked her hair, but Angela still muttered, "Still..." with a gloomy look. Yujin offered an alternative right away.

"How about we say thank you tomorrow? That should be enough, right?"

He thought it was a good compromise—but he was wrong. The moment he saw Angela’s shoulders tense and her eyes widen, he froze.

"You don’t want to? Are you still scared of Mr. Campbell?"

Angela lowered her gaze and pressed her lips tightly together. Her serious expression made Yujin speak softly again.

"If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, Angie. Mr. Campbell will understand how you feel."

He tried to comfort her, but she still looked conflicted. Her eyes shifted as if deep in thought, then she cautiously said,

"If that smell’s not there... I think I’ll be okay."

"Smell?"

Yujin asked in surprise, and Angela nodded.

"That scent... it’s too scary."

She shivered as if goosebumps were rising. Facing Winston again would not be easy for Angela.

Maybe when she’s older and understands what the extreme alpha trait is...

Yujin stopped himself there. By then, Winston and their connection would be long gone. There would be no reason for Angela to understand anything about his traits.

"Then... how about writing him a letter?"

"A letter?"

Angela’s eyes widened. Her response was completely different from before, and Yujin smiled as he explained further.

"Yeah. You can write a card with a message for Mr. Campbell, and I’ll give it to him for you."

Even before she answered, Yujin already knew what she’d say. The light in her eyes and her relieved expression said more than words.

"Yeah, I’ll write a card. I like cards."

"Good."

Yujin smiled at her gently.

"Then how about we go to bed now? We’ll write the card tomorrow. Mr. Campbell’s probably sleeping right now too."

"Okay. Good night, Daddy."

Now that her worries were settled, sleep began to take over, and Angela rubbed her eyes and said goodnight. Yujin kissed her cheek and stroked her head. freewebnøvel.com

Angela quickly fell into a deep sleep, her breathing even and peaceful. Yujin sat by her side for a while, watching her quietly, then got up.

He picked up the tray with the empty soup bowl and stepped outside. Just then, the door to the room next door opened. Without thinking, Yujin glanced over—and froze when he saw the doctor and the butler stepping out.

They, too, paused upon noticing Yujin.

Why was the doctor in Winston’s room...?

Yujin stood there, puzzled. The butler, after closing the door, cleared his throat with a low "Ahem." As if it were some kind of signal, the doctor gave Yujin a slight nod and hurried away. The butler stepped in front of him.

"Is there something you need, sir?"