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Chapter – 03
Mina’s tone and vocal power were so moving that it sent shivers down one’s spine.
When she finished singing, the few guests in the restaurant applauded. Talasa, almost without realizing it, joined them in clapping.
“Peto, was your daughter always that good at singing? I haven’t seen that many performances, but she’s amazing.”
“Haha, I’ve heard her sing since she was little. I always thought her voice sounded good to me because she’s my daughter, but I didn’t know it sounded good to everyone else, too.”
Peto simply laughed awkwardly.
Mina returned to her seat, looking shy, while Radius still seemed completely dazed.
Dinner continued more or less the same as before.
Radius kept staring blankly at Mina, while she avoided his gaze, trying to strike up small talk with Talasa to ease the tense atmosphere.
Peto gave a hollow laugh, unsure how to recover the mood, and Talasa forced a smile while secretly promising herself that she would kill her son after this meal.
As soon as dinner ended, Talasa quickly said her goodbyes to Peto and his daughter. Outwardly, she seemed perfectly polite.
“Mr. Martínez, I’d love to drop by your shop sometime.”
Radius said, trying to sound normal.
“Come anytime,” Peto replied kindly.
“Would I get to see Mina there sometimes, too?”
Radius’s real intent slipped out again.
“Ah, yes,” Mina answered calmly.
“Could I maybe write a fan letter to Mina and send it through your shop?”
Radius asked cautiously.
“Oh, um… thank you for supporting me,” Mina said, trying to keep a polite distance.
“No, anyone who doesn’t love you must be the strange one,” Radius replied.
It clearly wasn’t getting through to him.
Talasa elbowed him hard in the ribs.
Stop it. You lunatic.
She clenched her teeth, struggling to contain her fury until they had walked far enough away from Peto’s sight. Then she exploded.
“What is wrong with you?! What the hell was that?!”
She screamed.
“You said you wanted to meet the man I’m seeing and see if he was a decent person! What’s wrong with your brain—did you leave it back at Peto’s?”
“Peto? Who’s that?”
Talasa kicked Radius in the leg.
“The man I’m dating! The one you just met!”
“Oh, right. You were going to introduce me to your new boyfriend.”
“What?”
“I mean, I didn’t expect to see Mina there.”
Radius put both hands on her shoulders.
“Mother, you saw her too, didn’t you? Isn’t she beautiful? So kind? She’s incredibly talented, and you can just feel that she’s a good person—honest and upright.”
“…Shut.”
“What?”
“I said shut up!”
Talasa shouted at him.
“You idiot!”
“What did I do wrong, Mother?”
“You’ve lost your damn mind, that’s what!”
Talasa swung her handbag at him. She knew it wouldn’t hurt much—Radius was a big guy—but it made her feel better.
“Who even are you?! Why are you acting like such a fool?!”
“I’m your son, so please stop hitting me.”
“Oh, for crying out loud!”
As she fumed, Radius said softly,
“I’m sorry, Mother. I didn’t know Mina would be there. But thanks to you, I actually feel relieved about something—your new boyfriend seems like a good man. After all, he’s Mina’s father.”
“Huh? I don’t think I’m ready to hear this from the guy who was flirting with my boyfriend’s daughter.”
“Ah, so you thought I was too forward with her? I just thought… I might not get another chance to talk to her properly.”
“What do you mean alone? Your mother and her father were right there! We were supposed to be the main people in that meeting! If you hadn’t ruined the mood—!”
Talasa stomped her foot in frustration.
Her leg, slightly lame from an old injury, ached badly, and the high heels she’d worn for this “special occasion” only made it worse.
“Mother.”
“What! What now!”
Radius gently started massaging her shoulders.
“Thank you. For setting up this dinner. Really, I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
“Phew…”
He was nothing like her—except for his hair color. Still, he was undeniably handsome.
When he turned on that charm, it was hard to stay angry.
“Fine. I’ll handle my own love life, so don’t you dare come to another one of these meetings again.”
“Huh? But then how am I supposed to see Wilhelmina?”
“What?”
“Well, where does her father work again? You said you met him at his shop, right? I meant to ask for the address earlier, but I forgot.”
“What?”
Her son really had lost it.
“You said you were already a fan of hers! Didn’t you look that up?”
“That’d feel like stalking.”
“What?”
“I’m just one of her many fans. Actually, I’ve been secretly sponsoring her for a while—but she doesn’t know.”
Talasa was speechless.
“My looks, wealth, and family background are too much, you know? People might misunderstand my pure support for her. So I keep it anonymous.”
“Oh my god, you’re insane. Ha!”
“If I revealed who I was, she might fall for me right away. I mean, I am handsome.”
“Well… okay, fine. I’ll admit it. You are good-looking. You get that from me, obviously.”
“Exactly.”
“But just because you think you’re handsome doesn’t mean she’ll like you. Not everyone has the same taste. From what I saw tonight, you’re the one head over heels, and she just looked uncomfortable.”
“That’s true.”
Radius nodded with a dejected expression, and Talasa suddenly realized how bizarre this conversation had become.
“No, you idiot! This isn’t about dating advice! Why are you so obsessed with my boyfriend’s daughter? Let it go! Have you lost your mind?”
“Well, I’ve been a fan for a long time, so of course I’m interested.”
“Just a fan? That’s your excuse? I’ve seen you with plenty of women, but I’ve never seen you this crazy over one. Who are you trying to fool?”
“Mina’s different. The other women… they all confessed to me first, and I just accepted.”
“Right, sure you did.”
Her son was annoyingly handsome, she had to admit.
“But Mina hasn’t confessed to me or anything.”
“She didn’t even know you existed until tonight!”
“Still… thanks to you, I finally got to talk to her one-on-one. I’m really happy about that.”
“Yeah, I bet you are.”
“If you and Mina’s father keep seeing each other, then Mina and I could end up being siblings, right? Wow, I kind of like that idea even more.”
“What? Do you even remember the name of the man I introduced you to today? Mina’s father?”
“Uh… not really…”
This idiot only hears what he wants to hear.
Holding back the urge to hit him again, Talasa hissed,
“Peto! His name is Peto! Peto Martínez! Remember it!”
“Oh, right. Peto Martínez. So… are you going to marry him, Mother? I think he’s a good match. If you do, we’ll all live together, right? Mina too? Where will we live—a townhouse in the capital? I’m kind of tired of my mansion lately; a townhouse sounds nice again.”
“You idiot! We just started dating! And no, I’m not marrying him!”
“I just want to get to know Mina better, that’s all. Being like family wouldn’t be so bad either.”
“You might as well just confess to her already! What are you even doing?!”
