"You want me to help with the lawyers?" Daniel asked, shaking off his surprise.

    Ryan frowned at his attitude. "You have nothing else to say?"

    Daniel glanced at the notice letter again, flipped it to the other side, and then shrugged casually, "There is nothing else to say. I saw it coming. I just wasn''t entirely sure. But I should have trusted my gut feeling."

    "What do you mean?" Ryan''s jaws tightened, and Daniel leisurely set the notice letter back on the desk.

    "Didn''t Arwen already warn Delyth about this?" Daniel reminded Ryan "Last time, she said that if Delyth could not prove her accusations, she would face consequences. Delyth can''t just walk away after putting such a big blame on someone."

    "For God''s sake, Dan, you can''t be serious. Delyth was suffering when she put the blame on Arwen. She wasn''t in her right mind. I am sure Arwen knew that too, yet she deliberately escalated things to push Delyth further into distress," Ryan argued, frustration lacing his tone.

    But Daniel remained calm. Laughing lightly, he asked, "What does Delyth''s distress have to do with Arwen? Why the hell should she care? You are the one who said Arwen is the vicious one. And now, you want her to play saint —kind-hearted to forgive everyone''s mistakes?"

    "Dan, that''s not it. If not the kind, Arwen could at least try to be humane, especially when she pretends to be so."

    Daniel rubbed the tip of his nose, letting out a dry laugh. "Humane? Where was the humanity when your innocent Delyth wrote a post and directed all her ire at Arwen? Or are we going to forget how dangerous that could have been for Arwen?"

    Ryan couldn''t deny it; he knew crowds could be dangerous. That''s why he had rushed to help Arwen. "It was dangerous, Dan, but nothing happened to her. She left safely, didn''t she?"

    Daniel stared at him, dumbfounded. "Ryan, are you even listening to yourself? You are defending the mob that bullied your fiance?e. You are ready to excuse strangers'' attacks on Arwen because of Delyth''s feelings." He paused, letting out an deep exhausted huff. "You are impossible. I can''t believe I never saw this before."

    "Dan —"

    Before Ryan could say anything, Daniel raised his hand to stop him. "Ryan, I think I will lose the last shred of respect I have for you if you keep talking. So, let''s avoid it. Delyth has been sued, and of course, she will need lawyers. I will give them a call and ask them to come here. Let me know if you need my assistance with anything else, because I won''t be able to help you readily with this."@@@@

    Arwen''s playful words were her way of letting her father know she could handle the situation on her own.

    Idris understood. Sighing, he hummed in agreement. "If that''s what you want, then fine. I won''t intervene, Arwen. But always remember, your father has your back —even if it means going against your mother."

    "I know, Dad," Arwen''s lips curled up as she hesitantly asked, "Does Mom know about it?"

    "She has been too busy with the design, and I have kept it from her. You know she wouldn''t take it well if she knew you were getting bullied."

    Idris''s words made Arwen smile sadly. Of course, her mother won''t like the trouble and talk she created in the city and on the internet.

    Humming in agreement, she said, "Let''s not tell, then. Once you are both back, I will explain everything."

    Idris sensed something beneath her words and immediately asked, "Did something happen, Arwen? Did Ryan bully you? Your mother mentioned that you guys had some argument regarding him last time."

    Arwen''s heart soured at the mention of her last conversation with her mother. That day, she had realized her mother would never side with her, no matter what injustice she suffered in the hands of outsiders.

    "Arwen, are you still there?" Idris asked again when he didn''t hear her respond. Arwen hummed in acknowledgement.

    "Dad, I am fine. But there are a few things that we need to talk about. When you return, I will come to visit."

    "Visit us?" Idris asked a bit surprised at first, but then chuckled, remembering something. "Of course, you must have already moved in with Ryan. Fine, we will be coming back sooner than planned, anyway."

    Arwen was about to ask why the sudden change in plans when she heard her mother''s voice in the background

    "Idris, is that Arwen on the phone?"