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"Uncle is a beast! He is mean, loud, and scary!"

"Pffth—!" Diamond almost laughed out loud, hearing Mackie's answer. 'It seems that the bickering between them is mutual. Vernon also told me a few times that Mackie is so loud, demanding, and hyperactive for a little girl.'

Vernon complained a few times, but he got offended whenever Diamond asked if he hated Chloe's daughter.

-

'What the— how am I able to hate my own daughter?!' Vernon snapped as he found the question to be so outrageous.

'Then why do you keep complaining about her?' Diamond asked. 'I mean, if you see her as your daughter, wouldn't you think that she is perfect?'

'You can love your daughter and still complain about her behavior. Mackie is not a satan's child or whatsoever. She's just hyperactive and loud.'

'Did you tell Chloe about it then?"

'I did, but she didn't seem to be worried about it. She said it's normal for children of Mackie's age to be excited about everything,' Vernon said. "And she also wondered why I have to complain about this since Mackie behaved just like me when I was a kid," Vernon snorted and crossed his arms. 'I don't think I'm that loud and troublesome!'

'I'm pretty sure Chloe is the right one here. She took care of you when you were a kid.'

'Ugh, I hope I'm not as unbearable. I don't think I'm that bad,' Vernon admitted. 'Though, I drove away literally every nanny that came into the Gray mansion when I was a kid….'

'Yep, you're definitely unbearable as a kid, Sir,' Diamond said.

-

Diamond chuckled as she remembered the conversation before. Mackie tilted her head, "Diamond, why are you laughing?"

"Ah, it's nothing," Diamond replied. She smiled and asked another question, "Do you still love him even though he's a beast?"

"Of course!" Mackie nodded excitedly. "Uncle is a beast, but he loves Mommy sooooooooo much!" Mackie opened her arms as a gesture to show that Uncle Vernon's love for her mother was so big.

"And I love Uncle because he loves Mommy!" Mackie said. "Unlike Daddy, Daddy is Gaston!"

Diamond's smile faltered instantly. She didn't expect Mackie to mention her real dad, and now Diamond didn't know how to react.

"Well, uh… why do you think so?" Diamond asked.

"Because Daddy hurts Mommy, he is a meanie!" Mackie claimed.

Diamond gulped.

She didn't know if it was Vernon or Chloe, or Vincent himself, who formed that idea inside Mackie's head, but one thing was for sure, there was no use in hiding all the abuse Chloe suffered.

Her daughter might not truly realize the extent of the abuse, but she already got a glimpse, and kids her age would always remember a bad memory.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Chloe finally went to the penthouse after taking at least ten minutes of preparation. "Sorry it took me a while. It's hard doing stuff with only one hand," she murmured as she walked.

She was checking her bag the whole time, so when she shifted her attention to Mackie and Diamond, she noticed an awkward silence between them, and Chloe noticed that Diamond was nervous.

Chloe frowned, she wanted to ask, but it seemed to be something Mackie shouldn't hear. So she took care of her daughter first, "Go wear your shoes, dear."

"Okay!"

As Mackie dashed to the shoe rack to put on her shoes, Chloe drew near Diamond and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Diamond gulped again, "Your daughter said that Vincent hurts you. Did you tell her about the abuse?"

"Uh, no…" Chloe replied. "She witnessed me getting choked by Vincent in the Principal's office before, and now she thinks that her Daddy is a bad guy."

"Then what are you waiting for? This is the perfect chance to completely sever Mackie's relationship with Vincent! It's better to do it as soon as possible!"

…

Chloe sighed, "You're the second one to tell me that."

"Wait, did Vernon say this to you as well?"

"He did, and I… I don't know, Diamond. I feel like severing the ties between a father and daughter is too cruel," Chloe said. "I never have a dad in my life. My dad left us shortly after I was born, and I feel like a part of me is missing because of his absence."

"I want Mackie to have a complete family, with a father and mother who love her equally, so she won't grow up like me; hating my dad for leaving, but also missing him dearly…." Chloe sighed. "I don't know what I should do to fix things."

"Uh, by severing Mackie's connection with Vincent?" Diamond maintained his opinion. "Gurl, why are you worried about a father figure for Mackie? The answer is literally right in front of you! Are you blind or what?"

"Huh?"

Diamond rolled her eyes, "Vernon! Damn it! Vernon is far more capable of being Mackie's father, and he loves Mackie too. He doesn't see Mackie as 'Chloe's daughter.' He sees Mackie as his too! He mentioned many times in the office that he wonders if he should hire a fake Santa for Mackie for Christmas this year!"

"I—I don't know, I keep hesitating whenever I'm thinking about giving Vernon the job of becoming Mackie's father figure," Chloe said. "Fatherhood is not easy— well, parenthood in general. I feel like he's too young and wild to have the responsibility of a father. I'm afraid he'll get bored and tired after a while, and I can't afford to let Mackie experience her second heartbreak…."

Diamond opened her mouth, but Mackie had already returned to their side before she could speak.

So she decided to zip her mouth and whispered in Chloe's ear instead, "We will continue this later. I have a lot to say to you."

Chloe nodded, and she put up her smile toward her daughter once more, "Are you ready to see your new school?"

"Ready!" Mackie chirped. She grabbed her Mommy and Diamond's hand. She pulled them towards the penthouse door, "Let's go, I don't want to be late!"