"Mom! Geez!" Justin cried. Daisy caught him in a particularly naked moment. Justin quickly grabbed the bath towel he had just dumped on the bed and wrapped it around his waist again to cover up his sensitive parts.

  "So what? I'm your mom. I've seen you naked hundreds of times," Daisy responded calmly, her face passive. Her thoughts were anything but. 'What a coincidence! I never expected him to be just out of the shower the minute I walked in. He was wearing briefs though, so why the over-the-top embarrassment?'

  "Could you please, please knock first next time? You're just like dad." 'Every frigging time, ' Justin complained inwardly, rolling his eyes. He had already moved to the upstairs bedroom to stop her from just barging in, but it didn't seem to be effective.

  "Never," Daisy bluntly refused.

  Justin gracefully walked in front of the mirror. "Well, you're up late. Why hasn't dad come and picked you up?" Justin said with a sidelong glance at his mother as he just started drying his hair

  "You know as well as I do how drunk he is. You saw him at the party downing shot after shot. How about you and I have a little talk?" Daisy offered. If Edward hadn't been drunk. she wouldn't have gotten this rare chance to talk with her son right now.

  "Okay, what's up? Wait, just to be clear, not a word about getting married," Justin said abruptly while styling his hair in front of the mirror.

  "It's not about getting married. It's about Joyce," Daisy replied. She then studied his face for the slightest reaction. She got nothing.

  "Joyce? What about her? Does she have a boyfriend now?" Justin wondered out loud. He hadn't noticed anything particularly different about her at the party just awhile ago.

  "No. I just wanted to ask…… what do you think about her?" The moment the words left her mouth, Daisy winced and started to regret why she was the one having this talk with her son. She should have left it to Edward, who was a smooth talker and had thick skin. He was perfect for this, he wouldn't even break a swear.

  "She's great. Elegant and beautiful," Justin answered almost automatically.

  "So do you like her?" Could she be wrong? Was there a chance that Justin was into Joyce too?

  "Of course! She's like my sister. How can I not like her?" Justin blurted out, chuckling as well. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. He realized something was off. Why in the hell was his mom in his room this late at night, asking all these weird questions?

  "Oh, so you only see her as a sister." Needless to say, Daisy was disappointed.

  "And so? Mom, why are you in my room in the middle of the night? Asking all these questions? Is there something I should know about?" Justin started walking towards Daisy and leaned forward. He drew his face close to his mother's, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  "Nothing.

  ugh she would never admit it, her reactions gave away the fact that she wanted to see Leo too. He was still her father after all.

  "You can go with them if you want to. I'll pass as always." She had already allowed the kids to visit him. For her, she'd done enough. She didn't and wouldn't go see him herself.

  "Is this really necessary? He's still your father. And, he's been having issues with his health recently. How many years will he be around before you regret it?" He had been trying his hardest to get her to reconcile with her father, but she never wavered.

  "That's not my problem and it doesn't concern me at all," she retorted, her face betraying her concern. The last time Leo fell and was hospitalized, she had been so nervous. Still, despite this, she was still too stubborn to show her emotions. It must weigh heavily on her sometimes.

  "Honey, sometimes we all need to learn to let go. If we don't, the things we have to let go will consume us and control our lives eventually. You think your mother would have liked this? To see this never ending grudge between you and your father?" Daisy's mother died because of Leo. It was his biggest mistake. It haunted him all his life. His agony and pain drove everyone away and he ended up alone.

  "If you want to talk about that thing, I'll have to leave. Stay here and talk to yourself." Daisy stood up, pretending to leave.

  "Fine. I'll stop bringing it up. It's your day off today. Let me take you out, okay?" He decided to yield on that topic, for now.

  "I really don't feel like going out today. I walk and march in the military base everyday. Today's my day off, so there's no way I'm going out to walk again. I'll just have a nice rest here at home." She had already visited all the worthwhile spots in the city. Nothing would interest her anymore. Besides, the matter with Leo gave her more things to think over.