After about twenty minutes of waiting I finally got the text from mom that read, 'He is here. Penny is in her room acting sad although I'm not sure I can continue. It's a bit hard for me when I know you're fine. Please hurry.'

I glance to Axel and nod as we move to the house quickly we both move up to the door and knock on it. Since the servants have been sent away it's my mom who answers the door smiling to me slightly holding a tissue.

"Hello." Axel says beginning just as we practiced. "I'm here to speak with Mr. Howe. He is home yes?"

She nods slowly before disappearing inside to get my father who then returns with her looking a bit confused until his eyes fall upon Axel. He clears his throat and fixes his jacket.

"Hello Mr. Kealer."

"Hello Mr. Howe." He smiles slightly holding out his hand which my father takes slowly shaking it once before moving back. "We have some business to discuss. Mind if I come in?" Axel asks still smiling only slightly.

Father looks a little started before nodding and moving to the side. "Of course. Come in." he looked to mom, "We'll be in my study." His eyes then move to me. "Why don't you take this young lady and get her something to eat?"

"No." Axel, mom, and I all say at the same time, which probably seems very suspicious.Dad looks at all of us confused.

"Then kitchen is a mess I don't want to show anyone that train wreck." Mom says laughing slightly.

"I want her there with me, she won't say anything... she mostly mute except for the word no." Axel says smiling trying to help mom play it off.

Father looks at all of us again before blinking. "Okay then... right this way..." He mumbles leading us to his office.

Fun fact, I've never actually been in this room or this half of the house. I've never seen any interest in going over here, besides I wasn't actually aloud in the room so this is all a new experience for me.

On the way to the room we walk past walls of pictures each one a picture of his children all except me... I don't understand why he hates me so much? It just doesn't make sense. I don't do anything for him to feel this way about me.

Axel must have noticed the pictures or saw me looking at them because he then moves me a bit closer to him squeezing my hand as a sign or reassurance.

I smile slightly looking to him, I mean clearly he isn't a bad guy but... I still have no idea how I actually feel. I turn my head away and sigh inwardly. Why are feelings like love hard?... Wait no I can't be worrying about this right now the plan. I need to worry only about the plan.

My father glances back to us before moving to open the door leading us into his study, with books surrounding what I can only assume is his desk since there are two in here... I just feel like he would want to be in the center of it all.

He moves over to two couches facing each other with a small table in between. My father sits at one while Axel moves sitting at the other. I stay standing, I'm trying to play it off as if I'm a servant so I really shouldn't be making myself at home in my home.

Father glances to me before sitting back against the couch looking to Axel. "This is about Winter am I correct?"

Axel clears his throat and nods leaning back as well, "Yes, Mr. Howe, it is." He looks for an ash tray before removing a cigarette lighting it as he looks at my father. I wonder if he is nervous that he feels the need to smoke right at this moment.

Father sighs sitting forward pulling out his wallet, "Is it the money you need right now? Did he break something?" He asks beginning to fill out a check.

"No." Axel breaths the smoke out of his mouth, "I no longer have Winter in my possession."

"What?" Dad asks looking up from the paper.

"He was taken from me. Honestly he is a lot more trouble than he is worth so I'm just going to let it go."

"What?" Father asks again sounding a bit nervous now.

"What do you mean what? You gave him to me. I don't really think that it would be a big deal if I lost him. I just came to tell you to stop sending money. I don't need it."

"You're a liar." Dad says moving to stand up. "No one would kidnap that boy. He has no value."

I look over seeing Axel grip onto the sofa with his free hand. It's nice that he cares about me so much to get worried at stuff like this.

"Oh, Mr. Howe I greatly disagree with that statement."

"Of course you do. You have an unhealthy obsession with the boy."

"It's not unhealthy and it's over now anyway. What do you care anyway?"

Father turns looking upset to Axel before he moves taking a deep breath placing himself back on the couch.

"I care, Mr. Kealer because as you said I gave him to you. At least with you having him I knew he wouldn't get into any scandals. Now we don't know what is going to happen. He'll probably end up ruining the family name somehow."

"How would he do that?" Axel asks glancing to father who moves pushing his hair back.

"He had this stupid dream... He wanted to be a writer. Of course I can't give him the business, that's going to Garson. I thought about if for a while, maybe it would be fine if he was a writer. He would be making at least something of himself in this world.... But the more I thought the more I worried. Winter isn't good at writing. I can't have him going out there and making a fool of our family name with his awful works."

Axel moved gripping a little harder on the couch. "I think you're wrong. Winter's works are actually very good. Have you ever read one?"

"No. I haven't but I can't trust the one child in my family that showed no talent for anything with something like that."

"Then why don't you just read something?"

"Because I don't want to."

"You're calling him a bad writer when you don't even know what it is that he writes."

Father looked at Axel then shrugged. "I think we have more important things to talk about. Like how to easily and quietly get Winter back to you without the tabloids finding out." He paused a moment turning to Axel, "Unless that is that you don't want him anymore."

Axel bit his lip moving to his feet. "Winter is dead!"

"What? I thought you said he was kidnapped this changes things..."

"Seriously?"

"Well of course. With Winter dead I don't really need to worry about it... I mean as long as whoever did it took care of the body and they didn't identify it as my son."

I blink looking to my dad after listening to this whole thing... I just can't believe it... He thinks so lowly of me and wouldn't care if I died.

"Bastard." Axel breaths stepping towards my father before looking to me.

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?"

Axel ignores the man I once called my dad. He slowly inches closer to me before moving to hug me. I hadn't noticed this before but... I'm crying. Like really crying. How do you not notice yourself crying? And why am I crying? Because of that man? Somewhere deep down I always knew he didn't actually like me but... I don't know.

"What's wrong with her?" Father asks moving over to the both of us trying to get a look at me.

"You're what's wrong with her. You're a heartless father. Why have children if you don't love them."

"I never said that! I do love my children."

"Do you love Winter?"

"What does it matter?! He is dead, and this girl is crying for a boy she's never known..."

Axel pulls away from me a bit, moving to look down at me, pulling my head up so I can look at him directly in the face. Giving me a look as if asking if he can show him.

I take in a deep breath moving myself away from Axel and over to my father slowly removing my wig, and wiping my makeup that has already been ruined by my crying from my face.

"Winter...."