Mine: His Caged Princess
Chapter 61

FLASHBACK

*

“It’s you.” Brandon looked at the handsome guy to whom he was planning to kick his butt for flirting with his woman. He looked at him in disbelief, it had been around eight years since Brandon had last seen him.

The boyish and teenage look that Wylder had back then was long gone. He now looked like a grown-up man.

“Hello, Uncle Brandon.” Wydler left Sophia’s side and walked toward him to hug him. All the jealousy, anger, and possessiveness of Brandon walked out the door when Wylder hugged him. After all, he was no less than a son to him.

The day when Tiara insulted him by calling him a beggar in front of everyone. He had planned to transfer a part of his property in Wylder’s name but he had refused to take it.

“Why didn’t you ever come back after that awful incident?” Brandon asked, breaking the hug. “And when did you return from Elite Academy?” He added next because he knew even Liara was pursuing her studies there. So, maybe… maybe they might have met somewhere accidentally.

“I returned back approx two years back,” Wylder responded, hearing this Brandon’s face fell. “One of my professors in Elite Academy told me about the sudden death of the Alpha of the Black Alder Pack. In fact, he was the one who listed my name in the candidates for the new Alpha tournament.”

“So, you won it?” Brandon asked, to which Wylder nodded his head with a smile. “I’m so proud of you. And you were blessed to have such an amazing mentor who knew what was good for you and showed you the path. I would love to meet him someday.” He said with the hope that, in order to visit that professor, he could see Liara from afar.

He wondered how she would be doing.

“Umm.. I couldn’t agree more, Uncle, but… he is no more, so…” Wylder didn’t complete his sentence. Brandon nodded his head sadly as his little plan to see Liara flopped badly. He looked around and didn’t see Tiara.

“Where is my princess?”

“Locked herself in the room for the last four hours because of jealousy.” Wylder joked. Brandon shook his head, knowing about Tiara’s childish behavior.

She never liked sharing anything, not even with her parents. And even after twenty-five years, she was still the same.

“Bring her outside, Hunter! We all will have evening snacks together.” Sophia said.

“I hope you have ordered all her favorites.”

“Nah! I have cooked all her favorites, and this young man helped in the kitchen.” Sophia responded, and all of a sudden, she was pulled from her place with force. “Hunterrrr!!” Sophia exclaimed.

“Don’t make me jealous, Mon Amour,” Brandon warned her in a low voice. “Just because I don’t help you in the kitchen doesn’t mean you’re allowed to praise your so-called son in front of me.”

“Hunter..” Sophia wiggled in his arms. She was feeling shy when Brandon started his romance in front of Wylder. And Wylder sensed that, so grabbing his phone, he dialed someone’s number and left from there, giving them the time they wanted.

“No wonder why Tee gets jealous all the time,” Sophia muttered, kissing Brandon’s lips lightly. “She is like you in a couple of ways. She does something that she shouldn’t have done and then regrets it later.”

“As long as she regrets it, I don’t mind her making mistakes. By the way, I don’t understand what Wylder is doing here?”

“I will fill you in later, or you can ask them on your own. For now, bring her out.” Sophia said and kissed him again before showing him the door of Tiara’s room. Well, she didn’t have to do that because Brandon could smell Tiara’s scent already.

Brandon knocked on Tiara’s door. “Princess?” He was about to knock twice when the door unlocked, but Tiara didn’t open it. So, Brandon pushed it a little and saw her standing near the window and doing something on an easel.

He knew what an easel was used for, but he had a hard time believing that Tiara was painting for real. He locked the door, knowing very well that she needed pin-drop silence. He could already smell the fresh scent of paint.

He walked towards her and stood by her side to see what she was drawing like a curious kid without disturbing her.

He was in awe when he realized what she was painting.

“I thought you left painting.” He said it in a low tone.

“I did,” Tiara admitted. “But Wild told me that gifting someone your time is more important than expensive things. Since Mom was busy with him. I used that time to paint this.” She added.

It happened when Wylder asked for her time to decorate his master bedroom instead of her money.

Brandon mentally thanked Wylder for this. There was no doubt his daughter was super-duper rich. She earned money from her movies, modeling, social media, advertisement, and many other sources of income, but the lesson that she learned from Wylder was something that she failed to learn when she was with him or Sophia.

When Tiara was young, she used to paint for everyone on their special occasion, but when she started earning, she started gifting them clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags, and other monetary items. Little did she know, those things were something that even Brandon or Sophia could afford, and those gifts didn’t hold as much love and value as her paintings did.

“I thought you were jealous of them spending time together.”

“I’m.”

“Then why can I see little Wylder and Sophia in your painting?” Brandon asked with a smile. It was the painting of their mansion, and if he wasn’t wrong, then this was the painting of that moment when Sophia and Wylder had talked for the first time when Logan Haysbert had brought him home.

Sophia was then running behind Tiara to feed her food since she didn’t want to. Wylder had softly asked for the food because he was super-duper hungry.

It was the painting when Sophia was feeding Wylder with her own hands, lovingly. Brandon, Logan, and Tiara were around them, but Tiara was just painting their moment.

“I remember this moment; you were jealous of Wylder that he was acting like a good boy in front of Sophia,” Brandon commented with a smile, at which Tiara chuckled.

“What can I say? Best friends always have a good image in their parent’s eyes instead of their own daughter or son.”

“You do know that Sophia never loved you any less than Wylder, if not more.”

“You don’t have to explain Mom’s nature, Dad. That lady learned only to love. And no matter how many people get added to the list, she will have enough space to love everyone. Sometimes, I’m jealous of you because you have exclusive rights to Mom while I have to settle for non-exclusive rights.”

“You will also replace someone who will be yours exclusively.”

“I doubt that. Lee will be…” Tiara stopped speaking, but Brandon understood her unsaid words. If Tiara was still wasting food for Theodore, then she had to share. “I don’t think I can concentrate now.” She muttered, leaving the painting in the middle. She walked towards the washroom to wash her hands.

“Princess!!”

“Hmm”

“You deserve a love deeper than the ocean. So, do not settle for a stream.” Brandon said, silently telling her that she shouldn’t think about adjusting herself if she couldn’t. He was positive that there were a lot of people who would love her, and only her. She didn’t have to go out in search of that person because Wylder was right in front of her.

All she needed to see, and if she couldn’t, then he would try to make her see that.

“Hunter, Tee!! Come outside.” They heard Sophia’s voice.