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Chapter 3: I’ll sing for Yo

Lara Chavez pounded on the door, her fists thudding against the wood. The sound echoed through the Vera mansion, catching the attention of Angela and Mrs. Gale who had been chatting outside.

As they walked into the living room, Angela noticed a man smiling at her. "This is Frederick Milldam, Leonardo's best friend," Mrs. Gale introduced him. "Nice to meet you, sir," Angela greeted him warmly.

"Please, call me Frex," Frederick said with a friendly grin. "Are you Leo's new nurse? We've come to see him."

Angela couldn't help but be drawn to Frederick's boyish charm. His curly hair was tousled as if he was a rising rock star, and his dark eyes reminded her of her sister Esper. His easygoing demeanor put her at ease.

Leonardo's angry shouts continued to reverberate through the mansion. "Get out! I don't want any visitors!"

Suddenly, a door slammed, and footsteps echoed toward them. A beautiful woman with long legs appeared, her face twisted in sobs. It was Lara Chavez, Leonardo's girlfriend. She cried as she complained about Leonardo's cold behavior towards her.

Frederick stepped forward to comfort her. "Let's go outside and get some fresh air," he suggested, leading her away from the tense atmosphere of the mansion.

As they left, Mrs. Gale spoke up. "Lara is a well-known model in town, and she's deeply in love with Leonardo." Her words made Angela feel uneasy.

Esper, from what Angela could see, was no match for Lara. Lara's flawless complexion and expensive outfit hint at a wealthy background. Her regal bearing and graceful movements only added to her impressive presence. In contrast, Esper came from a poor family and was as unassuming as Angela.

Mrs. Gale continued her description of Lara. "She was the most recent of Leonardo's girlfriends before the accident."

Curious, Angela asked, "What do you think caused Miss Chavez to cry as she left Mr. Vera's room?"

"Well," Mrs. Gale replied, "the Leonardo of today is not the same man he was before the accident."

"I heard Lara's voice earlier, Alicia," Mrs. Vera said, appearing from her room. "Where is she now?"

"Fredrick took her outside, Mrs. Vera," Alicia replied.

"Please prepare lunch," Mrs. Vera instructed, before leaving to join the visitors. Angela remained in the living room. She sensed Mrs. Vera's sadness and felt sorry for her.

With nothing to do and no sound coming from Leonardo's room, Angela went to the main door and left it slightly ajar. She overheard their conversation outside, and Lara's voice stood out.

"She pushed me away, Mrs. Vera," Lara sobbed. They were sitting on a swing in the garden, with Fredrick and Mrs. Vera trying to comfort her.

"This won't last forever, Lara," Mrs. Vera reassured her. "Don't take it too seriously. Leonardo will come to his senses eventually."

"But he broke up with me, Mrs. Vera. He didn't want to see me," Lara continued to sob.

Angela observed everything happening in the house, silently taking note of everyone associated with Leonardo. She couldn't help but wonder if Lara had anything to do with Esper's death.

"Angela, it's time for Leonardo's lunch," Mrs. Gale said as she approached from the kitchen.

Angela took the tray of food and headed to Leonardo's room, remembering Mrs. Gale's warning about his suicidal tendencies. She made sure not to give him anything sharp that he could use to harm himself.

As she pushed the door open, Leonardo's acute hearing picked up on her presence, and he threw something at her.

"I said get lost!" Leonardo shouted anger evident in his voice.

As the object flew towards her, Angela stepped back, causing the tray of food to slip from her grip. "Look what you've done!" she exclaimed, surveying the mess on the floor. "All of the food has been spilled!"

"Did I make myself clear? I don't need a nurse, so get lost!" Leonardo barked.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vera, but there's nothing you can do to push me away from my job," Angela replied firmly. "I don't care if you like me or not. And I don't give a damn if you want to hurt me!"

"You're a stupid, hard-headed, evil woman!" Leonardo shouted as he rose to his feet.

"No, Mr. Vera, you're the evil one," Angela retorted. "Just listen to yourself, and you'll realize the kind of person you are."

"Go to hell!" Leonardo screamed.

"You go to hell!" Angela yelled back as she started cleaning up the mess on the floor, being careful to avoid the broken glass.

"What the hell is that?" he exclaimed, taking a step back as he noticed his bleeding foot.

"Well, Mr. Nasty Man, now you have what you want. Your foot is bleeding, and you need me to clean it," Angela remarked sarcastically.

"It's your entire fault! You're as good as dead!" he seethed.

"No, I'm not. Between us, I have a better chance of survival than you," Angela retorted. As she knelt to examine his wound, she suddenly felt his hand grip tightly on her hair, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Now I've got you, Miss Annoying," he said, twisting his fingers through her hair. "Do you believe I can't hurt you?"

"Let go of my hair, you bastard!" Angela struggled, "What's your problem? Are nuts?

"I'll teach you a lesson! I have no respect for a stupid woman like you!" Leonardo snarled as he gripped Angela's hair tightly.

Mrs. Gale rushed into the room and quickly intervened. "Leonardo, let go of Angela's hair!" she demanded, prying his fingers off of her.

As soon as Angela was free, she pushed hard against Leonardo, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. "You're a complete knucklehead, Leonardo! The way you speak and treat me is despicable," she fumed, feeling the urge to smack him.

"I've told you all, I don't need a nurse! Get that idiot out of here!" Leonardo yelled.

"You're the one who's being a jerk," Angela shot back. "I'm not leaving."

"Please, both of you stop," Mrs. Gale pleaded. "This is getting out of hand. You two might end up hurting each other."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Gale. It's not time to execute that jerk yet," Angela growled.

"This nurse is the most barbaric of all those we've hired," Leonardo complained.

"You're the barbarian, not me!" Angela retorted. "You were the one who started this fight."

"Who are you? Do you want to get into a fight?" Leonardo yelled angrily.

"You're the one who was looking for a fight," Angela shot back. "I'm only here to feed you, but look at what you've done. You've splattered your food all over the floor. Mrs. Gale, please bring another tray of food here."

A few minutes later, Mrs. Gale returned with a new tray of food. Angela entered the room and held it out to Leonardo. "You must eat," she demanded firmly, hoping to diffuse the tension.

Leonardo winced in pain and tried to move his bleeding foot, but Angela gently pushed him back onto the bed. "Please, Leonardo, you need to rest and take care of yourself," she said, her tone firm but gentle.

Leonardo glared at her, his frustration boiling over. "Do you even know what you're doing?" he snapped. "You're just a nurse. You can't boss me around."

Angela raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I understand that you're in pain and feeling frustrated, Leonardo. But as your nurse, it's my responsibility to make sure you eat and take your medication. Your health is my top priority, and I won't let you neglect it."

Leonardo scowled at Angela. "You don't understand, do you? I call the shots around here," he growled.

Angela shook her head, unfazed. "I'm sorry, Leonardo, but your mother hired me to take care of you. And that means I'm responsible for making sure you eat and take your medication."

Leonardo folded his arms stubbornly. "Well, I'm not going to do it," he said defiantly.

Angela sighed, feeling frustrated. But then she got an idea. "Okay, how about this?" she said, breaking out into song. "I'm a little teapot, short and stout..."

Leonardo rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just trying to lighten the mood," Angela said, still singing. "Here is my handle, here is my spout..."

Leonardo groaned, covering his ears. "Please stop," he begged.

But Angela kept singing, her voice growing louder and more off-key with each passing moment. Leonardo felt like he was going to go insane.

"Fine! I'll eat, just shut up!" he finally relented.

Angela grinned triumphantly and handed him the food tray. "Excellent," she said. "And for the record, I think I have a lovely singing voice." Leonardo couldn't help but roll his eyes again, but at least he was eating.

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