Deceiving Dimitri, page 20
While talking to Brooke, his eyes remained on me, observing my every move. Then he walked to me. “You’re looking beautiful, Ms. Green.”
Unintentionally, my heart skipped a beat. “You too, sir.”
He nodded and extended his hand to me. “Shall we?”
Taking a deep breath, I put mine on his. Don’t feel anything. Control. Conceal.
Before we exited the building, I glanced back, and Brooke sent a reassuring nod along with a thumbs up.
After we reached his Rolls Royce, he, as always, pulled open his car door for me, but before I stepped in, a male voice called my name, making me turn around.
“Hazel, is that you?”
“Paul! Nope, it’s Megan Fox,” I joked at my neighbor.
“My God, girl, you look fabulous,” he said, scanning me from head to toe as a smile of admiration spread over his lips.
“Tha—”
I was abruptly cut off as Mr. Kingston came right in between us. “She always does, and she’s getting late.” His one hand held the door while the other grabbed on my waist, urgently pushing me inside, fastening my seatbelt and slamming the door behind.
I sat there, baffled until he hopped in. “What the hell was that?”
“We’re getting late, that’s what happened,” he quipped, putting on his seatbelt.
Shaking my head at him, I looked out to see a similar expression on the middle-aged man’s face and sent him an apologetic smile. However, before I could say anything, the window began to close.
I turned back to the infuriating man revving up the engine. “Mr. Kingston.”
“Ms. Green.” He had the nerve to match my tone.
Huffing, I shut up before the ride began. The next half an hour went in silence, but it wasn’t what gave me the perturbation. It was the familiar glow on his face that I had been witnessing for quite some time, and today, it seemed to be at its peak.
“You lied, Ms. Green,” he stated suddenly.
“Wh-what?” I felt my heart caving in.
“Something’s wrong with my face?”
“No?” I frowned.
“Then why does your look say otherwise about your earlier compliment?”
Oh... How could I say that it wasn’t his model-like appearance but the odd radiance on his expression that concerned me? “It’s nothing. I’m just...nervous.”
“About what?” he inquired. “It’s not the first time you’re meeting my family.”
“Well, there’ll be more people today.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Meeting more people meant more loss of face when things would go down.
“Relax. No one will judge you.”
“Is that why you invited your exes?”
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Is that jealousy I smell?”
“Jealous?” I laughed. “Why would I be jealous? It’s not like you’re my boyfriend.”
He remained silent, but that glow...
“We’re not having this conversation.” I shook my head, cheeks burning. “Why are we even having this conversation?”
He chuckled. “Tell me, Ms. Green. What’s your take on love?”
Flashes of moments spent with the seniors, my brother, and my best friend resurfaced in my mind, blooming a smile on my face. “It’s a beautiful thing. Magical even.” Then my eyes met his, and my heart constricted in my chest. “But not everyone is lucky enough to taste it.”
A corner of his lips quirked up. “Then I’m going to be the luckiest man on earth.”
“H-how?”
“We shall see.”
I stirred in my seat. Was he going to ask someone out? Was that why he invited his exes? A burning sensation rose in my chest, and teeth clenched. What the hell was he doing with me then? He should go accompany those bitches.
“Are you all right, Ms. Green?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be? How far are we?”
He glanced at the clock. “About half an hour, five minutes, and fifty-three seconds.”
Not wanting to hear one more of his incensing rich voice, I tapped on the gorgeous starry screen, changing song after song, until Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo came up. I sighed, looking out the window. Somehow, the song made my heart squeeze in longing for something that I didn’t have yet but already lost.
Not a minute later, his hand shot to the screen, changing the song with When You Say Nothing at All by Ronan Keating. His fingers tapped on the wheel as he hummed, making me frown. He must be thinking about that girl.
There went my mood once again.
The rest of the ride went in silence. Well, not exactly. There was no more conversation between us, but the stereo kept tuning on, and I discovered his love for old country music, which was quite handsome.
On reaching the venue at his ancestor’s house, there were several large tents set out, covering portions of the stupendous estate. People spread around, gossiping, laughing, engaged in their own worlds while waiters went around serving canapes with beverages.
On entering a tent, all the eyes turned to us, and I swallowed. Trouble of being accompanied by the hot heir. Surprisingly, his fingers slipped into mine, holding firm. I glanced at our entwined hands and then at his face. He was looking ahead, nodding at his relatives, but his hold made sure to deliver me with equal attention, warming my heart.
“Son, Ms. Green.” Rupert Kingston called from the middle of a crowd. “Come, come. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Mr. Kingston nodded and tugged me along with him. There were at least ten people huddled together, wine in hands. As Mr. Kingston introduced me to them, the men had the look of adoration while the women only glared. Fake, rich, spoilt women. I recognized one of them to be the blonde who left the Kingston Co. crying after spoiling Dimitri’s clothes with wine.
His ex.
“This is Bill Douglas, Dad’s closest friend, and his daughter, Catherine Douglas,” Dimitri introduced.
Back then, I was fascinated by her, but now, all I felt was exasperation.
Eyeing our conjoined hands, she curled her lip and sent me a look from head to toe. “Aren’t you Dimitri’s secretary?”
Apparently, our feelings were mutual.
“Well, at the moment, I’m his date.” I smiled, seeing her expression hardening.
Everyone just laughed, finding my answer somehow hilarious. My eyes darted to my companion to see him watching me with a raised brow and a slight smirk on his face. I immediately looked away, my cheeks heating.
Control, Haze. Control. What the hell is wrong with you?
For ten minutes afterward, I stayed put, listening to their gossip until my patience ran out. All their conversation consisted of was money, men, and politics, none of which interested me in any way. I excused myself from Mr. Kingston and ventured out on a search for a certain red-haired lady.
A waiter walked to me, offering appetizers, but I declined, but then an idea popped into my head. “Excuse me. Could you tell me where the buffet is?”
“Sure, ma’am.” He pointed to the middle tent, and I thanked him before he left.
Strolling inside, I was consumed by several ambrosial smell filling my lungs. The air was so thick with them, I could literally taste it. The place was almost deserted. Only a couple of waiters walked in and out with trays of food. At the corner, as expected, I found Aunt Matilde hovering over the large table. Her hand oscillated between Swedish meatballs and chicken enchiladas, not sure what to choose. Finally, she grabbed one of each.
I chuckled. Only Aunt Matilde possessed the superpower to do that.
“Knew I’d find you here.”
She turned back with a mouthful and froze, giving my appearance a thorough look, then her eyes lit up. “Hazie! U luk ‘orgeous!” she exclaimed.
“You too, missy.” Laughing, I cautiously gave her a hug, not to get any of the food stains on the dress.
“Eat wit meh,” she extended a cupcake my way.
Though my mouth watered at the mere scent, I shook my head, not having the appetite. Yet she insisted, almost stuffing the desert in my mouth herself. I took it from her. Taking a bite, I almost cried from the heavenly taste. “Mhm, it’s good.”
“I know, right?”
Finishing the first one, I eyed another, debating when she picked it up and extended it to me. Not being able to resist anymore, I grabbed the sweet delight and stuffed the whole thing into my mouth. Aunt Matilde watched me round-eyed before we both burst out laughing.
“Ambitious, aren’t you?” A sound like nails on a chalkboard disturbed the serenity of the moment.
I turned around, gulping the remnants of food, and narrowed my eyes.
“Two months and the family takes you to their private vacation. Hmm, I’m impressed,” Catherine smirked, and it didn’t comprise of anything holy.
My blood boiled, but I kept cool. If she wanted to anger me, she’d have to work harder. So, I let out a breathy laugh. “I do my job well.”
“Yeah, I can see. Going around, assisting everyone. I wonder what else you assisted in.” Her eyes drove to the Kingston men outside, talking.
“Excuse me!” My body seethed. She was poking the wrong flesh now.
Ignoring my death stare, she smirked again, walking past me, and picking up a glass of red wine. “I hope you’re done digging gold though, because soon enough he’ll be dumping your ugly ass.”
My jaw clenched. “You’re the one he dumped, yet I see you here.”
Her fingers tightened around the glass. I smiled, knowing I hit a nerve when she glared at me, ready to bark out more bullshit, but Aunt Matilde ceased her process.
“Life’s been harsh on you, Cathy?” she jeered.
Catherine’s nose flared as she glared. “Shut up, you fat bimbo!”
The innate glee from Aunt Matilde’s face drained like the colors of day by nightfall.
That was it. The strong displeasure I felt towards her reached its peak as I stormed towards her, grabbing the glass. “Wine leaves a mark, did you know?” I said, and cast its content on her designer dress that cost probably more than my three months’ salary. I couldn’t help it. All I saw was red.
She gasped, faltering back. “You bitch! What have you done?”
Putting down the glass, I crossed my arms across my puffed-out chest. “I didn’t. You did.”
“What!” she screamed maniacally.
“Oh my God, Cathy! You spilled your drink,” I fake gasped, making Aunt Matilde laugh.
Then she looked up, eyes blazing in raw rage. “You’re going to pay for this,” she yelled, drawing her hand up, but before it came anywhere near me, she stopped, looking behind me. Her expression changed into one of crying. “Look what she did to me, Dimitri.”
I froze, eyes widening.
CHAPTER 31
ON KNEES
I whipped around, gulping. There he stood at the entrance, watching Catherine with a frown on his firm face.
“I came here to grab a drink, and she started insulting me. When I told her to stop, she threw wine at me,” she cried, pointing at her soaked cloth.
My eyes widened. What the hell!
“She’s lying, Dimi. She’s the one who insulted Hazel first,” Aunt Matilde defended me, hands on her hips.
Mr. Kingston let out a deep breath. “Catherine, get changed, or you’ll catch a cold.” He averted his gaze to the side. “Aunt, Mrs. Williams is looking for you.” Then his adamant eyes steered to me. “Come with me, Ms. Green.”
“But I—”
Before I could protest, he turned around and walked out. I huffed, glaring at the spawn of Satan who had the audacity to smirk even after everything.
“You are fired, Ms. Green,” she mocked.
“Don’t worry, Haze. My nephew is no idiot like some people,” Aunt Matilde assured me.
Nodding, I tottered to the direction my employer left and found myself in front of a beautiful pond. He stood under a tree with his back facing me and watched the water with his hands inside his pockets.
“Sir, you can scold me all you want, but it wasn’t my fault,” I began, before I could hear those dreaded words from his mouth, I had to let him know the truth. “She provoked me and bad-mouthed Aunt Matilde.”
“I know,” he replied simply.
“Huh?” I blinked, bewildered.
He turned around, facing me now. “You don’t have to explain anything, Ms. Green.”
“You saw the whole thing?”
“No.”
I frowned. If he didn’t see, then how could he know what exactly happened there?
“I know you,” was his curt answer as he watched me with a strange softness in his eyes.
My chest tightened as I stared at him. No, you don’t. Not at all.
He extended his hand. “Come here.”
I wanted to turn around and run, but the softest way both corners of his lips curved as if he was in utmost peace, I didn’t cradle the courage to perturb that. So, I smiled, putting my hand on his awaiting one, and let him gently tug me near the edge. A soft gasp left me as I watched the hundreds of colorful fishes swimming close by, sticking their mouths out of the water.
Lifting my palm up, he shoved his hand inside his slack pocket and drew it out, then placed something on mine.
I looked at it to see food pallets, and my eyes widened in excitement.
“Go ahead.” He gestured his head towards the pond.
My lips curved from ear to ear, and I turned to the aquatic creatures, tossing the pallets in the water. The fish scattered around, not being able to find the food, making me frown. I looked back at Mr. Kingston, who shook his head, then brought out more pellets from his pocket.
“Come on. Get down,” he instructed, kneeling himself, and I followed behind.
Holding my hand open, he slid his palm underneath mine. Placing the food on it, he stretched my hand near the water when I pulled it back, swallowing the lump in my throat.
He chuckled. “They won’t bite, Ms. Green. Trust me.”
“I do.” I smiled and let him guide me. As soon as our hands touched the cold water, the fishes scrambled forward, feeding straight from my hand. The frantic contact of their slimy rough skin to mine incited a ticklish feeling in my hand, making me giggle. “These are so adorable!”
The sight was beautiful, yet his eyes only observed me with a slight smile on his face. “I used to feed them with my grandpa,” he said.
“How long ago was it?”
“Twenty-three years.”
“Twenty-three years?” I repeated, but with more force. “You mean to say these fish are twenty-three years old?”
“No. They’re much older.”
I gasped in shock, like a child. “That’s so cool! I once had a goldfish, but he died after two months.”
“Because he was alone,” he reasoned like it was obvious.
“Nope. My neighbor’s cat ate him.”
I glanced at him, watching as the duh expression was wiped off his face. He drove his eyes away, making me giggle. If it was the fish sucking at my hand, or his hand wrapped underneath mine that made me so giggly I didn’t know, but it continued until we ran out of food.
Cleaning and drying our hands, we stood, when a wave of wind blew past, scattering my loose fringes all over my face. Before I could fix the mess, he neared, his hand smoothly tucking the locks behind my ear. His other hand thrust inside his coat, this time pulling out a pink rose and planting it behind my ear.
The close proximity had me breathing heavily, and his action fluttered my heart. Taking out my phone, I looked at the screen. “That’s so beautiful!”
“There’s more where it came from. Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to,” I exclaimed.
He stretched his hand to me once again. “Come with me.”
I lifted my hand, but then looked back in the direction of the party being held. “What about the party? They could be needing you.”
“They’ll survive.”
Biting my lip, I put my hand on his and breathed deep from the contact. We walked along the side of the pond, hand in hand. Yet there was no awkwardness, but a strange kind of peace. Even the way my hand fit in his warm, callous ones felt so normal. If anyone saw, they’d think we were more than just a boss and an employee. But at the moment, I didn’t mind it at all.
The walk through the Kingston estate was marvelous. They possessed a shitload of things, including a stable, but unfortunately, the horses were taken for vaccination.
We were trudging across the fenced arena when he stopped, and I looked at him to see a blindfold hanging from his hand and a smirk on his face.
“Um...” I eyed him suspiciously.
“You have to put it on.”
“But why?”
“Special events demand special requirements.”
“Okay...” I trailed, sending him a skeptical look, and turned around, closing my eyes.
The way his warm breathing hit the back of my ear as he placed the cloth over my eyes and knotted it, sent a shiver down my back. His hands held my shoulder, turning me around. I couldn’t see a thing, but I could feel his burning gaze driving all over me.
“Ready?” he breathed, one of his hands going around my waist and the other taking my hand. Even if there was any doubt before, it was gone now as the heat emanating from him touched me in all the right places.
I nodded and commenced ahead.
“Careful. There’s a bump,” he warned, guiding me crisscrossed to avoid any percussion while I clutched on his hand for dear life.
Walking sightless was a scary thing. He could just take me up a hill and throw me off it, but it wasn’t like he would do such a thing. Not yet though. I trusted him, crazily enough, just as much as I trusted my family.
My mind recalled his words from earlier. What special event did he refer to? Getting a glimpse of his family’s most beautiful possession? But that I already did, didn’t I? I got to glimpse at him for eight hours, five days every week. My cheeks flushed from my thoughts. If he knew...
After some more time on the covert journey, a cherubic fragrance drifted to my nostrils, relaxing me to my very core. I breathed deep, greedily embezzling as much of the ambrosial scent as my lungs could cram. If the place smelled so good, I could just imagine how beautiful it would look.
Unintentionally, my heart skipped a beat. “You too, sir.”
He nodded and extended his hand to me. “Shall we?”
Taking a deep breath, I put mine on his. Don’t feel anything. Control. Conceal.
Before we exited the building, I glanced back, and Brooke sent a reassuring nod along with a thumbs up.
After we reached his Rolls Royce, he, as always, pulled open his car door for me, but before I stepped in, a male voice called my name, making me turn around.
“Hazel, is that you?”
“Paul! Nope, it’s Megan Fox,” I joked at my neighbor.
“My God, girl, you look fabulous,” he said, scanning me from head to toe as a smile of admiration spread over his lips.
“Tha—”
I was abruptly cut off as Mr. Kingston came right in between us. “She always does, and she’s getting late.” His one hand held the door while the other grabbed on my waist, urgently pushing me inside, fastening my seatbelt and slamming the door behind.
I sat there, baffled until he hopped in. “What the hell was that?”
“We’re getting late, that’s what happened,” he quipped, putting on his seatbelt.
Shaking my head at him, I looked out to see a similar expression on the middle-aged man’s face and sent him an apologetic smile. However, before I could say anything, the window began to close.
I turned back to the infuriating man revving up the engine. “Mr. Kingston.”
“Ms. Green.” He had the nerve to match my tone.
Huffing, I shut up before the ride began. The next half an hour went in silence, but it wasn’t what gave me the perturbation. It was the familiar glow on his face that I had been witnessing for quite some time, and today, it seemed to be at its peak.
“You lied, Ms. Green,” he stated suddenly.
“Wh-what?” I felt my heart caving in.
“Something’s wrong with my face?”
“No?” I frowned.
“Then why does your look say otherwise about your earlier compliment?”
Oh... How could I say that it wasn’t his model-like appearance but the odd radiance on his expression that concerned me? “It’s nothing. I’m just...nervous.”
“About what?” he inquired. “It’s not the first time you’re meeting my family.”
“Well, there’ll be more people today.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Meeting more people meant more loss of face when things would go down.
“Relax. No one will judge you.”
“Is that why you invited your exes?”
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Is that jealousy I smell?”
“Jealous?” I laughed. “Why would I be jealous? It’s not like you’re my boyfriend.”
He remained silent, but that glow...
“We’re not having this conversation.” I shook my head, cheeks burning. “Why are we even having this conversation?”
He chuckled. “Tell me, Ms. Green. What’s your take on love?”
Flashes of moments spent with the seniors, my brother, and my best friend resurfaced in my mind, blooming a smile on my face. “It’s a beautiful thing. Magical even.” Then my eyes met his, and my heart constricted in my chest. “But not everyone is lucky enough to taste it.”
A corner of his lips quirked up. “Then I’m going to be the luckiest man on earth.”
“H-how?”
“We shall see.”
I stirred in my seat. Was he going to ask someone out? Was that why he invited his exes? A burning sensation rose in my chest, and teeth clenched. What the hell was he doing with me then? He should go accompany those bitches.
“Are you all right, Ms. Green?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be? How far are we?”
He glanced at the clock. “About half an hour, five minutes, and fifty-three seconds.”
Not wanting to hear one more of his incensing rich voice, I tapped on the gorgeous starry screen, changing song after song, until Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo came up. I sighed, looking out the window. Somehow, the song made my heart squeeze in longing for something that I didn’t have yet but already lost.
Not a minute later, his hand shot to the screen, changing the song with When You Say Nothing at All by Ronan Keating. His fingers tapped on the wheel as he hummed, making me frown. He must be thinking about that girl.
There went my mood once again.
The rest of the ride went in silence. Well, not exactly. There was no more conversation between us, but the stereo kept tuning on, and I discovered his love for old country music, which was quite handsome.
On reaching the venue at his ancestor’s house, there were several large tents set out, covering portions of the stupendous estate. People spread around, gossiping, laughing, engaged in their own worlds while waiters went around serving canapes with beverages.
On entering a tent, all the eyes turned to us, and I swallowed. Trouble of being accompanied by the hot heir. Surprisingly, his fingers slipped into mine, holding firm. I glanced at our entwined hands and then at his face. He was looking ahead, nodding at his relatives, but his hold made sure to deliver me with equal attention, warming my heart.
“Son, Ms. Green.” Rupert Kingston called from the middle of a crowd. “Come, come. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Mr. Kingston nodded and tugged me along with him. There were at least ten people huddled together, wine in hands. As Mr. Kingston introduced me to them, the men had the look of adoration while the women only glared. Fake, rich, spoilt women. I recognized one of them to be the blonde who left the Kingston Co. crying after spoiling Dimitri’s clothes with wine.
His ex.
“This is Bill Douglas, Dad’s closest friend, and his daughter, Catherine Douglas,” Dimitri introduced.
Back then, I was fascinated by her, but now, all I felt was exasperation.
Eyeing our conjoined hands, she curled her lip and sent me a look from head to toe. “Aren’t you Dimitri’s secretary?”
Apparently, our feelings were mutual.
“Well, at the moment, I’m his date.” I smiled, seeing her expression hardening.
Everyone just laughed, finding my answer somehow hilarious. My eyes darted to my companion to see him watching me with a raised brow and a slight smirk on his face. I immediately looked away, my cheeks heating.
Control, Haze. Control. What the hell is wrong with you?
For ten minutes afterward, I stayed put, listening to their gossip until my patience ran out. All their conversation consisted of was money, men, and politics, none of which interested me in any way. I excused myself from Mr. Kingston and ventured out on a search for a certain red-haired lady.
A waiter walked to me, offering appetizers, but I declined, but then an idea popped into my head. “Excuse me. Could you tell me where the buffet is?”
“Sure, ma’am.” He pointed to the middle tent, and I thanked him before he left.
Strolling inside, I was consumed by several ambrosial smell filling my lungs. The air was so thick with them, I could literally taste it. The place was almost deserted. Only a couple of waiters walked in and out with trays of food. At the corner, as expected, I found Aunt Matilde hovering over the large table. Her hand oscillated between Swedish meatballs and chicken enchiladas, not sure what to choose. Finally, she grabbed one of each.
I chuckled. Only Aunt Matilde possessed the superpower to do that.
“Knew I’d find you here.”
She turned back with a mouthful and froze, giving my appearance a thorough look, then her eyes lit up. “Hazie! U luk ‘orgeous!” she exclaimed.
“You too, missy.” Laughing, I cautiously gave her a hug, not to get any of the food stains on the dress.
“Eat wit meh,” she extended a cupcake my way.
Though my mouth watered at the mere scent, I shook my head, not having the appetite. Yet she insisted, almost stuffing the desert in my mouth herself. I took it from her. Taking a bite, I almost cried from the heavenly taste. “Mhm, it’s good.”
“I know, right?”
Finishing the first one, I eyed another, debating when she picked it up and extended it to me. Not being able to resist anymore, I grabbed the sweet delight and stuffed the whole thing into my mouth. Aunt Matilde watched me round-eyed before we both burst out laughing.
“Ambitious, aren’t you?” A sound like nails on a chalkboard disturbed the serenity of the moment.
I turned around, gulping the remnants of food, and narrowed my eyes.
“Two months and the family takes you to their private vacation. Hmm, I’m impressed,” Catherine smirked, and it didn’t comprise of anything holy.
My blood boiled, but I kept cool. If she wanted to anger me, she’d have to work harder. So, I let out a breathy laugh. “I do my job well.”
“Yeah, I can see. Going around, assisting everyone. I wonder what else you assisted in.” Her eyes drove to the Kingston men outside, talking.
“Excuse me!” My body seethed. She was poking the wrong flesh now.
Ignoring my death stare, she smirked again, walking past me, and picking up a glass of red wine. “I hope you’re done digging gold though, because soon enough he’ll be dumping your ugly ass.”
My jaw clenched. “You’re the one he dumped, yet I see you here.”
Her fingers tightened around the glass. I smiled, knowing I hit a nerve when she glared at me, ready to bark out more bullshit, but Aunt Matilde ceased her process.
“Life’s been harsh on you, Cathy?” she jeered.
Catherine’s nose flared as she glared. “Shut up, you fat bimbo!”
The innate glee from Aunt Matilde’s face drained like the colors of day by nightfall.
That was it. The strong displeasure I felt towards her reached its peak as I stormed towards her, grabbing the glass. “Wine leaves a mark, did you know?” I said, and cast its content on her designer dress that cost probably more than my three months’ salary. I couldn’t help it. All I saw was red.
She gasped, faltering back. “You bitch! What have you done?”
Putting down the glass, I crossed my arms across my puffed-out chest. “I didn’t. You did.”
“What!” she screamed maniacally.
“Oh my God, Cathy! You spilled your drink,” I fake gasped, making Aunt Matilde laugh.
Then she looked up, eyes blazing in raw rage. “You’re going to pay for this,” she yelled, drawing her hand up, but before it came anywhere near me, she stopped, looking behind me. Her expression changed into one of crying. “Look what she did to me, Dimitri.”
I froze, eyes widening.
CHAPTER 31
ON KNEES
I whipped around, gulping. There he stood at the entrance, watching Catherine with a frown on his firm face.
“I came here to grab a drink, and she started insulting me. When I told her to stop, she threw wine at me,” she cried, pointing at her soaked cloth.
My eyes widened. What the hell!
“She’s lying, Dimi. She’s the one who insulted Hazel first,” Aunt Matilde defended me, hands on her hips.
Mr. Kingston let out a deep breath. “Catherine, get changed, or you’ll catch a cold.” He averted his gaze to the side. “Aunt, Mrs. Williams is looking for you.” Then his adamant eyes steered to me. “Come with me, Ms. Green.”
“But I—”
Before I could protest, he turned around and walked out. I huffed, glaring at the spawn of Satan who had the audacity to smirk even after everything.
“You are fired, Ms. Green,” she mocked.
“Don’t worry, Haze. My nephew is no idiot like some people,” Aunt Matilde assured me.
Nodding, I tottered to the direction my employer left and found myself in front of a beautiful pond. He stood under a tree with his back facing me and watched the water with his hands inside his pockets.
“Sir, you can scold me all you want, but it wasn’t my fault,” I began, before I could hear those dreaded words from his mouth, I had to let him know the truth. “She provoked me and bad-mouthed Aunt Matilde.”
“I know,” he replied simply.
“Huh?” I blinked, bewildered.
He turned around, facing me now. “You don’t have to explain anything, Ms. Green.”
“You saw the whole thing?”
“No.”
I frowned. If he didn’t see, then how could he know what exactly happened there?
“I know you,” was his curt answer as he watched me with a strange softness in his eyes.
My chest tightened as I stared at him. No, you don’t. Not at all.
He extended his hand. “Come here.”
I wanted to turn around and run, but the softest way both corners of his lips curved as if he was in utmost peace, I didn’t cradle the courage to perturb that. So, I smiled, putting my hand on his awaiting one, and let him gently tug me near the edge. A soft gasp left me as I watched the hundreds of colorful fishes swimming close by, sticking their mouths out of the water.
Lifting my palm up, he shoved his hand inside his slack pocket and drew it out, then placed something on mine.
I looked at it to see food pallets, and my eyes widened in excitement.
“Go ahead.” He gestured his head towards the pond.
My lips curved from ear to ear, and I turned to the aquatic creatures, tossing the pallets in the water. The fish scattered around, not being able to find the food, making me frown. I looked back at Mr. Kingston, who shook his head, then brought out more pellets from his pocket.
“Come on. Get down,” he instructed, kneeling himself, and I followed behind.
Holding my hand open, he slid his palm underneath mine. Placing the food on it, he stretched my hand near the water when I pulled it back, swallowing the lump in my throat.
He chuckled. “They won’t bite, Ms. Green. Trust me.”
“I do.” I smiled and let him guide me. As soon as our hands touched the cold water, the fishes scrambled forward, feeding straight from my hand. The frantic contact of their slimy rough skin to mine incited a ticklish feeling in my hand, making me giggle. “These are so adorable!”
The sight was beautiful, yet his eyes only observed me with a slight smile on his face. “I used to feed them with my grandpa,” he said.
“How long ago was it?”
“Twenty-three years.”
“Twenty-three years?” I repeated, but with more force. “You mean to say these fish are twenty-three years old?”
“No. They’re much older.”
I gasped in shock, like a child. “That’s so cool! I once had a goldfish, but he died after two months.”
“Because he was alone,” he reasoned like it was obvious.
“Nope. My neighbor’s cat ate him.”
I glanced at him, watching as the duh expression was wiped off his face. He drove his eyes away, making me giggle. If it was the fish sucking at my hand, or his hand wrapped underneath mine that made me so giggly I didn’t know, but it continued until we ran out of food.
Cleaning and drying our hands, we stood, when a wave of wind blew past, scattering my loose fringes all over my face. Before I could fix the mess, he neared, his hand smoothly tucking the locks behind my ear. His other hand thrust inside his coat, this time pulling out a pink rose and planting it behind my ear.
The close proximity had me breathing heavily, and his action fluttered my heart. Taking out my phone, I looked at the screen. “That’s so beautiful!”
“There’s more where it came from. Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to,” I exclaimed.
He stretched his hand to me once again. “Come with me.”
I lifted my hand, but then looked back in the direction of the party being held. “What about the party? They could be needing you.”
“They’ll survive.”
Biting my lip, I put my hand on his and breathed deep from the contact. We walked along the side of the pond, hand in hand. Yet there was no awkwardness, but a strange kind of peace. Even the way my hand fit in his warm, callous ones felt so normal. If anyone saw, they’d think we were more than just a boss and an employee. But at the moment, I didn’t mind it at all.
The walk through the Kingston estate was marvelous. They possessed a shitload of things, including a stable, but unfortunately, the horses were taken for vaccination.
We were trudging across the fenced arena when he stopped, and I looked at him to see a blindfold hanging from his hand and a smirk on his face.
“Um...” I eyed him suspiciously.
“You have to put it on.”
“But why?”
“Special events demand special requirements.”
“Okay...” I trailed, sending him a skeptical look, and turned around, closing my eyes.
The way his warm breathing hit the back of my ear as he placed the cloth over my eyes and knotted it, sent a shiver down my back. His hands held my shoulder, turning me around. I couldn’t see a thing, but I could feel his burning gaze driving all over me.
“Ready?” he breathed, one of his hands going around my waist and the other taking my hand. Even if there was any doubt before, it was gone now as the heat emanating from him touched me in all the right places.
I nodded and commenced ahead.
“Careful. There’s a bump,” he warned, guiding me crisscrossed to avoid any percussion while I clutched on his hand for dear life.
Walking sightless was a scary thing. He could just take me up a hill and throw me off it, but it wasn’t like he would do such a thing. Not yet though. I trusted him, crazily enough, just as much as I trusted my family.
My mind recalled his words from earlier. What special event did he refer to? Getting a glimpse of his family’s most beautiful possession? But that I already did, didn’t I? I got to glimpse at him for eight hours, five days every week. My cheeks flushed from my thoughts. If he knew...
After some more time on the covert journey, a cherubic fragrance drifted to my nostrils, relaxing me to my very core. I breathed deep, greedily embezzling as much of the ambrosial scent as my lungs could cram. If the place smelled so good, I could just imagine how beautiful it would look.
