《The Mysterious Sickly CEO》 Secret Files Freius Albaster¡¯s Secret Files Name: Althea Sylve Brianbrair Sex: Female Age: 23 Blood type: -AB Birthday: July 18, XXXXThis story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Zodiac Sign: Cancer Status: Single Mother: Rebecca Ilysse Brianbrair- Carstairs Father: Edgar Francis Carstairs Sibling/s: Biological brother; Louis Faustus Brianbrair Net-worth: (Unknown) Occupation: (Unknown) Reason for application: (Unknown) Personality: (Unknown) Looks: Certainly a 9.8/10 Background: Her father left them for his mistresses when she was ten years old. Two years after that, her mother died. Nothing else was garnered from this point. Prologue Prologue The Briars Corporation is one of the world¡¯s leading companies, not to mention the number one in the whole world. They focus on relaxation and food chain businesses, but they also dabble on construction, trades, and other businesses. A lot of people say that the Briar Corporation controls the market and trends. There are also rumors, that they also control the black market. But those are only rumors. But one can be sure, that a lot of businesses, big or small, wants to be affiliated with the company and the sole owner, known as Black Rose. But no one knows the gender nor how the owner looks. Only Black Rose¡¯s four ¡®suits¡¯ namely the King of Spades, The Jack of all Trades, The Ace of Hearts and the Upright Fool, shows their faces in the public. A lot of people tried to portray as Black Rose, but with the four suits quick actions, all imposters were defamed, their status in society falling to the level of outcasts. Everyone started to fear this mysterious CEO.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Some say he¡¯s an aged man, wearing a black suit, with a Black Rose on his lapel and a black diamond encrusted pin. They say he preferred black, just like how he leaves a trail of deaths and destroyed lives in the process. Some say she¡¯s a beautiful, enigmatic woman in her thirties, a young widow. They say she preferred black, because it reminded her of her lost love, hence she surrounded himself with the four suits. Swearing to never love again, in her wake, she leaves a trail of broken hearts and broken men. They say, that with the help of Freius Albaster, the world-famous information broker and his mysterious company called Pandora, he offers those he deems worthy, a product he calls as ¡®Privacy¡¯ wherein he and a special team of specialists, will keep your identity a secret, any scandals, issues, cases prior and subsequent will be erased. He will offer you a clean slate, that even the CIA and other agencies will never find anything about you. But in the end, these are all rumors, that only leaves a lot of questions unanswered; just who is Briars¡¯ Corporation CEO, and when will the mysterious shroud draped on them be removed? Chapter One: The Disastrous Meeting Chapter One: The Disastrous Meeting ¡°Starting all over again, doesn¡¯t seem so bad¡­ because when you restart, you get another chance to make things right.¡± - Unknown Months pass, and finally, the Soul of Cake Restaurant and Caf¨¦ was open for business. They started with invited guests who left reviews for their place in websites and wrote good reviews in magazines and newspapers. After a month of its opening, people are crowding in the place, and the lodgings were completely filled with guests. Since she owned the lake, with a simple fee, they could go swimming and diving. Not only that, the boatmen stationed at the lake would be willing to take you to the large but nonetheless lovely floating pavilion in the middle of the lake for a certain price. It was wide enough that you can might as well call it a dance floor. It was a hit amongst guests and it now, it was reserved, for a quirky wedding reception. She sighs, as she prepares the five-tier wedding cake in a makeshift tent in the pavilion. ¡°How are the arrangements Isabella?¡± She says, into a walkie-talkie. ¡°Everything spic and span, Signorina, and the boatmen are ready to accommodate people to the pavilion. The table and chairs are already set and the food are also being catered here. The only thing we¡¯re missing is the cake. How is the decorating on your side?¡± Althea sighs. ¡°Well, I¡¯m putting the last finishing designs on this five-tier gold geode cake. Give me ten minutes tops, and this cake will be ready to go.¡± She places the last speckled of edible gold dust, large sugar crystals on top, especially behind the cake topper. She stares at her lovely creation and heaves a sigh of relief. ¡°Ah it¡¯s finally done.¡± Ten servers come inside and marvel at her cake. ¡°Wow miss Althea, you outdid yourself today again! I wish I could eat the cake though.¡± Sheena says sighing. Althea laughs. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry, I have another geode cake sitting in the fridge. That¡¯s for us if this service goes well.¡± The ten servers cheer and they put the cake into a trolley and roll it outside of the pavilion. Althea also goes outside of the tent to stretch. Her chef uniform is now stained with buttercream of different colors. Sebastian looks at her and hands her a pink, flower laced short dress and pink close-toed high heels with a lace bow. ¡°You should change into this Althea. The guests will be arriving soon.¡± She grins at him. ¡°Thanks, Sebastian. I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes. She goes back into the makeshift tent and quickly strips off her chef clothes, leaving her only in her camisole and cycling shorts. She then slips the dress, and with some difficulty, she manages to clasp the six buttons on her back. She then slips the heels and goes outside. Isabella smiles at her and gives her a thumbs-up. ¡°Come bello! (How beautiful!)¡± Althea smiles and gives her a little twirl. Isabella wears a fitted pink dress with adorned with a red rose. Sebastian snorts. ¡°Contrairement ¨¤ quelqu''unen particulier. (Unlike someone in particular)¡± He mutters. Althea elbows him lightly. He wears a black vest with a pale pink long sleeve shirt underneath and a gold bow. Ignacio walks to them, still clad in his black chef clothes. ¡°Oh, how I wish I could dress up as you all do. But as the chef, I¡¯m stuck with the uniform.¡± He motions for Althea to spin and he stares at her like a father watching his own daughter wearing her prom dress. ¡°You look lovely, ni?a (child).¡± Althea smiles at him. ¡°Thank you Tio Cio, don¡¯t worry, you look very handsome in your uniform.¡± Isabella nods in agreement. People tore away at Althea¡¯s makeshift tent and placed the final touches on the floating pavilion. Ignacio positions himself in the catering area, and Sebastian instructs the staff and preps them. Isabella tensely clutches the sides of her fitted dress. Althea grabs her hands and eases them. ¡°Calm down and don¡¯t overthink. It¡¯s better if you enjoy what you¡¯re doing so you don¡¯t have to tensely entertain our guests.¡± Isabella calms herself down, at least looking less tense than before. The boatmen from the shore started to load the guests into the small boats and they start ferrying them into the pavilion. They are given a simple glass of champagne and small bites of Cucumber Slices Provencal as to maximize their experience on the boat. The guests soon arrive and Isabella and Althea greet them warmly. Isabella leads them to their sits, while Sebastian and his servers entertain the guests and ask if they have any food allergies and such. After all the guests were on their seats, the grand barque for the groom and bride is just starting to cross the lake. They soon arrive and Althea greets them warmly. The ceremony begins when a woman stands up and walks to the groom, slapping him right in the face. The guests gasp and grow quiet. ¡°You said, you don¡¯t love her, that you¡¯re only marrying her for her wealth! But you dare to look at her with such love and care! What about me?¡± She then presses her hands protectively to her tummy. ¡°What about our baby?¡± She says softly. The guests, especially the mother and father of the bride and groom stand up, hands on their mouths, shocked with what they heard. The bride stands up and faces the groom, teary-eyed. ¡°Is that true?¡± The groom¡¯s voice gets caught up in his throat as he tries to explain. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not what you think,¡± then with a jolt of sudden inspiration floods his mind, he points at the woman. ¡°You obsessed, deranged woman! What are you insinuating? I would never cheat on my wife, we already broke up years ago, and now you continue to stalk us, you even befriended my wife, and let her invite you to this wedding! God! Why can¡¯t you leave us in peace!¡± The woman, goes red from humiliation and pain. She stares at him incredulously, her chest throbbing in pain. The mother of the bride walks towards her and pulls at her hair. ¡°You scandalous woman! You viper! You don¡¯t belong here! You dare ruin my daughter¡¯s wedding!¡± Her husband stares at the woman condescendingly. The bride looks at the woman and looks at the groom. The groom then looks at his bride pleadingly. ¡°Please, believe me, that woman is lying. She must have gone pregnant with another man who left her, and now she¡¯s plaguing me! Please believe me, sweet cakes, I would never cheat on you.¡± The woman started to cry, and she grabbed the elderly woman¡¯s hands. ¡°Stop, I¡¯ll finally leave!¡± The mother snorts at her and releases her hold on her hair. She stands up, and she runs up towards the bride and tackles her into the water. Althea immediately removes her shoes and jumps right after the two. She first rescues the bride, whose dress weighed her down. In order to save her, she undoes the zipper on the bride¡¯s dress, helps her slip out of the dress and guides her swim upwards. Sebastian swims up to her, and she gives him a thumbs-up. He then rescues the other woman. The people came flocking to the bride, the staff giving her a warm blanket, while Sebastian lead the other woman to the other side so she wouldn¡¯t be ganged upon by the other guests. ¡°That woman was crazy, she tried to kill you and all!¡± The bride could only nod from the trauma. The elderly woman thanks her, to which she simply nods, and everyone sympathizes with the bride. Even the groom looks highly perturbed and is claiming he¡¯ll press charges against the woman. Althea sighs and grabs her pink heels and walks bare-footedly to the area where the other woman is. ¡°Here, please take this coat, you can get sick if you hang around in wet clothes.¡± She turns to see the man who gave her the coat. The man had Scottish features but his smile was too dazzling enough for her. Althea smiles at him and returns his coat. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to ruin such a coat.¡± She politely bows and excuses herself and continues to walk towards the far end. The man persistently followed her. ¡°I insist. You might get cold, plus it¡¯s September, the water must be freezingly cold.¡± She shakes her head and controls the trembling of her body. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Please don¡¯t worry about me.¡± He sighs and walks ahead of her blocking her way. He then drapes his coat her shoulders and buttons it. ¡°Please take care of yourself.¡± And he walks away, leaving her dazed with his coat. She shrugs it off and walks towards Sebastian, who¡¯s currently wrapping the woman with a warm towel. He looks at the coat skeptically, but he shakes it off. Althea crouches down to the woman. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She cries. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have saved me. I¡¯m a vile woman, who seduced some else¡¯s husband.¡± Althea pats her back. ¡°Did you really?¡± She cries even harder. ¡°No, I was an independent working woman before. He was my boyfriend, and we grew up together. He then told me he had a plan so he could get rich. When I asked about it, he told me to wait and trust him. I did. But I didn¡¯t realize he¡¯d go for my friend and date her.¡± She sniffles and Althea pats her back comfortingly. ¡°He said, it was all a ploy. And I believed him, until the end. Until it came to this.¡± She cries even harder. ¡°How could he do this to me? To us?¡± Then she pats her tummy. ¡°To our baby?¡± Althea¡¯s eyes soften and she embraces the woman. ¡°Everyone makes stupid choices in love, but it doesn¡¯t mean our life ends there. All we can do is to dust our legs off and stand up and continue our journey.¡± The woman cries on her shoulder. She soothingly rubs her back. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s bad for the baby to cry this hard. From now on, think nothing else but your baby. If he doesn¡¯t want it, then make sure you¡¯ll love your baby twice as much as before, so he or she won¡¯t feel any less loved.¡± The woman pulls away and wipes her tears away. ¡°Thank you, thank you for listening to me. I should go, I best be on my way.¡± Althea stops her. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She pauses before answering. ¡°Erica. Erica Cross.¡± She nods and hands her a business card. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to call me, okay?¡± Erica tears up again but this time she wills herself not to cry. She thanks Althea with all of her heart and she secretly instructed a boatman to help her get away from the pavilion, safely. After the fiasco, everyone just bounced right back, as if nothing happened. Althea was feeling the chill from when she swam into the water, and her knees were starting to shake. She wanted to call for Sebastian¡¯s help, when the same guy who offered her the coat walked towards her. ¡°Is everything alright? You¡¯re shaking.¡± She smiles at him, her lips trembling. ¡°I¡¯m fine, please, enjoy the party. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She signals Sebastian, who then excuses himself immediately and asks another server to fill on him and he goes to Althea, carrying another warm blanket. The coat was already soaked through, and she was still dripping wet, unlike the bride, who was given an extra dress by her bridesmaids.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°You have a spare dress in the car. Let¡¯s go back to the caf¨¦ so you can take a warm shower.¡± She nods, and Sebastian, helps her ride the boat. He then rows her back to shore, where the caf¨¦ is and she immediately heads for the service showers. She lets the warm water heat up her system while Sebastian grabs her clothes. She finishes her bath soon and wraps herself with a towel. Sebastian knocks, and opens the door slightly, just so he could give her spare dress. Luckily, she was always prepared, and has a spare underwear at her disposal. She changes into it quickly and stares at the wet coat hanging on the chair. She folds it, puts it in a plastic bag and places it inside the paper bag where her spare dress was. She then wears her heels and walks out of the room to where Sebastian is waiting. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the event.¡± He nods and they walk back to the boat. ¡°You know, you¡¯re being reckless by being kind to that woman.¡± He tells her, as her rows back to the floating pavilion. Althea smiles and makes ripples on the clear water. ¡°I just see my mother in her. If she abuses the kindness I gave to her, then that¡¯s her loss.¡± He sighs. ¡°I just hope you know what you¡¯re doing. The more people you get close to, the more people who might betray you in the end.¡± She pats his leg and smiles at him. He jerks back at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. Besides, what does she know about me anyways?¡± He agrees and he continues to row back to the pavilion. ¡°Althea!¡± Isabella waves back to her. ¡°So, what¡¯s the status of the party?¡± Isabella points out to the guests who are now having fun. ¡°We managed to reverse the tide.¡± She smiles at her sheepishly. Althea pats her back and gives her a thumbs-up. ¡°Nice one, Isabella.¡± She sees the bride walking the sides with a poorly worn pale pink infinity dress. ¡°Go back to the party, Isabella, and go meet some handsome money bags over there.¡± She jokes. Isabella laughs and waves bye at her and goes back. Althea then walks towards the bride, who seemed deep in thought. ¡°Mrs. Orlando.¡± They both greet her. The woman immediately smiles warmly at them. Althea speaks up first. ¡°Your infinity dress is becoming undone. Here, let me.¡± And she deftly switches the style of her dress, making it more so of a simple wedding dress. The bride smiles at her. ¡°Thank you, Miss Althea. And please, call me Helena. And also, thank you, for rescuing me earlier. I didn¡¯t get the chance to say it before.¡± Helena then stares at the tranquil waters of the lake. ¡°It was alright, you were in shock. I¡¯m relieved to see that you recovered quite quickly.¡± Althea stares at the beautiful reflection of the moon on the lake, along with the twinkling stars. ¡°Is there something on your mind, Miss Helena?¡± She sighs. ¡°I want to believe my husband. I really do. But something tells me, that Erica could be telling the truth.¡± She then changes the subject. ¡°You got a beautiful place here Miss Althea. The ambiance is great, plus you did a great job with the reception.¡± Althea nods. ¡°You know, if it really bothers you, and I don¡¯t want to intrude, why don¡¯t you contact her secretly? And do a paternity test after the baby is born? Those are some ways. Anyways, I¡¯m not really telling you to do that. I¡¯m just saying there are other options.¡± Then Althea stares at her seriously. ¡°But in the end, are you brave enough to face the truth? What if in the end, your husband is the one lying?¡± A gasp escapes Helena¡¯s mouth but she immediately closes it. She stares at the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Althea then shrugs. ¡°Then you best ignore it. Ignorance is bliss after all. Now, now, let¡¯s go back to your party; your husband is getting drunk already.¡± The event ends successfully and the married couple first bids goodbye, as they have to catch their flight to Italy. The guests leave one by one, and Althea begins to enjoy a glass of wine in the far end of the pavilion, staring at the lake¡¯s splendor. Her phone rings and she immediately smile as she sees the caller. ¡°Louis, you should be sleeping already, or else you would stay short.¡± He laughs. ¡°Oh sis, I¡¯m already far more taller than you are, so don¡¯t you dare criticize on my height. So, how¡¯s your first big event?¡± She sips her wine. ¡°I only have one word to describe it. Explosive.¡± ¡°Explosive as fireworks or bombs?¡± He replies and Althea chuckles. ¡°Technically, they are both explosives and both can still do damage.¡± Louis chuckles as well. ¡°Smartass. I¡¯m supposed to be the smarter kid you know.¡± She laughs. ¡°You¡¯re smart? According to science, the older sibling gets fifty percent of the mother and father¡¯s intellect. Therefore, I am smarter than you.¡± He laughs. ¡°Oh whatever. But the party is fine, I hope?¡± Althea smiles. ¡°It is, don¡¯t worry. Have faith in me, I had years and years of experience in business handling. This is easy for me.¡± She can hear him sigh in the other line. ¡°Is there something wrong, Louis?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing sis. I just¡­ Most probably miss your sass.¡± He says, his voice melancholic. ¡°Hey¡­ it mom¡¯s death anniversary tomorrow. Let¡¯s visit her together tomorrow okay?¡± Althea detects the change in his voice. ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s have lunch also. Ignacio says he¡¯ll make you eat Cajun spiced frog legs if you dare to say you didn¡¯t miss his cooking.¡± He laughs at that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I might stay a bit longer tomorrow. I actually cleared the whole day off.¡± Althea then notices the same man who gave her the coat earlier. ¡°Bro, I¡¯ll call you later, a guest is approaching. Rest well okay? And don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡± He laughs. ¡°I can just say just about the same for you. Take care sis. Bye.¡± And Louis hangs up on her. The man smiles at her. ¡°Is this seat occupied?¡± She smiles politely. ¡°It isn¡¯t but it took you quite a walk just to find a seat.¡± He laughs. ¡°The bridesmaids and the couple¡¯s friends are having quite the party there. You just can¡¯t find a quiet place to sit on. Then I spotted you sitting alone, I thought you might use some company.¡± She pours him some wine on a spare wine glass and hands it to him. She then stares at the twinkling reflection of the night sky on the lake¡¯s surface. ¡°It was a smart trick, you placing an eco-friendly floating pavilion in the middle of the lake. Plus, the pristine water lets you see through the different freshwater fishes that dwell in it. It reminds me of fairy pools in Scotland. And the lonesome mermaid, who wishes to go back to the sea.¡± He says. Althea laughs. ¡°Nice try, but if you want to impress me, you need to do a far better trick.¡± He laughs. ¡°Drats, I knew my friends were teaching me wrong.¡± He stretches his hand in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m Carson Aidan Flannagan.¡± Althea shakes his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you Carson.¡± And she sips her wine. He laughs. ¡°Your name?¡± She then chuckles. ¡°You should know it already, I¡¯m the owner of the Soul of Cake Caf¨¦ and Restaurant, Althea Sylve Brianbrair.¡± He smiles. ¡°Being Scottish hinders me from pronouncing some words properly. I just want to make sure I pronounce your beautiful name correctly.¡± Althea laughs, and for a moment, Carson was staring at her beautiful features that glow with the gentle light provided by the moon. Her eyes twinkle like the evening stars and he found himself enamored to her. Althea notices that he¡¯s staring at her so she clears her throat and diverts the subject. ¡°So Carson, what do you do for a living?¡± Carson immediately recomposes himself and smiles. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a lawyer. I defend mostly the masses. I do believe there is still justice for the poor and aggrieved. But sometimes, to help pay the bills, I admit, I take on wealthy clients.¡± Althea notices the conviction in his eyes. She chuckles. ¡°Wow, such an honest guy.¡± A server approaches them and places two plates on the table. ¡°Courtesy from Chef Ignacio, Miss. He said you haven¡¯t eaten dinner, and good food is best enjoyed with company.¡± Althea raises her eyebrow. She sees in the far distance, Ignacio giving her a sly smile. She shakes her head and digs into her grilled lamb lollipops. Despite her finesse in eating, she finishes eating her portion before Carson and she quickly whispers from the server to get her another one. Carson laughs. ¡°It seems like you have a very large appetite, Miss Althea.¡± She chuckles. ¡°I might as well be a professional taster, right? And please, drop the formalities. You aren¡¯t even one of my staff.¡± He laughs. ¡°Well, should I apply? Do you need any legal assistance miss?¡± The food arrives and Althea starts to dig into it again. ¡°Nope, I guess I won¡¯t be needing it for now, all my employees have benefits.¡± She jokes. They both enjoy each other¡¯s company, not even noticing that, in the end, they, along with the staff who were cleaning up were the only ones left in the pavilion. Sebastian bumps into Carson¡¯s chair and ¡®accidentally¡¯ spills club soda on his shirt. ¡°Oops, sorry.¡± Then he then helps to pat the soda dry. ¡°Althea, Ignacio said he¡¯ll be waiting in the car. I¡¯ll wait for you on the boat.¡± Althea elbows him on his side. Sebastian groans slightly but he rapidly walks towards the boats and sits there waiting for Althea. She flashes an apologetic smile at Carson. ¡°Give me your shirt, I¡¯ll laundry it.¡± He shrugs it off. ¡°I know you want to see my muscles underneath, but you really don¡¯t have to.¡± Althea laughs. ¡°I insist. I¡¯d feel bad.¡± He laughs. ¡°Fine, I think if I didn¡¯t agree you¡¯d find other ways to make me agree.¡± She taps his back lightly. ¡°Spot on mate! I¡¯ll even turn around to give you some privacy, like a modest and good-natured woman I am.¡± He laughs at that and he starts to unbutton his shirt as soon as Althea turns around. A server hands him a spare shirt. He wears it and grins at Althea. ¡°Look who just got hired.¡± He says, pointing at his shirt. ¡°So, do I get to call you Miss now?¡± She laughs. ¡°I get to boss you around too.¡± He shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t mind being bossed around by a pretty woman such as you anyways.¡± He hands her his soiled shirt reluctantly. ¡°Just drop by my caf¨¦ when you have the time, it will be all prim and crisp then.¡± He winks at her. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you on to that.¡± And they both ride on different boats, with Sebastian ferrying Althea back to shore. ¡°That was really rude Sebastian.¡± She tells him in a reprimanding manner. ¡°He couldn¡¯t be trusted.¡± He says, continuously rowing. She sighs. ¡°I already told you, I want to live a normal life.¡± He stops rowing. ¡°Then, what if you fall in love with him? What will you do then? Tell him all your secrets? Then he¡¯ll betray you?¡± Althea stares at him, coldly. ¡°I will not do anything brash like that.¡± He continues rowing. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± They arrive onshore in complete silence and after depositing the equipment and the soiled clothes of Carson in the trunk, Althea sits on the back seat, along with Isabella who¡¯s fallen asleep and Sebastian sits on the front seat. Ignacio stares at two. ¡°There¡¯s tension in the air between you two. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Sebastian ignores Ignacio, and Althea sighs. ¡°It¡¯s nothing Tio, we are just tired. Can we just go home?¡± Althea curls up on the side of the car. Ignacio then focuses on the road. ¡°I understand mijita (little girl).¡± She nods and the ride back home was silent. Upon arriving on the mansion, Sebastian instantly opens his door, and opens the car door for Althea. He also wakes up Isabella, by shaking her a bit too rough. She mutters her apologies and she proceeds to her room. Ignacio bids Althea good night and he walks off, leaving Sebastian with Althea. He escorts Althea silently to her room. Althea didn¡¯t even get a chance to talk to Sebastian, because upon arriving into her room, he just set the air conditioning and the air purifier, placed some soft tunes on the speakers, and left immediately. The day ends with them, unreconciled. Chapter Two: Family Chapter Two: Family ¡°Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it¡¯s the place where we find the deepest heartache.¡± - Ilanya Vanzant Althea wakes up sweating profusely. She holds herself to calm her down and ease her shaking. She takes a few minutes before she completely stops trembling. She stares at the clock. It was exactly three am. She sighs, and instead of going back to sleep, she stands up, and heads towards to the kitchen. From the refrigerator, she grabs some ingredients for her mother¡¯s favorite cake, Lemon-Raspberry Curd Italiano Semifreddo, which is originally a cake with three layers, namely Praline, Cream, and Genoise. Instead of making it traditionally, she experiments, by making an additional layer in the cake, by adding raspberry-lemon curd. She first puts them in the oven, toasting them ever so slightly. Then she crushes the pralines slightly, making sure, to just break the pieces. She then starts to whip the egg whites and egg yolks separately until they form soft peaks. She then combines the two and adds a mixture of normal flour and almond flour on it, as her purpose is to make an airy crumb, so it can absorb more syrup, and will result to a great texture. She then places the cake inside the oven and proceeds then makes the syrup next. Once the cake is done, she brushes the syrup on top of the cake, spreading it evenly, and making sure the syrup is well absorbed by the sponge cake. She then makes the cream by whipping egg whites, mascarpone cheese, and heavy cream, making it a lot richer. She then makes the twist in her semifreddo, a fourth layer in her cake. She makes the raspberry-lemon curd, and she assembles the cake, as she sets the genoise or the sponge layer first on the bottom of a square mold, then she places a think spread of the lemon raspberry curd, then she spreads the cream layer on top, and she adds the crushed pralines. She lets it sit on the freezer just enough for the cream to be able to hold its own shape, while she works on drying the lemons and raspberries that she sprinkled honey on. Once cool, she takes it out, and drizzles the cake with more of the syrup she made and tops the cake with the dried lemons and raspberries. She then places it back to the fridge to cool. Ignacio walks inside the kitchen and seeing her skillfully work her way into the kitchen, he smiles and walks towards her. ¡°I¡¯ll take things from here, you shouldn¡¯t be overworking yourself too much.¡± She smiles at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Then she remembers her cake. ¡°Great. You can taste my cake, I¡¯m just finishing the normal, recipe, but I made two of my new recipe. Taste it for me, will you?¡± He laughs and sits on a chair, while Althea takes the cake and makes careful slices on it. She then gives Ignacio a small cake slice, and she then finishes the normal cake recipe for an Italian semifreddo. She also serves a slice to Ignacio so he can taste test both. Ignacio smiles and pats her head. ¡°Your creation is outstanding, it¡¯s enough to make a grown man cry. You¡¯ve outdone your creation last year.¡± He tells her smiling. ¡°Now, aren¡¯t you quite early to be baking? It¡¯s already six am, to bake three cakes, you must have started at three am.¡± She sits down beside him. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s mom¡¯s death anniversary today. Louis and I promised to visit her together. I even made her favorite cake, but I was afraid to make mistakes.¡± He smiles gently at her and squeezes her hand. ¡°Ni?a, I¡¯ve been with you for quite a while. It¡¯s not the real reason.¡± She sighs. ¡°Is it another nightmare?¡± She nods meekly. He then stands up and makes a truffle mushroom spaghetti. ¡°Words may never be enough to soothe someone, but at least, I know, that with this dish, I can convey what I want to say when words are inadequate.¡± He serves it to her. ¡°Eat up, Sebastian will wake up soon. Did you ever fix your argument?¡± She shakes her head, as she eats her spaghetti voraciously. Ignacio laughs as he wipes away a bit of cream on the side on her lip with a napkin. ¡°But, I¡¯ll talk to him today. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t gave me a chance to talk to him last night. I know he¡¯s upset because he thinks just after that incident, I¡¯m already too reckless. Befriending a lot of people, trusting, he doesn¡¯t like that I¡¯m making myself so, vulnerable to others. I know he¡¯s concerned about my welfare, but if it continues, I might as well continue living my life like before.¡± Sebastian clears his throat. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that? You are successful, and people fear you. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± She looks at him sadly. ¡°No, because, I am not happy with what I am doing.¡± She then pushes the plate of unfinished pasta. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite, Ignacio. Besides, I ate just enough for the medicine to work on my body.¡± Althea then stands up and takes the cake from the refrigerator. She cuts a piece for Sebastian then she goes back to her room to freshen up. After wards, Sebastian wordlessly drives her, along with Ignacio and Isabella back to the caf¨¦. After a few moments of pre-cleaning and fixing the tables for the customers, Althea flips the sign from ¡®Closed¡¯ to ¡®Open¡¯. Soon enough, customers started pouring in. Isabella bids her good bye, as she has to manage those who want to check into the lodgings situated beside the lake, and those who want to take a swim. Althea greets the customers with happy smiles and somehow, they couldn¡¯t help but smile as well. They leave her big tips and satisfied stomachs. After lunch time, Louis drives by the caf¨¦, carrying bouquets. He kisses the cheek of his sister. ¡°This is for you, I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t here when your caf¨¦ opened and when you had your first big event.¡± Althea shakes her head, smiling. ¡°It alright, what matters is that you¡¯re here now. Let¡¯s have lunch first, I prepared something you might like.¡± She then snaps her fingers and two female employees hold him down. Louis laughs. ¡°Wow, how am I supposed to like this?¡± They sit him down and one blindfolds him. Althea wheels out each dish and with a small spoonful, she feeds them to Louis. ¡°Guess what I made you?¡± He smiles. ¡°This is chicken parmesan!¡± Althea laughs. ¡°Correct!¡± She then makes him taste more dishes, and he more or so guesses them right. She then places a slice of lemon-raspberry semifreddo on his plate. He then takes a bite. The blindfold gets damp, as tears fall from his eyes. ¡°This is¡­ mother¡¯s favorite cake.¡± Althea smiles. ¡°It took me a long time before I can master it, and I didn¡¯t want you to taste so much of my failures.¡± He removes his blindfold, revealing his glistening eyes, with unshed tears. He then takes another bite of the cake. ¡°Despite that, it doesn¡¯t taste the same as when mother made it.¡± She makes a silly face at him. ¡°I made renditions of course. Mother wouldn¡¯t want us crying every time we eat her favorite cake. She reveals him a small package. ¡°I made one for mom as well. Once we finish lunch, let¡¯s go visit her then, okay?¡± He nods, and they both start finishing their lunch and exchanging stories.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. In the cemetery, Louis kneels on the grave of his mother. ¡°Mother, see? Every year, we manage to visit you together.¡± Althea touches her mom¡¯s tombstone. ¡°Mom, I brought you your favorite cake.¡± She then places the package beside her tombstone. Louis continues. ¡°Mom, we miss you. We¡¯ve kept our promise. If not for our lifestyles, we¡¯ll be inseparable.¡± Althea chortles. ¡°Ignacio even teases me that my brother has a sister complex. That¡¯s how inseparable we are.¡± She then tears up. ¡°So, please, don¡¯t worry about us. We are living our life well. Wherever you are right now, please be at peace.¡± Louis pats his sister¡¯s back. ¡°Know, that we will always have each other¡¯s backs.¡± They then start to tell their mother stories of how they were doing, until a man approaches them. They stare at him and anger permeates their system. The man stares away awkwardly. Louis is the first to act up. ¡°Why are you here! You don¡¯t belong here!¡± He stares at Louis and Althea. ¡°Children, I just¡ª¡± Louis raises his voice. ¡°Just what? Aren¡¯t you happy she¡¯s dead? You even married someone else just a few months after she died!¡± He then laughs depreciatingly. ¡°Or are you feeling guilty? That¡¯s good! Feel guilty! Because you have a hand at her death!¡± With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he drags the man back to the grave. ¡°See that? She died because of you! She died with a heavy heart!¡± The man pushes Louis off angrily. ¡°I am still your father! How coul¡ª¡± Althea slaps him, the sound reverberating in the silence. ¡°Don¡¯t call yourself, our father. What kind of father leaves his children alone to face the world? You don¡¯t know how we fared! You didn¡¯t even care!¡± She pushes him away. ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t show your face here, ever again.¡± He sighs and leaves. Althea crumples down and Louis catches her. Tears fall from her face. ¡°How dare he come back.¡± Louis silences her. ¡°Not a word. It¡¯s detrimental to your body if you become too emotional. Come on, stand up and let¡¯s go home.¡± Louis says. She stares at the man¡¯s back, disappearing from a distance. And she walks away, with the help of her brother, back to their car. Louis drops her off at the caf¨¦, and instead of working, she sits by the serene lake, skipping rocks on its surface. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s something on your mind again. Was it me this time?¡± Althea snaps her head back, surprised and she gives Carson a gentle smile. ¡°Hello to you, too.¡± He sits down beside her. ¡°So, mermaid, missing the ocean already?¡± . She leans closer. ¡°Did you know, that there¡¯s an underground passage underneath this lake, that will take you to the ocean?¡± She whispers directly changing the subject. Her breath was warm on Carson¡¯s ears and it makes him blush and he moves a few inches away from Althea. He bluffs stutteringly. ¡°Re-really?¡± She laughs and shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe?¡± She laughs even harder when he tries to say something, but no words come out of his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re not so smooth after all.¡± She remarks, chuckling. He scratches his head. ¡°This is a great embarrassment.¡± He then stares at the lake. ¡°But earlier, you really felt so lonesome and sad. I thought you might need some company.¡± She then throws a rock and watches it sink right to the bottom of the lake. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t just drive you away, so feel free to accompany me. But I¡¯m not in the mood to talk, so I won¡¯t be able to make idle chatter with you.¡± He smiles. ¡°That¡¯s alright, you can just listen while I talk.¡± She then skips rocks alternately, first with her left hand, then with her right. ¡°Did you know when I was a kid I was the rock skipping champion?¡± She nods. ¡°I suppose.¡± He takes a few rocks, aims a pose and throws the rock with a flick of his wrist. The rocks skip multiple times, before it sinks. Althea looks at it in wonder. ¡°I could only at least make it skip three times.¡± He shrugs confidently. ¡°See? Rock skipping champion.¡± She throws the rock again, watching it skip thrice, then sink. She sighs deeply. ¡°Here, let me teach you.¡± He then gently helps her up, and he helps her make her rock skip more than thrice. He notices that her glum expression hasn¡¯t changed. He points towards a nearby boat. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take the boat? I¡¯m sure the stars would look lovely tonight, plus, it¡¯s a full moon. It¡¯s quite the spectacle.¡± She simply nods, and they walk towards the boat. He helps her get on first, then he pushes the boat onto the water. He then lifts the oars, and he slowly rows until they reach the deserted pavilion. They haven¡¯t removed the fake grass they bought to make the pavilion seem like a garden. They both sat down and stared at the calm glow of the moonlight, that was further highlighted by the subtle twinkling of the stars. Fireflies alight the pavilion, making it less dim. Carson sees the stars twinkling in her eyes, and how the moonlight gives her hair a new shade. She was a mermaid in his eyes, a lonely mermaid, who was homesick, hoping that one day, she¡¯ll find her home. He can see the hidden pain in her eyes, the hidden ache in her heart. ¡°You know, I lost both of my parents, at a young age.¡± He tells her. ¡°Our favorite pastime was stargazing. My parents once said, despite how many times you see a certain beautiful landscape or scene, it will always be different.¡± He smiles reminiscently. ¡°I¡¯ve seen dozens of twilight moments, aurora borealis lighting up the skies, but despite that, nothing beats the simple beauty of the night, calming and soothing, urging people to calm down, to relax, and rest. To leave their troubles for tomorrow and instead, take some time for their selves to heal.¡± He then looks at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but the best thing I could do, is give my company to those who need it, and do my best to cheer them up.¡± He stares at her serene eyes. ¡°You can hide your own pain, but for those who truly experienced pain, despite how much you hide it, they know. It¡¯s an unspoken understanding. So, for tonight, let me ease all your troubles.¡± He then outstretches his hand for her. ¡°Will you dance with me?¡± She hesitantly takes his hand, and he gently pulls her up, and he takes her in his arms. He takes a whiff of her delicate but light perfume, he takes in on how the soft moonlight illuminates her figure, making her seem so ethereal but elegant, like the Queen of the Night has graced him with her presence. He intertwines his hand with hers, and he hums as they sway along. Her hands were soft, despite the roughness on some parts provided by her calluses. They stay like that, dancing underneath the beautiful starry lit sky. Chapter Three: The Misunderstanding Chapter Three: The Misunderstanding ¡°Yes, I do have remorse, but I¡¯m not even sure myself whether it is as profound as it should be. I¡¯ve always wondered myself why I don¡¯t feel more remorse.¡± - Jeffrey Dahmer ¡°Black Rose, we finally found the cause of the anomaly.¡± The mysterious person smiles and replies. ¡°Hold the fort for me. I want to personally castigate them.¡± Pierrot Aicard gives his affirmative and Black Rose then drops the call. He stares back at Gallius Esquire and smiles. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s been awhile since we last saw Black Rose.¡± Gallius nods. ¡°Yes, but it is for Black Rose¡¯s sake why we must stay away for now. Until the signal is given, then we shall go make our moves.¡± Pierrot Aicard grins. ¡°Until then, let¡¯s continue trailing this impertinent fool.¡± Meanwhile, back at Althea¡¯s mansion, a certain person is pouring out bad vibes in the area. Ignacio simply tosses a table napkin and it spreads on Sebastian¡¯s face then slowly falls down to his lap. Sebastian looks at Ignacio venomously. ¡°What? Of course, you side with her!¡± Ignacio simply laughs. ¡°In the end, this is her life, Sebastian. I know you treat Althea as a younger sibling, given the fact you are years older than her. But we should let her make decisions like that. It¡¯s the only way she¡¯ll grow as a better person.¡± Sebastian groans. ¡°Don¡¯t give me such of your pep talk. Althea is way better before than now. Trusting no one but us. Because we will never betray her!¡± He says abruptly leaving the room. Ignacio sighs and clears the kitchen of the filth. ¡°Oh well, time to go harvest those fruits. I¡¯ll make sure to send Louis some of those, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love that.¡± He then turns off the light then goes out back to the Brianbrair Orchard. Sebastian, on the other hand, found solace in polishing silverware, and dusting the whole mansion. He simply couldn¡¯t forget how Carson is taking away Althea. ¡®In the end, will she leave me as well? But, she¡¯s the only family I have left. She and her brother.¡¯ He thought. His resolve steeled, as an idea came to him. He¡¯ll make sure, that he¡¯ll keep this second family he has now, intact. The four suits gather up in front of The Soul of Cake Caf¨¦. Pierrot smiles. ¡°Ah, this place looks marvelous, let¡¯s all go in and have some fun! We deserve that after all!¡± Desmond Vertin smiles and he opens the door to the caf¨¦. Quickly, the female staff and customers swoon at him. Those who came with their female dates who end up swooning at Desmond, gave him annoyed glances. Pierrot laughs. ¡°Amplifying up your charm, I see? I heard that she¡¯s here.¡± He pokes at Desmond. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± He looks genuinely surprised, putting a mask of innocence. Bryton Rhychester laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot about last night? You got drunk and confessed that your first love works here.¡± Desmond laughs. ¡°I¡¯m bluffing, I¡¯m not yet ready to give up my bachelorhood.¡± Gallius smirks. ¡°Really? Do you want me to play the record? Too bad, you fell asleep before even saying the girl¡¯s name. Talk about a total wreck.¡± They poke fun at Desmond. Isabella then approaches them with her usual carefree smile. ¡°Sirs, come sit here in our newly upholstered seats, as to not crinkle your well-made suits.¡± She then gives them the menu. Pierrot glances at it and stares at Isabella. He leans over to Desmond. ¡°Is¡­ she the one? Man, you¡¯ve got nice tastes, but she looks innocent, I thought you like ¡®experienced¡¯ girls? Oh well, but she¡¯s good-natured, she¡¯ll definitely be a good wife material.¡± Desmond instead points to an item in the menu. ¡°I¡¯d like a Wintermelon Iced Tea, paired with some strawberry croissants.¡± Isabella smiles and jots down his order. Bryton laughs at Pierrot who was greatly ignored at this point by Desmond and places his order as well. Defeated, he and Gallius order as well. Isabella jots them all down and gives the order to the kitchen staff. She then comes back with a water pitcher and pours water for them. She then comes back with a trolley, containing everyone¡¯s order. ¡°It¡¯s Isabella, right?¡± She stares up from serving dishes upon hearing Pierrot call her. He gives her a goofy smile. ¡°Can I have the list of all the female staff here?¡± Isabella looks at him queerly. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll go ask our manager if that¡¯s okay.¡± And she disappears back into the kitchen. She then later on comes back with a list of people working there. ¡°Here you go sir. But before I give this to you, can I ask why you¡¯re asking for it?¡± Pierrot chuckles. ¡°Our friend here said, that his first love was working here! So! In order to know who this girl is, we would do a trial and error of sorts on him.¡± She nods and gives them the paper. But her curiosity got the better off her and she didn¡¯t move an inch away from the table. ¡°Can I know too? Plus, I could use that to poke fun at my fellow employees.¡± Pierrot gives her a high five. ¡°Ah, a woman after my own heart. We¡¯ll get along fairly well.¡± And he moves over to let her sit on the table as well. ¡°Pierrot, what are you trying to pull? Miss Isabella, don¡¯t be fooled by our friend, there is a reason why he¡¯s always called the fool in our workplace, plus his name generally translates to clown, so don¡¯t believe him.¡± Desmond says, trying to get out of the situation.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Come on Desmond, I thought you¡¯re bluffing? You¡¯re obviously blowing your cover off you know? That just makes us surer than ever that your first love is working here.¡± Bryton says sipping his coffee. Desmond sighs. ¡°This is pointless. She¡¯s not here, I tell you.¡± He says as he digs into his strawberry jam filled croissants and takes small sips from his Wintermelon drink. Pierrot and Bryton take turns into saying the names but in the end, it was to no avail. With Gallius acting as their lie detector, they learned that Desmond might be telling the truth. Isabella glances at the paper. ¡°Oh, the name of our manager-slash-chef isn¡¯t here.¡± Gallius smiles and puts down his cappuccino. ¡°Checkmate.¡± Bryton and Pierrot laugh. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see Gallius smile, and she¡¯s right. Maybe that girl is the manager-slash-chef of this establishment. Oh, you¡¯re so done for Desmond.¡± Desmond¡¯s face remains unperturbed. ¡°Ha, that¡¯s impossible.¡± Isabella points out to Althea walking towards them. ¡°Oh, here goes our chef-slash-manager.¡± She elbows Pierrot. ¡°She¡¯s really nice and all, and she¡¯s very supportive towards others. She¡¯s like a saint on earth, I shall say.¡± And she immediately stands up, bows slightly and attends to the other customers. Althea approaches their table, smiling enchantingly at the four. ¡°Welcome to our caf¨¦. I¡¯m sure, you¡¯re new customers. How are the dishes so far?¡± The three stiffen and Desmond sighs. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, miss.¡± He replies. Althea nods happily. ¡°Then please, taste this Chicken Alfredo Pasta I¡¯ve made. The sauce and pasta are made here, by me and with the help of our sous-chef Erick, and all the ingredients are all organic.¡± He looks at them with a look of uncertainty. ¡°Unless¡­ anyone of you is by chance¡­ lactose intolerant or allergic to poultry.¡± The four were silent. She sighs. ¡°I see, I¡¯ll take this back to the kitchen then. I¡¯m really sorry, I didn¡¯t take note of your allergies...¡± And she takes the plate back. Desmond grabs her arm. He looks away, blushing. ¡°It¡¯s not that miss, it¡¯s just that your cooking is far too dainty to look at, and we all are taken aback by your beauty as well.¡± Althea laughs it off. ¡°Sir, you definitely are a flatterer. But are you sure you don¡¯t have any food allergies pertaining to this dish? I wouldn¡¯t want to mark your first visit on our caf¨¦ with blotched skin or diarrhea.¡± The four quickly shake their heads. She smiles beautifully. ¡°Very well, please enjoy, and don¡¯t forget to fill our suggestion waiver!¡± She then leaves the table. The three looks at Desmond, who¡¯s grabbing his share of the pasta. ¡°You should all get your shares.¡± They all wordlessly eat their fill, and as per Althea¡¯s words, they filled the suggestion waiver. The four suits pay their bills, each leaving a hefty tip, underneath their plates. They all stand up and leave the caf¨¦. Pierrot is the first to speak up. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. That¡¯s her right?¡± Bryton looks at Desmond. ¡°Please tell us that¡¯s just her twin.¡± He says. Desmond and Gallius sighs. ¡°That can¡¯t be mistaken. Remember that time? The food taste just the same. I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s her.¡± Desmond replies. Gallius then speaks up. ¡°So, she¡¯s your first love then?¡± Desmond sighs even more deeply. ¡°Yes.¡± Bryton pats Desmond¡¯s back. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best, if we didn¡¯t come back here.¡± Desmond looks at the three. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Have you seen her? It¡¯s been years since I last saw that smile. I want to see that every day, even if it means I¡¯ll come as a customer.¡± The three sighs. ¡°Suit yourself. But don¡¯t say we never warned you.¡± Pierrot says. ¡°But, hang on buddy. I¡¯m sure, if you make her realize your worth as a man, she might like you.¡± Pierrot says reassuringly. The two nod, agreeing to what Pierrot said. Desmond smiles. ¡°Now, let¡¯s all go finish our missions so I could start impressing her.¡± They then walk away from the caf¨¦. Isabella pats Althea¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t usually do that; do you know them?¡± Isabella says, curiously. Althea smiles. ¡°What do you mean? We do that for all of our first timer guests.¡± She says, as she cuts through meat with finesse, preparing it for another dish. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t usually serve them first-hand. You already are tired with cooking, not to mention baking.¡± Isabella replies, helping her prepare the dish. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean to do it, I was going to ask our old guests what they think about our new menu.¡± Althea says, as she wipes the sweat from her brow. Isabella nods, and they continue cooking. Meanwhile, Ignacio is walking home, when he spots a raft of ducklings along with their mom waddling across the street. He immediately sees the impending danger that will come upon the raft, as the speeding car accelerates even further. He then sees a brick nearby and he hits the car¡¯s windshield smashing it, the brick sits on shotgun along with debris, shocking the driver and forcing him to halt. The driver angrily gets out of the car and confronts Ignacio. ¡°Do you know how expensive this car is?! You¡ª¡± ¡°You almost ran these ducks over.¡± Ignacio says, cutting him off as he pets the ducks, helping them cross the street. The man loses his cool even further and attacks Ignacio with a punch. Ignacio instead catches his arm and folds it behind the drivers back. ¡°You know, I can rip your arm off here and then, and I would definitely love to see you draped in a crimson like robe, but I want to use my tools on you. I want you to feel the coldness of my blade across your skin, how I start to flay your skin, as I remove it slowly while you scream in pain and agony. Can you wait for me here at least?¡± He whispers, his words sending shivers down to the man¡¯s spine. The man breaks away, thanks to a surge of adrenaline and Ignacio¡¯s loose hold on him. ¡°Monster! You¡¯re a monster! I¡¯ll report you to the cops!¡± He says, as he immediately rides his car and speeds away at a thunderous velocity. Ignacio, unfazed, skips away, after helping the ducks cross the street. He heads for the graveyard, where he sees a man in his fifties, placing a bouquet of flowers on the grave of Althea and Louis¡¯ mother. He then sighs and walks away. Ignacio picks the bouquet up and places it on another grave, ¡°Louis and Althea will be upset if they see his flowers on their beloved mother¡¯s grave.¡± In the distance, where a young girl wearing binoculars sat inside her car, staring at Ignacio who¡¯s tidying the grave of Althea and Louis¡¯ mother. ¡°Let¡¯s keep an eye on him for a while. Maybe he¡¯s the key to find them.¡± She then closed her car¡¯s tinted windows and waited for Ignacio to leave. But, as if he was a ghost, he disappeared in thin air. She clenched her fists and threw a pot towards the grave of Ilysse. ¡°This bitch! You should have never given born to them!¡± The she laughs sinisterly as she pulls the grass on the grave. ¡°Or much better yet! You should have never been born!¡± She began to stomp on the grave, kicking the dirt all around it. ¡°I hate you so much! You gave birth to them! You ruined my life!¡± Grabbing a nearby shovel, she began to hit at the gravestone so hard, that it crumped into pieces. Seeing their mother¡¯s gravestone destroyed gave her a euphoric feeling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll punish them, and ruin their lives just as you did with mine. I assure you, you¡¯ll be together soon.¡± She spat on it one last time and dusted herself off before heading back to her car. Chapter Four: The Obnoxious Visitor Chapter Four: The Obnoxious Visitor ¡°Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardships and not surrender, that is strength.¡± - Mahatma Ghandi ¡°Sebastian what do you think about these designs?¡± I ask Sebastian showing him three different designs of uniforms for the caf¨¦. He stares at them. ¡°They¡¯re not bad, I¡¯m guessing Pollyanna drew this, am I right?¡± He says. She nods enthusiastically. ¡°She really good with arts, if this continues, I might grant her a scholarship.¡± Sebastian¡¯s eyes widen at her remark. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He says, flabbergasted. She smiles. ¡°Of course. I am not the person I was before. I am simply Althea Brianbrair, the owner of The Soul of Cake caf¨¦. Besides, it¡¯s different from just giving a simple check to a certain cause. I get to help them personally. I think that is something noteworthy.¡± She says, placing the drawings on the table. ¡°But enough of that now, which do you think is better? Thus, I could actually get some tailors to make them.¡± I tell him. He focuses on the drawings. ¡°I think the second one is better, plus the gold trimmings make it look more sophisticated, yet warm. This is for the girls, right? Where are the matching uniforms for the boys then?¡± She settles the designs for the boys¡¯ uniform beside the design for the girls¡¯ uniform. He studies the matching design that he chose. ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but are you sure? I think it would be nice as an event, but for it to make a permanent uniform, are you planning to make it a costume caf¨¦?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, that is my plan. This uniform is just for an event. I¡¯m trying to put some gimmicks so I can attract more customers, and I believe with these, we might get new patrons.¡± She says, giving him a thumbs-up. ¡°Sharp as ever, Sebastian.¡± He shrugs. ¡°I have to be, I can¡¯t compete with your genius brain after all.¡± Ignacio strides into the kitchen, seeing them hunched over and discussing about the designs, he makes his way over. ¡°Are these the new designs for your event?¡± He asks Althea. She nods, and he smiles. ¡°These are good, but you better look for a tailor that would take bulk orders, and don¡¯t forget, not too fancy.¡± He says, reminding her. ¡°Yes, Tio Cio.¡± She says, listening to his sound advice. ¡°So that would be nine maid dresses and butler costumes.¡± She says affirming with the three. Ignacio objects. ¡°Make it ten maid dresses and eight butler costumes.¡± Althea looks at him queerly. ¡°But why?¡± She asks him, confused. He laughs jovially. ¡°Because I¡¯ll be dressing as one! ?Ah, me ver¨¦ maravilloso en eso! (Oh, I''ll look wonderful in that!)¡± Althea laughs and Sebastian pales up. ¡°Are you sure Ignacio?¡± He asks, his voice quaking. ¡°That would look horrendous on you, especially your build and all.¡± Ignacio looks at him seriously. ¡°Got a problem, el mocoso? (punk)¡± He says intimidatingly. Sebastian raises his hands up. ¡°None, monsieur. (sir)¡± Althea laughs. ¡°That would be good, I like your idea, I¡¯ll also go ask Louis to come over, I¡¯m sure all his stress will melt away if he sees you in a maid outfit Tio Cio!¡± And she goes back to her room to get her phone. Ignacio looks at Sebastian. ¡°We have a problem.¡± He tells him, as he sits on the counter. ¡°Someone destroyed the tombstone of their mother. I asked around, but no one saw who did it. The stones are made with a Van Gogh granite marble, that won¡¯t be easily obtained nowadays. With it¡¯s rarity, we have a better chance of finding one in the black market. And I¡¯m sure they would notice it, because it will differ in design. Those siblings are far too observative for their own good.¡± Ignacio says, sighing. ¡°Althea is finally happy. I don¡¯t want to see her get so down again. Worse, if she sees it, she might crumple down.¡± Ignacio gnashes his teeth in anger. Sebastian calms him down. ¡°We¡¯ll let¡¯s hope we can find one in the black market. I¡¯ll contact Gallius and Desmond secretly, they¡¯ve dealt with the black market once or twice already, they will know it better than we do.¡± Ignacio sighs. ¡°Althea might be in trouble. Should we inform Louis?¡± Sebastian looks at the slightly opened door of Althea¡¯s room, and in there, the girl is laughing while talking to her brother. ¡°Not now, let¡¯s see first what we can do about it. We are her servants after all, it is time we fulfill our purpose.¡± Ignacio nods, and soon enough Althea skips back into the room. ¡°Louis says he¡¯ll try to come at the event! I told him a special surprise is waiting for him, I can¡¯t wait for the event day to come!¡± She says squealing in excitement. Then she notices the serious expression on their faces. ¡°Why the long face? Aren¡¯t you excited?¡± Ignacio smiles immediately. ¡°Of course, we are! I just realized, I was running out of ¡®fertilizer¡¯ for the orchard.¡± She squints her eyes at them. ¡°Sure? You¡¯re not hiding anything from me?¡± She says poking Sebastian¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I advise you to stop that. Or I¡¯ll go back to formal mode.¡± He says seriously. ¡°Oh, you mean, stick in the mud mode?¡± She says jokingly. Then she glances at her wristwatch. ¡°Oh no! Sebastian, Tio Cio! We are late! I had so much fun chatting with Louis I didn¡¯t notice the time! We should have left minutes ago! Once we arrive, I¡¯m sure our staff would be waiting outside.¡± She drags the both of them and when she sees Isabella she drags her off to the car as well. Once seated, she leans over to Sebastian, who¡¯s on the driver seat. ¡°You better step on the gas Sebastian.¡± He grins. ¡°Whatever you say, Mistress.¡± And he starts the engine and he immediately sets for the road, and he indeed follows her orders and he steps on the gas. Upon arriving at the caf¨¦, Althea could barely walk. Every step she makes, a surge of nausea comes back to her. Isabella couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and she heaves out on the nearby tree¡¯s roots. Sebastian crinkles his nose. ¡°Ah, pauvre toi. (Ah, poor you.)¡± Isabella looks up and before she speaks, another wave of nausea overcomes her and she heaves out again. Ignacio laughs and grabs a wheelchair for Althea. He upon setting it on the path, he then pats Isabella¡¯s back. ¡°You okay, muchacha? (lass)¡± Sebastian then helps Althea sit on the wheelchair, grinning triumphantly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you for this Sebastian.¡± Then she smiles after realizing something. ¡°Or maybe not. You¡¯re not that deep of a stick in the mud.¡± He smirks. ¡°Thank you for your compliment.¡± Isabella stops heaving after and with Ignacio¡¯s help, she marches towards Sebastian and she hits his shoulder with a punch. Sebastian looks at her shocked, in a not so good way. He then looks at her with annoyance. ¡°What was that for, femme laide? (ugly woman)¡± She hits him again, and this time he catches it. He then feels a sudden spark, that he couldn¡¯t explain. He gazes on her hazel brown eyes, and he felt like he¡¯s being drawn to them. She fumes out. ¡°That was far too fast! I thought I died!¡± Sebastian snaps back, and he smirks at her. ¡°I just merely fulfilled the wishes of my mistress.¡± Isabella had more to say, when she felt another wave of nausea. She then raises a finger, then dashes to the nearby tree to retch. Sebastian laughs and he pushes Althea to the caf¨¦ frontier where a lot of their staff is waiting plus their early morning patrons. Upon seeing her in that condition, they crowded over her. ¡°Are you okay miss?¡± A staff asked. ¡°What happened?¡± asked a female patron who frequently comes over for their coffee. She smiles at them warmly, placating them all. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Just a bit under the weather.¡± She then struggles to stand up, but her dizziness got the better out of her. A staff comes forward. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll open it instead, please rest. We don¡¯t want you to compromise your health.¡± The people around them also agree. Sebastian smirks at Althea. ¡°You heard your staff and your customers. They want you to take it easy.¡± He says, with a hint of teasing in his voice. Her junior patisserie walks toward her. ¡°I-I¡¯ll t-take o-over y-your st-station, m-miss.¡± She says, stuttering and blushing beet-red. Althea pats her head. ¡°I¡¯ll take over it once I feel better. Thank you.¡± She smiles at everyone again. ¡°Thank you for your concern everyone.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Once the door was opened, everyone went in and soon the whole morning shift ended accordingly. Soon enough, she¡¯s wearing her cooking garb. She enters the kitchen and helps the afternoon shift prepare meals. Afterwards, she heads over to the barista counter and she helps the baristas make the drinks of the customers. It was a very busy afternoon. Just as she was about to go in the kitchen, a group of men enter her premises. The make way for a man clad in a gorgeous suit and tie. He looks around. A waitress approaches him. ¡°Sir, would you like to sit down?¡± He looks at her condescendingly. ¡°A paltry waitress. I don¡¯t want to talk to you. Go fetch your manager. She¡¯ll be a better conversant than some vermin like you.¡± Althea raises her eyebrow and she removes her apron and she undoes her bun, making her hair fall down in soft waves. She then walks towards the man. ¡°I am the manager here. My name is Althea Brianbrair.¡± He then shushes her. He examines her from head to toe, nodding to himself. ¡°You look wonderful miss manager. But please don¡¯t talk to me like that again. Clearly, we are of different worlds and backgrounds you see.¡± Althea simply smiles. ¡°I understand sir.¡± She says respectfully. He then smiles. ¡°That¡¯s it, at least you know how to make reparations. I won¡¯t sit down on your cheap upholstery, I¡¯m afraid, I might ruin my suit. It¡¯s a very expensive suit after all. I¡¯ll discuss it here.¡± He looks at his men and they start to shove the customers out. They all scream in panic and confusion. Althea shocked, she pulls the men away from the customers but it was to no avail. They shove her down immediately. Sebastian comes over and helps her up. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± The man laughs. ¡°Oh, fine, then I¡¯ll announce it here then. I want to buy your caf¨¦. Name your price.¡± Althea looks at him angrily. ¡°I will not sell my caf¨¦! Not in a million years!¡± He laughs at her reply. ¡°Oh, a tough one eh.¡± He says arrogantly. ¡°I have my ways to make you give up this place. I suggest you take my money instead of making me do underhanded ways to make you give it up. You wouldn¡¯t want to lose all your assets don¡¯t you think?¡± Ignacio comes out from the kitchen and faces them. ¡°Get out.¡± He says, his body bursting with a murderous aura. The man shrinks away, and he motions for his men to surround him. ¡°Using force on me will do you nothing. In fact, I can put you to jail right now.¡± Ignacio then runs quickly, to the point that he even blurs out. He closes the distance between them, even knocking over some of the men who was covering the arrogant man. ¡°I said, leave.¡± He says, his savage aura dominating him. The man could feel himself quaking, but he decides to stand firm. ¡°I will not be threatened by you. Men, teach this guy a lesson.¡± The hired men then face Ignacio, who has a grim expression on his face. ¡°Do I have your permission, Amante (Mistress)?¡± Althea nods. ¡°Teach them a lesson as well.¡± Ignacio then, with a wild glint in his eye, confronts them with a ferocious expression, like a tiger baring his claws. ¡°Come at me then!¡± The first guy throws a punch at him and he immediately dodges it and grabs the arm of the man. With a pull, he dislocates the man¡¯s shoulder and he twists his arm, breaking the man¡¯s wrists as well. He pushes the man on the ground and two men now charge at him, revealing knives and a nunchaku. They strike at him, but he evades their attacks and instead, he reaches for both of their heads, and smashes it at each other with an inhuman force. A sound of a small crackle can be heard as the two men crumple down, their foreheads bleeding. The other men start to quake in their shoes as Ignacio slowly walks at them, like an Asura whose thirsty for blood. ¡°Anyone else?¡± He says, with a menacing smile. The men gulp and they start to back away. The arrogant man then pushes them forward. ¡°Attack him you wankers! Have I been paying you less to do such a shabby job! I¡¯ll fire you all at once, and I¡¯ll make sure you all would go back to the dumps where you all belong!¡± The men exchanged glances with each other, and they all revealed their weapons. They attacked at him all at once. He managed to successfully dodge them all. Some of the men stares at Althea who¡¯s watching the unfolding scene. With an unspoken agreement, half of them began to run after Althea. Sebastian knocks them out completely, except one, who manages to brandish his knife towards Althea¡¯s throat. ¡°You better stop, or I¡¯ll slit her throat, right here and then!¡± The arrogant man smiles and he claps. ¡°Wonderful, I¡¯ll double your pay!¡± Ignacio then stops fighting, and the men easily over power him. They kick him on his sides, but he doesn¡¯t even flinch. Althea looks at Ignacio with worry. ¡°Uncle Cio!¡± The man presses the blade deeper to Althea¡¯s throat, drawing blood. ¡°I suggest you not make a move missy.¡± He says. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to rip your pretty little throat.¡± Sebastian face dims over. Ignacio then stands up, and he grabs the man nearest to him and he pushes him away with an inhuman strength to the wall. The man hits it, and crumples down. The other men stab him but instead, he kicks their hands, and smashes the bones in their arms. Sebastian on the other hand, walks closer to the man who got Althea hostage. ¡°D-don¡¯t move any closer! I¡¯ll kill her!¡± He says, his arms trembling. ¡°You¡¯ve made a wrong move mister.¡± Althea says, her voice serious. She then takes advantage of the trembling of the man and she immediately step on his foot with her pointed heels and she spins around to kick the man¡¯s groin. He then couches down, and Althea takes this time to jam her elbow at the man¡¯s throat choking him. Sebastian them immediately takes her, and he lifts the man¡¯s collar with one hand. ¡°You dare to threaten our mistress? You lowlife scum?¡± he then twists the man¡¯s body and he pops the man¡¯s neck on his elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll end your measly life here. You are not even worthy to touch a single spot of her skin, or a speck of her hair. You¡¯ll pay for your atrocities.¡± He then squeezes hard, and the man, loses his breath, and his face turns a shade of purple. Ignacio by then, has broken the men¡¯s bones. Around him were the men the arrogant man had hired, either groaning and crying in pain or unconscious. Despite his injures, he walks over to the man and grabs him by the throat. He squeezes the arrogant man¡¯s throat, his face changes from pale white, to blue, to purple. ¡°Ignacio, Louis, stand down.¡± They both reluctantly let them go. The arrogant man gasps for his breath. ¡°I¡¯ll sue you! I¡¯ll make sure you lose! You¡¯ll all rot in jail!¡± He says hysterically. The door open and Carson comes in. ¡°Oh sir, I don¡¯t think so. Because¡­¡± he says pointing towards all the cameras in the caf¨¦, plus the customers who were hiding in the corners, and underneath the tables who were holding their cellphones, either filming everything, or calling the police. ¡°Despite your money, for what you did, let me think, this is harassment, plus, you threatened that girl¡¯s life so it would be attempted murder. I can prattle on and on about the cases that I can pile up on your name, and I can tell you, I never lost a case, ever. Even if I fought against moneybags like you.¡± He says. ¡°I suggest you prepare. We¡¯ll be sending a subpoena soon.¡± The man points at Carson, but seeing Ignacio¡¯s terrifying glance, he immediately retreated. Althea then collapsed down, from too much stress. Carson then catches her. He looks at everyone around. ¡°Call the paramedics!¡± Ignacio crouches down to Althea. ¡°Sir, you have to get your wounds treated.¡± Carson tells Ignacio. He ignores him. ¡°I¡¯ll take her back, thank you for your worries.¡± Sebastian nods in agreement. ¡°She¡¯s safe in our hands.¡± He says, hard-headedly. Carson looks at them. ¡°You both are injured. What use will you two be if you collapsed? Even if you arrived back into your homes, imagine what her expression would be if she sees you injured like this.¡± Ignacio sighs, and they all wait for the paramedics to come. Sebastian excuses himself and walks away. He then dials a number. ¡°Desmond, I need you help. I want you to use your influence in the hospital we are going. We want you to erase our records there. And don¡¯t inform Louis. He¡¯s¡­¡± he trails off. ¡°He¡¯s having his own problems right now.¡± Carson stayed beside Althea, as the paramedics arrive and take her away, they also take Ignacio and Sebastian to address and suture their wounds if needed. They also have to undergo ultrasound to see if their organs were badly bruised or whatnot. Sebastian then tells the doctor of Althea¡¯s history of disease and current ones. Carson could barely hear them, as he was fixated on the woman before him. Despite her fragility, she never hesitated to help the customers who were being harassed. She showed her cunningness when she managed to overthrow her assailant. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. ¡°You really are something, Althea.¡± He then watches over her as the doctors attend to her. Chapter Five: The Complications Chapter Five: The Complications "If we desire respect for the law, then we must first make the law respectable.¡± - Louis D. Brandeis Althea opens her eyes, and the first thing she can see was the white ceiling of the hospital. She looks around and she can see Carson sleeping upright at a chair nearby her bed. She sees his coat hung on the arm of the chair and she reaches for it and covers him. Due to that Carson wakes up, revealing his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Five more minutes¡­¡± He says groggily. He stares at Althea and attempts to go back to sleep, when he realizes she¡¯s already awake. He quickly snaps back and smiles at her with relief. ¡°Took you quite a while to wake up sleepy head.¡± He tells her jokingly. Althea chuckles. ¡°My bad, the stress took over me.¡± Then she realizes the gravity of the situation she¡¯s in. ¡°I guess I¡¯m in it for now. I could kiss my caf¨¦ goodbye.¡± She says sadly. ¡°My brother will be so furious if he hears about this.¡± She lets out a long sigh. Carson holds her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if we make our move first, like I said in the caf¨¦, we have our precious evidence right there. And a lot of your patrons took videos of the fight. At the very best, they can be self-defense!¡± He tells Althea. Althea shakes her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± She says, sighing. ¡°I feel better now. I want to see Uncle Cio and Sebastian.¡± Carson disagrees. ¡°You should stay in bed.¡± Althea hangs her head. ¡°Please. Let me see them. I beg you.¡± She pleads. Carson relents and he goes out for a bit and comes back with a wheelchair. Althea refuses his help in standing up, and she sits on the wheelchair. He pushes them to Ignacio and Sebastian¡¯s ICU room, only to be stopped by the nurse in waiting. ¡°Madam, we can only allow the family of the patients.¡± Althea bites her lips, preventing her tears. ¡°I¡¯m their family.¡± She says. The nurse in waiting checks, and soon enough she¡¯s allowed inside. She immediately sees Ignacio and Sebastian grumbling with each other. Althea immediately stands from her wheelchair and hugs Ignacio first. ¡°Tio Cio, I¡¯m sorry!¡± She says sobbing. She embraces Sebastian as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sebastian, I- I Should have¡­¡± Carson, excuses himself and decides to wait outside. Sebastian pats her back. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you could have done, we are your servants, you shouldn¡¯t be crying when we get injured.¡± He tells her, consoling her. ¡°It was more than enough for us that you¡¯re okay.¡± Ignacio nods. ¡°These are just superficial wounds, mijita. They are not enough to put us down. How about you? Your heart?¡± Althea sobs in between words. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Doctor said, I just need a few days of rest.¡± She tells them. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have lost my cool like that, look at what happened, we are going to court due to this.¡± She looks at Ignacio worriedly. ¡°I can¡¯t have you appear there.¡± She says. Sebastian pats her back. ¡°Your brother has given both of us a clean slate. There is nothing to worry.¡± Althea stares at the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, that you had to protect me with your bodies. If I was a bit¡ª¡± Ignacio smiles. ¡°Mijita, protecting you, was our duty. And besides that, you are our family. I saw you grow up nicely, any parent would be proud to have you as a child. I will not hesitate to do that again, if the need arises.¡± He tells her solemnly. Sebastian pulls her aside. ¡°You matter to us.¡± He pats her head. ¡°We¡¯ll always have you covered.¡± She sighs. ¡°Once my brother knows about this, he¡¯ll flip and ask me to close the caf¨¦.¡± She says sadly. Ignacio laughs. ¡°If your brother finds out.¡± He says. Sebastian looks at him suspiciously. ¡°Whatever idea you¡¯ve got, keep it to yourself.¡± He says. Ignacio shushes Sebastian. ¡°Calma, mi amigo. We should keep our options open.¡± He looks at Althea. ¡°Mijita, do you believe in that lawyer?¡± He asks her. Althea nods. ¡°His credentials are good; besides, I can¡¯t shake this feeling, that somehow, we¡¯ve already met before. I just don¡¯t remember when.¡± She admits. Tio Cio claps his hands. ¡°Si, then we got the answer to our problem, but I suggest, you prepare a failsafe.¡± Althea goes quiet, a sign that¡¯s she¡¯s thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve made my failsafe.¡± She says confidently. ¡°It¡¯s my greatest asset after all.¡± Sebastian and Ignacio nod, as if they have read her mind. Althea checks on Ignacio¡¯s wounds. ¡°That aside, are you sure they¡¯re just superficial?¡± She asks. Ignacio smiles. ¡°Nothing serious mijita. I swear. Though, I feel jealous, you hugged Sebastian first.¡± He says, pouting. Althea laughs and hugs him. ¡°Aww, you envious Tio Cio?¡± Tio Cio mock cries. ¡°And then soon, you¡¯ll leave me for a man, marry them, and have kids. Then I¡¯ll slowly fade away from your life.¡± Althea laughs harder, clutching at her stomach. ¡°Tio Cio, I¡¯m too young to marry. For now, I just want to enjoy my second life. And even if I do so, I¡¯m taking you with me, Sebastian too if he likes.¡± The room was filled with their voices, talking animatedly. Carson waits outside patiently. Soon enough, Althea¡¯s head peeks from the room. He chuckles. ¡°You should go back to your room.¡± He says. Althea smiles at him happily. ¡°I was going to, I was checking if you were still there.¡± He laughs. ¡°I¡¯m actually a ghost, you¡¯re seeing things.¡± He says teasingly. Althea slaps his arm. ¡°See? Real.¡± Carson stops teasing her and asks her to sit down on the wheelchair. ¡°Carson, is your offer still available?¡± Althea says out of the blue while Carson wheels her back to her room. He grins. ¡°Dinner? Why yes of course, pick you up at 9 am sharp?¡± He says jokingly. Althea shakes her head. ¡°I want to take you as my lawyer. You¡¯re right, that¡¯s the best course of action for now. By filing a case against that man first, I get the upper leverage.¡± She says. Carson pats her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, we¡¯ll win this.¡± He tells her reassuringly. ¡°So, is this a yes?¡± Althea asks, confirming his decision. ¡°Of course.¡± A week passes by after Carson files a case on behalf of Althea against the rich man, Ravier Trevor, a well-known business man who specializes in casinos. They soon receive the subpoena for the case. Another letter falls from Carson¡¯s hand and upon further inspection, he realizes it¡¯s another subpoena. Ripping the envelop, he reads the contents quickly, that states he is called in for grossly immoral conduct. He almost crumples the paper and he calls Althea. ¡°We have a problem.¡± Althea taps her fingers on the table. Carson has long ended the call, and he immediately set out to make some countermeasures on his part. Sebastian comes through the door and places tea on her bedside table. ¡°I prepared your favorite tea, Butterfly Pea Flower Tea.¡± He says, taking notice of her silence. ¡°Is there anything wrong mistress?¡± He asks her, breaking her out of her reverie. She sighs. ¡°It¡¯s Carson. He said, Ravier had filed a case against him as well. Grossly Immoral Conduct. It might cause him his license if he¡¯s not careful. And due to that, he will not be able to represent us.¡± She tells Sebastian, as she takes a sip of the warm tea. Sebastian looks at her. ¡°If you want, we can¡­¡± Althea shakes her head, halting his words.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No Sebastian. I will not order you to do so.¡± She tells him and holds his hands. ¡°These hands are made to save, not to kill. I once brought you away from that life. I will not allow you to go back once more.¡± I tell him. Sebastian shakes his head. ¡°Ignacio will do otherwise.¡± He tells her. Althea smiles slightly. ¡°I know. Because that¡¯s how he is. Even if I try to prevent him from doing so, he won¡¯t. The only thing I can do for him is to understand him, and to care for him that way.¡± She tells him, squeezing his hand. ¡°Sebastian, you don¡¯t have to dirty your hands for me. Believe in me, that we can get through this.¡± Sebastian sighs, and pats her head. ¡°Just be careful. I will not hesitate to kill, if it means saving you.¡± He says, not allowing any room for negotiation. Althea simply nods her head, smiling. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Sebastian then excuses himself and leaves her room. Althea grabs her phone and dials a number. ¡°Hello? Yes, I need your services¡­¡± Ignacio grabs his disguise in his wardrobe and slips it on. ¡®Must kill¡­. Must Kill¡­ MUST KILL¡­¡¯ His thoughts rang loud in his head. His anger shoots up, as he recalls how the man held a knife to Althea¡¯s throat. He grits his teeth as he swallows the lump on his throat down, his throat dry, thirsting for blood. He stands up and observes his outer appearance on the mirror. When he¡¯s sure, that he looks ordinary enough to not stand out, he opens the door of his room. He sees Althea in front of his room waiting for him. She embraces him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this Tio Cio¡­ Don¡¯t dirty your hands anymore.¡± She tells him sobbing. He holds the girl in his arms, the girl he grew to care for. ¡°Mijita¡­ They will not hurt you anymore.¡± He says, seeing the bandage on her neck. He grits his teeth even further in anger. ¡°I will make sure of that.¡± He breaks from her embrace and kneels down. He wipes away Althea¡¯s tears. ¡°Ni?a (child), stop crying.¡± He says gently. ¡°You have to think best of your health, you mustn¡¯t become too agitated or too sad. I¡¯ll ask Isabella to accompany you while I¡¯m gone.¡± He slings his ever-ready bag. Althea sighs. ¡°It seems I can¡¯t really dissuade you.¡± She tells him smiling bitterly. Ignacio smiles and pinches Althea¡¯s cheeks, tugging them lightly to form a better smile. ¡°Smiles like before don¡¯t suit you. Smile like the ever-burning sun, mijita. That would be enough for me.¡± He tells her. Althea hugs him again. ¡°Be careful. I know your skills, but please, return safe and unscathed.¡± She tells him. He pats her back. ¡°Yes, mijita.¡± Althea steps aside, and she watches Ignacio walk away. Meanwhile, Carson reviews the case filed against him. He smiles. ¡°This will be easy.¡± He remembers the lonesome image of Althea on the lakeside, how somehow, seeing her like that squeezed his heart. His phone rings, and he answers it. ¡°Ah yes, the case will be easy. You promised your help man. I¡¯ll be expecting you there. Yes, I¡¯ve done everything. I¡¯ll leave the documents on my desk then. You do your job well.¡± He reminisces her laughing face. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s really important to me. Yes, goodbye.¡± And he hangs the phone. He stretches his aching back. ¡°Now, let¡¯s back to work.¡± And he continues to review the case. Isabella knocks on Althea¡¯s door. ¡°Signorina?¡± Althea opens the door, her eyes conveying the opposite of her usual happy smile. ¡°Come in, what do you need?¡± She says, gesturing for Isabella to sit down. Isabella looks around Althea¡¯s large room. Unlike the other rooms, her bedroom was akin to a size of a penthouse suite. Althea grabs a heating coil in the large cabinet, as well as a small metal kettle and a ceramic teapot. ¡°I¡¯ll make some tea, are you okay with Moon White Tea? I could ask Sebastian for other teas but, knowing him, he¡¯ll be grumpy knowing that I¡¯ll serve it to you.¡± She tells her, as she heats the water, and prepares the dried leaves, placing them inside the teapot. ¡°Signorina, you don¡¯t have to do this for me.¡± Isabella tells her. ¡°Sebastian will be more upset with me.¡± She then hangs her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was useless.¡± She tells Althea. Althea looks at her. ¡°The only thing I could do was call the cops and extract the videos from the CCTVs in our caf¨¦.¡± She clasps her hands tightly. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Althea smiles at her and pats her head. ¡°Isabella, it¡¯s alright. Besides, you¡¯re busy with the lodgings, and those who rent out our gondolas. I couldn¡¯t ask more from you.¡± Isabella looks at Althea. ¡°Signorina, you truly are the kindest.¡± She tells her. ¡°I want to be able to help you better, please, allow me to learn basic fighting skills!¡± She tells her bowing her head towards Althea. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to feel so helpless just like last time. I want to be able to protect you.¡± She says, determinedly. Althea shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s really alright if you don¡¯t.¡± She says. ¡°I prefer you this way.¡± ¡®Normal.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t blurt out the last word. She smiles instead. ¡°Sebastian and Tio Cio are professional martial artists.¡± She says lying. Isabella nods. ¡°I want to learn as well!¡± She says determinedly. Althea sighs. ¡°I disagree. I hired you so you can work for me and assist me. Not for you to learn martial arts.¡± Isabella sighs. ¡°I see.¡± She then stands up. ¡°Thank you for your time, Signorina. I hope we can do this more often.¡± She then quickly downs her tea, bows gently and leaves the room. On Isabella¡¯s way to her room, she bumps into Sebastian. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going! Maladroit! (clumsy)¡± He says irritatedly. Isabella quickly apologizes and stands at the side to give way to Sebastian. But before Sebastian could even walk away, she grabs the edge of his shirt. Sebastian looks back at her but before he can scold her, she hangs her head. ¡°Please, teach me how to fight.¡± She says, taking Sebastian aback with her words. He gives her a condescending smirk. ¡°Are you even joking?¡± He says. Isabella raises her head, leveling his condescending stare, with a determined gaze. ¡°No.¡± Her voice was serious and lacking her usual mirth. Sebastian looks at her and he yawns. ¡°No.¡± He says as he removes her hand and walks away. Isabella runs in front of him and blocks the hallway and kneels down. ¡°Please, give me a chance.¡± She says, her tone of voice almost begging. Sebastian looks at her. ¡°No.¡± She looks at him stubbornly. ¡°Then I will not stop to pester you, until you say yes!¡± She says, her brown eyes seem to luminesce even further in Sebastian¡¯s eyes. He can feel the sincerity in her voice. ¡°Althea will never approve.¡± He says and she looks at the ground once more. ¡°She¡­ doesn¡¯t have to know. I just¡­ don¡¯t want to feel so helpless like before. The only thing I could do was visit you all. Despite everything, this has been my second home. And I want to protect it.¡± Sebastian looks at her, and sidesteps, and walks back to his room. Isabella remained there, kneeling, the feeling of rejection, numbing her body. Sebastian then stops. ¡°Meet me at the orchard tomorrow, exactly three a.m. sharp. Be late, and I¡¯ll reconsider this.¡± He says, entering his room. Isabella stands up, still unbelieving just what had transpired. She smiles and she runs to his room and knocks excitedly. When Sebastian opens it, she immediately hugs him. ¡°Thank you! I promise, you won¡¯t regret this!¡± She immediately releases Sebastian, who was flabbergasted by her embrace, and she runs to her room. Sebastian couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡®I think I¡¯m starting to regret my decision.¡¯ He thought, as he follows her with his gaze. He harrumphs and enters his room. ¡®I¡¯m sure, she won¡¯t even last a day in training.¡¯ He thought, as he lays on his bed. ¡®She might never even last for a minute.¡¯ And with that thought, he closes his eyes. ¡°Black Rose told us to stay at her mansion for now. She said that she has something important to discuss with us in the morning.¡± Gallius says to everyone, his eyes on the road. ¡°She also said, our rooms are ready.¡± He scratches his head. ¡°I can feel that she¡¯s holding a grudge against us.¡± He says. Pierrot laughs. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we can always stay in her mansion. She has good intentions, but we are also men.¡± He says shrugging. Bryton slaps the back of Pierrot¡¯s head. ¡°Stop acting so cool. I¡¯ll tell her to ban you forever in her mansion, since you¡¯re a ¡°man¡±. I heard she improved the mansion even further. She also hired maids, other cooks, and two gardeners. We¡¯ll be pampered there for sure.¡± Bryton says. Pierrot drops his jaw. ¡°You really mean that Bryton? Oh boy, I can¡¯t wait to go back there.¡± He says, clapping his hands in anticipation. Desmond laughs. ¡°I thought you¡¯re a man, and you don¡¯t need to stay in her mansion? No need to get so pumped up, besides, she can make do with just us you know.¡± He says teasingly at Pierrot. ¡°Aww, come on, how can I be not useful? My charms and skills are enough to get me anything I want.¡± Pierrot says, boastfully. Bryton grabs his chin and moves it to the left, and to the right. ¡°Man, I see no charm.¡± He says laughing. Gallius clears his throat. ¡°Best behavior boys, we¡¯re almost there.¡± The three nods, and the enter the grounds of the mansion. Chapter Six: The Aftermath Chapter Six: The Aftermath ¡°I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship.¡± - Louisa May Alcott Isabella shows up in the orchard at exactly two forty-five a.m. She sees Sebastian leaning on the bark of the tree, smoking. Sebastian turns to face her, the smoke wafting to her nose. She coughs and she snatches the cigarette from Sebastian and snuffs it with the sole of her shoe. ¡°Smoking kills. I¡¯m sure Althea already told you that.¡± She says, earning a scowl from Sebastian. ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to boss me.¡± He says, pinning her to the tree. Her heartbeat triples as her heart hammers hard on her rib cage. ¡®You can do this Isabella, be strong.¡¯ She said to herself. ¡°I¡¯m simply concerned. Cancer isn¡¯t an easily cured disease. And I know your dedication to Althea, you wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience her. Just think of that and quit smoking.¡± She says, steeling her resolve against Sebastian. ¡°I¡¯m here to train, and I don¡¯t want my instructor to die in the middle of the training session.¡± She says, her face straight, careful enough to not let any emotion show despite of her quickened heartbeats. Sebastian gives her an evil smirk. ¡°This is nice, our petit renard (little fox) is growing her claws.¡± He then sidesteps and lets her go. Isabella inhales sharply and she walks to the center. Sebastian joins her there. He gives her a mocking smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what you got.¡± Althea wakes up, in cold sweat. She glances at the clock. It¡¯s three a.m., far too early for her to be up and all. The low humming of the air conditioning can be heard along with her hurried breathing. She can still feel her heart thumping hard against her ribcage; the blood roaring in her ears. She runs her hands across her hair then presses a button underneath her nightstand. A few minutes later, a series of rapping can be heard, and the door opens. A man familiar to her comes inside and bows slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mistress, if I disturbed you. You¡­ seemed to be in pain, and I don¡¯t see Sebastian and Ignacio anywhere.¡± He says, carrying a tray of assorted medicine and a glass of water. Althea holds her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inconvenience you like this.¡± She says apologetically, while she attends to her throbbing head. ¡°Another symptom?¡± He asks, as he settles the pills down and hands her the glass of water. She takes the pills and the glass of water. ¡°No, just¡­¡± She pauses. ¡°Another nightmare.¡± He finishes for her. She nods. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be strong, but it still haunts me a lot.¡± She says and then she downs the water, the cold fluid going down smoothly, and it dampens her parched and dry throat. He stands up. ¡°Wait for me here.¡± He says and he promptly leaves the room. He comes back with a violin. ¡°Let me play for you mistress.¡± He says, resting the violin on his shoulders, as his hands deftly slide the bow back and forth, calming music resonating from the instrument itself. Althea slips back into the covers and lets the calming music of the violin ease her weary eyes and soon enough, the sleepiness engulfs her. ¡°Desmond¡­ thank you. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯ll never hear you play the violin anymore. We really grew far apart...¡± She says, her heavy eyes giving in to sleep. The man continues to play, this time, there are tears in his eyes. Sebastian gives Isabella a low kick on her shins. She crumples down. ¡°Get up, maladroit (clumsy).¡± He then gives her a condescending look. ¡°Or are you giving up now?¡± He says, tauntingly. Isabella, with shaky legs, she stands up. ¡°Again. Do it again.¡± She says, gritting her teeth so hard as to not feel the pain in her legs. Sebastian shrugs and he attacks her with almost blinding speed. ¡®Give up, woman.¡¯ Sebastian thought as he put every ounce of strength he has, and kicks Isabella¡¯s shin again. ¡°Too slow!¡± He shouts. Isabella stands up again. ¡°DO IT AGAIN!¡± She shouts, despite knowing her legs were badly bruised already. Sebastian attacks her again, throwing a mock punch towards her face, catching her off guard and he trips her, and she falls flat on her back. She struggles to get up. ¡°A-again.¡± She says, wiping the sweat from her brow. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Sebastian says, as he attacks again. Black Rose meets the four suits in the dining room. ¡°I made you all breakfast, I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± She says. They all shake their heads. Pierrot speaks up. ¡°Hurrah! I missed your cooking so much!¡± He says elated. Bryton slaps the back of his head again. ¡°You glutton. You shouldn¡¯t have bothered.¡± He says. Black Rose chuckles. ¡°Nothing less for my four suits. I know you¡¯re not yet done with your tasks, but I need your help.¡± She says, after removing her apron and she sits on the head of the table. ¡°But before that, please dig in.¡± The four quickly take their utensils and they started to eat. Once they were done, Black Rose orders her maids to remove the dishes on the table, and one serves her tea. ¡°Have you heard about the case filed against a company we scouted before?¡± She says, sipping her tea. The four shake their heads. She stands up and flicks their foreheads. ¡°You all should know what is going on at the very least.¡± She says, pouting. ¡°I¡¯ll never be able to fully recover if I continue to worry about the company in my absence. They all hang their heads. ¡°Forgive us mistress!¡± They say, quickly apologizing. She smiles at them. ¡°It¡¯s alright, but I don¡¯t want a repeat of this.¡± She says. They nod, agreeing with her. ¡°Anyways, all I want you to do is, after the trial, whether the result is a lose or a win, I want you to make sure that company goes down the drain. Show me the fruits of the talents that I have personally honed.¡± She says, sitting down once more and she sips her tea. ¡°We understand. We¡¯ll do everything in our power to bring him down.¡± Bryton says, now serious. ¡°Give this task to me and Gallius. We are almost done with your earlier task.¡± He says, Black Rose gives them a satisfied smile. ¡°How¡¯s your task Desmond and Pierrot?¡± She asks them. They both hand her an envelope. She was going to open it when Desmond stops her hand. He averts his eyes from her questioning glare. ¡°Don¡¯t read it¡­ unless you¡¯re ready, mistress.¡± He says. Pierrot looks at her sadly. ¡°Desmond is right. Please, read it, when you feel that you can finally forgive him.¡± Black Rose sighs and she sets the envelope aside for a while. Silence permeates the room, birthing an uncomfortable awkwardness. Ignacio watches Ravier closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike. ¡°I cannot fail here. I must not complicate Althea, at all costs.¡± He thought. He takes note of his schedule and with his special training long before he met Althea, he easily garnered information about him, tailing Ravier without being seen. The man grins at his client and shakes his hand. Ignacio grits his teeth in anger. The memory was just fresh, and he would love to erase the smile on Ravier¡¯s face. ¡°Your time will come. I will make sure, you won¡¯t die an easy death.¡± He whispers, as he continues to observe. Althea sighs, as once again, she¡¯s alone in the mansion. She rereads Isabella¡¯s note on the refrigerator. ________________________________________ ¡°Signorina, I have some prior business to attend to. Sebastian insisted he should come, as I might be ambushed by Ravier Trevor¡¯s men. We¡¯ll meet you at the restaurant.¡± Sincerely Yours, Isabella ________________________________________ She gets in the car and drives it to the restaurant. She drives slowly, her window lowered, despite the biting cold. She stares at the view outside. ¡°Right, it was a day like this too.¡± She thought, as she reminisces that day. She was woken out of her reverie, when she hears a loud honk of a car. She immediately steps on the breaks. The other driver walks out angrily. ¡°If you want to die missy, then don¡¯t drag others into it!¡± He says angrily. He stops when he sees Althea staring blankly in front of her, as if she seen a ghost. ¡°Missy, are you alright?¡± He askes worriedly. His worry intensifies as she doesn¡¯t reply and remains dazed. He lightly shakes her, which snaps her out. She panics for a moment, then her gaze focuses on the man. ¡°Are you alright missy?¡± He asks worriedly. ¡°You almost got into an accident. I¡¯m sorry I shouted, I was a bit harsh.¡± He apologizes. Althea shakes her head. ¡°No, no, I am at fault, please accept my deepest apologies. Would you prefer any compensation?¡± The man shakes his head. ¡°No need, lass. But be careful next time. It¡¯s very foggy right now, and you can get into an accident if you¡¯re not careful.¡± He then steps away and walks back to his car. Soon enough, he speeds away. Althea sighs, and she starts her engine and drives to her caf¨¦.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Upon arriving, she sees that caf¨¦ is still closed, despite how late it is. She sighs. She knows almost all her employees are scared of what happened. She opens the caf¨¦ on her own, and she starts to clean up. After cleaning, even though there were many people around, they try to avoid the caf¨¦ altogether. She stares at the empty caf¨¦. Not even a single soul dared to step on their premises. She plops down on a chair. She was about to take a nap when someone walks into her caf¨¦. She immediately stands up and greets the potential customer. ¡°Sir, welcome!¡± She says cheerfully. The man looks at her awkwardly. ¡°Actually, I just want to ask for directions¡­¡± He says. Althea sighs and tells him the directions for the other restaurant a few meters away from her. She looks at the open sign and flips it to close and she quietly sits down on the floor, closing her eyes. ¡°This is just a minor setback. With everything, I know I can prevail.¡± She whispers, yet she can¡¯t stop the tears falling from her eyes. Despite her experience, it was different, when you see your dream falling apart in front of you, and somehow, you can¡¯t seem to stop it. She covers her eyes with her arm, trying to hide her tears absurdly amidst the quiet caf¨¦. She never cried out loud before and this was no exception. Carson walks through the caf¨¦ and he see Althea, her eyes closed and swollen around the sides. He opens the door. ¡°Sir, we are closed.¡± She says, in a even voice. ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± he says, as he stealthily flips the sign from closed to open. ¡°The sign says it¡¯s open.¡± Althea opens her eyes, and she walks towards the door. She flips the sign to close and smiles at Carson, her smile obviously strained. ¡°Now we are closed.¡± She tells him. He sighs. ¡°But I am hungry. I was really craving your signature dish.¡± He says. ¡°Then sir, please come back, when we are open.¡± She smiles sadly, as she walks back to where she sat before. ¡°Besides, you shouldn¡¯t be here. It will only implicate you further.¡± Carson sighs but instead of going out, he enters, and sits beside Althea. ¡°Don¡¯t worry much about me, I can get out of my own mess. Besides, I have news for you. I sent my friend to stand in court for you.¡± He says and hands her a business card. ¡°Call him, I¡¯ve already informed him of your case. Weirdly enough, he said, he heard a client of his as well that has the same case.¡± He shrugs. ¡®That will be good, since it means he knows what to do with your case.¡± Althea looks at the business card. She laughs. The name was really familiar. She can¡¯t mistake it. Carson looks at her weirdly. ¡°Is his name that funny for you to laugh? If I known earlier, I would have given you the business card earlier so you won¡¯t be able to retort at me.¡± Althea smiles. ¡°I¡¯m just familiar with the name. Your friend, is a really good lawyer. Thank you for recommending my case to him.¡± He shrugs, his lips curling into a flattered smile. ¡°You¡¯re welco¡ª, wait did you just say my friend is a good lawyer? How come you heard about him, and not me?¡± He says disbelievingly and sighs dispiritedly. Althea chuckles. ¡°Nonetheless, thank you. I really owe you this one.¡± Carson shrugs and he stands up. ¡°I accept food for payment.¡± He says, holding his rumbling stomach. ¡°I¡¯m really famished.¡± Althea chortles while she stands up. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t laugh at me, I¡¯m really hungry. I¡¯m really looking forward to the caf¨¦¡¯s specialty.¡± Althea chuckles. ¡°I might not be as good as Tio Cio, but I will make sure that this meal will be worth your palate.¡± And she stands up, and they both head to the kitchen. She stares at the newly sent produce. ¡°Ducks, hmmm, that will do.¡± She says, as she deftly cuts the head of the duck and removes the innards, without ruining the skin of the duck. She seasons the duck with salt and pepper. Afterwards, she grabs spring onions, garlic, star anise and ginger. She slices them, and stuffs them inside the duck. She then ties the ends with a thin string, just so the duck won¡¯t lose all its juiciness while it cooks. Althea then takes a jar filed with Chinese Five-Spice, and she proceeds to rub it on the skin of the duck, making sure covered everything, even the wings. She grabs a little bench and settles it inside a small baking pan and she puts the duck on the bench. She preheats the oven and when it¡¯s done, she loads the duck inside. Carson looks at her, extremely amused. At first, he wanted to ask her about Ignacio and Sebastian¡¯s fighting prowess which he seen while he was reviewing the CCTVs. He knew they weren¡¯t simple. He stared at her while she busily takes care of his meal. It was evident in her face that she was in her element. ¡°Could it be that she knows they weren¡¯t simple? Then does this mean, Althea isn¡¯t simple as well?¡± He wondered. Time pretty much flew by and Carson, was woken up from his daydreaming with the aroma of the duck. Althea chuckles and she lets it set for good solid twenty minutes. ¡°Have I lost you back their mate?¡± She says jokingly. Carson shakes away his thoughts and he smiles. ¡°A bit, the smell made me drift to Tra-la land. Or was it because I hadn¡¯t had sleep for days and this is the first time I am walking outside my office?¡± He says. Then he realizes what he said and laughs. ¡°I have a bathroom inside my office. I washed there.¡± He says, before Althea could retort. Althea smirks. ¡°I was going to say that my caf¨¦ has a staff room which is fully equipped with lavatories.¡± Carson stares at the meal Althea has prepared for him. The plates were wonderfully plated, not to mention there wasn¡¯t a single flaw in the physical perception of the dish. The aroma itself was enticing and due to spacing out, he didn¡¯t notice that Althea didn¡¯t just make roasted duck, but she also made a dipping sauce out of some black substance and salad that he doesn¡¯t know the name. When she sets it in front of it, he can¡¯t help but feel impressed, albeit curious. ¡°Wow, so this is the first time I am actually getting to taste your food then!¡± He pokes at the sauce and the salad. ¡°What are these?¡± Althea sets the same dishes for herself. ¡°That is a sauce made from black beans, while that, is a tossed hoisin and cucumber salad.¡± She says, explaining the whole meal to him. He almost salivates. ¡°Even the aroma itself is already filling.¡± Althea blushes. ¡°Bollocks, you¡¯re simply quite the flatterer.¡± She says, diverting the subject. Carson tastes the duck and he marvels at how crispy the skin of the duck is yet it doesn¡¯t dry the meat of the duck. ¡°Did you enroll in a culinary school?¡± He asks. Althea shakes her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to culinary school. I simply picked it up from watching others cook.¡± Carson stares at her wide-eyed. ¡°A bheil thu a ''caoidh dhomh an-dr¨¤sta (Are you kidding me right now)?!¡± Althea looks at him a bit puzzled with what he said. ¡°That¡¯s simply quite the monstrous talent!¡± He says flabbergasted. Althea sheepishly eats her meal, flustered with Carson¡¯s compliment. Carson notices it, and he can¡¯t help but smile at her shyness. Despite that, he can¡¯t help but wonder if she knows about Sebastian and Ignacio. ¡°Althea,¡± he says, pausing from eating. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, but how did you meet Ignacio and Sebastian?¡± He asks her. Althea continues to eat, unfazed with his question. ¡°Well, Ignacio is family for as long as I remember. He raised me as his own. Sebastian was also raised by Ignacio.¡± She says, as she eats. He stares at her happy countenance and he knows that Althea must be telling the truth, after all, how could someone like her lie? She isn¡¯t even that good at hiding emotions. He wants to believe her, but somehow, he is also hesitant. He sighs. ¡°It¡¯s not their abilities that makes me suspicious of them, but rather with those set of skills, I couldn¡¯t find any record of them in any database, other than their birth certificates and identification papers.¡± He thought, as he observes Althea digging happily to her meal, while making commenting how she can improve the flavor by doing this and that softly. ¡°Say, they¡¯ve got quite the moves. Where did they train?¡± He asks her. Althea looks at him bewildered. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about Uncle Cio, but one thing is for sure! He taught Sebastian everything he knows about fighting!¡± She says as she finishes her food. ¡°He wanted to teach me as well, but my body simply can¡¯t withstand it.¡± She smiles bitterly. ¡°He only taught me the basics, those that won¡¯t make me faint.¡± Then she stands up and cleans up her plates. She looks at Carson¡¯s plate. ¡°You said, that it tastes good, yet you haven¡¯t even finished your portion.¡± She says pouting slightly. Carson breaks his line of thought and he eats quickly, as if he just remembered now that he was hungry. A few minutes later he helps Althea with the dishes. ¡°It¡¯s really good, I¡¯ll do the dishes, it¡¯s thanks for cooking me such a mind-blowing food.¡± ¡°I insist doing the dishes.¡± Althea says, as she takes the dishes to the dishwasher. ¡°That meal was for you recommending me to a bloody good lawyer.¡± Carson gently pushes her away, and he opens the tap. Before he could get the sponge, Althea grabs it and pushes her away. She miscalculates a bit and she ends up pushing him to the ground, with the sponge soaking his white shirt. Sebastian and Isabella chose a rather bad time to go to the caf¨¦. Seeing that it was open, and the kitchen lights were on, Sebastian decided to check in on Althea, who could be cooking whole Isabella goes to the lodgings that she manage. And now, he is treated to such a sight. Sebastian walks towards Althea and pulls her away from Carson. He glares at Carson. ¡°I think non-staff are not allowed here.¡± He says, with a hint of venom. ¡°Can you please leave?¡± Sebastian doesn¡¯t even disguise his animosity with Carson. Althea tugs Sebastian¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Sebastian, it¡¯s not what you think.¡± She says timidly. Sebastian ignores Althea. ¡°Leave. Before I chase you out myself.¡± Carson sighs and he stands up, dusting his bottom. Althea wanted to ask for his shirt, but she knew Sebastian would flip if she did that. Carson smiles at Althea. ¡°I enjoyed the food, thank you for your hospitality.¡± And he leaves the caf¨¦. It was only then Sebastian pays attention to Althea. ¡°I warned you already about him! He is not safe for you to coexist with!¡± Althea looks down. ¡°He meant no harm Sebastian.¡± She tells him. Sebastian grabs her shoulders. ¡°Althea, listen to yourself. You sound¡ª¡± Althea cuts him off. ¡°Look, I did nothing wrong. I simply treated him to a meal and we fought over cleaning the dishes, that¡¯s why we ended on the floor. You make it sound like I did something so incriminating.¡± Sebastian looks at her seriously. ¡°Really? Fine. Then when the time comes he asks about me and Ignacio, what will you say? Or maybe he already asked! Althea, you¡¯re a brilliant person and I respect you for that. But him? He brings nothing but trouble! Please, just stay away from hi¡ª¡± Althea slaps Sebastian, her slap resonating in the enormous kitchen. ¡°If you respect me, then don¡¯t question me. Do you think I will do that, that I will just give away your identities?¡± She looks at Sebastian hurt. ¡°I¡¯ve lived with you for seven years and I lived with Uncle Cio for as longer time compared to yours. And if you think that you are not important to me, well, news flash. YOU ARE!¡± She says, her tears falling down. ¡°Carson never brought me trouble. Instead he found ways to get me out of it. I can understand if you have animosity for him, but what hurts me the most is, with seven years of living with me, you still don¡¯t trust me.¡± Althea smiles sadly. ¡°I¡¯ll go home first Sebastian. There will be no customers today. Take the day off if you wish.¡± ¡°You asked for this. You said, I could be less rigid. Now it¡¯s like this.¡± He says, with a bitter tone. Althea looks at Sebastian. ¡°It¡¯s not the rigidness Sebastian. It¡¯s your heart. You never truly let us in it. That¡¯s what I want to achieve when I told you to drop your formalities.¡± She says, as she leaves the kitchen and goes to the car and drives continuously, even missing the turn for the mansion.