You can't really predict someone's fate, even if you are a good fortune teller. Who would think that the princess Lethia would obey what I want? She was loved by her family and even by her in-laws, especially her husband. I was rejected by her husband for her, right? My child even passed away because of it. My fist was starting to form a circle. Whenever it slipped into my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about what the child looked like and what the first word my baby would say. How the baby hugged me, when the baby giggled, and I was the child's first teacher.
I looked up, my smile turned upside down, and my eyes were burning with tears. I'm supposed not to act like this. That's enough, Blair; you have a goal to meet and show them you're frail.
"Blair," I called myself, then made my fingers a fan for the reason that I didn't want to cry in the river. I couldn't be emotional now; all I needed was to be fierce. Weakness is the reason why a person who has a dream and wants to prove himself/herself loses. I turned back due to I had to finish what I was doing before Lethia arrived. But before I could make my three steps, a voice that I hadn't heard for days called me.
"Cbiara Blair." I was deeply rooted in where I stand now when he called my name with authority. "Let's talk." He was in front of me before I even realized it, then gave me a stern look. I was dumbfounded at first, but I reprimanded myself. I couldn't show him that I was tenuous. That's why I met his gaze while a knot formed in my throat as I saw his disheveled hair and his formal attire as usual.
"What do we need to talk about?" I ask him while my emotions are beating violently. Damn, I felt like I hadn't seen him in decades.
"About us." It took a long time before he added his words, so I winced. "About our deal," I just nodded. What else should I do? Stop him? No, I was done doing it to his brother, so I wouldn't do that to another Smith again. If they wanted to leave, I wouldn't even think twice about letting them. I didn't want to see myself begging for something that I knew had no certainty.
If he would cut off the deal, then I'd use Lethia in the meantime. There was nothing I could do, and I wouldn't show him that I needed him. He walked first inside my house. I saw him simply flipping through my photos that were on the wall of the house, and the others were displayed on the table.
I still needed to buy furniture because the others were very old and needed to be replaced. He sat on the big sofa that I had just cleaned. I was relieved because I was not embarrassed by this setup. Even if the sofa was big, he still almost covered the whole sofa. I bite my lower lip. He was wide, bulky, and the way he sat screamed 'power.' Being the CEO of his own company and the governor of this town was such a huge responsibility. I thought he had no more time in our deal, so he would discontinue it. And who was I anyway to give his time?
"Aren't you going to ask me where I am? Why haven't I shown up for a few days? How am I doing?" He asked one after another before I even sat down.
"Chill." I signed my hands for him to stop talking because he had so many questions that I couldn't follow. "I'm just one person with plenty of questions. Just calm down." I sat down and smiled. This was not what I expected; I thought he would tell me that the deal was officially off.
As I'd observed him, if earlier his eyes were burning with rage, now he was like a child, his eyes turning into a reflection of mine. Yearning, misery, stress—that's how I can describe his eyes.
"Why would I ask you where you are? Why have you been gone for so many days? How are you? What are we? Isn't it just that we have a deal that's why we are connected?" His jaw tightened, and my stomach suddenly felt sick by just how his gaze darted between my eyes. Nevertheless, I braced myself, "There's no us, Raven." I saw a hint of woe between his eyes, but it also disappeared, so maybe it's just my hallucination.
"Yeah, there's no us." We both kept silent, and I sucked a sharp breath. "You don't need to know what's going on in my life because this is just a pure agreement."
"That's my point.” I replied, and he nodded.
"I will sleep here now," my eyes popped out. "Why? We have a deal, remember?" He grinned as if he had the last laugh.
"But..." He stood up while I was sitting and looked at him. He tilted his head, waiting for my other words, but I felt like there was something stuck in my throat; that was why I was unable to say any words.
"So, I can be here whenever I want," he declared. I stood up to want to question my rights but my mouth backed out.
"No!" I sound protest, "What if your family knew about this? The people in town?" I panicked a bit, what would they think? “Your reputation would be ruined.”
"As if I care about them and my reputation," he shrugged it off. My lips parted. Then there was nothing I could do? "Where will I be sleeping? In the master bedroom."
"It's mine!"
"Then we can share,"
"Yes, I mean no!" I exclaimed. Why is my mouth like this? Can't my mouth cooperate?
"I'll only take yes for an answer." He winked and went upstairs while I was left there, looking at his bulk until it disappeared.
"Fuck!" I rubbed my forehead; there was no other vacant room but mommy and daddy's. Because mine and a guest room are currently being renovated. "Gosh, he must be crazy!" I messed up my hair because I didn't know what to do.
This was trouble.