"Let's go?" I invited him. Fear was evident in my voice, yet I still managed to be calm in his sight. I even smiled at him like his presence didn't make me throw up. Even though inside of me I wanted to drag him away. If it weren't for the children, I would be glad to kick his ass out of this house. But I have to be with him because I know what he can do and what I'm doing now is distracting him.
I called one of my drivers to drive for us; the old man chose the Jeep Wrangler, and I just agreed to speed up the conversation.
Despite my best efforts to remain composed, I was terrified of what could arise as my hand was perspiring so much. I closed my eyes to see what might come to pass. I averted my gaze as he gave me a full, intense glance.
I just smiled back at him, and he continued, "Don't be awkward with me, Cbiara; treat me as your father." Mr. Smith's eyes and voice were both extremely candid, and although it seemed like his words were devouring me, I attempted to correct myself. "Cbiara. How are you and my son? When is the wedding? I'm so excited for it.”
"Why, sir? Why are you treating me like this now? It's strange, and as if you want to serve me. Did you forget how you shoved me away from your son's life?" I ask him to interrupt his delusion.
"That was before Cbiara; we have to move on from it."
"Move on? Why would we? Because what? No, no one will move on here. I want you to know how hurtful all the words you uttered are. I chose to ignore it before, but...how can I do that now?" Seeing him acting like this to me just grossed the hell out of me.
“Chiara,” he called me. I shook my head when he tried to reach for my hands. What, for peace and to convince me?
There was nothing between us, but I knew what he felt. I'd felt that for my dad before; it was not the same but almost the same; it was heavy inside; it was hard to resist, but the fact was we couldn't deny that we owned their blood.
"Calm down." That's what I said to myself. I was furious right now. Was that something he did to me that I couldn't help but slap him? But I needed to soothe myself since plenty of things could happen.
"Come on, Cbiara, that's been a year." He was still standing and took out a cigarette, then lit it, and he was smoking. "Can't you forget that yet?"
"Forget? You're so swift to say that as if everything doesn't matter to you but it does to me, Sir." I tried to stop myself from getting mad, but I couldn't help it, "Do you really love your sons or are they just toys to you?" I saw how Mr. was stunned.
"Who are you to ask me that? How dare you?!" He was about to slap me when the driver understood his assignment, and suddenly there was not a good road we were passing, so it interrupted what Mr. Smith was going to do to me.
He threw a dagger look at me. "Why are you being aggressive, sir?" I couldn't help but ask him a question that could trigger him even more. Did he have to do that? "Maybe we'll just go back if you're fine."
"No!" The old man rapidly replied. "I just hate how you said it, so I got carried away by my feelings, but it's okay. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with it, so let's go." He looked at me steadily, and I turned my own eyes because I couldn't stop staring at him.
What he did was unprofessional!
"I'm sorry." I didn't listen to him, even though he expressed his apology a lot of times in my office, I chose to ignore it. He was trying to open up another discussion but I ignored him until we went to the other farm of my grandmother.
I have no idea why the driver took us in this direction when I made it quite evident that we were heading to a posh restaurant nearby. I don't want to be separated from the kids for the reason that I can't handle something that might happen, and I also feel uneasy yet I disregard it.
I closed my eyes to the brisk breeze as we descended and the clean air touched my body. In contrast to the city, where everything is filthy, instead of the fresh air you inhale, only smoke will enter your nose.
"We're in our hacienda." Grandma left it to me in her testament because she wanted to bequeath it to my future daughter. She was fond of a girl, so who should I bequeath it to if my children are both boys? I winced and wondered why I thought this.
"How smart is the person behind the design of this farm?" Mr. Smith commented. I saw he was right; Grandma was an architect back then and she really loves doing things like this based on her room.
"Grandma knows the patterns, that's why she was able to do that swiftly; and everything stands out considering they're from the past," I told him, realizing that I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Given how long they had been in the city, I could understand that, to them, they were new.
"What a fantastic artist she is," he said, but I can't help but sense a little jealousy, or perhaps he is always envious of someone else's victory.
"Yes."
As we strolled, the silence returned. I never saw myself in this circumstance, having this kind of conversation with Mr. Smith. I wasn't thinking about it all the time, so I didn't anticipate this happening. However, fate was incredibly kind to me because he did what I didn't want to do and gave me no other option.
My brow furrowed as he broached the subject of marriage. "Who is managing this? My son could help you with this when you two get married."
How on earth is he going to open that when we haven't even discussed it yet? Other than the fact that me and his son have a pure business, nothing more.
"Excuse me? Married?" I promptly asked him, such as those other staff here at the farm suddenly turned to us. When I looked at them, they quickly ran away because they knew what I was referring to.
"Wait!" I heard someone yell, but that's the least of my attention.
The elderly man spoke to me with confidence and I immediately considered what he had said. "Yes, marriage. Why? Aren't you two back together? Raven wants you two to be under the same roof, am I right?"
"Mr. Smith, I'm not easy to get." I've already expressed what he wanted to say since I might not agree with what he says next time. "What your son and I had are pure businesses; there is no intermediary between the two of us. That's all." I mean, I'm not sure, but I have to say that.
"Why?" My face is full of questions now. Isn't that what he wants, so why is he like that? He doesn't like me then now he likes me? How powerful money is, huh?
"What, why, Mr. Smith?"
"I mean, you don't love my son after all?" I looked at him with shock because that's what he was thinking. "How? I thought you were getting better, so why is Raven like this? Pathetic, so I came here for nothing?"
"Excuse me? And what if there's something between the two of us? Is there anything you can do?" I ask him once again because I want to answer the question that surrounds my mind.
"Of course, I'm his father, and I will attend the wedding." I shuddered. Now that he can gain from me, he said it nonchalantly, but later on? His taunting smile makes my knees quiver.
"So," my smirk vanished when he was the one grinning at me. "When you can't guarantee what I want then...I might take the deepest secret you hide from my son."
"W-what?” Not what I was thinking. I forcefully gulped.
He laughed hysterically and even gave me a flying kiss, saying, "You're right, Cbiara! What is in your mind is what I did, see you, darling." Meanwhile, I got a call from Hiro and that's when I fvcking gave up.