CHAPTER 11
RAPHAEL visited Madam Edwina in the mansion that morning. She summoned him to talk about some matters about Rohan.
“Have you eaten breakfast?” Madam Edwina asked as they sauntered to the dining area.
“Yeah. My wife and I had breakfast at the coffee shop before coming here. But I’d gladly eat another serving to join you, Mom.”
“That’s so sweet of you, dear.”
They sat across from each other when they arrived at the dining area and ate breakfast. There was silence at first, but soon Raphael broke it by asking his mother a question.
“Are you sure about this girl Yvonne, Mom?”
Madam Edwina raised her head and looked at her son. “Why? Don’t you like her for your brother?”
“Well…” Raphael sighed. “It’s just that you barely know that girl. Unlike the other girls you matched him up with, we didn’t know what kind of person Yvonne—”
“I’ve met her several times, and our vibes matched instantly.”
“So, that’s it?” Raphael raised a brow. “Just because the two of you matched your vibes, she’s the chosen one. This is not so like you, Mom. You don’t engage yourself with people you didn’t know, and you always have their backgrounds checked—”
Raphael hadn’t finished his sentence when Madam Edwina raised her hand. “I’m not that dumb, son. Of course, I know what I’m doing. But I have my reasons why I chose Yvonne for your brother. She’s somewhat different, and that’s why I like her among the others.”
“Different, huh?”
“Hm.” Madam Edwina nodded her consecutively with a beam. “While other girls were after what their family could gain if ever, they marry Rohan, Yvonne’s after only one thing.”
“And what is this one thing?” Raphael leaned against his seat.
“She wants Rohan’s heart.”
“Is she going to murder—”
“Not literally, moron.” Madam Edwina rolled her eyes and sighed. “Rohan and Yvonne seem to have a history from years ago that we didn’t know about.”
“Well, I think I’m going to win our bet.” Raphael caressed his chin.
“What bet?” Madam Edwina’s forehead creased.
“Nothing. It’s between my brother and me, and you don’t need to concern yourself about it, Mom.”
“Okay.”
“Ah, I wonder what’s happening at the villa right now,” Raphael said with a grin.
“Well, I hope it’s something good. I want to hear a piece of good news soon.”
“We’ll see, Mom. We’ll see….”
***
“BEAN? Bean, where are you?” Yvonne was about to cry but knew it wouldn’t help her find the cat. “I’ve got you some treats, honey.”
But even though she had shaken the pouch of treats, the cat still wouldn’t come out from wherever it was hiding, which worried her even more. Bean would usually come out whenever he heard about food. She plopped down on the bed and sighed. Yvonne had looked around the villa, but there was no sign of it. However, there was one place she hadn’t checked yet—Rohan’s room.
He had been locked up in his room all day, and she didn’t know what he was doing. Yvonne didn’t bother him because she somehow respected his wish for privacy.
“This is an emergency, though.”
She stood up and headed to the door.
Yvonne knocked on Rohan’s bedroom door frantically until he opened it.
“What’s the problem?” he asked with furrowed brows.
“I just want to check if Bean’s inside your room. I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“He’s not here,” Rohan said. “If he was here, I’d know. I’m allergic to cats, remember?”
“But maybe he’s hiding somewhere, and you just didn’t notice.” Yvonne went inside the room even without his approval, and then she started searching thoroughly.
“I told you, that cat isn’t here,” Rohan said after a while.
Sighing, she turned to him.
“Have you seen him then? I haven’t seen him since breakfast.”
“Maybe he’s contemplating what he did.”
Yvonne’s brows furrowed.
“What do you mean? What did Bean do to you?”
***
ROHAN folded his arms across his chest.
“I went out this morning to jog, and when I came back, I saw a dead lizard on my bed, and he was sitting next to it. You said he only sticks around with you. What was he doing in my room with a dead lizard?”
“It must be my scent. I’m sorry. I forgot to change the sheets.”
She was right. Rohan could smell Yvonne’s scent on the sheets and pillows. For some reason, he didn’t bother changing them. He fell asleep sniffing it every night.
Rohan let out a sigh.
“Maybe he’s somewhere around the villa, hiding to avoid—”
“What?” Yvonne’s eyes widened. “Y-you kicked him out?”
“I threw him at the veranda after I found him—”
“Damn it, Rohan! Bean is a house cat!”
“And so?”
“There’s a possibility that he got lost outside, or worst, he might be in danger!”
“He’ll surely come back when he’s hungry—”
“I hate you!” she said through gritted teeth.
“What?” Rohan couldn’t believe she hated him just because of that cat. “Your stupid cat brought me a dead lizard. What do you expect me to do?”
“Bean isn’t stupid, so don’t call him that!” Her voice raised a little.
He followed Yvonne when she got out of the room.
“Why do you have to make a fuss just because of that cat?” he asked as he caught her wrist.
Yvonne turned to him with narrowed eyes.
“You don’t understand.” Her lips quivered. “Bean isn’t just a cat, Rohan. He’s my son! You threw my son out of the villa when he just brought you a gift, dummy!”
“A gift?” Yeah, he couldn’t understand cat psychology because he never had one. “How come a dead lizard is a gift?”
She pulled her wrist and walked away without answering him.
Rohan just stood at the staircase landing and watched her leave the villa. She must be going out to find the cat, her son rather.
***
YVONNE wanted to scream out of anger, but she didn’t know why she couldn’t do it. Rohan threw Bean away, and now her cat was nowhere to be found.
“How cruel…” she muttered as she searched once again in the garden. “Bean… please, show yourself to me….”
But no cat appeared.
She crouched in the middle of the garden and buried her face in her palms. Soon, she was crying. But after a few moments, she felt a hand grip her shoulder.
“Leave me alone, Rohan,” she said without looking at him. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“It’s starting to get dark. You should head inside.”
She shoved his hand away.
“I’m not going inside that villa until I find Bean.”
He crouched in front of her and took her hands off her face.
“I’ll ask the caretaker to come over tomorrow and help—”
“He’s out here, Rohan… out on this island alone without food.” She sniffed.
“He’ll be fine. This place is safe, and I can assure you that.”
“There could be snakes.”
“Yvonne, Bean’s a cat. He can protect himself—”
“But he’s an indoor cat. He’s anxious when he steps out of the house without me.” She shook her head hard. “I’m not coming with you. I’ll find him.”
She stood up and wiped her tears. But to her astonishment, Rohan held her hand. She thought he was going to drag her back inside the villa. But then…
“Let’s find him together,” he said in a soft tone.
But Bean’s welfare wasn’t her biggest concern at that moment. It was the fact that he held her hand tightly.
“R-Rohan…”
And even before they could reach the gate, Yvonne heard a meow. When she turned her head in the direction of the roof, she saw her cat getting out of the roof through the nearby tree.
“Bean!”