~Florence (Gunther's mother)~The past does indeed repeat itself. I never imagined that my worst dread would return to haunt me again. In this instance, it was that woman with cerulean eyes, flowing red hair, and a grating aura. She was a bête noire. The bane in my son's existence. It was still fresh in my memory, the day Gunther had brought her to this mansion for the first time, four years ago. Back then, that woman was so young.She was just fifteen. Gunther was twenty-three. They were eight years apart in age, a tremendous gap making their relationship forbidden in my eyes. I didn't like her from the start, for this, among other reasons. Not to mention that she was from a poor background, and hailed from a low-income family. She wears clothing that resembles rags, smells like cheap perfume, and lacks grace and finesse. No matter what she does, she could never match our level.So, I loathed what they had. Detested and cursed her to death for stealing my son away from me.
~Agathe~ I am not a mother, nor have I given birth to a child. But, why do I feel like the moment I saw Carlyle falling from the stairs, my heart was instantly shredded into pieces? I could feel it being ripped apart. I was not imagining it. It was not because I hated seeing other people get hurt. It was something else, something unexplainable. It beats me how that little girl and his father were able to stir up so much emotion in me ever since I met them. Gunther reached his daughter's side. He got down on his knees and gathered Carlyle's unconscious body into his arms. "Hey, baby. Wake up. Come on. Carlyle. ." For the first time, I noticed Gunther shedding a tear. Though, he was quick to wipe it away. That scene made me numb. All of a sudden, I felt a strong feeling of anger and resentment toward Gunther's mother. How could she do that to a child, to her granddaughter for that matter? I wanted to run toward Carlyle, too. To check her condition as well. I am aware, h
~Agathe~ I felt incredibly hot and weary as soon as I opened my eyes. I was feeling woozy, my vision was somewhat dark. Took me a few seconds to adjust it, and when it did, I met Gunther's dark-amber eyes. His face was only a few inches apart from mine. "What happened?" I asked softly, noticing that I was curled up on a cushy couch. My body was covered with his black suit. It was quite cozy and smelled just like him. "You fainted, sleepyhead." He responded, and his large, calloused hands were warm against mine as he assisted me in sitting up. "I fainted?" Surprised, I ransacked my head to remember how it happened, but to no avail. How come I can't recall it? "For how long?" "Two hours." "Two hours? Really?" I couldn't believe it! Perhaps, it was the lack of sleep and rest talking since yesterday morning. "Here, drink this first." He handed me a glass of water, as he kneeled in front of me. I accepted it and drank. It instantaneously made me feel a lot better. "How
~Agathe~We arrived at Gunther's house with Carlyle falling asleep in my arms. She wouldn't let go despite Gunther's efforts to pry her away from me. "Mommy. ."Carlyle murmured and went back to sleep again. God, how could I possibly resist that cuteness? My heart constricted in pain. I didn't tell Carlyle anything about her proposal from the hospital. Yet, here she is. Wholly accepting me as her new mother. It was so unlooked-for, never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself being smitten with someone's daughter. I bit my lower lip and stared at Gunther apologetically, fighting the urge to shed a tear. "You know, I didn't tell her to call me that. It was her who-"Gunther cut me off. "I know, love. I overheard your conversation with her."My mouth parted. "What? You eavesdropped on us?" "Yeah." He looked away for a second, probably wanting me to drop the topic. "Here. Give her to me."Gunther opened his arms one more time.I transferred Carlyle into his lap as gently as p
~Gunther~I wanted her to get jealous. I wanted her to snatch my heart away. I wanted her to help me heal. I want her to want me, to own me. Yet, she chose to wipe away her tears and raise an eyebrow at me instead.Did I see the hurt in her eyes, or was it merely a figment of my imagination?"How can you say you're in love with her, if you're sleeping with other women? Hmm?" For a while, I was unable to speak. I have to confess, she had me there.Though, she made a mistake by believing that lie. That cock and bull story of mine. "Did you honestly fall for that lie, love? The only woman I slept with was you." The look on her face when I said the last part was priceless, I nearly cackled. "Well, almost. I almost slept with you." I took the initiative to correct myself. She scoffed, trying to process what I said. "So, I. . I cheated with you?" My head tipped to one side, leaving a crease across my forehead. "What?" "We cheated on Carlyle's mother, didn't we?" She appeared to be
~Agathe~It has been so long since I had a good night's sleep. I was accustomed to staying up late and getting up early back in Snowflake Village, in an effort to make ends meet.I was adamant to work and make money so I could pay for my mother's surgery. Now was the only time I had gone to bed at seven in the evening and woken up when the sun had already risen. I groaned in contentment, opened my eyes, and saw myself lying beside Carlyle and Gunther.They were still sound asleep. I smiled, happiness flooding my heart.I could swear, they are the most lovely thing to see in the morning.Three days ago, they were complete strangers to me. Beats me how quickly they were able to take a piece of my heart.All of a sudden, Carlyle unconsciously hugged my body, murmuring something. "Mommy. ." God. What did I do to deserve this sweet, little girl? I returned Carlyle's embrace and decided to let myself drift off to sleep again, relishing the moment of being able to hold her in my arms.
~Yesenia~"Yesenia Daenerys."Thump thump. Thump thump. Cripes! That deep voice startled me out of nowhere, causing me to stop in my tracks. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest, its booming was furious and incessant.My knees suddenly shook, it was starting to feel a little bit wobbly.I am aware that it was him, the man who had been the subject of my fantasies for years. He rarely speaks to me unless it was something significant about our work. So, I was guessing it was either about the young master or perhaps the young lady. However, I was not in the best mood to talk to him right now.For crying out loud, he just caught me sneaking a glimpse at him while he was sparring with the young master.I have done this before and this was the first time he had caught me in the act, something I couldn't brush off. I pretended not to hear anything and continued to make my way up the stairs to the theater room's exit.Once I was outside, I exhaled a loud sigh of relief. "Phew. I barel
~Agathe~I know I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have challenged him. I might be the sore loser at the end. How can I risk my heart at someone like Gunther who told me that he is still in love with Carlyle's mother? Besides, Gunther is way too out of my league. Like my usual mantra, 'Stinking rich people are only for stinking rich people'. Though, I am dying to know how to be loved by someone like him.For Gunther to cherish Carlyle's mother in his heart, even after four years of not seeing her again, is somehow fascinating. It speaks volumes, a man like that is rare to find. Suddenly, I could feel my heart harboring resentment toward that woman. How did she manage to capture Gunther's heart? I am effin curious about her. I want to know everything there is to know about her. "Having second thoughts, love?" Gunther asked, he was busy strapping the boxing hand wraps on my semi-clenched fists.He told me it was necessary before putting the actual boxing gloves on. "I. . u