5

Celine tried to stay normal in the middle of the trip when her heart was already doing some backflips inside her ribcage as she couldn’t calm it down. Though she may have looked more invested in looking at the scenery outside, it was all blurred out, as what only rang in her mind were the last words Callahan had told her.

She couldn’t tell why Callahan was so persistent about being with her. She wanted to ask things, but at the same time, she watched him get friendly with other girls at the university. She could clearly tell he was a total chic magnet on his own, and he could make friends with them because he seemed built to be that charming to any woman.

Why are you overthinking it anyway? You can’t date. Imagine Gaile and the rest of your siblings finding it out. They would dig up any possible details about Callahan, and they would only sabotage it. They would find fault in him while giving you a long list of reasons why he’s bad news.

She rested her head against the open window of the car and looked at the sparkling lights peeking through the leaves of the trees.

She hasn’t been interested in boys around her that deeply. Sharing experiences with Callahan, like trips, proved to be a novel experience for her. In the past, she had grown accustomed to solo travels, with her bodyguard skillfully blending into the background to remain unnoticed. This discreet presence shielded her from unwanted attention. However, the prospect of sharing this trip with a man that she finds attractive adds a surreal extent to her adventures. She couldn’t process it, and she thought her mind would explode if she tried to think of it more.

When they finally got into the place, Celine looked so confused while looking at the wide land that looked like ten hectares.

“Hmm… Is this the place? This is the right address, right?” Callahan asked when he saw how Celine looked puzzled while looking at the land.

“Ah yes, I haven’t been here for too long. I’m quite shocked,” she said.

“I’m quite shocked too. You told me it was a small land, so I thought it wasn’t this large. But your parents literally own a plantation of fruits. Pretty rich, huh?”

Celine blinks twice. For her, the land wasn’t really that big compared to their real lands. They even own real estate, and her father was involved in big trading as well, including how their long list of riches can’t be measured anymore as her father was a billionaire himself.

“It was kind of failing,” she said, trying to make it appear that they weren’t that rich as they walked to a small-looking house.

“I can’t say that it’s failing when you still afford to travel outside the country,” Callahan said.

Celine has realized how witty Gaile is in designing the place according to the way she just spent a trip in another country. The life Celine had created is the kind of life that would still be called part of the upper class where they lived their lives to the fullest as they could afford things that couldn’t be afforded by any lower class, such as trips to other countries.

She looked at the house. It was indeed beautiful. Celine didn’t expect it to be that amazing in person, knowing that the pictures sent to her were just plain. Or maybe after buying the land, Gaile immediately did some wonders and renovated everything just to support her narrative about the life she made up for Callahan.

“M-Celine!” Her pretend-to-be mother, Janna, called her with a smile on her lips as she waved her hand, waiting for her.

Celine smiled and waved back. She was quite close to their household, so it wouldn’t be a problem for her to act like they had known each other for ages because Janna had been working in their family for a long time.

“Your mom?” he asked, a bit confused.

“Yes. We looked so much the same, right?” She said it in her innocent voice when she meant it to be sarcastic.

“She seems friendlier compared to her daughter,” Callahan joked, and Celine laughed a bit.

As soon as they neared the house, Janna hugged and kissed the side of her head, which she got used to as well because that’s how Janna acts when she’s traveling and she rarely comes home.

“And this is..." Janna looked at Callahan, always pinning into her hand that she was the mother of Celine.

“I am Callahan Alec Simmons, Mrs. Montgomery. Nice to meet you,” Callahan introduced as he shook hands with her.

Montgomery. Celine wanted to grimace after what Callahan said. Montgomery was the last name of her real mother which she used to hide her real identity. 

“Oh, hello. You must be my daughter’s boyfriend." She joked and laughed as any mother would come into their judgment if their daughter would bring a man into their house.

“Ah…” Callahan laughed as well and glanced at Celine, who was now shaking her head.

“He’s just my schoolmate, Ja-Mom." Celine immediately remembered her little act.

Janna nodded, but there was a playfulness in her smile as she coaxed them to come in.

Now that Celine has seen the inside, she can feel the normal life of a country girl and smell how simple life is. You cannot say that the interior design was too lavish, but it was enough to say that they could afford things, but not too extravagant as well.

“I’ve prepared some snacks for you since you’re coming here. Come, Callahan. You two might be tired from the trip. Eat for a while,” Janna said as she coaxed the two to sit in the living room.

Callahan nodded and smiled as his eyes roamed around and he saw a big frame of a family picture. It was Celine when she was young, together with Janna, that looked so much like a daughter and mother picture. The other frame contains a family picture of her, Janna, and Roel. 

Gaile did a great job that she didn’t even make up more sisters for her because she didn’t want to find someone who would act as her sibling.

“So you’re an only daughter,” Callahan said while Janna gave them some time as she got busy herself in the kitchen to bring them more food.

Celine nodded.

“Oh, then… You don’t have a brother?” He asked.

Celine slowly shook her head. “No…”

Callahan looked at her meaningfully and slowly nodded. Janna went to them with a tray and placed the fruit shake she prepared for the both of them.

“The fruit that we used were fresh from the trees. I hope you will enjoy it,” Janna said while smiling at Callahan.

“Thanks, ma’am.”

Janna nodded and looked at Celine.

“You want something, Miss—“ Janna paused when she suddenly started it with her formal call to Celine. “Missing you here ordering around,” she chuckled as she immediately got a chance to correct it, knowing Callahan’s brows knitted a bit in curiosity.

“Ah, I’m fine, mom. Thanks…”

Janna nodded and excused herself, as she didn’t want to engage more with them or else she would be scolded by Gaile who was monitoring the whole scene in their security system at the moment.

“Boss around? I see… A lady boss,” Callahan commented, arching his brow while there was a smirk on his lips as he took a sip of the fruit shake.

“You notice everything,” Celine said, shaking her hand and sipping on her own fruit shake as well.

“Because I find you interesting. You pique my curiosity the most,” he said, which made Celine look at him slowly.

She stared at Callahan after saying things that were giving her butterflies in her stomach. She could really tell that he was quite hitting on her since that vacation.

Though she didn’t want to give too much meaning to it, as she only wanted to take it lightly without letting him think that he affected her, she didn’t say anything and continued to drink her fruit shake.

Callahan would notice the distance Celine has been drawing, but he’s eager to get to know her. There was something about her that seemed so interesting, which Callahan couldn’t point out—the reason why he was invested in getting to know her more, slowly by slowly.

“Where’s your father, by the way?” Callahan asked and looked at the frames, trying to decipher what her father’s work might be.

“Oh, her father was in the city to manage the production of the fruits to be sold in a market for tomorrow’s harvest,” Janna said, following what Gaile told her, whom she could hear on their communicating device.

“Oh…” Callahan nodded as if it immediately answered his curiosity.

Celine continued sipping on her shake while Callahan looked at her meaningfully, his lips stretching playfully.

“So you only make up that excuse that no one would harvest, and that you’re lending a hand? Are you trying to avoid me?” He asked and laughed at his sudden realization.

Celine choked on her fruit shake and coughed while Callahan was raising his brow at her.