Six

Viona wiped her grandmother's lips after she had finished the last mouthful. The woman in her eighties was still tasting the leftovers with her few remaining teeth.

"Is it good, Grandma? What would you like to eat tonight?" asked Viona with a gentle smile.

"Whatever you like. I will eat anything you cook. All your dishes are delicious," she said.

"Well, now what are you going to do?" asked Viona. She was getting ready to help position the old woman.

"I'm going to lie down," she said, not very clear because she had almost no teeth.

"Why are you lying down, grandma? Aren't you tired of lying on your back?" she asked the woman who had raised her.

Before she could answer, she was startled by the sound of a knock on her door.

"I don't usually have guests," Viona muttered. She hurriedly left the old woman to open the door.

But what was her surprise when she saw Marc, her ex-boyfriend, standing right in front of her door.

For a moment, the two were silent and staring at each other. After last night's incident, Viona hadn't even had time to contact Marc to explain and apologize for her mistakes.

And of course, Marc's arrival made her feel awkward. But that awkward feeling immediately disappeared when she saw the girl who appeared from behind Marc's body.

"Cassandra? You .... Marc, why did you come here? What's going on?" she asked. She looked at both of them in turn. She was confused by the two guests standing at her doorstep.

"Viona? So... are you the lecturer Sandra was referring to?" Marc was no less shocked than Viona.

"Look, Viona. You better not misunderstand me. I'm here for her," Marc stated. A pair of hands grabbed Cassandra's shoulders and pushed her in front of Viona.

Cassandra bowed her head down. "Mrs. Viona, I'm sorry for the incident earlier. I didn't intend to insult your work. The writing assignment was ...."

Viona wryly smiled. She was well aware that everything Cassandra had said about her writing was not wrong at all. It's just, that's what's really going on in her life right now. She never had the courage to express her feelings for the man she loved. She felt like a coward hiding behind the fear of the truth. The truth that Marc never loved her.

"It's not a problem. As for the writing assignment, I was already planning on it. It wasn't because of you," Viona said firmly. "I'll say it again, the assignment was given on my terms. It's got nothing to do with you."

She didn't care about what Marc thought of her. But after last night's incident, Viona thought of a possible reason why Marc had rejected her. It could be that Marc now favored a girl much younger than her, like Cassandra. Even still clearly remembered, last night he also mentioned Cassandra.

"Ah ... but ma'am," Sandra said with hesitation. "I'm not good at stringing sentences. Especially an essay that long."

"Then what could you do? Daydreaming in class? Spend time dating?" Ms. Viona attacked.

Seeing Viona cornering Cassandra, made Marc upset. Marc felt that Viona's attitude was too much towards her niece. Especially with those accusatory words. Marc felt that Viona was oppressing his niece.

"You, wait for me in the car," he said as he patted Cassandra's shoulder. "There's something I need to talk to Ms. Viona about."

Sandra nodded her head, even though she actually felt reluctant to leave them both. Uncle Marc and Ms. Viona are too suspicious for her. How do they know each other. And the awkward relationship between them, really made her suspicious.

Marc followed Cassandra's move with the corner of his eye. After a moment, he returned his gaze to the other person. "Why did you do that?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"I'm so sorry," Viona said. "Actually ... I just wanted to spend the night with you. Talk and reminisce about the good times we had together ten years ago. But...."

Viona halted her sentence. She let out a long sigh while her eyes stared at the car Cassandra had just entered. "It seems like you have changed. Even your taste is no longer the same."

"What are you talking about?"

Viona shrugged her shoulders. "Now that I understand, you will never be mine. I won't be waiting for you anymore."

Marc laughed gently. He was beginning to understand the thoughts of the woman in front of him. He turned his head and pointed his index finger at the car Viona had been watching. "She? Are you jealous of her?" he asked.

"No," she said. "What would I be jealous of? We've been apart for ten years. I don't even know or care who you've been sleeping with."

Marc couldn't help laughing. He had not expected Viona to shift the blame and attack him with jealousy.

"Viona... Viona. You've never changed." Marc stopped laughing. He didn't want to waste any time and let Cassandra wait too long. "Do you remember the reason why we broke up ten years ago?"

Viona was speechless. Her memory was forcefully replayed by the words spoken by Marc. She remembered how hurt she was when Marc decided to end their relationship.

"You're just too possessive. Back then, whoever was close to me, you attacked," said Marc. "This relationship will never work. You never trust me."

"I was consumed by jealousy back then. But I wasn't that much better than you." Viona crossed her arms across her chest.

"What's your point?"

"At least I didn't fool a minor into becoming my girlfriend," Viona said with a dismissive look.

Once again, Marc was made to laugh by Viona's accusation. He shook his head and looked back at Cassandra. That's when he saw the annoyed look of the girl who was waiting for him in the car.

"Uncle Marco, it's hot!" she shouted. "hurry up! I'm melting!"

Marc lifted one hand and looked back at Viona.

"I'd be very grateful if that was true. But unfortunately, she's my favorite niece. I will not let anyone hurt her, including you."

Marc's words sounded like a threat to Viona. But Viona didn't feel afraid, because now she knew that Cassandra was Marc's niece. Instead, she felt relieved because she knew that Marc would not date his own niece. That meant there was still a slight chance for a relationship between them. And, more importantly, Viona knew that Cassandra was Marc's weak point.

After giving Ms. Viona enough warning, they headed home. All along the way, Cassandra watched Marc's movements. She felt there was something that her uncle was deliberately hiding from her.

"Why are you glaring?" asked Marc when he noticed a pair of eyes watching him silently.

Cassandra shakes her head. She felt awkward to ask what was on his mind, even though she was full of questions. For a long time, she observed the movements of the two adults from inside the car. And from Ms. Viona's body language, it was clear that the two of them were once close.

"What?" asked Marc once again when he saw Casaandra's curious face. "Just tell me something."

"Eng .... Um, do you and Ms. Viona know each other? What's the relationship between you two? Did the two of you ever date?"