Part 12

12

Meeting Carlos, of course, Margareth would check the study, the living room, or the master bedroom. After inspecting the living room, not far from the kitchen, Margareth immediately found Carlos's presence. He seemed to be talking to someone on the phone.

Seizing the opportunity, Margareth promptly sat on his lap. She nestled in a coquettish manner at Carlos's neck and leaned against his chest. Margareth felt the urge to kiss Carlos's lips, but she was afraid her future husband would be angry if she acted so audaciously.

"Darling... you're so busy," Margareth whined as Carlos finished his call.

"Not busy. My secretary just needed confirmation. That's all."

"Oh, I thought you were busy." Margareth hugged Carlos. "Um... darling, I want..." She lifted the hem of her knee-length skirt to reveal her smooth thigh to Carlos.

Margareth also unbuttoned her blouse collar slightly, giving a peek at her cleavage.

"Margareth, we've discussed this so many times," Carlos declined, pulling at Margareth's blouse collar. "We'll do it once we're legally married. Be patient, my love."

"You're mean. You're just as mean as my ex-husband. He was busy with other women and never satisfied me." Margareth moved to sit beside Carlos, her lips pouting, acting like a teenager. As a result, Carlos had to sweet-talk her with many words.

And Chelsea heard every word clearly. Though she had intended to ask about the menu, she ended up watching and listening to her mother's attempts to seduce Carlos.

She felt like snapping at her mother, but she had to keep up appearances and be sweet so that everything would go smoothly. What Chelsea disliked the most was when her mother spoke ill of her deceased father.

"Wow... what are you cooking?" Carlos asked when he and Margareth arrived at the dining table. Chelsea was arranging dinner on the table.

"Nothing special, Uncle. But I can assure you that it tastes very special, better than the five-star restaurants in this city."

"Is that so?"

"Of course, if Uncle doesn't believe me, please enjoy it. I can bring another menu here."

"Alright," Carlos said, inviting Margareth to sit before he took his seat as well.

And when Chelsea returned to the kitchen to fetch another menu, Margareth and Carlos were surprised by Vano's arrival.

Carlos appeared anxious, afraid that his son might drive Margareth away. They might start arguing again, just like when Carlos was caught in a relationship with this woman. However, Carlos believed Chelsea wouldn't have come to stay without Vano's permission, if it wasn't true what his campus friend had said about her and her mother moving in from today.

"So, is it true what my college friend said, that starting today, she and her mother will be living here?" Vano asked before Carlos had a chance to invite him to join the dinner table.

"Yes, as you can see. I can't be separated from Aunt Margareth," Carlos said without hiding his love for Margareth.

Vano nodded. "For living here, I'll allow it. But for marriage, not yet."

"Does that mean you're giving permission for Aunt Margareth and Chelsea to live here?"

Vano's shoulders shrugged. "As I said."

Carlos sighed. It was fine that he hadn't been granted permission for marriage yet, but at least Margareth was allowed to stay. That way, Margareth could easily win over Vano's heart.

Chelsea let out a long sigh, looking at the spacious room that would soon become hers.

A place of shelter, almost exactly like the room she had before her father went bankrupt.

Of course, there was nothing special about the room in Chelsea's eyes. While waiting for sleepiness to take over, Chelsea began organizing her clothes in the wardrobe, tidying the bed to make it comfortable. As she was about to lay down on the bed, she was surprised by the arrival of a man.

"Take this," Vano said, a man who suddenly entered Chelsea's room without her permission.

"What's this?" Chelsea furrowed her brows. She had initially wanted to scold Vano for intruding, but he had entered carrying a rather large gift.

Chelsea suppressed her anger.

"These are a few outfits I bought specifically for you. Looking at how you dress, of course, you wouldn't be able to tempt my father."

"What do you mean?" Chelsea wasn't ready to accept the gift Vano gave her, because there was the word "tempt" at the end of the sentence he said.

"Papa likes women who dress stylishly like my mother."

"And then?"

"Well, if you want to quickly catch my father's attention, you should be more than my mother. I'll also tell you some of my father's habits that he might still remember from my mother."

This part interested Chelsea because by becoming a version of Vano's mother, it would undoubtedly be easier for her to win Carlos's heart.

"Every morning, Mom usually cooks breakfast for Dad. Because Dad doesn't really like the housekeeper's cooking and prefers his wife's cooking. So, starting tomorrow, you can take over the housekeeping duties in the cooking department. Don't worry, it won't be more than that. And before that, I want to tell you that I have no intention of tricking or treating you like a housekeeper here. Everything I'm saying is purely to inform you so that you have an edge over Aunt Margareth."

Chelsea nodded. "So, your dad likes dishes made by the woman he loves?"

"True, and just so you know, my mother's cooking is the most delicious in the world."

"If I may ask, what kind of dishes does Uncle Carlos like?"

"Dad prefers lightly seasoned food. Imagine how to create a dish with flavors that are subtle yet still enjoyable."

"Alright, if that's what you want." Chelsea finally accepted the gift Vano had given her. "This isn't too revealing, is it?" she asked once again, making sure because it wasn't only Carlos in the house; Vano was there too, of course.

"No, I'm not interested in you either. Trust me." Vano got up and left Chelsea's room.

Chelsea smirked at Vano as he left her room, looking at herself in the wardrobe mirror. She scrutinized every inch of her body. Nothing appealing, according to Vano, but Chelsea believed her body was professional.

Her perfectly round breasts, though not overly large, were certainly a handful. Her buttocks were well-rounded too, able to be squeezed when walking side by side.

Chelsea shook her head. She couldn't believe she was fantasizing about Carlos cupping her breasts and squeezing her buttocks. She shivered, feeling horrified by her own imagination. The memory of the first time she introduced herself to Carlos also crossed her mind.

How embarrassed she was when she recalled seducing Carlos and having his large hands cup one of her breasts. Chelsea could still feel the warmth and fit of Carlos's hand there.

Several times Chelsea shook her head, dispelling the strange imagery that made her feel unfamiliar sensations in various parts of her body. Ignoring all those feelings, Chelsea rushed to the bed and lay down. She began to plan how to approach Carlos.

Certainly, starting tomorrow, all her plans would be executed, and making breakfast for Carlos would be the first step she would take.

"You can sleep in the room I mentioned earlier. Your belongings are also arranged there. So, why are you here?" Carlos raised his eyebrow when he was about to lie down, and Margareth entered instead, following him behind, so now they were in the master bedroom.

The room where Carlos used to live with his late wife, even pictures of Vano's birth mother were neatly displayed in the room.

"I initially came here to ask you to sleep together, with the condition that we wouldn't do anything. I just wanted to sleep in your embrace. But seeing the pictures of your late wife still hanging here made me feel inadequate. And..."

Carlos quickly hugged Margareth. "I can't take down the photos of Vano's late mother just yet, because honestly, a little love still remains for her. That's why I want to formalize our relationship so that I can truly focus on loving you. I'm afraid that when I've successfully erased all the memories of the past, you might disappoint me and leave. That's why I'm still holding on to them and will erase everything once we're officially husband and wife."

Margareth's heart warmed, listening to Carlos's words. Instantly, any traces of jealousy that had been stirring within her disappeared. She also nodded, accepting all of Carlos's wishes.

"So, please allow me to sleep here with you."

Carlos shook his head. "I'm sorry, dear. I can't do that because we don't have any relationship yet."

"Yes, but..."

"I hope you understand." Carlos cupped Margareth's cheeks. "Be patient, soon enough I believe Vano will agree to our marriage. Besides, I can't marry you officially if the documents from the Civil Registry haven't been processed. And of course, it will take about two months until your waiting period is over."

"B-but, Carlos. As I told you, Thomas and I haven't had any intimate relationship since he fell ill."

"I know that," Carlos stroked Margareth's cheek. "But we still need to abide by the laws of this country, because they don't know that."

Margareth sighed deeply, pushing Carlos away from her. "Two months is not a short time. While I'm so eager to sleep in your embrace, you won't even allow me to doze off. I'm frustrated," Margareth thought sulkily and left Carlos in the room.

Instead of chasing after and stopping her from leaving, Carlos let Margareth go with her anger. He was confident that Margareth couldn't stay mad for long, as she was now living with him.

However, Carlos couldn't follow Margareth's wishes. A widow and widower sharing a room, a bed, the same bed at that. That was impossible not to happen.

Carlos wouldn't be able to resist, especially considering Margareth was wearing a thin and slightly revealing nightgown. It had been ten years since he last experienced the pleasures of this world, and Carlos knew he wouldn't be able to hold back. He might even touch Margareth before the right time.

Chelsea tried to strengthen her resolve and firm up her thoughts, focusing on winning Carlos's heart. She was ready to bear all consequences and outcomes for the agreements she made with both Carlos and Vano.

Last night, Vano had also returned to his room and brought a piece of paper containing several agreements. In there, Vano asked Chelsea not to leave Carlos if her father fell in love with her. Vano also forced her to solidify her commitment to his father in any way possible.

At first, Chelsea found it difficult to accept all of this, but Vano promised to find a way for Margareth to regret her actions later. To regret everything she had done to Thomas.

Vano also promised to accompany Chelsea until this happened. Of course, Chelsea added a few points that would benefit her as well, including requiring Vano to behave sweetly in front of Carlos, so that their plan could proceed smoothly.

Not to forget, Chelsea wanted Vano to pick her up and drop her off at university and treat her like a queen. Vano had objections because his current girlfriend was in the same campus environment as them.

Vano was afraid his girlfriend would get jealous, but Chelsea assured him that on campus, their relationship was no more than stepsiblings. The agreement was signed by both parties, with the sincere understanding of each heart.

Therefore, from this morning, Chelsea was on standby in the kitchen to cook a special breakfast, especially for Carlos.

Meanwhile, Margareth was still sound asleep, as that was her nature. She was indifferent to her surroundings and prioritized herself. For all this time, Thomas had just accepted Margareth's lazy and indifferent attitude, even though he was still at the peak of his career.

Thomas accepted all the shortcomings that his wife had, which is why his heart was shattered when Margareth discarded him like trash.

"What are you cooking?" Vano asked, observing Chelsea from head to toe. She looked very beautiful and different from yesterday.

The girl was indeed wearing the clothes from the gift last night. A knee-length mini dress with thin straps on the shoulders and a low neckline that revealed a glimpse of Chelsea's cleavage. Vano tried to divert his gaze several times, but he was still quite captivated by Chelsea's appearance that morning.

"Just soto, because I saw that the things from last night haven't been properly arranged. So I can only work with the ingredients that are already in the fridge," Chelsea replied, turning her body back to the stove, focusing on the soto that had just finished cooking.

"Good, then. I'm hungry," Vano said, leaving Chelsea alone in the kitchen. If he stared at her for too long, he was afraid he might lose control and take Chelsea to his room.

"Good morning, Dad," Vano greeted as Carlos sat at the dining table. He had a newspaper in his hands. It had become a habit for Carlos to enjoy breakfast while reading the latest news.

"Going to campus today?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, Dad. And I might come home a bit earlier than yesterday because there aren't many activities on campus."

"Hmm, you're going to campus, but where's Chelsea?" Carlos shifted his gaze to Chelsea, who had just come in with the soto.

"Oh, I have classes later, Uncle. Besides, I'm still on leave. I'll only start next week after my father's passing."

"Okay, I thought you had the same schedule." Carlos turned his attention back to Vano. "Of course not, we're in different majors and levels."

"Alright then." Carlos prepared to enjoy his breakfast. "Who cooked this, Chelsea?"

Chelsea nodded. "Yes, Uncle. I hope you like my cooking and that it suits your taste."

Carlos pulled the corners of his lips, pleased that on the first day of living there, Chelsea was already blending in so well. Not only did she get along with Vano, but she also began to adapt to her role as the lady of the house.

Carlos was becoming more confident in Chelsea and hoped for a future with her. Unbeknownst to him, Vano was signaling Chelsea to return to the kitchen. Chelsea didn't know what Vano had planned, but she hurried back to the kitchen, following his wishes.

In silence, Carlos enjoyed his breakfast. Chelsea's carefully prepared dish, following specific instructions from Vano, was perfectly suited to Carlos's palate. He relished the soto in front of him without realizing that Chelsea and Vano were now exchanging signals to lure him into the kitchen to meet Chelsea.