"You're not too busy today, are you, Moreau? I wanted to ask you a favor."
Moreau raised one eyebrow high, trying to ascertain what Barbara's purpose was in deciding to come to her at this time of day. In the woman's hands were several files wrapped together in a folder. Perhaps it was too important that the expression on her face looked around, as if searching for various ways to solve the problem. Moreau held her breath for a moment, letting it out almost without giving a hint. She had not forgotten that the woman's appearance here was to finalize the plan made with someone on the phone last night. While trying to forget the odd look on Barbara's face. Moreau resumed the activity of arranging sprig after sprig of lily flowers mixed with chrysanthemums and red carnations. The combination of several flowers... offered peace, love and admiration. It wMoreau's arm was outstretched, tentatively placing the bouquet of flowers sh3 had made next to the headstone bearing the name of her father, Jeremias Riveri, with a feeling of either awe or bewilderment. Moreau breaks into a faint smile. Her fingertips rubbed the smooth ceramic surface in a careful and gentle gesture. She did not bring a gift. Didn't know what to choose. It would always be with a request. Moreau would ask and her father would answer-what the man wanted, and what patterned wrapping paper to use. This second time around the birthday celebration felt different, but Moreau took the initiative towards something. On the way to the cemetery, she stopped for a few moments to pick out a cake covered in melted cream. Her father loved chocolate and Moreau had bought a cake with dark sprinkles. She involuntarily smiled back as she opened the box. The lighter was already in hand. Just needed to light a fir
The car was parked neatly. Moreau glanced around the corner of the basement of the hotel located in the city center. She half wondered if perhaps she had made a wrong trip. Perhaps a little confusion was trying to keep reality from slipping away? Almost too many doubts lingered in Moreau's mind, but she tried hard to deny them. There was no way Barbara could have given a false address. Supposedly, she didn't. Hadn't she also added that the meeting with Mr. Halland would take place at the hotel restaurant? Moreau snorted rudely, admitting that it was she who had taken the woman's conversation last night on the phone too seriously. For a moment her eyes glanced at the passenger seat. Something there had been so prepared. Hoping this would be over soon. It should really be over. Slowly Moreau loosened her grip on the steering wheel, she didn't even realize she was gripping tightly. It was because the worry
An irritating chuckle, to a satisfied tone like a thunderous lightning strike. Moreau ducked deeply to avoid any kiss from landing there. She even loudly shouted out to whoever might come to stop the insolent bastard when the man's lips were about to touch her cheek. "Let go!" Once again Moreau was still rebelling. Her one hand clenched tightly instinctively slammed into Mr. Halland's jaw. The man snarled, though it was by no means the end of the devious actions the man was revealing. Moreau winced at the demand that turned into a rough grip. She did not want to be dragged into a room when the door was already open. Still trying to pull herself back, a sudden hard blow left an unexpected wake, Mr. Halland's body tumbling down in a near collision with the hotel hallway floor. "Abi." Moreau muttered involuntarily. She was a little surprised. However, tentatively taking a distance as her stepfather seemed to still be e
Something inside Moreau tried to caution. However, passion had grown so wild. This was not the first time. She could feel how much her stepfather wanted to make the same mistake and take things too far. The fingers of Moreau's hand traveled unconsciously to Abihirt's nape. She held the man for a moment longer as a soft bite transformed into something electrifying. Completely surrendered... not for long as Abihirt was in a hurry to remove the black sabrina dress on her body, a knee-length dress that was faintly revealed. This need felt like it had to be fulfilled. Moreau kept her eyes closed as her stepfather's mouth kissed around her breasts. The man has even stripped off her bra of a matching color, to the point of squeezing next to Moreau's breasts so vigorously. The size of the hand was just right and steady. Abihirt really left a burning sensation. "Abi ...." M
"We're done for today, team." Moreau's breath caught in her throat when the coach's voice finally ended the long training session. She jumped down immediately following Juan's loosening grip on her hips. They stared at each other, then compactly skated, skates scraping across the ice, toward Anitta on the sidelines with lines all over the surface. Moreau knew what she was getting into. The expression on Anitta's face was a little more serious than the first time they met after a week ago. She might have noticed something odd, hence Moreau's early reprimands. Really, she was trying to focus, but the image of Abihirt's face and their romance in the hotel room was still a mystery that sprouted ferociously. There was barely a pause and Moreau felt quite tired of being ambushed by feelings of guilt towards her mother, the woman who had clearly gotten herself into mischief, had she not deliberat
"You might not mind telling me a story, Barbara?" "Tell you what?" Something Moreau had never dealt with... was when her stepfather seemed to be offering something, but Barbara was asking questions as if the woman was dealing with ambiguous feelings and had actually been staring at Abihirt with a big question mark on the top of her head, to the point of a confused expression. "About the meeting at the hotel this morning." Woe. Moreau's breath caught in the face of Abihirt's deep, hoarse voice, which had released the grip on her wrist, and was now seriously awaiting an answer from Barbara even though the woman sometimes opened her lips, then closed them again, as if she was afraid-or perhaps thinking of something else. However, Moreau couldn't just keep her head down, while she knew where Abihirt was going; about the conversation with Mr. Halland, which Moreau shouldn't be having. She swallowed harshly d
"Please make a glass of hot tea for Abi... I have to go to my room for a while and will be back soon." Those were Barbara's words a few moments ago. Moreau thought her mother still had the need to explain everything that had unfolded last night. However, it seemed like she had guessed wrong when she found her mother walking while clinging to the arm of Abihirt, a perfectly built man in a navy blue suit. Although there was no denying the cold expression on his face, it was a stark contrast to the woman who pulled out a chair and invited her husband to sit down. "I've made tea for you, Abi. Drink up." There was something odd here. Moreau looked at Barbara a little incredulously. The woman confessed, even the tea Moreau had prepared earlier, the tea in front of Abihirt right now, wa
"I'm already here. So what did you want to talk about?" Moreau's bright blue irises looked seriously into her stepfather's face. They had just sat facing each other with Abihirt not saying anything just to start. Moreau wanted this conversation to continue and finalize the deal in a proper and fitting manner, which would even have to wait a while until the man returned from an important activity. Now only an outstretched arm pulled at the desk drawer. Moreau slowly observed the manner to Abihirt's calm expression as he sorted through the documents. Tentatively the man shifted a few files closer in front of her. She frowned, giving Abihirt a puzzled look, but tried to figure herself out by reading the series of sentences bolded there. Something, anything, that Moreau had never thought of before. There were several points, and they were all about the most
"You have to be careful." Don't know why, but that's what Moreau said. She looked longingly at Abihirt's face. The first brief reaction was a faint nod. There was nothing else to do when she only needed to observe her stepfather's body was out of sight. Abihirt dived. Moreau did not expect that she would be waiting for quite some time. That was surprising. There was no clue about her stepfather from the start. Abihirt's method was definitely not like Froy's who often popped into the air, though this made Moreau feel very scared as she further examined the calm surface after a few puddle runs. Abihirt was completely unpredictable about appearing, and then... at times she would daydream—the sound of splashing water immediately drawing her attention closer. Moreau straightened her shoulders. Unfortunately, she would not immediately find Abihirt turning his head towards her. The man presumably just wanted to scoop up some oxygen and dive back into the water.
Moreau's body suddenly stiffened at the sight of the water splashing, while Abihirt had gotten closer to Froy. The man offered help to his nephew and there was some relief that they were slowly swimming to the shore. She and Gabriel instinctively ran to the lip of the lake. It wasn't Froy Moreau was thinking about. Only her stepfather. Let Gabriel take the remaining action by welcoming the man—who seemed to be panting—to be laid down on the grass with a groan. The cramping was painful. The feeling could be imagined so clearly in her mind. Moreau winced, but also looked over to find that Abihirt had climbed to the ground. Now the man towered over her soaking wet. Staring at his nephew half annoyed, though saying nothing but letting Froy calm down a bit more. Slowly... at least it had subsided. There was still no conversation. However, Gabriel again offered to help when Froy tried to get up from his seat and looked up hesitantly. "I can't find the necklace."
Moreau continued to watch her stepfather. The unpredictable handsome man was now at least trying not to be incensed at any form of resistance from Froy. "You know that throwing something small into the lake will make it difficult for you to find, so why do you keep doing it? You keep throwing Moreau's necklace for no reason." Abihirt's question was simple enough, but it more than made Froy almost faint. The man's eyes moved restlessly. It took a few moments of pause to actually find an answer. "I was out of line, Uncle. I was angry at the attitude you gave Lewi and the way you gave the necklace to Moreau instead!" That was like a huge protest. Froy's voice boomed loudly. The man was lucky, because it seemed like Abihirt had paid with money to make people leave the park, which Moreau only realized when she looked around. Not a surprise. She should be used to it. "What's wrong with that? Didn't I replace Lewi's necklace with a new one?" Abihirt's statement this time made Fro
Moreau thought that Gabriel's involvement in the trip to Sierre De Guadarrama National Park was something that made it an unfair prospect. However, it turned out that she was wrong to include such a notion, as Abihirt's wishes were more understandable when asking her to move to Gabriel's car, while the man walked into the building—quite a flashy place there. Moreau had been to this place before; it was where Froy got married and she ended up asking for permission to leave early. It was a little odd to think that Abihirt had actually come to the man's nephew for some sort of accountability. Now she found her stepfather forcing Froy to walk. Although it seemed forced, Froy would have no choice. The man's body had disappeared in the car. Only a tendrils of shadow remained, then she also had to watch Abihirt's body get into the driver's seat. The car engine started and that's when Gabriel understood to bring them up behind. "Abi wants to ask his nephew to dive
Moreau shook her head for a while. In the end, she decided to lift her face. She was almost surprised—of course, because this was not what she wanted to find; the smallest hint of disappointment on her stepfather's handsome face, no matter how much Abihirt tried to keep every detail of the reaction between them brief. The necklace left to her was indeed a lasting memory and Moreau was sure it was very-very precious. "I apologize." She still could not take it for granted that Abihirt did not want to prosecute anything at the moment. There was an impact where her heart felt like it was being crushed. Staring at the man made her eyes sting and heat up. To the time that kept crawling forward... would soon be accompanied by seepage of water and Moreau would not be able to hold back. Perhaps Abihirt understood how worry controlled the fear in her mind, so the man hugged instead of saying angry. Hugging after letting her tremble as if this was an unexpected outburst of trouble. "N
There was only one step left, so Moreau should have been able to finish this sooner. She swallowed harshly. A moment of staring at the doorknob with great fear before finally being overwhelmed by the determined action of pressing and pushing inside. Perhaps she did so in such a hurry, that the sound that broke the surface immediately attracted someone there. Who would have thought that Abihirt would be towering in front of the translucent glass, while the man's gray eyes were assaulted by the view from outside. There was something Moreau couldn't quite put her finger on. She felt—then—Abihirt was daydreaming, because after all... detecting the man's response; little could be expressed in the odd way that Abihirt acted oddly upon realizing her presence. There were no words. No sentence was even close to being uttered. Silence. And yet, in those moments of near—closeness, Moreau felt how her heart rumbled loudly. Like it didn't want to stop. It was still hammering and sh
"Why don't you come with me, Juan? I'm afraid to go in alone." Everything was supposed to be fine—no; actually—a little fine, until Juan's shocking confession almost made the whole stability of Moreau's mind and how she had desperately fought for, now suddenly fall apart. Juan's decision seemed so absolute, though Moreau still hoped the man would suddenly change his mind and then they could settle this whole matter quickly. Unfortunately, the faint shaking response was something so real. It had such an impact that Moreau almost forgot how to breathe properly. She turned her face out the window, glancing around the place. Not ready to go down yet. Almost desperate at the thought of being so close to Abihirt. What was the man currently doing in there? Busy with some important business? "Just accompany me for a moment." Once again Moreau tried to persuade. This time really craving how Juan would agree. She looked up at the man, but was always met with the
Technically, the necklace was hers. Yet, no matter how cynical Moreau's voice had become, Froy still showed no intention of correcting his wrongdoing. Instead, he chuckled, as if there was no need for corrective behavior for an intentional mistake. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" Now that one question almost made Moreau thin her lips faintly. She simply restrained herself, then made sure the tips of her fingernails dug deep into the surface of Froy's arm like she often did to Abihirt, though this was clearly a different concept; not pure insistence; she wanted Froy to agree immediately or at least until the man jumped into the water. "It doesn't matter who I am. Make sure you return the necklace to my hands. I don't care which way you do it either, but one thing's for sure... I won't hesitate to tell Abi everything you've done." It wasn't just a threat. Froy should have understood. Alas, the man did not care. "You're his favorite gir
"Juan, we should go home," Moreau said, really not wanting to look at Froy's annoying face. She pulled the ends of the cloth over Juan's body. The man understood easily. They should walk, in any direction, to leave this place as soon as possible. However, only one step was taken. The next, a touch on Moreau's hand was tight. "I'm not done yet." The man hissed almost too close. How insolent, as if Froy had deliberately left the pain until Moreau winced faintly. "I have nothing to talk to you about. Let go!" A slight rebellion from Moreau. Struggling hard to brush off Froy's pathetic behavior, but it was useless. Even the actions of Lewi and Juan left no good prospects. Froy would really go crazy, if it continued like this. "I don't know what you're trying to talk about, but this necklace was given to me at your uncle's wish and also with my mother's consent. My mother herself isn't angry, so why are you bothering with a matter that you obviously don't k