A familiar car was parked in the front yard. Moreau wandered around, thinking she might have missed a few things after a long day. Perhaps it shouldn't have been so odd when a glimpse of Gloriya's face appeared in her mind. The business of Froy's mess wasn't over. She understood that, and shouldn't have been surprised by the additional information; about Barbara leaving office work early with the woman's vehicle already set aside in the garage. Perhaps some things had been discussed in there. Moreau tried to surmise that Barbara was still trying to convince her capacity for the need to persuade Abihirt to change his mind. Gloriya's worries could not be contained any longer. Moreau understood about some really bad things. She did not hesitate to make her way to the living room. At least not to get fully involved. She just wanted to know how far Abihirt's report at the police station had progressed. They hadn't really discussed the topic when they were together, and she w
The first time around... the man didn't say anything in response. Just a look of skepticism, as if he could guess and seemed to have some reservations about Gloriya's decision to come to this place. Then, when it came to taking a step... the only thing Moreau could interpret was the contradictory direction of Abihirt's wishes. The man certainly had no interest in simply removing the remaining distance between them. Nor was climbing the stairs—then walking towards the room. The kitchen. Yes. There. Just past several pairs of eyes, it was as if the man had seen nothing. Even to Barbara who seemed to have been quite enthusiastic—now expressing how much she objected. "Abi, stop for a moment. Let's talk about your and Froy's problem thoroughly. Don't you see the future wife of your nephew." Barbara's voice broke free into the air, but it was not enough to elicit a significant response from Abihirt. The man's shoulder had disappeared behind the dividin
"I think you already know why I imprisoned him." A statement made Lewi hold her breath a little. The woman's reaction never escaped Moreau's eyes. She was sure she would have shown similar insistence had she been there. It took a while... at least for Lewi to think of an answer. One part of that almost happened when suddenly Gloriya interrupted. "We didn't come here to talk about why you imprisoned Froy. Lewi already knows and she still loves my son. They will also have children soon. Don't you think a little about the fate of my grandson?" "Shut up. That's your grandson, he has nothing to do with me." Just for an instant, and then Gloriya had to close her lips tightly. The woman seemed to have been affected by Abihirt's cold statement. "Don't you think bringing her here will persuade me to change my mind. I still don't care." The man continued as a complete picture, where all that remained was silence. They had the choice to keep talking about
It was already too late to understand the situation around the room, but the pure reaction Moreau showed was almost only a startled response, then remained silent as the sound of the door closing and someone's footsteps could be heard faintly lurking throughout her room. Not knowing what to really do. There were all sorts of odd, unrevealed images that shouldn't have sprung up as something lurking. Moreau didn't want to be so confident as to say Abihirt; with no idea what purpose had suddenly come looking for her. Their business; the need for him to invite the figure skating federation to simply enter into a contractual agreement was clear enough. She and Juan would still perform. Anitta had prepared everything that would be called a practice routine. Or perhaps there was one part left out, so her stepfather needed a more serious conversation. The rattling of the bed could almost be heard loud enough in the air. Moreau immediately held her breath as she felt the
"Don't you realize you're disturbing my sleep, Abi?" There was no choice. Moreau had fought hard to keep her words calm. Slightly successful... maybe. Wish it had always been that way with the prospect of it ending better. Abihirt needed to say a few things, it was okay to be brief. At least the man could hand over a clue. Woe. Instead of speaking, the man moved his face—seeking a more comfortable position, and reminding Moreau how they had faced moments like this. The time when Abihirt found Samuel in her mother's office. The man was angry, jealous, and looking for an outlet. After all, she was always the shortcut. "Abi ...." Moreau muttered almost like a whisper. While staring straight at the ceiling of the room, trying to hold back something that was suddenly quite painful. Don't know .... Maybe her feelings were not right. "Step aside a bit, Abi." There were only a few ways to be free from the various pressures. Moreau kept demanding t
The stark difference between his mother's arrival—when Gloriya came to visit and someone with indecipherable motivations was enough to give Froy a thick dose of tension, so he took the most hesitant action of simply sitting across from him—almost looking down as those gray eyes stared too intently at him. "Why are you visiting me, Uncle?" Finally, Froy would not be able to hold back any longer. The first time Abihirt set foot in this place felt almost impossible. He still waited for a short answer, knowing that his uncle had a bit of a habit of not saying anything; tended to observe the situation around him before starting; then would dominate the situation. It had been too long, urging the tension in Froy's shoulders to become something storied. His legs had been shaking under the table and his entire hand was cold like a layer of ice. He blinked repeatedly just to neutralize this kind of reaction. Perhaps being obnoxious would be enough to make him look brave, wh
"So Abi has withdrawn his report and now Froy has been released?" Moreau naturally raised one high eyebrow as she overheard her mother's conversation with someone on the other end of the line. It was certain that Gloriya was the main culprit, which explained how relief had played a role between them. A little surprising, but it was fairer not to try to make too much of it. Perhaps there was something that gave Abihirt an impact and Moreau still believed everything—they went through last night, was one of the reasons. Someone claimed to need quiet, and so did her stepfather. No wonder she didn't find him anywhere when she woke up this morning, though she thought it was a routine necessity—always rewarded by a similar pattern, not requiring a detailed description to explain. "I think Abi went straight to his office after meeting Froy. He didn't say anything to me. No one knew. It could have been a spur of the moment decision. You know he's that kind of person. But I
For a moment, Barbara sounded like she was sighing, though the woman immediately made an unusual gesture in her presence. "Froy and Lewi are getting married next week. Are you sure you're ready to attend their wedding?" Moreau's eyebrows raised faintly, feeling a little odd about what her mother was talking about. "Why are you asking me that?" She was curious, and didn't feel awkward asking Barbara that. "Perhaps because Froy is your ex-lover. If you're going to get your heart broken, you shouldn't bother involving yourself." It was funny to find her mother suddenly caring, as if Barbara's anger had run its course and she was no longer thinking about how presumptuous she had been in a silent relationship with her husband's nephew. "Who said I was going to get my heart broken?" A little curious and it was okay to ask a question that immediately made Barbara seem to think for a moment. "Didn't you guys just break up and Froy went straight into a rela
Moreau let her hand soak in the water, letting the touch there, on Abihirt's arm like leaving a trace of mutual need. "Your mother will not be home today." Then a whisper from that deep, hoarse voice added something Moreau had hardly ever thought about. Reflexively... she parted her lips and asked, "Why?" "Your mother asked permission to take a vacation." Okay. She might have forgotten that; about Barbara's statement the other day during their dinner together. But that didn't mean this was part of their freedom, did it? Moreau still wanted to keep the boundaries or actually she was still waiting for when the irritation in her mind would disappear. "But I still want to go home," she said finally. Let Abihirt relent. The man should always give in, though Moreau unexpectedly felt her stepfather's embrace loosen. Only briefly, which made the new touch feel more intimate as she was lifted high and invited to sit by the lake. Perhaps Abihirt
"Thank you." There shouldn't have been anything else. The only thing Moreau wanted to do was put the necklace back on. She would be self-sufficient for times like this. Ironically, there was no time to read the slightest warning when Abihirt unexpectedly pulled her into the lake. "Abi—my phone!" Moreau shouted instinctively. She was now flooded quite high up. Almost her entire body was completely wet. And the very first thing she did was to grab the handheld cell phone that was clearly tucked into the back pocket of her pant. At least it was still on, but it was quite doubtful that it would last after almost the entire compound was submerged in water. She gave Abihirt a sharp look. Didn't know whether to feel grateful when still holding the necklace in hand so tightly. Probably, she would have gone straight to the edge just to make sure if her cell phone was okay or not. Moreau lifted the flat object high into the air. The lake shore felt shallow enough tha
"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