Over and over again, Moreau felt the need to really make up her mind after waiting for her mother to seem conversational. At least it was just in time—when dinner was over and the woman was busy with the flickering monitor screen again. Maybe Barbara's work wasn't done yet. Maybe her mother felt the need for more ambition when what Moreau wanted to say was relevant.
"I didn't come to this place for pleasantries, Moreau. Considering that you were once my photo model and our sales suddenly increased significantly, I would like to invite you back to be my model. How's that? Do you agree?" "But, I'm not sure about my mom. She'll be furious if she finds out I'm doing a photo shoot. Probably wouldn't be too upset if she found out I modeled for you without telling her." "Then you should talk to her. Persuade your mom until she's willing." That was a conversation some time ago. Moreau was a little surprised at first to find Mrs. Smift showing up at the rehearsal haThe door to the room opened slightly making Moreau flinch as she was preoccupied with her cell phone. There was no warning from Abihirt that the man would suddenly step in. Showing a barely legible expression. Towering there with an almost flawless appearance—still in his suit. It seemed Moreau was quite affected when Abihirt's single step ushered the man closer. No conversation was expected to start yet. It was urgent enough that she suspected her stepfather wasn't just coming over, but had a specific purpose and didn't want to make it obvious. Moreau instinctively arranged her shoulders against the headboard. Her bright blue irises never failed to notice every detail of the action until the man's buttocks touched the edge of the bed. How she almost held her breath as the sound of the bed crunching became the only thing that was loud. Though undeniably, the quiet between them did not require Abihirt to do anything significant, so it had better be okay. "My mom d
For a moment, Moreau raised one high eyebrow to find Abihirt not showing any specific reaction to simply leaving this place. Wasn't their business done? Perhaps the man held the answer to the previous question. Moreau would wait. Yes, while finding Abihirt staring at her face intently. It slowly made her feel awkward; almost thinning her lips, but quickly restrained herself when the man looked like he was reaching into his pants pocket for something, then revealed one thing, though it did not blend with the knowledge in Moreau's mind at all. How she did not understand; tried hard to understand; and in the end remained fixated on the gold-colored cage-shaped object, which seemed to have a small hook on it. "What is it?" asked Moreau while swallowing harshly. Almost completely unable to look away from the palm of her stepfather's hand. Abihirt did not say anything right away. However, the man positioned himself to erase the remaining distance between them. Now it was
"What made her stop?" she asked slowly. Slightly unconcerned if their eye contact would trap each other. Perhaps because of one overarching influence—Abihirt's statement about the meaning of the pendant of the necklace, which seemed to remind her that she did not plan to take any additional options, other than remaining a figure skating athlete—was exactly what Barbara wanted. "When she started carrying me." The man's deep, hoarse voice replied with a disgusted tone. The expression on her stepfather's face instantly changed rapidly, but it was so brief that there was hardly a chance for Moreau to figure out what was left. "You blame yourself for this?" Again, she asked. Just guessing at the origin. Not knowing that Abihirt would shake his head too faintly and create a situation that suddenly felt hollow. Although her stepfather did not admit it. However, Moreau could detect something odd about the man's shoulders. Yes, something that could not be said
"Do it on my lips." That was what the man said, though. This time Moreau actually raised one eyebrow high just to show the response she had wanted from the beginning. So that Abihirt would understand that she was always disobedient and decide to ask again. "Are you forcing me or asking it of me?" "Neither. I want you to do it willingly." The man growled slightly. Moreau shook her head unwillingly. "But I don't want to," she said defiantly, even though Abihirt had already brought his face closer for her to give an extra kiss. The scent of the man's body was intoxicating and likely to take over the situation here. Moreau really didn't want to take a big risk where she would lose track of the way home. Let Abihirt try to persuade, while her mind would always be on the spot. "I will kiss you again. But, still not on the lips." It was fine to test the man's patience. Her stepfather didn't say much as Moreau leaned in, almost pressing a palm on Ab
Woefully, Moreau could not imagine how they would escape. Abihirt had pushed her onto her back, while the man was on top of her. Trailing fingertips with light touches on several body parts in sleeping pajamas. "Your purpose here is to bring me the period pads I left behind, Abi. You know I can't do that right now." After many determined decisions. Moreau finally decided to push her stepfather's chest. The gray eyes stared for a moment. Slowly lowering his head as if trying to relent, though she could faintly see Abihirt half growling—half objecting. There was no choice but to step aside and take a deep breath. How Moreau could hardly help but smile at everything she found. Her stepfather was hardly used to this, but it was the impact of their actions that was truly searing. "Aren't you afraid of my mother looking for you?" asked Moreau cautiously as she was wary that Abihirt wouldn't just stab her, whether he cared if she had her period or not. Still no answer. Both of Mor
Barbara had just stepped inside, but found absolutely no one in the room. Where was Abihirt? Her mind wondered hollowly, for after all he had given her no clues that she could use for a time like this, a time when she wanted to enjoy time together. It had been a while and they were almost too preoccupied with things. She grunted. Finally Barbara plopped down on the edge of the bed. At least play with her phone; delete Samuel's lewd messages; or get rid of his call history. There was no denying that she had prioritized her need to talk to with Samuel instead of welcoming Abihirt when he arrived home. Maybe Abihirt was with Chicao, that's what she thought after she finished eliminating the worst prospects as evidence of infidelity, never knowing that Abihirt would open the door at the same time. Slightly startled by the stifled clatter there, though Barbara immediately turned her head. They made eye contact. It didn't so much leave anything odd, as it made her imme
Barbara blinked a few times, fighting hard not to be easily persuaded. There was still a desire that her name should be there, on the ownership documents. She didn't trust Moreau and would never let the girl inherit the company Jeremias Riveri had left behind. Moreau deserved to be a figure skating athlete. She didn't want anything else. Didn't want her daughter involved in any way. Barbara didn't want to risk Moreau's defiant to downright unruly demeanor. She let out a rough breath, then shook her head faintly. There seemed to be a hint of regret in rejecting Samuel's invitation for a few days' vacation on the island. After all, Abihirt had made her feel like she just needed an outlet, but she didn't want to get angry just like that. It was probably fear considering Abihirt was the kind of man who would always be serious, no matter if they were in a confrontation or not. Barbara didn't want to be too rash, though she half-angrily ended up dropping the important document at th
"No, Juan. Stop chasing me!" Moreau's one mistake was to smear her melted ice cream on the tip of Juan's nose. Now, she desperately needed to avoid anything and everything Juan might do. That guy really wasn't going to stop until he got his hands on her. Damn, how they were almost too close, that there was almost nothing Moreau could do to prevent Juan—just a little—from grabbing any of the good prospects between them. The man could have grabbed her flying hair, but he didn't. Juan would never be that rude, choosing to be more patient, like when Moreau looked back but was engulfed in a straight-forward step and suddenly... she accidentally bumped into someone else's body. Everything seemed to stop in an instant. Moreau was shocked to find Lewi about to fall. However, Froy's nimble little instincts, at least, would not lead them to dive in the middle of a big problem. It was inconceivable that something would happen when Lewi fell and she might harm th
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