Chapter 10 Uncanny Richard

“Looking for something?” a bass voice of a man tried to say something near Sonya’s ear.

Sonya inhaled, getting up from her bending position as the man already made her clumsily stand in front of him. Sonya wiped her cheek with one of her backhands. She just tried to sneak into the hole in the wall of the mansion as she was curious to see that mansion from a reachable access, the mansion looked gradually maintained within days.

“I think I heard a cat that got lost!” Sonya smiled at that man. ‘Damn! I wish he didn’t assume that I was sneaking into the mansion!’

“You mean this cat? Is it yours?” the man smiled as his hands lifted up a black cat that was hissing at him. He was standing under the archway gate of the mansion.

He was tall, a well-built man with a pair of dark blue eyes, and those eyes looked so captivating as Sonya tried to not look into them.

He was wearing a casual sweater and navy jeans with a nice musk scent that accompanied his style that morning.

Sonya nodded, reaching out the cat from the man’s hands but the cat was frightened enough. It scratched Sonya’s backhand and bruised her hand a little blood with its claws.

“Hey!” Sonya released the cat immediately and scorched as she felt hurt. She held her hand which was bleeding a little. She saw that the cat was running fast, sneaking into her family land.

“Gosh!” That man held her hand, he was examining the scar on her hand while she was staring at the cat.

“Hmm!” Sonya withdrew her hand from that man’s hold, she was startled that he was holding her hand.

“Sorry, I just want to get you some help! Would you come into my house?” His blue eyes stared at Sonya. He had a charming and friendly smile, and he looked at Sonya in a banter. “I could get you something for that!” He stared at Sonya’s hand with a little blood that she wiped the stains off with the back of a jogging jacket she was wearing.

Sonya bit her lip, looking at him then turning her sight to the mansion. She inhaled. Suddenly, Granny’s face appeared in her mind and made her innocently shake her head at that man’s invitation.

“I’m fine!” She turned around to return to the house but the man yanked her arm.

“Wait, how should I call you?” That man looked desperately wanting to talk with her.

“Sonya!” Sonya tried to smile as she also tried to confront the man’s grip on her arm.

“I just moved here! And here I am, neighbor!” That man teased Sonya with a gentle smile and a friendly gesture.

Sonya smiled. “Glad someone finally is staying in that mansion!”

That man giggled. “A mansion? I think a mansion is obviously a cap! Anyway, I am Richard!” He offered a handshake to Sonya.

Sonya glanced at him and took his handshake. ‘He seems nice and humble!’

‘His handshake is so strong!’ Sonya pulled her hand before the man stunned her unconsciously and made her stupidly clumsy.

“My great-grandfather inherited this house!” Richard turned his head at the mansion, he seemed to think as he rubbed his chin and put his hand on his waist. “It looks so archaic; don’t you think so?” He, then, looked at Sonya who also stared at the architectural design of the exterior structure of that building.

“But I like that angel statue!” Sonya directed her chin to an old sculpture in the form of a beautiful lady with a rose in her hand, it was standing in the middle of the mansion’s front yard and painted in a dull white color.

Sonya inhaled as she caught a glossy dark blue luxurious car parked in front of the mansion’s front door. ‘Is he the heir of August Cardinal? Or is he a part of the Cardinal wealthy family as Clayton said?’

Richard chuckled. “I’ll keep that statue. I loved her since I saw for a first sight!”

Sonya lifted her eyebrows as she was wondering to hear Richard’s opinion. “Really?”

Richard nodded and stared at Sonya in a more piercing but enigmatic sight. “Yeah. She should stand on the artificial spring water! I’m going to love its bubbling sounds!” He inhaled and threw his eyes at that statue.

Sonya nodded. “It’s going to be wonderful!”

They both stared at the statue for a few seconds.

‘Wait, I think I recognize that face! But, who’s that face?’ Sonya rubbed her forehead as she was thinking hard but again, she lost in tracking her memory about it.

“I need to go back to my house!” Finally, she was aware that she should return to the house. She inhaled and considered Richard that it was time for her to leave.

Richard seared his face and tried to cover his face from the morning sun's rays. He waved his hand as Sonya returned to walk into her family gate.

“I hope we can talk again, Sonya!” He smiled and folded his two arms on his both waists.

Sonya, as she closed the gate, smiled at him and shrugged at him. She turned down her head as she walked through the small path. ‘Is he the man that I saw last night? And I thought it was Clayton?’

Sonya sighed and examined the wound of her hand, she walked to the streaming brook. She washed her hands there and the chilling water made her scoop some with her hands to drench her face. She did it repeatedly until she was aware that Richard still kept watching her on the elevating ground where he was standing under the archway gate.

He smiled at Sonya and waved his hand to her before turning his back to get into the mansion.

‘Why couldn’t I get Richard’s face out of my mind?’ Sonya sighed, fisting her fingers on the bathroom wall as the water was showering her back. ‘I don’t like this feeling! It’s too instant and weird!’

Sonya had breakfast alone as Clayton, Auntie Caroline even Lassie went out somewhere. She had checked the front yard and found that Clayton’s car wasn’t parked there.

She tried to distract herself from Richard. ‘Why does he make me feel curious to find out more about him?’

Sonya spooned her salad into her mouth and crushed a toasted bread into the salad.

‘How about the dog that I saw last night? It wasn’t Lassie!’ She munched but her mind was still trying to contemplate deeply. ‘Why is going to be weirder day by day in this place?’

She sipped her coffee. ‘And that statue, although it was timely worn I recognized that face. Who was she? Was she the manifestation of Rose Duville?’ She rubbed her forehead. She was too absorbed with her running explorative mind until a hand was crumpling her right shoulder.

She found Clayton was giggling.

“Have a breakfast, huh?” He asked and opened the fridge to get a cold diet soda. He chopped the ring of the can out and looked at Sonya curiously.

“Where have you been?” Sonya sighed and stopped sipping her morning black coffee.

Auntie Caroline smiled and bagged out some big loaves of red meat to put into the freezer from a shopping bag.

“Are we going to celebrate something, Auntie?” Sonya wrinkled her forehead. She smelled the aroma of lamb from the red meat coming out from the shopping bag that Auntie Caroline put on the dining table, in front of her breakfast plate.

“Perhaps. But Clayton must be provided with that meat in his diet!” Auntie Caroline answered without stopping clustering some spaces to restore those meats in the freezer.

Clayton wiped his lips and suddenly, he caught in his eyes Sonya’s backhand. “What happened?” He asked and took a seat next to Sonya. He took Sonya’s hand to examine the wound.

He smirked after sniffing her wound.

Sonya stared at him. “I put some antibiotics already on it!”

Clayton moved his body backward and stared at Lassie. He didn’t say no words but Lassie started slowly growling at Sonya.

“What, Lassie?” Sonya rose from her seat and took a glass of water from the fridge.

“He smelled a cat!” Clayton explained but his eyes kept staring at Sonya.

Sonya sighed. ‘Clayton seems to observe me! What is he thinking about me?’ Sonya sipped the water.

“And something else!” Clayton hissed and stared at Sonya, making Sonya feel gauche with his glare.

“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Sonya shrugged, washing her dishes before deciding to leave all of them in the front yard.

“I’ll get some fresh air!” She said to Clayton as she closed the front door but Clayton stopped her and caught her to escort her to the front yard.

“Did that man suck the blood from your scar?” Clayton put his eyes on Sonya in a serious mimic. He yanked Sonya’s arm as they closed the front gate and walked along the street side.

“What man?” Sonya chuckled and wrinkled her forehead.

“Just answer my question, Sonya!” He started to grit his teeth.

Sonya stopped chuckling and found that Clayton was getting mad.

“It was a cat!” Sonya answered and avoided Clayton’s glare.

“Did he suck your blood?” He asked Sonya again with a heavier tone.

Sonya shook her head quickly. “No!”

Clayton inhaled deeply. His face seemed more relaxed and relieved.

“Why do you think that he wanted to suck my blood?” Sonya paused her step, staring at Clayton desperately curious. ‘What the hell does this guy know about me and Richard?’ Sonya inhaled.

“Never mind!” He wiped his lips and glanced at Sonya. “I just saw an ice cream shop, a few metres from here. Let’s try that place!” He yanked Sonya’s wrist and walked to a shop with a balcony roof.

There was a quite long and awkward silence when they both enjoyed their single scoop of ice cream.

“I met the man who living in that mansion!” Sonya opened the conversation, she paused to find the retort of Clayton who seemed enjoying his vanilla ice cream.

Clayton stopped spooning a bite of ice cream. He didn’t say anything but he turned his eyes again on his ice cream bowl after staring at Sonya.

“I think he is a descendant of the Cardinal!” Sonya continued to tell him about Richard but Clayton only smirked as he responded to it.

“Do you want to know him more?” Then, without any previous signs, Clayton snipped Sonya’s story with that question.

“He seems nice and humble!” Sonya cleared her throat and took some sips of water.

Clayton shot Sonya with his piercing sight. “You’d better beware of your safety!” He emphasized his statement and finished his final spoon of ice cream into his mouth.

Sonya smirked. “Thank you!”

She looked at Clayton who looked coldly in his expression. ‘Was he jealous of that man? We are cousins!’

“I saw a statue of Rose Duville in that mansion’s front yard!”

Clayton glanced at her coldly and seemed not interested in hearing more.