Chapter 5

~~~~ Sixteen years ago ~~~~

"Here, take this."

Kristof gave the old lady a little water. He had considered this woman his mother for the past nine years. He pressed the cup against her mouth and slowly raised it. A little stream of water flowed through her lips.

Her dried lips had bloodstains on them. She had been coughing up blood for days now. The end was near. Isoldi would soon die. She knew it and Kristof knew it as well. She had found little Kristof after his accident. She saved him, nurtured him, and gave him a home.

"Thank you, my dear boy," she softly spoke. Her voice was old and croaky.

"Go to sleep now, I'll stay with you." Kristof put a blanket over her.

"I honestly hope I won't wake up this time, Kristof.

My time on earth is through and I am glad for it.

The only thing I will miss is seeing your pretty face." She caressed his cheek.

"Don't tell lies on your deathbed, ma." Kristof wanted to cry because of her words, but he didn't want to upset her.

"I'm not lying. You are beautiful to me. You know, true beauty lies within the heart No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart."

She coughed up blood again. Kristof quickly wiped a towel against her mouth. It pained him to see her like this. She had been bedridden with a dry cough for days now. The last couple of days, her coughs came with blood, and Isoldi told him it wouldn't be long before she went to meet her maker. She could feel it.

"People are dumb, Kristof. They don't know any better. They see what they want to see, which is that scar, but never take the time to get to know you. But you are a good boy and you will turn out to be a good man. Always be your kind self, promise me."

"I promise, ma."

A day later, she died. Kristof dug her grave in the compound's yard and buried her. He decorated the grave with her favorite flowers.

For the past nine years, he'd lived with her. He was happy. And now he was alone again. He cried his eyes out. He was only sixteen years old. What should he do now? He knew she was old, and her time had to come, but why did he have to lose everyone he loves?

~~~~ Present time ~~~~

Spencer slowly slid down into the tub. The hot water relaxed her body and she hoped it could relax her mind as well. She closed her eyes and laid there, only her head was above the water. She had just said her goodbyes to her family and they went on their way home. She hugged her mother and brothers and sister. Not her father. She couldn't hug him. Not yet anyway. She was still angry with the man.

She thought about what Kristof told her yesterday at dinner. She thought about it all night. She was happy that Kristof gave her a way out of their marriage, but this way Kristof would be the one who would take the brunt of the rumor mill once it got out that he could not perform on his wedding night.

Spencer could already imagine what the people in town would say about him. They would probably mock him for not being a real man. They would laugh about him not being able to get his dick up and hurl hurtful insults at him, like calling him weak, pathetic, impotent, and much worse.

Kristof had said that the people already talked behind his back anyway. And that he didn't care.

But it didn't sit right with Spencer . She felt disconcerted by the whole solution, ever since Kristof mentioned it. It was immoral.Unprincipled. Almost wicked.

If people were to talk badly about Kristof about this matter, she knew it would be lies. She was the reason that they did not consummate their marriage. That was the honest truth.

Spencer didn't like lying or being lied to, hence the ugly feeling in her stomach.

She sank further down, her head now underwater, blocking all her other senses. She could not see nor hear nor smell anything, except feel the hot water around her .

Why was Kristof always so nice to her ?

He didn't even know her. Why would he do all these things for her ? He promised her money.

Enough money for the rest of her life. He wanted to take the blame for everything. He wanted to see her happy for the two months that they agreed to remain married. He even wanted to become friends with her .

Why did Kristof want to be friends with her ? In the couple of days that they met, she has not been nice to him, not even once. She cursed him, insulted him, even yelled at him. If she was Kristof, she wouldn't like herself .

She didn't even like herself right now.

Spencer stuck her head above water again and inhaled as she buried her face inside her hands and rubbed. She rubbed so hard, as if she was trying to rub the thoughts away.

Why was her life such a mess right now?

The scent of the water lingered inside her nose. It smelled nice. May had poured some flower oils into the bathwater, so it held a sweet fragrance.

In a few hours, she was scheduled to go to the mine together with Kristof. Spencer was curious about what the day would bring.

The Mayor was well impressed during his visit.

Kristof showed him only a small part of the mine.

He couldn't show him all of it, for that would be far too dangerous.

They overlooked an enormous hole in the ground where the workers went down with ropes, standing on small wooden planks. These men were used to this, but other people could not enter inside.

One man hanged from a rope and was hitting the stone wall inside the immense hole. He used a pickaxe and rammed at the same spot over and over again. Spencer could see it was hard labor.

Of course, the Mayor was very pleased when Kristof offered him a newly founded diamond as a gift.

"It looks just like an ugly stone," said the Mayor’s adviser when he looked at it.

"You may find it ugly now. But this is actually what a real diamond looks like. The ones in jewelry are cut and polished to look more appealing to the eye," Kristof explained while gazing at Spencer .

"However, don't let it fool you by thinking this is just like every ordinary rock. A diamond is the hardest material that can be found in nature.Harder than any other rock."

Kristof told them more information and showed them everything he could.

And Spencer was surprisingly very impressed with the knowledge Kristof had.

The man had made his own fortune with his intelligence and willpower. All before the age of twenty-six. And right now, he was the wealthiest man in all of the town. And money meant power.

"Thank you for explaining, Sir Sutherfield," the Mayor’s adviser said.

They were going to leave, but the Mayor had something else he wanted to talk about.

"Congratulations on your marriage. I see you have found a diamond in another place as well." The Mayor looked at Spencer, who was dressed in a dark green velvet gown, decorated with golden flower embroidery. Her shiny raven-colored hair flowed down to her waist .

The Mayor watched her with much admiration. He found her more beautiful than his own wife and that made him jealous of Kristof. Even more, than he already was. He was the Mayor! However, Kristof was wealthier, more powerful, and had a better-looking lover.

"Thank you," Kristof said.

"She sure is beautiful... Do you find her beautiful?"

The Mayor asked Kristof.

"I do."

He then turned to Spencer while a sly smirk appeared on his face. "And you Mrs Spencer, do you find him handsome ?" he asked, pointing at Kristof.

Spencer didn't know what to do. She couldn't lie, And she didn't want to lie either. But she also didn't want to insult Kristof again.

She looked at Kristof, who slightly smiled and nodded so that Spencer knew he was fine with whatever answer.

Spencer thought about a way to answer that wasn't a lie. "He is kind. And kindness is also beautiful. So yes."

"And his looks, his face? Do you think of it as the face of a handsome man?"

Kristof was already happy with Spencer’s previous answer. It was a small victory for him that Spencer wanted to spare his feelings. He blinked, slowly, like telling her it was okay to answer.

"No,Spencer whispered.

When she saw the grin on the Mayor’s face and heard all the other men laugh, it irritated her. They were mocking her and Kristof.

The Mayor stepped closer to Spencer, who could already smell the older man's nasty sour breath when he asked, "and me? Do you find me attractive?

Spencer looked at the man. She didn't find him beautiful at all. His teeth were all yellow and he was short and his body shape was not attractive at all. He had a nose shaped like the one on a pig. And on his head was some ridiculous curly white powdered wig.

She thought about the consequences of her answer.

Insulting the Mayor. But she didn't want to be a hypocrite in front of Kristof.

"No," she then answered. Just like that, out loud.

All eyes went wide, including Kristof's. The Mayor’s men were gasping.

How could this young lady be disrespectful?!

"Sir, She does not-" The Mayor cut Kristof off from what he wanted to say by raising his hand.

"Hahahaha!" the Mayor suddenly burst out laughing.

It took all of Spencer’s self-control to stop her body from gagging when she again smelled the foul odor; the hot damp of the Mayor’s breath against her face.

A scent of rotting fish crawled up her nose.

"Oh my, you really have found a rare diamond, Kristof! Nobody has ever been so daring with me before! What a wonderful, unique creature you are, Spencer!"

Before the Mayor a

nd his men took their leave, he invited Kristof and Spencer for his birthday party that was being held next week.

They couldn't refuse him.