My Lady

IT WAS NOISY inside, and almost everyone is also busy. But it is still inevitable that some will stop working when they notice our presence.

Franco walked away for a moment to talk to some staff. I just watched him as he spoke.

He also glances at me from time to time. His eyes were deep and burning as if he had so much to say.

I can’t help but wonder why Fontanilla is his last name when Lawrence is Saavedra. I don’t know what’s the real story behind it. So far, I am not in a position to ask.

I straightened up when I noticed Franco approaching me again.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

I agreed to his offer. We walked until we reached the banana farm.

Franco inspected the trays of only ripe bananas before taking one to peel.

“Taste it. That’s one of the sweetest fruits here in San Felipe.”

I took a small bite. I was no longer surprised by its sweetness and softness. Suddenly I wanted to take a pick for Clarence.

“Are you tired?” he asked me in a low voice.

I shook my head as a reply.

“Then let’s go to some other places.” He held my wrist with his firm and strong hand. I did not protest any more. After all, he did nothing wrong.

He guided me back to Stan until we stopped at the top of a hill.

“Nice!” I exclaimed. I can see from above the whole land of the Saavedra. I felt my lungs with fresh air and blew it all out.

I could feel him standing next to me while also looking at the beautiful scenery.

“Do you enjoy sightseeing?” His head tilted, and he looked down slightly at me.

“Y-yes, thanks, by the way.”

He once again turned his attention to the wasteland. “This is where I often spend my time after work.

This is also where Lawrence and I used to play when we were kids.”

The edge of my lip twitched. I did not even want to ask, but I motivated myself to find out the truth.

“Uh, may I ask you something?”

His eyes dropped on me again. His eyes were dark. He always seemed to be in danger if he looked.

“Why isn’t . . . Saavedra your last name?” I bent down and bit my lip hard after I asked that question.

“That’s my Mom’s surname. I don’t want to carry the last name Saavedra because everything will be too complicated.”

“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“I am an illegitimate child,” he utter.

My lips form into a bottom one. I want to hit myself up for asking that.

“Lawrence owns everything. Dad wants him to run all of Saavedra’s businesses as his eldest and legitimate son.”

I can’t help but glance at him. His features darkened. It seems like he has a lot more to say. But I know he only has limited words.

I raised my hand spontaneously to caress his back gently.

He looked down on me, dark eyes bore into mine. I also noticed that his lips rose to what I did.

“I’m sorry,” I said and shyly lowered my hand.

I was shocked when he faced me. My heart raced unexpectedly. He bent down and examined how I could stop. His hot breath filled my cheeks. He never took his eyes off me, which made my knees tremble.

“Lawrence gets what he always wanted,” he shook his head and smiled listlessly.

My throat dried up as he caressed my cheek. He’s too closed that giving me enough goosebumps.

“And even the prettiest girl in town is his. I can’t blame him if he just refuses me to meet you. Anyone will like you, even me.” I averted my eyes from what he had said.

“Just kidding!” He recovers from what he said before shaking his head.

It was only at that point that I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back into the distance.

“Let’s go back to the ranch,” he told me after a few minutes.

***

EARLY IN THE morning, Doris and I went with Clarence to San Felipe.

I purposely arrived early at the venue even though the gathering started at night. I just want to check if everything is okay. I also called his close friends to surprise him when he came later to the rancho.

“Lawrence is still finishing a lot of works, so he’ll just be there next,” I told Doris fables when she asked me about Lawrence. Actually, he wanted us to go there together, but I made an excuse. Eventually, he stopped pushing because he still had an important meeting to attend.

Also, I asked Carrick to ask Logistic to play later at the party.

It was past twelve when we arrived in San Felipe. The place is elegant and relaxing. Everything was fine upon our arrival. The only thing left to arrange is the food and drink.

“Is this Lawrence’s son?!” Mirasol’s voice expressed unbearable joy when he saw Clarence.

“Yes, Mirasol!”

“Oh. This handsome grandson of mine. He inherited his looks from his father, especially the dimple, oh!” He praises Clarence.

“You go inside to eat and rest, too.”

“Sister, does this room really belong to Clarence? The size and the beauty!” Doris asked as she roamed her eyes in Clarence’s room.

“Yes, Doris, this is for Clarence.”

“Will you live here with brother Lawrence?”

I paused for a moment to arrange our belongings. I do not know the answer because even I have not yet made a concrete decision about our stay here.

“Ah. Doris, I’ll go down first to entertain the guests.” I avoided her question.

I wore a red dress. I pulled the hair high and let some of its details fall on my cheeks and neck. I wiped my lips with a light pink lipstick and also applied blush on to my cheeks. After being satisfied with the appearance, I went downstairs to greet the guests.

I learned that Mirasol was taking care of the newly arrived guests. I did not know the other guests because Carrick had invited them. I also assisted with the preparation and placement of food on the long table.

I looked at Julia, who had just gotten off the white van. She was with Santino, Jeremy, William, and Allysa, carrying her three-month-old baby. They were followed by Jocko and Samantha riding in separate cars.

“Margaux!” Julia greeted me and immediately hugged me tightly. “Miss you!”

“I miss you too—all of you,” I said in a soft tone. The hugs of Samantha and Ally also greeted me; even Santino and William hugged me.

“Hey, how’s the host?” Jocko asked while smiling.

My face heats up. I didn’t want them to notice me like today, so I chose to look around.

“Where is Peter?” my lips asked.

No one answered. At that point, I knew he was not coming. I invited him tonight. Even though he didn’t answer my text, I’m sure he read it. After a while, I tried to smile and put aside the frustration.

“Come and let’s eat!” I said instead.

At sunset, guests came one by one. They’re guests from the windy city, but some of them were just residents of San Felipe and nearby San Simon.