Chapter 96

CHAPTER 96 The next morning. Selena woke up to hear the bad news that Rebecca was also sleeping in the men’s dorms. This was a shock to her.

“Just what did he do for her to become like this?” her gut twisted. She felt like she was losing his daughter. “Killing some parrots clearly wasn’t enough for him. I wish he had a family. Then I would have been able to toy with him.”

When she walked out to the balcony with a cup of cream coffee, a camel was eating the grass on the lawn.

“What the fuck?” her eyes sprang out of her sockets. Just then, the camel pooped on the grass, making her vomit out whatever that was in her mouth.

At the same time, Rebecca was standing at the entrance of the dorms, with her eyes shut by Benjamin. He was standing behind her. “What did you want to show me that you closed my eyes like this?” she curiously asked. “You will see soon,” he said, “so keep walking.” He made her walk until she was close enough to the camel, and then he moved his hands, revealing the tall, impressive camel to her, pleasantly surprising and puzzling her at the same time.

A second later, she looked at him in shock. “Did you... buy this?”

He nodded and smiled. “The owner wasn’t willing at first, but then he changed his mind when I said I’ll give him the boat.”

“Eh? You gave the boat in exchange for this camel?” she clutched her cheeks. “You are crazy. You can buy tens of camels with that money you spent on buying the boat.”

“Maybe, but this camel caught your eye, so it’s special.” Benjamin’s words touched her heart. If he called this camel special just because she was interested in it a little, how much more special was she in his heart? She didn’t cry, but she was close to shedding a tear. “Why don’t you ride it?” Benjamin said and made sounds with his mouth, making the camel get down to its knees. “Eh? How did you do that?” she looked shocked. “I want to do that, too.”

“The camel isn’t going anywhere. I’ll teach you in time. Ride it as long as you want. We can sell it once you get bored of it.” “Mm, does it have a name?” “I don’t know.”

“Then let’s name it Beach, since we first saw it at the beach. How does it sound?”

Benjamin gave a thumbs-up.

And then he approached the sitting came from the side and helped her climb the camel. He sat in the back, pleasantly surprising her. She wasn’t expecting that, but his gaze told her it was necessary, for her own safety. However, his hands held her arms and made her hold the reins. Once the camel felt the pull, it arose. As it got up to its feet, he helped her counteract the camel’s motion so she wouldn’t fall off its back. It was a short but heart-skipping experience for her. If Benjamin wasn’t there, she would have definitely fallen and injured herself. The camel started walking around the garden at a decent pace.

The ride was a little bumpy because of the camel’s movements, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Rebecca had expected it to be. “Do you like it?” he asked. “I think I need to ride it longer to be able to decide,” she said, “but for now, it’s not bad.” The garden’s ground was not flat. It was artistically uneven because the villa was built on low hills.

“When the camel is moving, sway along with it,” he suggested as the camel was about to make a turn. He also guided her, showing how it should be done, and she began to enjoy the ride more. “If the ground was sandy like at the beach, the camel would have walked in a different style.”

“We can’t help it,” she said, “but this isn’t bad, either. Thanks for making this morning special. I’ll never forget this.”

“The pleasure is mine,” he leaned his head and pecked on her shoulder. She felt a little tingle surfing all over her skin for a second, giving goosebumps on her arms. “B – Benjamin...” she said in a bit of a defiant voice. “Mom is watching!” “I know,” he cheekily smiled. “If she doesn’t like what she’s watching, that’s not our problem now, is it?” He parted her hairs and pecked her on the back of her neck, almost making her jump like a spring chicken. She had no idea until that moment that the back of her neck could be such a sensitive spot. A furious frown creased Selena’s forehead as a wave of futile fury swept over her. “Who brought the filthy camel into my villa?” she yelled. It was more of a bark that splattered saliva everywhere to her front. “M-Mom’s getting mad,” Rebecca’s pulse quickened. “I think we should get down.” “She always gets angry, so don’t worry about her,” he said. “But...” she was worried that her mom might do something to the camel like she did with the parrots.

“You think I’m not worried about your mother’s health?” Benjamin kept talking in a pitiful tone. “But there’s no pill for anger, unfortunately. We can only pray that she accepts us.”

Vlad and Mercie came running up to the camel.

“Can we also ride it?” they innocently asked.

Benjamin, however, cast a death glare at them, sending shivers down their spines. He didn’t want these unthankful kids to spoil the precious moments he was having with his wife. “Of course,” said Rebecca, sounding happy. “Let’s get them up here, Benjamin.” Benjamin forced out a smile. “S-Sure, but riding four people is impossible. Let us both ride together for a little longer, and then we can let the kids have fun.”

“What are you saying? How can you make the kids wait?” Rebecca said, pulling the reins, but the camel wasn’t stopping. She pulled them harder, but that didn’t work, either. It only irritated the camel. “How do we stop this thing?” Benjamin leaned to the side and rubbed the camel with a hand. “Slow down, Beach. Stop.” And the camel slowed down and stopped, leaving Rebecca speechless for a second. She didn’t think it would be so simple. Once the camel sat, he got down first and helped her get down safely. Vlad and Mercie wasted no time in climbing the beast by grabbing its hairs. Both Rebecca and Benjamin were surprised by seeing that. Benjamin also climbed it and then tried to help them like he did with Rebecca, but they didn’t even let him touch the reins and teach them anything. They completely ignored him and kept doing whatever they wanted and frustrated the camel, but because of its experience, it kept walking patiently. Rebecca felt happy. She wasn’t able to care for Vlad and Mercie all that much recently, so seeing them cheerful eased her heart.

At that moment, an old Hyundai car entered the villa and stopped at the entrance. Selena’s face regained some glow. “He’s finally here.” A thirty-eight year old man got out of the rusty car. Half of the hairs on his head were missing. He’s got a pot for a belly and usually large buttocks. Chewing on a bubblegum rather aggressively, he looked around and smiled after noticing Rebecca who was looking at him.

(George?) Her expression turned for the worse as this guy had relentlessly tried to have sex with her and her sister years ago.

(Why is this piece of shit here?) She had slapped him many times, but he would still come after her. The days back when he lived in this villa were not pleasant, and she instinctively folded her arms in a defensive posture. Benjamin had no idea who George was, but he understood that something wasn’t right.

George just smiled and then entered the villa, calling out for his sister and his nieces. “Where are you guys? Roshan? Lisa? And my sister Elizabeth? I didn’t bring you any gifts, but I, the biggest gift, am finally back!”