𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

27 | Cato's Estate

I've been to Cato's estate before for the gala, but I was too nervous about seducing him to pay attention to the details.

The gardens here are full of life, so extravagant compared to the one's at the Leveque estate. The aroma almost lulls me into a sleep, causing my eyes to fall drowsy with every step we take towards the magnificent Victorian manor.

Cato himself personally escorted both Annie and I to the estate, to which Annie was over the moon about.

"He has better things to do than bring us to the estate, doesn't he?" but her beaming smile contrasts her words. She loves every minute of being near Cato. She's not even phased about his engagement to Gemma.

Cato leaves us to drag our suitcases—one case each that fills both of our possessions. I never owned a lot, and neither did Annie, as we could never afford to have large closets filled with dresses and clothes. We had our few, and we wore them until they were threadbare and fraying at the fringes.

Cato hardly makes it halfway up the pathway towards the manor when an elderly woman rushes out the front door.

"Master Leveque, have you completed your duty at your parents' estate?" she asks eagerly.

"I have," he answers with a charming smile. "Also brought along a few more hands to help you out."

The woman's ancient eyes flicker over to Annie and I. "New handmaidens?"

"Only the best ones."

The old woman nearly pushes Cato aside as she approaches us. Her weathered blue eyes stare up at Annie first. She extends her hand to her.

"You are?" she asks her.

"Annie."

"And you?"

The woman stares at me now, her eyes warm with curiosity. "Maureen."

A smug smile crosses the woman's lips as she glares over her shoulder at the astronaut behind her. "Master Leveque, you know how I feel about the servant girls around here. It's a hands-off policy."

My cheeks instantly ignite into a bashful heat. Does she know about Cato and I, how whenever we find ourselves alone, we find ourselves close? Does she know that our relationship treads into dangerous waters?

Cato only rolls his eyes. "I know, and I won't lay a finger on her."

"This is the same Maureen that you—"

"Yup," he quickly answers. His green eyes shoot enough daggers to stab an army.

The old woman only laughs, then crosses her old arms across her chest. "This is a pleasant surprise then. I'm Clotilde, the overseer of the servants. You'll be under my watch and care. Once we get inside, I'll have some of the other servants come and bring your things to your rooms."

Annie neary sprints inside, energized by the excitement of being inside Cato Leveque's estate. As I step past Clotilde to enter inside, she grabs onto my forearm, standing on her tiptoes to reach my ear.

"Is there a reason that Master Leveque told me to make your designated room in the spare bedroom beside his own?" she whispers.

I blush madly and swallow. "There's nothing between us." A lie. There's certainly something, and we're just trying to repress it.

"If that boy ever tries to lay a finger on you, I am not afraid to give his ass a whooping," she tells me. The words somehow comfort me. Cato did previously describe Clotilde as a grandmother figure for him, and I can now see why.

Clotilde and I catch up with Annie who waits for us inside the estate. Her brows raise in suspicion at our delayed entrance, but Clotilde continues on as if our small little chat never occurred.