Protected by the Beast ✔

58

"Wow. You must've been smitten by her all these years." I chuckled.

"Yes. She's really sweet. I'm happy I have her in my life. The attraction was always there but she had a boyfriend for about two years so I had to suppress my feelings towards her for this long. Anyway, things have fallen back in place and I'm so happy we now also have you in our lives." He placed a palm on my hands which were resting on my thigh and I nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad as well. Is Mario joining us today or he's coming to the wedding straight tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. He should arrive tonight. He'll be coming from work though his wife should be at my place as we speak. You'll also like Nina. They've been married for a year and some months. She's heavily pregnant and should deliver anytime now."

"Aww I can't wait to meet her as well." I gushed.

We kept chatting as I mostly asked about his work and what growing up was like with him and Mario but his responses were vague because according to him, they were living the lives of the average rich people who already had a major part of their lives planned out by their parents.

They were now in the family business so that was what they were focused on.

He finally stopped in front of large black gate and immediately it was opened, he drove in. From the distance, I could already spot the cozy looking storey building. There was a little garden in front and the feeling of homeliness instantly embraced me.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He told me softly as he parked the car while I looked out to the beautiful garden on the left side of the house.

"Thank you, Fred. You have such a lovely home. I love the garden omg." I gushed as I alighted with Ingrid.

"Thanks. I've had so many people complimenting it as well. Trisha did all the work and finished it a month ago, including the house painting."

The house was painted in the palest blue and paired with white, the detailing making his home blend in with the sky and clouds and also giving it a dreamy view. From the look of the shining door which was a mixture of the pale blue and white, it already gave me the feeling that the house had been recently painted. They'd opted for a custom blend of green, blue, and black for the trim and shutters, which was complemented by classic shingles and copper roofing. It was an elegant combination that felt homey yet chic at the same time.

As we walked down, we were greeted by a black tiled walkway with Installation of artificial light green grass on the sides, which extended to the ends of the sides of the house.

Maybe because of the six weeks part-time course I recently signed up for on interior designing, I realized I was beginning to notice interiors and exteriors of houses the more.

We were led into the large house along with two bodyguards bringing the bags behind us while one took position outside

"Nice and cozy." Ingrid commented beside me as we went to sit. Unlike the exterior, the interior was in black and white theme. There were two black couches and a black sofa in the living room with a path on the left that led to the stairway. The wall was painted black while the tiled ground was white. Small but bright chandeliers hung in several parts of the ceiling, giving the space a homelier look.

"Babe, I'm home." Fred called while an elderly lady who I guess was the maid came forward to usher the men who were carrying our things up the stairs. She greeted Fred, who was busy staring at the stairs as if anticipating the arrival of the person that would alight from there.

Then she looked towards me and back to Fred, her eyes going slightly wide.

"Welcome home sir."

"Thank you, Marla. Riley, this is Marla. She's the house help so if you need anything let her know. Marla this is my sister Riley and her friend Ingrid."