And Then It Rained (Sequel to Rain Again; Stand Alone Book) (Completed)

Chapter Three: Mates, Pets, and Coincidences

Today God's grace came from the middle-aged guard to Victoria. 

"Thank you, thank you so much!" She took the phone from the guard's hand and quickly dialed Rolan Gil's number. The phone kept ringing until it went to voicemail. She dialed again and nervously smiled at the guard wandering closely around. It seemed that he, too, couldn't trust her completely. 

In our world, how we dress is really important. In times of danger, it is crucial to dress up appropriately to get the necessary help.

The guard smiled back.

Rolan picked up the call right when she was sure it would go to voicemail again. "Well, hello! How's my talented photographer doing?"

"My father threw me a surprise wedding, and the groom, now my ex-fiance, is a dominant, animalistic gender discriminator. So, I ran from my wedding." Victoria hated herself for giving one of the nicest guys here in the world a bad mood. But there was the risk of him cutting her call without letting her speak in the face of his wife calling him. It was his family's long-awaited vacation, after all.

After a long second of pause, she heard Rolan whistle low. "It sounds like you're stuck in a chaotic scene over there. Where are you staying at the moment, girl?" His voice was dipped with concern.

She sighed, tucking a piece of deep brunette hair behind one ear. " At a park. I'm pretty much homeless at the moment."

Hearing that, Roland grumbled in absolute displeasure. He wanted to book her room at another hotel, but Victoria expressed that she wouldn't feel safe in a hotel since her father had found a way to trap her in the last one. So, Rolan suggested that she stay as a pay-in guest of one of the employees, Antelmo, of Chimera's Asthel branch. 

"But what if he doesn't agree?" she asked.

"Oh, he will agree. I will just let him know. That's not a problem," Rolan said coolly. "It's just that — he is a bit eccentric. Not everyone can co-exist with him."

But this Antelmo guy was safe, unlike Adi. Otherwise, Rolan wouldn't have suggested him. Victoria assured Rolan that she was okay with coexisting with anybody, only if the person was nothing like her father or Adi—cruel, dominating, and a foe to the female kind. 

So, it was settled that this Antelmo guy would pick her up from the park—because there was no other place she could think of at the moment. 

One thing Rolan was upset about was that he couldn't do anything about her bank-related problems, as banks were closed due to it being a public holiday. 

However, did this guy realize this? That—the way she felt safe around him—she had never felt this way around her own father.

As she went to sit back on the same park bench, the afternoon sun glared at her warm, medium-beige skin, tanning it in the process. She had gotten her looks from her parents' Indian heritage. It got her a lot of modeling offers, but it was not her dream to be in front of the camera. She wanted to be the magician behind the lense.

Because she was too lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the change in the park's permanent residents. 

It wasn't until a gruff male voice spoke to her, "Hello, lonely beauty. Do you mind telling me if you plan to settle down here?" 

"Huh?" She was startled to find a tall man wearing old beach clothes standing before her. His tan skin said he was used to spending a lot of time in the sun.

Scratching his beard-covered cheek, he sighed in frustration and repeated his question. 

"Settle down?"