Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

33. Stone Cold

The doorbell rang louder than Callie expected. Being the only housekeeper working on Saturday meant that she had more responsibilities to take care of. Reneé's son, Nando did help sometimes but Callie didn't find it fair to put that much pressure on a kid.

Entering the hallway, Callie was caught off guard when a fancy dressed middle aged woman and a younger man in a tailored noir suit had already made their way inside.

"Sorry to barge in, but I rang the door bell twice. No one answered." The woman's eyebrow arched up. Her chilly tone made Callie's cheeks flame. Who the hell was this woman? "From your frumpy outfit, I'm guessing you're the maid. Aren't you a little too young to be one?"

Her eyes moved between the two people standing in front of her. "Sorry, who are you?"

Larkin's bass voice drew closer, until his wiry figure became visible for everyone to see. A smirk slithered its way to his lips, pressing the thick line of his long scar that travelled all the way to the side of his chin. He was  strangely acting too confident but Callie could see through his facade. "Aunt Zoe. Ira. You finally made it."

Callie's eyes bulged. That was Aunt Zoe? Wow, Callie couldn't even spot any hint of resemblance between the woman and the picture of Larkin's mom hung around the house. To Callie's surprise, she didn't have the blonde hair that Larkin and his parents seemed to share. She had a slight auburn tint to her shoulder length dark brown bob that swept to the sides of her face and highlighted her stunning green eyes.

She said her words lazily. "It wasn't like you gave us a choice. My son and I are very busy people. You can't keep requesting for us whenever you feel like it."

A grim look settled on Larkin's face. "It's funny how I asked to only see you but Ira keeps popping up all the time."

Ira seemed oddly composed, despite how wide his mother's eyes had gotten. He was a good looking man with a poorly done blond dye job, that only covered parts of his hair and left his thin beard strips into its natural brown tint. "Are you intimidated by my presence, little cousin?"

"What's there to be intimidated of?" An icy look had fixed in his eyes. Larkin twisted the knob of his walking stick and shifted in his weight. Callie noticed him wincing. It was clear to her how much his legs ached but his damn family seemed too oblivious to his pain.

Ira's crooked smile didn't seem to appease Larkin's irritation. "Relax. I was kidding. I'm here for moral support."

"And I trust Ira more than anyone in the world." Aunt Zoe added, with a smirk. Callie felt a knot in her gut. There was something offputting about that woman, no matter how glamorous she looked.

"It's okay, then. Ira's family and he's always welcome here." Larkin didn't feel the need to drag the conversation on. Aunt Zoe's long awaited visit had finally come and it was apparent he didn't want to mess it up. He gestured to the hallway. "Come in. We have a lot to discuss."

Aunt Zoe speared into the hallway, glancing at each corner intensely. She seemed to be soaking in every part of the grand house.

Callie quietly followed them. The last thing she needed was to be scrutinized by any of them, but her plan foiled when she tried to make it to the kitchen and Aunt Zoe called out. "I need a glass of wine, pronto."

Callie whirled around, heading back to the living room. Three pairs of eyes stared at her and she offered a tight smile. "How can I help you, ma'am?"

"I need wine or something stronger. You have tequila or brandy?" Aunt Zoë said. Ira shot his mother an annoyed look that made her roll her eyes. "Fine. I'll have coffee instead. Black."