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Kara’s POV
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“Now as I have told you before, be a good girl and don’t create a sce-” mama began as we both entered my room. I turned around with a disapproving stare her way while she just sat on the bed. Right on SquidWard’s grumpy face.
“You said that nine times already mama.”
“I know how you can be at times.” She defended herself.
“Mama!” I huffed.
“Fine! Still, don’t create a scene. Also, if any strange man asks you to follow him... have this, just in case.” She pushed a can of pepper spray in my hand and I stared at her with wide eyes.
Pepper sprays weren’t usually this...big! I got up with an exaggerated sigh and walked to the dressing table, accessing my face in the mirror. I looked as flushed as I felt and that had been since young master came into the kitchen, claiming he was the one who ordered my dress.
He didn’t look at me while saying it and maybe he did but I couldn’t know since I didn’t look his way. The memory of him calling my name in his room the other day was glued to my head and I would die of mortification if he ever pointed it out.
“I just want you to be careful, baby.” Mama spoke.
She was treating me as if I was going on my first date with the big bad wolf himself. Yeah, maybe young master was a big bad wolf but only figuratively. It wasn’t as if he would snap my neck if I did anything wrong.
“I will mama. I will.”
“You know I read a lot...” She started as she stitched one of the aprons, the other one still kept beside her and waiting for its turn to get stitched. I didn’t want to feel embarrassed but I wasn’t too sure with how mama was behaving. Didn’t she want me to go or was she afraid something bad would happen to me?
“What do you have to say, mama?” I groaned.
“Uh...yes, I have a story to back it up. So, this girl went to a ball with her boss so she would get to meet a certain rich businessman she had a crush on and the crush was so big and she was so happy an-”
“I don’t have a crush on him mama!” I whisper yelled as if it was a crime for anyone heard it. She kept repeating crush. Crush was so big, crush was so this and that. Wasn’t it even a crime for me to have a crush on the young master?
Well, I would say it definitely was. I didn’t want to imagine being in the same space as him or breathing the same air as he did because his glares would definitely pierce through me one day and drill a permanent hole on my face!
“Kara mio, I never said that you did.” She chuckled as if what I said was a joke. I shook my head and looked away, feeling my face heat up when she still had the smile on her face.
“Well, what happened to the girl?” I took my seat by the dressing table, facing her.
Her face lit up and this brought a smile to my lips. “Yes. Suddenly, this thin man came to tell her that her employer asked him to call her into another hall where so many other businessmen were and because this girl thought she would eventually get to see her businessman crush, she complied. She went with him, leaving the hall full of people alone and then the man pushed her into a room when they were close to it and locked the door…and that was it.” she ended solemnly. Where was she going with all this?
“Why would the girl follow a man she didn’t know, is she stupid?” I asked. Mama glared at me.
“No! It is a story and the girl is courageous so stop hating on my character!” She defended the character with so much confidence that my mouth hung open.
“I-I’m sorry for hating on your character.” I mumbled and stood up, wrapping my hands around her. She let out a long, satisfied exhale. There was a knock on the door before she could speak again and I straightened up to open it. Oh my, it was Stephanie.
“Kara, you’re back!” Stephanie literally jumped on me immediately I opened the door. With a small smile, I accepted her hug. She looked ecstatic to see me but I couldn’t say the same.
Stephanie was a house help and she started working for the young master when he built this house. That was when the young master, mama and I moved out of his parent’s mansion.
She was two inches taller but that didn’t stop her from patting my head as if I was her younger sister. Her blue eyes twinkled at all intervals and she lied, a lot. When she first got here, she told me she had Masters Degree in English language but whenever we would converse, I would always cringe inwardly. Her use of grammatical English was definitely nothing to write home about.
She would smile while speaking horribly, using slangs to patch her sentences up. However, she had improved a great deal since she got here. She probably truly went to university and got her Masters.
Also, she said her parents were Americans and that they died in a plane crash so she followed a family here to Italy but they were maltreating her and she had to escape when she could.
She boasted about America a lot yet she still didn’t know the delicacies they had there or their ways of life.
She didn’t know places there or any colleges and universities. She only knew she lived in America for fifteen whole years! I didn’t have one single issue with her telling me all those things but I just didn’t necessarily see the need to lie and call yourself something you clearly weren’t. Stephanie opened the door wider with an annoying grin and entered my room. She greeted my mama before turning to me where I was now seated.
She was a year older than I was and always tried to act like the older sister I never had. Just so, sweet. I went to my wardrobe and fished for my underwear.
“Where are you going?” She asked. I took a glance at mama, wondering why she was so quiet.
“An event.” I stated simply.
“Hmm. There would be so many handsome young men there and I know some would be from America.” Stephanie mused like someone in deep thought. Suddenly, she started jumping on my bed.
I was used to it and couldn’t complain but mama was there, stitching an apron with a needle in hand and it seemed Stephanie didn’t notice that or was too nonchalant to care. I knew mama wouldn’t say anything. She never did. She was mama, after all.
“Stephanie,” I hissed through my teeth.
“Yes?” She batted her eyelashes and I glared at the brunette hair matted over her head.
“Stop that.”
“What?” She shrugged, faking oblivious.
“Stop jumping that way. You know mama is right beside you and she is stitching, don’t yo-”
“Kara my dear?” Mama called.
I took a calm breath in. “Sí mama?”
“It’s almost time to leave. Dress up quickly and meet us downstairs. Stephanie, you’re coming to the supermarket with me so prepare the list of things we’ll need. Let’s go.” Stephanie got up and left with mama following behind her.
“Madré?”
“Sí?” She turned around with her hand on the doorknob.
“That girl, the one in the story, what later happened to her? Did she end up meeting the businessman she was crushing on and did they live happily ever-”
“No. Remember she was kidnapped.” Mama told me with a small smile. I bobbed my head. “So...the young man she was in-love with, married someone else and never knew of her feelings. Also, she wasn’t allowed to leave that house for a long time due to some complications.” She continued, looking right at me with a gloomy expression.
“What was your character’s name? The guy you liked so much, I mean.”
“I call him...Frederico.” She answered with her eyes appearing to be far away, clearing her throat before her expression became serious. “We never can tell when you’ll meet your own Frederico. Get dressed, don’t keep young master waiting.”
I nodded and blew her a kiss before continuing what I was doing.
If I had my way, my mama would go back to writing novels and even become a published, even bestselling author. She was good at creating stories and I was sure that the character she’d just told me about was one she loved dearly. She had told me so many stories before and each of them had been good.
Also, she easily got ideas, either from a mere conversation or from a song. She just loved anything that had to do with stories, events and writing; and that was just so amazing. An hour later, I had taken a shower and applied cream on my body, dwelling on my thoughts throughout and I was now dressed. There was a faint knock on the door again as was adding finishing touches to my makeup.
“Come in.” I called as I wore the other leg of my black stiletto heels and strapped the buckle firmly. The red dress which young master ordered fitted like a second skin and was also really beautiful on me. It was like his designer knew my body measurement. Since it was off shoulder, I already kept a Jean jacket in my black bag in case there was a cold later on.
“Young master sai-” Stephanie started, coming in.
“Oh, tell him in on my way!” I replied, my eyes widening. I checked the time but it wasn’t even five yet. Phew, I wasn’t the one delaying us. Maybe he wanted us to get there earlier.
“Are you going with the young master?” I noticed her voice waver a bit but she quickly hid it with a wide smile.
“Yes I am.”
“Oh.”
She sounded disappointed. She, like so many other hundreds of girls had a massive crush on the young master and she would always claim they had matching names. She was Stephanie and he was Stephano so she did the math and said young master was her ‘destined man’.
I sat down and finished the light makeup I’d started consisting of just foundation, powder, a bit of concealer, highlight, eye pencil a red lipstick and I rolled my eyelashes to make them longer and straightened.
I already used hair straightener to straighten and curl the tips of my hair since young master said it made me look smart. And I liked his comment. My hair reached my back not far away from my shoulders; because I trimmed it last week at the salon close to school where I frequently visited with Adrian, so that made things easier.
I wore my dangling gold earrings and necklace, sprayed a bit of my two perfumes branded Musk and seduction. Then I took a good look at myself in the mirror and knew I was good to go.
I turned around and almost yelped when I saw Stephanie staring at me and looking lost. I walked to her.
“Stephanie?”
“Stephanie?” I hissed again when she was still staring into oblivion. I patted her cheek and she flinched, making me raise a brow.
“Yes?”
“Let’s go. I’m locking my room.” I was used to this since I got into hostel. Anyway, it was my room and mama had a spare-key in case she needed anything.
“Oh sure.”
As we exited my room and I locked my door, the level of my situation dawned. I was going to an event with the young master himself. What would happen on our way there? I blew air on my palms and took a calm breath in, rubbing them together. Without hesitation, I went down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Mama?” She immediately turned around. The apron she was folding fell and she covered her mouth with the hand.
“Gesu (Jesus), I was beginning to think you were a Perdítempo (time waster) but it was worth the time you took in there.” I did an eye roll but giggled anyway.
“How do I look?” I turned around carefully.
“Just like you are bambina, a princess now transforming into someone’s queen.” She awed and I felt blush taint my cheeks.
“Awww, thank you madré. Please help me take a few pictures so I won’t get roasted by Adrian.”
“That sounds like the Adrie I know.” Mama gushed with a knowing smile and I nodded. I gave her my phone while doing a few poses and she took the pictures.
“Is the young master out?” I asked while checking the pictures and deleting the bad ones. Just then, someone cleared their throat behind me and it was none other than the young master himself. I slowly turned to face him, my eyes probably giving away my surprise at how indescribably great he looked.
He looked dashing and hunky, very powerful in a way that would have women falling at his feet just by a mere command. His suit was a rich color of black, exposing an inner tee-shirt of pure shiny white and his suit pants graciously cascaded down to his feet that was fit into black Italian shoes. His stance was also one to be reckoned with.
I looked back to his face for a brief moment, only to meet his eyes on me. He’d had his hair combed back neatly and that gave him a rather charming look to add to the menu, coupled with the fact that he seemed to have shaved.
“We should get going.” He spoke.
My senses heightened. I felt like running into a corner as he spoke, his deep voice sending me on an edge.
Did he notice me checking him out? It was only fair since he was doing the same. Ha! I wish. He wasn’t checking me out.
He was probably trying to drill a hole on my dress like he was used to doing with his laser beams called eyes.
How would I stay in the same car with him? Why did I act the way I did only when I was around him? I desperately needed to stop doing that. Just like anyone, he was a human being. He was just different because young handsome men didn’t go around glari-
Did I just call him handsome? Oh my! I internally screamed.
Shh. You didn’t call him handsome, my subconscious cooed, probably trying to calm me down but of course I would react.
His eyes were still on me and he looked as nonchalant as ever. Mama continued what she was doing as if the young master had a final say. She didn’t even spare me another glance. I guess she trusted him with my life. Still, he was glaring!
I went to mama and pecked her then went to retrieve my purse from the counter, all the while aware that his eyes were on me. This only made me feel a bit tense and nervous. I was going to a place where he was the only one I knew.
“Don’t forget what I said, bambina.” Mama called. I almost rolled my eyes but nodded anyway. We left the house.
He opened the door to one of his posh cars for me, Lamborghini. I was surprised he didn’t just walk off to the other side but didn’t show the surprise on my face. I entered without a word and he got to the other side and drove off.
Why was my heart beating so fast?
It wasn’t like I was going to get murdered tonight.
*
Well, here we go...