Santiago did not notice Ariana’s thoughts and told her:
-I came this time because I want to pick you up and take you home. You have been at Albina’s house for two days. Umberto has a bad mood and must have been unhappy for a long time. It is very difficult for him to spend time with Albina as a couple.
Ariana smiled a little at his words.
-Yes.
Umberto’s annoyance was reflected in his eyes. Although she watched the drama with great interest, she also felt a little embarrassed. It was not easy for the two to reconcile and they were full of affection. She felt ashamed that she and Macos had interfered with their reconciliation, and that they couldn’t even kiss at home.
-Santiago, I am going to buy a house in this neighborhood. I’ve saved money over the years, and I have enough to buy a small two-bedroom.
Ariana had some fame. A painting of hers could also sell for quite a lot of money. She didn’t know where to settle before, but now that Albina had a place to stay, she also planned to settle in Sogen City.
When Santiago heard her, his eyes grew wide and he looked at her in panic.
-Are you moving out? We live in harmony, don’t we? Don’t you like that house? We can change it, I still have…
-That’s your house.
Ariana suddenly interrupted him and looked back at him, narrowed her eyes and smiled, hiding the coldness under her eyes.
-I want to have a house of my own.
That would still leave her a way out.
When her parents divorced when she was a child, she was awarded to her father, but he soon formed a new family with children. The three of them were so close as a family that she, on the other hand, was like an outsider, an intruder who disturbed their happiness.
Her stepmother convinced her father to send her to her mother.
But she, too, already had a family.
Like a leather ball, Ariana was kicked around and was not welcome in any family. On several occasions, coming home from school, she found her luggage packed and dumped directly at the door.
Thinking about it, Ariana was a bit stunned. It seemed like she was the one who was abandoned every time. Wasn’t she good enough? Why did everyone have to abandon her?
Mom and Dad did, and Santiago… it seemed like he would too.
Ariana had a premonition that the girl from the hospital would definitely become an obstacle between her and Santiago.
-Why do you suddenly have this idea? -Santiago asked as he calmed down and looked at her.
Ariana gave him a smile.
-I have earned so much money that buying a house would be considered an investment.
She used this excuse lightly, but Santiago had no way to refute it.
-So when you buy it, will you move in? -he asked cautiously, trying to suppress his panic.
Ariana smiled and touched his shoulder gently:
-What are you thinking about? When the house is bought, it still needs to be decorated. It will be a long time before she can live in it.
Therefore, she would still be living with him.
Santiago’s eyes lit up and he didn’t hold back, he walked over and hugged Ariana, resting his chin on her shoulder, smiling.
-So, will you come back home with me today?
-In a couple of days. Albina said she wanted to eat the dessert I made, so I’ll be back in a couple of days.
She unconsciously didn’t mention Macos out loud.
Santiago nodded.
-Then you have to come home soon. If you don’t, not only will I miss you, but Umberto will also reach the limit of his patience.
-Okay,” Ariana nodded.
Santiago let out a sigh of relief, a smile on his face.
Macos had already left the Espina family’s house and was about to go to the office. However, as he passed by, he happened to see the image of Santiago squatting with Ariana by the lawn, reaching out to hug her.
It was as if his heart had been pricked.
Even if he didn’t see it, just the thought of them being a couple made Macos feel horrible. At that moment, seeing it with his own eyes, the bitterness in his heart simply bubbled and stung.
He couldn’t contain himself and honked his horn at the two of them.
The loud honking woke them up instantly.
They turned around and just saw that in front of them, Macos’ head was peering out of the car window.
Macos greeted Santiago warmly.
-Mr. Barrios, did you come by car?
Santiago was taken aback by his enthusiasm, as he had very little friendship with Macos. Hearing his question, he unconsciously nodded his head.
Macos scanned him with his eyes and said:
-I see Mr. Barrios is very tired. It would be dangerous for you to drive later. Do you want to drive together?
Santiago didn’t know why, but he heard a hint of sarcasm in his warm words. He shook his head at once.
-There’s no need. Then I’m going straight to my place of work.
Macos nodded, and pretended to remember with surprise in his eyes.
-I remember exactly where you work, Mr. Barrios. It happens to be on the same road as my company. Let’s go together, shall we? I’ll be by your side if there’s any trouble.
Under his false enthusiasm, Santiago finally agreed to go with him.
He wanted to chat with Ariana for a while longer, though.
Macos saw him go to get the car, looked at Ariana and his eyes softened.
-Ariana, I made you breakfast before we left. You were in a hurry to leave this morning and you haven’t eaten. The temperature should be just right for you when you get back.
Ariana froze for a moment and a current of warmth welled up in her heart.
-Okay, I’ll eat when I get back, thank you.
-You don’t have to thank me,” Macos waved his hand and said, “Besides, I still want to eat the dessert you’ll make today. What ingredients do you need? When I get back from work, I’ll buy them.
Ariana asked him what kind of dessert he liked to eat and said:
-I’ll go home later to see what’s missing and I’ll send it to you by Whatsapp.
Hearing this, Macos nodded happily. His handsome face looked very dazzling.
He loved hearing Ariana say the word “home”, as if they had formed a little family.
Ariana looked at him smiling and sighed.
He was obviously two years older than her, but it was so simple that even a small dessert could make him so happy.
They both looked at each other and laughed.
The sound of a car came from behind, and when Macos saw Santiago approaching, he hid the emotions from his face and waved goodbye to Ariana, yelled for Santiago to follow him and left the neighborhood.
Originally Santiago still wanted to say goodbye to Ariana, but after what Macos did, he could only hurriedly say a couple of words and left after him.
As Ariana watched the two leave one after the other, she stayed in her seat for a while. She suddenly remembered what Macos had said about breakfast and hurried back to the Espina family home.
Albina was sitting in the living room, with the coffee table full of documents. When she saw Ariana return, she greeted her and said with a smile:
-Breakfast is in the pot on the stove. It’s still hot.
Macos was really considerate, he didn’t even forget to prepare Ariana’s breakfast before he left. Seeing him like this, she even felt inclined to offer him help.
Ariana hurriedly took the breakfast out of the kitchen. Seeing the small sandwich Macos had prepared, she couldn’t help but smile.
It was true that he had deliberately reduced the portion of the meal, just as he had said earlier.
Today’s breakfast was on point, no more, no less. If he hadn’t lived with her for a long time, he wouldn’t have been able to be so precise.
When Albina saw her looking at her breakfast with an unconscious, soft smile, her heart fluttered and she asked:
-Ariana, what do you think of Macos?
Ariana swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at Albina in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly asked that question.
-He’s pretty good, funny, decent, kind, and….
She thought of that bright smile Macos put on when he heard the dessert, his eyes seemed to sparkle.
-Simple and pure.
Albina raised her eyebrows. It was a rather high assessment, she had never heard Ariana praise Santiago so highly!
“But simple?”
“Macos was simple? On the surface yes, but on the inside, it was hard to comment.”
Albina looked at Ariana who was still eating with her head down after the assessment, and sighed at her ignorant and oblivious look.
Wasn’t Ariana very sensitive to feelings? At a glance, she could notice Umberto’s heart for her and even reminded herself of it sidelong. But when it came to herself, how could she not detect Macos’ feelings?
In the end, it was still very confusing for Albina.
Or rather, Ariana didn’t expect Macos to like her at all. Right now she should devote her whole heart to Santiago.
After she finished eating and gathered her things, she looked at Albina still with a frown, carefully flipping through the documents and jotting something down in the book next to her.
Ariana opened her mouth and said:
-Albina, when you’re done, come with me outside. I want to take a look at the houses in this neighborhood.