Oh, so now he’s bringing that up?
I gave him a sly smirk. “First and foremost, I have no intention of ever returning to your store, thank you very much,” I mentioned. “And I was looking for the bathroom, and I got lost, and I ended up here.”
“Bathroom? Are you stupid and couldn’t find it yourself?” He clicked his tongue at that, mocking me.
“It’s not my fault that his house is enormous, Mr. Hudson,” I retorted, calling him by his last name.
He sighed, “You know what? I came here to rest, just leave already. Take a left turn and open the farthest door from here,” And with that, he turned to look back at the scenery, giving me one last glare.
I was about to respond when I realized what he’d said. Turn left, he said. Was he giving me directions? I recall turning right earlier…
As much as I want to irritate him more, I don’t think I can argue well right now; all I have is sarcasm. I simply left and followed his instructions until I arrived at the restroom.
If I want to build a big house in the future, I’m surely not going to do it. It’s such a hassle for me.
I’d prepared myself for a long argument when I finished taking a pee and returned to the balcony, where the Strawberry guy was. He was still standing alone. I’m curious though, why is he here all by himself?
Why isn’t he spending time with his cousins? For all I could remember, I think this is a family gathering, with us joining in for lunch…
Shrugging that off for now, I decided to ask him later because I had a brilliant plan right now. I crept upon him, but he remained focused on the scene aheaQd of him. “So… Strawberry guy…”
He scowled as he turned to face me. “Stop doing that,” he said.
I blinked at him, stopping in my tracks, “What do you mean, stop?”
He glanced at me, “Don’t refer to me like that, strawberry whatever. I hate it.”
“Then I’m not sure what to call you, strawberry guy.” I replied, “Do you prefer the name ‘robot’ then?” I smiled, thinking of something.
He gave me a scowl, “Robot? Why are you even coming up with weird names for me?”
I just shrugged, “Well, it suits you because of your expressionless face and heartless nature.”
Now that I think about it, it’s actually better than strawberry guy. That’s what I’ll call him from now on.
In response, he simply glared. Then I remembered my inquiry. “Can I ask you a question though?”
He sighed, “What is it? You’re already asking. Why are you being friendly and speaking to me anyway? Were you avoiding my calls for the past few days?”
Oop. He’s quite right about that. Well anyways, I still have to ask him this. “Why are you chilling here upstairs when everyone else is downstairs?”
“Can I ask then? Why are you being so nosy?” He fired back. “You keep on asking me questions. First, you wondered why I prefer my ice cream as strawberry and now this. Can’t you keep your mouth shut? Or is it your hobby to pry into other people’s lives?”
The harshness of his tone and the anger in his eyes surprised me. I gulped.
“Wait, I… I was just-” I tried to defend myself, to reason with myself, but my stuttering made me appear weak, which I despised.
“Next time, try to understand the words ‘mind your own business,'” he advised. I was speechless. I couldn’t bring myself to speak up and fight back but no words came out.
“Eion!” Just in time, the silence and tension was cut off in the air as there was a voice of a man calling out from the hallway. Moments later, the door opened. “There you are, man, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Aunt Maggie has invited everyone to lunch.”
Oh.. so his name is Eion… It sounds strange though, I feel like it doesn’t suit him that much. Anyways, if that is his name, why not call him ‘Eion the Robot’.
Hmm.. that sounds better.
At the door, Luke’s face appeared. He smiled when he noticed me and greeted me, “Hello Snow, I didn’t realize you were here as well…”
I forced myself to smile back, despite the fact that standing next to these two was becoming awkward. I noticed Eion’s brows knitted in confusion as I looked at him. He must be perplexed as to why I know his cousin.
I notice they both have emerald orb-like eyes, but Eion’s stand out, a shade of gold in the green that makes them look deep and mysterious. The air was tense, and I cleared my throat, not knowing what to do at such a time; it was as if they were telecommunicating!
“Snowy?” I recognized a childish voice in the corridor right away. Hearing it was my little brother, I called out. “Nathan, I’m here!”
He walked in a split second later, and I forced myself not to sigh in relief that he was finally here.
“Mommy said we should eat lunch here!” He exclaimed, yanking me away without even looking at who I was with.
I politely excused myself before allowing Nathan to yank me away. I made a mental note to get him some more chocolates the next time we went shopping. He needs a reward for helping me to get out of there.
Once I saw Hannah and Beth when we finally descended the stairs, I smiled brightly. I was relieved to be free of the boys.
It was a disaster as we ate lunch at Aunt Maggie’s house. Everyone was making a racket, with all of their cousins conversing and the little ones running around. Good thing that Aunt Maggie’s dining table can hold 20 people so we somehow fit in it.
The food was also exquisite, steak and some stew as Aunt Maggie had some of her maids helping her from preparing the food earlier from the kitchen.
Across from me, Luke, Hannah, and the other cousins of Eion were seated, while Aunt Maggie was seated at the head of the table.
“I’m sorry, the house is a shambles.” Aunt Maggie spoke up, turning to my mother.
Mom, who was sitting next to me and Nathan, laughed it off. “But it’s lively, and I like it.”
I winced, trying to figure out if Mom was joking or not.
Aunt Maggie burst out laughing. They began talking about anything and everything until Aunt Maggie decided to bring up his nephew. “Eve, my nephew, Eion, owns an ice cream shop near the town. Maybe we should go there once in a while.”
“Is that true? What a coincidence… Snow also works there.” Mom looked at me for a moment, then realized something, “Wait… does he work for you, Snow?” Mom inquired. Everyone was quiet and staring at me.
I cast a glance at Strawberry guy, er, Eion, who was eating in a corner and not paying attention to anyone.
“Um… yeah?” I replied hesitantly, beginning to sweat nervously. I couldn’t tell my mother I was quitting! No way! She shouldn’t figure it out! Hoping for Eion to cooperate, my mom’s attention was drawn to Eion now.
“Oh, so you’re the owner of the ice cream shop?”
Mom inquired about him. Eion raised his head and nodded, making my mother smile warmly. “If you don’t already know, I’m Snow’s mother. In any case, thank you for looking after my daughter. I wish you the best of luck with your business.”
“Yes, Ms. Waterstrings. Thank you very much. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” Eion replied, his gaze fixed on me. I took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn’t tell my mother everything.
“You can refer to me as Aunt Eve.” Mom stated and Eion gave a nod. “Okay then, Aunt Eve.”
Don’t be deceived, Mom! That man is so heinous! If she only knew what he did to me.
Aunt Maggie made a sly grin at the both of us, almost like she knows something that we don’t, and that made me nervous for some reason. She faced her nephew “Eion, keep an eye on her, please.” Shen then turned to me, “Anyways, Snow, do you have a boyfriend?”
I looked at her, remembering her question. “No, Aunt Maggie. I’m perfectly content taking care of Mom and Nathan for now.” I responded, smiling a bit and drinking some water from the glass, swallowing my food. Gosh, I swear I would have indigestion if this continues. Aunt Maggie has to change the topic!
She cracked a grin. “Such a sweetie. I hope I will have my own daughter like you soon. Whoever your boyfriend is when the time comes, he’s such a lucky guy. Right, Eion?”
Eion was just quiet at Aunt Maggie’s question, followed by complete silence.
I could help but glance at Lue in front of me, who had been studying my expression since earlier. When he noticed my discomfort, he spoke up, breaking the silence. “I think we should all eat now, Aunt Maggie because the food is getting cold.” He gave me a playful wink, and I smiled at him, wanting to thank him for that, while also trying to hide the blush that had crept up on my cheeks.
Mom and Aunt Maggie exchanged a lot of goodbyes after we finished our lunch. Hannah came to me and asked for my phone number and we exchanged phone numbers there. “Thanks, Snow! I’ll call you one of these days. I’m hoping we can be friends.”
I smiled, “I hope too.” She really seems like a sweetheart.
After that, it was time to go home. “Do you need a ride home? Eion can transport you home. Right, Eion?” She offered it to us.
Eion looked at Aunt Maggie as if he didn’t like the idea but nodded anyway. He simply cannot refuse his aunt. That made me laugh.
“Thank you for the offer, Aunt Maggie,” I spoke up, not wanting to ride to Eion’s car. No way. I still have pride left. “But I’m afraid that we have our own car we used to get here. We can manage.”
Aunt Maggie nodded, “Alright then.”
Hopping on mom’s car, I waved at Aunt Maggie goodbye and mom started the engine. When it failed to start, she tried again and had no luck. Mom rolled down her car window and called for her best friend, “Maggie, do you have someone who can help me fix the car?”
“Oh, do you need it to be fixed?” She looked around before saying, “You know what, Evy? Just accept my offer and make Eion ride you home. I’ll have that fixed and ready by tomorrow and hand it to your house. I promise.”
Mom nodded and turned to me, “I’m sorry sweetie, is that alright for you?”
I sighed. Do I have any other choice?
And before I knew it, we were in Eion’s Mercedes-Benz black SUV. As mom sat in the passenger seat, I was in the back seat with Nathan.
“Oh, Eion, thank you so much. Our house address is…”Mom started, giving Eion directions to our house as he started the engine and drove away, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
I rolled my eyes at him when we made eye contact, and I just kept quiet during the whole ride, facing the window. Nathan was also sitting still beside me, looking at me curiously as if figuring me out.
We got out of the car when we arrived at our house and Mom continued to thank Eion. I sighed, wanting this to be over already.
If only Mom had known what was going on behind that robot. Well, I have to give it to him for not bringing up the fact that I left the shop already. Mom still doesn’t know it, and I’m hoping this would stay that way.
“Why don’t you stay a little longer?” Suddenly, I heard my mom offering to Eion, who was still sitting in his car.
My pupils dilate at that, now panicking.