“You really ruined my mood,” I spat, playfully rolling my eyes at him.
Robert just smirked, sipping on the juice box while giving me an intense stare, making my cheeks flush. I quickly looked away, crossing my arms over my chest. From the corner of my eye, I saw him dispose of the juice box in the sink.
“Don’t go out of the house for now. There are people out there, and you might get caught at the wrong time.”
Then the image of the strange man from earlier popped into my mind. I smirked. I glanced suspiciously at Robert. “You’ve already bought from the supermarket, right?” He nodded. I took a deep breath, looking past Robert, my mind drifting back to the earlier incident. “Where do the workers there live?”
“Some live here in the subdivision, others commute from outside.”
I nodded. “So there’s a possibility…” My eyes gleamed. I didn’t know who that man earlier was. It was strange that he knew Skylar. I cleared my throat and fixed a serious gaze on Robert. “Do you know someone named Skylar Angeles?” I asked.
There was a long pause between us. Then he said, “I met him once in Mandaue.”
“Oh.” My eyes blinked, raising my eyebrows at him. “Did he say anything to you?”
“Not really.”
“Do you happen to know his friend? Or maybe someone who works at the supermarket who knows Skylar too?”
He stared at me again before sighing. He straightened up and grinned at me. “So you’re interested in the rats.”
“What?” I chuckled slightly. “Rats?”
Robert shrugged. “First, the rat locked up in the mansion, second, the rat related to the Clasisos.” He raised an eyebrow. “Find something to occupy your mind.”
I disregarded his joke. What caught my attention was the mention of the Clasisos. My eyes narrowed at him. “You know the Clasisos?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “There. You’re thinking now,” he said before leaving without saying goodbye.
My eyes blinked, mouth slightly open. But before I could call out to him, he disappeared from my sight. I stood rooted to the spot, thinking about what Robert had said.
What did he mean by that? Did he have contact with the Clasisos? Considering his sudden change, he might. But I also thought about the portrait resembling him in the hospital. Maybe he was an heir of De Lapaz, which explained why we had managed to escape from Dad. But his words…
I hurried to the fridge and opened it. I poured myself a glass of cold water and drank it. My chest rose and fell rapidly from nervousness.
As long as I stayed away from the Clasisos, I was safe. But if there was a chance that Robert had a connection with them, then I needed to leave this place. I didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire between that clan and Dad. After months of being out of touch with them, when Skylar appeared at the mansion, I knew Anthony’s Dad was still keeping an eye on me.
And when I heard that name on Robert’s lips, I knew they might also be the reason why I was at Robert’s house.
I decided to find Robert. I saw him sitting on the patio, staring into the distance with deep thoughts. I approached and sat in the chair beside him.
“So, tell me, what’s your connection with the Clasisos?” I asked.
Several minutes passed before he spoke. “Do I really need to tell you?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well…” I trailed off, gazing into the distance. “I have my reasons.”
“Mmm… tell me.”
I glanced at him with furrowed brows, but he continued to stare into the distance. I took a deep breath before speaking. “My Dad and the Clasisos have a bad history, so I’m making sure I don’t fall into their trap. I didn’t escape just to end up imprisoned again in another dangerous den.”
That’s when he finally looked at me. He stared at me for a few minutes before smiling. “I was ordered to sneak you out and bring you here to Alcantara.”
“The Clasisos?”
He nodded. He studied me under his gaze. “I was supposed to watch over you for two months before handing you over to them.”
My eyebrows shot up at his words. I clenched my fists tightly to control my anger. I didn’t know the Clasisos were really that obsessed with their son’s case. But I knew they hadn’t moved on from Anthony’s death.
“So, are you going along with their plan?”
He shrugged. “Depends if I change my mind.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow further. “So how do I change your mind?”
His gaze roamed over my face before a mischievous smile crept onto his lips. “Kiss me.”
My lips twitched at his words. I wanted to scold Robert, but a memory suddenly flashed through my mind. It was when Japen asked me to kiss him, and we were in my room.
My throat suddenly felt dry. I took a deep breath and glared at Robert, but my thoughts wandered back to Japen’s face. I straightened up and blinked rapidly. Robert’s face returned, and he was staring at me. There was a small amused smile on his lips.
“You’re blushing,” he remarked.
I looked away and took another breath. “Don’t hand me over to the Clasisos.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Just do as I say!” I snapped.
Silence enveloped us. Then Robert’s hand gently rested on my back, guiding me to lean against his firm chest. I swallowed hard at the sensation.
“Even if we have an agreement,” he said softly, “don’t worry. I’ll protect you in both houses I showed you.”
I laughed sarcastically. “I don’t need your houses.”
“Don’t say that.” He caressed my back and toyed with the ends of my hair. I felt his warm breath against my face and knew he was looking down at me. I kept my gaze fixed on the horizon. He chuckled. “You might get sunburned.”
“I’m not joking with you,” I retorted and pushed him away gently. I sat upright in my chair, not glancing at him even once. I clenched my fists tightly. “Don’t hand me over to them. If you want, I’ll pay you three times the amount Clasiso promised.”
He burst into laughter. It took him a few seconds to calm down, and then he looked at me with his usual cheeky smile. “You probably know by now that I don’t need your money, Azora Briones.”
With a slow glance at him, our eyes met. There was no trace of laughter on his face, indicating he was serious.
I cleared my throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Franco De Lapaz, scion of Sebastian.” Then I smiled sweetly at him.
Slowly, a genuine smile spread across both sides of his lips. “You played well, Azora.”
“You probably understand why I acted bratty earlier, right?”
With a sweet smile on my lips, I looked at the horizon again. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I caught Robert in my own trap, and I was right when he took the bait I had laid out for him.