After eating, she decided not to go upstairs just yet. She scanned the living room and noticed a few maids who didn’t pay much attention to her. That was good. She was free to leave the mansion.
In just a few steps, she reached the outdoors. The cool and fresh breeze blew in her direction. She took a deep breath, a smile spreading across her lips. The air smelled of roses, guiding her towards where the sweet fragrance of the flowers emanated.
The mansion’s yard was vast, reminiscent of her father’s estate. There was a large fountain in the middle, but unlike her father’s mansion, there was no maze garden in the Clasiso’s yard. It was just a wide expanse of Bermuda grass, a simple clearing. Nevertheless, it looked beautiful, offering a clean and fresh ambiance.
She continued walking towards the source of the scent, passing by a maid along the way who widened her eyes upon seeing her. Perhaps surprised or something else, she wasn’t sure.
She kept moving towards the area where the floral scent was strongest. She didn’t regret seeing the variety of flowers in a large garden.
A wide smile spread across her lips as she stepped into the flower garden. The scents of the flowers were mixed with each other. Some of them she knew, while others she was only seeing now. Perhaps the caretaker was the one watching over the garden, as the Clasiso family did not seem to be fond of gardening.
She approached a rose and crouched in front of it. She reached out for its stem. Water dropped on her fingers. She blew out the air. This should be her life now, she realized that night. If she hadn’t seen what happened that night, her conscience and the Clasisos wouldn’t be chasing her. Even if they didn’t hurt her, she knew the Clasiso people were decent people. They just wanted to catch up on her father – and her.
“Do you like roses?”
She stood up when she heard Andrie’s voice behind her. She turned around and faced him. “Are you following me?” he responded sarcastically.
Where she found peace, she was bothered by that man. She frowned even more.
Andrie raised an eyebrow and lips at her question. “I was sitting there…” He pointed to a bench in the corner of the garden that wasn’t visible to those entering. “… when I saw you enter this garden.”
“So what?” She rolled her eyes and turned around. “Just stay away from me. That’s what your father asked you to do,” she argued.
She heard Andrie sigh. “I’ll be there if you need help,” he said, and she heard his footsteps receding.
She clenched her teeth at his words and discreetly glanced at the bench he had pointed to earlier. It was true what he said about loitering there because she had seen him sitting there, hunched over, and watching her intently. She quickly looked away and focused on the blooming flowers.
She stayed there for a few minutes, amusing herself as the sun set in the sky and she sweated because of the heat. When she looked back to where Andrie was, the young man was no longer there. Where was he?
Suddenly, an umbrella appeared above her head. She was surprised to see Andrie standing beside her, shading her from the sun. She hadn’t noticed his approach earlier, especially as she thought about where the talented son of Narciso was wearing it.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, stepping out from under the shelter of the umbrella.
The heat of the sun made her skin blush. Andrie took hold of her arm and pulled her back under the umbrella’s shade. He clicked his tongue. “You’ve been red from the sun since earlier. Let’s go inside,” he said, leading her back to the front part of the mansion.
She couldn’t move until Andrie had already gone ahead, leaving her standing dazed under the scorching sun. It seemed Andrie noticed this, as he stopped walking and turned to look at her. There was a slight furrow on his brow, a sign that he didn’t approve of what she had done. There was also disappointment in his gaze.
Why would he be disappointed?
“Come here, Azora.”
She had no choice but to obey. The sun was scorching, and she didn’t want to risk getting heatstroke and dying prematurely.
She walked forward and took shelter under Andrie’s umbrella. They walked together towards the mansion’s entrance. As they reached the entrance, Narciso happened to come out to enter his office.
They both stopped in their tracks, and Narciso also paused before proceeding. He furrowed his brow, shifting his gaze between her and Anthony. After a moment, he shook his head and entered his car. Azora watched as the car drove out of the gate until it disappeared from her sight.
She sighed before they resumed walking towards the mansion’s entrance. Esma greeted them as she had been waiting for them since earlier.
“You’re blushing again,” the old lady pointed out.
She forced a smile and remained silent. She headed straight to the kitchen to drink some water. She didn’t notice Andrie standing behind her, so when she turned around, she was startled once again. She gasped and narrowed her eyes at him.
“You startle me again!” she exclaimed.
Andrie grinned and stepped closer to her. She automatically stepped back until she felt the sink against her back.
“Stop,” she restrained him.
Andrie halted his steps forward, but he brought his face closer to hers. She moved her head away and winced at his behavior.
“Are you out of your mind?” she blurted out, raising her voice, especially after seeing a servant out of the corner of her eye taking something from the fridge. The servant kept glancing at her and Andrie.
Unable to calm down, she raised her hand and pressed it against Andrie’s chest. She pushed him away, but he stood firm like a rock. He didn’t even budge from her push.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. She glared at him, but he still didn’t relent. Instead, he brought his face even closer to hers until their lips were almost touching.