Andrie pressed his lips against hers. Azora blinked in surprise, her mind going blank for a few seconds due to what he did. Her heart raced faster, feeling like it was about to burst out of her chest. She didn’t understand why her enemy kissed her.
She pulled her face away abruptly, causing Andrie’s kiss to be interrupted. However, he held both sides of her cheeks and deepened the kiss.
During that kiss, Azora felt like time stood still. Her palms pressed tightly against Andrie’s chest, clutching his shirt. She was sure that part would be wrinkled later.
“Oh my goodness!” Esma exclaimed upon seeing them kissing inside the kitchen.
That’s when Azora snapped out of it and pushed Andrie away quickly. Due to her surprise and unpreparedness, she pushed him away forcefully. Andrie frowned at her, as if accusing her of pushing him. But she didn’t care what he had to say.
She was more worried about Esma’s opinion of what she saw. If Narciso found out, she was sure he would punish her. She wasn’t sure if she could handle his punishment.
“It’s not what you think!” she quickly defended herself to the old lady. Her eyes widened, and her shoulders tensed nervously. She glanced briefly at Andrie, who had furrowed brows, before looking back at Esma. “Just an accident, okay?” She forced a fake smile.
“Accident?” Esma approached her swiftly. “From what I saw, you both seemed very amused. And you’ll call it an accident?” she exclaimed.
Azora swallowed. Why was she the one in the hot seat? Shouldn’t Andrie explain since he initiated the kiss?
“Yes, it’s just an accident. If you don’t want to believe, then ask him!” She pointed at Andrie. “He was the one who initiated the kiss!” she reasoned.
She was surprised when Andrie chuckled. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it because it’s evident.” He pointed to the crumpled part of his shirt on his chest.
Esma sighed and turned to her. “Sir Narciso strictly warned me to watch over you. And to see you kissing each other here in the kitchen, I don’t know what to do with you. You’re both so passionate! Youth nowadays.”
“Just forget what you saw. I never intended for it, we never.”
Esma sighed again and excused herself to attend to something outside the mansion. Andrie let her leave. But she felt nervous because of the peculiar look the old lady gave her. There was a warning in that gaze, and it sent a chill down her spine.
She gave Andrie a scornful look, and he was already looking down. She left him behind and marched out of the kitchen and up the grand staircase. She closed the door and let out a sigh. Her heart was still beating fast, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of being seen by Esma like that or because of Andrie’s kiss.
Several days passed without Narciso or even Andrie showing themselves to her. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt relieved about it. Every day, during meals, she didn’t see Narciso or even Andrie at the dining table. So the dining hall and her life became quiet. It was fine to be quiet, but there were times when she missed Andrie’s presence at the dining table.
She sighed again. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. But suddenly, the door opened, and Narciso entered. She stood up straight, her eyes wide as she greeted the newcomer.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. It was Narciso’s first visit to the room she occupied.
He looked around with a slight smile that seemed mocking. “I see that you’re comfortable here.”
She chose to remain silent and averted her gaze. She didn’t want to argue with Andrie’s father because she knew it wouldn’t do any good for her.
“Have you remembered what I promised to you, daughter of Alibata?”
Her ears perked up at Narciso calling her that. Daughter of Alibata? Mmm… she thought the term was appropriate, but she wondered why he called her that.
“You’ve promised to find the evidence,” she replied.
A wider grin spread across Narciso’s lips. “I think I’ve found what I’ve been looking for.”
She blinked at his words. He looked at her intently and pulled out a small aluminum box. Suddenly, her world stopped spinning when she saw the silver box again. She should have given that box to Anthony as a gift that night, but it didn’t happen because she saw her father choking on it.
She swallowed and a little fear registered on her face. And because he was scrutinizing her, he noticed the slight change in her emotion. His smile widened even more.
“What can you say about this rusty box?”
But before she could answer, Narciso opened the small box. Narciso’s eyes twinkled when he saw a necklace inside.
She bit her lip. She suddenly shivered with fear. That wasn’t supposed to happen. She should have left the box a few meters away from the crime scene. She didn’t care and forgot the real purpose of the gift. Plus, some would suspect her if she still carried the box.
“Are you sure that’s mine?” she asked, hoping to confuse people.
Narciso furrowed his brow. “My men found this in the bushes.” He clicked his tongue. “You shouldn’t leave your evidence behind if you don’t want to be accused.”
“Well, that’s not mine,” she insisted, looking away again.
She heard a laugh from Narciso. “Lie if you want, but I will file a case against you and your father based on this evidence. No one will escape the law.”