Thea
Angel had been meeting with Cole every other day, I missed him each time he was away even though I got to spend time with him the remaining hours of each day.
I was glad that things were heading somewhere now, it was a blessing that Cole had such access to where Sparrow was and as for Natalia, I hoped she got what she deserved. I didn’t trust her but I didn’t expect her to have so much jealousy and envy towards me, enough to side with Sparrow. I wouldn’t trust that man if I were her.
Angel had been so loving to me all these days coming back with one gift or the other to make up for the time he spent away from me. I loved the princess treatment too much and I realized just how much I needed it. He wasn’t just the Mafia boss who was in love with me, he was acting as a proper boyfriend.
There was something to worry about though, Lola had been trying to get in contact with him for reasons best known to her. I didn’t want to think too much of it but I had encouraged him to give her listening ears considering that it could be important.
As for today, everyone was having fun. It was Saturday and the weekly sports which was organized at the mansion. I had invited Carl the last time and I was glad to see him here. At first, he seemed uncomfortable but Angel decided to play against him in tennis, it was an uncomfortable conversation to watch but eventually Carl put his grudges aside and played against him. Gradually, he adjusted and also played against others till he eventually lost.
“Is it just me or has Carl been passing glances at Florentine?” I blinked in surprised as I did not expect Camila to make such an observation. I adjust in my seat and look in the direction where Carl stood, he wasn’t looking anymore.
I withdraw my gaze to Florentine, Cassie and Camila were already looking at her. She smiled uncomfortably and I sigh quietly. I wished I could get rid of the thought in my head. Carl had no interest in her and Florentine hated him but then I had noticed the glances Carl had passed at her several times and her expressions were nothing similar to that of hate or any negative feelings towards him.
“Really?” Cassandra said, expressing her shock.
“It’s not….”
“It’s not just Camila, I noticed that too.” I said cutting Florentine off. Could there be some spark between them? From the moment we got back from the penthouse I knew Florentine was hiding something. Also, Carl’s interest in Florentine coupled with their awkwardness the last time made my hunch even stronger.
“Really?” Cassie said again passing glances at both Carl and Florentine. “I’ve been too invested in Knight that I didn’t see that. How the hell did I let myself miss that?” Trust Cassie to stir up things. Now that she was involved Florentine was going to have it hot.
“…. But he is not watching right now.” She said getting more interested.
“Just hold on, give him some seconds.” Camila said… Wow! She even timed him. This was getting interesting.
At once we caught Carl turning his head in the direction where we sat. He looks startled seeing all eyes on him then he blinks nervously and looks away.
It was confirmed, that look was definitely something to dive deeper.
“There’s something different about you Florentine. Ever since we got back.” Camila said as we shifted our attention to her.
“I also noticed Carl seems to pop up in our discussions with her.” Cassandra said putting forth her observation. I was in agreement with it. I had thought I was alone in this, thinking too much about the little hints I got.
“At first, I thought it was as a result of me bringing him up in our discussion about him being lonely….” I pause and we look at each other as if thinking the same thing but then why was Florentine awfully quiet?
“But she tends to have an opinion about him everytime.” Camila said. This was getting hotter and Florentine wasn’t ready for it.
“I must not have been paying attention.” Cassie seemed disappointed in herself, she pouts and looks at Knight. “Someone else has my attention all the time.” Camila and I scoff at her acting cute now.
“So tell us, did something happen?” Camila asked and we payed attention more intensely.
“What are you girls talking about. Nothing happened.” Florentine snapped and we were taken aback. We stared at her in silence studying her and her nervousness was unhidden. Good thing she was a bad liar.
I noticed her eyes flicker then she was looking at something or someone which I traced her gaze to.
Fucking no! How could she lie through her teeth just now and still couldn’t resist the urge to look in Carl’s direction. Her eyes expressed a different emotion from what she claimed she had felt for Carl.
I clear my throat and she blinks in shock as she catches my gaze.
Caught red-handed and she knew it. The horror etched on her face was satisfying to watch.
I mean, ‘woman just tell the the damn truth. Spill your guts!’ I yelled within then I gave her a coy smile seeing her lips parted slightly as if she was about to say something.
“You all are taking things too far. Nothing happened.” She continued to deny it.
“No one said anything happened. We are just trying to get to the root of what’s going on.” Camila said. It was only a matter of time till Florentine lost to us.
“A good thing you’re bad at lying.” Cassie says and leans sharply towards Florentine . “Tell us now, what happened between the both of you?.” Cassandra’s voice was laced with threat causing Florentine to gulp hard, her expression gives off her thoughts that Cassie was insinuating they were intimate.
“No way in heavens or hell!” She says in disgust, defending herself against Cassandra’s assumptions.
“Flor, she wasn’t talking about intimacy.” Camila said understanding the situation as well.
“Oh… I….”
“Did he harass you? I learnt that he has the maids attention. Tell me did he get tired of the maid and harass you?” Cassandra pressed further, getting worked up by her suspicions. She looked like she could let all hell lose should Florentine say that was the case.
I laugh at her assumptions. She was the baby here but was acting like a mother or senior sister to Florentine. “No, Carl would never.”
“Don’t defend him Thea, let’s hear from Florentine.” Cassandra said cutting me off.
“No! He didn’t. Where is all this coming from?” Florentine sounded frustrated.
“Well you better start talking or we won’t stop. You’re acting different and it’s giving off that you’re hiding something.” Cassandra fired back.
“Alright.” She said and we all tense up getting curious and worried.
“He knocked at my door one night asking for condoms.” Instantly shock envelopes us, there’s a pause and suddenly we burst into laughter. Florentine looks very confused.
“Wait, what?” Cassie says expressing her shock.
“He must have really needed to cool off.” Camila said, I wondered how she managed to still look innocent when saying things like this.
I didn’t think carl lacked any of that since he was constantly with company. I mean, always banging the maids.
“So did you give it to him?” Cassie said.
“No, of course not.” We all pause and stare at her suspiciously. She noticed it and went on in further to defend herself.
“He came to my room at eleven or ten… it was late.” She defended.
“Then he must have been really horny.” Camila said in Carl’s defense.
“You should let him have some Flor, I know you don’t like him but it’s better to play safe.” I didn’t want to bulge more than that knowing Carl and I had been intimate in the past but thinking about it now just makes my skin crawl. I was disgusting. I got worried wondering how Angel would take it when he found out that I slept with his father and Carl. At some point, I needed to come clean with him. I just hoped it didn’t end up badly. It scared me of his reaction.
I mean I used to fuck his father!
“It’s understandable if she didn’t give him any that night but I’m certain he had them later.” Camila said but it sounded like she was trying to confirm that Florentine gave it to him.
“I didn’t give him any.”
“What?” The three of us chorus.
“He sleeps with every maid that throws themselves at him. He’s a man whore.” She continued to defend her decision.
“How does that even matter Flor?” Cassie was in disbelieve. “We have him under this roof and he is our responsibility. He is not different from everyone here and we make sure all staffs are provided adequately with everything they need for their sex life.”
“We don’t question the male workers on how often they have sex or if they do it with all the maids. We are all adults here so why should it matter when it comes to carl?” Camila added. Florentine was getting it really hot from the both of them. I really tried to play it nice with her.
“He is a visitor.” She explained.
“What if he gets one of the girls pregnant because we refused to give him a condom.” Cassandra says the last part in a low voice.
“I thought that will keep him off from having sex for a while.”
“Why do you care so much about his sex life.” For real, I got curious too. Florentine was making it difficult to go easy on her with her responses.
“I don’t.”
“You’re acting like you do.” Camilla said making her speechless.
“Fine. I’ll give him a packet of it. As much as he wants. Happy?” Florentine looked pissed off right now. Maybe we took it too far.
“We didn’t mean to offend you.” I said trying to calm the situation.
“I’m not offended.”
“You look like it.” Cassandra said with no ounce of remorse.
“Cassandra!” Camila and I scolded and she muttered an apology.
“You know what, I’ll just head inside. It was a mistake coming here.” Florentine said standing up to her feet.
“Florentine….” We call after her as she walks back into the mansion. Camila and I decided to go after her but Cassie stops us.
“Let her be. She needs to be alone now. We could check on her after the games.”
“I think we made her feel so guilty. For all we know, she has good intentions for what she did.” Camila said feeling bad. Cassie didn’t seem moved at all.
“Or maybe she could be jealous.”
“Cassandra!” We scold again. Her mouth was quite sharp.
“What? I may not have been very observant but with the way they looked at each other, I don’t know… And you said Florentine dosen’t like him.” She took a pause to sigh deeply then she spoke more calmly. “My brother almost got him killed, having sex shouldn’t be enough reason to hate him. We should thank him for being alive.” She explained.
“You’re overthinking things Cassie. I promise you.” Camila said coming to Florentine’s defense.
“Carl likes older women but Florentine…. I don’t think he thinks of her like that.” I say and they look at me, speechless. I watch their heads turn towards carl and I follow but then we see him walking out and into the mansion.
“He’s not going after her. Trust me.” I quickly say but they give me a sarcastic nod. “Florentine is too innocent for him. I know Carl.” I continue but notice Cassie’s eyes flicker with suspicion. Then she throws a remark which almost got me loosing my balance.
“How well do you know him Thea?” I gasp recalling my history with Carl, I feel both guilty and ashamed of what I had done in the past but I couldn’t afford to be the object of investigation.
“Let’s say I was quite friendly with my staffs at my mum’s place.” I said smiling. Cassandra forces a smile at me. My goodness! How could a nineteen year old make one so nervous.