Our Project

Chapter 5

"Apparently yes. I just brought the blueprint of our project," he explained and I nodded.

"And oh! I'm also here to visit you. Won't you really accept my offer to work with us? I can see that you have a potential. You took an architecture?"

My lips parted at what he said.

I remembered, I am busy on sketching my last plate that time. I'm bored so I thought of sketching but suddenly, this guy pops up from nowhere.

Minerva's mother left me in front of the cafeteria. I was still carrying my sketchpad so I just stayed to one side.

I am too busy that time to think that I didn't even notice his presence at my back. He's already watching me.

He saw all my sketches from buildings, condominiums, and such. He saw my designs and I can see that he's amazed. So he offered me to work in their company.

He even get my number and now I just realized that he's already here in front of me.

"You're really familiar. Have we met before? You're beautiful."

I chuckled because of that thing. That's what I remember he told me months ago and now he's here.

How did he get in?

"Yes but I only finished first seem," I replied and he nodded.

"I see. I can tell it to my dad. I bet the Beauneveu Real Estate can shoulder it."

My forehead creased. "I'm sorry? Did I heard it wrong?" I asked confusingly but he just smiled.

"Scholarship, Ethelred."

There, he finally say it. But as much as I want to accept it, I can't. Especially now that I’m not sure around me.

"Landon kasi—" he cut me off.

"Are you worried about your work here? Your daily expenses?"

I shook. "It's not like that. I'm not sure yet and besides, I'm not very skilled when it comes to that," I reasoned out but he chuckled.

"I can teach you. I can see that it's easy to teach you," he uttered softly.

I bit my lower lip. How can I refused him?

I’m not really ready for that kind of thing yet. Even now that I’m in San Herrera I can’t help but overthink.

I am still traumatized. What if they'll come back? What if they find out I'm alive?

"I'll think about it, Landon. But not now so I hope you understand," I said softly and his eyes lit up.

"You won't regret it, Ethelred."

"How did you get in?" he chuckled.

"Connections, you know. But Ethelred I'm serious. You're really familiar. You look like

"Ethelred! Who's that?" Trina's voice echoed that made us paused.

We both looked at him just below the broom and attended to us and I saw how his face lit up.

"Omg you were handsome before! Will you meet?" I awkwardly smiled and nodded.

"Ah, yes. Landon. Landon, Trina. My friend," I introduced and he nodded.

"Nice to meet you. Anyway, thanks for letting me in," he even smiled that made Trina's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, it's nothing as long as you! When are you going to visit here again?" she sweetly asked and I mentally chuckled.

"It depends if I am not that busy," I heard him answered.

I let them talked and at first, Landon seems so awkward but he managed to talked to Trina.

"Oh, you!" he laughed and smirked once slapping it which surprised me.

"Did you visit here? You might forget you left a girlfriend here. I'll miss you!"

Stunned with Trina's moves, my jaw immediately dropped.

I quickly pinched his arm but the gaga, didn't even move!

Landon was even surprised when he hit him on the arm, which his lips felt sorry for, but he recovered immediately until he reached the opposite side of the main door.

"Bye, Landon my loves!" she yelled before Landon entered his car that made my face heated.

Embarrassing!

I saw his lips part again and how his ear turned red before going inside which I just laughed.

Trina really is!

"Woi, Ethelred, it's good that you're awake! There's a lot to do. Do you know now that Sir's son is coming?" he broke the news to me and rubbed my arm.

"Yes. What did you really do? The man was ashamed of you," I scolded him and he laughed out loud.

"What are you! It's really like that when you have a crush! At least I have high confidence, don't I? Not like the others, I'm still shy so I'm ahead!"

"But Trina shouldn't be like that. Women shouldn't be the first to move to the person they want," I enlightened her but she just rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather stare. For him to remember me, right? Just once, and do you want to teach me? I'm an expert!"

I was just shaken when we got inside. He quickly picked up the swab and while busy wiping the furniture and I nodded at his question earlier.

"Mother Minerva told me that now she used to be," I replied and helped her wipe.

Trina and I were in the same age. The only difference is he studies and works.

When I first came here, he himself approached me even though I was still away from people.

"Weh? Are you close now? That's why we're so naughty. Are you sure she's really your mother?" I just laughed as I continued cleaning until I heard Carla talking to Elaine.

While Carla and Elaine are two years ahead of us.

"Yeah! You know, I feel like he's really more handsome in person! Did you see his portraits?" Carla shuddered and dropped the glasses.

"Painting is yummy!" he added that it was a reason for the other helpers to look at him and Tina threw a rag at him.

I chuckled and I went near ate Linda who's busy on cleaning the glass window.

That's true. No one once saw Sir Lucian's only child.

Even before I was young, I didn't see him either. They said he had not visited the mansion for three years since his wife left him.

I only see Sir Lucian once because my mother doesn't let me out of the room when the couple is there and because he takes care of their business.

I never heard anything about their backgrounds. I just know that they're on a business trip last week. Always busy so even when I entered here they only knew my name.

I never told anyone about my surname.

"I'm Sister Linda, you look tired. Please rest first," I offered and she turned to me and shook me.

"Hey, stop your flirtation Carla! Your wife will hear you then go ahead!" I heard and then I blinked twice.

"Oh, no! I can still do it. You'd better go with the butler to the market. I heard it's leaving now," he said and I nodded.

I looked at Trina and Elaine who were now busy dealing with Carla which I just smiled.

"Or why, what? I heard that his wife left him and chose another man so he's single now and another one, I'm older than you so call me sister!"

The smirk disappeared from my lips and I turned to them.

"Hey what are you? Are you late for the news? You haven't been updated? So Sir went abroad to find his wife" Trina insisted, frowning at Carla.

He did that?

For almost 5 months that I stayed here, this is the first time that I heard a news about his wife.

"Oh, stop there. Sir Lucian's son is off limits," whispered our butler who had just come out of the kitchen.

We both turned to him and

I looked down at the bags he was carrying for shopping so I immediately took them and smiled at him.

"Is there something like that, your highness? They're married but we haven't even seen his wife once?" said Tina and Carla snapped her finger.

"It's true, ma! That's Sir too, maybe the last time I saw him, he was still in college?"

Mom just looked at me and turned to them again.

"Stop it. You shouldn't gossip about such things. Go back to work," he strictly rebuked and he turned his gaze to me before heading out.

"Mamshi is really so rude!" We all just laughed at what Trina said and I said goodbye first before leaving.

"Get in the car! promised to meet us and opened the door for us.

"Sir Lucian tells me that there is no need to prepare a lot of food. He said his son will just pass by and get something," he added when he next went inside.

I watched mom's troubled face as we got into the car and she just raised an eyebrow at me.

"Is that so?"

For a short span of time, I already treated her as my own mother even if we're not blood related.

He looks rude and strict but I know he’s just doing his job.

I owe her. Because of her, I am still alive and breathing. She's the one who saved me that time that I was shot.

He saw me bleeding on the plantation owned by his son's eldest son.

Small world isn't it?

So when I woke up, I knew that Amadeus was dead. There's a lifeless body there that made me cried harder.

"Hija, what really happened to you?"

I was dumbfounded after I woke up. I didn't expect that I am still alive.

I was shot near my chest and I can still feel the pain there even if it was happened 2 years ago.

She explained everything to me. When he saw me, he immediately called his son. Good thing that he's a doctor.

She said that his son removed the bullet near my chest and I've been unconscious for almost a week.

Only my scar left. I was physically and mentally scarred and nay Minerva saw it all.

He saw all my crying.

He saw all how I was hurt.

He heard everyone sobbing and moaning every night while I was alone.

And he saw how I could blame myself for all the tragedy that had happened to me.

All those times that I feel so alone, she was there. Watching me. She never asked again just for me to forget my painful past.

My eyes could clearly see that corpse because I buried him myself.

I buried him on that place near the plantation. I am the one who put him in a grave and up until now, I can't visit him because I don't believe he is.

I buried him and after that, my heart died. I don't know why her loss hurts me so much.

I know everything is wrong. What I feel towards him is wrong but I can't help it.

As much as I trued to forget him, my body and mind can't. They did not agree so I finally begged him to take me away from the place where I was in pain.

"Please, take me away from here," I sobbed begging Minerva.

I was so scared and I didn't want to believe it was him but I still hoped he would come back.

How ironic it is. I dreamed that the dead I buried myself would live.

So here I am, escaping the reality.

I even pleaded her to bring me to San Herrera. I found out that he was just there for vacation because his son called him.

He reached me right at the plantation so I'm thankful he granted my request.

She brought me into San Herrera with her, leaving the city of Baguio. And I promised that I will never go back.

I will definitely not go back there until I have nothing in my hand.

"I hope you just told Sir that you shouldn't have delivered us. The market is nearby. You'll have to pick up Ma'am Millicent," he said of Sir Lucian's wife.

Because of her, I can still fullfil my promises to go back and face those person who did something on us.

There are many questions that bother me that I still can't answer. It's been months yet I didn't make any progress.

"Oh, it's okay! We're here again."

When the car stopped, Minerva glanced at me before getting off.

I immediately followed him and he suddenly spoke which I stopped.

"Why are you pretending to be someone else, Zaschia? Don't you really know me?"Guts

"Don't be too scattered in the mansion. A lot of visitors come. You're just here as long as no one is called, do you understand?" Mother Minerva ordered and we all agreed.

The whole mansion surrounded by the waves of elite people as soon as the night came.

"Ethelred, I tell you," he reminded me before turning his back and I just nodded.

She told me not to go outside like the usual. The party just started and some of them are anxious.

Others are confused about what to do even after their work is done while I am still confused by what Nay Minerva told me earlier.

TO BE CONTINUED....