Chapter 3.1

IT WAS almost noontime but Anastasia was still asleep. Snow no longer knew what to do to get rid of her boredom. Why was it like that in that house? She was itching to knock Anastasia if she was not just embarrassed. She accepted her but they were not too close to be called friends. A friend in the very sense of that word.

Snow refocused her eyes on the book she was holding. That was her pastime because she did not like to soak on social media even though Andrew gave her the wifi password at home.

She was in the world of books when she heard footsteps from the stairs. She immediately looked up the stairs thinking it was Anastasia but she was wrong. She saw a tall man. He was topless so her jaw dropped. He has six packs in the stomach and even far away, he looked very smooth. It was Dylan San Gabriel. The man Adam warned her about. Adam should really warn her because his cousin looked like a model of Cosmo men magazine.

Dylan automatically flashed his charming smile when he noticed her. "Snow?" he asked.

"Yeah."

“Nice meeting you. I'm Dylan. ” He reached out a hand which she accepted.

Dylan would not let go of her hand if Cole did not come. “Kuya, she’s off-limits. She is grandpa' guest.”

Instead of being offended, Dylan laughed. “Come on, Cole. I'm just shaking hands with her.”

"Why don't you get dressed first?" Cole asked Dylan.

“Why? I am going to swim! Anyway, I have to go. See you around, Snow. ” Dylan even winked at her before he left.

Snow just smiled and shook her head. She will get crazy in that house, not because she was with mestizos and mestiza but because they were all different in every way. And because of that difference, they do not get along.

"I'm sorry about Kuya Dylan," said Cole.

"He did nothing wrong."

"If I hadn't come earlier, you might have been invited to date him," Cole said with a laugh.

She pointed at her face and acted incredulously. “Am I beautiful? I'm sure that cousin of yours will only date beautiful women. ”

"You're beautiful."

Because of what Cole said Snow coughed. She was suddenly nervous, it was not the fear of someone scared but the fear of a woman who was complimented by her crush. OMG! She only spent one night at that house and she had a crush with one of the San Gabriels ​​right away?

"Are you okay?" Cole asked worriedly.

"Y-Yes."

Of the six San Gabriels that she met in that house, she was most connected to Cole. He just looked temperamental and lofty but sincere. He was also the most transparent. She can see immediately if he was angry or sad.

"Cole…" she said after a moment of silence.

The man looked at her as if asking why .

“Why don't you accompany your grandfather to breakfast? It's lunch time, the housemates are cooking again but none of you went to the dining table. ”

He cleared his throat before answering. "I don't want my cousins ​​to say anything when I stick with grandpa."

"Your cousins ​​or your brother?" Cindy mentioned to her as she cleaned in the living room that Jason and Cole were siblings.

Cole smiled bitterly. "Do I have a brother here?"

Snow still wanted to ask but she restrained herself. She should settle down her curiosity. "Do you want to eat?" she just said. "You haven't had breakfast yet."

“I had breakfast. I was brought food to the bedroom. ”

“You make the housemates tired. You can eat at the table at the same time,” she complained.

"We're not that close to do that."

“Even if you fight or have many differences, you are still a family. You just have to be together even at the dining table, at least once a day. ”

Cole smiled. “Have you had lunch yet? Let's eat out. ”

"Cindy cooked a delicious dish, why do we need to go out?"

Before Cole could answer, Snow saw Anastasia coming down the stairs. She ran to the woman. " Tasha, come on, let's have lunch."

She grabbed the woman's hand and pulled her closer to Cole. She also pulled Cole so the three of them went to the dining area without letting them go. If she could not bring all of them together at that table, at least two of them.

“I've been waiting for you for a while, Tasha. I will not eat until you are awake,” Snow said to Tasha when they approached the table. Tasha was next to her and Cole was right in front of her. The two seemed awkward so Snow did her best to make them feel at ease.

When Snow ran out of the story, all she heard was the sound of cutlery on the plate. "Have you ever tried going on a vacation together?" Snow asked the two.

The two just shook their heads at the same time, as if their saliva was too expensive so they

were saving it. “Do you want to go on vacation with your grandfather? That's right, it's summer,” she suggested. She even raised her voice to be convincing but the cousins just looked at her and turned their attention back to food. She would lose her mind with them.

Jason arrived at the dining area and Cole got up quickly to leave. Cole didn't even say goodbye, he just walked out. Snow glared at Jason. Cole was not the only one who didn't like Cole, she was, too.

"What?" Cole asked innocently.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't said anything but you are already angry," Jason said.

Instead of answering the man, she turned to Anastasia. "Are you done eating, Tasha?"

“Yeah. Why? ”

"We're going somewhere, aren't we?" She smiled but her eyes widen to tell Tasha that she needed to ride with her. The latter understood.

“Yeah. Let's go. ”

She even gave Jason a smirk before she finally left him in the dining area.

"I'M SORRY for Jason, he has a lot of issues, that's why he's like that," Tasha said while they were on their way to one of her brother's restaurants.

"Issues?"

“He is angry with Tito Michael, his daddy. He feels he is not loved as well as his mommy. His parents got engaged to an arrange marriage. But Tito Michael was in love with someone else, Cole's mom. It was okay when Tito Michael and Tita Diana started their relationship but a few years later, Tito Michael and Cole's mom met again. And that… You know, first love, true love. After all, Tita Jean, Cole's mom, is really the one Tito loves. ”

"It's complicated."

“And it became more complicated when they had Cole. We have known about Cole for a long time but Tito Michael did not introduce him to us immediately. Cole doesn't seem to mind. We only met him recently so we are not close to him yet. ”

"Ah, that's why he's not as famous as your other cousins."

"Famous?" Tasha asked laughing.

“Yes. Many women can stumble upon your cousins. Anyway, why did Cole suddenly change his mind? ”

“His mother died last year. He has no other family but Tito Michael. He didn't have a choice. ”

Snow remembered the scene in the cemetery. Jean Tolentino was written on the tombstone visited by Cole. His mother was next to his dad's grave.

That was why she felt that she was connected to Cole, they were both an orphan. But at least, he still has a father. She, a stepmother, stepmother witch who suddenly kicked her out even though she knew she had nowhere else to run.

“It must have been hard for him. I know the feeling of losing a parent, it happened to me twice. ”

Anastasia was speechless and the two of them were quiet until they reached Adam's restaurant. Adam was shocked but greeted them. "What did you eat and you thought of visiting me here?" Adam asked Tasha.

“Boring at home, brother. It would be embarrassing for Snow if I locked myself in the room all day. ”

Adam turned to her. "It's really good that you came to our house, Snow," he said with a smile. "If not, my sister will run out of saliva."

"Kuya!"

Adam laughed. "Have you eaten? What do you want? ”

"We just had our lunch," Tasha replied. She turned to her. "Let's just have coffee?" Snow nodded. They sat on the corner of the restaurant, in a not-so-crowded place. According to Tasha, Adam has many restaurants so he was not helping in the business of the San Gabriels.

Actually none of the cousins ​​help the business even though there were shares named after them, except Caleb. Caleb was the only one with position in the San Gabriel Corporation.

SGC's flagship product was softdrink then later on, beer and other beverages, frozen goods as well as dairy products were produced. And SGC not only supplied their products in the Philippines but also to many other countries around the world. They even ventured beyond their core businesses. SGC was already involved in fuel and oil and the development of some lands. So Snow knew that the San Gabriels were not just millionaires. She was also sure that even the grandchildren of Tatay Eli's grandchildren will not go hungry.

"Milan is here again," Tasha snorted as they had coffee.

"Huh?"

She pointed a sexy woman. The woman was tanned but looking very smooth. She looked rich too like the San Gabriels. "Who is she?"

"She is Milan, my brother's stalker."

“Stalker? She look so beautiful, stalker? ” she asked in shock.

“I really do not know why she is after my brother. I don't believe she's in love with him. If it's money, she has it then. I feel, she's pyscho. I even warned my older brother to be careful of that woman. ”

Tasha's frown was only erased when Milan left after talking to Adam for a while. Snow thought that she would be bored with Tasha but she did not. The woman was talkative when it was just the two of them. She only calmed down when there were other people, if her cousins were considered 'other people'.

When the afternoon came, they returned home. As usual, it was quiet there. Andrew greeted them. "Where is Tatay Eli?" she asked.

“He wanted me to leave him in Cavite. He said he wants fresh air,” Andrew replied. "How was your first day here, Snow?" he asked, smiling.

Andrew's smile was contagious so she smiled too. "It was okay. Tasha and I went out.” Snow turned to Tasha and noticed her expression was serious. “I think Tasha is tired, Andrew. We will go up first. ”

"Are you okay?" Snow asked Tasha when they were in the room.

"Of course."

“You became so silent suddenly. If it's just the two of us, you are talkative. ”

"I'm not comfortable with other people."

“Even Andrew? He is kind. Honestly, he is the kindest in this house,” she said with a laugh but Tasha did not laugh. "You look tired," Snow said. "It's also tiring to drive, isn't it?" she asked reluctantly. "All right, I'll leave you here."

In the living room, Snow caught up with Cole so she was excited but the excitement immediately disappeared because the man seemed to be leaving. He was carrying a helmet and wearing a black leather jacket. Maybe he was going somewhere.

"Are you leaving?"

“Just take a walk. Do you want to join?"

Snow quickly replied, "All right!"