C7 7

DEIVE stomped his feet as he went up the grand staircase. He didn’t care if the carpet and the shiny wooden floor were wet due to water dripping his body. He was pissed off… big time!

He looked stupid swimming the pool on a cold, dark night. He had to haul himself out of the pool and good thing he was a good swimmer and the pool has water. That was a close call. He was nearly killed.

Now he looked like a wet chicken. His pajama bottom was soaking wet and plastered on his body. He was trembling because he didn’t have an upper garment on. He had never been so humiliated in his life! All because of a blooy white lady and its ugly cat.

When he entered the mansion, there was no signs of a human being around. No sign of anything. Things were back to normal. There was no light on the giant chandelier. The door to the garden was closed. The piano’s lid was closed and the bench was back to its previous position as if no one used it. The place was really haunted.

“Is that really fair? That ugly cat scratched me. What if it’s my face?” His blood was boiling as he reached the second floor of the mansion. He hoped that no one would see him like this. He had no face to show to Marina and Callea. And maybe they would laugh at him if he tells them that he lost a fight with a one-eyed cat.

It was just a ghost after all. Or maybe they will think that he had gone loco. Would a woman marry a scaredly cat like him?

He didn’t deserve to be humiliated like this!

Someday he would be a part of the Lopez family. The spooky ghosts should be familiar with him because will be the future owner of the mansion, who held the title of residence. While they were just squatters there.

With sharp eyes he glanced around. Waiting for the ugly cat to come out. If there are other cats in that House, he will make sure the street sleep them while he was there. He need to keep them away from his sight.

He was irritated as he entered his room and closed the door. He immediately headed to the shower room. And least they have a hot and cold shower. He felt great when hot water flowed on his body. Somehow he felt the flow of blood in his body that apparently froze up when he saw the woman.

"No! I'm not afraid of ghosts! There are no ghosts! "he repeatedly said. What he had seen earlier was only a figment of his imagination. A bad dream.

He rubbed his body with towel, moved out of the bathroom and wrapped himself in a towel robe. When he appeared before the mirror is the marks from the cat’s claws were visible on his tanned skin. He could still feel its clothes digging.

He was not afraid. Never before had he seen such creatures. Who wouldn't be surprised? He was not afraid. He was surprised. What he hated about the whole experience was the cat. The cat ruined his life.

He jolted when he heard three knocks on the door. For a while, he said nothing. There was an old belief that if there were three knocks on the door, it could be a ghost knocking at the door. Fuck! His heart was beating erratically. Does this night of horror won’t end?

"Deive? Deive, you awake? "

He stepped back from the door upon hearing the voice of the woman outside of his bedroom. He sat on the bed and grabbing the bedcover. "W-Who are you? What you need? "

She know his name. That was dangerous. He said a prayer. He had never prayed so hard in his life. He could handle the white lady. Even if it was a ghoul, he believed he could still charm it. It was just a woman just the same. Of course he could allure her not to take his soul with her to the after life.

"This is Callea."

His eyebrows meet. Would he dare believe it? And the ghost had the temerity to pretend as the woman he would marry. "Really?"

He heard a sexy laugh. "What really? Is there a problem? I heard something crashed from your room. There are wet spots on the floor of the hallways. So I decided to check if you're okay.

Maybe it was really Callea. His fear lessened so he walked towards the door and pressed his cheek to the wooden door. So, the ghost used Callea’s voice to entice him. If he would just the situation by voice alone, he might soon marry Callea.

"I was swimming earlier in the pool because it was hot. " He sighed deeply and sneezing. Then he remembered that he almost had hypothermia because he didn’t get inside the house and took his hot shower right away.

"It is cold outside and you went swimming?” she asked with a laugh. “Can you open the door? I want to check if you are okay. "

"N-No! I am not decent at the moment. "

If it was another time, maybe he would take a chance on facing her. But he was not in a tiptop shape. He didn't want to meet any woman because of low morale.

How could he will face before the woman would marry? The white lady and evl cat scarred him for life.

"Do you want to blend you coffee or tea?" Callea offered.

"Thank you. Don't mind me. I am fine. I will be okay tomorrow morning. I am used to swimming at night." He was not only prepared to impromptu swimming in pajamas and the apperance of ghosts around.

"You sleep well." He must also protect, Callea.

"Okay. If there's an emergency or you are hurt, just check the first aid kit cabinet. There's an ointment for wounds and there. everything else. Or you can ring the bell so Marina will help you out. Goodnight, " she sweetly said.

A smile formed on his lips. What a caring woman. She knew what he wanted even if he didn't ask. She was perfection!

Her lovely voice kept on ringing in his ears. If that was the wonderful voice that he wold hear every day, his future wouldn’t be bad at al. The smile was gone on his lips. The voice that also are owned by the white lady.

Should he tell Callea what’s going on her mansion?

"NO!" he uttered emphatically and closed his eye. It was just a bad dream. If ghosts appear in the future, he would be ready. Nothing no one would terrify him anymore. He was brave. BRAVE!

Callea kept on singing while cooking in the kitchen. She grated the cheese on the ham and chicken omelet. She glanced at the fresh fruit on the table. What would Deive prefer - Mandarin orange or mango shake?

Even Marina was surprised when she entered the kitchen while rubbing her sleepy eyes. "O! Why are you cooking? I told you that I will cook for you. "

Callea just smiled and folded the omelet in half using wok shovel. "You're tired yesterday for helping me. It’s okay if you return to bed and sleep longer. You can leave the kitchen to me and I won’t burn the house.”

"I will take care of that. I cook for handsome visitor." She pointed her pouted lips upward, to refer to Deive who was still sleeping in the guest room. "The man you will marry is so handsome! He said that he caught traffic so he was delayed."

With raised eyebrow, she asked, "Really? Traffic?”

But she could not help but smile. Marina was obviously feeling giddy with Deive’s presence. Callea thought her friend didn’t appreciate handsome men. She was hurt before, loathed by people, avoided like a plague. It meant the Deive treated her well. And she looked hurt if she won’t let her friend cook for Deive.

Her friend’s loyalty was changed overnight. Marina was now Team Deive.

"Señorita Callea, don't be angry with me. I know you don’t like him. You felt like he thinks you are less important when he didn’t arrive on time. But I could feel that he was a good man," she defended Deive. “So if you don’t want to cook for him, I will handle it.”

She secretly smiled and took out the omelet from the pan. "Don't worry. I made my Deive. "

She gaped at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"And why not?" she asked and laid the omelet on the table along with other food she cooked earlier. "He is a visitor here so it is natural to prepare food for.

"It means you're not mad at him though almost cursed him and nearly use authentic voodoo cult dolls in the collection because he wasted all the food you have prepared for him? That wasted all day for his arrival?”

Deive pissed her off last night. He made her look like a fool. According to Grandpa Tomarsino, the guy was known for his punctuality. Yet he was too early for next day. He promised to arrive at eight in the evening but he arrived at eleven o’clock last night. They already cleaned the table at ten o’clock.

Her grandfather would surely get mad at him once he finds out that he didn’t arrive on time. She didn't want to have a crack in the relationship of his grandfather and the grandfather of Deive if she squealed the guy’s shortcoming so she did not tell.

“But he still arrived, right?”

Actually, she was the one who must make ammends with him. She didn’t expect that Deive would wake up to the sound of the granfather’s clock or the music from the piano when she played it. She was looking for Luna in the garden when he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. While she was surprised by his unwelcomed presence, he was more shocked to see her in the white lady costume.

And to make matters worse, Luna who was angry at men attacked him with her claws. Now, Deive was the victim. And on his attempd to get away from Luna, he didn’t see the pool on his back and fell in it.

She took advantage of the opportunity to return home. She was guilty because she was not able to help him out. She also can not admit that she was Callea. He would certainly run out of the mansion in the middle of the night and never to return again. Who would take a bride like her? And once he withdraw to their weddingn arrangement, she would lose the opportunity to get the Villa Celesta as her own.

So as a peace offering, she decided to cook for him.

"And where did you get that dress you?" Marina asked in reference to the peach dress that she was wearing. "It is too dazzling. The color is too light.”

“From my grandma’s old treasure chest.” It was a gift fro her cousin, Lee during her previous birthday. Her relatives preferred for her to wear pastel clothing colors to highlight her beauty. But instead, she preferred to wear dark colored regular that gave her a gloomy image.

Well, she loved the gloomy atmosphere. It was her life.

But for Deive, she would set aside her dark image even for a few days. It is key to have her mansion.

"You're not itching on that dres?" Marina asked.

"I can tolerate it." However, she would dissolve in a couple of hours wearing that dress. She was not a fan of fun colors.

“I am sure that Sir Deive will find you beautiful. Of course, your face is not covered by your veil of hair this time so would see your beauty.” Marina clasped her hands. “You will really look good together.”

She simply parted her bangs to cover a part of herface. "Don't say I'm beautiful! No!" Callea complained vehemently.

Marina turned pale. She must be surprised because he rarely raised her voice. "Calm down. I-I am sorry. I will check on, Señorito Deive, if he is awake now.”

Callea’s lips were tightly pressed together when Marina left. She set the table for the breakfast that she was about shared with Deive.

She didn’t want to be beautiful. She didn’t want to be called beautiful.

She must calm herself. She must not be affected by this. When in front of Deive, she needed to be like a normal woman.

A few minutes later Marina returned. "He said couldn’t get down for breakfast because he wants to sleep some more. But I think he is feeling bad. When he opened the door, he kept on sneezing. His eyes and nose were swollen. I guess he did not sleep well. I will send him food," her friend said nd took the tray to put some food for Deive.

"He is sick?" Callea softly asked.

Of course, he was sick. He fell on the pool last night. The night was biting cold and the wind made it worse. He looked like a wet chick who walked the garden back to the mansion wearing his pajama bottom only. It was her fault and Luna’s as well. She needed to take responsibility.

She took the cold reemdye from the medicine cabinet and placed in the tray then lifted it. "I will take the breakfast to him."

Marina’s jaw dropped as she followed her movements "You will bring him food? I thought you don’t want to see him.

"It is about time that I meet my future groom.”