The House
The House
Today, she was organizing her home office. She couldn't stop admiring the view from her window. Unlike most of her previous apartments where she had a view of the water and the city, this one was her favorite. It was all green and beautiful. Not quite finished yet as the backyard's landscape was still ongoing, but she could already visualize it. She had two wide windows, giving her a panoramic view of nature. She friggin' loved it.
"Where do you want these?" Trigger's voice snapped her out of her trance from watching out the window.
She turned around just as he dropped the familiar box to the ground and she gasped. "Be careful! Those are old books!"
"Oops. Sorry."
"Can you carefully store them on that shelf, please?" She pointed at the one in the corner, the farthest from the window. Angela didn't have many rare old books, but she had bought those herself and they were mostly first editions of the classic stories she loved as a child. The ones she remembered her parents read to her for bedtime. Trigger did as told, wiping the cover with a dusting rag before sliding them into the shelves. "Where's Rick?"
"Cooking lunch. Yo, I remember reading this once." He stared at the "The Wonderful Wizard of OZ" book that wasn't a first edition, but it was still very old and very expensive, her heart nearly dropped as she watched him but trusted he wouldn't hurt the book.
"You like reading?"
"Yeah. My parents weren't rich so we couldn't afford to buy books, but my father would always bring me to the library after school and let me stay there for hours while he worked. This is so cool."
Angela smiled. She liked giving books. It was like giving a tiny piece of herself to the people she cared about. Perhaps she'd give Trigger something later.
"Tell me about the time you met Gael," she asked as she started picking up books from another box and putting them away on the shelf. Trigger began telling her how they first met, the two of them having an easy conversation as they busied themselves.
This was probably one of her favorite rooms in the house. The bookshelves were strategically placed on the walls where the sun wouldn't directly shine on them. The room was also specifically constructed to store her precious books so Oliver made sure the area, the materials, and the temperature were the best compared to other rooms. It even had its own digital hygrometer & thermometer so she could monitor the condition of her books. It was why she chose to do this today when electricity and the thermostat were in place and ready to use.
She was so excited to make everything perfect—well, almost perfect, considering the backyard wouldn't be fully ready until a few days later. But she didn't want to stress about that. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy her new home, counting the hours until Gael arrived tomorrow.
***
"Don't forget the documents I left on your desk," Gael reminded Giovanni for the nth time, earning a groan from his uncle. He knew he was being a pain in the ass, but those were important files that needed to be taken care of. He could stay longer to personally do it, but he had other important things to do in Mayne.
"Yes, Dad." Giovanni rolled his eyes as the car came to a stop.
"Sorry. I'm just a little nervous."
"About what?" Giovanni chuckled. "You got this. It's not like you to worry about something you're very much capable of handling on your own."
Gael sighed. "I just want everything to be perfect and go smoothly."
"It will be. I'll take care of things here. You can trust me on that."
"I know." Gael got out of the car and fetched his luggage from the back. "I'll call you tomorrow."
Giovanni clapped him on the back for a brief hug. "Mm. Say hi to Angela for me."
"Yeah, if she doesn't kill me first for not telling her I'm arriving tonight."
"I bet she'd love it."
"I hope so."
There was a reason he hadn't told her he was flying to Mayne a day early. The plane would land at six in the evening. Aside from wanting to surprise her, he wanted to go somewhere first, hoping he could work something out.
Gael usually called her around ten in the evening, so she wouldn't be expecting him until hours later. So he didn't have to lie to her about his whereabouts. Hopefully, by then, he'd arrive in Oakwood with some good news—well, more good news.
As soon as his plane landed on the tarmac, he jumped into the rental car that was waiting for him. He didn't even tell Rick or Trigger that he was arriving because he wanted to do this alone.
Driving out of the city took a little longer than he expected due to the rush hour. It was a Friday night after all. But he had used these roads several times before and he knew the shortcuts that had less traffic. Even so, it was already seven in the evening when he managed to drive along the familiar dark forested road leading to the place that he couldn't forget.
The house he bought in Mayne when he came here last year was supposed to be just a temporary place. He had planned on quickly taking care of the book issue, but not knowing how long it would take him, he didn't want to stay in a hotel. He didn't feel safe there. The unfinished house, oddly, made him feel that way.
Sweat coated his back despite the cool temperature inside the car. Gael didn't know why he was feeling anxious about what he was about to do. It wasn't like he would do something dangerous. It was just that, he didn't want to be disappointed tonight.
He squeezed the wheel when the familiar surroundings came into view. His inhale was sharp when he first laid eyes on the house that was once his. The once dark and unfinished house was now lit up with warm lights inside and even had a modern wall fence boxing the whole lot.
He pulled over in front of the gates that were left wide open by the owner as if anyone was allowed to waltz inside. There was no security or anyone standing guard. The front yard was beautifully landscaped with lights illuminating the flowerbeds and grass. The exterior walls of the house now had smooth stones on them in light earth colors. There was a glass arch above the heavy double door—one that was newly added. He couldn't see any cars in sight but his eyes caught sight of the cabin his soldiers used; it was also renovated. The owner went all out.
Gael felt a pang of jealousy as he scanned the whole place because it was what he would've wanted for this house had he not stupidly let it go in the first place. Well, that was why he was here. He came back early to buy it out from the new owner to make it his again.
It didn't matter that Angela already bought a house. It was a shame to let go of this one when they had all their unforgettable memories here.
Taking a deep breath, Gael climbed out of the car and walked towards the front door. He had taken his jacket and tie off and left them in the car, leaving him with a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was here to talk to the owners—and offer them something they couldn't refuse.
Raising his fist, Gael rasped on the wood and straightened his spine. As he waited for someone to answer, there were muffled voices behind the door as if they were arguing. Maybe he came at a bad time?
The doorknob twisted and the door was yanked open. Gael wasn't ready to see what or who was behind it.
Three people he didn't expect to see were before him, their eyes wide and their skin red as if they had run a marathon. Rick looked like he was about to blow up but his mouth was covered by Trigger's hand. Meanwhile, the beautiful angel in front of him was breathing heavily as she pushed the two behind her and tried to stand albeit rather wobbly.
His eyes narrowed at her. "What the hell is going on?"
Angela swallowed, then she beamed and stretched her hand towards him. "Hi, I'm Angela Su. Good evening. You must be Mr. De Luca. I heard you wanted to see the house. Would you like to come in?"
Gael opened his mouth, unsure what was going on but before he could utter a sound, Angela had already grabbed his hand and dragged him inside the house.