13 IRRITATED NICHOLAS

When he was following Michael to the guest room to put away his things, Nicholas caught the sweetest scent he ever smelled in his whole life and that was from the room that he passed by. When he looked at it, there was a small wooden plaque with a name written on it. "Serina." He muttered under his breath. Although he said it softly, Michael still heard him.

"That's my daughter's room." Michael told Nicholas. "She was with us last night but something happened to her best friend so, we had to leave shortly."

"Is her friend okay now?" Nicholas asked and continued walking, following Michael while observing the whole place.

"She's fine. We arrived in time. Actually, she went to her friend's house again to check on her. I would have introduced you to her if she's around. Well, since you're going to the same Academy as her, you will meet her for sure." That's what he said but he was actually planning to remind his daughter not to bump into this man behind him.

"Thank you for helping me Mr. Wentworth. I will make sure to let my father know of your generosity."

"Ah? No. No, you don't have to." Michael refused automatically. He didn't want to owe anything to the Vallardi family more than he already has. "I'll leave you here to rest. I'll browse online to look for a good apartment for you."

"Hn."

Michael left the room and made sure to close the door on his way out. As soon as he came back to the master's bedroom, his wife was looking anxiously at him. "It's fine. He didn't know anything."

"Thank goodness." Irene breathed in relief and sat on the bed. "What about Serina? Will she need to avoid him forever?"

"As much as possible, she has to. I don't know what's in store for them in the future but I just hope that they won't put the blame on her. What happened years ago has nothing to do with her." Michael sighed and walked towards his small desk to get his laptop. "I'll be outside just in case he'd look for me."

"I'll come with you."

The husband and wife went back to the living room while Nicholas stayed in his room to rest. As for Serina, she was on her way to Brigette's home. She was boarding a taxi on her way there while thinking what she could do to avoid crossing path with the young man.

Last night, Serina had the guts to come to the birthday party because she knew that there were many people and she was sure that her father would see to it that her scent won't come off. However, whenever she's at home, she tends to relax – so much that she would even play with her power a little. It would be troublesome if he can trace the source of the psychic energy towards her.

'I wish I didn't have this power.' Serina thought to herself. At first, she thought that she was blessed for obtaining this incredible ability but now that she realized this would make her pay with her life in the future, she didn't want it anymore. 'If only there's a way to remove the soul inside me.' Serina mentally sighed while thinking about her future and the power that lies within her.

Not long after, she arrived at her best friend's place. She already called prior to her arrival and because she came, Hillary didn't want to miss this opportunity, too. In the end, the three of them decided to have a pajama party.

"This is really unexpected for you to come without any prior planning." Brigette stated while giving her friends some refreshments. "Did something happen?"

"Nope. There's nothing. It's just that, we have a visitor and I don't want to see him."

"Is he your crush?" Hillary questioned before taking a sip of the juice she received.

"No, he is not. I don't even know him. I just don't want to see a man at home. It's awkward."

The two women in front of her just nodded their head. They could understand her point because ever since the world began, or rather, ever since they met each other, Serina never liked mingling with men. She supports her friends about the guys that they liked but she never like having any guy looking at her. She felt annoyed by it.

Later in the afternoon, back in her home, Nicholas was currently having tea time with Michael and Irene. "Just call me Nick, Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth." Nicholas stated. "I'm really happy with your hospitality and if it's fine, can I stay a bit longer until I find a suitable apartment. The one's we've looked into earlier weren't up to my taste. I hope you don't mind. I can pay for the time while I'm here."

"No, it's okay." Michael replied with a smiled. "We're happy to have you here. You don't have to pay and yes, you can stay while we continue to look for a good apartment."

Nicholas took a sip of his tea and smiled gratefully. Truth be told, he was only buying time in order to see Serina in her house. He waited for her to come home. Dinner came but she didn't come. After dinner, he stayed awake to wait for her, wanting to formally meet her but she didn't come back until he fell asleep in the middle of the night.

The next morning, when he woke up, he felt so irritated that the woman didn't come home. He got off the bed and took a shower. It was supposedly his first day in Royale Academy and he was planning to go there with her but she didn't even come home.

With his bag slung over his shoulder, he went to the kitchen to greet Serina's parents. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth. Sorry for imposing on you with my stay."

"Stop apologizing. It's really okay." Irene replied while putting a cup of coffee in front of him. "Let me know if you need more cream or sugar."

"Thank you. By the way, does your daughter like to sleep over in someone's home? I…I…please don't take it the wrong way. I just heard that it's dangerous for a woman to stay outside of her home late at night."

"We appreciate your concern, Nick." Michael stated while putting some cream on his coffee. "At the same time, Brigette's family is a very close friend of ours. We knew them for a long time and Serina stayed there with her other friend, named Hillary. The girls were having a fun night and she knew better that she shouldn't come out at night."

"Well, that's better." Nicholas answered but deep in his heart, he was still irritated with the thought that she slept in someone else's home. 'What's going on with me?'