17 BEING NERIE 3

Going down the stairs, Thea overheard a few conversations from downstairs. It's Nerie's parents. The house has walls with soundproofed materials and is big enough to hear conversations from one room to another. Still, one of the noticeable changes Thea feels recently is having a hearing capability of an owl.

"Mr. Howard is coming again." It's Nerie's father; there's a bit of anxiousness in his voice.

"But Nerie is sick, and she's still amnesic. What shall we do? I'm even scared that this is the reason why she didn't come back to us. I thought she couldn't take it anymore." Much more in Nerie's mom's voice.

"No, she may like it or not; she doesn't have any choice."

"What should we say to her?"

"We're going to tell her then that she's betrothed to Mr. Howard."

Thea stopped and sat down between the staircase, trying to understand their conversation. Are they talking about Nerie, I mean me? Bitting her nails, thinking about the information she recently discovered. Oh, poor Nerie, she's been set up for an arranged marriage? But she is now Nerie, and it is now her problem.

Abruptly she stood up, run back towards her room, grabs some important stuff planning to leave and stay away from that house.

She's about to reach the front door when one of the lady house helpers found her.

"Miss Nerie, your parent's are waiting for you at the breakfast nook."

Interrupted by her plan, she just released a deep sigh and followed her.

"Good morning, my darling; come join us for breakfast." Nerie's mom smiled at her brightly, but she still can see worries and secrets hiding behind those smiles. While Nerie's dad looks too focused, none a gander, none a word, eyes fixed at the laptop on the dining table just beside his meal.

She sits down at the vacant seat beside her mom. She can't deny that her stomach growls with the appealing smell and looks of the food served. But the idea of being forcefully betrothed with someone she doesn't know seems to take all her hunger away. Yet she just set's there observe and take one bite of the sausage.

When suddenly, Nerie's dad closed her laptop, take a deep breath, and says. "Nerie, I know this is not the right time, but I just received an email from Mr. Howard's secretary. He will be having dinner with us today."

Thea's heart beats too fast, making her choked. She grabbed the water and felt her mom's hand caressing her back. "I'm sorry, I chocked; by the way, who's Mr. Howard?"

"Of course, you probably forgot about him, too. He's your fiance, CEO of JY Corp. Dear, I hope you remember that you agreed to marry him. Our company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and being merged with JY Corp. is our only hope." Answered Nerie's dad.

Before she answered, Thea, transferred her gaze to Nerie's mom, who is now stock-still with her gloomy eyes staring at her plate. She's compassionate about the couple's predicaments. What else can she do? She can't leave these two in this difficult situation. Does she really need to marry somebody to help them? She reached out her mom's hand and pressed it before she answered. "Don't worry, mom, dad. Thanks for not hiding this from me; as your daughter, I will do all that I can to help you save our company."

Happy tears fall from Nerie's mom's eyes as she stood up to hug her. Her dad gives her an obscure smile.

*****

Rummaging Nerie's closet, preparing herself for dinner with Nerie's fiance, she found a pack of pills and some important documents, and it's Nerie's adoption paper. Mr. Alonso and Mrs. Margareth Vier adopted Neraluna Vier at the age of seven. At once, she put the papers back in their place after she heard a knock on her door.

Since she left the door unlocked, Margareth opened it and peeked. "Darling, may I come in?"

She nodded to Margareth and continued looking for the right dress in Nerie's wardrobe.

"Oh, it seems my little girl is having trouble finding the right dress?" Margareth advances, checking the dresses in her bed.

"Yeah, everything seems so bare. It's showing a lot of skins."

Margareth looks confused about her answer. "But that's your style, and you used to love those dresses?"

Thea bites her lips and closes her eyes while facing the closets, worried for her secrets, be revealed. "Yes, I like them, but since I will be meeting my fiance, maybe I need to wear something not so daring, especially his a CEO."

"Yes, you're right, and I found a dress for you. Here, try this."

It was a wine red, knee-length bodycon dress with off-shoulder sleeves.

Setting in front of her dresser, Margareth offered to do her make-up and dressed her hair.

"I am happy you agreed to marry Mr. Howard, but I don't want to take advantage of your present situation. Maybe you forgot, but you used to against it. Contrary to what your father said. I know that you never liked Mr. Howard; you are always forced to do this. Since you came back, everything about you changes a lot. But to tell you the truth. Dear, I love your changes, and with that, I am more worried about you."

"You mean I had already met him?"

"Yes, you already met him several times; he always comes home for dinner and... to see you." Margareth looks away, avoiding her gaze upon saying that.

There's something odd about how Nerie's mom reacted but in her mind. If Nerie agrees to help her adoptive parents and is the only hope they have, she can't take that hope away.

*****

Everyone in the household is standing along the entrance, waiting to welcome Mister Howard's arrival. A nearly royal blue colored Rolls Royce Sweptail stop in front of them. Coming out from it, is a glorious powerful-looking man in his forties, wearing a slim-fit, three-piece suit in patterned virgin wool and shiny black dress shoes. His short pompadour haircut is neatly pressed with a wet look finish, fits perfectly with his sparsed but silky beard over her chiseled jawline. His eyes are covered with his titanium rectangle-shaped eyeglasses, but it doesn't cover his beautifully thick manly eyebrow and bony pointed nose.

He advances and shakes hand with Alonso and kisses the hand of Margareth before he approaches Thea. He takes her hand as well and kisses it.

"I guess chivalry is not dead after all."

He smiled after hearing what she said. She made a curtsy in response to his chivalrous act.

The entire dinner Mr. Howard and Alfonso are simply talking about business, which also relaxes Thea. It was only after dinner when one of the lady helper says. "Should I bring Miss Nerie to her room now?"

Thea was a bit confused about what the helper says. Why would she bring her to the room when she had a visitor. However, she just shrugged and didn't dig through it when Mr. Howard approaches her and says. "No need, I want to invite and to talk to Nerie in the garden first."

The lady helper nodded as so as Thea, In a very respectful manner with a smile.

The weather is misty and cold, Thea enfolds herself with her own hands and rubs her skin to make it warmer, and Mr. Howard noticed it. He takes off his coat and puts it on Thea's shoulder. She was touched and empress by how gentle a man he is.

"I admit it; I am surprised to see how different you acted today. I'm a bit worried for a while."

"You're worried that I won't agree; it's true that I can't remember anything, and being on the verge of death, maybe my soul changed too."

"I hope you are aware of what I want from you. Now that you forget about everything, I want to remind you of something. Your father's business is in a tight spot, and I am here to help him. However, I believe that nothing is free. Though I am not thinking mainly about that, I am in my middle age, and I need an offspring to pass all this effort to, and that's what I need from you."

"Don't you care about love?" Thea's sudden question startled Mr. Howard.

With his reluctant and visional smile, Mr. Howard answered. " I'm sorry, but that idea remains obscure to me."

Thea's brow furrowed. How can she marry a man who doesn't even know what love is? She thought. However, remembering those days before she had dreams and falling in love with York, she actually thinks the same as him. She understands that love can only be recognized when somebody shows it to you.

She holds Mr. Howard's hand and looked at him. "Everybody has the right to love and be loved. Don't trap yourself in your world of reasons because love needs no reasons. It is irrational and sometimes messy but being loved by someone gives you strength, and loving someone gives you courage and..."

She hasn't finished her words when she felt Mr. Howard's lips pressed against hers. His lips are smooth and caressing, but as she closes her eyes, all she can see in her mind's eye is the image of York trapped in a birdcage just like what she saw in her dream. She let go of his kiss in haste, she blurted "Sorry," and run away.

Her tears fall to her silk pillowcase, with all the anxiousness and sadness, thinking about York. Even with another man's arms, still, it was York that all she can think of. The images from her dreams are not usual, making her more disquieted. Are her dreams beginning to disappear, and all she had now are nightmares? She's aware that she needs to be at York's side; he might be in trouble, but what can she do knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Vier needed her help too.