Chapter 16 : a gift is a gift

" What ?! he didn't dare?!" yelled Cali full of rage

After the episode of the blank check, their discussion continued and, one thing led to another, Klan mentioned this miraculous event that had happened to him earlier, at the company.

"I don't believe it, what nerve!"

"...It's unworthy of an Artus to flirt with simple employees..." Cali attempted to impersonate Klan's father as he described the original scene.

Since she wasn't there and had never met Klan's father in person, her impersonation didn't really looked like him. Of course, she didn't want to do a perfect impersonation either, she just wanted to sound as irritating as possible because that's how she felt about the one she was imitating. Klan meanwhile was amused by her acting, her gesticulations, her irritated and even exasperated tone; he was satisfied to see Cali getting all worked up for him,

"The height!... By what right does he allow himself to lecture you like that?... Him! of all people," Cali fumed, "...That's your grandparents who granted you that name, not him!... ". She was so busy venting her anger that she forgot to breathe sometimes and had to often stop herself, to catch her breath, "...If it wasn't for them you wouldn't even have had her name..."

Cali suddenly remembered a detail she had omitted, Klan received his name from his grandparents who had taken him in because at the time, his father had not recognized him under the unlikely pretext that Klan wasn't his biological child. his mother was also in a bad mental state, then he would have ended up with his maternal grandparents who wanted to erase Artus existence from their lives.

"What would your name have been if you had been an Artus by the way?"

"Beauregard Klaus Vander Straudt" Klan answered,

"B…, BEAUR… pff!! seriously! you should say thank you to your grandparents haha!!" Cali could no longer contain her laughter

They laughed at that name together since it sounded so unfitting of Klan.

"Oh! Let me go get your presents," Klan says as he walks to his bedroom,

"Thinking about it, why didn't you give them to me yesterday? you carried around your suitcase, didn't you?"

"The gifts were not in this suitcase, they were in the ones that arrived last night by private plane"

"…" why did Cali even ask that question knowing that with Klan, the absurd things were most likely to happen

Klan returned to the Livingroom with packages of different shapes, he hands one of the packages to Cali and she realized that it was the one intended for her. In the package there was a small box, Cali opened it and the first thing she said was:

"It's not edible! »,

"Yes, since it's a necklace",

"I saw, but what's the point of offering a souvenir if it is neither edible nor a typical object of the region, are necklaces specialties there?", she glanced at the contents of the other packages, which seemed to be worthy souvenirs.

"No, but I know one who loves penguins", Klan was obviously talking about Cali, "...take a look at the pendant"

The pendant of the necklace was shaped in two penguins holding each other's flippers, there was a heart shape between them from which the chain of the necklace was attached, the whole thing sparkled because of the multicolored rhinestones; Cali found that really too cute,

"It's neither edible nor typical of the region, but a worthy souvenir should also reflect the person it's being given to, don't you think?! Klan added in a serene and gentle tone, he took the necklace from Cali's hands and put it around her neck. In the process, his hands brushed Cali's neck and it sent shivers down her spine, she felt weird because her heart started to fluster and her internal temperature raised up. She needed some fresh air or, at least, escape this strange mood in the room

"Oh um... I have to go! and thank you for the gifts," she says as she quickly picks up the other packages,

"What about your investment then?" Klan said showing the blank check.

Cali rushed to snatch the check from him,

"I'm going to use your money well!" she said, almost running out of the apartment.