CUT A DEAL

CUT A DEAL

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛'𝑠 𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟

He emptied the house and stood on the front porch, waiting endlessly for her to be done. He brought his wrist up and the time on his watch says half-past eight. He wondered what was taking her so long in there. He brought his hand down, tucking it in his left pocket; he needed explanations for what happened last night.

Why did Mr Warren lie to him? Why didn't he tell him someone was still residing in this house? And not just anyone but a woman. At first, he thought whoever lived here left everything behind, that's why the cost of the house was huge.....his thoughts were impeded when he caught sight of her, dressed in a blue hooded long-sleeved Pikachu sweat mini gown. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her bangs blanketed her forehead coupled with the pumps on her feet. His gaze never left her, watching her bolt the exit door; he couldn't entertain the idea of a woman living together with him.

A stranger.

He can't live under the same roof with a woman he knew nothing of, either Mr Warren refunds his money or she evacuates. He needed no one's presence but his. A lot has been going on in his life and required space to mull over it. She alighted the porch stairs. Her face was buried in her phone, tapping endlessly on it. Lost in her phone, she didn't see the pebble on her path, her foot bumped into it and she twisted her ankle. She nearly fell but he was quick to grab her.

Nino held onto his blazer to prevent herself from falling. One thing Nino couldn't speculate is why she always loses her balance whenever he is near. This wasn't the first time but at the same time, she was pleased he came to her aid. She lifted her eyes to meet the ones of the man who kept holding her from falling. As usual, his eyes held no emotion and were brooding as well. She lowered her gaze, clinging to him.

She facepalms herself inwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

"You shouldn't wear those if you can't walk properly in them."

"Huh?"

She jerked her head up to meet his eyes at his utterance. She arched a brow at him as a sign to explain himself but instead, he motioned to the pumps on her feet with his gaze and instantly lets go of her. She almost fell but steadied her feet. She threw an angry look in his direction, watching him pave his way to her car. He pulled the front passenger's door and climbed in.

"𝑆𝑜 𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑; She muttered and marched to the car when another thought triggered in. Why is he in her car? Where is his? And who told him he could ride in her car?

Opening the driver's door, she took her place on the driver's seat and fetch out her car keys from her bag and inject them into the key holder, turning on the ignition.

She winds down the windshield of her side, swerving the steering wheel as she hauled out of the compound.

"Doesn't your Ac work?" He raised a question as they drove into the roads.

"It does, why?" She took a glance at him but his eyes were directed on the roads.

"Why isn't it on?"

Nino wondered what sort of interrogation was this? Why bother if she switched on her car Ac or not? She wanted to ignore his question but then he asked the second time.

"Cause I don't want to." Came her honest reply. "And by the way, why are you riding in my car?" She darted her gaze again in his direction and this time his eyes met hers. She quickly averted, feeling her cheeks heat up a little.

"I don't have one."

"You have the money to buy my house but not get a car?"

"Will you concentrate on the roads and stop asking pointless questions?... I don't trust your driving," he pinpointed in a low tone. "You may be a loony in driving."

He whimpered those last lines.

"I don't know what the word loony means but I can tell you are being sarcastic."

Toro gave her a brief look and shook his head.

The whole ride to Mr Warren's company remained a silent one. In as much as Nino has so many questions to ask raging on in her mind, she bit back the words.

~

"You didn't only sell my house, you also told him no one was living in there?" Nino gaped at the middle-aged man across her. Toro was seated on the black lounge adjacent to Mr Warren's desk with his legs crossed.

Mr Warren stared at the woman in front of him, watching the anger displayed on her face. She balled a fist on his desk, murdering him with her eyes.

"And that was the truth," Mr Warren adjusted his rimmed spectacles but his eyes never left her. He returned the favour of looking at her with the same expression on her face. Nino's jaw dropped at his sleet response.

"Like I told you the other day, the house is mine," he went on. "I have the right to do whatever I want with the house. Then he came along," he motioned in Toro's direction.

"Requesting for a good house and the house was the only option....." he halted in his words. "I don't even know why I'm explaining myself to you."

"What was your reason for lying to me?" Toro got up on his feet, shoving one hand in his pants pocket and marched towards them. "Why did you tell me no one was residing in that house?"

'Technically I didn't lie to you, I told her to leave before the owner comes...."

"You sold it out before you told me that," she cuts him off. "And what makes you think I will leave my parent's house for some stranger?" She narrowed her eyes to Toro whose attention was on Mr Warren.

"Then that's your business...your business." He pulled down his spectacles to the bridge and peek at them "I have done my part."

He looks at them for a brief moment, studying them with his eyes before returning them to the paper works on his table.

"I can't live with him! One night with him was already hell..."

"I need a refund," her sharp voice was overthrown by his cold tone. "I wanted a house that no one inhabits."

"Sorry, no refunds." Mr Warren replied, eyes still glued on the paper works.

"What do you mean, no refunds?" He almost jumped out of his chair when Toro slammed his hand on his desk but in a calming manner. He met his eyes and he could see his reflection in them, his eyes darkened and when he spoke up, his voice was commanding and terrifying at the same time.

It sent chills down Mr Warren's spine including Nino who stood beside him. Even though Mr Warren trembled under his gaze, he remained undefiant in his words.

"You said you will return my money if I find any flaws with this house."

"But she isn't a flaw," Mr Warren swallowed and decided to return his gaze with the same expression on his face. "She's just a minor and will soon leave, you have nothing to worry Mr Toro Kim."

'𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑟?' Nino let her jaw drop at the word Mr Warren used on her. She licked her upper lip and made a discomforting sound under her breath. She braced herself and prompted in a calm brazen tone.

"Listen you two, I will put up with any name you give me but one thing is certain, I am not leaving the house...not ever. Read my lips," she pointed to her mouth, wearing a definite look on her face. "Ever."

"And also," she put up her hand, halting Mr Warren when he attempted to say something. "Refund his money because I'm not going to spend another night with this man." She swift her eyes to Toro.

"Neither am I," Toro said. "Either you do something about her or you refund my money cause I already considered her a flaw."

"Look here mister," her words were cut off by him.

"Enough, I'm not in the mood to argue with you." He returned his eyes to the man seated before them. "So what now?"

Me Warren heaved a breath and pulled out his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the two figures before him. Nino wondered if the dimness of his eyes is a result of lack of sleep or because he was used to wearing those. After giving them a brief look, he lowered his gaze to his desk and shuffled the pile of files on his desk. A minute passed, and he pulled out a red file and flew it open.

"There," he called Toro's attention, pointing at the place Toro signed his signature. "It says in the contract no refunds so I'm sorry. You two should figure out how to handle this between you."

"I should have known you are such a lying and tricky man," came Toro's voice.

"You are welcome....". he diverted his eyes to Nino. "The ball is in your court now. Either you vacant the house or pay him the amount he paid on your house to retrieve it back."

"Excuse me," he put on back his glasses and stood to his feet. "I have an important meeting to attend, I believe you know your way out."

Their eyes followed him till his figure slide out of the door. They returned their gaze to each other and there was a sudden wave of awkwardness between them before Nino's phone ended the silence.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," she replied as she picked up the call. She ended the call and looked at Toro. "I'm off to work, when I get back….we'll cut a deal."

~~~

The day was almost done and Nino got off earlier from work to visit the cemetery. Today will make it her parent's 28th anniversary since their death but first, she had to branch to a flower store. She killed the engine in front of the flower store and climbed out of her car.

She strode in and requested a bouquet of white daffodils and purple orchids. It was given to her and she trots to the cemetery ground. With the bouquet, she stepped down from her car and paved her way to her parent's graves with their names engraved on them. Their graves lay next to each other.

At the sight of her parent's grave, her eyes well up with little tears forming in them. Her parent's graves looked shabby but the names imprinted on them were still readable, seeing her parent's graves reminded her of the day she lost them and had to face the harshness and cruelty of the world. She blinked back

the tears in her eyes and near their graves.

The flowers she brought last time were already shrunk and dried up and their petals were scattered all over the surface of the graves. She lowered herself to her knees and drops the two bouquets on their graves. The tears returned as she traced her fingers on their graves.

"I know you are very disappointed in me wherever you are," she sniffed, blinking back the tears threatening to fall. "I failed you two..." She stopped as if the words to say got stuck in her throat.

She looked away and her eyes met a little girl three walk steps away from her, she was with a guy about 23 years old. She guessed they are siblings by the resemblance on their faces and the gloomy look on their faces as they glued their eyes on a gravestone.

Nino guessed again, they must have lost someone close to them. She was that little girl's age when she lost her parents and grew up under the care of her uncle who also died of cancer on her 24th birthday. Leaving her to face the harsh reality of life. Alone.

She returned her eyes to her parent's graves as a little smile spread across her lips.

"Mom, Dad, I promise you, I will bring back the house even if I have to use the last drop of my blood to retrieve it back. I don't care what business you did with Mr Warren but I will pay off your debts."

"Retrieve our home and restore the company to where it was before. I promise you that."

She sniffed and wiped a tear that slide down her face with the back of her hand. She stood up and brace herself, she took a couple of breaths, ready to face the man at her house.