CHAPTER 10

Ethan looked at the woman in surprise, she who had never previously put any conditions on him made ethan surprised. "what conditions?"

"not much, i want to meet your parents in person. wouldn't it be better if you as the future daughter-in-law, came and visited in person?"

hearing that, ethan of course stuttered. parents were just an excuse he made every time he asked lucia for money which was too generous. never mind his parents, he doesn't even have a family. he grew up in a large orphanage, where he met his first love—rose.

"b-both my parents are seriously ill, they can't be visited—"

"that's what i came for. after all, i am your future wife and i must visit and encourage them, right?"

ethan was speechless. he tried to find an excuse but only found a stalemate in the end. "don't you believe me?!" he snapped as he got up from the edge of the bed and put his hands on his hips.

lucia smiled faintly when she saw her lover and fiancé get emotional when she was tested. "why do you think like that? i didn't say that, did i?"

"you didn't say it but what you asked just now clarifies that you don't believe me."

"than--"

"never mind! you're sick, think carefully about what i just said." he grabbed his coat. "when you're thinking straight, i'll be back."

after saying that, ethan just walked away, leaving lucia chuckling in amusement on her bed.

"hey, dude! i should be the one angry," she said in disbelief.

lucia didn't know why she was so stupid in her previous life that she didn't realize her lover was a selfish lousy man. the woman was determined to change all the different paths from what she saw through her past life memories.

while outside, ethan got into his car. no! more specifically, the car his girlfriend gave him--lucia. he immediately drove his car as far as possible from his lover's residence, hoping that she would contact him as usual not long after he left.

however, the farther away he was, the more restless his heart began to grow. the woman didn't call or text as usual. usually not more than 10 minutes, just 1 minute lucia knew he was angry, the woman would keep calling to persuade her to come back and that's when ethan would use her to ask for the goods or money he wanted.

he immediately stopped his vehicle on the side of the road, then checked his cellphone to ensure there were no messages from lucia that he might have missed.

"damn it! why didn't she call me?!" he grumbled as he threw the phone into the dashboard of his car.

he started his car again, but not long after that his cell phone rang again and he immediately pulled over to answer the call as soon as possible without even reading who had called him.

"hello, dear lucia--"

"it's me," she interrupted.

ethan immediately looked at his cellphone screen, reading its name. "rose, sorry honey, i waited for that woman to call."

"tch! are you so in love with lucia?"

"he ... you know that's not true, right? i love you, how could that be. didn't you ask me to accept her love yourself?"

"but don't get carried away either."

"you're the same, right? maybe you're the one who fell in love with brian."

"hey! why did you change the subject instead? we promised that all of this was just a charade to drain their wealth, right? never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. where are you?"

"on the way, just got home--ah...leaving to be more precise from lucia's house."

"did it work?"

ethan took a deep breath. "no."

hearing that, of course rose couldn't believe it. all she knew was that lucia loved ethan so much that she was willing to give anything to him. "you're not lying, so you don't give me money?"

feeling accused, of course ethan did not accept it. "what do you mean? you ask your friend if she gave me money or not!"

rose took a deep breath. "okay, looks like we have to meet because i have something to talk to you about too, than."

"did something not go according to plan?"

"yeah, something like that."

"okay, we'll meet. where?"

"hotel mentari. i need a little service today," she answered in a small whisper making ethan smile widely.

"alright, let's spend the day having fun."

"yes."

the man immediately hung up the call and drove his car back across the road. he forgot for a moment his anxiety about lucia and rose who wanted to get brian out of his mind for a moment.

the woman was tired of sitting in the park while brian instead chose to read a book in the library after they finished reading the book.

she didn't understand why brian could change her attitude in such a short time. the man didn't even compliment her as usual, even though she had spent a lot of time putting on her pretty face to make him seduce her and finally give her what she wanted as usual.

she called a servant who had been serving her. "try calling brian again, tell me i want to go home."

"okay, miss."

the maid left and went to the reading room where brian was. the man was engrossed in reading a book to avoid rose--his lover, even though his heartfelt foreign, he would try to test her until he was sure about what he was experiencing in the dream.

knock knock knock.'

there was a loud knock on the door. after brian allowed her in, the maid that rose had ordered before.

"s-sir, sorry i came back. miss rose said--"

"did she ask me to see her?"

the woman nodded slowly. "no, sir. miss said she was leaving."

"okay, go. tell her i'm busy, i have some work to take care of."

"w-well, sir."

the woman immediately ran outside and went to the garden where rose was waiting anxiously. with a gasping breath she finally arrived there.

"where's brian?"

"s-sorry miss, master said if you want to go home go ahead. you can't take me because i have work to do."

hearing that, don't ask how annoyed rose was because before letting her go alone, brian even often kept her from staying at her house.

"alright, tell him to call me when he's done."

"okay, miss."

rose grabbed her bag and left the mansion. however, her eyes turned back to the house with annoyance before she left. "damn it!"