A blue Mercedes pulled up just beside the lonely and majestic manor. Mandy Huo, wheel in hand paid attention to every detail of her new home. It was nothing like Honeyfalls but at least she had pleasant memories in Masserick. As the car pulled over, Olivia, Her daughter made a very audible grumble.
"Save it Liv. We are staying here now." Mandy said in a stern tone.
"Yeah. You could have just left me with grandma. This house sucks." Liv shot back, popping her gum.
Mandy shut down the engine and crept out of the vehicle with her feisty daughter grudgingly trailing along. Mandy got their luggage out of the vehicle and they began their journey into the house. The house was beautiful despite being aged. It wasn't in the olde-worlde quaint kind of old but reckless abandonment had made it lose its sheen. The sides were polished concrete and the door a slab of shiny stainless steel. The windows were taller than a man and more reflective so much that if you walked up to it and stared, you wouldn't see a thing. Around the house were more polished concrete making paths, patios and a garden bed filled with white lilies.
"Where is Aunt? Shouldn't She be here to welcome you or something?" Liv demanded forcibly. She was determined to make their stay unbearable with every opportunity she got.
"She is on an NGO retreat. She will be back by Sunday." Mandy replied then bent over a creaking floorboard, forced it up, and retrieved the house key much to the dismay of her daughter.
"Unbelievable. She travels and leaves her place this unsecured."
Mandy stiffened to her daughter's statement. She just wouldn't shut up. This was hard for her. Having to keep a disturbing secret from her daughter, leaving their house and moving here— A place that seemed to bring back the memories she so badly wanted to forget and all her daughter could do in support was grumble about hating the one place that would give her time to heal. She even mentioned staying at Hugh's mother's home. Mandy would never let that despicable woman win her daughter over. She had seen fire during the battle to win custody of her daughter for months, Another thing Liv wasn't aware of. So when her sister had opined that she returned to Masserick to get away from the overwhelming drama. Mandy took it by the balls.
"This isn't like Honeyfalls Liv, People her are close-knit and if anyone with a bad bone tries to rob this house, They will be sucking air."
Mandy's comment made her daughter raise an eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"What would they steal? There is nothing really valuable in this house aside from the gas..."
"What! No tv?"
"No Tv."
Mandy struggled to hold in a laugh seeing how stunned her daughter was. She was a big fan of serial dramas. Which was why Mandy had kept that detail away from her until it was too late.
"But don't worry, " Mandy continued, finally inserting the key into the door and opening it. "Masserick can be fun."
***
"Business only Mrs. Clara. You don't have to be so sentimental about it." Esteban Serrano declared bluntly, his dark eyes piercing the woman he practically grew up knowing.
"As a matter of fact, This is business, Esteban. You weren't like this. I know you. You aren't this selfish to take away a couple of farmer's source of livelihood for money. So what do you want exactly Esteban?"
Mr. Esteban wanted to rip open the earth of a beautiful orchard in the town thanks to a recent discovery of jade stones and Mrs. Claire was working for a non-profit organization that did not want Esteban's dreams to turn Masserick upside down.
"To help Masserick grow. This is an opportunity for this bottom barrel to finally hit the world map and the jade gems buried under that orchard is our ticket."
Mrs. Clara arched a sardonic eyebrow at Esteban's response.
"Really? Maybe Masserick doesn't want to be on the world map. I mean... Look outside Esteban, Don't you like the serenity you see. That is all going to change."
"That is the point," Esteban retorted, getting up to face the skylight. "This place can be oyster to the world but what do I see? A gem hiding its worth."
"But..." The raven-haired woman tried to say but she was instantly cut off by Esteban.
"I think we are done here Mrs. Clara."
Clara stifled a grimace but she had no last line of defense. She had come this far to reason with Esteban. Her organization had predicted that the hot-headed CEO of Argent enterprises wouldn't bend easily. She had managed to win herself an opportunity to prove them wrong but instead she was the one proven wrong. All she wanted to avoid was a court case drama but apparently, Esteban wanted war.
"Okay then, If you are unwilling to consider Mr. Esteban, See you in court." She formally stated, got up, and headed for the door whilst being escorted by Esteban's personal assistant. Just as she reached the door, Mrs. Clara stopped, taking a look at the pompous young man seated and unmoved and she vowed to make him break.
"I forgot to mention a little something Mr. Esteban, " She began.
"I don't want to hear it Mrs. Clara. See you in court." He responded, waving the woman off.
"Oh, You want to hear this." She maintained, refusing to budge at the P.A's request.
"Okay, What is it that I have to know?" He demanded, hesitantly giving in.
"Mandy is back."
How her words slapped the wry smile off his smug face was worth it. She walked out in pride leaving Esteban distraught.
"Amanda..." The realization struck him hard. It brought back an imaginable pain he had clamped in lock and key. He still remembered her long luscious locks of black hair, Her wild chestnut orbs, and of course, her words, the ones that killed him that night.