I groan as the doorbell rings and Panda King shouts at me to check who it is. Does he not have any mercy for an injured person?
Stumbling off the sofa, I limp towards the front door. Slowly, I walk down the front driveway and open the front gates.
I should have known when I accidentally broke that glass cup this morning that it was an ill omen.
From the other side of the gates, the familiar dark haired Mrs King stares at me. Her brown eyes scrutinise me from head to toe making me feel nervous.
"Welcome Mrs King." I smile anxiously, gesturing for her to enter.
She smiles at me but it doesn't reach her eyes. Is something wrong? My brain mentally assesses the situation and I realise what is wrong here.
Last time Mr and Mrs King visited, I was a female with long hair and was the girlfriend of their only son. Now, I am "Tin" and probably look like a man from her viewpoint.
"Mr Tin Gold. It is nice to meet you." She nods. "Is this the first time we meet?"
I can tell that she is testing me. How should I respond?
"Y–yes. Nice to meet you Mrs King." I stutter.
"Let's go inside and talk." She walks in front of me and someone else whom I hadn't noticed earlier follows her.
Another familiar sight of the beautiful long dark hair and Bambi eyes. My heart stops for a moment. What is Ciarra doing here?!
More importantly, how does she know Mrs King?! This is the first time I have seen her after the beach incident. She didn't message me or call me. I tried to contact her but I received no response.
As I show them politely to the sitting room, Ciarra stares at me coldly. Is she pretending to not recognise me?
"Would you like any drinks?" I ask them.
"Just some tea will do." I nod and tell a servant to make some and call Pan too.
"Panda will be here soon." I smile nervously.
"As my son's bodyguard, I assume you would know everything about him." Mrs King says seriously.
I nod. What does she want to say?
"I suppose you know Flora Evian? I did a bit of investigating about her after she became Panda's girlfriend and found that she doesn't exist. No family background, no face, nothing."
I gasp, I almost forgot about Flora Evian.
"Ah you're finally here Panda. Come here, let me have a look at you." Her excitement at seeing her son walk through the door interrupts my panicked thoughts.
"Mum, why did you come?" His blue eyes land on Ciarra. "And who is this?"
"She is my friend's daughter Ciarra Lake. I brought her along for your sake Panda." Mrs King explains enthusiastically.
"What do you mean?" He asks in confusion.
"I think it's time for you to face your fear and overcome your phobia of women." She gestures to Ciarra, "And I believe Ciarra can help you. We will be staying for a few days."
"Mum, you know I already have a girl–"
"Enough! I already know Flora Evian does not exist. You think you can fool me so easily Panda?"
"You investigated my personal matters again Mum?!" He says in exasperation.
"Of course I have to, otherwise how long would you have put on your show for us?" Mrs King seems angry.
My woman's intuition knows exactly what is happening. How clever of Mrs King to bring Ciarra Lake with her under the pretence of "overcoming the phobia". From the way Mrs King spoke, I could already see her gears turning.
I frown. Isn't this what I had planned to happen anyway when I invited Ciarra to the beach that day? I should be happy that Mrs King is doing it for me. So why am I feeling bitter?
Pan looks really uncomfortable and angry as he argues with his mother. Ciarra's eyes haven't left him since he walked in. I feel like an extra in this scene. A passerby who has nothing to do with it.
"Mum, fine. I give up." He sighs in defeat, holding his hands up. "Stay however long you want but don't expect me to bother with her." He glares at Ciarra.
Even I know that he is being harsh towards her but how can someone like Panda King be friendly towards a stranger? I have experienced it first hand.
His mother must have the same thoughts as me. Panda and Ciarra match really well. Maybe he will become friendly once he gets to know her better.
However, I still don't know why Ciarra Lake is acting like we don't know each other. I even drowned whilst trying to save her. She seems like a completely different person. Can a person change so quickly?
***
"Please?"
If anyone had told me that Panda King would one day come begging to me on his knees, I would have laughed and told them to get their brains checked.
"Please help me Tin? Come on, pretty please?" He sits on his knees and puts his palms together.
"How do I even help you? There's no way your mum will let you do anything." I say in bewilderment as I sit on my bed.
He moves closer and holds onto my kneecaps. "You're my only hope Tin."
"What plan do you have?" I ask curiously.
He smiles, "You become Flora Evian."
I smack his head hard. "Are you stupid Pan? Your mum just said that she has investigated already. And she had a good look at my face earlier too. There's no way she will believe it."
He sighs, "What else can we do? I really don't want to be near this Ciarra Lake." His blue eyes stare at me, "Isn't she the one from the beach? How do you know her?"
"I saved her once and she wanted to be friends." I frown, "She seems suspicious though."
Pan sighs loudly again and leans his head onto my lap. "I am doomed."
I pat his head to cheer him up, "I'll try to steer her away from you whenever I can."
"Really?" He lifts his head and his eyes shine.
I nod.
Am I really doing it for him or for myself?