In front of them, there is a layer of layers of purple rows that lines neatly in a wavy contour, which is typical of the northern hills. The bright clear blue sky becomes the backdrop for the scenery which perfectly blends with the field. As if God has created and painted this hill with His own hands. It's breathtakingly beautiful and magical at the same time.
"Isn't it wonderful?" George asked his guest proudly when he saw Cristan and Arissa who were still utterly stunned in amazement at what they saw now.
Without wasting more time, Arissa quickly took out her camera and started to snap pictures while she walking around the hill to find the best angle that she could get from this place. Cristan is wandering around and enjoying this beautiful sight. After all, there were only two of them in this area.
A gentle breeze blows and spreads off the fragrance of lavender flowers while Arissa checked the results of her photos and smiled satisfactorily. Without realized that Cristan who standing oppositely in her direction quietly takes his cell phone and snaps a candid picture of Arissa who still busying herself to observe and get more pictures of the hill. Whereas Arissa who wearing a plain three-quarter sleeves shirt and khaki pants, looks contrary with the purple and blue color as her background inside the photo that Cristan has taken on his cellphone, but her smiling face was so mesmerizing in there. Cristan looked at it once again and chuckled lightly at himself.
Hehe…. Who knows that he has some hidden talent to be an amateur photographer as well?
"Eh, why did you laugh, Cristan? Did you take some pictures too? "
Without his notice, Arissa was next to him suddenly and Arissa craned her neck to see the results of the photo that was taken by Cristan.
Without sensing her arrival, Arissa has stood up next to him and made Cristan jolted in shock. Panic, Cristan quickly faltered and immediately put his cell phone back into his pants.
"No, nothing. I just replied to some messages ..." Cristan lied at her. Trying to be as normal as possible. Concealed his nervousness.
"Oh, I thought you were taking some picture of this scenery ..."
Yes, I was taking your picture! Cristan admitted it inwardly but his expression still looks casually flat while he smiling sweetly at her.
"By the way, did you bring the sandwich that I made?" Arissa asked him again and wiping her sweat after she had walked around and finished her job already.
Cristan nodded and showed the meal box that he had brought.
Then, they both sitting under a big tree and eat their sandwiches while she showing him the photos of the view that she had just taken. But, Cristan didn't pay attention to all her stories at all, his brown eyes only focused on Arissa's face meanwhile the girl's voice eventually slower and faded away on his ears. Next, only her lips captured his attention.
Oh my God ... why is she so beautiful?
Her face is heart-shaped and her fair skin is so smooth without any freckles or black spots. Her navy-blue eyes are alluring and hypnotizing him every time he sees them.
Her dark-brown hair fell to her shoulder and accented with layers. Perfectly framed her beautiful face. Her rosy plump lips with a hint of peach.
How does it taste? Does it flourish richly in flavor like a strawberry?
"Heh, Cristan !!" Arissa snapped him loudly and patting his shoulder harshly. Broke his lewd reverie instantly.
"Huh ?? What? Why did you shout like that?" Cristan snapped back at her in shock and grimaced in pain while he rubbed his shoulder which just had been patted before.
"I was asking you about all of these photos. Okay? Which one do you think is the best?" Arissa rolled her eyes frustratedly when she had to repeat the same question a fourth time to him while she giving her camera to Cristan and her other hand is busy picking and eating her homemade sandwiches.
Cristan is busy checking the photos of Lavender Hill scenery inside Arissa's camera intensely. Jojo is right. Arissa is a talented photographer and her ability for taking scenes is remarkable. All the photos that she was taken are incredibly beautiful and those were taken from the right angles. The view of Lavender Hill, which is indeed amazing, was perfectly shoot with the right color combination and eye-catching.
"These are good. George definitely will like it. He's your client, right ...? "
Cristan praising her honestly and no exaggerating his words then return the camera to Arissa.
After that, Cristan grabbed a sandwich and chewed it slowly.
"Actually, why do you have to work so hard like this? Isn't the salary from your contract as a model at Fashion Blast is not enough? " Cristan asked curiously at her.
"Yes, if it just for me. But, I financially aid the orphanage and paying the studies of my juniors in there, right? " Arissa replied casually as she chewed the sandwich slowly.
Cristan suddenly thought about the old orphanage that he had visited with Jojo a couple of months ago.
"If my adoptive mother didn't help me at that time, I probably won't be here right now ..." Arissa continued her story again while she gazing out. Carried away and lost in her memory. Reminiscing about her gloomy past.
"I owed her a lot and this is how I repay her…"
"What happened with you, Sa?" Cristan asked her again. He wanted to know the whole story of this girl's past so it would be easier for him to understand her character.
"Um, I don't know if Jojo has ever told you about this matter or not, but I love lights that mostly, for normal people, they think of them as common things like moonlight, morning sunshine, night views, and so on. I enjoy colors and any forms of light, Cristan. "For me, they represent life itself. Being able to see them and I could feel their warmth is a wonderful experience for me. "
Cristan raised his eyebrows confusedly.
Is that it? Why everything sounds so simple with this girl?
He only knew the story directly from her mouth just now. Yes, Arissa is right. For him, the sun, moon, or whatever is commonly regular to him. There's nothing special about it. He saw them every day so he thought it just normal for him, but not for her.
"Why?" Cristan asked it again curiously to Arissa.
"Because I was locked up and never saw sunlight for 13 years ..." Arissa murmured. Her eyes looked wistful when she said the sentence.DEG!
Cristan's heart stopped beating for an instant when he heard these words.
Locked up for 13 years?
Never seen sunlight for such a long time?
This is insane!! What kind of monster did that to this beautiful girl?
"But Jacob and I feel so lucky now ..."
Cristan frowned in confusion when he heard the line, "Jacob?"
"Yes, my firstborn and the only child of mine ...." Arissa replied casually and looking at him intensely. There are no lies in those deep blue eyes. Arissa speaks honestly of what it is.
Cristan opened his mouth to shoot another question, but before he could, a question suddenly came out of her mouth.
"So why did you leave the house, Cristan?"
Cristan stuttered. He's utterly speechless.
............................................
Cristan bit his lower lip embarrassedly while Arissa looked at him forlornly with a deep curiosity.
In the end, Cristan gave up and exhaled a deep breath. This is it. There is no point in hiding this any longer from her. The smart girl who sitting right next to him. Deep down inside his heart, he is unwilling to discuss it but ...
He has no choice.
"Have you ever heard of Levy Clan?" Cristan asked.
Arissa nodded her head firmly. "Yes, if I'm not mistaken, they are the organizations which mostly engaged in humanitarian activities and educational projects for children in poor countries, right?"
"Yes, that is our corporate social responsibility, but actually Levy Clan has many branches in our business groups and we also develop lots of research and innovation in the field of science to continue to improve the welfare and progress of mankind on this earth. Until now, we had expanded our companies in the fields of biotechnology, properties, tourism, infrastructure, and so much more. I don't even remember the details and should ask Jade for it. It can be said, almost in all aspects of business and every country in the world, we have control in everything and we unite it under the banner of Levy Inc .. "Cristan telling her all that he could remember about his family business.
Arissa was dumbfounded when she heard about all these.
"Under my mom's command, Levy Inc. was impeccably powerful and it reached its glorious days. All companies that we had were strictly managed under one name. Levy Inc. and all of them provides tremendously profitable. Far much better than what was done by previously clan leaders. We are also able to expand and merge several companies which are officially broke and rebuild their management so that these companies can stand by their own feet and we can sell them back to the market ten times higher than the previous price. Great Grandpa was very proud of all achievements that my mother has got so far. Unfortunately….."
His gazes suddenly filled with sadness and unshed tears welled up in his eyes.
"Her remarkable success was equally paid by a wreckage and destruction marriage of my parents…."
Cristan sighed heavily with a sank heart and continued his story.
"Maybe you think life as a rich kid always jolly fun and happy. In fact, in my case, it wasn't. My father was cheating and having an affair with his secretary, Wanda Sonata. And she was my mother's best friend when they were in college before…"
"The reason why my mother brought her into our house is…."
"Because of her kindness. Aunt Wanda was sexually abused and often beaten up terribly by her husband and her case was reported and handled by my mom at that time. Then, the police caught Wanda's husband afterward. She has no income and eventually, my mother made him my father's secretary. Even though from the start, Great Grandpa and I disagreed and against this stupid idea…"
"But, my mom, she stands still with her stubbornness. In the end, she won and we lost. Then, shits started to happen in our family…"