The rain was pouring hard outside accompanied with loud roars of thunderstorms and flashes of lightning.
The atmosphere felt eerie. As if someone will suffer before the sun rises on the horizon the following day.
Mr. Sandoval was staying in his study room when the lights suddenly went off. Had it not for the sharp lightning outside, the room must have become pitch black.
"Hey!" He screamed as he was afraid in the dark.
"Could someone come here and bring me the lights!" He yelled for the people outside to hear him.
His study room had no emergency lights installed.
However, he heard no response from the outside.
The lightning struck again accompanied by deafening thunder.
This time, he heard faint footsteps inside the room all thanks to the heavy rain and loud thunder outside.
"Who's there?" Mr. Sandoval called out however, no one answered.
But then another bolt of lightning struck lighting up the entire room. This time, he saw a silhouette of the man standing by the window holding a newly lit cigar on his left hand.
Though lightning flashes outside were illuminating the room, he was standing near the bookshelves and it was really dark in that area.
Paired with his blurry vision added the fact that the man was wearing a cloak, he could not see the man's facial features completely
"Who are you?!" Mr. Sandoval asked him.
"You have no rights to know my name." He said coldly making the atmosphere to feel even eerier.
Mr. Sandoval could see the man had moved closer to him and out of his subconsciousness, he stepped back.
"I hear from the people outside that you like playing with the innocent people's lives in this town, yeah?" The man spoke once again.
"So what?! I am the law of this town!" Mr. Sandoval proudly said hoping to intimidate the intruder.
Everyone in this town and within the entire province was at his mercy.
However, he might not have seen it but the man smirked at him in the dark.
"Can your so called confidence and pride be able to save you should I kill you tonight?" After he said that, thunder roared in the skies again.
"Hahahaha! You gotta be kidding me right?! How dare you barged inside my house and then act like high and mighty!" Mr. Sandoval roared in anger.
"Guards!" He wanted him to be taken to the dungeon he built under this house and torture him to death.
Mr. Sandoval never liked being threatened with death.
"Guards!" He called once again but still received no response from the others outside.
"GUARDS!" This time he accompanied it with an angry slam on the table.
"You still don't get it, don't you?" Another thunder roared outside but it was far milder than the previous ones.
"You're locked up in here, both inside and outside of your mansion is flooding." He said devilishly.
The only difference was that outside, it was flooding with rain water.
However on the inside, it was flooding with red.
He understood what this man meant and so for the first time, Mr. Sandoval felt a chill running down his spine.
Of course, Señor Sandoval knew how to be frightened, too.
"Who...who are you?!"
"Someone whom you should not mess with." The man simply said.
Another man then appeared out of nowhere and looked at Mr. Sandoval in the dark. He was also wearing a cloak just like the first man.
"Do it!" The first man said.
When he said that, Mr. Sandoval felt like someone was choking him.
He wanted to call for help but then, he felt like his tongue was tied inside his mouth.
"Don't kill him." The first man told the second man.
However, Mr. Sandoval had already passed out on the floor with a loud thud.
Then, the second man walked towards Mr. Sandoval if he was still alive or not.
"Weakling." The second man mumbled to Mr. Sandoval.
Then, the second man looked at the first man and he disappeared from the scene.
The first man also slowly retreated back to where he first appeared.
***
The following morning, Jane opened her eyes and she stared blank in the air.
Then memories of what had happened yesterday came rushing through her mind.
Her eyes suddenly widened in shock when she remembered something.
She immediately got up and then ran out of the room.
When she reached the hallway, she was greeted by the cold morning breeze that entered through the opened window in their living room.
Since she was wearing thin pajamas, she could feel the cold air touched her skin forming goosebumps on her arms and neck.
The temperature was very cold outside early this morning since it rained hard last night.
She could still smell the fresh scent of the dew covered leaves outside their house and the faint blew of the wind outside.
She then halted her steps when she reached in front of her room's door.
It was strange to realize that the person she wanted to have least contact with was actually sleeping inside there...on her own bed.
She looked at the brass handle and then to the door itself made of antic wood.
Jane heaved a sigh and then grabbed the handle to open the door.
But then the door opened revealing Edric who had just freshly showered and was wearing a more casual pair of clothes than what he was wearing yesterday.
"Good morning." He greeted her first.
However he didn't expect that he would be greeted by those beautiful purple orbs which surprisingly gave him warmth.
"Good morning." Jane looked down and tried to cover her mouth. She had not brushed her teeth yet so she's afraid that he could smell her morning breath.
Edric felt like something was lost inside him the moment she looked down.
"Go freshen up. I'll ask Phil to prepare our breakfast."
"Oh? No need. You're both my guests here. It--"
However, even before she could finish her sentence, Edric interrupted it.
"It's fine. Phil's there and it's his task. And I'm sure he's more than willing to do it."
Jane suddenly recalled something and Edric saw what it was since it was related to him.
"Do your morning routine first. Let's talk about that after breakfast."
Jane could only nod her head in response but she didn't move and Edric didn't move either.
"What's wrong?"
"That's my room. I have to get in to do my morning routine. You're in the way." She pointed out and so Edric stepped aside immediately.
"All you need is to ask me." He said.
"That's what I'm doing."
Edric decided to not refute her knowing that she must be still anxious with her mother's situation and the proposal he asked her in exchange of the help.
Edric decided to let her be alone in her room as he went to Jane's parents' room.
Left alone in her room, Jane pressed her back against the door with both hands covering her face.
'What the hell are you thinking?' Jane then shrugged those thoughts away and she went inside her bathroom to get herself ready for the morning.
When she was done, Naomi knocked on her door.
"Ate?! Breakfast's ready. Kuya (Brother) Phil cooked for us. They smelled nice and quite fancy."
Naomi's comment somehow made Jane to faintly smile.
Of course, Edric's there. That man had a different status than them.
"Okay! I'll be there in a minute!"
Jane fixed herself and applied her makeup again. She decided not to blow dry her hair and just let the air and the temperature to dry them.
Jane went out wearing her lose long-sleeved top and sweat pants.
It's still gloomy outside and was even about to drizzle a little.
The weather was gloomy for any outdoor activities so it's best to just stay indoor.
Jane found everyone being gathered in the living room while waiting for her so they could go together to eat breakfast.
"Ate, you're back in that make-up again. Isn't it pointless to do that? They have seen your bare face anyways." Naomi curiously pointed out.
The youngest was really puzzled why her sister had to pretend to look someone else when she even wanted to show off to her friends that she had the most beautiful sister in the world.
It just didn't made sense for her.
However, Anton had a different explanation to it.
"Naomi, it's because Ate didn't want to attract the bees to gather around her. That's why she looked like that."
Realizing how beautiful his big sister had grown to be now that she's a young woman, Anton felt the sense of responsibility, as the only brother, to guard her sister against those buzzing bees.
She was just so attractive! Anton was really having a crises. And he woke up this morning feeling gloomy.
He was really threatened by Edric's presence around her sister. Especially when Edric didn't answer his man to man question last night.
'Are you pursuing my sister?'
Anton had no idea that that innocent question he asked last night gave Edric that actual idea.
He could not keep Jane to himself and find out if she was the woman in the prophecy should he not ask her to be his wife, right?
This man had the visual that could match her sisters. He was like a king who happened to be lost in the world of the commoners like them.
"Is that really the case, Ate?"
Was running away from her stepmother's people could be described as that, too?
Jane made an awkward laugh to answer Naomi's question.
Phil could sense the atmosphere getting tensed and so he decided to interrupt it before a good morning turned to a bad morning to everyone present in this room.
After all, Jane was not so fond having Edric around.
"Ahm, let's go ahead to enjoy breakfast before the food that I cooked turned cold."
Everyone gathered around and since Phil was now around, then, there's no need for her to serve him the food.
They then pray before they started eating their breakfast.
Edric only had waffle and tea for the morning.
While Jane had toast with jam and a fresh orange juice.
Surprisingly, breakfast had become peaceful. The young ones enjoyed the breakfast that Phil had prepared for everyone.
"We have to meet with Attorney Fernandez this morning to discuss to you about your mother's case and all the possible charges we could file against the police and the mayor who came here yesterday."
Naomi had a very positive reaction to this news. Even Anton paused from biting his food.
"What? You're trying to help our Mama?"
"Yes, Naomi."
"Then, thank you!"
"Where are we going to meet him?"
"At the coffee shop in the town center."
"Okay. I'll go change my clothes after then let's go."
Edric finished his tea and while Jane finished her toast.
"Phil, stay here to look after them."
Phil had no other choice but to obey his young master's order.
"Okay. Young Master!"
"Eh? Young Master meaning you're super rich?" Naomi was really curious about Edric.
Edric didn't answer her question but he did tell them some truth.
"Your sister's my niece's tutor."
"Oh!" Naomi was not slow to put the puzzle pieces together.
"Ate, you said that your boss only looked so-so when in fact, he's actually this good-looking."
The little one didn't forget to tease her sister early in the morning.
'So-so, huh.' Edric commented through telepathy.
Edric was indeed very handsome but she was already used to looking at that face in two lifetime. Could she then blame her eyes for that?
"Okay. That's enough. When everyone's done, remember to do your assigned H-chores, okay? Don't slack."
Jane felt embarrassed now that Edric also learned about this so she tried to shift the topic to them.
Seeing that her sister's getting red despite the amount of foundation she put on, Naomi could not help but giggle.
"Okay po!"
Naomi was giggling while Anton was having a different feeling about this.
"Are you okay, Anton?"
"I'm fine Ate. Don't worry." Of course the young man didn't want to make his sister to be upset.
"Good. Since we're all done with breakfast, better start your chores then."
Jane went to her room to change into a pair of pants and checkered button-up shirt.
Wearing her big eye glasses, Jane went to the living room where Edric was waiting.
She didn't bring any bags with her just her phone and wallet.
When Edric and Jane went out of the house and walked to their small gate to wait for a tricycle that would bring them to the town center.
"Are you sure you didn't want to use that car?"
Jane pointed at the car parked on their yard since their garage was turned into the extension of their store.
"Nah, it's fine. It's just nearby."
And besides, a tricycle fare was so cheap.
Like on cue, their curios neighbors gathered outside their houses to look at Jane and Edric who was waiting outside.
Of course, their curious neighbors had been very curious how Jane had glowed up all of a sudden when she moved to the Capital City to study.
Speculations among the community started to spread.
The best idea that they could think about was that she found an old rich boyfriend in the city who was willing to spoil her with everything.
So they were stunned to see her with a fine handsome young man.
(A/N: Isn't their speculation correct, though?)
Jane suddenly felt uncomfortable given that everyone were looking towards them.
One tricycle then pulled over in front of them.
Since the tricycle was small, Edric had to sit behind the driver while Jane stayed inside.
Jane told the driver to not pick up another passengers. She would pay on the vacant seats instead.
Edric showed no complaint at all.
He kind of liked this thing.
This was the first time he experienced this in his entire existence.
Of course, Edric's visual did attracted a lot of people's attention.
However, there's no way he could fit inside the tricycle when he was six feet three inches tall while she was only a hundred and sixty-five meters tall, around five feet, six inches.
When they arrived, she gave the driver one of the purple bills she had in her wallet and didn't ask for a change.
The driver smiled happily since he earned double with just them alone.
Edric fixed his creased clothes and Jane got out of the sidecar.
Then, the two went inside the coffee shop.
They were thirty minutes early than the agreed time so they decided to have a seat in one of the vacant tables.
Jane took the initiative to ask the shop manager manning the counter if they had a booth where in they could talk things more privately.
The shop manager lead them to the second floor where they had a more private booth.
Seeing that Jane was satisfied with it, Edric didn't complain either.
"Ahm, if you see a guy with a briefcase and named Attorney Fernandez, kindly lead him here." This was one of the rare instances known where in Edric became polite when speaking to someone.
It was really shocking in a good way to know.