When Archer walked downstairs after taking the shower and getting dressed, he found Elvina munching an apple while watching TV.
She was watching their wedding clips which were going viral in the media.
'Ring Ring'
As the doorbell rang, Elvina tilted her head to look at the door but she spotted Archer who was already on his way.
He was wearing a black tuxedo, looking like a proper gentleman but his messy hair...
Elvina licked the apple from her bottom lips.
''A guest…?'' she leaned back on the couch and took another bite of the apple, stretching her neck to peek outside.
But Archer's back was blocking her view and she could not get the proper view of the person outside.
Elvina blinked, her blue eyes started glowing and her vision turned sharper.
She spotted the takeout in Archer's hand and the man who was standing outside… seemed like his secretary from his appearance.
Archer turned around and Elvina closed her eyes, turning her head towards the T.V.
''I am curious… Why did you choose this venue for marriage?" Elvina opened her eyes which had now regained their original color, her fingers stroking Gold's fur who contentedly curled in her arms.
Archer paused but then he proceeded to walk towards the dining table.
Elvina squinted. Did he just ignore her?
She pushed herself to her feet and approached him, ''I guess I asked something?"
Archer tilted his head to look at her but then he rolled his sleeves and proceeded to arrange the breakfast on the dining table.
Elvina's gaze landed on his toned forearms. She watched as his hands moved in fluid motions.
''Because my dad chose this venue,'' he answered her just when she thought that he was fasting for silence.
''Why is that?"
Archer pulled out a chair for her, ''I have no idea.''
Elvina gazed at him before taking a seat, ''No?" she placed Gold on the chair next to her.
The cat purred.
''No,'' he took a seat on the head chair of the 10-seater dining table, right next to her.
Elvina glanced at the steak before holding the knife and fork.
He noticed her elegant movements.
Archer started eating, his gaze occasionally shifting to her.
''What about your sister?"
Archer paused.
''I heard everyone mentioning her but I didn't see her around,'' Elvina knew about what his sister had done in the past but her investigation did not lead her to the reason why both the brother and sister were not on good terms.
She glanced at Archer.
''I don't think you need to know about it,'' Archer pushed himself to his feet.
''I didn't ask for shares in your company, you know,'' Elvina rolled her eyes when he picked up his blazer and left.
''Hmm,'' she leaned back on the chair, ''So, the relationship between the brother and sister is so bad that he won't continue after she is mentioned. The mother and father are so in love and the cousin, Emir, is like a biological brother to him.''
Elvina stroked her chin.
After a few minutes, she stood up.
''Let's go to your big mommy, Gold,'' She picked up the cat from the dining table.
Just as she was about to walk towards the door, the doorbell started ringing.
Elvina frowned. Didn't Archer leave already?
Who was here then?
She walked towards the door before peeking in the peephole.
A delivery man was standing outside and she could see all kinds of flowers around him, from orchids to roses.
She opened the door.
The man delivered the tens of bouquets and asked her to sign before he left.
Elvina glanced at the flowers arranged inside the living room, ''He must have a special relationship with the sender,'' she exhaled a breath before walking towards the bouquet of champagne-colored roses.
Her gaze landed on the card stuck on the flowers, ''Congratulations on your wedding. I'll see you soon,'' The handwriting was so beautiful that Elvina stared a little longer at the note.
Mistress Alert!
Elvina massaged her forehead.
''Gold, you should scratch him more often,'' Elvina taught him some morals as she placed the card back on the bouquet and walked out of the house.
He should restrain himself a bit now that he is married.
The last thing that Elvina wanted was women starting catfights with her over this man.
God forbid if her scratch accidentally took their life.
With her constantly darkening expressions, she walked towards the villa right opposite Archer's villa.
She entered the pin and the door opened with a 'click'.
Elvina stepped inside the house, only to be welcomed by the sound of gasps and groans.
Her gaze shifted to the man and woman making out on the couch.
As the door closed with a 'click', it caught their attention.
Claire, who was sitting atop the man, twisted her waist, ''Oh my god, where is my privacy?" she placed her palm on the man's chest before getting off his body.
''Privacy my ass,'' Elvina stepped towards them, ''We share this villa.''
Claire rolled her eyes.
The man sat up on the couch with a puzzled look on his face.
Claire smoothened the creases on his clothes and buttoned his shirt. She looked into his eyes, ''Forget that this happened.''
He closed his eyes for a second. And as he opened them again, Elvina could see the flash of interest in his eyes as he looked at her sister.
''When…'' he glanced at Elvina, not knowing when she came here when he was sitting here all the time.
''She came here when you dozed off,'' Claire said.
''It was a pleasure to meet you,'' he picked up his documents, ''Apologies for the inconvenience. I hope I get to see you again,'' he smiled at her.
Claire smiled back, ''Maybe…'' As she looked at his retreating back, she leaned back on the couch, ''…Or maybe not.''
''He was interested in you,'' Elvina glanced at the man's retreating back before looking at her sister, her fingers stroking Gold's white fur.
She admitted that he had a good body. And her sister must be interested in him, physically, for her to make out with him.
He must have thought that he will meet her again, not knowing that it was an impossible dream on his side.
Her sister never got involved with the same man twice and to avoid further complications, she erased their memory.
In fact, as far as Elvina knew, most of the sirens were similar but unlike her sister, they killed off the humans they made out with or if they slept with tritons, they would suck their powers.
To the sirens, their lust was uncontrollable.
And it was inevitable for them to seek men or else their powers would go into a state of chaos.
But... her body worked differently from the rest for some reason.
Claire's words got her attention.
''Hmm, he is an artist I was planning to sign a contract with,'' Claire picked up the wine glass from the coffee table, ''His artworks lack depth but his body was good so a little bang-bang,'' Claire winked as she adjusted her satin robe.
Elvina cringed.
Claire ignored her sister's expressions and glanced at the cat on her lap, ''Baby Gold, come here, come to mommy,'' she extended her hand towards him but the chubby cat just continued sitting on Elvina's lap, rubbing his face on her tummy.
''I guess he loves me more,'' Elvina laughed.
''I'm so angry!" Claire sipped her wine, her lips curling up behind the wine glass.
She still remembered how they met Gold.
A decade ago, when they came to Hayselton City, they used to live in a small house in the slum area.
One rainy night when she was going out to get some food for them, there was this bloodied injured cat lying at their door.
From their neighborhood, Claire discovered that a bike had crushed the cat's lower body.
Elvina kicked him aside when she saw him and she remembered how she snapped at her younger sister back then.
But the 13-year-old girl just said.
'Let's not get attached to the people and things here. We don't need unnecessary attachments weighing down on our shoulders.'
Claire did not pay attention to her words and she picked up the malnourished cat from the streets before taking him to their house.
Unlike Elvina, Claire could not heal and the former did not want to use any of her powers on things she deemed useless.
Claire took him to the hospital and got a few medicines for the cat and despite her sister's continuous protests, she kept him.
But there was a plot twist in the story.
While she was taking care of the cat, the cat kept clinging to the person who did not want to have anything to do with him.
The teenage Elvina was grumpier and every time the cat approached her, he would get a kick. She did not have any sort of sympathy for the sickly little cat.
But then, there was something about 'red flags'.
The sickly cat should have known that Claire was his safe haven and Elvina was his red flag but he kept hovering around the latter.
And eventually, in six months, Elvina's kicks turned to pushes.
In two more months, her pushes changed to pokes.
Claire was initially worried about the cat but when she saw the change in her sister's attitude towards him, she was surprised.
She did not expect her stubborn sister to give in like that.
But what they did not see coming was that the cat's wounds got worse over time, and his malnourished body was even thinner.
They took him to the hospital but the doctors said that there was nothing they could do. The cat would eventually die in a few days.
Elvina could heal minor scratches or wounds but the cat's ruptured injuries were severe and his life seemed to be hanging by a breath.