"Oh my god, what are you doing here?"
Aurora's expression suddenly turned panicky when she discovered Jason's whereabouts right beside her. For a moment the woman turned her eyes away from Jason, staring around the cafe as if afraid if the proximity was seen by other servers. Aurora heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, the atmosphere of the cafe seemed crowded, thus making the servers busy serving guests and not paying attention to their direction. Aurora turned her gaze to Jason, staring fiercely at the man.
"Quickly get out of my sight." She whispered.
Jason flinched, staring intently at Aurora while reviewing a faint smile. He really enjoyed Aurora's panic. The woman looked more beautiful and really made Jason's heart beat hard.
"Take a break if you don't want me to interrupt your work." regardless of Aurora's deathly pale expression, Jason moved his fingers and tucked the child's hair attached to Aurora's forehead in her ear. "Go to my room. You can rest there."
"What do you mean?" Aurora quickly slipped a snarl there. "I still have a lot of work. It's not recess, anyway. I don't want to be the center of Jason's attention."
"That's why I told you to go to my room immediately. I won't let you work until you've exhausted all your strength. Watch yourself, you're so fucked up, your face flushed and your sweat dripping." Jason said with a grumble, showing a protective attitude.
Aurora rolled her eyes, once again dropping her gaze to stare at the entire cafe before then staring at Jason to say.
"You almost drove me crazy. Please leave. I'm very uncomfortable with this situation." Aurora's face was pitiful with extreme frustration, her voice squeaking.
Jason shrugged his shoulders, stepping closer towards Aurora as if he didn't care about everyone's gazes pointing at them.
"You have no choice at all. Hurry, or you'll be the center of attention here." Jason said lightly, making Aurora stare intently at him.
This time it was Aurora's turn to flinch wordlessly, not obeying Jason's words. She insisted on maintaining her will, ignoring everyone who had stared at her.
The corners of Jason's lips were slightly raised. "You refused my order? Go Aurora before I make something that could take this whole cafe by storm. Jason stared at Aurora meaningfully. "You don't want me to kiss you this second, do you? Because your sweaty face really teases me, you look so tempting." He continued to stare impudently at Aurora's lips.
Immediately, Aurora's eyes widened in shock, staring in disbelief at Jason. Aurora sighed deeply to contain her irritation and tried to calm down. The brown eyes of Aurora came face to face with the green eyes of the other person. Aurora gritted her teeth before then stepping aside from Jason's presence. She didn't want the man's words to come true.
"To my room, Aurora."
Aurora immediately stopped her steps when she heard Jason's voice. With growing annoyance, she tilted her body to stare irritably at the man. Her forehead wrinkled suddenly when she saw Jason review a big smile, looking like a fool.
"Yes, sir." Aurora replied briefly, then immediately resumed her steps, fulfilling Jason's orders.
Jason thinned his lips, not liking Aurora's answer to calling himself sir. She was always distancing, as if Aurora was about to build an immense wall for their barrier. He lifted his fingers and rubbed his face. Jason shifted his gaze along with Aurora's back, which was no longer visible. His jaw hardened when he saw the whole cafe seemed to whisper, looking at Aurora, who was no longer tracking with a cynical look. Jason's expression darkened, his voice low menacingly as he said.
"Lower your eyes if you want to stay alive." said Jason coldly who immediately spread the eerie silence in the cafe.
***
"Eat Cleo."
Darren gave the order by slightly raising his voice, making Cleo directly shake his head quickly, firmly rejecting the man's order.
Seeing Cleo's attitude of insisting on refusing his orders, Darren touched his fingers on his forehead, massaging slowly because of the sudden dizziness. With a calm gesture, Darren stepped then sat down on the edge of Cleo's bed, his eyes watching his beloved son in silence. Then, he was compelled to move his hand, about to wipe Cleo's head. His fingers were a little awkward when touching Cleo's fine hair. Darren's fingertips carefully touched, stroking Cleo's head gently.
In the same second, Cleo raised his face, bringing the two pairs of blue eyes together directly. Warmth instantly flooded Cleo's mind, stunned for quite a long time when she saw the tender side of her father that had never been shown to her at all.
"Do you want me to bribe you?" Darren said suddenly in a soft voice, jerking Cleo out of reverie.
Cleo nodded her head slowly and hesitated, still looking closely at her father's face. "I ... want." he said with a squeak.
Darren reviewed a faint smile, then grabbed the tray, carrying it to him. "Open your mouth. You want me to bribe you, don't you?"
Cleo obeyed, then opened his mouth wide. "Dad does not work?" Cleo said with his mouth full, making Darren chuckle softly.
"Finish your meal, then you can talk." Darren rubbed Cleo's cheek gently.
The sound of laughter that had just greeted his sense of hearing made Cleo widen his eyes instantly. Without realizing it, all the food in his mouth had made it through his esophagus. Cleo cracked his mouth, then closed it again, hesitating to say for a moment.
"Dad... are you laughing?" in the end, the question Cleo never expected slipped from his tiny lips.
Darren was stunned, hurriedly pulling his hand away from Cleo's cheek. Then Darren cleared his throat a little to drive away the unpleasant atmosphere. As quickly as lightning, his expression became flat.
"Eat. I want to go to work." Darren stole a glance at Cleo, not daring to look directly at his son.
Cleo folded his lips with all his might, holding back a laugh when he saw Darren's awkward expression.
"Dad is very handsome when you laugh. I was just blown away for a moment." he continued to be more excited to throw a tease to Darren.
Soon after, Darren's cheekbones were decorated with a blush. His lips are curved, forming a very thin line, carefully hiding her smile. Darren got out of Cleo's bed, lowered his head to stare flatly at Cleo.
"Dad, go first. Finish your food." he ordered in a nervous voice, then immediately moved from Cleo's presence towards the door.
"Dad, you brought my food."
At that moment, Darren's steps stopped, his eyes closed for a moment because of extreme embarrassment. All the curses had gathered in his mouth, about to be sprayed on anyone to vent his annoyance. Darren let out a quick sigh, then turned his body towards Cleo. Without a word, he stepped towards the table on the left side of Cleo's bed, then put the bowl haphazardly and turned to walk towards the door.
After Darren's death, Cleo's legs were immediately pulled to be bent on the bed, then his body was upheld and his back was slightly bent while Cleo's face was face down on the surface of the bed, laughing out loud there. He laughed for a long time before the sound of the door opened distracted him. Cleo raised her face, tilted his head, then turned to the origin of the sound.
"Naomi, what is it?" Cleo asked softly while fully straightening his back.
Naomi bowed his back, saluting calmly.
"Young Master, you must hurry to clean yourself up."
Cleo frowned. "For what? Where am I going?"
"Mr. Darren is about to take you to see Miss Aurora. That's why you need to clean up after yourself...
Naomi's words suddenly got stuck in her throat as she felt her body pounded hard and a pair of tiny hands as fast as lightning wrapped around her waist. Without needing to look around, she already knew that it was Cleo who was hugging him right now. There was a sincere smile that appeared on Naomi's lips before then pushing Cleo's shoulders slowly, looking at her gently.
"Come, Young Master, prepare to meet your mother."
Those words made Cleo's smile expand a second after his face looked up at Naomi. "Really? Did Dad tell you that?'
"Of course. Is the young master doubting my words?" Asked Naomi, throwing a seductive smile.
Cleo's smile widened, but his eyes narrowed attentively. "Don't call me young master. How many more times do I have to tell you?" He continued then with a sullen face.
Cleo's words made Naomi speechless. For a moment, only for a moment, Naomi was stunned and then commented on another sweet smile on her lips.
"You better get ready. Mr. Darren would be furious if I hadn't carried out his orders." Naomi instantly grabbed Cleo's soft hand, deliberately shifting the subject of their conversation.
With a still sullen face, Cleo obeyed. He stepped lazily as Naomi carried hisself towards the bathroom. He always has a way of avoiding questions. Of course, Cleo already knew that it was Darren who had created the boundaries between himself and the handmaid.
***
"Are you sure we'll be safe if we move tonight?"
Darren spoke expressionlessly but there was a seriousness in his eyes that was immediately read by Anthonio. He indeed couldn't understand Darren because the man had no feelings, but he understood the meaning of Darren's every look. As of this moment, the man did not ask, but ruled.
"I have made sure, sir, as well as with all the risks if we fail." Anthonio said confidently.
Darren raised his eyebrows. "you know me, don't you? I have no tolerance for failure." His gaze turned sharply, drawing into Anthonio's eyes.
"Yes sir, I understand." Anthonio answered with certainty with no hesitation.
Darren nodded his head, looked at Anthonio appraisingly, then gestured to get closer to him.
Anthonio nodded obediently, then stepped closer towards Darren. His head was still lowered, not daring to look at Darren directly.
"Raise your face and listen carefully to my commands." Darren said in a sudden bitter voice that Anthonio immediately agreed to.
Anthonio swallowed his nervousness and tried to close his eyes when faced with those sharp blue eyes. Only this time his heart was pounding hard because of the extreme anxiety, but as hard as he could withstand the excruciating pounding and hid his nervousness in his flat face.
Darren again observed Anthonio from toe to toe before he spoke. "Don't kill them without my permission. Use your brain before your muscles. Bring them to me alive and then let me decide what to do next."