While they were inside Lincoln's car, she was speechless. Lorelei felt suffocated inside his car, and she didn't like it at all. She did need to get away from this man. He was too much for her peace of mind.
When he stopped the car in front of her flower shop, she quickly gets opened the door but it was locked.
"Open the door, brother." She said seriously as she tried to open it. "I'm needed at the Shop."
"Have lunch with me later."
Her lips parted as she turned to Lincoln. "W-what did you say?" Maybe she misheard him.
"Have lunch with me later." Again, he said while looking at her deeply.
She laughed and shook her head. "You're sleep deprived." She rolled her eyes. "My answer is no."
"I don't take no for an answer, Lorelei. You know that." He unlocked the door for her. "I'll pick you up later. And call me Lincoln."
She squinted at him and then hurriedly got out of his car.
She was about to enter her Flower Shop when she heard her name.
"Lorelei."
She stopped walking and looked at Lincoln, who was sticking his head out of the car window.
"I'll be staying in the house for two weeks." He informed her. "Get used to being with me all the time."
Her lips parted. "N-no..."
Before she could argue with him, the young man had left her, and she was left staring at the road.
No way! No way! That man was not staying in the house!
'Can you stop him?' Her mind asked. 'You're just stuck in that house.'
She wanted to adjust herself to the extreme frustration she felt. That man would ruin her not-so-peaceful life. She could feel it and she knew she wasn't wrong. He and his mother would definitely work together.
Unconsciously, she grabbed her wedding ring.
'Lennox... I miss you.'
Her heart clenched in sadness. If only Lennox was here, her life wouldn't be painful, and his family wouldn't be bothering her. Lennox always protected her against his family.
Why did he leave her alone so early?
"I thought there was nothing left." She whispered in the wind. "Why did you leave me?"
Her eyes watered, and tears were about to fall, so she looked up and blinked. Nothing would change even if she cried. Her life had been ruined.
….
Lunchtime came, and Lorelei found herself sitting across Lincoln at the table for two in Starka Restaurant. He would really take no for an answer. And she was really pissed.
"Why do you stay at house?" She couldn't stop asking when their food was ready to be served.
Lincoln sipped his champagne and then stared at her. "Why? Does my presence in the house bother you?"
She looked up at him. "Yes. Didn't I tell you before that I don't want you in the house? And you agreed and promised that you won't stay in the house for more than an hour."
She didn't want another one to hurt her emotionally. The pain that his parents were making her feel was too much.
The corner of his lips rose. "Then I'm breaking my promise for two weeks."
She gritted her teeth. "Why don't you go to a hotel? I'm sure you can afford even the most expensive ones."
"I don't want to."
"And why?"
"Mom will be surprised."
"She wasn't surprised then. Then you're used to staying at hotels all the time."
"None of your business."
"It. Is. My. Business."
He smirked. "How so?"
"You're staying in the house, damn it." She said, annoyed.
His eyebrows rose. "It's also my house, remember? That's the ancestral house of Lennox and my parents, you're just living there. So, you have no right to evict me from that house."
This cuts deep.
Her jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. "In that case, I'll take care of the hotel for the two weeks when you're at house."
Lincoln blew a loud breath. "Come on, Lorelei, what's the big deal? That's a huge house, you can't see me."
She scoffed. "Are you really kidding me, Lincoln?" She didn't call him brother anymore because she was angry. "You are the type of person who lacks attention. And it is your hobby to pester me so I'm sure I will always see your shitty face even when I don't want to."
He chuckled and playfully tapped his chin. "You become prettier when you're angry."
She glared at him. "Stupid."
He just grinned and winked at her. "I'm still staying in that house and so are you."
"I'm going to book a hotel…"
"Try me, Lorelei." His voice had a warning, "You don't want to make me angry."
If she had a deadly look, it was gone. "Fuck you."
"Thank you." He grinned. "I'll take that as a yes." He gestured to the food that had cooled due to their argument. "Eat up, Lorelei. I know you didn't have breakfast."
She didn't budge. She kept on glaring at him.
Lincoln sighed, picked up her spoon, and took a spoonful of food from her plate. Then he put the spoon in her mouth.
"Eat up, Lorelei. I did promise my brother I'll take care of you." He said with a silly smile on his lips.
She stood up and left him on the table, then entered the restroom. She needs to calm herself. She might choke Lincoln in no time.
Her hand automatically seeks her wedding ring to calm herself. And it worked right away. When Lennox came to her mind, she calmed down.
She looked at herself in the mirror and saw a woman who was struggling to fight against the loss of her husband and the bad treatment of her family. Three years after Lennox's left her, the time they shared and the pain of losing him were still fresh in her mind.
She cooled herself down and took a deep breath before exiting the restroom. When she was approaching her table with Lincoln, she stopped walking when she saw that Lincoln was talking to a beautiful woman. And the bodies of the two of them were very close to each other.
And since she was close to them, she couldn't help but hear what they were talking about.
"I miss you, Lincoln." That girl said. "I hope you invite me soon."
The young man smiled. "I'm sorry, Amber, that's not my call."
The woman frowned. "I want to be with you again. It's been a long time."
She snorted as the fake smile on Lincoln's lips didn't disappear. Poor girl. Just playing with the blown one.
She was so annoyed. She didn't come back to their table. She continued to leave the restaurant.
Thirty minutes had not passed since Lorelei returned to her flower shop when the door of her small office opened, and Lincoln entered. She thought he would be angry, but the emotion on his face was the opposite.
He placed a paper bag on top of her desk. "You haven't had breakfast and lunch yet." He sat in the visitor's chair, "That was rude of you, by the way."
She didn't say a word and just continued doing her work.
"Lorelei, I'm talking to you." His voice was emphatic.
She wanted to torture the young man, but she stopped herself.
She looked at Lincoln. "What do you need from me?" She asked in a cold voice. "I'm pretty sure that you can do whatever business you have to do here without pestering me. Why are you in front of me now?"
"Because you need to eat?" This was a questionable answer.
She gave him a bad look. "Maybe there's poison in it, I'll die. No thanks."
"Eat that." He stood up and walked away. "I'm leaving."
She breathed a sigh of relief when he left her office. And then her eyes fell on the paper bag. She quickly opened it, and her eyes widened when she saw its contents. The food she didn't eat at Starka Restaurant
That man was confusing at times.
AFTER Lorelei closed the flower shop, she went straight to the Love Cafe, where she and her best friend Gwen would meet.
She was already there waiting for her.
"Sorry, Lorelei, I ordered you." Gwen said to her as she sat down. "It's been a while."
"It's okay." She sat up and looked at the food on their table.
Her face crumpled when she saw the container of Carbonara inside it. It was placed on a heart-shaped plate.
"Why do you like this Cafe so much?" Her face could not be painted.
Gwen's hand quickly flicked and pulled the hair that was hanging on her arm. "Because they're funny. They're also food containers, heart-shaped, and nothing lasts forever. Nonsense. It's good to read."
"Don't affect this Cafe by being free." She said, laughing.
Gwen just rolled her eyes. "I've been a loyal customer of this Café for two years, but their dishes are still heart-shaped."
Lorelei chuckled softly. "You really are."
Gwen just shrugged. "Anyway, why did you meet me today? Did something happen?"
Gwen knew her too well.
She drew a deep breath. "Lincoln is in the city, and he will stay at home for two weeks."
She was dropped. "Damn. How are you? Are you okay? That whole family must be working with you just to get out of their house."
"That's what I'm thinking. Except that I don't have a house to move to right away, I don't want to leave that house. Lennox and I made memories in that house and I'm not yet ready to let go and move on." She took a deep breath. "But do I have a choice? It's their parents' house. They have more rights than me. I'm just living there."
Her friend looked up into the air. "That's not a problem, go to a hotel while he's at home."
"It's not that easy," her shoulders slumped, "He warned me not to stay in a hotel while he's staying in the house. I think that guy wants to torture me too. I don't know what trip he's on I'm alive but I don't want trouble."
Her friend once again looked up into the air. "Oh, then? You're going to afraid of him?" This was a mocking question. "When did you ever let Lincoln Del Piero frighten you?"
Lorelei was speechless. This was right. Would she let Lincoln frighten her even now?
"I'm not afraid of him." She said as she casually scrambled the invitation she received yesterday at the Shop. "He can't stop me from leaving the house."
"That's my best friend." She stood up to hug her. "Don't deliberately take oppress from your husband's parents, that's bad for your health. I know why you can't leave that house even if they talk bad about you. As long as you need something, just call me, okay?"
"I will." She smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for always being there for me."
"You too."
Gwen returned to her seat then they started eating what she had ordered. After that, she and Gwen even went for a walk.
It was NIGHT when Lorelei got home. And just as she suspected, Lincoln was in the living room, and it looked like he was planning to ruin her night. It's good that his mother was not there to add to the ruin of her night.
"It's late." He immediately said that, and she was annoyed.
"I am with my friend." She refrained from scolding him.
"Oh, really?" There was doubt in his voice.
She angrily squinted at him. "I thought I wouldn't feel your presence while you were here? What is it?"
"You might be with someone else." There was still doubt in his voice.
"What are you implying?" She asked bluntly. "That I'm with another man?" Her jaw was throbbing with anger.
"Probably."
She laughed wildly, and her sharp eyes gave him an evil look. "I love my husband. And you have no right to question that." After saying that, she went up the stairs and went to her room.
Lorelei automatically seeks her wedding ring to calm her down.
She carefully took a deep breath and let it out carefully. Then she sat on the edge of her bed.
Lorelei opened her bag and took out the invitation.
The Forbidden Land.
To escape the presence of Lincoln Del Piero, she would go to the forbidden land. At least, if only temporarily, she could rest. But she would also return... she would return to Lennox. She just needed a little break from the hurtful words she received every day from her husband's family.
.....
LINCOLN groaned at the sound of his phone ringing. Although sleepy, he answered who was calling.
"Lincoln speaking. Who's this?" He asked the person on the other line.
"This is Antonio."
He groaned and pushed himself to get up from the bed. Antonio Matroniano wouldn't call just to say hi.
"Do you need something?" He looked at the watch on the nightstand. "It's just nine and half in the morning, my friend. You are pestering my sleep."
Antonio just chuckled at his complaints. "Lorelei Del Piero. Does that name ring a bell?"
He stopped and his eyebrows met. "Why are you asking?"
"Because..." Antonio drawls, "she just signed an agreement that whatever happens in the Forbidden Land, stays in the land."
'Fuck!' "No, she didn't..."
"Yeah, she did. Just now actually."
He clenched his fist. "What is that woman thinking? She said she was not interested to come." That was her answer when he asked her about the Forbidden Land.
Antonio clucked his tongue. "Looks like she changed her mind. She's off to the Forbidden Land as we speak."
"Fuck."
"Yeah."
"I will kill her for lying to me."
The other person laughed. "You better get to her first, before the wolves feast on her. No one will force her to do what she doesn't want to do, but you know the members of the Forbidden Land, they won't stop until they get what they want."
His mood darkened. "If they touch any part of Lorelei's body. I will shoot them. Mark my word, Antonio."
Antonio gave out a rich and thick laugh. "My friend, who put you in charge of her body? Last time I checked, she was your brother's wife, not yours."
He grimaced in irritation. "Who sent the invitations anyway?"
Antonio was silent for a second. "You."
"I?" He screamed in shock. "How did that happen? I still have my invitation with me and…" he stopped speaking and hurriedly opened the attaché case that he had taken from Cecilio because he had forgotten it and Cecilio gave him that when he was about to leave Forbidden Land. "Fuck!" He cursed loudly when he saw that the invitation card was not inside the attached case.
"What?"
"Cecilio sent the invites using my invitation." His jaw tightened.
Antonio just laughed. "Well, Cecilio has a really fast hand."
He was cursing one after another. "Send the chopper to my building. I'm coming."
"Copy that, my friend."
When the person on the other line disappeared, Lincoln quickly dressed and packed.
That woman! She would pay for not thinking straight and for setting foot on that Forbidden Land!
****
Do not be green, my dear innocent readers. I'm pink now...hehehe.