Raphael Dawson was thrilled when he was informed that Adrian had arrived. He was in the process of rushing off to Adrian's room to get him ready for the wine treading festival but Mina's voice stopped him on his track.
"He has gone to briefly see your grandpa," Mina said in a slightly raised tone.
"Thanks, Mina," Raphael replied and rushed downstairs towards the exit.
"Raphael, please stop by the farm and hurry your sister up. I asked her to get some grapes for me but she's taking forever," Mina called after him.
"Okay, Mina," Raphael answered her before he finally left.
Raphael had just walked into the vineyard in search of his sister when he heard her loud screeching voice. So he ran in the direction of the voice but was surprised and thrilled by the sight before him.
His impeccably clean and fussy little sister was lying on the grass fall, covered in grape and dirt stains. While standing beside her was a sinfully curvy damsel that instantly got his heart thumping and pulse racing.
From the lips of some gossiping worker, Raphael overheard that his sister attempted to slap the beautiful lady called, Stella. However, she missed Stella's face and ended up falling.
Raphael watched this sister spit out dirt from her mouth in amusement and watched her prepare for another attack. So he decided to step in for his own benefit.
"Come on Maria, she said she was sorry," Raphael strolled down to where Maria was standing and helped remove some dirt and grape from her body.
Raphael gave the stunned gawking Alfred a signal and Alfred in turn speedily disperse the crowd of workers.
Everyone aside Stella quickly returned to their duty post while Alfred sadly left Stella to her fate. He was unsure of Stella's case now. Having offended two Dawson grandchildren in a space of thirty minutes was sure to make her lose her job.
"Stella must have woken up from the wrong side of the bed this morning. She seems to be attracting trouble from the four cardinal points," Alfred mused incoherently as he returned to his duty.
Stella on the other hand was thankful for the swift intervention of the young handsome man, who had a striking resemblance to the ill-mannered brat before her.
"Raphael, a low-life, smelling pig farm girl..." Maria pointed at Stella in disgust, "...humiliates your sister and all you could do is try to defend her? I should have known never to expect anything tangible from a ..."
"Enough, Maria!" Raphael boomed angrily. He was worried that Maria's name-calling could ruin his chance of winning the company of the beautiful lady. "I won't have you insulting me because I simply came to your rescue."
"Fine!" Maria yelled into his face and forcefully freed herself from his hold. Then she turned in the direction of Stella and said between gritted teeth. "You haven't heard the last of me. I will make sure you regret ever working here for this insult." She hissed loudly and angrily walked away.
"Thank you, sir," Stella curtsied in appreciation.
"It was nothing. My sister could be a drama queen at times," Raphael smiled. "Also you don't have to address me as, sir. Just call me Raphael."
Stella felt a bit awkward standing close to a Dawson, but she decided to relax and address him the way he wanted.
"Okay, Raphael," Stella managed a brief smile. "Thank you so much for coming to my aid. I'm really sorry for accidentally bumping into your sister. The truth is that I didn't see her coming when we both collided."
"You don't need to explain to me...umm..."
"Stella, I'm Stella Peterson."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Stella. I am Raphael Dawson and I must confess, you are a rare beauty."
"Thank you." Stella masked the disgust in her eyes with a thin smile. She was infuriated by the way Raphael ogling at her breast as if they were freshly baked pastries.
These lustful stares by men weren't new to Stella and she had always found a way to address such men and manage the attention. She knew from a young age that her body was a sweet temptation to the opposite sex and this made her wish she wasn't curvy, busty or attractive.
"Raphael, if you don't mind I'd like to go home and change my clothes," Stella said while brushing off some smeared grapes on her top.
"Ugh! The accident also got your clothes messy and it will take a good wash to remove those things." Raphael took this opportunity to continue to feed his eyes on Stella's ripe, full, and inviting breast. He inwardly fantasize holding and caressing them in his hands while reeling in the immense satisfaction it was giving him.
"You know, my naughty sister didn't get to send the grapes my grandma requested and that would make Mina sad." Raphael picked up the bowl lying on the grass floor.
"Oh no!" Stella's heart sank at the realization of the ugly outcome.
"You don't have to feel bad, dear," Raphael said proudly as the thought of taking Stella home intrigued him. "I have a beautiful idea that would help solve the rift between you and my sister. This would also put a plug on her earlier threat.
"Really! What is the idea?" Stella asked as a ray of hope shone through her dark cloud.
"I think you should pick those grape Mina requested and send it down to the mansion by yourself. You will hand over the grape to Mina and apologize for the delay. By so doing you would win Mina's favor and forgiveness. Also, Mina would put a stop to my sister's threat."
"That's a brilliant idea but I have never been to your mansion and I don't think I'll be allowed to go inside." Stella's forehead furrowed.
"You're forgetting you have me by your side." Raphael side lips curved into a sly grin. "I'm here for you and I will never leave your side."
Stella scoffed inwardly as she read the meaning of his last statement. It felt as though helping her could be related to him settling a debt that would automatically make her his wife. She wanted to address his statement and put him where he belonged but she knew his help was important at the moment.
Hence, she decided to play along to get Mina's forgiveness and ditch him the second she got the chance.
"Thank you, Raphael," Stella gently took the bowl from him while totally avoiding his gaze. "I'll go get the grapes, now."
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Raphael and Stella were just strolling into the mansion premises when they both caught sight of Adrian coming from an adjacent direction.
"Adrian!" Stella's eye's widened like a saucer.
"Cousin!" Raphael beamed happily and ran up to Adrian.
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DISCLAIMER: This novel is written exclusively on the Webnovel platform. The author, Tres_Aguila has no bearing with any other platform. Beware of pirates. Thanks.]
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