"And to this day, no one knew who that strange man was that went inside the Luna house to attack the young mother. The sheriff assured her that whoever it was might have been a past visitor to our rental house before and had somehow become obsessed with me. We gave them the records we had of our guests and those I identified as 'unusual' could not be found anymore. So, they gave up the search. Meanwhile, the mom would focus on bringing up her other children and just forget about the past. They are now happy with each other after selling the other villa, and they are living happily ever after in the bigger house to this day..."
"The end." the littlest girl said with a huge grin while clapping her hands.
Everyone else near her started cheering and clapping their hands, too... except for a certain person who was also close enough to hear Diwa's story...
He didn't exactly hear the whole tale, but he did recognize it; so he hurried back into the woods and hoped he wasn't noticed.
Someone did, apparently, and he chose to just memorize the intruder's scent instead of scaring the children and Di by exposing the stranger's presence.
"I'll find you sooner or later... I know for a fact you don't smell like the mad one so I'll let you go for now. Just don't decide to come back anytime soon since I plan to stay here for a good, long while," Eron thought to himself.
Max was now very busy listening to his spy, who had a lot to tell him about whatever was going on in the young widow's home. And he wasn't happy about it at all…
Well, he was happy about one part of the report…
But he didn't dare tell the spy about it.
As a matter of fact, this mad one was a man who was used to keeping deep, dark secrets even if he still demanded the attention and assistance of those who believed in him. For him, he preferred to stick to choices that would benefit him the most.
This has been his personal principle ever since the time he lost his faith in humanity due to an incident that changed his life.
And it's an incident he never wanted to talk about… or even admit that it happened.
Ultimately, that was really the problem with how he thought. Max never wanted to be wrong because he truly believed that he was always in the right. Those who insisted that he was wrong were either close-minded, narrow-minded, or were just damn fools.
"And yeah… they were talking about the time Diwa got attacked and almost raped back then before her husband and baby died of the killer fever. And I think City Boy Charmer has agreed to be a boarder at her house, but I'm not sure yet."
"Then make sure, damn it! Let me know if it's true before you get back to me. And if I don't answer your call, then I'm busy and will get back to you later. Got it?"
"Sure thing, Max, just as long as you fulfill your promise to me, ok? That you'll get me a job at the lumberyard?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that when you're on a mission, don't say my name out loud!" the logger team leader snapped back. "And of course, you can always count on me. I always do what I say."
Max's thoughts: Well, only when it benefits me though…
"Ok, later dude. Since they're just sitting there after the storytelling and not talking much I'll stay at a distance and update you when something happens."
"Alright, over and out…"
The angry lumberman then went into his tent to get a few items together. He then went back to the open area in front of the lumberyard offices, ignoring the other men who greeted him and then set to work on his new "mission" while his co-workers curiously observed what he was doing.
"Uhhh Max, why are you measuring the ground from your sawmill to that piece of wood stuck to the wall?" one of the other team leaders asked upon approaching the busy logger.
"Just taking measurements and pictures of what happened for documentation purposes. That's what Jack and I talked about when I went inside the office. He wanted me\ to try and find out what happened so we could avoid similar accidents in the future. I suggested the idea, of course…"
"And that's an awesome idea, bro! Keep it up. I'll keep the others away from you so you can work in peace."
"Thanks dude, I really do appreciate that," answered Max with his own version of a charming smile while he stretched his construction-grade self-retracting measuring tape on the ground.
"Anytime, bro!" his co-worker said then turned around to face the other people in the area. "HEY! Nobody bothers Max, ok? He's doing some important stuff…"
The vengeful male smirked to himself as he continued to measure and write on his small notepad. These guys would really believe anything he says…
Well, except for Jack and that only happened when Eron arrived. He really needed to do something about that damn cocky bastard, and fast!
And now that he's completed his task, he now knew for sure that this fucking newcomer did have something to hide. With just a few more incidents like this, Max was ure he would be able to find out what this suck-up scumbag's secret was.
He just had to make sure that more of these "accidents" would happen in the future, and next time he would be a lot more careful.
"Well Eron, all is fair in love and war, so you better be prepared…"
+++
"Wow, that is… quite a story," Eron sighed, since he was having a hard time not showing how his feelings of concern and protectiveness were about to go wild and spill all over the place.
But of course, he couldn't do that right now in front of his new landlady and the three kids who have welcomed him so warmly. They didn't need to be worried about him being worried.
But somehow, Di felt him hiding his emotions again. "Yes, it is quite a tale. I'm hoping it wasn't too heavy for you. After all, you city boys are quite used to such tales of tragedy and violence, right?"
"Well, I'm used to such things but still… thank you for sharing this with me, Miss Diwa… and I'm… very sorry for your losses…"
His long pauses were proof of how hard it was for him to find out about the many things that this small, broken family had to go through. The children, losing their mother and father, and the attractive widow - who was making his mind go wild - losing her beloved, only child, and the apparently careless husband.
Definitely, He now HAD to take care of them and secretly vowed to do so.
As his eyes blazed with hidden fire, his thoughts were giving way to a secret oath that he was stating to himself alone, "I know you lost so much, and maybe I can't fill any of those empty places that your loved ones left, but at least nobody is entering this house again to threaten any of you… not when I'm around. Not the kids, and certainly not you, Miss Di. Over my dead body will any harm be done to any of you."
Eron forced a smile on his lips, so his audience wouldn't notice, and it seemed to work.
"Oh, please don't be so sorry. We've got each other, right? I mean, the kids and I… we've got used to taking care of each other. It should be that the adult takes care of the children, but they are my protectors, and they always give me a reason to keep trying," Diwana said with a soft smile.
Her eyes, full of bittersweet memories, turned towards the kids. They were all still sitting on their chairs, now more quietly by her right side. The three looked grateful, even if a little sad.
"Now that you know, you can be at 'easy' with us, right, Eron?" Katya asked him, smiling.
"At ease, sister, not easy… He's not easy, right, Eron?" Erica smirked, turning to the guy who was now part of the household, who was lightly blushing due to her sister's statement and her own question.
"I uh… Oh! Miss Diwa, would you mind if I go back to my camp and get my things to move in?" Eron swiftly said as if it was an afterthought, which was his way of avoiding the eldest girl's query. "I really hope it's no inconvenience if I move in right away."
Of course, Erica noticed and she was now flashing a mischievous toothy grin.
"And Katya, I was at ease from the moment I met you all," Eron finished his statement with a wink and an honest smile for the youngest sister. "And I hope you will be more at ease now that I will live in the same house where you all are staying."
Katya smiled back at him, widely but shyly. She then looked down, pulled up her knees to her chin and curled up into a giggling ball of sweetness on her chair.
"Easy," Erica murmured to herself after seeing The Charmer charming her little sister into this soft happy mess. "Maybe Katya is right, and easy is the word best to describe him," she thought, still smiling widely.
"I think we will be and you transferring ASAP is not a problem at all!" Diwa said quickly, just before he changed his mind; and before the kids said anything else that could make him uncomfortable. "And if you need some help, I'd be pleased… er… happy to help you."
Meanwhile, at the thought of the muscular, handsome newbie transferring to the room next door, Di was suddenly having conflicting feelings…
Her thoughts: I can't wait to have you next door, Eron, and maybe this is very wrong, but… Oh goodness, I really hope he can't hear any noises coming from my room! No no, I'll have to behave… be good, Diwana… be good!
And, on cue, her mind raced through a storm of images that included Eron going in and out of his new room right beside hers with fewer and fewer clothes on each time. Finally, it ended with him entering HER room, pretty much naked.
"Ok, Diwana, just stop it! STOP IT!" she yelled inside her head in exasperation.
While her imagination was heating up, suddenly Eron could smell how wild she was getting, and with it, he was also feeling himself getting hard.
"I must be going crazy… what is she thinking, right here and now, that she's feeling all this… might she be in heat? No, that can't be it… I mean, I'm really just sitting here by her side and we've been here for a while… Then, why? Oh goddess, as if that mattered… Now I'm getting hard in front of the kids! HELP!!!" Eron thought in panic as his jeans started to stretch above his growing manhood.
This was one secret he didn't want anyone finding out: his lusting for Diwana. And it's under threat of being exposed.
Literally…
"Are you sure, Miss Diwa? I don't want to make you come with me… I mean GO with me then back again, and it's not exactly nearby. I mean, I appreciate your offer very much, but I don't want to keep bothering you," he said, uncomfortably shifting in his chair while pulling his leather jacket into place, trying to find the right position to keep his "secret" without making everybody notice what he was hiding.
"Not at all, Eron. I'd be happy to help you. Meanwhile, the kids can help you by cleaning the room you've chosen so it's ready when we come… get back here, right kids? And I usually like… well, to be honest, I USED to like… well… before, I spent a lot of time in the forest, walking and exploring… My late husband showed me some interesting places, and I fell in love with the peace and quiet. Until recently though, I started feeling something off over there… it's weird but yeah, anyway… I'll be glad to help, it's not a bother at all."
Diwana ended up smiling, to hide her discomfort. The memory of what she had been feeling when she went to her "secret" space in the forest was now troubling her. Although, she did remember the recent feeling of safety she had back there, too. It was still something that was provoking her thoughts even if she wasn't scared of it.
"You heard that, kids? We have a mission now, so let's go get Eron's room ready," Erica stated with conviction and a small spark in her eyes, remembering that the newcomer's rental was right beside their surrogate mother's room.
At the back of her mind, this same line of thought continued…
If you hurt her, we'll kill you, but for now, you're ok," Erica thought, looking at the gorgeous hunk sitting among them, and the way that he looked at Diwa. "Good taste, mama. This one is better than Mason, in every way… or at least, he looks like it.
Erica was still smiling as she looked at her brother and sister, determined to get them moving so the adults could be on their way.
"I don't like swiping! Can I do dusting? Or something else? Maybe clean the windows or something," Katya whined.
"Nobody likes sweeping, not swiping, Katya," Macky corrected, as he got up and gently pushed his little sister out of her chair so they could go after Erica, who was now up and walking towards the front door. "Nice try little sis, but we're deciding to use rock paper scissors, like always."
"But I always lose!" Katya said, as she whimpered and stomped while her two older siblings shared a slightly mischievous smirk.
"That's not true, sis, but anyway, even if it was, it's just luck," Erica said, her voice, unsuccessfully trying to mask her chuckle.