"What are you doing there?" Dominic exclaimed, looking shocked when he saw me coming out of Lucca's room. Anyone would think badly of it. Why would I be in someone's room when we weren't even close?
"Lucca told me to take a bath first since Mira was using the bathroom in our room," I explained, secretly sighing. It felt like a boyfriend had caught me and was trying to explain everything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. If I had known, I would've let you use my bathroom first."
"It's okay. Mira actually told me to bathe with her, but I refused. That's why I stayed outside the villa. Then Lucca saw me shivering, so he offered his bathroom."
I could see regret in Dominic's eyes, which I didn't understand. It was just a bathroom, for goodness' sake.
I excused myself since my wet clothes were dripping on the floor. Before closing the door, I asked Dominic to call Lucca and tell him I was done. He nodded and stepped outside. Just in time, Mira had already finished bathing.
"Are you done?" Mira asked.
I nodded and started handwashing my clothes in the sink.
"Where did you bathe?" she asked curiously.
"In Lucca's room," I answered casually, but Mira didn't take it that way.
"You… you went to Lucca's room?" she shouted, then rushed into the bathroom and looked at me through the mirror. I glanced back at her.
"You're overreacting," I said.
"Girl, I am not overreacting. You went to Lucca's bathroom and took a bath there. Are you that close?"
I sighed. Dominic and Mira had the same reaction. I couldn't blame them for thinking that way. Now I was starting to regret accepting Lucca's offer. Maybe I should've just stayed outside and shivered.
"He saw me outside, freezing. Maybe he just pitied me, that's why he offered his bathroom."
"But from what I've heard, Lucca isn't like that."
"Let's not talk about it anymore," I said, trying to change the topic, but she kept insisting.
"What do you think his motive is?" she asked, looking up at the ceiling as if the answer was written there.
I just shook my head at her reaction. If she only knew that Lucca had been to my house before, she would definitely read too much into it again.
I let Mira talk while I pretended to listen. In truth, my mind drifted back to my grandma. I felt like crying, like I needed to let everything out.
After I finished washing my clothes, Dominic called us for dinner.
The waiter served spicy pork ribs, coconut milk crab, sautéed soy sauce squid, seafood pizza, and chili-garlic oil pasta. For dessert, there was mango tart and leche flan. Everything tasted amazing, I couldn't even think of anything negative to say.
I was probably the only one eating like an ordinary person. The others looked so refined while eating, while I couldn't pretend to be someone I wasn't.
"You seem to be enjoying dinner," Dominic said while munching on his pizza.
I smiled. "Yeah. Everything is delicious," I said as I continued eating my pasta. I wanted to savor every bite. I didn't know when I'd get to eat something like this again. I couldn't even afford this kind of food.
When dessert was served, I took both mango tart and leche flan. The moment I tasted them, it felt like an explosion of flavor. It was so good that I momentarily forgot my sadness. Still, being an introvert, I kept my thoughts to myself.
"Let's drink some wine," Dominic suggested.
I was too full and wanted some fresh air instead. I refused and stood up.
"I'll go with you," Mira said. I raised my eyebrows. It was her chance to spend time with her crush, so why come with me?
"Don't you want to drink wine?" I asked as we walked by the seaside.
"I can do that anytime," she replied.
"The wine looks expensive," I said.
"I can afford it," she answered casually.
"Why did you choose to walk instead of drinking wine?" Mira asked.
I shrugged as we continued walking. "I just want to feel the cold air. And I'm really full."
"You ate a lot," Mira chuckled.
"Was it that obvious?" I asked, not even feeling embarrassed.
"Very," she laughed.
"Well, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I won't be able to eat like that when we go back home."
"You know I can treat you anytime if you want," Mira offered.
I shook my head. "No. I didn't accept your friendship just to take advantage of you."
Mira smiled. "That's exactly why I like you. You don't take advantage of people."
"Why would I? I've already suffered so much. If karma hits me, I don't think I'd be able to handle it," I said, my tone turning serious.
I didn't know why, but out of nowhere, the feelings from earlier came back. The what-ifs in my mind started bothering me again. I tried to push them away and focused on walking along the seaside.
We walked for about fifteen minutes before deciding to head back near the villa. The three boys were there, drinking wine. I told Mira to go join them because I wanted to stay by the shore for a while.
"I told you, I'll stay with you. Why do you keep pushing me to go to them?" Mira frowned.
"Because I don't want you to stay here with me. Look, your crush is there. You should spend time with him."
"I can spend time with him whenever I want," she said confidently.
I rolled my eyes, and she just laughed.
"I stayed because I don't want you to be sad," Mira said softly. We were both sitting on a large rock by the sea.
"I don't know… I just keep thinking about my grandma while doing all of this. What if she hadn't died? Maybe she would've experienced what I'm experiencing right now."
Sadness slowly crept into my chest. My eyes began to sting as tears formed.
Mira held my hand and listened quietly.
"I've been carrying this for three years since she died. I already accepted that my parents didn't love me. But the one person who loved me unconditionally… she left me too."
My voice trembled. "It's hard to live like this every day. Every place I go, every food I eat, every experience I have, I always think, what if Grandma were here? Maybe we'd both be happy."
Tears started streaming down my cheeks. Mira tightened her grip on my hand, silently comforting me.
"I never opened up to anyone because I'm afraid they might judge me. My life has always been chaotic. It never gets better. I'm a mess… and it only got worse when Grandma died."
I looked at the black ring on my finger. The one she gave me before she passed away.
"That ring holds memories of your grandma, right?" Mira asked gently.
I nodded.
"I promised her before she died that I would keep this ring no matter what happens. It was important to her… and I have to protect it."
****
Lucca's POV
After taking a bath, I decided to go to the seaside to breathe in the salty air. I also wanted to be alone and to think of a plan on how I could get the ring I needed. I didn't join Damian and Dominic in drinking wine after dinner, which shocked them because they knew how much I love wine and alcohol, especially during chaotic times.
"That ring holds memories of your grandma, right?"
I stopped walking when I heard a woman's voice. I couldn't clearly see who it was because it was dark.
"I promised her before she died that I would keep this ring no matter what happens. It was important to her, and I have to protect it."
Another voice spoke; this time, it sounded familiar.
The two women were talking about the ring… the ring that could give me eternal life.
I heard Seraphina sobbing. I couldn't see her tears, but the way she spoke made it obvious.
"I'm sorry if I'm showing you my weak side," Seraphina said.
I stayed where I was, not too close, but not too far either, just enough so they wouldn't notice me.
"I like seeing your weak side. It makes me feel like you need someone to lean on."
"Lucca?"
I froze when I heard my name.
I turned and saw Dominic standing behind me, looking confused as to why I was just standing there. Before the girls could notice us, I immediately walked away and went back inside the villa. Dominic followed me, clearly full of questions.
"What were you doing there?" Dominic asked.
I sat beside Damian, who had just finished bathing and was sitting comfortably on the sofa in the living room.
"I need a drink," I said, trying to ignore Dominic's question.
"You're avoiding me, Lucca," Dominic said as he sat beside me.
I sighed. He wouldn't stop until he got an answer.
"I heard Seraphina and Mira talking," I said casually, as if it didn't matter. But deep inside, I was uneasy about what I had heard.
"What were they talking about?" Dominic asked.
"It was about the ring," I answered.
"What about it?" Damian turned to me.
"She won't let go of it. It's a precious memory from her grandmother," I said, leaning back against the sofa. The thought alone stressed me out.
"Oh no," Dominic muttered. "She treasures that ring because it was given by her grandma."
"Can't I just tell her the truth? That it didn't originally belong to her grandma, that it should be returned to its real owner?" I said, my voice rising in frustration. If I could take it by force, I would have done it already.
"And then what?" Dominic countered. "You'll tell her you have powers and that the ring can give you eternal life?"
"So what? I can tell her everything in exchange for the ring," I replied without hesitation. My only goal was to get the ring and live.
"And then what?" Dominic pressed. "They'll think we're crazy. They're ordinary people, Lucca. They won't understand who we really are."
"Fuck that reason!" I snapped, standing up. They were getting on my nerves. I agreed to this trip because I thought I'd have a chance to get the ring, but instead, I ended up hearing Seraphina's story.
"Will you calm down? We can think of another way without revealing ourselves," Dominic said.
"Have you thought about making her fall for you so she'd willingly give you the ring?" Damian added.
That had actually been my initial plan, Master's suggestion. But I was getting impatient. I had tried, but it didn't feel like progress. She had already rejected me once. How was I supposed to move forward?
"You need to be patient, Lucca. Didn't you come to me for help? Then you should follow my lead."
I frowned and let out a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Fine. I'd try harder… even if every part of me was itching to take that damn ring by force.
"Make her fall so deeply that she won't be able to refuse you," Damian said.
***
Seraphina's POV
After getting emotional by the seaside with Mira, we decided to head back to the villa since we were starting to feel cold. Even though we were wearing thick pajamas, it didn't help much.
As we entered, we saw the boys gathered in the living room. All eyes turned to us the moment we stepped inside.
"What are you guys doing here?" Mira asked casually, not the least bit uncomfortable.
Just by the way they were looking at us, I already felt like escaping.
"Let's drink," Dominic offered. "I'll get some chips too." He headed to the kitchen and came back with chips and wine.
"Come on, Sera. Let's drink," Mira said, pulling me along.
"You know I don't drink," I whispered, trying to pull my arm away, but she didn't let go.
"It's just wine. It won't make you drunk," she assured me.
We all sat on the floor around a low table that was already filled with bottles of wine and bags of chips. Dominic opened the chips and started pouring wine into our glasses. I wanted to refuse, but I was already there, I couldn't escape anymore.
He poured mine last and smiled at me, as if assuring me it would taste good.
"Cheers?" Dominic said, raising his glass.
I followed and raised mine, too. They all drank immediately, while I hesitated for a moment. Then I gave in.
I slowly brought the glass to my lips and took a small sip. I let the taste settle first… then took another. Before I knew it, I was drinking it like water.
It tasted so good. I couldn't even compare it to beer.
"You like it?" Dominic asked, smiling.
I nodded, and he poured more into my glass. I couldn't even hide how amazed I was. Everything about this felt new to me. An experience I had never had before.
I grabbed some chips and ate, then finished my glass in one go. Mira looked surprised but didn't say anything.
I lost track of how many glasses I had already drunk. I felt sleepy, but I didn't want to stop. The taste was addictive.
"Another," I said, not noticing their eyes on me.
Dominic poured more wine, and I drank it immediately. I still believed Mira when she said it wouldn't make me drunk. I didn't even realize my face had turned red.
"I really like this wine. It tastes so good," I said, trying to look at them, but their faces were already blurry. I shook my head.
"I'm so sleepy now. I want to sleep," Mira said.
"Aren't we enjoying the night?" I asked, frowning.
Mira bit her lower lip, looking a bit guilty.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Let's go to our room. We can do this again tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow? I like it now. It tastes so good. How much is this? Where did you buy it?" I asked Dominic, not realizing how talkative I had become.
Dominic looked amused. Damian just watched me with a cold expression, while Lucca remained unreadable as ever.
"Seraphina, Mira's right. You should rest now. It's almost dawn," Dominic said.
"But we just started, right? I'm not sleepy yet," I insisted, frowning.
"We're all tired too," Dominic replied.
Disappointment showed on my face, but no one gave in.
Mira stood up and helped me. I stood as well, but the world suddenly spun. She had said I wouldn't get drunk… and I still believed her.
She held my arm as we made our way to the room. I could barely tell where we were going.
"We're heading in," Mira told the boys.
"Yeah, we're going. But wait…" I suddenly pulled my arm away and tried to focus on Lucca.
"Lucca's handsome… but his temper is like a girl on her period," I blurted out.
Then I turned and walked into our room.