Cassie's POV
Cassie's heart was racing inside her chest with every step she took up the cemented porch staircase.
She entered the house and saw two men sitting comfortably on the long sofa: one sipping tea and the other drinking beer. The two rose from the couch, then bowed at her.
She was dazed by what was happening. She then noticed a tall man coming down from the villa's second floor.
"Who are you? All of you? Where is Aunt Lydia?" She demands an answer.
She began shivering, fearing these men had maybe done something to her Aunt and Mimie. Are they locked up in one room upstairs? Tied down and covered their mouth? Her thoughts.
"Sit down," the guy ordered her.
Cassie blinked her eyes, staring curiously at him for a moment, but then she could feel her knees weaken the way he was looking at her with intent. Hesitant, she obediently took the closest couch and clasped her palm on her lap.
Wild thoughts are running through her head. Are they going to murder us? Or maybe they will do—?
Cassie began panicking as all the crazy imaginings in her head took over. The man, it looks like, stands as the boss sits across from her. He seems very serious. The way he stared at her was like devouring her whole being. Sweat is rushing her body; she feels tense. She also often glances at the two men behind him.
They may gaze blankly at her, but they cannot ignore their presence.
* * *
SHUN's POV
Shun takes a stroll inside the villa. He opens every room he finds and checks it out. His mouth twitches after opening a vast space that shows luxury in every corner; the other room is full of unnecessary stuff scattered around.
The last room in that corner has a simple paint tone. The size is ordinary, but it was well taken care of, cleaned, and gave off positive vibes. He gasped in awe after roaming inside.
He opens the sliding door on that small veranda. The ocean looks so blue now, past noon. He inhales the sea breeze; the salty air is pleasant and refreshing.
Shun saw a family photo in an antique dresser, picked it up, and looked closer. In the middle of the couple, the thirteen-year-old boy smiles lovingly as he carries a baby girl, and the family seems thrilled.
He felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket. Shun takes it out, then answers.
"Boss, she's here," informed one of his men outside.
"Okay," he responded and then turned off his phone. He let his eyes wander the room again before going outside.
Shun observes her entering the house and notices how tense she is. When their eyes meet, she asks questions.
"You have nothing to worry about," he replied, calming her. "Your aunt and her daughter are now gone."
"They're dead already?"
The young girl reacted hysterically, so he held himself back from laughing, and she amused him.
Rudolf and Daichi glance at each other and hold back from laughing. "Ahem!"
"Cassie, gladly, you are here. Welcome back!" Ling greeted her.
"Auntie Ling!" Cassie burst out happily.
Relief showed over her face as she asked, "Your daughter gave birth yesterday. So why are you here?"
"Yes, she is a healthy baby boy!" the middle-aged woman smiled. She looks proud and happy. "But your Aunt Lydia called me this morning. A visitor is coming, so she wants me to prepare the food."
Listening to their conversation, Shun makes a long sip of the tea the woman offers him.
"I have important things to discuss with you, so I wanted you to listen carefully," he told her.
"First, I— or we did not kill your step-mom as what your imagination runs."
"What?" Ling laughed. "I wanted that to happen!"
"Auntie Ling?" Cassie knew her step-mom wasn't treated well by her, but she didn't think any worse of her.
"Okay, it's none of my business, so I am returning to the kitchen. I'll get you some refreshment, Cassie." The woman left the living room, leaving them to talk privately.
"What is going on here?" she asks one more time.
"All right, I'll make it all straight. I already bought all your properties."
Shocked by the news, Cassie stood up from the couch. "And who allows you to do that? Even if I am just 17, no one may sell my family's property!"
Shun glances at Rudolf and nods at him. Rudolf then placed five folders on the coffee table. "These are the documents of countless mortgages and big loans to different banks. As for the collateral, all the lands, including this house owned by the banks, and my boss just bought them today."
Still in shock, moreover, she can't believe it all.
"Did you know that this is all your aunt Lydia's doing? She could draft legal documents and handle transactions. Your uncle Martin, your adopted father, approved most of the documents." Shun even took another bomb in front of her.
How could his uncle do this to her? Is this why her uncle keeps asking for forgiveness until his last breath? He knew how much it meant to her because it was precious to her, full of memories of her parents.
That land her parents gave their lives to plant those trees. She grew up witnessing how happy they were taking care of those lands. It is now a man-made forest, with most fruit trees producing abundant fruit.
Shun did not stop her when Cassie suddenly ran upstairs.
"Oh, what happened?" asked Ling, carrying a tray of. Shereshments. "Did Cassie know already?"
"I will talk to her," Ling volunteered.
"It's alright, ma'am. She'll come down to ask more questions later," Shun halted the middle-aged woman.
"All right, lunch is almost done cooking. I'll finish preparing them, and this house has many bedrooms. Just choose which room you all want to stay in," she offers.
"Oh, I forgot," Ling slapped her forehead. "You are the house owner now, Mister Shun," she chuckles. "Let me know which rooms you want, sir, and I will clean them for you."
"It's okay, ma'am; preparing our food is a big help. We can take care of ourselves," Shun told the woman. Daichi gestured and saluted her. Rudolf bows.
"If you say so, I will not insist," the woman smiled warmly. "Call me Auntie Ling. My husband will arrive soon. Just tell him if you need anything."
The three men nodded and felt warm, like a mother.