Generous Curiosity

Huang Household

"Mmmmmmp! Mmmmmp!" Help me! Please! Wake me up! Please!

Hearing the muffled sounds, Aunt Mari hurriedly opened the door and shook the hell out of Jenny. "It's ok, Young Miss. You're awake. You are fine." Feeling the warmth from the other person, Jenny slowly regained all her senses back and took a deep breath enough to fill both of her lungs with air, as if she had just resurfaced after being underwater for a very long time.

She gasped for breath, her hand held tightly on Aunt Mari's sleeves. Aunt Mari tried to ease her worries as she hugged her, then rubbed the back of her head, saying, "I see you are improving with snapping back to your senses, Young Miss." Holding Jenny's shoulders, Aunt Mari pulled back to get a good look at her pitiful face, giving her a faint smile. "You are doing great," she said, cupping Jenny's face with her pruney hands.

Once Aunt Mari left, Jenny pushed her blanket away and sat on a baddha kona pose while staring outside the window — the clear blue sky and blinding sun illuminating her face. She closed her eyes, inhaled and slowly relaxed, chanting "Om Asato Ma Sad Gamaya. Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya. Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"

From the unreal to the Real, lead me.

From darkness to Light, lead me.

From death to Immortality, lead me.

The truth was, every night since the accident, she would get the same dream — Drowning. Searching the sea for the pirate's face. And drowning again. She shook her head, making her mouth produce a gurgling sound. "Swim to survive, Jenny. Swim to survive."

Jenny tidied up her bed as soon as she got up like she always does in the morning. She prepared for the day ahead, and after all the morning rituals, she grabbed the pirate's necklace on her way out of her room — her new lifeline. She danced her way to the long table in the formal dining room where only a set of cutlery could be seen. She could only exhale the disappointment in her heart and quickly sat down to gobble up her food.

"Slow down, tiger! That's not how a lady eats her food," Aunt Mari reprimanded her while filling up her goblet with water. "If you are hungry, do not take it out on your food. You don't want to suffer from indigestion, do you?" With a mouth full of pancakes, Jenny could only nod her head in affirmation at what Aunt Mari said. "Now eat, eat, and eat! A growing lady like you needs a lot of energy. Call me when you need anything, ok?"

Jenny quickly grabbed Aunt Mari's wrist with her right hand and took the napkin with her left hand, softly wiping the corners of her mouth. "Please stay. I don't want to eat alone. You can eat with me if you want." She pleaded with her eyes that were ready to hypnotize anyone who would dare look straight into it. "Hay naku! This young miss. Ok, ok. Aunt Mari will stay. You don't need to offer me food. Looking at you eat is enough to make my stomach feel full," Aunt Mari said, tapping her belly to prove her statement true.

After a while, Lucas strode in like a ninja, silently watching Jenny eat her breakfast. He knocked twice on the door when he saw Jenny drink her milk. "Good morning," he said. Jenny abruptly stood up and dashed to him, hugging him.

Aunt Mari shifted from her seat, still shocked to have witnessed Lucas's demonic side the previous night. She looked at Lucas, who greeted her, "Good morning, Aunt Mari," making her stand up from her seat and take a bow in response. He moved his gaze back to the fairy in his arms and gave her a peck on the cheek.

...

Lucas secured Jenny in her seat, latching the seatbelt for her. She whispered 'thank you', but her eyes wandered far away. "Everything ok?" he curiously asked, feeling the uneasiness with his fairy. "Lucas… do you… do you have any news with the girl on the sketch? I heard they started the marine salvage yesterday."

His fingers were on the keys, ready to start the engine, but her question made him stop, thinking for a second how to address the issue with her. He suddenly remembered what happened after dropping off that s*n of a b*tch yesterday...

Yiu Seaside Villa

A jet black Eurocopter EC135 whirred overhead the villa, drawing the attention of the villa's crew and their new madam inside who cooked up a storm in the kitchen. All the servants loved their new madam and the unusual side of their young master because ever since her arrival, the atmosphere in the villa became lively and welcoming.

Cielo walked out of the villa and caught sight of the two young masters who stylishly hopped out of the helicopter. In her haste, she forgot to remove the oven mitts from her hands. A servant walked closer and whispered with a hand extended, "Madam, your mittens." Cielo snapped out of her reverie and handed the oven mitts to the servant. She welcomed the two young masters and stopped in her tracks when her eyes locked with Lucas. Suddenly, a dull ache echoed in her heart, and a feeling of longingness forced her to run and hug the person.

"Do I know you?" she could not help but ask right away, shocking Stevenson, who has never seen her that curious about someone. The two young masters looked at each other, the guilty one stared at the sky, waiting for heaven's judgment, while the other tilted his head and scratched his temple before denying, "No, I haven't met you."

"Lucas Co," he casually said and did not even bother to extend a hand. He did not want to make contact with this girl who consistently brought trouble to his life. The last thing that he wanted was her causing problems for Jenny too. But he needed her. He needed the evidence she collected if there was any, and he needed her to bring back the balance in his crazy koala's life; yet currently is not the best time to bring her out — not when wolves are tracking her, waiting to devour her alive.

"I'm Cielo. I'm… I'm Stevenson's wife," she sheepishly said and bowed her head to hide her embarrassment. It did not sink in yet to her, and she could not feel any attachment to the guy too. But he was kind and accommodating that she could not help but return the favor.

Lucas covered his mouth with his hand to suppress his evil laugh but ultimately failed to do so.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Two different waves of laughter boomed in the villa: an evil laugh and a nervous laugh.

"Leave us for a bit." Stevenson held the small of Cielo's back and ushered her inside the villa. Lucas's hands were inside his pocket as he leaned backward and inhaled the fresh sea breeze.

"You're in deep shit, brother." Lucas dropped the stinking bomb the moment he heard Stevenson's nearing footsteps.

The two young masters were born in the same year and naturally became playmates and enemies at the same time, yet never crossing the line. They were always civil with each other and treated each other with respect. They didn't want to be enemies to begin with, but the fight for a territory in the Capital made them keep their guard up against each other just in case.

As if not satisfied with the truth bomb he just dropped, Lucas dropped another one, rendering Stevenson paralyzed and defeated — involuntarily raising his white flag. "Since you were honest with me, I'm going to let you in a piece of information too: She saved Jenny from the ferry, and you could use that as leverage on your Aunt Lala," he paused for a while. He studied the reaction of the dumbfounded Stevenson as he processed the information dump then continued, "unless she regains her memory and speaks up."

Stevenson stood still in his spot, the crash of waves in the sea akin to his inner turmoil — calm yet disturbed. He looked at his beauty in the kitchen on the other side of the floor to ceiling window. He asked himself if it was love or generous curiosity and if it was worth it to be in this tight spot. Suddenly, the beauty smiled back at him, entrancing him to her full brown lips that he hasn't kissed yet and her eyes, her big round coffee-colored eyes that formed into a crescent moon. Stevenson smiled back and waved a hand and thought to himself, it is love. It is love at first sight.

Returning from his thoughts, Lucas twisted his body so he could face Jenny and gauge how she would take the news that her savior has been found.

"Ha? What? Is something wrong with my face?"

His fingers tapped on the steering wheel, finally making up his mind. It's not yet the perfect time. He has to find the evidence first, and he has to find it quick. He shook his head, tipped her chin, and planted a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Nothing. You always take my breath away, Jenny Huang."

Edited by Swaning