SPILLED WINE-E

Meanwhile, in the dining table, Mr and Mrs Wagner looked at each other while waiting for Astrid and Ace to join them, so they can start their dinner.

`Dearie, where is Ace? Why is he taking so long?' Mrs Astrid sipped sparkling blood and looked at Abigail.

`Oh, I saw them at the rose garden, fornicating perhaps.' Abigail was blunt with her words.

`Abigail!' Mr Wagner was furious with her careless choice of words. This girl is getting out of hands! Where did their manners fly into?

Abigail was applying lipstick and she accidentally smudged it when her father raised her voice. Hadwin who was sitting opposite of her snorted.

`Don't you dare', she took a napkin to clean her smudge before picking the lipstick to reapply again.

`Abigail!' her father barked again, thinking her daughter was speaking to him.

She jerked in fright and this time the lipstick smeared to her cheeks and she glared at her father.

`Sorry, father. I meant to say it to Hadwin, not you'

Hadwin could not help himself but giggle before having a full-blown laugh, holding his stomach and pointing at his sister's smudged lips.

`That does it!', Abigail stood angrily and pushed her chair before leaning fully on the table and pressing the lipstick on Hadwin's laughing lips and made random lines. Hadwin tried to stop her in between his laughing fit but he failed miserably.

`What in the world are you both doing?' Ace's voice thundered before all eyes fell on him and the girl standing next to him.

Everyone went quiet and Astrid stared at both the siblings, lost for words. She made a small smile and bowed at Mr and Mrs Wagner.

At least she has some sense and manners, both Mr and Mrs Wagner thought.

Abigail straightened herself and wiped the blotches of lipstick on her cheek. Hadwin simply dipped the napkin on the glass of water and rubbed his face vigorously. Ace guided Astrid to sit next to him and pulled the chair for her. She thanked him graciously.

Butler Lionel came into the dining area with appetizers and was surprised to see Astrid sitting in between the Wagner brothers.

Astrid was equally shocked and managed to mouth a small hi towards the butler.

Ace did not miss this action.

`Do you know each other?' Ace took a sip of the truffle mushroom soup and dipped his garlic bread in it. Astrid wasn't familiar with the spoon and fork arrangement but copied Ace. Hadwin on the other handheld the bowl and gulped it down.

`We met at McPhearson'

`Ms Astrid sells Jungle Jones oils and creams, sir'

Both spoke at the same time.

Ace arched his perfect brow towards Astrid and the butler.

`I work at McPhearson and sell Jungle Jones product', she spoke timidly.

`Why double jobs?' she finished her appetizer when Ace shot another question.

`I study part-time at a college'

`Name?'

`Lacroix Business School, end of term before graduation' Astrid answered before he queried further.

`Astrid, I just want to thank you for helping Hadwin', Mrs Wagner looked at Astrid and spoke with warmth.

`It's not a big deal. Anyone in my position would have helped', Astrid smile awkwardly, not being used to be thanked or complimented.

`He narrowly missed his life. I wouldn't help a donkey who does that', Abigail spat glaring daggers at Hadwin. Hadwin ignored her and started cutting into his lamb with mint sauce. He liked lamb.

Astrid looked around and took her napkin to wipe her mouth. She is a vegetarian and she could not imagine eating the lamb. She started tapping her feet silently and stared at her plate. Ace who was halfway into his dinner when he gathered that Astrid was silent. He tilted his head and asked `Don't you like lamb?' Are you allergic to it?'

Everyone turned to look at her as if seeing a ghost. Astrid panicked. She coughed and Ace passed her a glass of water. She gulped and smacked her lips before saying `I'm a vegetarian' she looked down at her plate. She could feel the burning eyes of the vampires and wished the earth could open and gobble her up.

`Why didn't you say so?'

`You never asked…' she trailed too shy to look up.

Ace heaved a sigh and excused himself to the kitchen. He spoke to Butler Lionel to cook linguine pasta, with cream sauce and prepare a pistachio, almond cake with cherry sauce, and sparkling water for Astrid.

Ace went back to his seat and whispered into Astrid's ear of her vegetarian meal. She was grateful for his attentiveness and thanked him. He seemed to have turned 180 degrees with her. No arguments with her anymore.

She dug into her meal when Butler Lionel placed it on the table, his fingers gently nudged the correct spoon and form to use. She blushed easily and ate in silence. Ace did not miss the action and smirked. 

Hadwin was curious as to why he was tied using a condom instead of a string and after several glasses of wine, he got into a teasing mood.

`Say, Astris..' he hiccupped.

`I wondered why you tied my head to a stick. That too using condoms'

Astrid's fork fell on her plate. She was beyond embarrassed and she could feel her anger rising. For fuck's sake. What is wrong with this vampire?

`I'm sorry for the discomfort, Mr Hadwin. I had limited resources and you were almost unconscious. If I had left you on your own, you could have choked on your tongue and end up 6 feet underground. Besides, you must be familiar with the Moscow Theatre Hostage in 2002, whereby when the Russian released chemical agent fentanyl into the air cond vent many people fainted, but their gravest mistake was the inability to predict that the tongue needs to roll out. Hence, many people died from choking on their own tongue. Those who fell on their face survived, but some who laid on their back died.'

`So, tell me Mr Hadwin, whom shall you be thanking? Me or your condoms? Or the Chechens and the Russians? Or the scientists who figured out that a simple face roll could have saved countless lives on that day?' she was breathless when she finished talking.

Mrs Wagner looked at Mr Wagner and grinned. The human girl is smart. Retorting like that. 

Hadwin stared at her face as if seeing her for the first time. Abigail kicked him under the table. He blinked several times and mumbled `I must thank my condoms. Yeah. Those things are multiskilled.'

Ace Wagner ate his meal silently and smirked. That's my girl. Wait, what was he thinking? He moaned mentally.

`Are you staying with your parents?' Abigail asked.

`No, miss. I stay with my grandfather'

`Are they alive?',

`Abigail!' Ace gritted his teeth at her nonchalant attitude.

`Oh, it's ok. My father left my mom and me when I was young. And mom died of pneumonia after some time. I can't recall much being with them. It has always been my grandfather and me as long as I can remember.'

`That is sad, Astrid. Come here, let me give you a hug' Hadwin leaned out of his chair holding his glass of wine precariously and turned to Astrid.

Astrid turned rigid. Like a slow-motion movie, his hands came closer to her and the glass tilted conveniently towards her dress and she gasped. Hadwin's eyes widen and he looked at his glass and her in shock. She was drenched in wine from her chest down to her sash. She was aghast. How the hell am I going to clean this up? Astrid's face curled in anger but she could not do anything. Not in front of all these people!

Ace immediately got hold of Hadwin's unstable hands and shoved him away from Astrid.

`HADWIN, GET OUT OF HERE!' Mr Wagner was fuming mad by now. `HOW DARE YOU! AFTER WHAT SHE HAS DONE. YOU HAVE THE NERVE. YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR A MONTH!'

Butler Lionel summoned the maids to take Hadwin away. He kept mumbling sorry but he was already tipsy. Abigail wondered if Hadwin drank alcohol before joining them for dinner.

Mr Jacques Wagner personally came to Astrid and apologized for ruining their dinner. He left soon after. Astrid stifled a cry. She did not know she would be humiliated to this extent. And it reflected in her eyes. Fuck, was she called for dinner only to be insulted by the very man she saved?

One look was all he needed to grab her hands and bring her up to his room. He didn't know why but his heart was bursting with anger and he needed to calm down. Her eyes were downcast, dejected at being here with them. 

`Ace, I have spare clothes in my bag'.

`Mmmmmmm.'

`Ace, where are you taking me?'

`To get you cleaned up'

Ace opened the door to his room and walked in. He went into his walk-in wardrobe and took out a grey bathrobe, and looked for a shirt for her to wear. He found a red shirt which looked small to his eyes and he handed it to her.

His room was huge. No scratch that, humongous. A huge bed, probably double king-sized, with black silky bedding covers and comforters against a white bed. To the right of the room, there was a set of plush Lazy Boy couches with a huge LCD TV connected to a gaming device. She saw an Osim massage chair, and a mini-fridge next to it. The entire wall was painted in beige colour, and the interior designs spelt modern chic with minimal clutter. To the left of the room was a huge walk-in wardrobe which bursts a riot of colours. She noticed a full-length vanity mirror and a Lazy Boy couch which looked so inviting to sit unto inside the walk-in closet.

`Are you okay, Astrid?', Ace asked her, staring back at her face again.

`I did not expect that from Hadwin', she replied in a quiet voice.

`I am so so sorry. Damn, it must be freaking insulting', Ace pointed her towards the bathroom door next to his walk-in closet.

`The bathroom is there. Take your time. I will wait for you here once you are done okay' and he left to look for the butler.