CHAPTER 32

It is already one in the afternoon, the school gates never lose students around it. Either going inside, walking out, waiting for something in front of it and other things. Dimitri is getting impatient in his car peeking in the gates hoping to see Thea walk out from it. His gaze jumps from the gates to his watch and back while his knees shakes up and down. 

"Where is this girl?? It is almost two!" he whispered to himself. *Is she still in her class?...Or maybe she ditched? That girl looked so scared this morning.* 

Dimitri frowns and goes out of his car. He can no longer hide his frustration, one thing he hates is making him wait. He marched down the gate with his fist clenched, students were terrified of him and some are giggling at his look, with his long-sleeved shirt folded up to his arm showing his veiny arms. Just as he was about to reach the gate, he saw Thea so pale with her tired eyes. He stopped in his tracks as he waited for her to reach him, where their eyes met. With his stoic demeanor he stood there not giving an eye to anything but her walking to up to him. 

"Are you sick?" Dimitri started. 

"No sir." *Just anxious* Thea answered and looked down failing to hide her intimidation of him towering in front of her. 

"You look like one." Dimitri whispered as he turns back to his car. 

Thea immediately walks behind him lowering her gaze to avoid the eyes of the students around her, especially girls. As she came in, shivers covered her with the cool air inside his car. 

"This will be quick, you should be able to rest after this. " Dimitri said as he started the engine. In the corner of his eye, he caught Thea's hand shivering while resting her knees and looked up to her, whose eyes were plastered on the window to avoid his eyes. Without a doubt, he lowered the air cooler and unlocked the window. 

The ride was silent with Dimitri with his earphones on while driving listening to the audio version of the cases he's got on his plate and occasionally mumbling provisions are laws on his own. Observing Dimitri, Thea never missed the opportunity to be astonished by him calmly driving while studying his cases, with that, she chose not to ask although her eagerness to learn where they'll be heading didn't fathom to stop bothering her. 

The moment they got to the mansion Thea's eyes widened, her eyes landed on the white brick walls and overgrown yellow bell flowers on it. Her eyes passed on the mansion; its roof that are made of teja de curva) or thatched with leaves (like nipa) , the patterns in has on the stairs on the front door, and she peeked on the opened windows that are made of wood and oyster shells for its window pane. 

Dimitri stood in front of his car looking at Thea stunned by the mansion. In the back of his mind, he waited for her, to say a word on what she thinks about the mansion and a hint of hope that this might have an effect on her just like how it affects him. However, what he noticed was different, the way her eyes lit up to as she inspected every detail of the villa, and how her smile made up to her face bothers him. Dimitri looked away. 

"Do you want to just stand there, or you want to check inside." Dimitri said, wearing his annoyed tone at her. 

There, and back again, Thea's smile fell as she came back to reality and grasped the situation she is in. Thea fixed herself and followed Dimitri who walked ahead towards the gate. In every step, is every turn and bewilder is made up to her system as she can see the very detail on the mansion's walls and get to peek at the bermuda yard on the side of the mansion as the approach the rusty gates. It is short but just a few inch shorter than Dimitri, the gate. 

"Montecarlos." she whispered as she read the cursive metal design on the top of the gate. 

Hearing her talk made Dimitri stop in his tracks, about to reach for the gate. "What?"

"Montecarlos." She repeated looking at him confused about how he stared at her. "This mansion." 

With his chest beating hard, Dimitri opened the gate and waved his hand to have Thea walk in first. His eyes never broke looking at Thea's whole being as she walked past him with his mind still bothered. 

"It's beautiful." She whispered as a smile is starting to draw on her face again. 

"It is." Theo interrupted that startled Thea and had her look for where the voice came from. 

Theo walked up to them from the yard greeting them with a smile. "You know Tri, I was bothered about you coming here, but to bring someone who admires the things I like covered it all." 

He laughed at Dimitri as he waved Thea with a pleasant smile. Dimitri rolled his eyes not even trying to hide his annoyance at his friend, but he saw Thea hesitantly smiled and looked back to him, looking like a dog left in an unfamiliar place. 

"He's my friend." Dimitri reassured which Thea responded with a slight nod and greeted Theo. 

While the two are talking, in his ears their voices became in audible as Thea's voice saying 'Montecarlos' flashing back to his head over and over again. Suddenly those words comforts him in a strange way, that it bothers him at the same time. Then again, questions grew again, like before all because of Thea. 'Why does it sound familiar?' 'Why didn't it matter before when I read it at the gate the first time I came here with Simon?' 

"We should get inside, I spent a fortune collecting all these things from the Montecarlos Family." Theo exclaimed as he rested his palm on her upper back guiding her inside, can't hide his excitement to show Thea everything. 

 *Theodore as he is when he meets someone who likes the same as he is.*  Dimitri rolled his eyes watching Theo being so overly excited in front of Thea. 

He followed the two inside, where Thea gasped in surprise at how big the mansion is inside, it's like the house was never touched but added some displays. But instead of looking around, his gazed never left on Thea. Like how she saw the mansion, he waited for her to react to something she saw around this mansion. This may sound crazy at Dimitri but he tried his best not think what he tried not to believe. Reincarnation. 

The way he sees Thea's face in his nightmares despite not meeting or knowing each other the first time he starts having those nightmares. The way she always looks familiar and this portrait in this museum looks exactly like her. The evidence is not enough he knows, as a lawyer himself, he must think rationally but should think outside of the box, but thinking that reincarnation as the root for all of these strange coincidences is diabolical. 

As he watched Theo explain every item and story of the museum, Thea gladly listened and attentively asks questions at him, a sight that it strange for Dimitri but enjoyed observing somehow. But his eyes caught the room, where the portrait is and he grew impatient as that is what he's been waiting for her to see. 

"Seriously this, prick." He whispered as he sighed in frustration. He walked up to the two who were enjoying talking and grabbed Thea's arm violently. 

"Tri! What are you doing?!" Theo shouted at Dimitri startled by his sudden behavior. As he followed him while grabbing Thea by her arm with his grip that made him sure, hurting Thea. "You're hurting her Tri! What are you doing?! Let her go!" 

"S-sir, it hurts sir. Did I do something?" Thea trembled as she tried pulling his hand away from his tight grip on her arm. She looked back and forth at her arm and at him whose expression can no longer hide the anger in it. 

Dimitri pushed the door as it plung open revealing the big portrait and pulled her in front of it. Theo's eyes widened as he realized. He looked at Thea and the portrait. "How did I not notice this." Theo whispered. 

"You're too caught up in explaining everything to her." Dimitri responded in his stoic demeanor, as he stared at her completely stunned at the portrait looking intently at the face. 

"Is that why you brought her here?" 

"Yes."