Chapter 5: Lies behind a Smile

THE NEXT DAY, Paula woke up to a thriving morning, which of course consisted of loud chatter, busy streets, and of course shops and establishments opening up; guessing by the sound of store garage doors being lifted up

Releasing another yawn, carrying herself to the kitchen

She searches through the cupboards and pantries for all the basic utensils and ingredients for a pancake, with bacon and egg breakfast, and a side of sliced and peeled fruits

Reaching out for the fruit bowl, she delicately picks out three variations of fruit, listing off a sweet ripe mango, seedless green grapes and an unbruised banana

Shifting the fruits to the side, she gathers all the dry ingredients for the pancake batter, sifting each ingredient, before prepping the wet ingredients in a second bowl

Once each bowl was stirred well, she combined the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl, and continuously stirred until there were no lumps or bubbles

Grasping the block butter, carving a small cube of the corner

Dropping it into the pan, sizzling after a few seconds

Then with a black plastic spoon ladle, scoops the batter and pours it in the pan, making a perfect circle

She then indulges in preparing the bacon

A few minutes later, she flips the pancake, she continues to whistle a tune, making her way to the fridge, scanning for the Cranberry juice

Once in hand, shutting the fridge door close, but in the corner of her a blur of orange caught her attention, turning to the kitchen window sill, she finds what she recalled was but a flower bud when she last put it up there, which was last night. Yet there it stood fully bloomed with both a radiant colour with a rich honey fragrance

Which begged the question of how she didn’t realise it sooner

Internally she asked “How did this bloom in a day?” softly poking the unexplainable occurrence “It should have taken at least two months to fully bloom.”

Examining the piece of flora, she pokes it again and rambles in denial

“You know what. Maybe I’m just imagining it, somebody must have swapped it last night,” she turns her head towards the hallway “And there is only one other person who would think to do so.”

Pondering her next course of action

“Well…I’ll ask her later. First of all-- Pancakes~” sniffing the air, she then realises something is burning, turning to the stove “AHHHH MY PANCAKES!!”

Momentarily forgetting the situation, continuing with her morning routine, however, it lingered as a side note in her mind, for it was the least of her problems

“Why do I smell smoke?” The younger resident asked from down the hall

“It’s nothing- Just a misstep!”

And that was only the beginning of the day’s oddities

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, Paula makes her way to the bistro, with Candy in tow, along the way she pulled back her long curly walnut brown hair back into a high bun, turning her gaze from the path to her sister

“Hey?” Candy glances up at her older carbon copy, minus the eyes “You okay?”

The younger answers “Yeah…I just kinda wished you didn’t burn my breakfast.”

Reminiscing over the burnt taste of her pancakes has caused a bitterness to remain in her taste buds, one which she hopes to salvage with a cake she was promised

“Eh heh, sorry about that. But don’t worry once we get to the eatery you can have a slice of cake to yourself.”

Though the promise seemed a bit small in repayment “Only a slice? After waking up to burnt pancakes, and having to eat them, then you tell me I have to go with you to work because you need to ‘Keep an eye on me.’ Whatever that means. And let's not forget-”

“Okay, okay I get it. *Sigh* Fine . . . you can have a whole cake If you have a fruit salad with it.” She insisted

“Deal.” Smirking gleefully

Internally Paula said. “Honestly . . . she becomes more cunning with her tactics. I wonder if it has anything to do with Yayo?”

Pushing the doors open, Candy was the first to greet with simple ‘Hello’ or ‘Morning!’ any customer or worker, and upon her arrival, caught the golden-eyed worker, flashing a bright smile, with glee and mischief written in his eyes, capturing the hearts of a few

“Well if it isn’t my favourite troublemaker.”

The young sanguine ravenette gives a beaming smile, with a small chuckle

Shortly it was turning into a drooling expression when a plate topped with bacon, waffles, with a small side of mango was placed in front of her

Admiring the meal, the deliverer couldn’t help but chuckle “I figured since you were being brought in today, Paula dear had to make a rush.”

Paula shook out of her fantasies from the word ‘Dear’ she informed. “Oh! She had breakfast-”

“Burnt breakfast.” Candy reminded her.

As a fork and knife were offered, she gladly took the utensils and began to dive in, eating to her heart’s content, and praised internally of the food’s texture and taste, it was way Better than the burnt morning meal

It was at that exact moment, that Paula’s stomach gave a low growl, flushing crimson red, Paula inwardly rages “Why stomach!?!”

However, her attention was brought to the second plate

Glancing up at Aaron with an inquiring look, he answers “If I knew your sister would be hungry, you would most certainly be as well.” he places their glasses with cranberry juice on the counter “..Eat up, you're gonna need it, beside I don’t think the boss wants a snappy employee to take customers food.”

At his remark, her cheeks tinted a light blush “One time . . . only one time I did that.” She whispered

Roja passes by with a wide smirk “Yeah a one time we will never forget.” In return the redhead receives a light glare

Accusingly she mumbles “Traitor.” cutting a slice of her waffles “So . . . what’s the agenda for today?”

The schedule was simplified by Aaron “Same old, same old . . . so far the only thing we need to remember is that we’ll be meeting the Guzmans in a week.”

“Guzman? Why are we meeting with the Guzmans?”

He turns to her, stupefied for a mere second “Have you forgotten? We’re working with the Guzmans.” He reminded

At that statement, her entire body froze on the spot, with a blank gaze “Eh?”

With a loud shout that scared birds “WWWHHHAAATTT!?!”

MEANWHILE IN THE GUZMAN CASA, where Pedro Guzman awaited within his father’s office beside a new face, one with similar features to Guzman, from dark raven hair, to the mid-fair skin colour, but of course, the difference resided in their eye colour

As Pedro inherited a dark chocolate brown eye colour, this new face inherited was mirky jade green

Which contrasted with his demeanour

However, the pair were not alone in this office, after being summoned by the owner, Sergio Guzman, a man of many words, and was best described as a businessman, than a family man, but held onto the family motto

‘One house, One family’

Meaning that everything that happened in their House and beyond, was for the sake of the Family to thrive and live, but that didn’t include familial tides and relationships, which the head of the Guzman family expressed

He of course was the first to speak

“As you both know, we’ll be meeting with Oasis industries, within four months,” keeping a diligent eye on the pair’s reaction “...furthermore I’ve recently made a few arrangements with Mr Lopez, within a week there will be a meeting between our establishments to discuss how to proceed from here.”

Intertwining his hands together

“...however, there is something I wish to discuss with you both. Which concerns that boy you mentioned Pedro.” turning to his son while raising a brow “You’ve mentioned that the boy inherits gold-like eyes, correct?”

“That is correct.”

With a faraway glance, one in which that couldn’t be deciphered “And you said his name was Aaron Blackwood?”

Taken aback in surprise, Pedro's young but fearful eyes sparked a moment of curiosity, one which dispersed instantly. He stutters. “Y-yes.”

Questionably confusing, after only learning of the foreigner when he returned home, his father had become more and more invested in his life, more than ever, which was a rare sight, since Pedro could Never get his father interested in anything as simple as this. Which was more of a letdown than anything

Since the source of the attention was the newcomer, whom he didn’t interact with on Delicate terms. Alike to most relationships he had with others, which truthfully only added more salt to his wounds, in regards to his semi-rivalry with Aaron

Releasing a heavy exhale, with his sigh seeming more tired than ever, his gaze locks onto Pedro, and instantly the boy recognised the look in his eye, and knew that he was about to dig a deeper hole

“Pedro . . . you haven’t caused problems have you?”

From the emphasis, Pedro recoiled previous interactions with the public, especially the employee trial at Aroma Cellar, which was a disaster bound to happen, biting back his tongue to make a snarky remark he truthfully replies

“I’m sorry Father.” Straining on the parental term

With his brows furrowing down, a glint of disappointment appeared, remaining present for a mere moment before he relieved that feeling, clearing his mind to avoid rash decisions. Yet it was with that confirmation, that the anxiety was only at the edge

With an unknown tone, he concedes. “You’re both dismissed.”

At the dismissal it was the only indication that was enough to tell the pair their next course of action, swiftly the pair escorted themselves out of the office, leaving the head of the family to contemplate on what is yet to come

However, as both cousins exited the office, more precisely for the latter who wheeled himself out in a wheelchair, with Pedro trailing behind

Once the pair made it down the hallway, out of ear range from the Head, heading within the direction of the open hallways that encircled a garden, a garden that was sacred and known to never be meddled recklessly with

Passing by the garden, the wheelchair user spoke up, inquiring. “So . . . Cousin, once again causing trouble I see.”

Grinding his molars “As if you don’t know what it was *Tch* Besides, don’t you have something better to do Cousin?”

A small gleam of delight that was far from friendly “Oh come on, we’re family. All you need to do is ask for help to deal with your . . . mishaps.”

His patience was being tested, however, he couldn’t act as freely as he could when it came to the pristine member of the Guzman family, the Perfect Guzman, they said, and his name was Rómulo Guzman

But behind that perfect demeanour, was a serpent prepped with his fangs at point, and he always took the brunt of every incident his cunning cousin held up his sleeve, and because of him, he would remain as the disgrace of the family

Yet he never cared for such things, not since his last confrontation with his mother

The conversation was cut off “Mijo?”

Responding to the caller, Rómulo finds his mother, who expressed with a questioning gaze that went from him to his cousin, who turned in the opposite direction, and slowly takes a few steps away from the pair

Of course, the newcomer doesn’t express any form of acknowledgement and shows deep concern for her child, her lips forming a frown, taking a step closer, she caresses Rómulo’s cheeks hurriedly asking “Are you okay Mijo? He didn’t do anything, did he?”

With a plastered smile “No Mami, I’m fine, we were just having a chat.”

Glancing at the boy’s retreating back, she gratefully says “Be that as it may, you know to never converse alone with him. What was your uncle thinking? Leaving you alone with that-”

“Mama!” Focusing her gaze on her son’s face “You have nothing to worry about, besides he Knows better than to do anything reckless.”

Even though he spoke the truth, she remained weary, however slowly as the pair made their way to their rooms “Honestly I’m still worried, ever since the incident, there’s hardly a moment that I don’t worry for you.”

“I know, however, we can only move forward, if you remain fearful you will never get anywhere.” He quoted

*Sigh* “When did you get so smart?”

Inwardly he rhetorical questions “That depends.”

As the unease depleted, the unaware pair, didn’t anticipate that their conversation was overheard, however, by whom was the better question, and what their intentions were for the near and far future yet to come