Here for you [1]

"Stop nagging, Xavier" she rolls her eyes when the young and handsome doctor keeps on scolding her.

"I won't. You came at an inappropriate time like this and now you say I am nagging? Hah!" he huffs, applying the ointment on her injury.

Athena is still gazing at the card in her hand. Angry, because she got fooled and also by her sworn enemy.

The doctor, Xavier Torres is done dressing the bandage on her arm. He cautiously puts his medical instruments back in the box and keeps them aside on the table.

"You are done. Now can I go take my peaceful sleep?" he says. There are deep eye bags under his eyes and his face appears to be thinner than the last time she visited him, which was a week before. Operating a nine-hour surgery isn't easy and it shows just how much sleep he needs right now.

"Not yet. Here, look at this" she shows him the card and he, with utmost disinterested reads it anyhow.

"Done reading. Anything else?" he asks nonchalantly, not interested who send this to her.

"Yes. Do you know anything about the XCruz Hotel?"

He takes a moment to think and answers, "Isn't this the hotel run by Carter? Yes, I know, why?"

"Who is Carter?" she asks, shifting to sit more comfortably.

"Carter McNally, the owner of XCruz hotel. You must have already run a background check on the hotel so I guess I do not have to tell you about it" he says, adjusting his doctor glasses, "Is this done by him?" he points to her bruises.

"Might be him. Do you know how he looks?"

"No. He never really shows up and whenever he does, he has a mask on" he tells. "You don't know who you were fighting with?"

"His face..." she says remembering his half-burnt face, "it was....there were burnt marks on his cheek." She then thinks of asking him if he knows how he could have got that. "Do you think it is through accident or...?"

He takes a minute to think as he scratches his dimpled chin with his index finger. "It might be the case. Only one of the cheek, correct?"

"Yes. I don't know if it was a disguise or what" she says with slight frustration marking her oval face. She is having her doubts. Now that she knows he was one of the pawns of Cario's, it can be anything. God, how can she let that happen? How didn't she think of this outcome?

Her eyebrows draw together as she thinks deeply, not listening to what Xavier is saying. "What?" she mumbles hearing a word from his mouth absently.

He huffs, annoyed by her lack of attention towards him. "We can predict anything by sitting. Have you touched his skin? Did you feel something odd? The fake skin is used now these widely and it is such a vicious disguise that one can fool anyone without worrying."

She did not touch his face. She was too consumed with disgust by that burnt mark and too busy to fight with him that she didn't touch the skin of his face. She shook her head and the doctor sighs.

"You don't know anything, Athena. How am I supposed to answer your question?"

He is correct. He always has been. She knows the answer before he can interpret but this time, she seems to know nothing. Had she taken her enemy for granted?

She gets up making a decision in her mind that from now on she has to be extra cautious and think what the other party is going to do next.

"I am off," she tells him, not caring to look one last time before leaving. Xavier sighs, glad that he can take his sleep and worried for his little sister, Athena, who is not experienced to fight on such a harsh battlefield.

**

"My lady" Cynthia calls loudly outside the door of her room for the third time. She calls again while knocking on the door simultaneously.

Athena winches, snuggling in her bed with a white pillow tucked under her arm. "My lady, we have meetings to attend" Cynthia yells making Athena open her eyes slowly.

Her eyes close again, wanting to sleep some more but she knows she already has slept more than usual. Last night, she was tired and the moment she stepped into the mansion, she went to her room, straight to her bed.

She gets up and brings her fingers to her closed eyes to massage them a little. Then, she ties the ribbon of her silk robe that has made a partition which is showcasing her soft skin beautifully. Making her frizzy hair into a bun, she gets out of the bed and goes to open the door before Cynthia breaks the door. She did so, once years ago when Athena slept like a log. Cynthia was scared when Athena didn't answer so she in haste, broke the door only to find Athena sleeping with the thick blanket over her.

"Good Morning, my lady" Cynthia greets, bowing slightly when Athena opens the door and gestures her to come in. "Are you feeling well, my lady?" she asks, following her behind.

"Just usual" Athena mumbles and goes to the bathroom to freshen herself up while Cynthia chooses the dress Athena will be wearing today from the big spacious closet.

The most visible color the closest has is black. Athena loves black and she prefers to wear black every day.

Cynthia pulls out the black blazer, black pants, and nude corset top with black mesh that has sleeves too. This way, Athena will not have to worry about her injury, Cynthia thinks, and stepping out of the closet, she puts it on the bed. She waits for her while checking in her tabloid about the document is working on.

Her long ponytail is made high and as she looks down at the screen, a few strands of her hair fall over her face, making her annoyed. Athena once commented that she is envious of the hair. Athena loves her long honey brown hair and that is the reason she has kept it long or else, she would have cut it short years ago.

Half an hour later, Athena steps out with nothing but a towel on her head, she walks over to the bed. "You always know what I wanted to wear" Athena smiles, satisfied seeing the set of clothes Cynthia chose. She wears her undergarments first and then drapes the outer clothing over them.

When she is done wearing her top and pants, Cynthia comes to help her with the blazer but Athena stops her. "Hair's wet, my love," she says, pointing to the bundle of hair held inside the towel.

Cynthia guides her to the dressing table, makes her sit, and starts drying her hair with a blow dryer.

Athena keeps her eyes closed as Cynthia, as always helps her get ready.

When Athena is fully ready, with her hair made into loose curls at the end, letting it fall on her breasts along with the neutral makeup, she is good to go.

Cynthia walks behind her, carrying her blazer in her hand as they take the steps downstairs.

"Where are they?" she asks, finding no one at the dining table.

"They left early. Mr. Followhill said Mrs. Followhill has a few checkups to do and from there, they will return to West Arcillia" Cynthia informed.

Athena grits her teeth, not liking that he didn't even come to tell her this. "He wanted to but you were in deep sleep so he didn't want to disturb you, my lady" Cynthia assures her, as if reading her mind.

Athena sighs, still feeling sad that she didn't get to meet her mother. She takes her seat in the second and Cynthia beside her. The center has been left empty, it always has been empty after the years her grandfather died.

"How many meetings you said?" she asks while watching the movement of the maid's hand of pouring the Apple juice in the glass while the other serving the English breakfast.

"Two before 12 and one after 2" replies Cynthia, helping herself with the juice.

Suddenly, both of them hear the sound of someone yelling. Who is yelling so loud in the morning?

"I'll go check," Cynthia says and gets up from the seat but before she turns around, Santos is marching inside the room.

"What is the matter, Santos?" Cynthia asks, grabbing Athena's attention and she turns to look at Santos.

"My lady, there seems to be a man making a ruckus outside the mansion. He claims he knows you and he won't go until you see him" informs Santos.

Athena frowns slightly, not having any idea who the man can be.

"What else did he say?" she asks, done with eating her breakfast.

"He is here to see the Missy" the moment Santos lets out, Athena chokes on her drink. The maid helps clean her face with the tissue paper as she recovers.

"My lady, you know him?" Cynthia asks.

Of course, she does. "No" but she chooses to lie instead. "Lead me to where he is," she tells Santos and the three of them go out of the front yard of the mansion.

And there he is. Athena's eyes widen but she quickly hides them before anyone can notice. She stops at the low stairs, several distances from the man who is standing in the center.

"Hey Missy!" he chirps, beaming as Athena comes into view.