Hunter's Offer

Chapter 08

I jumped in surprise after feeling a sudden tap on my shoulder. I immediately stood up and turned to the person who just tapped me by my shoulder.

As I faced the stranger, I saw a man who I assume was 23 to 25 years of age, judging by his looks. He narrowed his eyes on me, confused and suspecting looks are both evident on his crystal blue eyes.

“Okay, miss. I am asking once again, who —“ he trailed and her expression suddenly changed after noticing that I looked like Ciarra. “You looked like Ciarra, but I could tell that you’re not the same.”

I chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck. “Ha, ha. Well, I've gotten that remark a lot ever since I stepped here in Aqua City.”

“I’ve never seen you before. Mind introducing your name?” he asked.

I introduced myself to him and told him my story like I did when I first met Tessa and Gail. It was kind of tiring to tell my story over and over again to different people, but I guess I have no other choice. After telling my story, he showed me a look of sympathy — the least of the things that I needed.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that,” he said sadly. “Don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

“Kind of getting used to that remark,” I said, then smiled at him. “What is your name?”

“I’m Hunter, Ciarra’s brother and the heir of AMCO,” he introduced with a smile. My eyes widened in shock after he introduced himself. I couldn’t believe my ears right now. Who would have thought that I’m going to meet the son’s founder out here? “You looked stunned. Is everything alright?”

“I looked stunned, because I am stunned,” I responded. “I just didn’t expect that I’d meet you out here. I heard your name from Tessa and Gail.”

“Oh, so you already met them. How nice,” he said and grinned. “So, mind telling me what you’re doing out here?”

“I could tell you, but can we leave this place first?” I said. “I’ll explain everything to you.”

“Alright then. How about we go to a cake shop? Do you love sweets?” he asked me.

“I don’t hate them. I prefer salty foods, but sure.”

And with that, Hunter led me towards a nearby cake shop. We were welcomed by the aroma of the cakes. We walked over to an empty table and we sat across from each other so we could face each other as we talked. The cake shop was just like what I’ve seen in the photo books I used to read when I was younger – that time when I wasn’t allowed to leave the mansion, and the same time when my father was keeping everything a secret away from me. This is the first time I’ve seen an actual cake shop and will taste some.

“Bad news. I don’t have any money with me,” I said. “Maybe you should just order for you and I’ll wait for you to finish.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry. Everything’s on me today,” he said and flashed a smile.

“What? No, thanks! I don’t plan to owe anyone something,” I said. Suddenly, I felt and heard my tummy grumble, screaming for food. Hunter seemed to hear him because he suddenly chuckled and when he did, I narrowed my eyebrows at him. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing, nothing. Sorry about that,” he said, trying to surpass his laughter. He cleared his throat and composed himself. “Just let me treat you today. If you don’t want to owe me anything, you can treat me when you already have some savings. That way, it won’t look like a charitable act.”

“Sounds good. Fine, I’ll take the offer. I’ll treat you next time, I promise” I said with a smile. We saw a menu on the top of the table and started browsing for food to order. Once we decided, Hunter started to order the food since he was the one who’s paying, while I waited patiently at our table. After a minute of waiting, he finally returned and we started talking.

“Now that you’re here, what’s your next plan?” he asked me.

“Honestly, I am thinking of joining AMCO,” I responded honestly. I saw a hint of a smile on his face.

“Interesting. How do you plan to do that? You did mention that you’ve been locked up inside your mansion for like forever. Which means that you have no experience in dealing with monsters in the outside world.”

“I’m planning on training to build up myself. What else?” I responded, giving him a determined vibe. “I’m surprised that you’re pretty calm. When I told Jake about this, he literally freaked out.” I said, rolling my eyes.

Hunter chuckled. “Really? What did he say?”

“He said that he cannot allow me to join but then, he considered putting me to the test before deciding if he’ll let me join the team,” I explained. “And I will definitely prove myself worthy.”

“Why do you want to join AMCO?” he asked.

“After what happened to my sister and when I realized that I need other people to protect me to keep me safe, I decided to become stronger so I could protect myself and others without asking for help,” I explained. “Furthermore, I would like to find my dad who’s currently missing.”

I noticed that he was staring at me with a smile on his face. I raised a brow, wondering why he was staring at me like that.

“Care to tell me why are you staring like that? You know that it’s rude to stare, right?” I said.

“It’s nice to hear that your resolve is strong, so I was thinking of training you myself” he offered.

Whoa. The founder’s son is offering to train me? That’s something I never expected. Eager and desperate to become stronger, I smiled and nodded, accepting his training.

“Then I guess I can be stronger if I learn from the expert, right?” I said.

“It depends on the student, really. But I am looking forward to seeing your progress and results,” he said. “When do you want to start?”

“As soon as possible please,” I responded. “We can start today.”

“No. You have to take a rest today. We’re going to start the training, the first thing tomorrow morning. Do not disappoint me, okay?”

“Don’t worry, mentor. I won’t” I said and grinned at him.

Finally, our order arrived, and we started eating. While we were eating, we heard a familiar voice, and she doesn’t seem to be happy that Hunter is with me.

“What are you doing with the outsider, Hunter?”