What Nana Doring said replayed on Simione’s mind over and over.

She couldn’t help but felt something

different about the cook’s innocent comment but it sure did trouble her for some reasons. It was good
though that the food Nana Doring prepared was a good one, delicious enough to make her forget about
their conversation for a while but when she was done with her dinner, her thoughts went back to square
one.
Troubled, she chose not to head back to her room and instead made a little stroll in the garden. She
walked mindlessly and allowed the night breeze to comfort her. She got lost track of time though and it
was too late already when she noticed that she had been out for a while.
“Where the f*ck have you been?” She was welcomed with Hawk’s chastise and a quite intriguing sight.
Few maids lined up in front of Hawk with expressions that cannot be painted. It looked like they all
received a good chiding.
“In the garden, I made a little stroll,”
“A little stroll? You were missing for hours,”
“I went to the kitchen first, ate my dinner and went a little stroll in the garden,” Simione corrected her
answer by giving all the details because it seemed necessary at the moment. Was he mad because she had
gone missing or he was just trying to make an argument? God knows what Hawk Monsanto is thinking.
“Simione dear, can you please tell the servants next time if you decide to stroll around the house?”
Tabitha expressed carefully as she appeared from somewhere to Simione’s surprise.
“Oh, you are here,” Simione blabbered, very surprised.
Tabitha responded with a sigh right at Simione’s face. Whether it was because of dismay or exhaustion,
the latter could not really tell.
“Simione, the servants had been in great ordeal because of your disappearance. I had to summon them all
to find you,” Tabitha told her. Her sentiments seemed to be in favor of the pitiful servants that were all
lining up in front of their master. It was only then did Simione realize that their presence there was due to
her disappearance. “Hawk had been so worried. Everyone at the house is all looking for you. You see, the
servants here would all suffer if they cannot tell where their mistress went,”
“I’m sorry, I did not mean to be a trouble for everyone,” Simione apologized as she looked at all the
servants faces. “Let them go Hawk. Its nothing really. I just made a little stroll and forget about the time,”
Hawk only shook his head as he looked at Simione, seemingly very displeased at her for her little garden
adventure. In a while though, he made a cue for the servants to leave and they all exited the room as fast
as the lighting.
“Look I told you she’s fine, you need not to worry about her,” Tabitha dragged her eyes to Hawk and
even approached him. “Simione seemed to be very independent. She’ll know her way around. If you
want, I can personally attend to her,”
“No, it’s okay Tabitha, you’ve done so much already,” Hawk turned to gave her his attention. “Besides,
you have other tasks to attend to. The farm is already taking much of your time and I had to summon you
once and in a while. You had so many in your plates already,”
“I don’t really mind. You know how good am I on multitasking,” She smiled at him sweetly as if Simione
was not around. Their conversation continued that Simione instantly felt like she was not welcome in
their company and this of course annoyed her to the core.
Should they really be talking with each other in their room?
Have they not spent the whole afternoon together already?
Are they not done catching up with each other?
Rolling her eye, Simione decided to withdrew to the bathroom and take her shower. She took her time
bathing, hoping that when she’s done, she would not see Tabitha anymore in the room. The girl did
nothing really to her but there is something in her presence that irritates Simione.
“Whatever, I don’t really care about them, not even a single thing about their so-called blah blah blah
friendship…” Simione cussed in the bath. She decided she’ll just let Tabitha’s annoying presence slip off
and be apathetic with it. She would not allow anyone to add up stress to her already stressful situation and
so she’ll just let it all go. Unfortunately, this decision only lasted for few minutes and broke lose when
Simione realized Tabitha was still in their room even after she was done bathing already.
“Really you are still here?” Her sudden appearance from the bathroom and protest surprised the two—
Tabitha and Hawk who seemed to be quite invested in whatever they were conversing about.
“Ahm..well Simione—”
“Were about to sleep, don’t tell me you’ll join us even in bed?” Simione was being a bitch then but she
doesn’t really care. For fuck’s sake, the woman needed to be taught a little lesson.
“I’ll retreat to my room,” Tabitha shyly expressed and just gave Hawk a shrugged. “Sorry,” The latter
only sigh and gave Simione a questioning look.
“We are talking about something important,” Hawk proceeded when Tabitha left completely. His
attention now was all charge to his wife who right then managed to grab a hairbrush and hastily combed
her hair.
“Well, if you are not done talking then do it somewhere else. I’m going to rest now. You may even do the
rest of the talking in her room for all I care,” Simione admonished before she threw the hairbrush to the
bed side table and lay in bed. She turned sideways pulling the blanket with her and away from Hawk’s
line of sight.
“Turn off the lights and leave,” Simione instructed and pushed herself to sleep, wanting not anymore to
care about Hawk’s plans for the night. She can choose to sleep with Tabitha all he wants so long as he
would leave her alone.
She heard the lights being switched off a minute though but the room did not succumb to darkness
immediately as the bedside lamp sponsored the remaining lights. However, her second request to her
husband was left unfollowed as she felt the mattress on her side shrunk to accommodate another person’s
weight. The minute that followed, she could already feel her husband’s caress—his fingers brushing
delicately on her hair.
“I’m sorry mi amore,” Hawk told her gently and his recent sigh gave her a glimpse of how tired he must
have been. Whether he was tired of their constant bickering or business work, she had no idea but her
heart softened a little at the thought. Tired too, she chooses not to protest Hawk’s touch and allowed him
to enjoy her company in silence.
“I was just worried about where you went. I thought you had left me already,” Hawk explained. “I’m
sorry if I raised my voice at you,”
“Don’t leave me again,” He added, his voice very emotional and sincere that Simione was so tempted to
grab him for a kiss but choose not to. She was still mad at him. She has to stay mad at him. Her pride
should not bow down on a Monsanto. Not anymore.
However, she could not deny the fact that her heart was slowly melting at his advances. A part of her
believes that if she could only manage to forgive him, things would be a lot better for her. There was this
hope, lost inside her consciousness that says they can start over again and this time, it would be good.
“Can I have a good night kiss love?” Hawk whispered and damn, his voice then was too far alluring
Simione was very tempted to give in to his request, yet before anything could lead to something, a very
unwelcomed mobile tone filled the whole place that shut off every growing tensions.
It was Hawk’s phone.
“Yes? What happened?” Hawk did not hesitate to grab it from his pocket and it took seconds only for him
to leave Simione’s bed, next her door. Simione was left behind, teeth grinding and feeling very pathetic to
whatever she was considering prior to such interruption!
God! Was she really considering to forgive the man?
That man?
That Hawk Monsanto?
As she was chiding herself, she heard car’s engine being started. Surely, it was her husband leaving for
the night. She already expected it as it seemed the call seemed to very important, alarming even. What she
did not expect however was a familiar voice, calling off her husband’s name, as soon as the car’s engine
had been turned on.
It was a woman’s voice. Tabitha.
Immediately, Simione rolled an eye. She threw the blanket off her body and dragged herself to the
veranda to watch Hawk leaving and hell yeah, truth be told, Tabitha—that annoying bitch did follow her
husband and Hawk Monsanto, that famous cheater billionaire did not hesitate to open the front door of the
car to accommodate her.
“God!” Simione hollered to her herself. “So, at the end, you two would end up spending the night
together!”
“Damn you both!” she added, very angry of the fact.