Chapter 20

"Hey, Belle! Take a break with us, we brought fresh drinks for everyone!" called Trein, the head gardener who oversaw the arrangement and upkeep of the immense mansion grounds. His work was incredible, making everything look artistically planned—the bushes, the trees, the flowers—all meticulously calculated to grow beautifully and elegantly. I never imagined the effort behind such beautiful gardens when I walked through the streets of those rich neighborhoods. I never imagined I would be part of one of those houses.

"Coming!" I shouted, taking a deep breath. The fresh air was refreshing as the sun covered my face. I wiped the sweat from my forehead after working hard on the hydrangeas. I always loved nature; my Grandpa had taught me many things, and since then, I dreamed of having my own organic garden to sell my fruits and vegetables. But they were just dreams. I stood up, brushed the dirt off my clothes, and winced as I felt a sharp pain in my previously broken arm.

"It still doesn't seem to be recovering, my poor arm. Maybe I'm not giving it enough rest..." I looked up, and the view of the mansion overwhelmed me. A future with Keylef, looking at these same views, made my heart beat quickly. If only it didn’t have such an acidic owner. His face was attractive; why did he hate me so much?

"Hey! You, little girl..." I turned around to see Mr. Cesar walking towards me like a bull ready to charge.

"My name is Belle, Mr. Cesar," I said with a smile. What was he doing here? This man was very strange.

"Did I ask for your name? What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. He looked me up and down with a disdainful expression.

"Do my orders and the doctor's mean nothing to you?" I widened my eyes and looked at my arm. Ah, that’s why he was here.

"You could have sent Joffre to tell me. I don't want to waste your time," I muttered out loud without realizing it.

"Are you saying I can't check the grounds of my mansion?"

"No, no, no, I didn’t mean that," I hurried to explain, waving my hands.

"Then why do you think I can't take a walk here?"

"And why exactly here?" I inquired, but it was just my big mouth getting me into trouble. Why did I have to question everything?

"What I meant is... is... sorry for ruining your walk. I'll leave you in peace." I was about to leave when I heard him say.

"This is the last straw, you apologizing as if I had done something to you in the first place. First, you complained about the room your boss kindly gave you, you got discharged to return to that filthy cabin with that shattered arm. What do you really want?"

"So, does that mean I can go back to my cabin?"

"What? Are you trying to annoy me and drive me crazy? Do you really want to go back to that dump?" When he said that, something inside me broke.

"When you have no choice, even the dirtiest dump becomes your home. Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to do?"

"I always do what I want..."

"I see... you've had an easy life."

♥

Cesar
Those words left me confused, and not to mention the downcast yet persistent expression she had faced me with. What did that mean? My life hadn’t been easy, but the only thing separating us in comparisons was that I was born into a wealthy family, and she was likely born into a humble one. I wouldn’t deny that she might have had it tough, but that wasn’t living in a bad situation, giving her the right to act all important. Anyway, what was I doing here, arguing again when she was the cause of my stress? What the hell was wrong with me... it was the first time in my life someone or something had taken up so much of my vital time... it felt like the typical young man chasing after the girl he likes. What an absurd assumption...

Those words echoed loudly in my head, but again, that was impossible for me. She wasn’t a model or a woman with distinguished surnames. Just an ordinary girl... my eyes returned to her, and the feeling of curiosity mixed with annoyance didn’t go away. Then my eyes fell on her clothes; they were the same ones she wore the day I met her. Did she have no others? Where was her money going?

"Those clothes again..."

"Why are you criticizing me again? I didn’t have time to sew them."

"Clothes tear and then get thrown away to buy something new."

"Don’t you know how to sew?"

"What are you saying?"

"That if you don't know how to sew, I can teach you."

"Why would I want to sew when I can buy new clothes? Don’t be ridiculous. And you should do the same, with the salary you earn, I think it’s enough. Besides... you shouldn’t—" I looked at her again and decided firmly.

"Follow me, we're buying clothes." And without waiting for a response, I hurriedly walked with her following behind me.

♥

"W-what... you can’t be serious, this is a joke, right?" I said, giving him a small tap on his hand. He frowned at my hand, and I quickly moved it away.

"Do I look like a man who likes to joke?" I shook my head quickly.

"Let's move, I don’t have all day."

"B-but I don’t want to. These clothes are still good. If I sew them well and put some good patches on them like my Grandpa taught me, they’ll be as good as new."

"Again with your nonsensical rambling." I mumbled with difficulty, keeping up with his fast pace.

"Look, I know you have money... but that doesn’t mean you have to go buying everything and everyone..." he laughed dryly and said.

"Why do you care so much about my money? You said the same thing at the hospital. Don’t you realize the disaster of a woman you are? You should worry more about yourself."

"That's under your criteria, but for me... I'm fine because I know who I am and what values I was raised with. My dignity is the most important thing I have as a human being. What do you have?" He laughed as if it were the most foolish thing in the world.

"What do I have...? A lot of money to change the world if I feel like it. And I also know that one of those things isn’t dignity. What good is dignity when there are more people in this world with the malice to crush it? It's such an ephemeral word... I can buy anyone, and in a second, your beloved dignity would be mine." I approached him with a serious expression, pointing at his chest, and said.

"You can buy whoever you want, I won’t deny that... but you can’t buy what I most desire in this world." I frowned, wondering what it was that money couldn’t buy. When she tried to continue walking, she bumped into the door, stumbling. I quickly caught her, causing her to lean against my chest. She looked up at me, and it was the first time I had her so close to my face.

"Why do you hate me so much, Mr. Cesar?"

"Do you want me to tell you? Then come with me." I took her hand and dragged her along, while she kept asking nonsense questions. I had to prove something with this and clear things up once and for all.