Chapter 8

Sure, here is the translation of the provided text to English:

I approached the door with excitement, and the handle creaked, preventing me from opening it. I pushed hard again, and a cloud of dust and humidity welcomed me. I coughed insistently, waving my hands to disperse the grime. Maybe this house wasn't as habitable as I imagined. I finally opened my eyes and, as I crossed the doorway, I stretched my hand towards the wall to find the light switch. When I found it, I pressed it, and the lights turned on.

"There is light too..." I laughed nervously, unable to believe it. Suddenly, I felt something jump on my leg. I looked down and saw a small green frog greeting me. I smiled again, catching it between my hands while spinning around the place with it.

"I have a house! I have a house! A house for me... and if all goes well, I could bring Grandpa with me, and we would be happy without anyone treating us badly." I put the poor frog in the sink. I looked around the place again and said, "It's not a perfect house, but does that even exist? The most important thing is that I can stay here while I earn money." I took out the photograph I had taken without ill intention from the Montenegro mansion's salon and, with a shy giggle, I observed my angel's face. Without him, my life wouldn't have taken such a drastic turn. He saved me. I was going to work hard to thank him; I wanted him to notice my existence... What I never imagined was that my happy days would be shaky after meeting the owner of the mansion.

♥

"Where is the damn path? I told Jeffrey a thousand times to hire someone to keep the paths in good condition, and now I can't even train with my horse comfortably. Getting lost in the house where I had lived all my life was ridiculous..." I grumbled with annoyance, delving deeper into the forest. Suddenly, I heard the fine sound of wood being cut. Was someone there?

"Perfect, I'll be able to get out of this mess of bugs."

"In my grandmother's yard, everyone comes out to play... in my grandmother's yard, everyone wants to enjoy..." When I came out of that dangerous thicket, guided by a woman's song, I angrily pushed aside some branches, wondering who had trespassed on my grounds illegally. When I finally saw her chopping wood with an axe, I was stunned...

"Belladonna..." I murmured. She looked at me, confused, alarmed by my presence.

"Uh, Belladonna...?" she asked as I watched her cautiously. What was she doing here?

♥

"Excuse me... Mr. Cesar?" I indicated anxiously after an awkward silence fell between us. He seemed confused... was he lost? Oh no! I forgot to fix the path sign. I looked at him again, mounted on that horse, and I was enthralled. If Mr. Keylef's beauty was unparalleled, this man was the epitome of beauty itself. I thought of that man in the reserved area. His elegance, his sharp features, and the intense hardness of his gaze were fascinating. Those blonde strands that shone in the sun made him look like a prince from a fairy tale on that horse, but the fantasy was ruined when his harsh, disdainful expression looked at me from head to toe with disgust. I looked at my dirt-covered clothes, nervously brushing them off with a tense smile. I had to introduce myself now, mustering up the courage, and I heard him say, "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing wandering around my grounds?" he demanded disdainfully.

"I-I'm Belle, the new caretaker of these grounds. I've been working on this house since last week..." I said nervously, trying to clean my hands a bit to approach him and extend my hand with a friendly smile. He looked at me in silence, and I hurried to say, "Um... didn't Keylef tell you about me...?"

"Keylef...? Is that how you refer to your superiors? Who do you think you are?" I slowly withdrew my hand, which had been hanging in the air.

"No! Sorry, I didn't mean..." He gave me a look of repulsion that only made me feel tiny before him. He let out a loud sigh, turning with his horse.

"Wait! Do you need help? You seem lost... I can help you." I put the axe aside and ran towards the horse.

"Why would I be lost in my own house? Are you calling me stupid?" he said arrogantly. I let out a laugh that seemed to anger him more, but just the idea of thinking I would call him that was completely crazy.

"Who said that? Don't be stubborn, let me help you."

"I already told you to back off, don't limit yourself! Besides, what will you do with those dirty hands... touch my horse?" I looked at my dirty hands, the core of the problem... and quickly spat on them, cleaning them, and showed them to him, placing my hand on the horse's rear. Suddenly, I heard the horse neigh and lift its front legs off the ground.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted, falling to the ground and kicking me in the process, launching me far away. I screamed, holding my arm in pain while watching the horse run off into the forest.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life," he said, getting up angrily from the mud he had fallen into... only that his expression of rage was slowly approaching me. "Horses are very sensitive to strangers, what were you trying to do? Kill me?" he demanded, shaking his strange suit repeatedly.

"I... didn't know it would react like that." I looked up, observing him look at me with disdain from the ground.

"Don't lie, you wanted to touch it despite me telling you not to with those dirty hands. You did it on purpose..." How could he say those words after a horse nearly broke my arm? His beauty was only a deadly trap.

"I guess you're right... I should have been more careful," I tried to get up despite the immense pain. How could those brothers be so different? They were like night and day. This man couldn't be the one who saved me at the pub. Now I was sure it was Mr. Keylef. Whatever it was... I wanted him to leave so I could tend to my wounds. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing me ask for help.

"It seems that besides being foolish, you're as tough and rigid as horse leather. At least with this, you'll learn a lesson. What am I supposed to do without my horse now?" How could he say I wasn't in bad shape... was he a psychopath? I took a deep breath, holding my arm tightly.

"I can call Joffre to come. I have a Walkie Talkie inside my cabin." He looked at me with a cold expression in silence. Why did he want to keep pretending he wasn't lost? What an insufferable and stubborn man.

"Whatever, if you're not going in, I will," I snapped in pain.

"Where do you think you're going? Who said you can leave with that infamous attitude? I pay your salary, or have you forgotten?" Without listening to him, I entered in pain.

"Does that thing even work? I don't want to waste more time." I looked up, letting out a broken sigh... I felt I was about to faint from the pain.

"Why don't you see for yourself if you distrust me so much," I retorted, tired of hearing him treat me badly. I turned around harshly, giving him an intense look that collided with his chilling expression.

"Fine, then what are you waiting for, communicate quickly," he crossed his arms, watching intently.