Chapter 17
When they get home, Althea notices another car outside, that wasn't there before. She wondered how come Xavier wasn't going to be back anytime soon, and she was sure Costello was on the same business trip as Xavier.
As she steps into the house, one of the maids greets her and collects her bags from her hand. While they were out, she did a little bit of shopping. The maid then tells her that Xavier's younger brother Mateo is around. She rolls her eyes and goes up to her room, unimpressed. She can't believe there are two of them.
How unfortunate can one be to have two proud stuck-up children? She's not interested in meeting Mateo or getting to know him, because she's convinced he will be exactly like his brother. She hopes he's not going to stay long and decides she's going to avoid him for as long as she can. Why is he even here? Didn't he hear that his brother travelled? Why didn't he go to where Costello stays instead? She wonders to herself.
Anyways, that's his business, not hers. She goes to take a quick shower, and then comes out to check the shopping bags she came back with. The maid kept them on the bed for her. When she was out with the driver, he told her Xavier had given him a credit card to get her whatever she wanted. It was very thoughtful of Xavier she thought to herself.
Even though he didn't show emotions and wasn't talking to her, he was at least going out of his way to make her a bit comfortable. She mostly spent the money on clothes, shoes and bags, then a few expensive perfumes that caught her attention. She hoped Xavier wouldn't be upset with how much she spent. As she looked at everything, she began to wonder if she spent too much.
She tried on the clothes and shoes, giving herself a mini fashion parade to the floor-length mirror and back. She tried on Victoria's Secret lingerie she bought. It was red and lacy with thigh garters. She wasn't sure what she was going to use them for, but she got them anyways.
Deep down she knew she was hoping that one day she would have to wear them for Xavier, but she didn't want to admit that truth to herself. She kept trying to convince herself she got it cus she thought it was pretty. When she was tired of messing around with everything, she packed them up and arranged them in her part of the closet. She decided to take a nap.
When she woke up, she checked her phone and saw that she had missed calls from Xavier, and a text message. She opened the message first.
"I asked, I heard you're asleep. Hope you had fun today. Text me when you wake up."
She blushed at the text and responded. "I had a lot of fun, thank you. I hope you don't mind the expenses I made?" She waited and waited for a response, but none came.
She eventually got up and went downstairs. She was hungry. She hoped she wouldn't run into Mateo. As she came down, one of the maids saw her and rushed down to her. "What do you need my lady? You could have sent for us," She told the maid she was hungry, and they should come and get her from the library when the food was ready.
Since it didn't look like Mateo was anywhere in sight, she relaxed and walked to the library. The library was big, so she didn't realize someone was there already there. She picked out a random novel and sat down to read when noticed a figure lurking in the shadows.
"Who's there?" She asked, and then he came out. A tall dark-haired man with piercing eyes.
He looked like Xavier, except he was younger, and his face had a warmer expression than Xavier's stoic one.
"Oh, you must be Mateo," she said. "Yeah, I am, he replied smiling brightly." His smile caught her off guard, and she found herself smiling back at him.
"Why are you here though, didn't you know your brother travelled?"
"Well, I know, but my school is on a break - I'm in college, so I decided to come to see my brother. I didn't know he was on a trip until I got here. I should have called, but he doesn't always take his calls."
Althea laughed. "You don't need to tell me that."
"Well, even though he's not here, I don't mind, his home is comfy. I like being here more than with dad. Dad doesn't get me like Xavier does "Althea almost expresses her surprise at the statement, but she keeps her cool.
She can't imagine Xavier being friendly to anybody at all. She asks him about his school, and they fall into a comfortable conversation. Mateo is funny and witty, making her laugh all the time.
Althea realizes that she judged him so wrongly without even getting to know him. He was the exact opposite of his brother, nothing like him. He asked her about her life, but she didn't know what to tell him, so she just said, "There's nothing to know. I'm Althea."
Just then, the maid came to tell Althea that dinner was ready. Mateo asked her If the food was plenty enough for him to join too, and she replied in the affirmative. So they both went down to have dinner.
Dinner is quiet, but it is a comfortable kind of silence, with no awkwardness. They just met, but Mateo felt so comfortable with her as if he has known her his whole life. He can't help but notice how beautiful she is, and the way she didn't bother to brush her hair.
It wasn't exactly unruly, but it was obvious she didn't make any effort. She was so natural. And her smile was beautiful. You could say she lit up the room when she smiled. Mateo felt like he had fallen in love. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but after meeting Althea, he began to give it a second thought. Althea looked so young.
He was certain she was probably still a teenager, or maybe just a young adult. He wondered what she was doing here in Xavier's house, so he asked her. "Althea, how do you know Xavier, what are you doing here?"
She looked up at him and gave him a shy smile.
"I'm his wife. We got married a few days ago." Mateo was shocked but didn't want to express himself so that things between them don't get awkward. Instead, he played it off.
"My brother got married, and I wasn't invited?" He feigned being hurt, by placing a hand on his chest and fake crying. Althea laughed and joined in the pretext. "My husband has a younger brother, and nobody told me," she said, mirroring his gesture. They both burst out laughing.
After they finish their dinner, Althea tells him that she's too tired and wants to retire to bed. She told him she had a long day today and needed to sleep, so he said goodnight to her, and she went upstairs.
Mateo couldn't get the fact that Althea was Xavier's wife in his mind. The notion was just incredulous to him. He went to the kitchen and decided to ask the cook.
"Hey, is Althea Xavier's wife?" He asked her.
"Yes sir, they got married a few days ago."
"But she looks so young. Yes, she's young. I heard she just turned eighteen."
"Eighteen!!!?" Mateo whispered, and the cook just laughed.
"Well, young master likes her, so nobody is bothered." Mateo scoffed at that. He knew there was more to the story. Xavier wasn't one who is fond of women, and talk less about getting married. And he knew the marriage was rushed because he didn't get the information too.
He may be Xavier's stepbrother, but Xavier treated him as if they were from the same mother. It angered him that Xavier will accept to be married to someone as young as that, but he guessed most of it must have been his father's ploy. Something was fishy. Something wasn't adding up. Anyway, he stole a piece of cupcake from the pastry tray when the cook wasn't looking, and then retired to his room.
He just couldn't get the thought out of his mind. Just when he thought he had fallen in love with Althea and was planning to make his move on her, they drop the information like a bombshell on him, that she is married to his brother. His mind swirls, different thoughts and different scenarios flowing about why and how Althea became Xavier's wife.
He knows there's nothing he can do about it, however, so he decided to push the thought out of his mind, and then he drifts to sleep.