Surprised

That morning, Christelle cooked a dish that, as usual, she prepared for her beloved youngest daughter, namely scotch eggs, some white bread baked with butter and a sprinkling of palm sugar, warm milk mixed with chocolate, then boiled potatoes mixed with mozzarella cheese.

It seemed that the presence of Theophile and Mark there made Christelle even more excited to serve such a healthy and nutritious breakfast. She even made thin slices of beef and chicken that were roasted for thirty minutes. 

“Looks great, Mom,” Lavelle said later. 

“How was your sleep, kid?” said Christelle then.

Mark nodded, then yawned because he still felt sleepy. “Pretty good, Auntie.” 

“Even if you’re still sleepy. What’s good enough?” Lavelle mocked Mark. “Did you stay up late too, Mark? What time does the soccer game end?” asked Christelle, then handed some of Mark’s favorite watermelon slices on the table.

“Um… I don’t know, Auntie. I thought I was back in my room at five in the morning,” Mark replied, scratching the back of his neck. 

“Staying up late isn’t good, but if you do have something you need to take care of and it’s really important, staying up late is okay,” Christelle mumbled. 

“Oh, yes, Mom. Today I’m going out for a while with Theophile,” Lavelle said as she took her white bread.

Christelle turned and pulled a chair for herself. “Go ahead. Where do you want to go?” 

Theophile almost choked, but he quickly grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. “I was thinking of taking Lavelle to visit one of the newly established branches of the company, ma’am.” 

Christelle nodded in understanding. “You’ve been working, haven’t you? I thought you were still a student.”

Theophile laughed awkwardly. “Actually, I did not continue my education at the university level, ma’am. I built a business that my late parents left long ago.”

“Gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were an orphan,” Christelle mumbled, covering her mouth because she had just learned a new fact about Theophile. 

“So now you live alone?” 

Theophile shook his head. “No, ma’am. I happen to live with my other brothers and sisters.”

Christelle took a deep breath then glanced at Lavelle, who was busy eating her toast. “Honey, why didn’t you tell me Theophile was an orphan?”

“Mom, I just brought Theophile to this house yesterday. Would it be appropriate for me to tell you that without his consent?” asked Lavelle then.

“But, I could just make him feel—” 

“Mom, can you cook me some toffee pudding? I miss that food,” Lavelle interrupted, changing the subject.

It was clear that in Christelle’s eyes, there was boredom, but the woman still smiled and tried to answer her youngest daughter’s request with a mother’s smile. “I’ll make it later, and you don’t have to worry and keep thinking about that toffee pudding the whole way. Just think about the two of you.”

“Okay, Mom. I think we’ll be home around seven o’clock in the evening. I’ll go to the shopping center too,” Lavelle said later. 

“You want to go to the shopping center for that kind of clothes?” Christelle asked at the same time, showing a strange look aimed at her youngest daughter.

Lavelle raised an eyebrow in confusion because she only likes to wear clothes that she feels comfortable wearing. This morning, there was nothing wrong with her clothes—just a black t-shirt with a red cardigan and ripped pants combined with sneakers with fairly high soles.

“Is there something wrong with my appearance, Mom?” asked Lavelle then. 

“No, really. You’re just a girl. Don’t you want to look more feminine than that?” asked Christelle then. 

“Something that has become a habit is hard to change, Mom. I’m comfortable with this,” Lavelle replied with a shrug.

“Okay, I understand.” Christelle took a deep breath then immediately glanced at Theophile, who seemed only to take a few slices of white bread and not take scotch eggs or other dishes. “Theo… why did you just take that toasted white bread?”

Theophile was stunned, thinking for a while before finally laughing awkwardly. “I just want to eat this white bread, ma’am. I still feel so full from last night’s meal.” 

“Is that true? Is my cooking not to your liking?” asked Christelle.

“Not! It’s not like that, and it’s just that I’m still so full.” Theophile confirmed that he wasn’t that hungry that morning, even though he could smell the distinct garlic scent of some of the dishes that Christelle served that morning. 

“We were still eating instant noodles last night, Mom.” Lavelle realized that.

“Oh, I don’t think this dish tastes good,” Christelle mumbled later. 

Lavelle sighed. “Better let Theo cook for himself, Mom. You just cook food for Daniela and me. I don’t want them to share how delicious your cooking is.”

“What are you doing, honey? Oh yes, Theo. Please take care of Lavelle. Don’t let her come home after ten o’clock at night, don’t let her drink too much wine, and don’t let her drink more than one small can of cola. She often loses her memory when she goes out alone,” said Christelle, then talked to Theophile.

Theophile nodded in understanding. “I’ll remember your message, ma’am.”

+++

It had been almost an hour. Theophile took Lavelle around in such a vast garment company, inspecting all aspects of the employees there, discussing a breath of fresh air where that if employees were able to work hard, he would increase their salary, then asked for several hybrids who became Theophile’s right-hand man noted the messages are conveyed in a book well. Meanwhile, Lavelle could only sigh because, all this time, she had only been busy being invited to tour the company without taking any rest. 

“Where do you want to go after this? To the shopping center, right?” asked Theophile.

“What do you think, huh?” Lavelle asked back, so annoyed. 

“Yeah, okay, I understand. We’ll go after this,” Theophile replied, then immediately led Lavelle out of the garment company’s main lobby and into the basement where several of Theophile’s subordinates had been waiting.

“Young Master Theophile, just let me open the car door,” offered a hybrid with amber eyes. 

“Go ahead, Joy.” Theophile smiled, then followed the hybrid into a black limousine that gleamed in the dim light of the parking lot. 

“Young Master, please.”

Theophile tapped the hybrid on the shoulder once more as if to hint that he should do everything he had said a few minutes ago, after which he asked Lavelle to come in first, and he followed behind her. 

“What animal is he?” asked Lavelle in such a ridiculous tone. 

“Hah?” Theophile didn’t understand.

“What kind of animal is the man with amber eyes?” Lavelle repeated.

Theophile chuckled, then cleared her throat to tell the royal private driver to quickly drive the expensive limousine to the shopping center. 

A moment later, he glanced at Lavelle, who was still questioning him. “What’s your guess about him? What animal is suitable for him?” 

“I don’t know, maybe a cow or a tiger,” Lavelle replied carelessly. 

Theophile laughed even more when he saw Lavelle’s tired face. “He is a mix of a wolf and a bobcat.” 

“But he’s more suited to being a house cat,” Lavelle mumbled later, “I feel like he’s a bit clumsy.”

“Yeah… I think that’s true, so what do you think about the company? Do you like it?” asked Theophile then. 

“Like in what aspect? I don’t understand anything about the garment business,” Lavelle replied calmly, turning her gaze out the window.

“I mean regarding the new policy I gave them, and you know that nowadays it’s tough to apply for a job with a big company like that? Neo Green Peace provides a new policy, namely, if the employees can be diligent and active, we will give them bonuses, and this is something I have been thinking about for a long time,” said Theophile.

“If it’s a decision that you think is good, it’s your right because it’s yours,” Lavelle said later, “I think $300 is still not enough if your employee stays up all night and comes early in the morning.” 

“Right, that’s what weighed on my heart all this time. By the way, do you want ice cream or gelato?” asked Theophile then.

“I want chocolate gelato and matcha ice cream,” Lavelle replied later. “The company you have is quite large and looks superior. If I judge, your company also has pretty good safety.” 

“This was planned by Johnny and Tristan, and humans would be crushed in the embroidery machine, unlike vampires,” Theophile replied later.

Unknowingly, the drizzle came slowly, making Lavelle avert her eyes sadly. Lavelle sighed in annoyance. Meanwhile, Theophile noticed the drastic change in Lavelle’s facial expression, and he immediately put on a song that was quite soothing to the mood. 

“You don’t like rain?” asked Theophile, making the silver-haired girl slightly surprised.

“No,” said Lavelle quickly. 

“Not? Then why does your face look so sad when it’s drizzling?” asked Theophile for the umpteenth time. 

“I don’t know, I like rain, but I don’t like rain either.” Lavelle took a deep breath. “The streets are so annoying when they are flooded.”

“Um, I see.” Theophile reached over to the front seat, then took a box wrapped in a brown cover, handed it to Lavelle quickly, without saying a word. 

“What’s this?” asked Lavelle then. 

“Just open it, and you’ll know,” Theophile noted later.

“Don’t say that this is a silly thing like you put a frog in here,” said Lavelle suspiciously. 

“No, it’s not like that. Quick, just open it.”

Lavelle shook her head in surprise, and then she tore off the sheet that was clearly visible beside the box, opening it quickly without leaving a neat trace. Lavelle saw a velvet box inside. Feeling odd, she glanced at Theophile for a moment, then opened the lid of the box. 

“Cell phone,” Lavelle mumbled.

“Yeah, it’s yours now, along with something behind it,” said Theophile.

“Hah?” Lavelle took the 6.5-inch cell phone and then saw a cloth with a gold embroidery motif that was so beautiful, the lace cloth that adorned it was also sprinkled with beautiful glitter. “What is this?”

“I didn’t find the phone, and I replaced it with a new one. I also gave you a special gift, which I had planned long ago,” explained Theophile. 

“Theo...”

“I’ve asked Daniela what apps were on your old phone and what was missing. Tell me what’s missing. I will replace it.” Theophile cut quickly. 

“I’m not telling you to change my cell phone, but there’s a memory in that phone. It was the first cell phone I bought from my own work,” Lavelle mumbled.

“Well, I’ll try rallying my subordinates one more time to find him. I’ll try if it’s really important, but for now, I ask you to use the cellphone first,” Theophile said later. 

“Can’t you find it yourself?” asked Lavelle then. 

“Young Master Theophile, where are we going to park?” asked the driver when their limousine reached the truly luxurious gates. 

The shopping center seemed so crowded on the weekend that Lavelle immediately asked Theophile to go to an underground parking lot. Theophile nodded and immediately asked the driver to take the limo to the basement immediately.

After parking the car, Theophile asked the driver to call several head butlers to look for Lavelle’s cell phone, which was lost in the forest because Hendery suddenly attacked Lavelle. Meanwhile, he went to get the shopping cart and accompanied Lavelle into the shopping center. 

“What are we going to look for?” asked Theophile then.

“I’m just buying some neatly written groceries here,” Lavelle said as she took out a few notes that Christelle had given her.