Her hand trembled unconsciously as she answered. “Hello.”
Very soon, Sampson’s voice was heard, “Lola, it’s me.”
Loredana’ tone became very anxious, “Yes.”
Sampson paused for a moment before saying, “The woman you mentioned is dead…”
“What?” Sampson had not finished and was interrupted by Loredana. How did she die? She was clearly healthy and not that old. How could she die just like that?
“Lola.” Sampson called out to her tenderly to comfort her, “Don’t be worked up. This issue doesn’t need to be investigated through this woman…”
Loredana gripped the phone tightly and was anxious. She couldn’t calm down and she wasn’t sure why she was so anxious. Was it because her hopes were dashed or something else? She didn’t know. She only knew that she was unsettled.
Her eyes drooped, “Is there anymore leads?” Did she over expect this?
Sampson was silent. The two remained silent but didn’t end the call. It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.
After a long while, Sampson said, “Lola…” he said then paused, “Do you really want to know who the father of the child is?”
Loredana lowered her head to look at her feet. The sun rays fell around her feet and the shadows were swaying. She asked herself, did she really want to know who is the father of her child?
Loredana asked herself. When did she have such thoughts? She only started to have this desire after sensing the clue on Cormac.
“If the answer disappoints you and it isn’t the one you expected, will you still want to know?” Sampson continued to ask.
Loredana didn’t know how to answer the following questions. Perhaps she was conflicted inside her.
“Why aren’t you replying?” Sampson forced an answer.
There were many types of feelings in existence. One type was known as love through familiarity. She had lived with Cormac under the same roof. Would that result in love? This was why Sampson questioned her.
“Lola…”
“I’m listening.” Loredana interrupted him, worried that he will ask something that she couldn’t answer.
It was at night in A country. Sampson was standing by the roadside of a different country. The street lights cast a long shadow of him along the ground…
He lowered his head to look at his own shadow. Actually, he also wanted to know if the man that night was Cormac as Loredana suspected. The woman was dead and the hotel’s security video recordings had been erased.
But he had found out the truth. He took Loredana’ photograph and asked within the hotel. A hotel staff recognized Loredana and saw what happened that night and told him confidently that the man was
Cormac. But he didn’t want to acknowledge that and perhaps he didn’t want Loredana to know.
If they had a child together, then even if Cormac didn’t like her, would he for the sake of the child… He didn’t dare to think further and he didn’t want Loredana to know. He liked her and wanted to take care of her. He was after all the first one who saw her. He had seen her since she was a kid.
“Lola, I found out that the man that night…” Sampson gripped his cellphone tightly.
Loredana’s heart jumped and felt as if it was stuck to her throat.
Suddenly she was covered by a shadow. She turned around and a person approached from the bright light. The deep features were hidden by the bright sunlight. Through the light scattered by the floating dust, she saw clearly who he was and her expression became nervous and defensive.
She was anticipating for Sampson to say the person whom she guessed.
“He was a local,” Sampson said.
Boom.
This answer was like setting off a bomb in Loredana’ heart. Local? That meant that what she saw on
Cormac was just a coincidence. Was her guess wrong?
“Lola, did you hear me?”
“I’m busy, bye.” Loredana ended the call in a hurry. In her anxiety, she dropped the phone with a thud.
She was about to bend over to pick it up but Cormac picked it up before her. He looked at the number on the phone and narrowed his eyes, “Who was that to cause you to be so nervous when you saw me?”
Loredana pretended to be calm, “I wasn’t nervous. Your sudden appearance scared me.”
Cormac laughed and bent over to look at the woman, “Really?”
Loredana felt a chill running down her spine when he stared at her and couldn’t reply. At this moment,
Coral served the apples and broke the tensed moment.
“These apples are crunchy and sweet. Have a taste.” Coral placed the apples on the table.
Loredana quickly looked away from Cormac’s gaze to pick up the apples. They were very sweet and juicy. She took one for Cormac, “Have one.”
Cormac looked down and didn’t move and stared at her hand with the apple.
Loredana waved the apple at his lips. It was cool and sweet. Loredana blinked and said, “It’s really sweet.”
Cormac took a bite and looked at her, “I’ll forgive you since you’re so understanding.”
Of course, he knew that she was trying to change the topic. Coral laughed and understood that it was time for her to leave and supervised the workers outside.
Loredana pursed her lips and didn’t dare to retort. He chewed the apple while removing his jacket and threw it on the sofa and sat on the sofa. He looked at the piano and asked, “Can you play the piano?”
Loredana turned around, looked at that piano, and nodded, “I knew a long time ago but I haven’t touched it for a while. My fingers are all stiff now.” She said as she looked down at her fingers.
Cormac looked over at her slim and fair fingers but her palms were calloused. He frowned and was about to reach out for her hands when she stood up and walked towards the piano. She sat at the piano with the lights behind her and her fingers gently rest on the piano keys. Ding, a crisp sound rang from the piano.
The sound was clean and crisp.
She wrung her hands to get back the feel and although it had been years since she last played the piano because she had learned for many years, she was still confident enough to play.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and placed her fingers gently on the keys.
She began to play the melodious music of ‘Sadness and Happiness’. This was the first music score that she learned and one which she loved. As she played, the images of happiness and sadness appeared in her mind… Her existence was short but she had experienced so much.
Cormac looked at her back view and was deep in thoughts. Were the callouses in her hands caused in A Country? Was she terribly hurt when she was abandoned by her father?
As he pondered, he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. He was visibly upset by the untimely ringing.
He frowned angrily as Loredana stopped playing when she heard the phone ring.
The room immediately fell silent and the ringing of the cell phone became more pronounced. Loredana stood up and walked over curiously as to why he didn’t answer the call. As she walked over, she saw the phone indicating the caller’s name, Helen.
Loredana sat opposite him, “It’s Ms. White, why don’t you answer?”
Cormac blinked and looked away as if to indicate that she was intruding. Of course, he didn’t feel like answering and that was why he didn’t answer.
But the caller was very persistent. The phone continued to ring relentlessly.
Loredana smiled, “Are you worried that I listen in to your conversation? Then I won’t bother you…”
She stood up and was about to walk away when Cormac grabbed her wrist and with a pull, she fell and sat onto his thigh. She wanted to move but was tightly gripped by Cormac around her waist.
Cormac answered the call with his other hand …
Loredana frowned. Why did he grab onto her while he answered Helen’s call? Did he want her to witness their intimate conversation? She became strangely melancholy. She struggled strongly but the more she struggled, the tighter Cormac held onto her and said softly, “Don’t move.”
Loredana was squirming again and Cormac pressed his lips onto her ear and said with a warning tone,
“Behave yourself while I answer a call, okay?”
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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