Love In The Line Of Fire

ANYA POINT OF VIEW

"Jessa, c-can I ask you to accompany me to Estrella Village?" Jessa was the woman who greeted me when I woke up yesterday, and she was also the woman at the party. She's the head of this house, which belongs to Oliver. It's quite surprising, really, since most heads of households are usually older. But she's not that old, probably just in her early 30s.

"You can leave, Ma'am Anya. I'll just call Austine to drive you. I'm not allowed to leave, though. We have a lot to take care of here in the house, and Sir might arrive while I'm away."

"Are you sure Oliver won't scold you once I leave?" She smiled at me and shook her head.

"That's good, at least I'm still free to go out. I don't want to be stuck here all the time."

"He's not as strict as you think, Ma'am. Sir will only get angry if you don't come home and we neglect you. So please come home before it gets dark so Sir won't worry." I nodded in response to Jessa.

I really needed to water the plants at Lolo Ronaldo's house, especially since I had neglected them for a few days. Lolo always took care of them, especially when he was still alive. By the way, Oliver still hadn't come home since he left yesterday.

"Okay, thank you."

********

I was thrilled to be back in Estrella Village. But my brow furrowed when I noticed that the other people here were giving me strange looks.

"That granddaughter of Ronaldo is really something else, her ambitions must be really high." I heard one of them say. It seemed like they were intentionally speaking louder so I could hear them.

"Oh my, you know she grew up in the city, so she wants to be spoiled. She doesn't want to experience hardship, that's why she probably hooked up with Sir Oliver."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, approaching them. They were probably expecting me to ignore their comments or get defensive. Luckily, I wanted to put myself in this situation. They're so judgmental, but they don't know what really happened.

"Isn't it true? You've only been here for a short while, but you're already Sir Oliver's fiancée," a young woman replied. I don't know her, but I think she's around my age.

"I couldn't help it if he likes me. My beauty is just exceptional!" Her face showed that she was insulted by my response. I didn't care about her feelings, especially since she was the one who judged me first.

"You're so arrogant just because you became the fiancée of a rich man. You're not even married yet, but you're already acting like this," she said.

"At least I'm not as envious as you!" I ignored her and walked towards the house. Our neighbors were also staring, and it was clear from their faces that they weren't pleased. Well, people nowadays don't like being surpassed.

When I arrived at Lolo's house, I immediately fetched water from the drum and started watering the plants.

"It might take me a while to come back, so please don't get died."

Before I left, I locked the door and put a chain on the wooden gate. I looked at the entire house with tears in my eyes while I was outside. I walked out and Austine was still there, looking like he was waiting for me to leave.

"Ma'am, Sir is here," Austine said to me, and I just nodded. We headed straight to the Carter's house here in Estrella Village. Oliver's car was parked here.

I didn't know why, but I felt nervous as I entered the house. I went to the dining area because that's where Austine told me to go.

"Hi, Anya." A woman greeted me with a smile and a wave. You could tell she grew up wealthy, just by the color and smoothness of her skin and her clothes.

Oliver arrived wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a loose necktie. I felt awkward sitting between the two of them.

"How's the moon star?" Oliver asked the woman, without even glancing at me. It felt like I wasn't even here, especially since I couldn't relate to their conversation. They were talking about business, after all.

After dinner, I went straight to the living room to watch TV. I didn't want to disturb their conversation either. As I searched for a channel to watch, my phone suddenly rang. Just like Lolo said before, there's a signal here.

I didn't recognize the number, but it wasn't the number that usually calls me about the mission either. I wonder if Lolo had a debt, and now they're coming after me? huhuhu...

"Hello?" I didn't get a response, but I heard a soft sigh.

"Who's this?"

"It's me." I immediately recognized his voice when he spoke.

"Adrian?" A smile spread across my face when I realized it was really him.

"Yeah, how are you, how's life?"

"Are you already in the Philippines? Are you okay? Have you seen Tessa? Where are you, I want to see you. Why did you only reach out now?" Earlier, I was smiling, but now I felt like crying. I really miss Tessa and him. But I'm not allowed to leave, and I'm not supposed to see them. It can't be known that I have a connection to them.

"Take care, Anya. See you soon." Huh? He already ended the call without even answering any of my questions. I tried to dial him back, but the signal was gone, and I also realized I didn't have any load left.

"Who were you talking to?" I was startled when I realized Oliver was already behind me.

"Just a friend."

"I'll be back after I drop off Demi. Just wait for me here." I couldn't even open my mouth to speak, and he left right away. I didn't expect him to say goodbye either. But who is this Demi person anyway?

I distracted myself by watching Netflix on the Android TV here. Good thing they have Wi-Fi. I wanted to connect and contact Sabrina, but I didn't know what the password was for Wi-Fi.

Maybe Austine doesn't know the password either. Of course, he doesn't usually stay here, and besides, I'm too shy to ask. I've already eaten two bags of chips and finished six episodes, but Oliver still hasn't arrived. I checked the time, and it's already 7 pm. He told me he'd just drop off Demi, but that's a 6-hour trip? Is her house that far? I suddenly lost interest in watching and turned off the TV. I also threw away my snacks.

"Ma'am, we need to leave now. Sir called and said there's an emergency," Austine said.

I want to complain, especially since I waited for hours and this is what happens. I didn't want to go with Austine; I'd rather go back to Lolo's house. But then I thought, what do I care if Oliver doesn't come back? And why am I overreacting now?