I Am The Queen

The man was lean and had a posture of a true n.o.ble with his vest and tie underneath that silvery blue cashmere coat.

"Can I help you?" Eric was surprised to see Alvaro this close so early in the morning at his front door. Though his face remained impa.s.sive as ever while his tone didn"t give anything away.

Alvaro didn"t answer. He lazily brought out his ash container, casually putting out his cigarette before shoving back that small cla.s.sy container inside the pocket of his coat.

"Do you have a minute? I have something important to tell you." Alvaro asked after a while. His face was welcoming and friendly.

While on the other hand, Eric was on alert. He didn"t know why his guard was always in full gear whenever he was facing this man.

He had a rough guess what the subject was all about and the only thought in his mind was Evangeline since she was the only one linking him and the stranger.

"Alright," he said simply. He was wholly dress even in the early hours of six in the morning since he had to go to work early on a weekend. Thus, he and Alvaro left right then and there.

"Mind if we take my car?" Álvaro asked, all gentlemanly.

Eric"s face remained stoic as he answered almost robotically. "It"s fine," he replied while eyeing that striking, drool-worthy ashen blue Lamborghini.

Álvaro smiled yet Eric could feel that the mirth in the man"s eyes were not real.

"Let"s got then."

----

Eric kept on stirring his tea while cold sweat trickled his back. He had an ominous feeling the moment the man stopped in front of Snow Café. He thought that Alvaro would ask him to stay away from Evangeline or threaten him like the way Asher had been doing to him.

However, Alvaro Cole was nothing like Asher Cole who used brute force to get his way. The man in front of him was level headed. A man that was showing neither his true intentions nor give anything away from his calm and kind face. A man that Eric didn"t want to make an enemy off.

It was already ten minutes since they had made themselves comfortable in the second floor of the café, yet they remained stagnant. Every pa.s.sing minute felt like the temperature dropped making it hard to breathe.

Eric opened his mouth, wanting to break that thick, impenetrable barrier of ice between him and Alvaro, but the latter had beaten him to it.

"What do you think about this café?"

"….."

The sweat that was about to freeze on Eric"s forehead gradually thawed, masking the surging threat he felt with indifference and innocence.

"It"s okay." Eric simply answered, pushing back that uncomfortable feeling with a gulped from his tea.

While Alvaro chuckled as he watched the boy sitting opposite him pretending to be unaffected. He slowly stirred his tea, took a sip before putting down his cup. He continued to play with his teacup, appearing lost in thought as if his eyes were mesmerized by that dancing liquid inside his cup. His legs crossed, his back leaned on that soft cushioned seat looking very comfortable, and at the same time, elegant. Even the modest interior of the café turned majestic in his presence that Eric"s brows slightly twitched.

"You know…" Álvaro started. "I seemed to have tasted this kind of flavor before. In my country, in BlackPine. This man… I think his name is Dimitri... a nice young man. Orphaned at young, took his journey from rags to riches and became a tyc.o.o.n in the agricultural industry. An interesting story, really. Then I came to visit him this one time for a partnership since I heard he was a fanatic in producing the best tea and coffee in the world. This man loves coffees and teas you see. And you know that Evangeline also loves teas, so I wanted to have a share of his produce. Offered him double, triple the market price…"

Álvaro remained looking at his tea while he leisurely spoke as if he was telling a bedtime story so nonchalantly. Then his soft, somewhat droopy eyes narrowed while his piercing gaze gradually halted towards the man sitting opposite him.

"And do you know what happened next?"

Eric didn"t answer. He was busy fighting the emotions that were gradually destroying his composure.

While Alvaro chuckled as he continued, somewhat disappointed that Eric could still maintain his façade.

"He rejected my offer. Saying that the tea and coffee he produced were for his leisure only and didn"t have any plans of selling it to anyone nor anybody."

Álvaro gradually interlaced his fingers while he slightly leaned towards Eric, slightly tilting his head to the side as he continued his one-sided conversation.

"You know, I"m not particularly amazing. I was never the straight A student. Never the honorary one. I don"t have any particular skills that will put me out from the rests… However, what I have, and very confident of, is my memory. You see, once something caught my attention, it will remain in my mind forever. The taste, the smell, the experience."

Alvaro smiled, yet his eyes were sharp, clouded by his usual gentle front.

"Now… what I want to know is and very curious to know, why does this tea taste exactly like that one I had together with Dimitri? The tea that was supposed to be explicitly for his personal enjoyment."

"And… why only Evangeline could purchase a share of this café, I wonder. I tried to purchase but got rejected almost immediately by the management. And do you know what the most curious of all? Almost all of Evangeline"s favorite flavors of teas and pastries are sold here."

Then Álvaro leisurely propped his head on top of his interlaced fingers as he smiled.

"Tell me, don"t you find it strange? Or rather, you must really love my cousin for you to build this café just for her. Am I right, Eric Phelps…? Or should I call you… Ericson Philippe Frizkiel?"

Eric"s tightly held calm and indifference totally broke whereas his face gradually turned grim while his silvery eyes constricted. The nerdy, weak countenance he upholds instantly vanished while his entire persona, and character contested with the elegant, confident man sitting opposite him.

However, in a short time, his silver irises that were now just a dot gradually regained its normal shape while his sight shifted towards his tea, appearing unconcerned and unperturbed while he gently stirred his drink. Still, his thin lips remained unmoved as he neither denies nor confirms Álvaro"s allegation.

While Alvaro didn"t mind the other"s lack of response as he continued.

"The Frizkiel family, a family that founded Frizkiel country. Develop it from a barren wasteland of snow and ice into a country of fire and gold. You can say that they are like the invincible Empire controlling the country in the dark. Only a handful of people knew about them. They are almost like a myth due to their unique customs and traditions of pushing their young into the abyss."

Alvaro chuckled and glanced at the man who was still playing with his tea, full of unclouded calm and aloofness.

"Fascinating, really, their customs and traditions. You see, I have a little knowledge about it, being a Cole and all. From a young age, their children would undergo this ident.i.ty change. Put in an orphanage, forced into labor until meeting a certain quota. Usually, it will even take them almost thirty years to reach their quotas thru their own efforts until they are granted their families inheritance and would be able to return home. Such… traditions… It"s quite fascinating… cruel even. But the result…"

"The Frizkiel Empire grew and grew. Compared to most families who declined because of their children who were useless, the Frizkiel had tempered their young by pushing them out to fed on their own. And the result, those who survived and completed the challenge were extraordinary individuals. They had power, but doesn"t abuse it. Wealthy, yet not greedy. These people were influencers yet humble and one of a kind for they know what it felt like to be an ordinary worker. Empathized with the common peoples" ordeals. A leader that knows what it felt like to be a follower."

Then Alvaro"s playful gaze turned serious. "It was hard, investigating your background. Everything was hidden quite well. There was no hole to exploit. No gap to investigate. No actions for suspicion. But…"

Clatter!

Papers flew on the table and scattered all around for Eric"s view.

"All it took was just one little connection, and the rest was easy."

Eric"s eyes that regained its calm gradually turned sharper once more when his gaze spot a familiar name on those scattered papers.

"At first, I too had a hard time in cracking your ident.i.ty. However, in this world, there is no such thing as coincidences. From all your part-time jobs, the one thing that gave away your cover is this name."

Alvaro pointed at those line of letters on the paper.

"There is nothing wrong with it at first, but gradually, I found something… interesting. This man, Mike Lantis, at least owns a share from all the establishments that you have been working, as well as, Dimitri Hernandez… Or should I call them, Michael Lancelot Frizkiel and Dimitri Herald Frizkiel, your brothers."

Alvaro leaned against his chair, his fingertip tapping on his smirking lips.

"I never would have thought that you came from a very prominent family, Eric. It was even rumored in our circles that Frizkiel had long gone dominated the northern world. Wealth as vast as the oceans. Power, immovable as the mountains."

"At first, I was hesitant whether my conjectures were right because there are some shops that your family doesn"t own and yet you are working in there. Like that convenience store for example... Then a realization hit me."

"Those places that you chose to work here in Burberry, they are the places that Evangeline frequented too. *chuckle… You really are a stalker, huh. Well, I can"t blame you though, Evangeline is really a woman worth that much trouble."

Eric who had been quite from start to finish finally retracted his eyes from his cup and slowly leaned on the couch, propping his head against his hand while his voice remained aloof as always.

"And?"