The beach was too big.Jimmy Hunter made her walk for a long, long distance. And because she was already tired from running around, the last thing she wanted to do was explore the beach. She had run about half of it anyway, she was sure.
Miya sighed.
There was nothing she could do about it after all.
The young master walked smartly before her, while she listlessly dragged herself behind. Jim was also holding onto Ben"s finger as the boy walked beside him. Even though they were both almost bathed in sand, they still looked exquisite. Whereas Miya was the very image of a wild, disobedient child.
She looked on grudgingly.
Her boy, of course, was the best. It was Jimmy Hunter that she didn"t approve of. The man managed to look good even when soiled and dirty. It was unfair! He was filthy rich, executed boundless power and had great looks. Why were some people just dumped with everything good?
This evil world!
Miya could only look on at him with reluctant admiration.
Jimmy could actually feel the wife"s scorching gaze on his back. He would have been giddy with happiness, had she been checking him out. Somehow, though, he was scared. He knew she wouldn"t look at him that way, and he was pretty sure he felt a murderous aura behind.
Why? Why was the woman so strange?!
What had he done now?!
Was this about the tree? But she herself had apologized!
Shrugging, Jim took longer, faster steps, happy that Ben could keep pace. He didn"t glance at Miya behind, or else would have seen her mutter a thousand curses darkly.
Why was the young master walking so fast now?!
Did he want to kill her?!
Miya felt like her entire body was made of lead. Everything hurt. So when Jimmy finally stopped, Miya almost pa.s.sed out in relief. To her surprise though, they were now standing near a small white building that stood on an elevated platform, above a flight of stairs.
She looked at Jim in confusion.
The young master turned around.
"Clean up," he said, and then began to mount the steps.
Miya had to admit, there was no one more careful in the entire world. Jimmy Hunter could just take care of the smallest things!
There was a place to clean up, of course, but there were even attendants handing out towels to each of them. Miya immediately felt shy. She took one hurriedly, and then holding Ben"s hand, launched herself in the direction of the bathroom.
Jim cleaned himself up rather attentively.
In fact, the cool water always felt good on his skin after the warm sun.
So, when he came out, which was rather fast, he was surprised to see the missus was already done. Along with Ben.
And he would have admired the speed, but there was more to look at.
Jim"s exact instructions had been to bring clothes for a woman accompanying him. So when Miya came out of her bath, wrapped in a huge fluffy towel, she jumped out of her skin on seeing a woman standing just outside. She had given Miya a sceptical look, and then handed over a rather flowery, creepy looking dress to her.
No, the dress was rather pretty. It just looked creepy on her.
Miya thus, had silently handed it back. That was the moment when the woman had looked somewhat afraid, and had brought over rows and rows of clothes for her to choose from. Miya had wanted to hit her head.
What exactly had Jimmy Hunter told them?!
There had been no jeans, however. And no t-shirts. Only dresses. The collection was so dazzling, Miya was afraid to touch it. But then, she didn"t really want to trouble the already nervous woman, so she gave a quick glance to them all. The woman beside Miya had now begun to tremble from anxiety.
Miya sighed.
She must have been mistaking her as someone important, for she was with the C.E.O. of Hunter Corporation after all. Maybe she was afraid to offend her or something. The thought was amusing, but Miya shrugged at it and randomly picked the least dangerous looking, a plain yellow dress. She was almost hopeful she wouldn"t look horrendous in it.
Once Miya had chosen a dress, the woman visibly relaxed and even gave her a smile. Miya smiled back as well, and then changed. She had already taken care of her Benny boy. So, when the mother and son came out and waited for Jim to finish, the young master was astounded to see them.
The boy he knew was handsome. And right now, he looked cute in his navy blue shorts, and a red-white t-shirt that had "Cute Cheeky Awesome" written on it. It made Jim smirk.
The woman, however, took him by surprise.
She was dressed in a plain yellow dress, and for the first time since knowing her, Jim thought that she looked elegant. Her aura seemed to have changed completely, her demeanour oddly… mysterious. She stood with her hands at her back, and her hair was neat and dried. And even though her hair was the most bizarre shade of brown, one that almost resembled mud, it suited her perfectly right then. It even enhanced her features, almost making her look pretty.
And her eyes… that striking, black colour.
For a second, she resembled something n.o.ble.
Miya caught Jim staring at her, and was instantly uncomfortable. She felt vulnerable under his gaze, almost afraid that she looked horrible, and that the young master would bully her for it. Then, almost suddenly, her own eyes fell on his arm.
Her heart leapt to her mouth.
Miya hurriedly walked towards him, and then clutched at the young master"s arm. Then inspecting it closely, she asked in a worry, "You changed the bandages, right?"
Jim was both shocked and dazed. He didn"t catch that. But once he realized she was talking about the gunshot wound, he immediately shrugged and grunted a "Hmm."
Miya recalled having fallen over Jimmy at the library. And he had even protected her with his hand! And she had completely forgotten about his wound!
Worrying further, and with an expression of utmost guilt, Miya looked up at him again.
"It didn"t reopen, right? When I fell over you at the library?"
Jimmy frowned.
Fine, she was worried. But did she have to be so close?!
Have some self-awareness, woman! You"re too pretty right now!
With eyes full of accusation, Jim instantly mumbled a "No," and then touched her cheek lightly. It made Miya flinch.
"It"s almost healed," he whispered, gently sc.r.a.ping the small red scar beneath her eye.
Miya swallowed.
He was talking about the wound from the slingshot. She had almost forgotten about it.
Somehow, Miya"s heart raced. Jim"s heartbeat also quickened. Until then, neither had realized the fact that Jim stood there, bare chested. He was dressed only in black pants, with a white towel draped across his broad shoulders. So, when she felt the thump of his heart beneath her fingers, Miya was instantly nervous.
Something fluttered in her stomach, and she realized that one of her hand was on his chest, the other resting on his wounded bicep. She hurriedly got away.
Jim looked away as well, immediately turning a deep red.
Meanwhile, the few attendants around them didn"t even dare to breathe.
As they saw the young master zone out and then blush, their own hearts leaped. The males rejoiced. It was evidence that their young master was human! The females were slightly sceptical though. That cold hearted, shouting b.a.s.t.a.r.d had made a face like that.
He seemed to have a heart after all!
They were also shocked by the little woman who had brought about the reaction.
She wasn"t anything unusual, just okay. But who in the world was she?!
Jim hurriedly went through a series of shirts to wear, until his eyes fell on an unusually brown one. It resembled her hair. Well, what the heck.
He picked it up.
Once they were on the beach again, and out of the sight of all the shocked and gossiping workers, Jim and Miya had both calmed down. Jim looked in the direction of the roaring waves, that were in a strange contrast with the red of the horizon.
The sun had began to set.
He had arranged for three folding beach chairs with headrest, and when Miya saw them, she almost cried from relief. Albeit the shower had soothed her aching muscles, but she was still glad at the thought of finally being able to lie down.
They spread out their legs, and leaned against the back of their chairs. Ben climbed over his mum and snuggled closer to her. Miya wrapped her arms around his small chest.
The sun set in the distance, dispersing a fiery red, yet almost dark colour throughout the skies. Something wavered in Jim"s eyes as he looked at the scene. It was beautiful. Since the very beginning, he had always appreciated it more than the sunrise.
Miya, however, felt cold.
The sky turned to a strange concoction of red and blue, with the waves leaping high. The wind grew strong against their skin. Jim couldn"t resist, and asked:
"Beautiful, isn"t it?"
Miya"s voice was tight.
"It reminds me of blood."
Jim"s gaze was sudden, sharp. He frowned at the reply, and turned around to look beside himself. Miya wasn"t looking at him at all. She was just staring into the sky.
"Tell me, Mr. Hunter," her voice was low again, "What is your one worst memory?"
Jim was surprised again. He saw the slight trembling in her arms, as she held Ben close. Thankfully, the kid had fallen asleep. Her face, he noticed, held no expression.
Her entire history, each and every word that Park had told, somehow flashed in his mind. Jim breathed.
Then leaning back into his chair again, he gazed at the setting sun as well.
His voice was a hoa.r.s.e whisper, when he said,
"My mother."
Silence pervaded.
It was when neither spoke that Jim dared to ask.
"And yours?"
The silence was deafening, but the girl finally spoke.
"My father."
This time, the quiet was haunting.