Looking at the clock, it was 1.30 p.m.
"Summer, are you hungry, yet? Traveling for hours like this you must be tired, my son."
The voice said to Summer. Wirata turned to smile with his mother. Saw her watching her son fondly.
"Seeing Summer like this, you must miss Tiger very much. I still miss him every day."
Jacqueline said to her son.
"If Tiger was still around, he would have liked this little boy, too."
Stefan said with a gentle voice and his eyes softened when mentioning his Tiger dog.
Jacqueline smiled and nodded in agreement. She put some food on his plate. Stefan ate everything his mother gave him. Wirata thought he loved his mother so much just like her. She loved her mother very much, too. That"s why she was with him now so that her mother would not lose her beloved home.
"Is chicken too tough for you, honey?" Jacqueline asked Wirata.
"No, it is lovely, thank you."
Wirata replied politely. Stefan glanced up and then he reached to put some fried onion rings and fresh tomatoes on her plate. She was having chicken steak with French fries.
"She loved onions and tomatoes."
He said with a straight face, teasing her and behaving like a wayward by adding a lot more onion rings on her dish. Wirata ate it because she liked it anyway and he knew she did.
Jacqueline lit up a smile, so amused to see her son doing that. He was too embarra.s.sed to show that he just wanted to treat Wirata by putting food on her plate. But he had to make himself looked like a bad boy as usual.
When they finished their lunch. All got up and walked back to the living room. Stefan lifted Summer up in the air.
"I am sure you would scare of Tiger, but he was a good and gentle dog. But you would have loved him afterward." He said to Summer.
He continued to talk to the puppy. Wirata noticed the tenderness that he showed to his mother and when talking about his favorite dog that pa.s.sed away. He was full of kindness but rarely showed it. She felt softened towards the man she should not. But because he loved Summer, however.
"Give Summer to me. You take Wirata to see upstairs. See if you need anything else and please let me know."
Jacqueline said. She thought they probably needed to rest in the afternoon as they have just arrived.
"Thanks very much for lunch and warm welcoming."
Wirata said to Jacqueline modestly. Jacqueline pulled her to hug.
"Don"t mention it. Make yourself at home. This is Stefan and Sam"s home. So it"s your home as well." She said with her kind voice. Wirata hugged her back as a Thank You gesture.
Stefan took out his phone and rang Ben to asked if the two had lunch yet. Both bodyguards had just finished eating and Stefan told them to rest or do whatever they like. When he came to his mother"s house like this he did not need his men for service. So it was like the two came here to have a break as well.
When Stefan took Wirata upstairs. They were walking along the corridor.
"So is your mother living here on her own?"
Wirata asked while they were alone. Stefan put his arm around her shoulders again. He liked to touch her a little when he could. It made him feel good.
"Not on her own. Don"t you see this house is full of servants? "
He said in his special sarcastic style. Wirata gave him a glare and made him laugh in his throat, pleased to see her sway with his teasing. Wirata looked over the balcony to see servants walked in the yards down below doing their duties.
The large two-story house, decorated in a contemporary style, high ceilings to emphasize airiness and relaxing atmosphere. The interior and furniture colors were light colors and gave comfortable feelings throughout the s.p.a.ce.
"She has been separated from my father for almost twenty years. My father lives in Mackenzie mansion in Boston. My mother is living here. But they are still friends. They have been friends since school. "
He told her in his normal tone without any inferiority regarding the relations.h.i.+p between his father and mother. They had separated, not divorced yet. For almost twenty years of separation?
Wirata nodded to acknowledge. When Stefan said their parents had been friends since school, it made Wirata thought of Sam and Sophia. The two were the same.
"I will take you to see something."
The das.h.i.+ng voice said with a smile. the way he smiled like a big child wanted to show off something making her smile back to him. She nodded. Then the big hand grabbed her hand and led her to a door at the end of the corridor.
"What is it?"
She asked with her eyes sparkling, wanting to know what he wanted to show her.
Stefan pressed the codes into the lock at the door and pushed it open. They walked inside the room. It was a s.p.a.cious room. Stefan walked to pull open the thick and long curtains. Suddenly the room was brightened up by the light outside shown through the French-style gla.s.s windows from the top to the floor.
It was a gallery room. Around the room, on the walls arranged to hang paintings of various sizes. Each image was so beautiful. Wirata blinked her eyes and turned around to see the whole room.