"I've already lost count of how many times you sighed." My train of thoughts was disrupted when Cynthia, who's sitting beside me, spoke. We are currently in the front yard of the mansion. The  warm rays of the Saturday sun is fondling on my face. "Come on, tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help and give you advices." I arched a brow and threw her a dubious look. "I doubt that you can do that." She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. I can be sane and normal sometimes, you know. On a serious note, spill what's on your mind." I pursed my lips together, thinking. Cynthia has been working for the Montreal family longer than me. So perhaps she can really give light to my questions. I took a deep breath. "Have you met Greyson's mother before?" I know that Aunt Esther forbade me to talk about her, but the conversation that I had with Greyson two days ago has been bothering me, and I couldn't stop my curiosity from kicking in. The smile on Cynthia's face faded, and that's when I confirmed that she knows something about that woman. She reclined in her seat. "You know too well that we are forbidden to talk about that woman, right?" I pursed my lips. "But since I know that your curiosity can't make you sleep at night, I'm going to tell you what I know." I cast a wary glance around, checking if someone is around. We look like thieves that are about to commit a crime. "But to be honest, I only know a little about Greyson's mother since when I started working here, she was already gone." My forehead creased. "What do you mean by gone? She's already dead?" I asked in disbelief. She shrugged. "Technically, she's still alive. But Sir Garren wants us to treat her as if she's already dead." I frowned even more. "I don't get what you're trying to say." "Celestine, Greyson's mother, left them when he was only a year old." My jaw dropped to the floor. I couldn't believe what she had just revealed! "Do you know the reason why?" I queried. "None of us know the exact reason why, not even Sir Garren does." The creases on my forehead worsen. "I'm seriously lost here." She heaved out a reason. "As far as I know, that woman disappeared from their lives all of a sudden. She disappeared without a trace. Sir Garren just woke up one day without her fiance." I gave her a questioning look. She nodded, as if confirming what she had just said. "After Celestine gave birth to their son, Sir Garren proposed to her and was already planning to marry her. But on the exact day of their wedding, she ditched him and vanished without any notice." I slumped on the bench and stared blankly at the empty air. I'll be honest... I feel sad for Garren. "And you know what? Aunt Esther told me that Celestine's disappearance was the reason why he became cold and distant." She looked at me. "According to her and the other maids, Sir Garren wasn't like that before. When Celestine vanished, he buried himself in work as the CEO of their company. He distanced himself from the rest of the world... and that includes his son." ••••• I stare at Greyson, who's busy drawing something in his notebook. The conversation that I had with Cynthia this morning appeared on my mind. It's sad to think that he only has his father, and yet even that person is detached from him. "Cleo!" I was snapped out of my reverie when he called my name. "What is it?" He excitedly showed me his drawing, a sunset. "Look at what I drew!" "That looks absolutely beautiful! But what place is that?" He beamed. "It's Santorini in Greece. Our teacher once showed us this place, and ever since, I have always dreamt of visiting it." "One day, you'll visit that beautiful place." I returned his smile. "I hope so. I really want to visit Santorini and watch the sunset with my dad. But he's always busy with work." The smile on my face dropped, but I quickly wore it back. "Why won't you try to ask him today? He's home right now, and this is the perfect time for you to bond with him!" I encouraged him. He shook his head and pouted. "I don't want to. He's probably still working on his office right now. That's what he always does, bringing his work home." He's right. Even though Garren hasn't left the mansion for almost a week now after he arrived from work, he still barely goes outside his room. In fact, I couldn't recall the last time that he spent a meal with his son. "Also, the last time that we went on vacation, he cut it short because of work-related stuff too. That might just happen again." I scowled. "When was that?" "If my memory serves me right, it was almost three years ago." This morning, I felt bad for Garren because of what Celestine did to him, and now I feel on the warpath again. I understand that he's busy with his work, but for him to barely give any time to his son... that's unacceptable! Even though he's doing this to patch his wound, that still doesn't sit right with me. He's neglecting Greyson in the process of healing himself! I took a deep breath to calm myself. "What about we go to the mall together instead?" He stopped coloring. "Really? We can do that?!" he asked enthusiastically. I smiled at him. "Of course! We will play in the arcade. I'm pretty sure you miss that already." He fervently nodded. "I do!" "What are you waiting for? Go take a bath now." He jumped out of the chair and got a towel before he rushed towards the bathroom. On the other hand, I started to clean his room and put all his coloring materials in place. After he was done, we headed downstairs. "Oh, where are you two going?" I greeted Aunt Esther. "I will bring Greyson to the mall, if that's okay, aunt." "That's actually great." She smiled at us. "I'm pretty sure that he's already bored here. It's been a while too since Greyson last went out." I brought Greyson to the living room. "Wait for me here. I will just change my clothes real quick. I don't want to look like a rag while walking down the mall with a prince like you." He giggled. "You're not a rag, Cleo. And if you are, then you're the most beautiful rag to ever exist." I pinched his cheeks. "You have a bright future as a playboy." He pouted. "I was just telling the truth. You are really pretty!" That put a smile on my lips. "Thank you, then." I stood up and was about to walk towards my room when someone suddenly opened the door. I turned around, and I was surprised to see Xavier. What is he doing here? "Uncle!" Greyson sprinted towards the newcomer. Xavier crouched down and gave his nephew a hug. They greeted each other happily. I bowed my head when Xavier went to me. "Good morning, sir." He laughed. "You don't need to be formal, so don't call me sir. My brother is your boss, not me." I just smiled as a response. "Anyway, it seems like you guys are going somewhere else." "Yeah. I'll bring Greyson at the mall. It's been a long time since he went out." "I came here to talk to Garren, but since you guys are going out, I might as well join. You're good with that, bud?" Greyson smiled cheekily. "Is that alright with you, Cleo?" I nodded. "Sure." It's not like I can refuse. Although I have no problem with Xavier, unlike his brother, who always make me feel like a bundle of nerves, that doesn't change the fact that I'm still not comfortable with him because we are not that close. I excused myself to change clothes. I rummaged through my closet and looked for a decent outfit. After a while, I decided to settle with a white button-down shirt and a pair of trousers. I want to at least look decent today. "Take care on your way. Xavier, don't drive too fast, alright?" Aunt Esther reminded us as we headed outside the mansion. "I'll keep that in mind, aunt." Uncle Oliver was supposed to drive us, but since Xavier brought his own car, he said to just use it instead. "Suit yourselves," Xavier announced, and started the engine. I'm sitting in the shotgun seat because he insisted that if I sat in the back beside Greyson, that would make him look like our personal driver. I look outside. The morning sky looks like a beautiful canvas graced with blues and pure milky whites, with the sunlight streaming a golden blaze through the window. After an almost half-hour drive, we finally reached our destination. To my surprise, Xavier brought us to the same mall where I first met them in a fortuitous way. "Let's go inside." I tailed behind them as we headed inside the mall. "Do you want to eat first?" Xavier asked Greyson. The latter shook his head. "I'm not yet hungry, uncle. I want to play arcade!" He turned to me. "Is that fine with you?" I simply smiled. So we went straight to the second floor, where the arcade is located. We stand in line to buy some tokens. And when it's our turn, my jaw dropped when Xavier spent a hundred euros just for the tokens. That's already outrageous for a stoney broke person like me. "A-Are you sure you're going to buy that much? Are you planning to play here all day?" I asked in disbelief. He chuckled. "That's fine. If we don't get to spend all these tokens, then we can just use them next time." He has a point, so I didn't argue further. We head back to the claw machine where Greyson is standing and looking at the prices like an eagle eyeing its prey. "You want to play that first, bud?" He fervently nodded his head at his uncle's question. Xavier put a token and let Greyson try it. However, he failed to get any toys, even at his third attempt. That made his face all crumpled. "Aw, don't be sad. Maybe this isn't just your lucky day," I consoled him. Xavier also cheered him up. He pouted. "Promise?" His uncle wiggled his eyebrows. "I won't disappoint you, bud." Although there's an air of formality surrounding Xavier, I can confidently say that he's better than his brother, who seemed to swallow a bitter pill when he was born. I'm glad that they weren't cut in the same clothe. "Why do you need to compare them?" The subconscious part of my mind asked. I drove those thoughts away. He even pulled up his sleeves and flexed his neck, as if preparing really well for the game.... but he also ended up getting nothing. "You said you would get them all!" Greyson teased him while laughing his heart out. I myself can't contain my smile. That's an epic fail. He hissed. "My hands are just pretty tired, so I can't function well. But I'm telling you, I'm a prodigy in this game!" "You're bluffing!" I couldn't help but smile while watching them bicker. But out of the blue, there's a doleful thought that appeared in my mind. Will I ever see Garren and Greyson doing the same thing?