Iliana was furious when I called her late last night and didn't let me sleep until I told her everything that happened here. Just like my mom said, she told me it would be better to just comply than to resist again. It seemed like they trusted Aeden and Mr. Min a lot.
There wasn't much going on at breakfast at the main house. Just like last night, they all had their own conversations, and some just told Aeden what they were doing that day. I couldn't understand why they had to tell them about everything they were doing. Anyway, since the main house was far from our allocated houses, I used the cart I found in the garage. Well, Aeden said that I could use everything in the house because it was all for me, including the wardrobes anyway.
The house they lend me was at the edge of these place. I was close to the ocean. It was just a few meters from the beach. I'm not complaining because the view is so relaxing and beautiful. It was just the farthest from the main house. I didn't know if they intentionally put me here, far from the entrance gate, so they could easily know if I left or ran away or whatever.
Anyway, I decided to walk along the beach near the house when I saw an elevated gazebo on the water in the distance. I hadn't seen it from the house because it was hidden by the trees. I decided to stay there for a while. The breeze was cold, but since I was wearing a thick sweater, I could handle it. The view is beautiful. It is relaxing to listen to the waves.
I was just staring at the ocean when a coffee cup suddenly appeared in front of me. I didn't even feel anyone was coming. It seemed like the ocean waves had taken my senses too. They were mesmerizing.
"It's me, Aeden." He introduced himself. "Take it. It will help you keep warm." He was referring to the coffee he was holding.
"Thanks."
I already recognized his voice, his clothing style, and his hair the moment I looked at him. He also have this masculine perfume that I can’t explain but it’s kind of mild and yet fragrant.
"Aren't you cold? It's chilly out here." He sat down in the chair opposite mine.
"It's fine. I love the cold."
He nodded and drank his own coffee. "Did anyone start to tour you around the place yet?"
"Nope. I think they're all busy. It's fine though. I can go around by myself. I can always look for a map or call anyone if I get lost. By the way, this place is like a village. Are we the only residents here?"
"Yes. Our father wanted to preserve this place for us. He said that this is a place where we can all have a vacation and relax even though we all have our own families. This place is where we can live freely from the eyes of the public and just live a normal life. That's why he designed it like this. In fact, when he was planning what to build on this place, he didn't know that he had other children. He said he dreamt of building houses in this area to make it private. When they started building it, he had a dream of having a daughter who loves nature. So, he tried to preserve the nature surrounding the area and made it even more attractive." Aeden explained.
I took a sip of the coffee he gave me before facing him. "Like he had a premonition that he had a lot of illegitimate children out there?"
"Father doesn't want to hear that term. Illegitimate. He hated hearing it. He doesn't want you guys to be called that way. For him, we are all his children. That's why he also planned to ask your mothers if he could give you his name, for legal terms. Of course, that depends on your decisions too because you are all adults now."
"Isn't it too late for that? Like you said, we are all adults now. Our names were already written in a lot of documents and papers. So, changing it now will just give us difficulties."
"I think abeoji knew that already. It's just his wishful thinking. Even so, he wanted all of us to get along, or to stay here together and know each other. Besides, those changes of names are just for him to easily give you your inheritance when the time comes. I guess he can still find a way to do that though."
"Aren't you going to protest for that? I mean, you and the others were the only ones who grew up with him and even help him with his businesses. Knowing that he can easily give some share to anyone just because we have his blood is unacceptable, isn't it?"
"If you are all different from what we know, we might protest or go against it. You already know that we did background checks on all of you before we even invited you to come here. There are details about happening in your lives that define your personality. We knew that you are not the kind of people who will be greedy and wanted to have everything instead. Or are you?"
"Am I?" I asked back, raising one of my eyebrows at him, but I just heard him chuckle. "Well, Mr. Min told me that you didn't have time to do the background check on me. He told me that everything you knew about me was from Iliana and my mom."
"Yes, and I think we don't need to do that now. Sometimes you're just easy to read. When it comes to the inheritance, I know that you don't need money. You're already successful on your own. In fact, you can create your own company with your name and knowledge without anyone's help. You became successful because of your ability." Aeden said meaningfully. "Speaking of that, now that David knows that you're Gabriella, he might start to ask you to join the La Casa later on. Just a heads up, he might pester you to work with him."
"David?" I asked, confused.
"David handles the La Casa; it's the home furnishing company of AH Group. I remember him saying about inviting Gabriella to collaborate with them, but Gabriella keeps on declining the offer."
"La Casa." I repeated because the name was familiar. "AH Group?"
AH Group is a group of companies known for its hotels and resorts, its own fashion brand, and its mall specializing in home furnishings and supermarkets. There are four countries that have its branch: China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea. The latter being the main location for the main branch. I know about it because Miss Amanda told me one time that they were asking Gabriella to work with them. So, they were the one who owned that big company?
"Our grandpa, Han Minki, got the Furniture Business from his family, but he extended it and made it bigger until it became AH Group with the help of grandma's family business too, which is a fashion brand. The two companies merged after they got married and it was named AH Group, short for Ahn and Han. Abeoji started the chains of hotels when he became the president. Abeoji is the only heir from both families, so he took over the whole business after. He's still the CEO of AH Group."
It wasn't surprising that this place was private and owned by one person. The man wasn't just a simple businessman, but a billionaire. He was the only heir to all the assets of his mother and father. I honestly didn't read all the profiles that Aeden gave me about him during our first meeting. I just scanned it and didn't really read it well. So, I didn't know much about the man and his history.
"By the way, Min Hanbin said that your latest designs were already launched yesterday and were remarkably successful. Congratulations!" Aeden continued.
"Thanks."
"I apologize that you didn't go there to attend it." I just gave him a meaningful side glance, and he just laughs. "Right, you're not going to attend anyway."
Aeden said something else, but I didn't hear it very well because my attention was drawn to a figure in the distance. Based on what he was wearing, even from afar, I knew who it was.
"Is that Minwoo?"
Minwoo was about to leave, but Aeden called him. They talked in their language, and it seemed like they were arguing.
"Is everything okay?" I interjected before they got into a fist fight.
"Ilwoo asked him to tour you around the village because he needed to go to his studio. Eric went to the company for an emergency meeting. They both asked Minwoo to tour you here instead of them, which they volunteered when I asked them about it, but I think it's not a clever idea." Aeden explained.
"Why not? If the others are busy and he's the only one available, why can't he tour me around instead?" I asked, puzzled. "Honestly?"
Aeden took a deep breath before answering. "He might just fill you in with his rebellious mind and put you in a dangerous situation. I can't trust you with him."
Minwoo scoffed.
"But he's one of the brothers." I added. "Ilwoo and Eric asked him to accompany me, which means they trusted him."
"Maybe they do, but I don't. You don't know what he is capable of, and he might put you in danger."
"What danger can he put me into when we're just inside this place? You just told me that this is a place where we can live freely, right? It's not like he's going to push me off the cliff or abandon me somewhere to be eaten by a wild bear or point a gun at me. I'm sure he's not a criminal."
"That's not what I meant. Why are you even defending him? You don't know him that much yet, Guia."
"Exactly, I don't. I also don't know you, but I still tried to trust you." I pointed out. "Look, I'm not the one to judge people I just met just because of what other people told me or what they look like. So far, he didn't show any danger around me, and I trust my instincts. I don't know what your deal with him, or what he did for you to feel that way towards him, but I know I will be fine with him."
"Are you not scared of him? Look at him, he doesn't even look pleasant." Aeden persisted.
"In my experience, a lot of people who look decent and pleasant are the ones who put me in danger and even did terrible things to me. I'm sure you already heard the saying about 'don't judge a book by its cover'. I don't think there's anything wrong with Minwoo just because of the way he dressed up. Besides, of all people, you shouldn't be the one judging him because he's your brother."
Aeden didn't say anything, and then he let out a sigh. A sigh of defeat, as they say.
"Fine. I still don't trust him to be alone with you, but I do trust you. Call me if anything happened. I have to go back to the company anyway." Aeden surrendered and patted my shoulder. He didn't even acknowledge Minwoo and just left.