Chapter 4 A brother in need

"Matilda?"

Tiffany turned around immediately. Her heart almost skipped a beat as his voice rang into her ears. Christian was standing by a door close to the stairs, his weight supported with crotches that he held on both sides.

His long black hair had fallen over to his face but his sharp glass eyes burned through them. He looked taller with the crotches under his armpits, a frightening sight because Christian towered over six foot three already.

"Nathan," the woman replied to him, turning around. "This woman here says that-"

"Nathan!" Tiffany proclaimed, hurrying to him. Her hands wrapped around him in a tight embrace. She could hear him whimper but refused to let go of the embrace.

"Have fun, brother," she heard Matilda say with a mimicking laugh as she walked away.

"I can't believe you're awake!" Tiffany yelled to his face after letting go of the hug. "I was scared, Christian. I was so scared, what's wrong with your family? They didn't want me to even. . ." She finally got a good look on Christian's face and that was when she realised that something was not right.

"Christian?" she asked. "What's wrong."

"I have to ask you a question, Miss," Christian demanded.

Miss?

"Who are you? Why are you here? Why are you. . . touching me. . . what - what is this?"

An unsure frown was on her face. She stared at him as she slowly moved backwards, chuckling uneasily. "Christian, what are you talking about. It's me, Tiffany. Are you kidding?"

"I do not have time for pranks, whoever you are. If my family put you up to this, I'm sorry but you must leave now."

Tiffany attempted to understand. What was this? She looked at him, completely numb and unsure of how to feel. What she knew was that she was going to cry if Christian denied her once more.

"Its me, Tamara," she declared once again. "What are you doing, Christian. I'm your fiancée, we're engaged. What. . . what's this?"

Christian laughed briefly. "Engaged? Me? Us?"

"Yes, you have your ring on your finger and I have mi. . ." her voice trailed off when she noticed that Christian's finger beared no ornament. It wasn't there, the ring she had put in his hand on their engagement night wasn't there. "Christian, where is your ring?"

"Alright," he exclaimed, looking around the corridor. "I've had enough of this nonsense. You look like a good woman but I will not accept you coming into my house and telling me all these rubbish about an engagement. I do not know who you are, I have never met you and I do not like this. Its making me feel crazy so I want you to leave my house right now."

*Oh My God, this isn't happening right now.*

Tiffany felt her chest begin to weigh on her and her eyes started to water. "Christian?" She called to him one more time as he walked away.

Tiffany blew into the air, holding herself from weeping uncontrollably in the gigantic Salazar mansion. And so she quit, she couldn't tell him about the baby with the way he was. She ran out the door and back into the cold of the approaching snowstorm.

Once she was in the safety of her car, Tiffany cried herself to a stupor.

****

It wasn't the loud crowing of the roosters from far away or the whirring sound of a lawn mower from close by that woke Tiffany up that morning. But rather, the yellow blaring sun, finding it's way through the clouds like red curtains and introducing itself. In her sad state, Tiffany relished it. It was one of the things she loved about the countryside - the sun. Especially in the white coldness of February. She hadn't gone home the other night. Not only because she didn't want to accept defeat, but the snowstorm was approaching and it was particularly heavy that night. She had booked herself into a small motel and stayed the night. Tiffany had never slept in a motel before and the workers all seemed to recognize that. They could tell she was a wealthy comported woman and they did their best to treat her that way. They even gave her the best room in the building. As Tiffany got up from bed she gave herself a mental note to tip the boy at the reception office. What was she planning to do that day? She was going for the second round. One more attempt to understand what was happening to Christian and why he had rejected her with so much certainty. There was something that bothered her though, as she walked out of the room that morning. When she looked into Christian's eyes the other day, he felt sure, he felt certain. He didn't think that he was lying, almost so that it made Tiffany feel like an insane person. He was sure of what he was saying or at least he believed it. Tiffany didn't know why. She tipped the reception boy and walked out of the motel. Her car, to her surprise didn't have a single piece of evidence that it was in a snowstorm. She smiled and waved to the boy, thanking him once again and then she drove away. At the evil castle once again she was. This time after ringing on the door bell, it magically opened by itself. Tamara stared at the emptiness, wondering who had opened the door for her. "You're pretty." She heard a childish voice from below and so she looked down. There was a young golden haired boy with extremely round glasses staring up at her. "Well hello there," Tiffany greeted him with a friendly smile. "What's your name?" "I'm Charlie," he replied. "My uncle Christian calls me Charles." "Aw, isn't that nice," Tiffany said as she squatted to face him. "Well, Charlie, where is Uncle Christian?" "He's by the side of the house with his girlfriend." "His girlfriend?" Tiffany instantly got up to her feet, almost losing her balance in the way. "Who's his girlfriend?"