Chapter 4 Four

"What are you doing here?" Elara asked with a snarl that made Granny Adaline chuckle at the sound.

The man sitting on the super-sized sofa looked at Elara as he raised one eyebrow. " Don't you feel that you're asking the wrong question?" The man asked in a stern tone that made Elara frown. " I should be the one asking you that question, not the other way around. This is my parents' house, it's natural for me to be here. It's you who's unnatural to be here. Why are you here? Why don't you stay at Meizar's house?" Rayyan asked curtly.

Elara shrugged. "My mom told me to stay here. Granny Ada accepted me here anyway." She replied in a flat tone. "Granny, when is he coming?" Elara asked the elderly woman.

"This afternoon." Granny Ada answered as she was.

"Oh..." Elara replied flatly.

"Just an 'Oh'?" Rayyan asked irritably. Elara glanced at him and shrugged. "You didn't ask me how I was doing, how my trip was or whether I was jetlagged or not?" Asked Rayyan which made Elara frown in disgust.

"Do I have to ask you all that?" She asked, which was answered by Rayyan's nod. Elara scowled. "I don't think it's necessary." She said again which made Rayyan frown. "It's obvious that you seem to be in good health, so there's no need to ask how you're doing.

"When it comes to traveling, of course it's always fun for you especially when accompanied by a beautiful flight attendant. It's obvious that you're not jetlagged." Elara shrugged. "Asking if you brought me any souvenirs is unlikely, so there's no point in small talk." Elara said as she walked away from the living room.

"Where are you going?" Rayyan asked as Elara walked further away instead of choosing to continue sitting in the living room.

"To my room. I want to take a shower, clean up and wash my eyes and ears."

"Who?" Rayyan asked which made Elara narrow her eyes.

"Who's asking?" said Elara in a stern tone that made Rayyan chuckle. "It's old-fashioned." She continued as she walked away.

Once in the room, Elara thoroughly washed her eyes and ears, hoping that by doing so she would not see or hear things that were unsightly and unpleasant to hear.

After finishing cleaning herself, Elara decided to rest. It wasn't that Elara was lazy, but she was already used to taking a nap first if she had a lecture schedule from morning to noon, then in the afternoon she went down to help prepare dinner.

Before going to bed, Elara thought of something prankish like applying laxatives to the plates or glasses Rayyan would use. She carried the smile on her face until she fell asleep.

Some time later.

"You've grown up. You've grown up. You finally know how to use a knife and spatula." Said Rayyan who walked into the dirty kitchen and saw Elara who was busy with her dinner ingredients. "When you were little, your favorite thing to do was making balls out of cement and sand." He teased again. "Are you learning to be a good cooking wife?" He continued in a mocking tone.

"No," Elara replied in a soft tone. "I'm not learning how to be a good cook. I'm learning how to use this knife to slice and dice people's bodies." She continued, which was immediately rebuked by Adaline.

"Watch your language. It's not good for a woman to say such things." Reprimanded the elderly woman in a gentle tone that made Elara look down with pouting lips. "What are you doing here? If your business in the kitchen is done, you'd better get out." Adaline chided her youngest son.

"Miss Fulton, what exactly is your problem with young Mr. Quirino?" the question came out of Adaline's head housemaid's mouth. "If I've noticed, you two have been fighting like cats and mice for a long time." She continued, causing Elara to shrug her shoulders.

" I also don't know the reason." Elara answered as she was. "The aura of uncle Rayyan and uncle Meizar is equally dark. Seeing them always makes me upset." She continued honestly. "Should we do an exorcism for both of them? Who knows, if we do that, their aura will shine again."

Adaline and the head assistant just chuckled at Elara's remark.

"Don't hate someone too much. Some say that the line between hate and love is very thin. What if you fall in love with Mr. Quirino junior?" The head housekeeper said, to which Adaline nodded her head. Hearing that, Elara pouted her lips as she shuddered in horror.

"Don't let that happen to me. Aren't there any other men out there?" She snapped, which made Adaline and her chief housekeeper chuckle.

Dinner at the Altezza Quirino residence became more crowded when the Altezza-Adaline couple's children arrived. Falisha, Ash and their children came from Kansas. Ivana, Liam and their children also came. So did Geremia, Rianna and their daughters. All of them came to welcome the return of the youngest son who had been away for a long time.

This is exactly what Granny Adaline and Grandpa Altezza are missing. The gathering of their children and grandchildren and the bustling atmosphere of the house.

The looks on their faces also changed drastically. Smiles could not escape their faces and eyes when they heard their children arguing sharply with each other, and it was not uncommon for Elara to see Rayyan being hit by his eldest sister, Falisha.

"Thank you for accompanying my mom here." Falisha said as they were washing the dishes from dinner in the kitchen.

"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking Granny for hosting me here." Elara said as she was.

"I know what's in your mom's head. She wants you to stay here not because she's afraid you'll be a nuisance to Aunty Claire or Uncle Antony, but because she's thinking of my mother who's actually lonely.

"It's not that I don't want to stay here and keep Mom company. I love her. As a child I want to give her the best. But I'm already a wife and mother, I have other priorities so I have to go wherever my husband takes me and be wherever he lives.

"I'm sure someday, after you get married and have your own children, you'll understand what I mean." Falisha said in a sad tone.

Elara smiled and nodded her head. "I understand your situation. You can rest easy, as long as I'm here I'll look after Granny and Grandpa. And if there's anything wrong with them, I promise I'll tell you first." Her promise was answered by her aunt's nod.

Falisha raised one hand and rubbed Elara's head gently.

"Thank you, for being a dutiful niece." The woman in her mid-thirties said solemnly to which Elara only nodded in response.

They spent the evening gathered in the living room. The men moved the sofa to a corner of the room while the women laid out several large rugs there. Afterward, the children went in and out of the room and brought pillows and Elara blankets so that they wouldn't get cold during the night.

The women made rows of cushions for themselves and the children while the men still sat on the sofa and talked. They spend the evening sharing stories.

Whether it's about when they were children or when they were adults. Either telling about their children's mischief and achievements or telling about their future plans.

Elara just lay there, next to the children and listened. She liked being part of a big family. She liked listening to people's stories because in doing so, she learned many life lessons.