Chapter 12 Pedophile

Mia POV

I walked out of the subdivision, panting and exhausted. The sun was scorching, and I didn't have an umbrella with me.

After walking for a while, I stopped and looked back. I had walked quite a distance, but the main gate was still far away.

I frustratingly pulled at my hair, wondering why I had decided to walk. If I continued walking, it would take me two weeks to reach the exit.

I was annoyed because of Ethan. I was still holding onto the dog, and it was getting heavy.

"What was I thinking?" I complained out loud.

Then, I saw Ethan's car approaching, and he stopped right in front of me. He rolled down the window of his car—a red Ferrari 458 Italia.

"Get in," he curtly ordered.

Setting aside my pride, I swallowed my irritation and got into the car.

I boarded the car with a scowl on my face.

He glanced at the dog.

The dog barked and seemed eager to go with him.

"Hey, I can't carry you," he said to the dog.

"You can handle it." I handed him the dog and he placed it on his lap.

The dog trembled nervously.

"Don't be nervous," he reassured the dog, gently stroking it with one hand.

"It's funny how you're more concerned about the dog," I murmured.

I saw him smile from the corner of my eye.

"How are you, babe?"

I didn't respond.

I was really annoyed with him.

"You're really good at being irritated, aren't you?" I sarcastically smiled at him.

"Tsk! By the way, have you named her?" he pointed at the dog.

"Not yet. I can't think of a name."

"How about Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?" he suggested.

"What?!"

I felt like he was joking.

"What are you talking about?" I said, feeling a bit crazy.

"This dog's name is Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. It means a lung disease caused by inhaling quartz dust."

I slapped my forehead. I couldn't even pronounce the name he suggested, let alone spell it.

"Ethan, I know you're a doctor, but please don't name the dog after a medical condition." My head was about to explode.

He chuckled. "How about Floccinaucinihilipilification? Or Antidisestablishmentarianism? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious can be good too."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You're impossible, Ethan."

I couldn't understand any of the names he mentioned. Why does a dog need a long name?

"Don't you have something shorter? I mean, out of all the things you mentioned, only you can pronounce those words," I commented. I didn't understand a single word he said.

"Actually, Jase, Nate, Brother Mark, and Julius know those words, and they can pronounce them," he replied, suddenly braking as a cat crossed our path.

Luckily, we didn't hit it. I don't like seeing animals getting hurt.

"They're probably doctors!" I exclaimed.

"Nate is not a doctor. He's a CEO," he corrected me.

"He studied medicine, so what?... Can't you give the dog a short and easy-to-pronounce name, Ethan? Seriously, my brain is already fried, and now I'm stumbling over these long names you're suggesting. It's just a dog, it doesn't need a long name," I reasoned with him.

He thought for a moment. "How about..." I prayed that he would suggest something simpler. He knew I struggled to pronounce unfamiliar words, and yet he teased me with these names.

"Her name will be Chinnaswamy."

"Huh? Wacky?" I asked in confusion.

He chuckled again. "Chinnaswamy."

"Suit yourself," I said. Ethan really knows how to drive me crazy. A Chihuahua with a name like that, while being a mix of Shih Tzu. The name is indeed clever.

Ethan is truly amazing. He's so intelligent insert my sarcasm.

"By the way, where are we going?"

We entered a subdivision, and Ethan showed an ID before we were allowed in.

"We're going to Nate's house," he replied as we drove deeper into the subdivision. If my house was far from the gate, Ethan's was even farther.

We stopped in front of a simple two-story house.

Ethan scanned a card on a nearby scanner, and the gate automatically opened.

Suddenly, CCTV cameras focused on us as we exited the car. I instinctively grabbed Ethan's arm.

"We look like burglars," I muttered.

He gently removed my hand from his arm and placed it around my waist, guiding me into the house. He held onto the Chihuahua.

Even the door had a fingerprint scanner. The keyhole had been replaced by a fingerprint reader. Nathan's house was so high-tech, it looked like a mansion.

"Sir Nate, please don't scold Ma'am Kairen. It's my fault. If I had watched her properly, she wouldn't have been in danger," one of the household staff explained.

I looked at Ethan's face, but he remained impassive. This man is so handsome. His nose is so perfectly shaped, just like Harry Potter's.

The sunlight made his hair gleam as well.

"You know that you don't know how to cross the road, Kaye. If your bodyguard hadn't seen you, you would be lying in a hospital bed,"

Ethan was about to approach them when I held his hand to stop him.

I gestured for us to listen first. He sighed and smiled at me sweetly. He messed up my hair and pulled me closer to him.

"I shifted my gaze inward because my neck was getting sore from looking up at Ethan. He's so tall that I have to tilt my head back to see him.

'When will you listen to me, huh? You're so stubborn,” Nate said in a stressed tone.

Nathan placed his hands on his waist, looking stressed. Kuya Nate is handsome, just like Ethan would probably be if he knew how to speak at length. He knows a lot, especially when it comes to medical topics that I can't quite understand.

He's so economical with his words; it's as if each letter costs a fortune.

"Sir, please don't scold Ma'am Kaye," another servant said.

Nate turned to the servants and ordered them to leave. They all left.

The bodyguard approached our position near the door. He was about to inform Kuya Nate that we were here, so I signaled him to stay quiet.

I love this scene.

I've never seen this side of Kuya Nate before. I didn't know he could be like this.

"I'm sorry," Kaye played with her fingers and bowed her head. Her skin was fair and smooth, with natural rosy cheeks. She looked like a princess.

"What is your plan, Kairen, huh? Planning to disobey me?" Kuya Nate scolds her too much. I could see the child starting to cry.

"From this day on, you can't leave this house," Nate said seriously, but with strictness, to the child.

Ethan lowered himself to match my height, bringing his face close to mine. What is he up to now? He's been like this since yesterday.

I covered my mouth.

"Why are you covering your mouth?" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm not going to kiss you if that's what you think," so I removed my hand from my mouth.

I felt his hand on my forehead. 'There's a flower on your forehead,' he said in a deep tone of voice.

Why did he have to bring his face so close? He's so weird.

He removed his hand and I was startled when I felt his lips gently touch mine.

"If you came here to show affection, you can leave my house."

Kuya Nate was already looking at us, and the child he scolded was no longer around.

He folded his long sleeves up to his elbows.

Ethan pulled me inside and we sat on the sofa, even though we weren't asked to.

This guy is quite something.

He let go of the Chihuahua and allowed it to roam around the house. He must be tired from carrying it earlier.

Ethan called one of his maids to ask for drinks for us.

Kuya Nate took the iPod from the table and showed something to Ethan.

"I'll buy the equipment and tools you'll need," he said and sat on the opposite sofa.

I looked at the iPod now in Ethan's hands.

"Continue arranging those items, my men will deliver them tomorrow," Kuya Nate explained.

"You don't need to pay me, consider it a free service for you. It might take another decade before your laboratory is fully operational," I said.

"Thanks," Ethan said as he looked at the other pictures on the iPod, each one labeled with a name.

"Have you fixed everything?" Kuya Nate asked again. "And the papers? Have you sorted them out?" he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I already fixed everything."

It seems like I'm not needed here.

The maid placed the juice and a cake on the center table.

I need to give them privacy.

"Um, excuse me. Is there a restroom here?" I asked the maid.

"Yes, ma'am," the maid smiled at me.

Only then did I realize my question. How foolish! Of course, there must be a restroom here. There might even be more than one.

"Lolita, call Kaye and tell her to go to the garden, and you," Kuya Nate pointed at me. I felt scared of him, his aura seemed as if he could devour a person. "Go to the garden too, Lolita will accompany you there." I nodded at him.

"Take care, okay?" Ethan said to me.

I was about to stand up when he suddenly stopped me and kissed my forehead. I was left speechless.

If Lolita hadn't called me, I would have remained in a daze until later.

I wasn't really in need of using the restroom, it was just an excuse.

Lolita led me to the garden, and a few minutes later, the princess followed.

"Hello," I greeted her and smiled.

"Hello," she said shyly.

I gestured for her to sit in front of me. Wow, she looks so beautiful up close, she really does resemble a princess.

"What's your name?"

I didn't know what topic to bring up.

"K-Kairen, but you can call me K-Kaye... Uhmm, everyone calls me Kay, but Chen is the only one who calls me Kaye."

I smiled meaningfully.

"What is your relationship with Kuya Nate?"

I was intrigued. Hihi, I have something new to look forward to.

"He is my stepfather. My mom just died a week ago," she said, nodding.

"How about you? Are you their older sister?"

The maid served us snacks.

I laughed. "Wow, do I really look that old?"

"S-Sorry, I thought you were their older sister. I heard that Kuya Nate has a younger sister."

"Ah, yes, they have a younger sister named Ate Ann. Have you met Kuya Mark?"

She shook her head as a response. "Don't mind him too much, okay?" I approached her. "He's a bit crazy, so don't be surprised if you meet him and he laughs uncontrollably," I whispered to her.

She laughed at what I said.

"Okay, Ate, noted," she said to me.

"Wait, how old are you?" I asked her. She looked quite young.

"I'll be 18 next month."

I was right, I knew she was young.

I nodded in response.

"Wait, why were you scolded by Kuya Nate earlier?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "I ran away from my bodyguard at school earlier and almost got hit by a car," she pouted.

"Does he physically hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No. He's strict, he doesn't let me go out or hang out with friends. He wants me to focus on school. And if I do something he doesn't like, he locks me in my room."

Kuya Nate is the devil, and Ethan is the silent angel. I chuckled. They're so different in character.

"If he starts a fight with you, tell Ethan," I advised her.

"His twin brother, your husband," I nodded at her and grabbed a sandwich.

"He's scary when he gets angry. When Kuya Nate scolds you, tell his twin brother so he can scold him too... See, it's even," I playfully mentioned.

Ethan is the type who can make me comply sometimes, but I'm not stubborn. I was just scared of him back then.

She giggled and seemed to like what I said.

"High five!" I said and we exchanged a high five.

"But I'm scared of him, he's intimidating. It's like he wants to devour me, but he never does. He just scolds me all the time," she pouted.

"Maybe because you're stubborn. Just follow him, especially if it's for your own good," I advised her.

She seemed to have a stubborn and shy personality.

"He's just too strict," she answered, and I burst into laughter.

"You know, you two are a good match," I commented out of nowhere.

Only then did I realize what I said. "You two would make a good father-daughter pair," I awkwardly laughed.

I whispered to her as I leaned closer.

"He might get mad, you know," she whispered back when I shared my mischievous idea.

I want to make a false scene that Kaye is in bad state. I want to see if Nate have feelings for this young woman.

I entered the room and saw the two of them engaged in a serious conversation.

"Ethan! Kuya Nate!" I pretended to be out of breath and acted like there was an emergency.

"Kaye," Nate quickly stood up, his face filled with concern and he rush to the garden.

I haven’t said something and he rushed to the garden.

I wonder if their relationships is daughter and stepfather only.

"Is there something wrong?" Nate asked his baby doll as he saw the child in the garden. He quickly rushed to the garden like he was the Flash.

I had a feeling there was something going on between the two of them. Hmm, since I'm a gossip, I'll just wait and see what unfolds between the two of you.