His mother loved to make osmanthus wine. Caius kept a garden filled with osmanthus flowers and it also had roses, jasmine, daisies and peonies; even after twelve years of her passing. There were maids who passed away taking care of these gardens. Now... he could only rely on experts paid to keep this place alive. In the middle of the intersection of his home and Gideon's room was the garden he would never enter but gaze at from his window.
Today as he walked down he saw Odette clean the leaves of the roses in a corner whilst Gideon played with two children. He remembered how his mother read him books under the sun kissed sky every evening after napping. How her hands held the petals softly when she took care of them.
Their eyes met and Odette smiled. Under the midday sun, her eyes reduced into twinkling diamonds, Stretching into such a warmth. He forgot to reciprocate and found himself gazing. Breaking himself from the trance he walked towards her; hands behind his back.
"I asked the maids to prepare some rice cakes and cold vanilla tea." He said, Standing beside her knelt figure.
Without removing her attention from the leaves she hummed. "Thanks Caius, I was waiting for a snack."
"You want any help?" He looked around.
Odette shook her head and began to spray homemade pestilence under the leaves. "I don't want your expensive shirt to get mud on 'em." She chuckled.
"Yeah...yeah... make fun of me all you want." Caius smiled almost as if he knew that was coming. He took a deep breath and let it out. The fresh air was healing. "I'm helping you anyways."
She felt his presence more when he crouched down beside her and held the leaves upwards so she could easily clean the white spider webs clinging unto them. Shoulder to shoulder they tended to every flower.
The breeze quickened and soon it was evening. Under the orange skies she finished tending to the last patch of peonies. He left a few minutes ago and now she felt his presence again.
"I sent Gideon back to change before dinner." His voice baritone as ever but gentle.
"Thanks." She looked up and smiled. Exhausted from the days work she sat down on the green pastures, Stretching her arms and legs. He could only watch and admire how beautiful she was even under the burnt out sun.
From his hands Caius brought out a light-blue rice cake, round and bouncy. It looked absolutely soft and chewy. She stared at it.
"I know you like sweet things." Caius said, crouching beside her. "This is for you. It has mung bean filling."
For a second she had to stare at the image in front of her. Caius... the owner of this land and assets which were build upon generations of bloodshed and conflict. The master of an underground mafioso. Was this the same man? Why would anyone like him want to offer her sweets and treat her well ?
"Caius." She wanted answers. "Why do you treat me nice now?" The pair of eyes which locked gazes with her seemed to want to swim deep into her mind.
Caius drew close. "I always wanted to treat you better. I just..."
Odette raised her eyebrows, lightly confused.
He looked away. "I just did not know how to at first."
She could feel her chest jump in and do a tumble. "I feel like you're doing it now."
At the speed of those words leaving her lips he stared back at her. "You tried until you could be nice to me. You never gave up." Hearing those words did wonders to his heart. With a gummy smile and a little tap on her forehead he commented- " You're quite the talker huh?"
She shook her head , laughing and shrugging at his statement. He ushered the rice cake towards her, as she reached out to take it, he pulled it back.
"Gideon ate almost all of it so keep half for me."
Odette pointed her tongue at him and began to munch on it. She gazed at the sky...the heat was less and he was beside her so she never felt lonely.
Caius did not care how peaceful his surroundings were. The only person in front of him was her and her eyes, and her lips, and everything about her growing prominent every day. He could already put a word to his feelings. .
As she enjoyed the breeze and snacked on the rice cake he noticed a smear of mung bean paste on the top corner of her lip. Before anyone could form a new thought his hand reached out, holding her up by her chin , whilst his thumb pressed upon her soft lip firmly wiping off the smear.
Odette stared at him. Speechless.
"I asked you to keep me half." Caius smiled with a hint of smirking as he maintained eye contact with her just as he sucked the paste off of his thumb.
"You..." that insufferable pounding again. Odette had to compose herself and draw back a few inches away. She should not let her heart waver, especially when she wanted to leave. There was a home waiting for her, relatives looking for her. She had to break the silence and be serious about her freedom.
"Are you planning on never letting me go?" She watched his smile fade. With a somber expression he looked away, gazing into the sky.
"I thought you might forget about that?" Caius answered bluntly. " Seems like it's not the case."
She fiddled with a flower scattered on the grass, "Just like this is your home...I have a home far away from here." She smiled, reminiscing the people who she surrounded herself with. The ways her university life added color, and how she found her new café, recruited the employees and the fun they had.
"I know you mean well when you said you wanted to treat me well because I saved you." Caius listened with a heavy heart unable to face her. "But you have done enough and more." He shook his head to himself. "It's time for me to go."
"I am not sorry" Odette blinked, confused and frustrated. When she shifted her eyes at him, they were already fixated on her. Tense and emotionless. "Because of you, I have discovered things..." Caius did not take his eyes away even for a second. "I don't plan on letting you go sooner or later."
At this, Odette stood up. She was angry and her mind was wavering with alarms and loud exclamations, shouting that this is not fair for her. "This is the last time I will ask you before I take things into my own hands." With strong determination and authority she spat viciously, ready to leave.
Caius shot up the second she ended her sentence, grabbing her arm tightly; tugging Odette against his chest.
His eyes could break through thick ice. There was no light within his pupils. Odette was entirely taken aback by the rage that was filled within them. She tugged away but it did not do any good. This was agitating and her chest filled with a lump of fear.
"Caius, let. Go."
He tugged her closer, smiling, looming over her. "You should have thought twice when you saved me that day..." every word, every syllable was pronounced with a sharp warning. Pushing out a huff, she looked away. This earned a glare and a strong hand pressing onto her left cheek, painfully forcing it back to where her eyes would meet his.
"Get used to this face." He smiled wide, but this time she sensed how empty and sinister that smile was. He was insane. She was insane to feel safe with a person like Caius. "You will be seeing this more often in the days to come."