In Your Clutches

Part 11: The Lost Valuable

AMELIA

The woman looked like in her early thirties. She had thick, long, vibrant red hair and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. Jason had green eyes, so I knew what I was talking about. Her eyes... sparkled in a beautiful way.

She was pale with alabaster skin but only in a way that redheads could carry off. Came the eventide her redhead became a soft auburn, and in the starlight it was the most rich of browns, yet my favourite hue was in the brilliant light of day when she was a woman on fire in all the best of ways.

She was a bit taller than I was and dressed so, so much better. Her body was the real killer though. She had some wrinkles due to her age which seem to crinkled when she grinned at me. She was tall and willowy, those devastatingly haunting figures that ruled the runway but she was not stick-thin.

Her body was toned and there were slight hints of curves which were emphasized by her emerald hued gown. She was wearing a decent outfit which accentuated her slim figure and tall built.

I realised I had been staring at her for too long and blinked, looking away.  Thus ended our staring match.

She said something in Italian, which was totally out of my dictionary. But I could make out that she spoke my name. Maybe she was asking if I was hurt or something. I mean, that's what people generally ask when someone falls down.

I cleared my throat. "Huh?"

"I am sorry dear. I forgot you don't speak Italian." She chirped, taking my hand in hers.

"Oh, it's all right... but, wh-who are you?" I stammered badly.

"Oh, how sloppy of me! I didn't even introduce myself to you. I'm Rufina, Asher's Aunt." She smiled. Their was something in her smile that held me captive. She had an aura around her which gave motherly vibes.

I just stared at her for what felt like an eternity. It was just then I realised when I saw confusion swirl in her eyes that I had to introduce myself.

"Ni-nice... nice to meet you, Aunt Rufi—"

"No, dear, no. Not Aunt Rufina! I don't like to be called Aunt, it makes me sound old! Besides, Asher doesn't call me that. You can call me Rufina. Just Rufina."

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I walked out of the shower and put on some fresh clothes. My clothes.

The clothes that I was wearing earlier were all stained with dirt and mud, all thanks to Maximus, the greatest. I had already made a mistake of trying to understand Maximus and he'd shown me the repercussions of doing so. There was absolutely no way I was going to try that with Asher, though. He was just like his horse, or maybe even more ruthless. Like master, like horse.

I stood in front of the huge mirror and wrapped the towel around my damp hair, trying to pat it dry. I didn't really like to use blow-dryers as they were very time consuming and I wasn't feeling very energised that day. So I let my hair open, leaving for the air to do the magic and make them dry.

Just then, in the reflection of the mirror, I could see Aunt Rufina making her way to my room with a tray in her hands. She knocked on the door, balancing the huge tray effortlessly in her hands.

I turned around and smiled at her, telling her to come in and watched her silently keep the tray on the bedside table and walk up to me. She smiled an angel's smile.

Her outfit was changed as well. She was wearing an olive-coloured cardigan and a pair of jeans. Her fiery hair was tied in a rough braid to the side, a complete contrast to her cardigan and a complete match to her eyes, and she wore a pair of converses that made her look trendy. She looked young and beautiful indeed.