Mikhail Redfern Arsenault

Chapter 7

Maraiah's POV

"WELCOME to our safe haven, the Hacienda Arsenzia," Mikhail said, gesturing to the view below from the plane we were in. I gasped at the sight. It was fascinating.

I could also see that the hacienda covered a part of the beach. The greenery was so evident. I knew it was the day of our visit to the hacienda, but I was amazed when the car we were in drove to a private hangar after picking me up at our house.

It turned out that we were traveling by air. According to her, it would take more than eight hours if we chose to travel by land from Manila to Mindoro. I didn't comment on the cost of that flight. In a short time, it seemed that I already knew her, and the very first thing I didn't want to be a topic of discussion was money. After all, Mikhail was clearly wealthy.

"What are those cabins for?" I asked. We were remarkable because we were apart from a grand villa that stood majestically in the center of the hacienda. I thought that the area wasn't a commercial area, even though it had its own beach.

"Those are our cousins' log cabins. I mean, we all have our own cabins at the hacienda, that's where we stay when we're there."

"And the villa?"

"That's for the elders. The truth is, most of our clan is based in Paris. Apart from Auntie Anna, we are the only cousins here in the Philippines. The younger generations are only allowed to return home permanently to the Philippines—if they wanted to—when they have finished their studies. Right now, no one lives there except the trusted servants." I nodded.

"And when the younger generation goes home, they will build their own cabin inside the hacienda, isn't that right?"

"Well, it was always their choice. You can live in the villa and rent one of the rooms there. But you do understand that they would prefer to be independent, right?" I agreed.

"Right." The helicopter continued to descend until it finally landed on the hacienda's designated airstrip. Mikhail helped me down. She spoke to the pilot for a moment.

"Let's go," she said.

"Meet my boy, Lightning. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast as lightning in our last race with Raven, so I lost." She said, laughing. She had already told me the story behind her waitering at the restaurant.

"Oh, come to think of it, that's even the reason why we met." I didn't pay attention to the last thing she said because I might not be able to look at her directly again.

The horse was handsome, as handsome as its owner. I shrugged the thought. She approached the horse and, to her delight, the stallion brushed his cheek against hers.

"Really? Oh boy, you know how to look good, don't you? I'm sorry, but she's mine. She's supposed to be your mother, okay?" Mikhail laughed, and my face almost warmed up.

She rolled behind me. Both of her palms held my waist, but before I could react, my feet left the ground, and I realized I was sitting on Lightning. Mikhail immediately fell onto my back.

"I forgot to say that cars are not allowed inside the hacienda except for emergency cases. Only horses are allowed here. I called the guard that I would come in a chopper, so they brought Lightning here to the airstrip." She whispered the words in my ear.

I didn't know if she meant it or not. One thing was for sure, my chest was pounding again. I felt her smooth hair on the left side of my shoulder, then I felt her lips touch the nape of my neck. It sent a chill down every nerve ending in my body.

"Ready?" She asked before grabbing the reins of the horse.

"First, we'll go to my cabin, rest a little, then eat. After that, I'll take you around the hacienda, especially our favorite place to meet my cousins here—on the hill, is that okay?" That's all she said, and the horse immediately ran. The name suited the speed of the horse because he ran as fast as lightning.

I had to lean on her and hold both of her arms. If I didn't, I would surely fall. But hell, it felt good to lean against her chest.

"Hey, Lightning really wants to make you famous," she said loudly. Just a few moments, and we were opposite a log cabin. I didn't need to ask because I understood that it was her cabin. She immediately put me down.

"Just a moment, I'll just tie up Lightning. He's running away," she said, laughing before taking him to a shady tree and tying him there. When she finished, she approached me and held out her palm.

I reached for it and placed it in my own palm. Within a few days, I got used to holding hands with her. Apart from that, I seemed to be used to being stuck here. I was comfortable with her. It's just that there was still that feeling of losing my breath every time we were together.

There were even times that I couldn't help myself but to stare at her subtly. Didn't I sometimes find myself dreaming about her? Wishing it was her for real and not for the sake of role-playing.

"This is my cabin. Welcome." She said, guiding me into her cabin. It was made of bamboo, wood, and nipa hut. It was so simple yet very elegant. Every piece of equipment was clean and in place. Because it wasn't that big, I immediately noticed that there were two doors there. She opened one.

"This is the guest room. You will sleep here tonight unless you want to share mine," she said teasingly. We were scheduled to return to Manila tomorrow morning. The corner of my lips lifted, and I didn't show that I was affected by her teasing.