(I have to use Google Translate 🤢 for Spanish because I've forgotten most of it (not that it was great before) so if you speak Spanish, please don't be afraid to correct any of my mistakes!)
—
"Hola, Papa." Camila greets her father as the women, and Sofi, head into a quaint breakfast room where Alejandro was already sitting, "¿Como estuvo?"
Hello, Dad. How was it?
"Ah, bien, bien. Lauren fue... muy fácil." Alejandro comments, "Ella probablemente sea fácil para ti, también."
Ah, good, good. Lauren was... very easy. She will probably be easy for you, too.
"Espero que si. No quiero un otro como el último." Camila sighs before taking a sip of her orange juice.
I hope so. I don't want another like the last.
"Por cierto, puedo hablar español también." Lauren interjects with a sarcastic smile, making Camila's eyes widen as she freezes mid-sip.
By the way, I can speak Spanish too.
"Por supuesto." Alejandro chuckles with no hint of guilt in his voice, though he adds, "I meant no offence."
Of course.
Lauren just nods and turns to Camila, hoping for something similar, but the girl only stares back at her in unmoving shock.
Lauren, deciding Camila's lack of manners are none of her concern, turns to the enticing array of food before her.
"You're a great cook, Mrs Cabello," Lauren grins, serving herself a small plate of the various foods, a mix of Cuban and Mediterranean styles.
"Actually, we have chefs." Alejandro corrects, but Lauren just waits for Sinuhe's response.
The woman laughs softly, swiping her hand in the air as if clearing her husband's dismissal out of view, "I'll have to let you try some of my own cooking someday."
"I look forward to it." Lauren grins and digs into the things already on her plate.
She glances up at Camila momentarily to see her still watching Lauren, unfrozen now and with a small smirk on her lips.
"So, Sofi. What grade are you in?" Lauren inquires. She might as well make friends while she's here, even if it isn't with Alejandro or Camila. She didn't like the way they were talking about her. Besides, it'd be good for business to have one of the 'heirs' to Cabello Industries on her side.
"Fifth." Sofi grins around a mouthful of waffles.
"Wow." Lauren nods in acknowledgement, "When your sister and I last saw each other we were younger than you are now."
"That's because she's always too busy to play." Sofi pouts, making Alejandro narrow his eyes and Camila sigh at her sister.
Noticing the reactions, Sofi adds in a tone that suggests it has been repeated to her on various occasions, "But it's okay. I'm too old to play anyway."
"Don't be ridiculous." Lauren argues for her anyway, "I saw you playing chess just minutes ago."
Sofi looks up, hopeful, but explains, "It teaches me strategy."
"You know what else is a strategy game?" Lauren raises a brow and holds a playful look in her eyes, garnering the undivided attention of both sisters.
"What is?" Sofi frowns.
"Tag." Lauren breaks into a grin, "And tickle fights."
"How?" Sofi asks, ignoring the looks from her sister and parents and completely engrossed in the older girl before her.
"Well, in tag you can predict where the other player is going, and how to avoid or catch them. In tickle fights, you have to think about how to get the upper hand on your opponent. Anything can be a game of strategy if you think about it enough." Lauren points out, and Sofi smiles widely.
Then Alejandro clears his throat and Sofi wipes the smile off of her face, quickly going back to eating her breakfast. Lauren receives daggers shot at her from his eyes, but smirks cockily and continues eating.
"So... what are we doing today?" Lauren asks once everyone's finished, remembering that Sinuhe had mentioned something about making plans after this late brunch.
"Well, I'm going back to work." Alejandro explains, drinking the rest of his orange juice, "I have a lot of deals to sign and people to meet with. I'm sure you're familiar with my company's success, Lauren."
"Ah, and I will be taking Sofi to a meeting with her principal about advanced placement. Is that okay, Sof?" Sinuhe responds before Lauren can get a word in.
"I don't really have a choice." Lauren hears Sofi mutter, but it's quickly replaced with, "Yes, Mama."
"That just leaves us." Lauren points out, turning to Camila who is already watching her a deep smirk etched into her face.
"Don't worry," the girl's smirk grows, as does Lauren's concern, "I've got plenty of ideas as to how we can fill the time."
"Come with me, Lauren," Camila instructs once everyone else has left to do their own business. She holds her hand out to the paler girl. Lauren refuses, but Camila quickly snatches it anyway.
"Where are we going?" Lauren asks when she notices they're heading in the direction of the front door.
"To my place," Camila replies simply, holding the door open for Lauren who waits right on the other side so Camila can lead her again. Camila closes the door behind them and moves around to the second door.
The moment the door opens, Lauren realises that this isn't just one mansion, but a semi-detached pair of mansions. The ridiculous size makes a little more sense now, apart from the fact that Camila said this is 'her place', insinuating that this whole half is her own.
As Lauren follows her inside, she notices the variation in interior design between this side of the house and the other. The entrance hall to the other side was quaint and comfortable, but this one reminds her of that of an expensive hotel. Camila drops her hand as Lauren acquaints herself with her surroundings. The floors are a sleek white marble, and the walls are painted a softer, though still stark, white. Overhead hangs a huge crystal chandelier, and in the center of the round room is a circular, golden-legged table with a small collection of intriguing objects sitting atop it and an upholstered gold chair to the side. Ahead are three doors, and to the left is a curving staircase with black, wrought iron railings. She drags her fingertips against the crisp edge of the glass table as she briefly examines the objects it holds: two small, intricately carved statuettes of prowling wolves, one black, one white; an hourglass with detailed patterns engraved across the frame, filled with white sand; and a small, circular plaque with a tiny handprint pressed into it, marked only with the numbers, 08 16 17. It seemed too small to be Sofi's, even if the numbers were a date, but she's the only person Lauren thinks could make such a handprint, the only hand who might be honoured in Camila's foyer. She pushes the curiosity away and looks around the room once more.
"You like it?" Camila asks from where she stands now at the base of the staircase, one delicate hand resting on the railing.
Lauren shrugs, "It's nice, but not really my style."
Camila only grins before heading up the stairs, beckoning Lauren along with her. The black-haired girl does as she's silently asked, not to get lost in what she's sure is a colossal house. It's only once she's going up the stairs that she notices the triple-height ceiling and balconies on each floor, overlooking the foyer.
"I want to show you something," Camila explains as they reach the third floor. She struts down the hall, not checking if Lauren was following her even once, as the black-haired girl peeks into the open rooms. Each is painted a different colour to the one next door, and she can't make out much of the furniture in any of them. She finds it a little odd that they each have a mid-sized padlock on them, some with keys, some with codes. Before she can question their purpose or why Camila doesn't settle for a normal lock in the door handle, she looks back down the hallway to see Camila disappearing around the corner and quickens her pace in order to catch up.
