Chapter 7

Grace was nervous as she waited for Bethy to return home. The Collins have returned home and will soon look for Bethy. While walking back and forth, Grace nervously bit her nails.

Soon after, she heard the galloping of a horse, ran to the source of the sound, and sighed in relief when she saw Bethy get off the horse. Antonio helped Bethy down, Bethy thanked her, and Grace was quick to offer Bethy assistance as well.

"Thank you for being such a big help!" Bethy said, bowing to show Antonio her gratitude.

"Don't worry, I'm happy to help," Antonio said with a smile.

Bethy could only smile and attend to her worried maid, Grace. Grace also thanked Antonio and promised to send him a gift, which Antonio gladly accepted and is grateful for.

"There's no need for it, but that's up to you," he said.

Grace then led Bethy to the back door, but her anxiety remained, and she could only breathe if Bethy had already changed into her regular outfit!

Antonio seized his horse and led it away from the Collins' mansion. Though he is perplexed as to why Bethy and Grace are entering through the back door, he shrugs it off.

Antonio carried on with his plan to explore the mountains near Santa Rosa. He only had an hour to enjoy his journey because he had received shocking news!

He returns to Santa Rosa and goes to the Collins' old mansion. He dismounted from his horse and ensured that his horse was secure before entering the mansion.

He was greeted with raucous laughter, especially from his friends. The only difference is that a woman's laugh made his toes move faster.

Edith was there, laughing with his friends. Edith was delighted to see him and greets him with a warm hug. Antonio smiled broadly at her. The guys eventually celebrated Edith's arrival. They're all having a good time, and they're even playing loud music that the entire village can hear. Antonio can't help but stare at Edith while he's having fun.

Edith is his best friend; they've known each other since they were kids! So it makes him feel a lot more at ease living in a strange village with his friend, though Eleanor also plays an important role in his comfort.

Edith may appear harsh and hateful, but she is a kind and sweet woman. The only problem is that her outward appearance contradicts her personality.

When the other guys started walking up the stairs to their room to sleep. Edith and Antonio were left alone, drinking wine and conversing.

"Do you have any leads on her?" Edith inquired solemnly. Antonio slowly shook his head. Before speaking, he drank his wine. "But I have my eye on someone," he added. Edith furrowed her brows in confusion and disappointment.

"Tyx, it's been almost three weeks and the five of you haven't gotten any big clues?" she exclaimed, disappointed. Antonio remained silent as he poured himself another glass of wine. Edith sets her glass down and runs her hands through her hair, frustrated.

"It's not that easy... you know," Antonio said calmly but seriously. Edith looks back at him, baffled.

"The people here, including the head of this village, are wary of us," he added. True, he noticed how Mr. Collins looked at them and how the villagers looked at them because he is very observant. Edith rolled her eyes, still angry.

"He never told us to keep this a secret, and being exposed won't change anything!" Edith moaned. Antonio shook his head, indicating his disagreement with Edith's suggestion.

"We have no idea where Mr. Hood is, so let's just keep a low profile." He said.

Edith stood up and walked towards the stairs, returning her gaze to Antonio.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow."

However, the 'talk' that Edith desired did not take place the following morning because the other guys had their own plans for the day. Antonio returns to the mountain to explore, Bartholomew and Henry go to town to get some food that the village does not have, Richard also goes to town to take pictures and post them on his social media accounts, and Conrad insists on touring Edith in the village.

Conrad can't help but smile when he sees Harriet being so talkative to Eleanor when they are near the Browne's sisters bakery. He couldn't hear them because he could only hear inaudible conversations.

Harriet began bothering Eleanor after she finished putting the bread in their glass pantry.

"What if I tell her parents that Bethy has been eluding their grasp?" Harriet said, sounding like a villain. Eleanor makes a funny face at Harriet.

"Oh my, such an evil!" Eleanor remarked, laughing. Harriet made a shaky motion with her head.

"But what if? Then I guess she'll be grounded for the rest of her life!" she joked. Eleanor groaned and stopped making dough to stare at Harriet.

"I know you despise the Collins, but you're going too far," Eleanor said. This caused Harriet to become silent...after a while, she shrugged it off and mumbled "sorry" to Eleanor, who giggled.

"Good" Said Eleanor and continued kneading dough. Not long, she heard Harriet deep sigh.

"I wonder if she's aware that we know her disguises?" Harriet inquired of Eleanor, referring to how Bethy tries hard not to be recognized but is still recognized by some.

"She's been doing that since she was a child... I guess for her—-freedom," it really is Eleanor explained. Harriet nodded, agreeing with her sister's observation. Harriet became bored while doing nothing and wandered her eyes outside their bakery. She immediately smiled and was about to wave her hand when she saw Conrad but stop when she noticed Conrad with an unfamiliar woman. Her smile faded and she turned away from the sight.

Eleanor wonders why Harriet rushes to her own room, but she just assumed Harriet had forgotten to do something.

Eleanor eventually took a break. She counts the money she had made while working and goes to her savings container. She was disappointed to discover after adding up the amount that it wasn't enough to purchase her own phone.

Conrad greeted Eleanor as he stood in front of their bakery. As soon as Eleanor heard him, she hurries out of her room. When she saw Conrad, she grinned and said hello to him as well. She also smiled at the unknown woman and even said hello when she saw her.

Conrad scanned the interior of the bakery with his eyes but could not catch a glimpse of Harriet. Eleanor obviously took notice.

She chuckled as she remarked, "She's in her room." She turned her attention back to the strange woman who appeared poised to attack her.

"The name's Edith," Edith introduced herself as she noticed Eleanor staring at her.

"My name is Eleanor," Eleanor says cheerfully. Edith only nodded in response and cast a glance at Conrad who looks like the world is ending. She elbowed him to get his attention, and she was successful.

"What's the problem?" Edith inquired of Conrad. Conrad shook his head, indicating 'nothing'. Edith shrugged and went to buy some breads she wanted to eat, while Conrad stood there waiting for her to finish.

They quickly left.

Edith's expression was also left at Eleanor, who is now intrigued by Edith. Eleanor wanted to be friends with her right away, but she knew it wouldn't be easy.

Eleanor sits down at their dining table to write her diary when she hears a faint voice calling her name.

"Eleanor..." someone whispered. She turns around to see who it is and laughs when she sees Antonio in such a bad state! Antonio appears to have slipped on the mud. He now resembles a living chocolate! Eleanor immediately attended to Antonio after he groaned.

"What am I going to do with you?" Eleanor joked. Antonio avoided looking Eleanor in the eyes and said.

"The guys will eventually make fun of me, so I came here to ask for help... I didn't realize you'd laugh at me, too; if only I'd known." Antonio quoted, sadly. Instead of feeling sorry for him, Eleanor laughed louder.

"There's a stream near our backyard; go clean yourself there," Eleanor suggested, pointing to the path leading to their backyard. Antonio said, 'thank you,' in hushed tones. Eleanor chuckles and returns to writing in her diary, only this time she will include some current amusing events.

After cleaning himself, Antonio thanked Eleanor once more and proceeded to the Collins' old mansion. He carefully made his way to his room without being noticed, and he was successful! The only issue is that his wet footsteps are clearly visible.

It was dinnertime, so Antonio exited his room and went to the kitchen. He smiled at Edith, and she smiled back. Edith appears to have realized she was wrong last night. They were all having a good time, and Conrad was the one who started it, saying all of his belly laugh jokes and stories.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Richard said. "Why were there wet footsteps on the floor earlier?" he wondered. Of course, Antonio pretended to be clueless, while the other guys speculated that it was a water ghost, frightening Richard.

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