Charlotte woke up at around 10 in the morning. They kept on watching a damned drama from the south of Retheas, it was so dull and predictable, she made a prediction 20 minutes in and at the end it was just as she expected. What she was most impressed with, was the fact that they managed to lengthen it for so long. It was truly a wonder. It even lasted 3 hours!

They both went to bed after watching it, Charlotte was a little tipsy while Dordives seemed to be fine, even if she had drunk less than Dordives. They finished two bottles of wine, though, so she didn’t think that she had that bad of a tolerance to it, but that her friends had way too much resistance.

Feeling a little headache, she stood from their shared bed and had a cup of water she didn’t know when it was brought in.

Must’ve been her attendants.

She felt a little envious until she remembered the problems of having too much: she couldn’t choose her partner for life, she couldn’t choose the career nor could she choose where to live. The only thing Dordives could do was to shooce her friends, and even that was limited to the ones her family approved…

Truly, like a frog in a well… She can only see everything else fly by with only her dreams leaving as she longs for it…

Feeling sad for her friend she went back to the queen sized bed they both shared. As Dordives felt Charlotte near her again, she creeped closer and hugged her. Not wanting to wake up from this dream she was having…

Having stayed in the same position for around half an hour, Charlotte felt that something was amiss.

“Hey, you’re awake right?”

“Uhmm.”

“C’mon sleepy head, it’s already so late.” Knocking on her head, she was trying to make her move.

“Let me be for a little longer, I think I’ll reach nirvana soon~”

“Didn’t you want to go to the pool?”

“This’ better than any poool~”

“C’mon~ let’s go already~”

“Five more minutess~”

“No! Get up now!” Charlotte said as she started to tickle Dordives awake.

“Hahaha noo, stop it noo. Hahahah~ Haa haaa”

Being fully waken up, Dordives kept on hugging Charlotte's waist and looked at her from below with reproachful eyes.

“Heh, let me go, I’ll take a shower now.” Caresing her friends hair to placate her anger, she looked at the bath's door.

“Okay…”

“Really, you’re hopeless… Where’s the swimming suit you prepared for me?”

“Oh!! Yes! Wait a second!”

She let go of Charlotte as she jolted up, going to her wardrobe to look for Charlotte’s swimming. She came back with a smile in her face, looking expectantly between the clothes and her friend.

“Really, I’m only wearing it once.” Charlotte said resignedly.

“Yes! It’s more than enough!”

Charlotte went to the bathroom to take a quick shower and put on the swimming suit, it was a cute white one piece with frills at the hips and nothing on the back, leaving it fully open.

“So cuute~!” Dordives said once she saw Charlotte out of the bathroom.

“Now get ready. We’ll go there to chill out now.”

“Yes ma’am!” Dordives answered with a smile and placing her right hand if her forehead in a militaristic way.

*Yawn~

After getting to sleep so well last night, Charlotte was feeling lethargic, not wanting to do anything, at all.

“I’ve not slept well this week, I should take care of myself better…”

She threw herself in a cushion while waiting for Dordives to get herself ready.

“Ok! Lets go!”

Dordives said when she came out, she was wearing a simple two pieced black swimsuit. She handed Charlote a pair of sandals, put one pair herself and with some towels in hand waited for Charlotte to get up.

Once outside of her room, they both walked to the swimming pool. Dordives lived in a mansion 3 stories tall, in which her room and her parent’s were in the third floor, along with a study and a playing room with game boards and drinks. In the second floor was a big library that housed more than a thousand books, a conference room which his parents used to do their work and talk with their peers about business and serious things.

Her family worked with real state properties and land management of the surrounding provinces. They were the major share holders of terrain in this part of the country. Joined with their old lineage made them pretty famous in the high society. Sadly, they only had one child, Dordives, as her mother had an accident after giving her birth.

They weren’t in the mind of adopting another child, so they placed all their hopes on her. Making her study business management to shoulder their house and future.

After playing for a while in the pool, they were now relaxing under the shade of an umbrella. Drinking some cocktail and waiting to the right time to have lunch.

At that moment, Dordives’ father walked to them. His name was Ronald. He had a warm smile and tempered character, though when he got angry it was better to stay away from him, it was well known that he’d lash out at anyone who made him lose his composure. He wore easy to move in clothes and a bonnet to cover his face from the threatening sun, his hair was well maintained and black with some gray on it. He was well fit overall.

“Hello girls, how was your day?” He said when he was around two meters from them.

“Hi daddy!” Raising her head, Dordives beamed at her father.

“Hello mister Ronald. It was very relaxing, I was in dire need of it.” Charlotte admited, with a bit of shame on her tone.

“Glad to know it. If you’d excuse me.”

He sat down beside them, taking out a tobacco pipe and started to prepare it to have a smoke.

“Daddy! About what I told you this morning.”

Dordives said after his father took a seat.

“Yes, I know, that’s why I came here. I’d always be glad to be of help to my girl’s dear friend.”

“Oh, sir, I’m sorry to bother you…” Charlotte said once she understood what they were talking about, her face turning pink in embarrassment.

“It’s no problem at all, don’ worry.” He responded to her worries as he started to light his toy. “So, I’d like to know first and foremost, why do you want to learn about it. It’s pretty hard to try and keep a good balance with stocks.”

“Ah, well, I need some money and I realize that with my work alone I can't meet it… I asked Dord to lend me some to try to raise funds, hehh.” Charlotte said sheepishly while scratching her left cheek.

“Oh, then, if I were to not teach you, what’d you do with that cash?” He asked with interest as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

“Then, uhm, I’d try to get all the information I need from the internet, there're a lot of source there, after all. And then start trying to get it right.”

“I believe it’s better to get a degree in that regard, you wouldn’t waste time searching between what is right or wrong, no?”

“Ah, but I’d waste time while I go to classes and things related to it.” She denied his outlook on things without any shame.

“Indeed… Anyways, I told my girl I’d help you a little, so please.” He turned around in his seat and made a sign to his butler who was some distance away from them. “Go get me a laptop.”

“Yes, sir.” The butler bowed a little and went inside the house to get what his master asked of.

Once he was back, he had brought a bag with two laptops and a new set of drinks to moisture their tongues.

Meanwhile, they had continued talking about the advantages and disadvantages of getting a professional degree. Charlotte's point was about wanting to do her own projects and not caring at all about companies and stuff, while Ronald argued back saying that at the beginning of any project, it was needed the help of experts and that to get that help, they must be able to ascertain the other party’s capabilities.

“Ok, we’ll leave this talk for another occasion, so, let’s start with the basics and work with it depending on how fast you grasp them.”

In the meantime, Dordives watched with interest as it was rare for her father to argue with such a soft smile. and it was even rarer to see such a meek Charlotte, even if she was holding her points.

Does she have a soft spot for old men…? No, even with other professors she didn’t hold back like this… Maybe she like him? But, I have a mother… Will she become my second mom? Nono, ehh, but maybe…?

As she was in her own world. Charlotte and her father started to have their Sunday’s afternoon class.

Once the sun was ready to hide over the distance, Roland said it was enough for an extended session of study, they’ve been at it for almost 5 hours already and his throat was starting to hurt, he answered at all her questions and tried to make his point accross her, thinking about methods to make Charlotte comprehend better the meaning of the things he was teaching her.

He was truly impressed, though, as she digested it way faster than he thought at first, even at some point indicating something she had found wrong with some fluctuating value. Making him be amazed at her reasoning capabilities. He even considered asking her to work for him to take care of some financial issues in his company.

Seeing as she was her dear’s friend, he couldn’t help but restrain his thoughts on it. Though, if she was to ask him to work under him, he’d be pleased to assent.

“Thank you very much, sir. It was truly an eye opener.” She said with comprehension dawning on her eyes.

“Ha ha, don’t worry about it, though I must say, I seldom meet people who understands this kind of thing so quickly, even pointing things I hadn’t noticed before.”

“Well, you teach so well I couldn’t help but understand it fast.” She tried to flatter him.

Roland smiled at her modesty and let it go.

“If you have any more questions you can come anytime you want, just ask this little one if I’ll be around first, lest you don’t waste time coming here. Now ladies, I’ll be leaving now, continue have to fun on your own.”

Getting up from his chair, he stretched his back and gestured for his butler to tidy up the table they were using until now.

“Goodbye, sir.” Charlotte said as she waved her hand, dropping a little the formalities she had had all afternoon.

“Bye daddy!” Dordives merrily said as she jumped from her chair and hugged her dad, giving him a peck in the cheek.

After he went inside the house, they took another dive at the pool.

“Hmm you wanna be my second mommy?” Said Dordives after swimming for a bit.

“Eh?” Charlotte replied, staring blankly at her dreamy friend. “What you talking ‘bout?”

“You know, you seemed pretty different while talking with dad, so I thought you’re interested in him?”

Widening her eyes all she could, Charlotte said in a hurry:

“What are you talking about, now! He’s way too old for me to be interested in him and he’s not even my type! Sheesh girl, keep your delusions away!” Poking Dordives’ forehead, she admonished her.

“No! Wait, but you were pretty meek with him, you know! That’s way too weird for you!”

“He’s your father, y’know? He’s also someone who has way too much power in here, I couldn’t help but be wary and not be disrespectful!”

“I’m his daughter so I’ll be inheriting his things and you don’t treat me like that, so your argument is invalid!”

“Heh! If that's what you want then I’ll try to then, miss Dordives.”

Getting chills all over her back, she paled when thinking about Charlotte seriously doing it.

“Noo! Don’t do it! Never do it or I’ll sue you!”

“You know, that’s not how it works, miss Larochelle.”

Charlotte said with a big smirk in her face.

“Noo, please, I won’t tease you about it again! So don’t ever call me like that…”

Charlotte got worried as she didn’t expect her to be so down about it, she had half her face submerged in the water, and was looking down. Charlotte saw that there were tears in her face, getting closer she said gingerly.

“Hey, you okay? I was just messing with you, I’ll never seriously call you like that, we’re friends, ok?”

Suddenly, Dordives launched herself towards Charlotte, plunging her in the water. As she wasn’t prepared for this sudden attack, she swallowed some water and almost had a heart attack.

After fooling around a while longer, they went out of the pool and started to get ready to dinner. It was already past 7 when they were eating. They chatted a little bit and at 8, Charlotte told Dordives it was getting late and that she had to work tomorrow pretty early, so she had to leave.

Getting a little crestfallen, Dordives accompanied her dear friend to the metro station. Hugging her goodbye, Charlotte told her that they’re getting together more often to relax like this.

Charlotte felt she also needed this, as the last 3 days had been pretty tough on her. She had to go to work all day and she also wanted to continue doing her research, not having any time to sleep or rest her body. From what she knew about the human nature, sleeping and keeping a good enough balance between activity and inactivity was fundamental for having a healthy life. She didn’t want to go to the hospital and waste time in that godforsaken place. She had always hated the smell and feeling hospitals gave her.