Chapter One: The Disastrous Meeting

“Starting all over again, doesn’t seem so bad… because when you restart, you get another chance to make things right.”

- Unknown

Months pass, and finally, the Soul of Cake Restaurant and Café was open for business. They started with invited guests who left reviews for their place in websites and wrote good reviews in magazines and newspapers. After a month of its opening, people are crowding in the place, and the lodgings were completely filled with guests. Since she owned the lake, with a simple fee, they could go swimming and diving. Not only that, the boatmen stationed at the lake would be willing to take you to the large but nonetheless lovely floating pavilion in the middle of the lake for a certain price. It was wide enough that you can might as well call it a dance floor. It was a hit amongst guests and it now, it was reserved, for a quirky wedding reception. She sighs, as she prepares the five-tier wedding cake in a makeshift tent in the pavilion.

“How are the arrangements Isabella?” She says, into a walkie-talkie. “Everything spic and span, Signorina, and the boatmen are ready to accommodate people to the pavilion. The table and chairs are already set and the food are also being catered here. The only thing we’re missing is the cake. How is the decorating on your side?” Althea sighs. “Well, I’m putting the last finishing designs on this five-tier gold geode cake. Give me ten minutes tops, and this cake will be ready to go.” She places the last speckled of edible gold dust, large sugar crystals on top, especially behind the cake topper. She stares at her lovely creation and heaves a sigh of relief. “Ah it’s finally done.” Ten servers come inside and marvel at her cake.

“Wow miss Althea, you outdid yourself today again! I wish I could eat the cake though.” Sheena says sighing. Althea laughs. “Oh, don’t you worry, I have another geode cake sitting in the fridge. That’s for us if this service goes well.” The ten servers cheer and they put the cake into a trolley and roll it outside of the pavilion. Althea also goes outside of the tent to stretch. Her chef uniform is now stained with buttercream of different colors. Sebastian looks at her and hands her a pink, flower laced short dress and pink close-toed high heels with a lace bow.

“You should change into this Althea. The guests will be arriving soon.” She grins at him. “Thanks, Sebastian. I’ll be back in a few minutes. She goes back into the makeshift tent and quickly strips off her chef clothes, leaving her only in her camisole and cycling shorts. She then slips the dress, and with some difficulty, she manages to clasp the six buttons on her back. She then slips the heels and goes outside. Isabella smiles at her and gives her a thumbs-up. “Come bello! (How beautiful!)” Althea smiles and gives her a little twirl. Isabella wears a fitted pink dress with adorned with a red rose.

Sebastian snorts. “Contrairement à quelqu'unen particulier. (Unlike someone in particular)” He mutters. Althea elbows him lightly. He wears a black vest with a pale pink long sleeve shirt underneath and a gold bow. Ignacio walks to them, still clad in his black chef clothes. “Oh, how I wish I could dress up as you all do. But as the chef, I’m stuck with the uniform.” He motions for Althea to spin and he stares at her like a father watching his own daughter wearing her prom dress. “You look lovely, niña (child).” Althea smiles at him. “Thank you Tio Cio, don’t worry, you look very handsome in your uniform.”

Isabella nods in agreement. People tore away at Althea’s makeshift tent and placed the final touches on the floating pavilion. Ignacio positions himself in the catering area, and Sebastian instructs the staff and preps them. Isabella tensely clutches the sides of her fitted dress. Althea grabs her hands and eases them. “Calm down and don’t overthink. It’s better if you enjoy what you’re doing so you don’t have to tensely entertain our guests.” Isabella calms herself down, at least looking less tense than before. The boatmen from the shore started to load the guests into the small boats and they start ferrying them into the pavilion. They are given a simple glass of champagne and small bites of Cucumber Slices Provencal as to maximize their experience on the boat. The guests soon arrive and Isabella and Althea greet them warmly. Isabella leads them to their sits, while Sebastian and his servers entertain the guests and ask if they have any food allergies and such. After all the guests were on their seats, the grand barque for the groom and bride is just starting to cross the lake. They soon arrive and Althea greets them warmly. The ceremony begins when a woman stands up and walks to the groom, slapping him right in the face. The guests gasp and grow quiet.

“You said, you don’t love her, that you’re only marrying her for her wealth! But you dare to look at her with such love and care! What about me?” She then presses her hands protectively to her tummy. “What about our baby?” She says softly. The guests, especially the mother and father of the bride and groom stand up, hands on their mouths, shocked with what they heard. The bride stands up and faces the groom, teary-eyed. “Is that true?”

The groom’s voice gets caught up in his throat as he tries to explain. “N-no, it’s not what you think,” then with a jolt of sudden inspiration floods his mind, he points at the woman. “You obsessed, deranged woman! What are you insinuating? I would never cheat on my wife, we already broke up years ago, and now you continue to stalk us, you even befriended my wife, and let her invite you to this wedding! God! Why can’t you leave us in peace!” The woman, goes red from humiliation and pain. She stares at him incredulously, her chest throbbing in pain. The mother of the bride walks towards her and pulls at her hair. “You scandalous woman! You viper! You don’t belong here! You dare ruin my daughter’s wedding!” Her husband stares at the woman condescendingly. The bride looks at the woman and looks at the groom. The groom then looks at his bride pleadingly. “Please, believe me, that woman is lying. She must have gone pregnant with another man who left her, and now she’s plaguing me! Please believe me, sweet cakes, I would never cheat on you.”

The woman started to cry, and she grabbed the elderly woman’s hands. “Stop, I’ll finally leave!” The mother snorts at her and releases her hold on her hair. She stands up, and she runs up towards the bride and tackles her into the water. Althea immediately removes her shoes and jumps right after the two. She first rescues the bride, whose dress weighed her down. In order to save her, she undoes the zipper on the bride’s dress, helps her slip out of the dress and guides her swim upwards. Sebastian swims up to her, and she gives him a thumbs-up. He then rescues the other woman. The people came flocking to the bride, the staff giving her a warm blanket, while Sebastian lead the other woman to the other side so she wouldn’t be ganged upon by the other guests.

“That woman was crazy, she tried to kill you and all!” The bride could only nod from the trauma. The elderly woman thanks her, to which she simply nods, and everyone sympathizes with the bride. Even the groom looks highly perturbed and is claiming he’ll press charges against the woman. Althea sighs and grabs her pink heels and walks bare-footedly to the area where the other woman is.

“Here, please take this coat, you can get sick if you hang around in wet clothes.” She turns to see the man who gave her the coat. The man had Scottish features but his smile was too dazzling enough for her. Althea smiles at him and returns his coat. “Please, I don’t want to ruin such a coat.” She politely bows and excuses herself and continues to walk towards the far end. The man persistently followed her. “I insist. You might get cold, plus it’s September, the water must be freezingly cold.” She shakes her head and controls the trembling of her body. “I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me.”

He sighs and walks ahead of her blocking her way. He then drapes his coat her shoulders and buttons it. “Please take care of yourself.” And he walks away, leaving her dazed with his coat. She shrugs it off and walks towards Sebastian, who’s currently wrapping the woman with a warm towel. He looks at the coat skeptically, but he shakes it off.

Althea crouches down to the woman. “Are you alright?” She cries. “You shouldn’t have saved me. I’m a vile woman, who seduced some else’s husband.” Althea pats her back. “Did you really?” She cries even harder. “No, I was an independent working woman before. He was my boyfriend, and we grew up together. He then told me he had a plan so he could get rich. When I asked about it, he told me to wait and trust him. I did. But I didn’t realize he’d go for my friend and date her.” She sniffles and Althea pats her back comfortingly. “He said, it was all a ploy. And I believed him, until the end. Until it came to this.” She cries even harder. “How could he do this to me? To us?” Then she pats her tummy. “To our baby?” Althea’s eyes soften and she embraces the woman. “Everyone makes stupid choices in love, but it doesn’t mean our life ends there. All we can do is to dust our legs off and stand up and continue our journey.” The woman cries on her shoulder.

She soothingly rubs her back. “Shh, it’s bad for the baby to cry this hard. From now on, think nothing else but your baby. If he doesn’t want it, then make sure you’ll love your baby twice as much as before, so he or she won’t feel any less loved.” The woman pulls away and wipes her tears away. “Thank you, thank you for listening to me. I should go, I best be on my way.” Althea stops her. “What’s your name?”

She pauses before answering. “Erica. Erica Cross.” She nods and hands her a business card. “Don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” Erica tears up again but this time she wills herself not to cry. She thanks Althea with all of her heart and she secretly instructed a boatman to help her get away from the pavilion, safely.

After the fiasco, everyone just bounced right back, as if nothing happened. Althea was feeling the chill from when she swam into the water, and her knees were starting to shake. She wanted to call for Sebastian’s help, when the same guy who offered her the coat walked towards her. “Is everything alright? You’re shaking.” She smiles at him, her lips trembling. “I’m fine, please, enjoy the party. I’ll be right back.” She signals Sebastian, who then excuses himself immediately and asks another server to fill on him and he goes to Althea, carrying another warm blanket. The coat was already soaked through, and she was still dripping wet, unlike the bride, who was given an extra dress by her bridesmaids.

“You have a spare dress in the car. Let’s go back to the café so you can take a warm shower.” She nods, and Sebastian, helps her ride the boat. He then rows her back to shore, where the café is and she immediately heads for the service showers. She lets the warm water heat up her system while Sebastian grabs her clothes. She finishes her bath soon and wraps herself with a towel. Sebastian knocks, and opens the door slightly, just so he could give her spare dress. Luckily, she was always prepared, and has a spare underwear at her disposal. She changes into it quickly and stares at the wet coat hanging on the chair. She folds it, puts it in a plastic bag and places it inside the paper bag where her spare dress was. She then wears her heels and walks out of the room to where Sebastian is waiting. “Let’s go back to the event.” He nods and they walk back to the boat.

“You know, you’re being reckless by being kind to that woman.” He tells her, as her rows back to the floating pavilion. Althea smiles and makes ripples on the clear water. “I just see my mother in her. If she abuses the kindness I gave to her, then that’s her loss.” He sighs. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. The more people you get close to, the more people who might betray you in the end.” She pats his leg and smiles at him. He jerks back at her. “I’ll be careful. Besides, what does she know about me anyways?” He agrees and he continues to row back to the pavilion.

“Althea!” Isabella waves back to her. “So, what’s the status of the party?” Isabella points out to the guests who are now having fun. “We managed to reverse the tide.” She smiles at her sheepishly. Althea pats her back and gives her a thumbs-up. “Nice one, Isabella.” She sees the bride walking the sides with a poorly worn pale pink infinity dress. “Go back to the party, Isabella, and go meet some handsome money bags over there.” She jokes. Isabella laughs and waves bye at her and goes back. Althea then walks towards the bride, who seemed deep in thought. “Mrs. Orlando.” They both greet her. The woman immediately smiles warmly at them. Althea speaks up first. “Your infinity dress is becoming undone. Here, let me.” And she deftly switches the style of her dress, making it more so of a simple wedding dress. The bride smiles at her. “Thank you, Miss Althea. And please, call me Helena. And also, thank you, for rescuing me earlier. I didn’t get the chance to say it before.” Helena then stares at the tranquil waters of the lake.

“It was alright, you were in shock. I’m relieved to see that you recovered quite quickly.” Althea stares at the beautiful reflection of the moon on the lake, along with the twinkling stars. “Is there something on your mind, Miss Helena?” She sighs. “I want to believe my husband. I really do. But something tells me, that Erica could be telling the truth.” She then changes the subject. “You got a beautiful place here Miss Althea. The ambiance is great, plus you did a great job with the reception.” Althea nods. “You know, if it really bothers you, and I don’t want to intrude, why don’t you contact her secretly? And do a paternity test after the baby is born? Those are some ways. Anyways, I’m not really telling you to do that. I’m just saying there are other options.”

Then Althea stares at her seriously. “But in the end, are you brave enough to face the truth? What if in the end, your husband is the one lying?” A gasp escapes Helena’s mouth but she immediately closes it. She stares at the floor. “I don’t know.” Althea then shrugs. “Then you best ignore it. Ignorance is bliss after all. Now, now, let’s go back to your party; your husband is getting drunk already.”

The event ends successfully and the married couple first bids goodbye, as they have to catch their flight to Italy. The guests leave one by one, and Althea begins to enjoy a glass of wine in the far end of the pavilion, staring at the lake’s splendor. Her phone rings and she immediately smile as she sees the caller. “Louis, you should be sleeping already, or else you would stay short.” He laughs. “Oh sis, I’m already far more taller than you are, so don’t you dare criticize on my height. So, how’s your first big event?” She sips her wine. “I only have one word to describe it. Explosive.”

“Explosive as fireworks or bombs?” He replies and Althea chuckles. “Technically, they are both explosives and both can still do damage.” Louis chuckles as well. “Smartass. I’m supposed to be the smarter kid you know.” She laughs. “You’re smart? According to science, the older sibling gets fifty percent of the mother and father’s intellect. Therefore, I am smarter than you.” He laughs. “Oh whatever. But the party is fine, I hope?” Althea smiles. “It is, don’t worry. Have faith in me, I had years and years of experience in business handling. This is easy for me.” She can hear him sigh in the other line. “Is there something wrong, Louis?”

“No, it’s nothing sis. I just… Most probably miss your sass.” He says, his voice melancholic. “Hey… it mom’s death anniversary tomorrow. Let’s visit her together tomorrow okay?” Althea detects the change in his voice. “Okay, okay. Let’s have lunch also. Ignacio says he’ll make you eat Cajun spiced frog legs if you dare to say you didn’t miss his cooking.” He laughs at that. “Don’t worry; I might stay a bit longer tomorrow. I actually cleared the whole day off.”

Althea then notices the same man who gave her the coat earlier. “Bro, I’ll call you later, a guest is approaching. Rest well okay? And don’t overwork yourself.” He laughs. “I can just say just about the same for you. Take care sis. Bye.” And Louis hangs up on her.

The man smiles at her. “Is this seat occupied?” She smiles politely. “It isn’t but it took you quite a walk just to find a seat.” He laughs. “The bridesmaids and the couple’s friends are having quite the party there. You just can’t find a quiet place to sit on. Then I spotted you sitting alone, I thought you might use some company.” She pours him some wine on a spare wine glass and hands it to him. She then stares at the twinkling reflection of the night sky on the lake’s surface. “It was a smart trick, you placing an eco-friendly floating pavilion in the middle of the lake. Plus, the pristine water lets you see through the different freshwater fishes that dwell in it. It reminds me of fairy pools in Scotland. And the lonesome mermaid, who wishes to go back to the sea.” He says. Althea laughs.

“Nice try, but if you want to impress me, you need to do a far better trick.” He laughs. “Drats, I knew my friends were teaching me wrong.” He stretches his hand in front of her. “I’m Carson Aidan Flannagan.” Althea shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you Carson.” And she sips her wine. He laughs. “Your name?” She then chuckles. “You should know it already, I’m the owner of the Soul of Cake Café and Restaurant, Althea Sylve Brianbrair.”

He smiles. “Being Scottish hinders me from pronouncing some words properly. I just want to make sure I pronounce your beautiful name correctly.” Althea laughs, and for a moment, Carson was staring at her beautiful features that glow with the gentle light provided by the moon. Her eyes twinkle like the evening stars and he found himself enamored to her. Althea notices that he’s staring at her so she clears her throat and diverts the subject.

“So Carson, what do you do for a living?” Carson immediately recomposes himself and smiles. “Well, I’m a lawyer. I defend mostly the masses. I do believe there is still justice for the poor and aggrieved. But sometimes, to help pay the bills, I admit, I take on wealthy clients.” Althea notices the conviction in his eyes. She chuckles. “Wow, such an honest guy.” A server approaches them and places two plates on the table. “Courtesy from Chef Ignacio, Miss. He said you haven’t eaten dinner, and good food is best enjoyed with company.” Althea raises her eyebrow. She sees in the far distance, Ignacio giving her a sly smile. She shakes her head and digs into her grilled lamb lollipops. Despite her finesse in eating, she finishes eating her portion before Carson and she quickly whispers from the server to get her another one.

Carson laughs. “It seems like you have a very large appetite, Miss Althea.” She chuckles. “I might as well be a professional taster, right? And please, drop the formalities. You aren’t even one of my staff.” He laughs. “Well, should I apply? Do you need any legal assistance miss?” The food arrives and Althea starts to dig into it again. “Nope, I guess I won’t be needing it for now, all my employees have benefits.” She jokes.

They both enjoy each other’s company, not even noticing that, in the end, they, along with the staff who were cleaning up were the only ones left in the pavilion. Sebastian bumps into Carson’s chair and ‘accidentally’ spills club soda on his shirt. “Oops, sorry.” Then he then helps to pat the soda dry. “Althea, Ignacio said he’ll be waiting in the car. I’ll wait for you on the boat.” Althea elbows him on his side. Sebastian groans slightly but he rapidly walks towards the boats and sits there waiting for Althea.

She flashes an apologetic smile at Carson. “Give me your shirt, I’ll laundry it.” He shrugs it off. “I know you want to see my muscles underneath, but you really don’t have to.” Althea laughs. “I insist. I’d feel bad.” He laughs. “Fine, I think if I didn’t agree you’d find other ways to make me agree.” She taps his back lightly. “Spot on mate! I’ll even turn around to give you some privacy, like a modest and good-natured woman I am.” He laughs at that and he starts to unbutton his shirt as soon as Althea turns around. A server hands him a spare shirt.

He wears it and grins at Althea. “Look who just got hired.” He says, pointing at his shirt. “So, do I get to call you Miss now?” She laughs. “I get to boss you around too.” He shrugs. “I don’t mind being bossed around by a pretty woman such as you anyways.” He hands her his soiled shirt reluctantly. “Just drop by my café when you have the time, it will be all prim and crisp then.” He winks at her. “I’ll hold you on to that.” And they both ride on different boats, with Sebastian ferrying Althea back to shore.

“That was really rude Sebastian.” She tells him in a reprimanding manner. “He couldn’t be trusted.” He says, continuously rowing. She sighs. “I already told you, I want to live a normal life.” He stops rowing. “Then, what if you fall in love with him? What will you do then? Tell him all your secrets? Then he’ll betray you?” Althea stares at him, coldly. “I will not do anything brash like that.” He continues rowing. “Whatever you say.” They arrive onshore in complete silence and after depositing the equipment and the soiled clothes of Carson in the trunk, Althea sits on the back seat, along with Isabella who’s fallen asleep and Sebastian sits on the front seat.

Ignacio stares at two. “There’s tension in the air between you two. What’s the problem?” Sebastian ignores Ignacio, and Althea sighs. “It’s nothing Tio, we are just tired. Can we just go home?” Althea curls up on the side of the car. Ignacio then focuses on the road. “I understand mijita (little girl).” She nods and the ride back home was silent. Upon arriving on the mansion, Sebastian instantly opens his door, and opens the car door for Althea. He also wakes up Isabella, by shaking her a bit too rough. She mutters her apologies and she proceeds to her room. Ignacio bids Althea good night and he walks off, leaving Sebastian with Althea. He escorts Althea silently to her room. Althea didn’t even get a chance to talk to Sebastian, because upon arriving into her room, he just set the air conditioning and the air purifier, placed some soft tunes on the speakers, and left immediately. The day ends with them, unreconciled.