Might be a boring chapter

"I wish you would apologize to her," Andrei said, closing his eyes and pinching his nasal bridge as a sign of the annoyance that he had earlier for the woman in front of him.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I should've been....... " she replied, trying to construct the right words to say.

After a sigh, "sensible with my actions" she looked up at him. His face always the same, the classic stoic type with no emotions plastered on it.

Well, if there is. It's utterly incomprehensible.

Cassandra became penitent for her actions, she felt sorry for herself. Throughout the years, she never ever seen Andrei express his anger on her. All her 25th years of existence, she never heard him yell at her.

He always possessed this soft side for her being, though he always denied it, she knew better enough to sunder the truth from the lie.

She knew very much that her brother cared for her.

"I'll apologize to your wife" she declared, still feeling sorry for herself.

He nodded, appreciating her choice of actions. He knew that she was sorry for herself and her actions earlier.

She stood up from the couch, sauntering towards the door but before she disappears in the room, she turned around and came face to face with him again. Her onyx eyes pleading for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry drei"

Cassandra got accustomed to calling him that nickname and he grew to like it. She's the only being that he had allowed to call him that. Hearing this, he gave her what he projected was close to a smile, then having no words to utter, he nodded.

Cassandra saw his light gestures and knew that at this moment she was forgiven. She returned the smile but hers was even bigger, brighter and genuine.

Once again, she turned and vanished behind the doors.

Andrei sighed, half embarrassed and half disappointed.

"Why didn't I lock the door last night"

***

Serenity sat on a Venetian style gold Italian 2 seater sofa inside a European classic style library.

A book in her hand and a nice cup of tea on the table in front. Chopin's Nocturne op. 9 No. 2 was playing inside the room giving it a more peaceful ambiance.

She was trying to make everything so serene as it could be.

Truth be told, she was very much disappointed at the woman who called her whore earlier.

Among all the other cruel insults that can be thrown at her face, that word is the one thing she could not stand being called to.

As she finished reading a chapter, the song came to its end and in came Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor.

Serenity heard the door open but showed no acknowledgment to the person who entered. She heard familiar heels clicking against the marble floor and an idea of who it is quickly struck her.

She saw the woman who called her whore approaching her at the corner of her eyes but again she showed no signs of interest.

Oh great here comes another devil her mind shouted.

Serenity, being the woman who lived by the rules of etiquette showed no indications of violent behavior. Her vexation is best kept within herself self and her inner turmoil should be far beyond the eyes of anyone. She's tried earnestly to channel her emotions and it was successful most of the time, only when it comes to her husband, all signs and all lessons of fine values and etiquette go straight downhill.

Maybe it was the fact that she couldn't stand his egotistical behavior.

Cassandra was now sitting on the couch opposite to where Serenity was sitting, but still, Serenity didn't bother to pay her any attention.

Her face remained serene and undisturbed though, no signs of sass.

As Cassandra observed Serenity's face, guilt started to build up within her again. The way this woman was acting like nothing had happened and how she managed a situation being composed and serene, in front of the woman who insulted her earlier made Cassandra feel so low of herself. How could she compare this woman who looked collected and by the way is reading 'modern business etiquette' to a whore. Surely, Andrei has a far better taste on a woman that he wanted to marry and this woman in front of her is really shaping up to his chosen standards.

And by the way, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor was making Cassandra feel like she was the devil.

Sighing, she took this as an opportunity to break the silence.

"I know you have all the reasons to be mad at me... I'm sorry" the words came with sincerity. Serenity noticed this.

She closed the book gently and headed at the corner, beside a shelf to turn off the phonograph. Every action she took was delicate.

She went back to her seat to carry on the started conversation.

"I didn't like the insult that you implied on my being earlier" she spoke in a dignified manner.

Spoken like a woman with class. Makes me feel really guilty. This woman deserves respect. Cassandra thought.

"I'm terribly sorry. I would like to explain myself, please. If you would let me" Cassandra requested.

Serenity felt her words so she nodded. A gesture to let her express herself.

"First of all, I didn't mean to walk into... Uhm your room. I'm sorry if I disturbed you two" at this point Serenity blushed. She totally forgot that Cassandra entered the room while Andrei was close to removing all her clothes.

"I was just triggered when I came home from overseas earlier and the maid told me that Andrei brought an unknown girl in this house so I suspected that it was uhhhmmm..."

"A whore" Serenity finished for her but not in a sassy manner.

"Yes, a whore that was just after his fame and money. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged like that. It was wrong of me"

Serenity nodded, understanding where she's coming from but she couldn't actually pinpoint why this girl is so concerned about Andrei.

"May I ask a question aside from this one?" She added a bit of humor in that as a matter of fact.

Cassandra smiled "sure, go ahead"

"Are you in any way related to Andrei. Why are you concerned about who he's with?"

"I don't know if it's the right time to say this but-"

"Oh no, I didn't mean to. Uhm, you don't have to. I must be invading such private stories about-" Serenity said.

Cassandra chuckled. "No, You're not, besides, you deserve to know. You are his wife. Plus I think he had already told you this"

WIFE, Serenity thought. Yep, she's the devil's wife. She smiled at Cassandra awkwardly.

Yeah, told me. He told me a lot of things. Add the time, when he told me that he would marry me. Serenity's mind was giving sarcastic responses nonetheless she didn't voice that out.

"You see, I was actually surprised to find out that Andrei was married. I mean you looked well mannered, beautiful and all but I never thought that he would love someone again after... Uhm" Cassandra somehow hesitated to reveal this part of Andrei, nonetheless, every bit of doubt vanished from her body. This is his wife anyways.

At some point, Serenity is eager to find out some of his husband's secrets. Curiosity got the best of her, I guess.

"When his mother died"

A gasp escaped from Serenity. She felt sorry for him for some reason. She didn't know this one, in fact, she didn't know anything about him at all aside from his name and Company.

Cassandra noticed the sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm quite surprised Andrei hasn't told you this. I didn't know that he would be so reticent about his past, even to his wife"

"Uhm, he's really a private person" she counteracted Cassandra's growing suspicion about their marriage.

Cassandra looked down at her lap for a bit, she seemed to be hiding some part of the story. Serenity being the keen observer she is, noticed this.

"Do you have anything else to say. Uhm, it's okay to share it" her voice came out soft and inviting.

Cassandra looked at her.

"It was our mother actually"

"Oh" Serenity just stared at the woman with sympathetic eyes. Her heart felt a churn of emotions. She knew what it's like to lose a mother. It wasn't easy at all. Even though her mother was all too strict and a perfectionist, nonetheless she still felt that motherly warmth from her. Her mom still possessed that mother gene.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

Cassandra gave her a small smile before looking at a distant view ahead of her as if recalling a past memory.

"It was on the warm afternoon of January when it happened. My parents together with my brother and I were on a trip to Rosslyn Chapel. I was five at that time. My mom was a historian and her field of specialty is religious symbology. That explains why we were going to Rosslyn Chapel in the first place. My dad, on the other hand, was a doctor. He and Andrei's father are brothers by flesh and blood. My father agreed to accompany us to Britain since we were originally from France. It was decided as a family trip. Just as I thought everything seemed to be perfect, an unfortunate event happened." A tear escaped from Cassandra's eyes as she tried to recall even further the memories of her past.

"Destiny has the ability to ruin the best moments in your life" she wiped the first tear away from her eyes.

Serenity stood up from her seat in aid for the girl in front of her. She sat down beside Cassandra and started to rub circles on her back (which at first she was hesitant at)

Cassandra gave her a small smile as she continued on with her story.

"They died in a car crash and...I-I was the only one who reportedly sur-survived it...(sobs) I ---" at this point, Cassandra couldn't muster the courage to speak further.

She ran as fast as she could out of the room and away from a deeply concerned Serenity. Serenity made to follow her, but as soon as she went through the open doors, she was quickly greeted by a furrowed brow Andrei who might have seen the dramatic-burst-out-of-the-room-running ordeal.

He raised his perfect thick brows questioning her about what happened.

"I-I-" she stammered. Looking frantically at Cassandra's direction and not paying attention at her husband's questioning gaze. This made Andrei furrow his brow even more, if it was possible, for not getting incoherent answers from his wife.

Serenity looked again at Cassandra's direction. She was already out of sight. Jeez, that girl is fast.

Andrei made to approach her. Just as he was only a meter away from her, she sprinted towards Cassandra's direction right after dismissively saying 'I don't know' to him.

***

Serenity found Cassandra on a bench chair in the estate's greenhouse. The poor girl's state was gloomy, contrasting the picturesque scenery of greens and glass surrounding them.

Serenity guessed that she was still struggling to let go of the painful memories of her past and she herself couldn't blame her.

The bad memories are usually the ones that are harder to forget.

One thing's for sure for Serenity when she had choosen to follow this lass earlier rather than answering her husband's questioning gaze. She is going to comfort her, besides,- everyone says that her heart is bigger than she let on- and it's the truth.

She made to approach the crying woman slowly not to cause her to run away again. Cassandra's eyes were still on the ground, not noticing the approaching figure. When Serenity was a mere meter away from her, she looked up.

Cassandra saw the warmth and sympathy in Serenity's eyes. She also sensed the comfort that she's about to offer. Not hesitating on what to do, she stood up and hugged the latter. She knew that this woman won't turn her away like some people had.

In response, Serenity wrapped her arms around the crying woman. She was first surprised by the choice of action but nonetheless, she didn't mind.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm a cry baby. I was just too emotional. It must be awkward hugging me considering that I called you unpleasant names earlier" Cassandra said after the hug, as she wiped the tears from her tear-stained face.

Serenity gave her a face that shows everything is fine. "You don't have to be sorry and It's okay to cry, besides, crying washes the windows to our soul." Serenity whispered soothingly.

"And about the name-calling. Forget about that, let's just put that in the past and try to move forward, shall we" she added.

"Thanks" Cassandra's lips curved a bit, projecting a small smile. Andrei's wife is simply so nice, portraying her as the sister that she never had. And although she only had Andrei, her brother, he was enough. In fact, he's the epitome of a perfect brother. She never wished for anything more.

"You're so Philosophical and forgiving. Adds up to the reasons why my brother fell in love with you" Cassandra said as the two women sat down on the bench.

In Serenity's mind, guilt was slowly progressing. She felt uncomfortable, for hiding the secret about her marriage and she's definitely guilty- for the lies that she'll come up if ever Cassandra asks details about their relationship. She just smiled at her.

"I didn't get to ask your name earlier" Serenity replied, taking this as a chance to avert the topic before Cassandra ventures to that dreaded topic of how she and Andrei met.

"Cassandra Willforth. It was nice to meet you-"

"Serenity Alexandria Avertini" she hesitated before saying the word "Willforth"

The gals chatted for a bit, trying to accumulate some information about each other.

"I didn't know that you're the eminent Serenity Avertini of the famous pharmaceutical company. You're company funded many School Scientific investigatory projects including the lab that I worked in, in Switzerland when I was in college. Also the many orphanages around the globe. The world needs people like you" Cassandra said

Serenity was flattered by the compliments.

"I've seen pictures of you in magazines but I didn't recognize you right away. You're more beautiful in person than in the magazines. Who was I kidding? You've been featured multiple times on top of Forbes list of beautiful and successful female billionaires with humanitarian acts. I know for a fact now that Andrei has an exemplar standard for a wife." Cassandra chuckled. Serenity rolled her eyes playfully for the mention of the Forbe's list part and Andrei. She's happy that she could see Cassandra smiling for a bit now.

"Enough of me, how about you?"

Cassandra heaved a sigh, before closing her eyes for a brief second. For a moment, Serenity thought that she may have said something bad. When Cassandra opened her eyes , she said.

"I want to tell you everything"

Serenity nodded for reassurance. "But you can stop when it hurts okay? No need to force it out"

Cassandra smiled at Serie's genuinely concern words of reassurance. She nodded her head.

"After the accident, I was taken into custody by the British Government. It lasted for only a day. Fortunately, Andrei's father, Papa, heard of the news and he came to get full custody of me. After he acquired full custody, I was taken into their residence in London where they warmly welcomed me with open arms. Mama (a reference to Andrei's mother) provided me with the love that I needed. Papa did everything to make me happy and Andrei acted as the protective Brother that he always is. He told me that I was the sister that he always wanted" Cassandra smiled at the memory, so did Serenity. She thought, how cute of Andrei to display such emotions back then.

"I was quickly healing from the tragedy of my family's death. I may have lost mine but Drei's family provided me another. Every vacation or holiday, we would spend it here in this very house in Florence. This was Mama's favorite house out of all their numerous properties, that's why Papa made sure to maintain this house's beautiful state every year we visit. God knows how Papa loves Mama so much. He would do everything for her, and that includes the yearly renovations just to take care of this house. That's the reason why I was furious earlier when I thought that Andrei brought uhhmmm you know. I'm sorry again. I didn't know. This place holds a sentimental value to all of us, in memory of Mama..." Cassandra paused at this. Her face suddenly becoming crestfallen.

"Unfortunately, Destiny ruined it again. Three years later. Mama fell ill and she died. We all were heartbroken but Drei was the one who took it so badly. He shut everyone outside the family from his life- His friends, relatives and just everyone, but the way he treated me and Papa never changed. He was still the loving son and brother. A month after Mama's death, Andrei told Papa that he decided to study overseas. He said he couldn't bear to stay in our house in London because it reminds him so much of Mama. Papa has no say in it. He couldn't change his mind. Drei was adamant when it comes to decision making- a trait he got from Papa. So Papa agreed. I was left alone but I never felt alone. Papa showered me with love and he pampered me with gifts just to make me happy- his coping mechanism to get over Mama's death.

He said that when he sees his children happy, he sees in his mind that his wife is happy. Drei also made sure that I don't feel alone. He would call or video call me and Papa every time he's free. When he graduated, he took over the family's business. The company flourished even more under his supervision. He too funded laboratories. He supports new discoveries and inventions to bring easiness and convenience to humanity.

He even funded a laboratory for scholars internship who are trying to pursue a degree in Science, it is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

He also owns some of the research stations in Antarctica. Thats where I work. I couldn't attend your wedding at that time. In fact I didn't know that he's married. He never told me that he's dating or about you" the suspicion in Cassandra's voice was present as she looked at Serenity. Serenity bit the insides of her cheeks discretely, trying not to blow her cover up. Thankfully, Cassandra dismissed her suspicion with a shrug.

"I don't need to suspect anything. A woman like yourself doesn't look like the type to lie. And from your traits and personality, I'm in no doubt that Drei fell in love with you" Cassandra smiled at her, a cheery one. "I guess Drei is naturally secretive, even to his sister" she added

Serenity couldn't do more but nod her head at the woman. She was speechless now because of the secret details of her marriage, the trust that Cassandra had put on her and the information that the latter had given. Finally, after a matter of seconds she spoke.

"I am pleased with how bold you are for sharing a part, i mean your whole life with me. Thank you" Serenity reached for her hands. She clasped it between hers in a sisterly manner. "Just remember that you could always tell me anything okay. I'll never get bored to listen" she smiled.

"I will, and thank youu Serenity" Cassandra smiled at her in return.

"Call me Serie.Now, I'm starving, shall we go inside. I'll cook for the both of us. I believe my occasional exposure in the lab where we formulate the medicines is similar to the way things work in the kitchens. The only difference are the equipment."

Cassandra chuckled at this. She found her sister in law quite amusing.

"Well then, I'm counting on your skills sister" she said