Chapter 6 A Jealous Ansel

A black car pulled up in front of Ansel Clovis Desmond's mansion. Shortly after, the owner of the mansion got out of his car. True to his word, he would pick up his wife to go to Desmond's primary residence.

Ansel entered the house and met the butler.

"Aunt Nani, where is Aleta?" Ansel asked.

"Oh, the young madame is in her room. She said she was going to the main residence," replied Aunt Nani.

"Yes, we will go there. My brother is home," replied Ansel.

Aunt Nani looked a little surprised by Ansel's words. "Third Young Master is back from Canada?" asked Aunt Nani.

Ansel nodded his head. "Yes, he's back. That's why my mother told me to come there with Aleta," he replied.

Aunt Nani looked sadly at Ansel. That made Ansel understand the meaning of that look. "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you worried that something like that will happen again?" Ansel asked, touching Aunt Nani's shoulder.

"Of course I'm worried. You'll have a hard time there," Aunt Nani said.

Ansel shook his head lightly. "Auntie, don't worry. Nothing like that will ever happen again. Because I have my good luck charm," Ansel replied with a mysterious smile. This made Aunt Nani curious about the 'lucky charm' in question.

Suddenly, the sound of high heels coming down the stairs made both Ansel and Aunt Nani turn their heads toward the source of the sound. Ansel looked surprised looked surprised when he saw Aleta, who was beautiful in the baby blue dress she was wearing.

When Aleta stood before him, he did not move to take his eyes off her. It made Aleta look at him in confusion.

"Ansel?" called Aleta while waving her hand at Ansel.

Ansel finally woke up from his reverie. "You're taking so long. Never mind, let's go," Ansel protested as he walked away with an embarrassed face.

Meanwhile, Aleta looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong with him? Why are you suddenly so angry when we just met? Is it your period?" Aleta asked.

"No, Aleta. He's embarrassed by the way you look," said Aunt Nani.

Aleta made a confused face. "Huh? Embarrassed? Embarrassed of what?" asked Aleta

"It's...."

"Aleta! Hurry up!" Ansel shouted from outside.

"Yes! Auntie, I'll go first. See you later," Aleta said as she walked away from Aunt Nani.

Aunt Nani, who saw this, chuckled softly. She shook her head at the couple's attitude.

"I hope your relationship can get better. So that you don't want to let go of each other," murmured Aunt Nani.

Meanwhile, there was only silence inside the car where Ansel and Aleta were. Ansel seemed to want to say something, and Aleta took it for granted while staring out the window.

"Ehm!"

Ansel's deafening voice made Aleta immediately look at the man. "What's wrong? Do you have a sore throat? I have some lozenges. Here," Aleta said as she handed the candy to Ansel.

"Can't you see that I'm driving right now? How can I eat it myself?" protested Ansel.

"Hm? What do we do then? You don't want it?" asked Aleta

Ansel let out a rude sigh. How could this woman beside him be so insensitive? Has this woman never been in a relationship?

"You bribe me. You don't know anything like that," Ansel complained.

"Oh, bribe! Tell me from earlier. Open your mouth," said Aleta.

Aleta pointed the candy at Ansel's mouth. Ansel immediately accepted it. He also deliberately sucked Aleta's finger, which made the woman quite surprised by what Ansel did.

"Hey, why are you sucking my finger?" Aleta complained.

"Not on purpose," Ansel replied with a casual face.

Aleta puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. She looked out the window again.

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" Ansel suddenly asked, which immediately caused Aleta to look at him in confusion.

"Hm? Why are you suddenly asking me that?" Aleta asked.

"Is it wrong for me to ask that? Is that a sensitive question for you?" Ansel asked back.

Aleta was silent for a moment. "That's... ah! We're here!" said Aleta as they approached Desmond's primary residence.

Ansel knew that Aleta was hiding something by deliberately diverting the conversation. Ansel chose not to question her anymore. Their car stopped right in front of Desmond's primary residence. Just as Aleta was about to leave the car, Ansel opened the door for her. Aleta was somewhat stunned when Ansel extended his hand to her. She was silent for a moment as her mind suddenly went blank.

"Aleta, come on down. Why are you so quiet?" Ansel asked, which immediately woke Aleta up from her reverie.

"Oh, sure!" Aleta quickly took Ansel's hand and walked together into the house.

Ansel took Aleta's hand and put it on his wrist. Aleta was entirely stunned by that. But she was sure that Ansel was doing it to act so that his parents would believe they were in a good relationship.

When they went inside, they were immediately greeted by Mama Amanda.

"Wow, you've finally come. I've been waiting for you," Amanda greeted with a big smile.

"Sorry, Mommy. I am."

"I took a long time to pick up Aleta. That's why I took so long to come here," said Ansel, who immediately cut Aleta off.

Aleta was entirely stunned by what Ansel did. Ansel tried to cover up what happened.

"Hmm, I knew that was the reason," Amanda said.

"Mama, that's not it."

"Where is my brother? Did you say he was here?" asked Ansel, who again interrupted Aleta's words while hugging Aleta's waist.

"Oh, he's in his room right now. You guys go in first. Come on," said Amanda.

Ansel and Aleta followed Amanda's lead. "Why are you always cutting me off?" asked Aleta in a whisper.

Ansel moved closer to Aleta's ear. "Whatever I say," Ansel replied, immediately making Aleta look annoyed.

Because of her annoyance, she immediately pinched Ansel's waist.

"Auch! Why did you pinch me?" protested Ansel.

"Feel that!"

"You've come," greeted the patriarch of the family, Aditya.

"Good evening, Daddy!" greeted Aleta.

"Good evening, too, Aleta! You should come here more often, even without Ansel," said Aditya.

Aleta nodded her head stiffly. She was still awkward around her husband's family, but everyone in the primary residence was very friendly to her.

"Brother!"

Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the source of the voice from the stairs. Everyone stared with a faint smile at the man, except for one person.

The man descended the stairs and walked towards his family. He finally stopped walking when he was close to his family. He looked surprised as he stared at the woman beside his brother.

"Aleta?!"

"Axel?!"

Everyone there was immediately surprised when Aleta recognized the figure of Ansel's younger brother.

"Aleta, do you know Axel?" Amanda asked.

"I know her, Mommy. The woman I told you about the other day. The woman who cried in the middle of the road and hit me," Axel explained.

Ansel was quite surprised to hear that. He didn't know that Aleta was crying. But when was that?

Amanda immediately grabbed Aleta's hand. "Yeah, Axel was telling me about the woman he met. She was crying. Why, dear? Why were you crying at that time?" Amanda asked with a worried look.

Aleta became silent. She didn't know what to answer at the moment. She could not tell them the truth about why she was crying. She glanced at Ansel, who also seemed to want to know what her answer was.

"Um, Mommy. I already told you why Aleta was crying. She fell on the road, and her knee was bleeding. That's why she was crying, and I treated her at the time," Axel said.

"Is that why you were crying, Aleta?" asked Aditya.

Aleta looked at Axel, who blinked his eyes. She knew that Axel was telling her to agree to what he said. "Yes, Mommy. I was crying because I fell at that time. I couldn't bear to see so much blood," Aleta replied.

Amanda stroked Aleta's shoulder. "Next time, you be careful. Invite one of the servants at home to accompany you," Amanda told her daughter-in-law.

Aleta nodded her head slowly.

"That's all right. Now let's start the dinner," Aditya chirped.

"Oh yeah. That's right, let's go to the table," Amanda said.

They all finally walked towards the dining table. All kinds of food were served on the dining table.

"I don't know what you like. Hopefully, the food on the table is something you like," said Amanda.

"I'm not picky about food, Mommy. Everything looks good," Aleta replied

"Yeah, it's obvious you like to eat," said Axel.

Aleta immediately looked at Axel. "What do you mean I'm fat?" Aleta protested.

"I'm not saying you're fat. I'm just saying that you look like you like to eat," Axel rebutted.

"Sir Axel, I think you need to learn some figurative language. Your words indicate that I am fat in your eyes," Aleta complained.

"It's okay to be a bit fat. It's better than a thin woman. It's like a disease," said Axel.

"It's true what Axel said, Aleta. You're not fat anyway," Amanda added.

"Oh well, I want to ask something that I've been wanting to ask for a while," Aleta asked, looking at Axel.

"Hm? What is it?" asked Axel

"Are you a psychologist?" asked Aleta.

Axel nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I work as a psychologist," replied Axel.

Aleta nodded her understanding.

"Why did you immediately know Axel is a psychologist, Aleta?" Amanda asked, a bit confused when Aleta suddenly asked her son that.

"Because...."

"Because I once tested Aleta's personality. That's why she asked me this," Axel cut in.

Amanda and her husband nodded in understanding. Aleta looked at Axel and silently muttered, 'Thank you,' Axel replied faintly.

All this did not escape the eyes of Ansel, who had been catching the interaction between his brother and his wife. I don't know why he was so annoyed when Aleta knew Axel so well and the other way around. Both of them looked very familiar with each other. He could feel his heart heating up because of their closeness. He gave her a cold stare because of the annoyance in his heart. Meanwhile, Aleta still seemed to be chatting well with Axel, who also looked happy with Aleta.

Honestly, he had never seen his brother like that. Because his brother rarely interacts with the first person he meets.

Is it possible that Axel likes Aleta? ~ Ansel's mind

"Then you have a master's degree if you want to open a practice here?" asked Aleta when she heard that Axel would open a practice in Jakarta.

Axel nodded his head. "Yes, at the age of 21, I can open a practice," said Axel with his hands cupped on the dining table.

Aleta looked quite surprised by Axel's words. "You're 21 years old?! Isn't completing undergraduate education at least 22 years old?" asked Aleta with a confused look.

Aleta's confused look caused Axel to laugh because he thought Aleta was hilarious with a face like that.

"Your words are not wrong, though. But that doesn't apply to me. I'm in an accelerated class to graduate faster," Axel explained.

Aleta nodded in understanding.

"Oh, I see," said Aleta.

"You'll have to come to my place more often," Axel said.

Ansel immediately looked displeased at what his brother had said. "Why would Aleta come to your place?" asked Ansel with a cold stare.

Everyone immediately looked at Ansel, who was looking straight at Axel.

"Is it wrong to ask my sister-in-law to come to my place? Isn't it good for Aleta to come to my place? She won't be alone at home, especially when Aleta is crying like yesterday," Axel explained with a look that was difficult to interpret.

"What do you mean by that?! You mean I can't take good care of my wife?" Ansel protested.

Aleta felt tense at the dinner table. The argument between the two brothers reminded her of her brother, who would always pick a fight with her.

"I never said that. I just wanted to help you, who is very busy," Axel snapped.

Ansel growled. "You...."

"Stop it! Aren't you ashamed to fight in front of food?! Aleta is here, too. Aren't you guys ashamed of fighting when you're adults?!" raged Aditya.

Both Ansel and Axel could only look down at their father's words. Aleta also felt guilty because she was indirectly responsible for the two arguing like that.

"I'm done. I'm going straight to my room," Axel said as he left.

Aleta looked at Axel as he climbed the stairs to his room.

Ansel could feel Aleta's gaze behind his back. For a moment, he wondered if she was unwilling for Axel to leave. He cleared his throat and made Aleta resume her delayed meal.

***

"Mommy, I'm sorry about earlier," Aleta said when she and her mother-in-law were in the living room.

Aleta and Ansel had not gone home because Amanda had asked them to stay overnight.

"What are you apologizing for, honey? You didn't do anything wrong. They are often like that. There used to be someone who could break them up, but that's gone now. So, don't feel guilty. They are both childish. I should be the one who feels guilty for you because I saw the fight earlier," said Amanda.

Aleta shook her head slowly. "I'm okay. I often fight with my sister, too. Oh, right. You said there was someone who broke up with the two of them. Who was it?" asked Aleta with a curious look.

Amanda seemed to gasp when Aleta asked that question. However, she quickly covered it up.

"Well, I forgot to check the kitchen supplies. I'll talk to you later," Amanda said as she left Aleta's presence.

"Eh? Mommy."

Aleta was confused as to why Mama Amanda was avoiding her question. Her mother-in-law didn't want to talk about it.

"What's going on?" Aleta muttered. Aleta's gaze stopped when she saw Axel walking down the stairs. "Axel!" Aleta called out.

Wearing a cold face, Axel immediately changed his expression to a broad smile and approached Aleta. "Hi, are you still here?" Axel asked.

Aleta nodded her head. "Yes. Mommy asked me to stay over tonight," Aleta replied.

Axel nodded his understanding. "I'm going to the supermarket to buy something. Do you want to leave me something?" Axel asked.

"Yes. I'll have some ice cream," Aleta replied with a big smile.

Axel smiled amusedly at Aleta's childlike behavior. He wanted to pinch her chubby cheeks. But he had to hold back because Aleta was his sister-in-law. "But I don't know what your favorite ice cream is. Do you want to come with me and get it yourself?" Axel asked.

Aleta nodded her head. "Yes!"

Axel then invited Aleta while pulling her hand to get out of the house.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, in Ansel's room, the man had just come out of the bathroom, but his room was empty. Even on his bed, there was no trace of Aleta sitting or sleeping. "Where is she? Is she still with Mama?" muttered Ansel.

***

"Sorry, you got into a fight with Ansel because of me earlier," Aleta said as she and Axel walked together to the supermarket.

Axel smiled slightly. "What are you apologizing for? I was the one who provoked him to start the fight," Axel said.

Aleta immediately wrinkled her forehead. "Why did you do it?"

"I just missed seeing his anger," Axel replied.

"Wow, you're a joker too." Aleta had just seen the other side of Axel. Aleta could feel some of Axel's feelings. After all, he often made his brother angry.

Finally, they arrived in front of the supermarket and went straight in. Aleta saw the cashier and some customers there, surprised at Axel's presence. It could be because Axel's face was very handsome. Aleta went to the ice cream section, while Axel went to another section. Aleta looked at the many types of ice cream there.

"How is it? A lot, right?" asked Axel, who was behind Aleta.

Aleta nodded her head without looking at Axel. "Yes, there are so many. I don't know which one to choose," Aleta replied.

"Just pick the one you like. Or, you can choose all of them," said Axel.

Aleta immediately looked at Axel. "How can you do that? My teeth will hurt," Aleta replied.

Axel was stunned. Aleta was like a child who was afraid of being scolded by her parents for eating a lot of ice cream. "Well, choose the one you like. What flavor do you like?" asked Axel, opening the ice cream box.

"I like chocolate flavor!" replied Aleta excitedly.

Axel's hand, about to reach for an ice cream, stopped when he heard Aleta's words. He felt a deja vu when he heard Aleta's voice. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. "I love chocolate flavor, too. Let's buy this one," Axel said.

Aleta nodded her head vigorously. Afterward, they went to the cashier to pay for their purchases. Again and again. Aleta saw the cashier blushing at Axel.

"Thank you!" said Axel with a big smile.

"You're welcome, come again!" he said, waving his hand.

Axel and Aleta walked into the night with ice cream in their hands. "Hmm, eating ice cream at night is good," said Aleta, who was busy licking her ice cream.

Axel giggled at how enthusiastically Aleta ate the ice cream. "If you act like this, no one will believe you're 19. They'll think you're still in elementary school," Axel commented.

Hearing Axel's words, Aleta immediately hit the man's shoulder. "Don't tease me; I'm not a kid. I'm a big girl," Aleta complained while eating her ice cream again.

After 15 minutes, they finally arrived home. When Aleta entered the house and headed to her room, Axel suddenly pulled her hand. "Axel, what's wrong?" she asked.

Aleta's words stopped when Axel brushed her lips. Aleta suddenly froze, and Axel also only looked at her. Without them realizing it, Ansel, who was upstairs, watched everything they were doing. Ansel's hands were clenched tightly into fists, his sharp gaze never leaving Aleta.