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CHAPTER TWO
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Shoko Fuuyumi is never that kind of girl who would stick her nose in a magazine all day to see what's new in other people's lives. Despite of being in such a socialite family status, Shoko is not used to staying in tune to whatever that is happening in the social world. However, whenever the surname de Faunte rises up from a conversation, Shoko immediately knows who these people are in the social and economic world. The de Faunte family is one of the richest European families in the world and they are the owner of one of the most powerful forces in the industrial and economic empire that almost everyone beneath their status are afraid to cross blades with them.
So you can't blame Shoko's rapid heartbeat, after learning that they were invited by the de Faunte family for a friendly dinner.
The ride from their home to the de Faunte Manor was a clean thirty minutes and as Shoko stepped out of the car, her heart felt as if it's about to jump out of her chest. She was definitely awestruck by the appearance of the place; it is luxuriously magnificent, to sum the description up. When people say that the de Faunte family is rich, most of them have no idea of what they are talking about - they are not just rich but extremely rich!
Shoko have no idea how her father became friends with someone as rich and influential as them
Two butlers opened the two beautifully carved doors as the head butler escorted them in. Shoko looked quizzically at the head butler for somehow he seemed familiar to her. However her musings were tossed aside by the spectacular beauty of the house, it is as majestic as it is in the outside. Shoko's heartbeat started to beat fast again. She silently prayed and hoped that she won't make a fool of herself on this one. Honestly, she was never good at friendly family dinners. Then as the atmosphere began to turn awkwardly heavy with the seriousness and nervousness that is radiated from every one present, a joyful shout echoed through the hall.
"Get him Anthony! Get him!" someone shouted with glee
A young lad with snowy white hair ran out of the hall on the left side of the staircase and continued to run down the stairs but kept his eye on the one chasing him.
"Arthur! Hurry up! He's getting away!" a boy around 10 years old with oak brown hair came running down the stairs, clearly chasing the young lad.
The head butler sighed and face palmed. Then a boy who looked exactly like the first one came into view, following the other in chasing the young lad. One could easily tell that these two are twins. Then another voice echoed through the hall.
"Don't hurt Uncle Sui!" a young girl called out. The first boy in pursuit jumped at the guy causing them to roll from the bottom of the stairs to the floor.
"Gotcha!" he called out in triumph
Shoko's eyes grew wide when she realized who the guy is. White hair and stormy-grey eyes could only be one person. It is no other than…
"Master Stephen," the butler said, though his tone was lower than the tone Shoko heard him speak of.
Stephen, however, was completely oblivious about the newly arrived visitors, making the head butler face palmed again, slightly shaking his head as his young master gave a laugh. Then the other boy joined the tackle as they pinned the white-haired guy on the floor, obviously not minding the newly arrived visitors.
"Alright, alright you caught me," he said but the twins didn't let go of him so he added, "Okay, okay let me up," and the twins did so.
"Here you go," he said and gave the twins two wrapped boxes, which they immediately opened revealing brand new PSPs, "You guys are getting fast. I hope you didn't damage it,"
"Cool! Thanks Uncle Sui," the twins said together in unison as Stephen sat, relieved that the twins let go of their death grip pin.
It was Lia who first noticed the Fuuyumi family's presence in the room. Upon seeing a certain visitor Lia immediately blurted out, "Shoko nee-chan!" then she ran down the stairs excitedly.
At the mention of that name, Stephen quickly tensed and glanced behind him. His eyes grew wide for a moment before regaining his composure and cleared his throat casually as he stood up, brushing some non-existent dust on his black suit in the process. He looked sheepishly at the visitors before giving them a polite bow.
"I apologize for not recognizing your arrival; forgive me for such a childish display of attitude," he said, glancing at Shoko for a moment then looked back to Mr. Fuuyumi, "Good evening and welcome to our home,"
"There is nothing to forgive. You must be young Master Stephen," Mr. Fuuyumi said as smiled and extended his hand for Stephen to shake.
"That's me but you can just call me Step or Sui, whatever you prefer, Master Fuuyumi." Stephen replied casually, "Just strip the Young Master title off. It makes me feel old,"
Mr. Fuuyumi gave a laugh at that.
Suddenly a not so elderly man appeared from the huge archway. He is tall with a normal physical built and was quite handsome despite his assumed age. His gray hair is combed back neatly and he wore a black expensive looking suit. Even at first glance, Shoko could sense the air of authority and power about him; clearly sending an automatic impression that this man is someone you don't want as an enemy. The man looked at his guests for a good two seconds and then beamed happily at them, stretching his arms wide open as if he is going to give them all a big hug. Shoko knew right away that this is the owner of the de Faunte enterprises, Sir Venard Benedict de Faunte
"My old friend! It's so nice to see you again," the man blurted out as he walked to Mr. Fuuyumi and shook his hand and then turned to kiss Mrs. Fuuyumi's hand as well, "….and also to you Lady Fuuyumi."
"Likewise Master de Faunte," Shoko's mother replied politely. Shoko knew what was coming next and hoped with every bit of luck that she had that night that she would just blend in and not get noticed by anyone. She was fully aware of the various gazes on her and its already making her uneasy. Much to her dismay, the de Faunte patriarch did notice her.
"And this lovely young lady must be your daughter. Miss Shoko, I presume?" the de Faunte patriarch asked as he turned to the ever so shy clarinetist, who nodded a little shyly at the question directed to her. That small gesture made the man chuckle, "So much like her Grandmother,"
Shoko gave a polite bow and in a rather nervous tone she answered, "A pleasure to meet you, Master de Faunte"
Stephen couldn't help but smirk, was she always that tensed and nervous?
Venard de Faunte nodded with a smile. "Such a fine young lady,"
Shoko immediately looked down as if she is ashamed to hear such compliment while Stephen raised his eyebrow slightly. Something was up, he can tell.
"Well then, let us continue our talk as we eat," Venard added, gesturing to the hallway leading to the dining hall, "Sure you don't want to eat our dinner cold,"
As Stephen was about to join the guests, the kids clung unto his legs as if they were afraid that he'll disappear if he went with them. Stephen looked at them, ready to say something but whatever he was going to say to the children, it was immediately lost when the three kids gave him a combination of different puppy-dog looks. Shoko watched as he gave a silent sigh in defeat. Shoko smiled a little at the incident, remembering her own nephews and how they would use the same trick on her just to get what they want.
"I'll meet you there after a few minutes," he said to his grandfather, who just gave him a cold nod as response and proceeded to guide his guest.
Dinner went on casual as Shoko expected. Not wanting to be involved in the adult's conversation, the young clarinetist just focused her attention on her food. After all, she was told that she should speak not unless she is spoken to. When Stephen returned, the only seat available is the one between his grandfather and Shoko. Mentally shrugging he went over and sat on the empty seat.
"Sorry for making you wait," he apologized when everyone looked at him as he took a seat to join them, "Please don't let me interrupt you,"
"Where are the children?" Venard asked, not looking up from his plate as he cut a piece of beef
"They're in my room…" Stephen answered, after taking his first bite and swallowed it he continued, "…watching"
The de Faunte patriarch gave the young lad a slight chiding stare for his actions. Shoko didn't know if that is what it really was or something else. Nevertheless, Stephen didn't seem to pay any mind to it. Shortly after that, the adults started their adult conversation, again. Stephen just silently continued eating but would occasionally glance at Shoko, who was eating slowly with a look as if she is trying to see pass her plate. There was a time when both of them both glanced at each other. Shoko's eyes would immediately dart back to her plate while Stephen would give a soft chuckle.
"When I said till we meet again, I didn't expect to meet you this soon," he said smiling, breaking the ice between them. That earned a smile from the young clarinetist as well. Then he leaned close to her and whispered, making sure the adults won't hear, "To be honest though, I didn't know my grandfather and your parents are such close friends. Grandfather said that he invited a family friend over for dinner but I didn't expect that he would invite your family."
"I …" Shoko stopped and let her voice drop into a whisper as she continued what she has to say earlier, "I didn't know that they were friends either."
That statement made Stephen laugh a little before he casually took a sip of his drink
"I guess you don't pry much on the social world, am I right?" he asked, Shoko gave a nod and Stephen replied that nod with a smirk, "I'm not fond of knowing much about other people's personal lives either, not unless they are the ones who insisted telling the story."
There was a not so long silence as both of them took another bite but then before Stephen could say something his grandfather beat him to it.
"Stephen," Venard called to catch the young lad's attention.
Stephen looked at his grandfather then glanced down at his food, to say that he is not hungry is huge understatement. He is absolutely hungry. Because he worked on some files for one of their company's branches earlier that day before taking his niece out for a day out, Stephen didn't have the time to eat a thing save for the hotdog sandwich they bought before going to the toy store but with the way his grandfather called him, he immediately caught what his grandfather is trying to convey.
But feigned innocence anyway, "Yes Grandfather?"
"Why don't you show Miss Shoko around the manor while we discuss a few important matters," his grandfather continued with a knowing smile.
It took most of Stephen's will power not to let out a sigh in front of his grandfather.
"Of course," he answered politely then gave a short nod of acknowledgement to Shoko's parents, "Excuse us,"
Reluctantly he stood up and held out his hand to Shoko, offering to escort her out of the dining hall. After making sure that the door is locked behind them, Stephen gave an exasperated sigh, muttered something that sounded like, "What am I a tour guide?", and pouted slightly. Then as if he just remembered that Shoko was there he immediately gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that Shoko-san," he apologized then sighed again, "He always does that whenever they start their 'serious' adult talk, especially when my grandfather's visitors have…uh…young companions."
Since she didn't know what to say at the moment, Shoko kept her mouth shut and let the young lad in front of her ramble on. In all fairness, it was quite amusing to watch the young lad like that. Then it struck her, an automatic sense of uneasiness made its way in her stomach. With Stephen being the Venard de Faunte's grandson, that would mean that the person in front of her, complaining like a child, is the heir of the de Faunte empire. She accidentally sprained the foot of the heir of such a large company.
"Oh, no" she thought as she subconsciously played with her fingers, "I hope they didn't call us here to sue me,"
"Honestly I don't know if there is a place in this Manor that is worth showi - wait," Stephen continued the he stopped, remembering something, "There is one that I think you might like but it's outside, are you okay with that?"
Shoko gave a slight nod
"Great," Stephen beamed, "I'll just check on the kids first. Do you want to tag along? The twins wanted to meet you."
Shoko just nodded, with not much of a choice.
They silently made their way to Stephen's room, passing by a long hallway where numerous portraits of the de Faunte family members hung proudly on the wall. Stephen explained that the portraits are hung according to the generation the members are born and occasionally he would mention some of his ancestors name and what made them memorable. It was like a museum exhibit for Shoko.
"My parents…" Stephen said as he gestured to a portrait hung a few meters away from a portrait of Stephen's grandfather.
Shoko looked intently at the portrait; the lady had long wavy silver-white hair and cheerfully bright golden-colored eyes, dressed in a lovely red gown that matched her pale complexion perfectly. The man, on the other hand, has oak brown hair and deep piercing dark eyes. Shoko looked at Stephen then back at the portrait before looking back at the boy again.
"You look like your mother," she stated in her normal shy tone. Stephen chuckled
"Yes, as I am often told." Stephen said with a smile and a nod, "My mother was a full blood Japanese. She was also a botanist, my father, on the other hand, was a marine biologist."
Shoko's brows meet slightly at the way he uses the past tense in describing his parents. Stephen seems to be oblivious to her curious look as he looked at the portrait then shrugged, returning his attention to the young girl, adding, "I don't know, my uncles told me they met because of their line of work."
"Was?" Shoko asked, regarding to how he described his parents. At first Stephen didn't get it but when realization strikes he quickly looked away, avoiding Shoko's gaze
"They both died when I was young. My Mom died due to a sickness when I was seven and Dad died in a car accident a few years later." Stephen explained, his face showed no emotion but his eyes showed a different story then he smirked as he looked down at Shoko, "That's how I ended up in Grandfather's care,"
"Oh," Shoko mumbled, completely clueless on what she is going to say. She wasn't good at giving comforting words to other people, especially in difficult situations like that, "...I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bring - I'm so sorry Suichiro-kun."
Stephen gave a reassuring smile as he shrugged looking back at the portrait, "It's okay. I can't reverse time now, can I? At least they are happy together up there."
Though he is smiling admiringly at the portrait, Shoko could see the pain and loneliness in his eyes. She can't imagine how his life turned around at the early age of seven. Silently they continued to walk down the hall.
Near the end of the hall hung a portrait of Stephen with the brown haired twins from earlier and Amelia. At the bottom it read 'Sir Stephen Randolph Suichiro von Dylan Kanade de Faunte with Sirs Anthony Louis von Dylan and Arthur Louis von Dylan de Faunte and Lady Amelia Eleanor Jennice de Faunte'. Stephen followed Shoko's gaze and when he realized that she was reading the caption below, he let out a sigh followed by a chuckle
"Imagine how hard and frustrating it was when I started learning how to write my full name. It won't even fit in a single line in the paper," he told her. That little statement made Shoko giggle slightly as she imagined the scene.
When they reached Stephen's room they were greeted by sight of three sleeping kids. Lia was asleep on the edge of the bed while the twins were sleeping on the ground. The television is still on and the end credits rolling, indicating that the kids slept before the movie ended. Stephen smiled softly and sighed. He turned the television off then proceeded to carry the kids to bed. He first fixed Lia's position then placed the twins beside her. Shoko watched as Stephen tucked them in, she couldn't help but smile at how caring this guy is; reminds her of her older cousins. After making sure that they are all snuggled up, Stephen closed the lights and closed the door.
"The twins wanted to meet you badly, you know" Stephen said, glancing at Shoko, who only just gave a small smile in response, "Shall we go outside then?"
Shoko nodded and Stephen led the way outside. They went into a huge greenhouse not far from the mansion. The temperature inside the greenhouse was warm due to some heaters, but that didn't stop the cold winter breeze from penetrating through. Inside the greenhouse, a pavilion is built in the middle of a small man-made lake; the pathway leading to it is decorated with some sort of flat shells that made it look like the sea shore. In the middle of the pavilion was a large glass table and stools and the whole place is surrounded and decorated by various species of flowers in different colors and other beautiful plants.
"It's beautiful," the young girl said in awe as she looked around.
Stephen gave a smile as he watched Shoko, "Father built this for my mom as a wedding present before they got married. My uncles said that it is a reminder of how they first met. It's a little cliché don't you think?"
Shoko smiled then eventually let out an unexpected yawn, which she quickly hid by placing her hand over her mouth and immediately apologized.
Stephen sat in one of the stools and looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "Am I that boring to hang out with or are you just sleepy?"
"No. It's not that. I'm just a little tired," Shoko answered sitting on another stool not far from Stephen
Stephen gave an understanding nod, "From school?"
Shoko gave a slight nod and yawned again, "What school do you go to Suichiro-kun?"
"Actually…." Stephen began, slightly hesitating but he continued anyway, "I don't go to school,"
Shoko quickly looked at him in both shock and bewilderment. If Stephen is the heir of one of the riches companies in the world then education is must, right? But how come he is not going to school. As those thoughts swam inside Shoko's head, Stephen immediately got the message of her confused and shocked look so he explained
"Unfortunately, Grandfather never trusted institutions to give his heir a fair education, as some of my former teachers passed me in their subject without letting me try much. So instead, he hired tutors and professors and home schooled me."
Shoko's confused expression softens at that then she diverted her gaze to the floor. She had her fair share of that experience when she was young. She tried homeschooling when she was little and truth to be told, it was boring. Compared to being in an actual school, homeschooling is like being in a cemetery. It was a good thing she managed to convince her parents to enter her into an actual school when she reached her middle school years.
"It must be fun to have actual school buddies and friends to hang out with," Stephen fortuitously mused out loud as he stared at the glistening water of the lake, completely lost in thought.
"Don't you have friends, Suichiro-kun?" That seem to drag Stephen beck to reality but he hid it well.
"Business acquaintances…lots," Stephen answered with a shrug, "But real friends not so much. In fact, I only have two. Make that three, including you, Shoko-san."
Then he smiled at Shoko sheepishly, "I'm so lame huh?"
Shoko was speechless, her gaze unknowingly held a sad and long look in them as she stared at the floor and let her thought wander. Now she knows how fortunate she really is apart from other people. She felt bad for Stephen, losing both of his parents at a young age is probably the worst thing that can happen to a child but being confined inside the four walls of the house without friends is what made it worst.
"Is something wrong Shoko-san?" the young de Faunte heir asked.
Without thinking Shoko answered, "You must feel lonely most of the time."
Upon saying that, the young girl ducked her head lower than before, slightly ashamed of herself for crossing that line. Who was she to say something like that? Shoko braced herself for a snappy answer but instead Stephen's answer came out differently
"Thank you for your concern Shoko-san." he said as he gave a primrose that he must have plucked when she looked down for she was clearly taken by surprise.
Shoko stared at flower for a while before taking it and looked at Stephen. He was smiling down at her, instantly making Shoko blush. There was something in that smile that she couldn't place. As if on cue, a gust of wind blew causing Shoko to shiver slightly. Stephen casually took off his coat and placed it on her like every gentleman would.
"We should be heading back; it's getting chilly out here. And maybe your parents are waiting for you,"
Shoko nodded and together they headed back at the mansion.
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When they made arrived at the dining hall, Shoko's parents along with Stephen's grandfather just got out of the room and they were shaking hands with each other, thanking each other for the time they've spent together.
"Right on time," Stephen said with an appreciative nod, mentally patting himself on the shoulder for his accurate guess. Still, he can't help but wonder why the sudden shift of events. But then again, his grandfather can be unpredictable most of time; like a typhoon or a volcano so it's best if one just go on with the flow.
"Thank you," Shoko said in her usual nervous tone, breaking his musings. Stephen glanced down at Shoko just in time to see her take off his coat and handed it back to him before then shyly adding, "And also, thank you for showing me around, Suichiro-kun."
The young lad gave an amused smile as he nodded then he gave a polite bow, like that of a butler wishing his mistress a safe journey. "The pleasure is all mine young Miss Fuuyumi. I hope I'll see you soon, Shoko-san,"
The simple gesture immediately sent the young girl blushing lightly; much to his amusement. After a few more goodbyes Shoko and her family left.
"How do you find Fuuyumi-san so far?" Stephen's grandfather asked as they watch as the car drove away
"She's interesting," Stephen answered rather absent mindedly. When his brain registered what he had just said he quickly turned to his Grandfather and began explaining, "Uh…I mean she's -"
"Good enough," he heard his Grandfather say as he walked away.
Stephen looked a little confused as he watched his grandfather's retreating form. Something was really up and he had a feeling his grandfather already made some unchangeable plans in his life once again. But then again, what else is new. Then a growl came from his hungry stomach, like a thunderstorm. Slightly groaning, Stephen made his way to the kitchen and see if dinner is still there.
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