Chapter 5 Worried Hot Men And Their Horses

• I woke up at the sudden voice echoing outside.
• "What do you mean she's still resting? It's been two fucking days already!" A deep voice shouted.
• I pushed myself up using my elbows and propped my head on the head board. Everything is spinning. My head felt a light dizziness and I inhaled and exhaled to calm myself down.
• I looked around and saw a sofa, a carpet, and I'm in a Queen-sized bed. I'm in Mason's estate. I placed my palm on my forehead and tried my best to reminisce about what happened before getting into this bed.
• I fainted—I fainted in the amusement park after staring at that well.
• And the voices.
• The voices lingered in my head but eventually faded. What did it say again?
• The shouting outside are still loud, I scooted at the edge of the bed and placed my feet down on the floor, and that's when I noticed what I was wearing. It was a night gown.
• Wait—a night gown?!
• Did—did Mason dressed me up?!
• I grabbed the sheets clutching it in my chest as I walked towards the door meaning to ask who the hell put this red silk in my body. I closed my eyes and calmed my heavy breathing. I'm still nauseous and there's nothing more I want to do than head over to the bathroom and puke my guts out.
• I gripped the doorknob tightly and twisted it open. I peeked at the side and saw them still arguing. Their eyes landed on me a few seconds later and they stopped. Mason's deadly eyes immediately turned worried as he took in my face. I stepped out and closed the door behind me to join their conversation.
• Yeah, I probably have this drool on my face and my hair was most likely an eagle's nest, but whatever.
• The doctor beside Mason was wearing a white coat, typically what a doctor would've worn and a stethoscope right around his neck. I debated greeting him first or telling the worried Mason I'm okay and that I'm not going to die.
• "Are you okay? You should go back to bed." He said. The doctor beside him almost rolled his eyes at his response. Yeah, two minutes ago, you clearly sounded like you'd kill someone if I didn't get out of bed, and now you're telling me to go back.
• He said I was out for two days so I probably smelled like a piece of rotten meat, so I quickly dismissed his question to ask why I'm here in front of him instead of resting.
• "Who changed my clothes?" I said and narrowed my eyes on him. For a moment, I saw how blood crept up his neck to his ears. The doctor snickered at the silence and Mason immediately glared at him, making him clear his throat.
• "Syndee. Syndee changed your clothes." He said, looking away. Syndee did? I can't imagine how uncomfortable that could've been for her though. I nodded and turned my eyes to the doctor. He's probably around fifty or sixty judging from the gray hairs staining his head. I extended my hand, "Veronica. Veronica Meline Salvande." I said and he shook it and introduced himself as Doctor Samson.
• "May I know my condition? It's—it's not serious, right?" I carefully asked, afraid of his answer. I can't figure out how and why I suddenly fainted by just staring at the well.
• I could blame it for overworking but the voices were just too much. I don't remember having that kind of childhood memory. Doctor Samson turned back to his professional mode and adjusted his reading glasses.
• "You had a panic attack, Miss Salvande. An old memory from the back of your head has triggered and you had a certain reaction to this." He seriously replied.
• "A memory? I don't remember anything about that place though?" I said and clenched my fist on the sheets. Mason's eyes landed on my grip and he suddenly came beside me. I felt his finger drifting in my back, drawing some soothing circles. My back arched and straightened at his move. He moved his mouth beside my ear and whispered, "relax.", and my body immediately caved in with his order like the automaton that it is.
• Doctor Samson cleared his throat, evading his eyes from us. He focused on the check board in his hands and looked at it.
• "That place? Do you remember what triggered such a memory?" He finally said.
• "It's the well—a children's well." I replied and now it was Mason's turn to tense up behind me. His soothing circles stopped and I could feel his stare from the back of my head. "A well?" Doctor Samson said. I nodded in confirmation. He wrote something on his check board and looked at me once again.
• "Okay, that's enough information for today." He said and bowed at me and Mason, but mostly to just him. The doctor still seemed terrified when he left the hallway. A maid seeing her out.
• Now it was just me and him. I hate that we're totally alone. This mansion is filled with hundreds of maids and yet no one is passing in this hallway. I took a step back and looked at him. "Where's Syndee? I just want to thank her for. . .you know—changing me." I mumbled and glanced at the night gown.
• He smirked and took a step forward. "Aren't you going to thank me first?" I took a step back and met the closed door to my room behind me. "What?" I asked, still not processing our proximity right now. "Aren't you being too ungrateful? I'm hurt, Veronica. That's twice you've hurt me." He said and took my hand.
• He placed it on his chest, where the heart should be. I can feel it thumping fast beneath my fingers. I stared at my hand, bewildered by his actions. "First my neck, and now my heart. Such a mean woman." He bit his lips suppressing his smile and I stared at it again.
• I didn't know luscious lips being pressed looked this good. Electricity and heat immediately flooded through me. I wasn't afraid of how he's affecting me, I'm terrified of how the hell am I feeling this when I didn't even feel an ounce of this with Jonathan and we've been together for four years.
• Blush and butterflies wandered around my body, but the erotic feeling is starting to cover it up. I immediately took my hand back and caressed how his heart was once thumping in my palms.
• "Maso—" Syndee's voice suddenly came out of nowhere. My gaze landed on her and her eyes screamed fury. I pushed Mason away and looked at her. I smiled but she didn't respond.
• He inhaled and beamed at the guy in front of me. He walked towards him and clung her arms on his. She smiled at me and said, "Are you okay, Veronica? We were so worried!" I nodded and grinned.
• She caressed Mason's arms and I forced my eyes to stay at her and to not wander where her hands were wandering at.
• Get a grip, Veronica!
• "How can I make it up to you? I mean for taking care of my clothes." I said. She smirked and I immediately wanted to take it back. Mason is simply staring at me so he probably can't see what Syndee is doing. "Of course! Do you know how to ride a horse? I'd love to have a race!" She suggested.
• Mason was about to protest. He wants me to rest, but I can't just take back what I said. When he was about to say something, a man who looks like he's in his mid-forties bowed towards Mason and whispered something in his ears. This alerts him and they rush away with the butler in a hurry.
• "Business emergencies." Syndee shrugged. I looked back at her and realized she's still waiting for an answer to her request, so I nodded and said, "Sure!"
• -
• We were now in the stable. And guess what. A stable far inside the forest, and still a part of Mason's estate. How the hell can a man own such wealth?!
• "He keeps a stable hidden in here?" I asked Syndee, she's wearing a pink tunic, mine was black. She was basically quiet most of the time we were coming in here. She nodded and scanned the stables for a certain horse. My mouth dropped the moment we stepped inside. Everything was rich.
• These horses probably lived a better life than me!
• She opened the gate of one horse. It was black. She inserted her hands in her pocket, took it out and patted the horse' nose.
• She held her reigns and gave him to me. I stared at its tag that lies just under his neck. It reads, "Maximus." I smiled at it and it seemed to be comfortable with me as it pressed his nozzle in my hands.
• "It's Mason's horse. It's the most tamed one, so I guess that's the best one that suits you." She said, I'm glad she cares about me. I feel bad from thinking she might actually lash out at me when she saw how her fiance-to-be— according to her, was having such close proximity with another girl.
• She's a really kind girl. I probably won't contain myself if I were her. I want to fangirl. She's such a saint!
• "Thank you, Syndee." I said and grabbed both of her hands and squeezed it. She beamed at me and looked at the horses. She stepped on the horse's step and rode it flawlessly.
• She's so good!
• I am not good at horses, but my parents live in the countryside after all, so I was introduced to it when I was a child until I became a teenager.
• "I suppose you know how to ride?" She said when I finally was able to settle on the horse's back. I nodded in response and she looked ahead.
• "Then shall we?" She said, She whipped the reins and his horse jogged. I followed close behind, holding Maximus' reins for my dear life.
• God, I sincerely hope I still remember that riding lesson I took when I was sixteen.