The Grand Mistress

Mauro Han drove past a street full of nothing but big lushful trees. The street was neat, and the sidelines were obviously being cleaned up regularly making it known that he wasn't traversing an ordinary street but a street meant only for richest of the rich can explore. He was inside Golden Heights, a high scale estate in Metropolis where glorious villas, chateaus and mansions owned by top rich families were nesting. He was there to see Hawk and the car that he was in right then was bound to stop at El Cielo Chateau, the latter's residence.

When he arrived, he was amazed to see the grandeur that stood before him. El Cielo Chateau was a marvelous sight and although Mauro Han was used to luxury, he cannot help and admire it.

'Indeed, the Monsanto's were extremely rich,' 

Mauro thought and imagined the bright future that was waiting for them if Feather lands in this house and become the Madam of the Monsanto's.

"Mr. Han, this way please," As soon as he stepped out of the car, a butler came to welcomed him and guide him his way. "President Hawk is waiting in the stables,"

Hawk's property in Golden Heights was big and to make use of the property, he built a stable for his horses so he can do horse-riding any time he wanted.

As Mauro walked behind the butler, he was trying to weave a good story in order to clarify, or rather cover up his misdeeds to Hawk. Just few days ago, he had released a statement, giving a date for the wedding that was not agreed upon. He thought that since Hawk desperately wanted to marry Feather, he wouldn't mind his intervention but just after few hours, his associate reported that M Conglomerate refused to comment on Han's Scintillaits announcement and when he tried to contact Hawk, he didn't answer back. 

He was afraid then that his plans and ventures might be put off as Hawk seemed to have been offended in his actions specially too that since there was already a wedding date, and if he was indeed as vicious as Mauro though him to be, then he can just dishonor their agreement since he had already what he wanted with him. Anxious like her daughter, he desperately find ways to connect to him but failed to speak to him for the past few days. Good thing Lucas accommodated him today and found a way to get him in touch with Hawk.

Soon, the view of stables and a fenced large horse' pen appeared before him and there in front of the fence was Hawk, caressing a black horse that resonates his aura.

"President Hawk," He greeted.

"CEO Han," Hawk returned his curtsy.

"Thank you for accommodating me today," Mauro expressed his gratitude when inside his heart, he wasn't really grateful but severely troubled and annoyed on how things were running. 

Feather had told them that there was threat to her and Hawk's relationship, but he didn't think it was real as Feather had this habit of exaggerating things. However, when he himself experienced Hawk's coldness, he immediately understood why Feather was scared to hell. Something indeed had change in him that he felt like the tables have turned now. Previously he was the one obsessed with Feather and yet right now, Feather was the one who refused to let him go.

"I understand that we have to talk," Hawk started and walked slowly, allowing Mauro to join. They strode quietly for a while until the edge of the pen where a horse ready to be mounted was waiting with a stable master.

Hawk without hesitation, mounted the first horse comfortably, expecting Mauro to do the same. He thought horse riding was a perfect past time to do while they talked about all the things between their families and of course Feather. However, minutes had passed, and Mauro only gave him a scrutinizing look.

"Join me in the ride, CEO Han. I know you like horse riding pretty well and so I had the stable master prepared a horse for you,"

Mauro Han was surprised. Immediately he stepped back and waved his two hands in front of him to refute Hawk's claims, "President Hawk, I don't know where you have heard of such a story but I don't know how to ride a horse."

His denial suddenly took Hawk, surprised. With brows raised, he casted him a protruding look. "You don't know how to ride a horse?"

His answer came as a bother to Hawk. He had seen him many times when he was young, riding a horse. In fact, the very first time he had met him was the time when he came riding in a horse during one of the festivals in Somerset village. Cat, his fuzzy cat, used to wait for him in wheel where he usually tied his horse safety while they go around the village, eating and enjoying simple things with his daughter.

Was he lying then?

If he was, then for what reason would he lie about his horse-riding skills?

Mauro Han, saw the indifference in Hawk's eyes but could not understand why. Was he mad because he did not know how to ride a horse? Would Hawk take such a petty thing against him and treat it as a form of disrespect.

"I am sorry assuming such a thing," Hawk dismissed the conversation outright specially when he noticed that his future father-in-law have become uncomfortable with it. With gallantry and grace, he dismounted from the horse and let the stable master bring the horses back to their pen.

"No worries President Hawk," Mauro Han brushed it off. "Besides, I don't really plan on lingering longer. I just want to express my apologies because we announced a wedding date without your express consent. I wish that you would listen to my cause before you took it as an offensive cause,"

"Speak," Hawk gave him a permission to explain. Indeed, he was mad to hell when he learned that Han's Scintillait already gave a date without even informing him, like such a wedding do not need a consent of both parties. Also, he was then upset that Feather had to cut off their vacation shortly even when he protested and he the unconsented released of the date only aggravated his ill feelings.

"When you and Feather came back from Mondrew City, my daughter kneeled in my study for hours asking me to announce a wedding date," Mauro narrated, "She was crying and we couldn't comfort her,"

The news sponsored another shock on Hawk's face and in a moment, it turned into a worry. Feather indeed acted strangely when they were in Mondrew City and because he got a bit upset that she had cancelled the vacation, he did not give her much of an attention. He didn't even talk to her for day and hearing how she kneeled for hours causing her father to announce a wedding date right away—something serious might have happened.

"Why would she?" Hawk only managed to ask a short query afraid of the answer.

"She said that he had met your mistress," Mauro Han went all the way. "Forgive me President Hawk, I know it might just be a little misunderstanding and that this mistress probably just something she made up to cover up her insecurities but she really had been in an thorough emotional struggle because of it for days because you might have not known this but she was already invested so much feeling in you,"

"I tried to talk to her and told her that I needed your consent first before I can announced a wedding engagement but she didn't want me to do it because she was very afraid that your other woman had already manage to take her place and that the wedding will be cancelled. To prove that she wrong with all of this, I announced the wedding outright and God knows how she had been well after that,"

There were many things that Mauro had said that time but only few stuck in Hawk's heart. Feather knew he had a mistress and that it was the reason why she was in a deep emotional turmoil these days. God what have he done?

A full thunder of self-guilt rushed into Hawk's heart that for once, his feeling got mixed up again and it became more complicated that it had been. For Hawk, there was slight no reason for him to believe that Feather was fake and so his feelings and his devotion for his fuzzy Cat remained with her. 

Every time Feather got hurt, a scene of a young headstrong village girl flashed in his mind and his instinct immediately calls for a need inside him to get up, hug and comfort her. 

Knowing then that he was the very reason of her pain, Hawk could only curse and chide himself for being such a greedy selfish jerk who couldn't control his lust. However, deep inside him, he knew what he had for his mystery woman was a more than lust because he was not the type that could arouse without devotion. 

"I'll go and talk to her," Hawk concluded, hoping that for once his heart and mind could be one. He needed to settle this matter right away and knowing that it was his fuzzy cat—Feather—whom he promised all his love and devotion, it was only responsible to day he was the choice he had to pursue. "I'm okay with the wedding date,"

Hawk's words cleared off all of Mauro Han's anxiousness that when he left his house, he immediately went off to casino to feed of his dirty habits. He had nothing to worry anymore specially that his plans of being Hawk Monsanto's future father-in-law was going to happen soon.