Hollywood Zenith

" Mother don't be like that. You are scaring her." Samuel tried to interject.

" You be quiet; you already know the drill. It's best not to interfere when adults are talking!" Patricia said from the back. Samuel knew something was wrong here; why did they start treating him like a child?

Mayra was even more scared; she didn't know who the old woman was, but they must be related to Samuel if they openly talked down to him. She not only offended the lady of the house but these old women, too?

" Young master? About the luggage, there seemed to be some problem-" Arthur came in to inform him about something, but Samuel was not in the mood; he was more concerned about the unusual behavior of his family.

" Not now, just arrange it as usual."

" No, go with him. We will take care of them." Margaret ordered.

" But-"

" No if and but, there is a special arrangement and you have to be there. A lot has happened in your absence, take Grey with you too. In the meantime, we will have an important talk with our guests."

" Really mother?"

" Leave the little girl too. She too is a guest right?" Laura completely ignored Samuel's protest. 

Mayra looked at him with pleading eyes, but he couldn't do anything; he was sure there was a reason why they were acting like this, but he also trusted them. They would never do anything to harm them, significantly when he factored in Elise, who was only five at most; they wouldn't be so cruel as to traumatize her, right?

" Alright...no need to be scared, just be yourself. I am sure they would like you." Samuel whispered a few words and put Elise down before leaving. Elise didn't know what was happening, but being separated from Samuel made her feel uneasy, so she immediately leaped into Mayra's arms.

" Now that the pesky little guy is gone. We can openly talk." Laura gave Mayra a stern look, to which Mayra could only look away to maintain her composure. Samuel had left her alone, which made her angry, but there were more significant battles to fight.

" W-what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

" Before that, let's move into the garden area. The sun is too bright today, it will harm your skin." Laura took her hand and began leading her toward the back garden. Mayra was in a daze. Weren't they going to do something terrible? Why did she become caring all of a sudden?

She didn't even notice as they were already sitting face to face; Mary came close with a broad smile on her face.

" Hi, I am Mary. Can I hold her?"

" Huh? Oh, she is a little apprehensive about strangers. I am sorry."

" It's alright. Elise, I am Samuel's big sister-"

" Ahem, Aunt." Laura coughed.

" Yeah Aunt! Don't dwell on the details! What do you say, Elise? Do you want to see some pretty flowers?" She maintained a calm appearance to not scare the little girl already sinking in Mayra's embrace. Why did everyone keep mentioning the obvious?!

" Elise, do you want to go with Aunt- I mean big sister Mary?" Mayra understood the social cues well and knew what Mary wanted to hear. This action alone elevated her level to the sky in Mary's eyes! Finally, someone smart showed up in this place! She nodded and gave Mayra a genuine smile.

Elise nodded cutely, which immediately made Mary's heart melt; her dream of having a little sister was finally fulfilled after Samuel and Greyson's disaster. She was looking forward to it!

" Come here."

" I want to walk around." Elise immediately didn't go into her arms and wanted to move around if something happened. She was still in an unfamiliar environment and wanted to be cautious.

" Alright, take my hand at least. We are going to have so much fun together!" Mary took Elise away, leaving Mayra alone with older ladies.

" Have you adopted her already?" Laura asked after they left.

" Not yet, we are thinking about it but it's ninety percent confirmed. Due to our busy schedule, it's hard for us to take care of a child. Kayla's grandmother is the primary caretaker and she is getting old which worries me a little." She became comfortable talking about Elise.

" That's good to hear. Kayla is your wife right?" Patricia asked.

" Yes."

" Does she know....about you and Sami?" Margaret asked the difficult question. They knew about the basics but were still in the dark regarding the nature of their relationship. She thought her grandson had gone rogue, messing in someone else's marriage.

  " Of course, we share everything." After saying it, she understood it could be misinterpreted as something else.

" I mean-"

" It's alright, we don't mean to pry. It's just that rascal son of mine is just too good with the ladies. I fear he did something bad but if what you said is true. I don't have any problem with it." Laura clarified.

" She was only messing with you. Sami had been a lot brazen these days, we didn't want to encourage him anymore. You know how hard it's been on our heart." Margaret sighed, thinking about it. If Samuel was not as competent as he was, no one in the family would support his decision to take on numerous partners.

But things were different now; he had his own business, and it was pretty profitable. It was hard to imagine a nineteen-year-old boy having this much asset with minimum support from the family. Even then, he was not conceited and always presented himself with an air of humbleness.

" It happened before?" Mayra asked.

" Yes and recently too. I have to order him to bring them to see me to judge what the hell was happening. But in the end it was hard to find fault with his choices." Laura gave her a good look from top to bottom.

" Indeed, there was nothing wrong with his taste. She look prim and proper. With clear eyes and proper posture, with a good heart. Robert would be pleased too." Laura thought.

" Can you tell me...about that?" Mayra asked the unexpected question. It was true that she knew about the other girls, but it was too hard for her to ask Samuel directly. It was not Samuel who had refused to answer her; she was a little insecure talking about it.

Their relationship was not mature enough, and Kayla never seemed to mind when Mayra hinted toward it. It was the opposite for her; she found it a little endearing!

Laura and others were a little surprised when she asked about it. After looking at each other's faces and how serious she was, they decided to indulge in her little information-gathering session. Soon, many laughter could be heard from the garden.

With Samuel as the topic, they began to know about each other, and with a few of his childhood funny stories in the mix, the atmosphere became harmonious. It was the power of gossip!