To Give And Take

CHAPTER 15

"Mr Kingston, do you really not mind my inability to conceive?" Lucy spoke up as soon as they walked in the hall way towards the elevator. Austin didn't give her an immediate reply but silently led her towards the elevator.

He waited for the elevator's door to close before he lowered his head and looked at Lucy with a seriouse and firm expression.

"Lucy, I never intended to marry a baby machine"

His answer was precise and straightforward with clear explanations regarding his intentions, she also knew that Austin wasn't the type of chauvinistic men who made their wife voiceless to their command and devoted to indulge their pride.

"You haven't forgotten that we'll be one after getting married, sharing our life till our hair turns white."

It wasn't a confession but heartfelt words that displayed his thoughts in front of her, but that simple sentence was enough to put a woman in tears. It also reminded her that Austin Kingston had a fifteen year teenage daughter, while Jesse was with her as her son. In the future they would become a family, bound together by the law legally, so would the children they each raised.

Lucy smiled at this discovery.

"Then I should thank Mr Kingston for giving me this opportunity ?" She suddenly became a mother of two children, gaining a father for her son.

"You should thank me by changing your form of address, don't you think so?" Austin reminded seriously with a cool and gentle tone that was neither overbearing nor imposing.

"Alright, Austin." Lucy replied with a warm and cheerful smile before walking out of the elevator, unknown to her Austin's lips was arc with a beautiful smile hanging on his sexy lips. It had taken him a slight amount of restraint from telling her to address him as hubby. However, he decided against it and left it for a better day.

As he walked behind her, he couldn't help being mesmerized by the gentle sway of her hips and her slim waist. Recalling the moment he held her in his arms, his hands had been able to wrap the entirety of her waist. It was slender and fitted perfectly in his arms, her faint apple milk fragrance was enticing and inviting with a charming softness that made him scared of breaking her while she lay without guard in his arms.

Now that he had touched her, he felt that it wasn't just enough, he wanted to melt her entirely into his body and make her forever his.

"Are we close to destination ?"

Lucy turned back to face him with a question when she looked at their remote environmement which she wasn't very familiar.

"No, we're at two hours journey from here."

Lucy lowered her eyes with guilt towards Austin, she knew that the delay was caused by her sudden relapse on the way.

"It's fine to spend the night here, as long as we take off early, we should be able to make it there earlier, then we'll drive back in time." They finally walked to the under ground parking, where Austin's car had been parked.

"That place is quite romote, spending the night here is a better option, and...they won't be any delay."

She wasn't sure if he was deliberately comforting her, but his words had lifted a burden off her chest, she accepted his kind invitation into his car and watched him circle back to his sit. His actions were swift and cool with suave sophistication.

"Is Jane's first beneficiary Jess' prospective father."

"He's out of the list." Austin replied as soon as he inserted the car keys, he didn't ignite the engine. "I had his DNA tested with that of Jesse." Austin admitted to his deeds without blinking, then he gestured at Lucy to fasten her seat belt of which she did without hesitation.

"How far does your connection stretch ?" She didn't ask him about the method he used, she was more interested about his connections. He had obviously been in prison for half a decade, but it didn't seem to weaken his power on either side.

"Why don't I give you the chance to explore?" He said seriously looking at Lucy with an inquisitive gaze.

"Will you?" Lucy asked with uncertainty, after all she had heard about Austin Kingston's resources and connections from Jane, she only knew a few, but it was quite extraodinary.

"Are you willing to take it then?"

Austin started the car, following Lucy's smile of acknowledgement.

"Sure, I'll reluctantly accept your chance."

Lucy said without hesitation, unknown to her, Austin who had finally driven out of the underground parking had a sly smile of victory hanging on his lips. She didn't realise that her words had unknowningly dug a path towards Austin Kingston's cave, a path of no return.

*~*~*~*

"Is it really edible?"

Jesse said with a look of disdain, faced with Catherina's cullinary skills, he had long accepted the fact that he would have to starve to death. He knew that his mother had always been right not to leave the kitchen to her friend.

"Why don't you try it?" Catherina said after picking out a fork from the kitchen counter, while Jesse immediately took two steps backward. However, perharps the distance between the blackened substance wasn't enough, he increased his steps.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

'What a joke, he didn't want to be sent to the hospital for food poissoning!' Jesse was thoughtful enough to keep his thoughts for himself. Being aware of the truth was enough, his mother had taught him never to hurt a girl's feelings, he had to be a gentle. It was best to tell his Aunty not to tire herself than being blattant with his words.

"Aunty, you've worked so hard, why don't we just heat up the food mummy left?" Jesse considerably reminded her about the sealed dishes in the fridge that had been meticulousely made by Lucy before her departure.

Catherina was stunned for a few seconds, her mind went blank before her surging memories reminded her about her friend's unsually reasonable hobby of making few dishes and freezing them. Though the dishes were likely to lose most of its exquisite and mouthwatering taste, she still trusted Lucy's excellent cullinary skills.

Her eyes lit up with excitement, she didn't hesitate to bring out a few dishes from the freezer, she would have to warm them in the microwave. Technology made daily life quite convenient in the 21st century, which made it even more convenient for lazy buns like her. She had to admit that the most convenience brought to her was Lucy's presence in her life, her life was so much better compared to the past.

Her thoughts slowly drifted to the past, coincidentally it brought her to her first encounter with Lucy Grey.

The first time she met Lucy Grey was at her most shameful moment, trampled in the slums and dirt of life. Thinking of that girl who was dressed in thesame school uniform with them, yet exuded a strong aura of an immortal. She was cold and beautiful like an immortal ice beauty, yet she carried a certain warmth that reflected the sun, warm and comfortable.

She gave people a very comfortable feeling of approach, yet her immortal aura made others feel inferior to her and not worth getting closer to her.

She had envied this girl who was both, beautiful, talented and intelligent, she could unknowningly cause others to worship her, yet she was clearly oblivious of the effect she had on others.

Even as a girl, she was mesmerized by Lucy Grey, secretly observing her with others, stalking and not daring to get any closer to her. Her black school skirt coupled with her white shirt made her already fair skin seemed flourescent in the light.

'She was a beautiful goddess that had descended the sky, warm and alluring like the sun, yet cold like the ice frost goddess' She had thought to herself;

But she could only admire Lucy from afar, but in her memory they seemed to be a girl who would always stick close to her. She was another beauty, but unlike Lucy's gentle beauty, Karlie White's beauty was fiery and flamboyant like a siren that could entrap your soul entirely. Lucy's beauty gave the impression that she could only be worshipped, while Karlie White's beauty gave a strong urge of possession.

They were both beautiful in their own ways, while she herself who had once been considered a beauty in her home town, suddenly became average.

She had never thought that she would be able to make friends with Lucy Grey, till that faithful night when she had saved her from the slums. It was an extremely vivid memory that was surfused with humiliation, pain and embarassment. She was dirty and tainted, yet it didn't stop those white pair of hands from reaching out to her.

'Life is too short to live it in regret and too preciouse to be wasted. You choose to live your life as you please, only you can account for it?'

Lucy had said it so seriously, perharps she might not even remember those words herself, but it was those simple encouragements that gave her the courage to move on.

In a blink of an eye, ten years had already elapsed, they had known each other for ten years, yet it still couldn't compare to her liftime of friendship with Karlie White.

An additional feeling surged up in Catherina's heart while she stared in daze. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar to her because she had been suppressing it all these years.

"Aunt Cathy, you didn't turn on the microwave." Catherina was startled by Jesse's childlike reminder, she lowered her head and indeed realised that she really hadn't turned on the microwave.

Jesse sighed helplessly, "What would you do without Mummy and I?"

'Yes, what would she do without Lucy?' Catherina reminded herself at Jesse's accurate foresight but she didn't comment. A smile pulled the corner of her lips, but no comment was added to the child's helpless sigh.

She was helpless as well.

*~*~*~*~*

"You're really knowlegeable about me?"

"You say it as though such knowlegde annoys you?" Austin's words flowed smoothly, his hands maintained a steady movement.

She was annoyed, she was very angry?'

She lowered her gaze with a stiff expression, the alluring meat dish didn't give her any appetite, she lost it completely. The table was filled with a full- course meal. The full-course dinner consisted of multiple dishes. In its simplest form, it consisted of three courses; as example: a starter, a main course, and dessert with meat dish as the main meal.

The full-course meal was meticulousely prepared for health's benefits, but she didn't appreciate this kind gesture.

"Does such gestures floor you?" Austin asked calmly, his slender fingers had already helped Lucy fill her glass with warm water. The glass of water stood on the table with a sparkling translucence, causing Lucy's thoughts to drift far away. Her gaze was calm and profound, revealing an unfathomable expression.

"They don't." She wasn't an ingrate, paying good with ingratitude, she wasn't on the side of evil. Ingratitude can create challenges in life because it can, fuel dissatisfaction. When one was not actively grateful, they leave space for discontent to flourish.

"Gratitude can improve relationships, building new ones and strengthening current ones. Expressing it may train the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude for a period of time. "

Lucy explained calmly, she wasn't an unreasonable person, her father had taught her a lot about evil and good

In hurting only Evil, by doing only good, we balance good and evil. So to keep goodness alive and well, it is not necessary to also do evil. It isn't necessary for some of us to sacrifice ourselves to evil to maintain a balance, so that in the big picture goodness will survive, exist, be.

Some fantasy works have the concept of a "balance of good and evil" - the idea being that it's good to have some evil in the world, and that too much good is bad. Usually this shows up in a situation where there is too much evil in the world, and so we need more good and less evil to restore balance.

She couldn't consider herself a saint, perharps she just balanced evil and good in her world as well.

"If that's the case, you should eat your meal while it's still warm." Austin encouraged with a gentle tone, his hand got busy to help place the dish closer towards Lucy. He had that genuine care ans concern in his blue electric eyes, such concern made her feel guilty with a dilemma.

"Austin, can I have a vegetarian dish instead ?" Lucy finally spoke her thoughts, she looked down at the meat dish in front of her with reluctance.

At this juncture, Austin who had just helped with a few dishes paused and looked up at her with a frown.

"You're not a vegetarian?" It was an inquisitive comment that left no room for rebutals, his deep gaze gave her that enlightened expression that she wasn't hidden in the dark.

"I'm not but... I don't like meat." At the end of her sentence, her voice drowned like being soaked in the water. Hoarse, yet as cute as a cats's meow scratching one's heart gently with a gentle thug. She was a cunning little fox, a charm to her voice and enchantent to her aura and features. Her slightly lowered tone gave off the feeling of a siren's enchanting melody.

He almost lost his sense to the woman in front of him before he quickly recovered through scattered memories.

The girl in front of him had a slender figure, with a healthy flush to her cheeks, one could easily ignore some points. Lucy Grey was unbelievable thin, as if a gust of wind could blow her away effortlessly. He had held her waist earlier in hotel room, his large palm had entirely covered her slender waist, any more pressure made him scared to break her.

She was just like a porcelain doll that needed to be handled with care, weighless in his arms, he gave her a strong sense of protection.

"If it's a revenge, then I can only admit defeat." Lucy added sincerely, she knew her strenghth, she was no match for the mighty Austin Kingston. A man whom she hadn't been able to see through despite testing his limit was worth her admitting defeat.

However, her plea fell on deaf ears, like a drop off water in the vast sea, Austin acted oblivious to her plea. His hands moved faster with a justifiable reason that made it impossible to reject.

Austin Kingston maintained a calm and collected expression in front of her, he looked down at her with a deep gaze that didn't make her feel uncomfortable. His scrutiny cut short for a slight few second before he carefully placed the cutleries beside her and explained concisely.

"You should eat more meat."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest when her chances were cut off from the moment her lips seperated.

"Meat and poultry are great sources of protein. They also provide lots of other nutrients your body needs, like iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins (especially B12) and essential fatty acids. So it's a good idea to eat meat and poultry every week as part of your balanced diet." Every word that flowed out of his mouth was reasonable, but unnacceptable to Lucy's stubborn personality.

" That's correct, I can't deny it." Lucy added with a smile, Austin calmly looked at her without commenting, he gave her the freedom to express her thoughts.

"But according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than meat eaters. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body mass index, lower overall cancer rates and lower risk of chronic disease." Lucy explained confidently with a smug expression that Austin found quite cute and funny.

He didn't rush to give her reply, but carefully observed her with interest. At the moment when Lucy thought she had made him completely speechless, he began to speak fluently once again with concision.

"Protein is essential whether you choose to eat meat or not. Protein makes up your hair, nails, organs and ligaments, as well as the muscles. Protein creates strong bones, cartilage, skin and blood. It contributes the majority of the non-water weight in our bodies, so it is a very important part of our nutritional diet. Although you can get protein from different food groups, one of the main providers of protein is meat. Eliminating meat from your diet without making the proper dietary adjustment removes a lot of good stuff, too."

His expression was still calm and collected after saying so much. Austin was a man of few words, but when he spoke he gave her no way to refute him. He leaned towards her with what she thought might have been a smile.

"Am I right, Lucy?" Austin asked calmly with an expression that said ' you can't be biased', she was totally made speechless by him , with no way to refute his claim. The meal on the table was still streaming hot, increasing her reluctance, but she had barely thought it through when Austin elegantly picked his cutlery.

" So much talk for a meal, the dishes might turn cold and won't be good to eat, it won't be good to waste food, right Lucy?"

Lucy once again admitted defeat, she had to remember Austin's cunning tricks in the future, he wasn't to be offended. She sighed and resigned herself to fate, but she wasn't in a hurry to pick up her cutleries.

Her words weren't wrong, she really didn't like meat, she had no idea how it started, but she really lived a vegetarian life, she loved fish less but she could tolerate it in comparism to meat dishes.

"Isn't it all about just injecting some protein into my system?" Lucy spoke up, causing Austin to raise his brows at her with interest abd curiosity, he knew Lucy Grey never ceased to surprise him.

As expected she pushed a plate of meat dish in front of him and pulled the dish containing fish, he wasn't surprised at her actions. As if he had expected it, he calmly helped her arrange the dishes with a calm and collected expression.

"It's fine to have fish today." With his words, Lucy could determine that the next meal would definitely not include fish. Her face stiffen, laced with a little fright, she quickly reminded herself not to take advantage of Austin Kingston. She was a foodie, but she was equally picky when it came to food.

It was unknown if Austin could read her thoughts, but he peered at her with a meaningful expression and mouthed a sentence that shocked her.

"You're not contemplating on never eating with me, are you?"

Upon being seen through, Lucy smiled sheepishly without commenting on it, she had already been seen through, so she didn't think there was any point in muddling through.

"Alright, eat your food, it won't be good if it get's cold." Austin calmly reminded, saving her from awkwardness, he never had the intention of making things difficult for her.

Lucy was naturally happy to coorperate with him, she lowered her head to eat her meal void of meat, however for a known reason a porcelain bowl was placed in front of her by a slender hand.

"Eating meat once in a while is a healthy diet." Austin said naturally without a slight change of expression, he elegantly helped her fill her glass with warm water . His actions were natural and noble with a faint familiarity, Lucy reckoned he might have helped his wife a lot. She peered down at the glaring meat soup in front of her with a frown.

"You're really persistent." It wasn't a question but an affirmation, confirmed with Austin's nonchalant nod.

"It's good to be persistent, don't you think so?" He replied, looking his gaze on hers firmly with a gentle expression. Lucy swore she could see a rare smile thugging at the corner of his thin sexy lips with a tease.

She couldn't decipher his thoughts, everything about Austin Kingston was unpredictable.