Kill for Love

Chapter 6 - The Notes

"Babe, thank you so much for introducing Mr. Reynott to me. I'm so happy that he agreed to feature his restaurant in my vlog," Cytherea said happily. She didn't even notice the dark expression on Ares' face. 

They are already in their hotel room. Cytherea was slicing some fruits on the sink while Ares was comfortably sitting on the dining chair. He leaned towards the table and rested his cheek on his hand. He was looking at Cytherea’s back. She no longer wore the dress but seeing her wearing his shirt still looks sexy on her.

Ares was starting to get annoyed because Cytherea didn’t stop talking about him. He still remembers the fondness on Gaus’ face while talking to Cytherea. 

"I never thought that he's still young. I imagined him to be an old guy. It's impressive to know that he already has an empire at a young age, and he built it from scratch.”

“Should I start worrying about Mr. Reynott, Babe? After the meeting, you couldn’t stop talking about him.”

Cytherea got stunned. Jealousy is very evident in his voice. She smiled secretly. She’s already done cutting the fruits and put them on the plate. It has apples, pineapple, and watermelon. She took the plate and placed it in the middle of the table. She also grabbed two forks and gave the other one to Ares before sitting on his lap.

She pierced the sliced apple with a fork and brought it near Ares’ mouth. Ares was still frowning but still opened his mouth.

“Aww… My Babe is jealous.” She held his face with her two hands and smooched him. Ares tried so hard not to smile but failed. He’s so much in love with Cytherea that even with her small act, he immediately gives in.

“You don’t have to, Babe. I was just impressed by his achievements. Besides, I love you so much.”

“I can’t help it. That guy obviously likes you--”

A loud knock on the door stopped Ares from talking. They both looked at each other, wondering who’s behind the door. Cytherea stood up and went to open it. She found Athena, who was struggling to hold the huge bouquet. It was a mix of astilbe flowers and blue roses. There was also a man in a hotel uniform who was holding two baskets of fruit. Cytherea noticed that all the fruits are her favorites. 

She opened the door widely and gestured to them to come in. Ares walked towards the man in a hotel uniform and took the baskets. He put it on the floor, took a few dollars from his wallet and gave him a tip. 

“Thank you, Sir!” the man said happily and walked away. 

Ares nodded and closed the door. He took the baskets and put them on the sink.

Athena handed the bouquet to Cytherea. She was confused why Athena handed it to her but took it anyway.

“That’s for you,” she told Cytherea while massaging her arms. It was hurting because the bouquet was a bit heavy too. “I was talking to the receptionist earlier and then; the delivery man came. I heard it was for you, so I volunteered. I wish I didn’t. Damn, that thing is heavy!”

Cytherea looked at Ares. She was giving him a questionable look. She was wondering if it was Ares who ordered it for her. Ares furrowed his eyebrows. He was not the one who ordered the fruits and flowers for Cytherea. He shook his head in response.

 He walked towards Cytherea and took the bouquet. He put it on the center table in the living room. He scanned the bouquet to see if there was any card and didn’t fail to find one. He took the card that was inserted in the middle of the flowers. 

The card has an impressive look. It is about three inches tall and four inches wide. It has a heart design in the middle and three blue roses at the end of it. Inside the heart, there is a pink astilbe flower. The designs looked like it was carefully hand-crafted. 

Athena walked beside Ares and tried to peek at what was written on the note. Cytherea was just looking curiously at the two.

 ‘I am enchanted by your beauty. I appreciated the day I have met you. But just like the blue roses, you are something that I can’t grasp fully… yet. And it’s okay because I’ll be patiently waiting until you are mine.’

Astilbe

Ares’ expression got darkened as he read the note. On the other hand, Athena’s jaw dropped. 

“Astilbe? Do you know anyone named Astilbe?” Ares asked Cytherea.

“Nope, but Astilbe is also a kind of flower,” Cytherea answered. 

Ares handed the note to her, which she immediately accepted. She suddenly felt shivers down her spine as she finished reading the note. 

“Astilbe… That flower symbolizes patience and dedication to a loved one. They also say that if someone gives you astilbe flowers, it’s a promise that the person will be patiently waiting for you,” Cytherea added. She likes flowers and has a little bit of knowledge about their meaning. She looked at the bouquet.

“I don’t like what the sender is trying to express through his note,” Ares said. He was getting angry, but he’s trying so hard not to flip. 

Cytherea put her arms around Ares’ waist. She leaned her cheeks on his broad chest. She didn’t respond. She knew that he was getting mad. He was jealous of Gaus earlier and the note didn’t make the situation any better.

“I’m going to have someone investigate who gave those to you. Don’t eat those fruits. There might be something on it. I’m having a bad feeling about this.”

“I guess you are just overreacting. It seemed like you have a new admirer now, Bestie,” Athena commented. She lazily sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. “But it’s not something that we have to worry about, right? Besides, you always have an admirer. If you read the comments in your vlog, a lot of people adore you. You always receive gifts from them too. So, it might be just one of them. Maybe there was really no meaning behind the astilbe flowers, that it’s just flowers.”

“Athena is right, Babe. Maybe we are just overreacting and there’s not really meaning behind it. Besides, just like what Athena said, I always get gifts from my followers. How can this be any different?”

Ares sighed. He had a bad feeling about the note. It might be an instinct, but there’s something in it that he can’t seem to figure out. He sighed again and decided to let it go.