In Bed with The Governor (R+18 English)

Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up early to help Bulma. When I arrived in the kitchen, she was already busy cooking.

“Oh? You’re unusually early today, Adriana,” she said.

“I’m used to waking up early where I grew up to help prepare things. I thought maybe there was something I could help you with,” I answered softly.

“Oh, sweetheart! You’re still young. You should be sleeping at this hour. It’s only five in the morning,” Bulma said.

“I don’t feel like sleeping anymore. Besides, I slept well last night. I had plenty of rest,” I explained.

“Just sit there. Watch me and don’t tire yourself out,” Bulma insisted.

“But—”

“Why are you disturbing her?”

Both Bulma and I turned toward the door at the sound of that voice.

I swallowed hard when Yoa walked past where I was sitting and headed straight for the refrigerator to get some water. There was still sweat on his forehead, and he looked like he had just finished jogging.

“You went jogging so early today. Couldn’t sleep again?” Bulma asked him.

“Yeah,” he answered shortly before taking a long drink of water.

Then his eyes shifted toward me.

I immediately felt uneasy.

“This pretty girl is only trying to be helpful. She wanted to help me because she probably isn’t used to sitting around doing nothing. You know how provincial girls are, especially those who grew up in remote places. She was even raised in an orphanage with nuns. Aside from being conservative, girls like her are incredibly hardworking,” Bulma explained.

Yoa said nothing. He simply looked at me.

“I’m glad your mother didn’t raise you. If she did, you’d be sorry for your life.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

He straightened and looked directly at me.

“I picked your mother up from the streets. A high-class call girl. If you had grown up with her, it wouldn’t have been impossible for you to follow in her footsteps.”

I froze.

I wanted to answer him, but not a single word came out of my mouth.

His words hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I clenched my fists and closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to keep myself together.

“If that’s what you think of her… then why did you marry my mother?” I finally asked nervously. “Even without you saying it, I already know how lowly you think of her.”

Bulma stopped cooking.

She quietly listened to the two of us.

“Did I say that? I can’t remember saying that to you. I’m just telling you a little background about us.”

“There’s nothing to be proud of about selling your body for money, Adriana, if that’s what you want to hear from me. But I can’t blame them if they think that’s how they’ll survive. It’s their life. Life is f*****g them hard, so they’re not to blame if they prefer easy money. Who am I to judge their choices?”

I couldn’t say anything because, in some ways, he was right.

There was nothing easy about life.

Life in the province was already difficult, and I could only imagine how much harder it could be here in the city.

“How about you?”

His eyes settled on me.

“How much are you worth, Adriana?”

I sucked in a breath at my stepfather’s question.

A few seconds later, he suddenly laughed like a demon.

“Chill.”

He walked toward me.

“Make better choices from now on. Don’t follow the path your mother took. You have the power to break that curse, so never, ever follow what she went through.”

After that, Bulma and I were left in silence.

I blinked repeatedly, unable to think of anything to say.

I glanced at the older woman and noticed that she was already looking at me with concern. She gave me a small smile.

“Don’t take everything your stepfather says too seriously, Adriana. He’s just too serious about life,” she said.

I shook my head.

“He has a point, doesn’t he?”

She merely shrugged.

“I can’t blame my mother if she took that job back then because she was struggling so badly. I have no idea what she went through or how she ended up in that situation.”

I looked at Bulma.

“What does my stepfather do?”

The older woman came closer and looked at me.

“He’s the governor of this town. Their family has been powerful for generations. They practically own this place. Yoaquin is simply different from the rest of his family, which is why this house is far away from theirs. Living with his siblings was chaotic and complicated, and it wasn’t good for his mental health. The competition in that family is extremely intense.”

She lowered her voice.

“Almost every tall building you see around here is owned by their family. That’s why I’m also telling you to be careful around Yoa. Even though I’ve served him for many years, I still don’t know what really goes on inside that man’s head. He’s such a mystery. He’s incredibly quiet, but when he speaks, he has absolutely no filter. And his words can hurt.”

“Is that so?”

“He may not have any supernatural powers, but his name alone is enough to make people fear and respect him around here. He has control over this place, Adriana.”

“Then why did he choose my mother as his wife?” I asked. “Based on what you’ve told me, there must be plenty of women who would throw themselves at him.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve always wondered. But only the two of them know what really happened between them. I can’t even say that they love each other because it’s obvious they don’t.”

She glanced toward the door.

“You know what, Adriana? Maybe you should just water the plants outside. If we keep gossiping here, Yoa might catch us and knock our heads together.”

I scratched my head.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I went out through the back door.

I found the hose and turned it on. The sun had already risen, but the heat wasn’t unbearable yet, so I started watering the plants.

Some of them were already close to dying, so I took my time fixing them.

“What a shame,” I murmured as I touched an unusual bonsai.

I watered it carefully and rearranged it.

Then I stood up and pointed the hose toward myself, intending to increase the water pressure.

Instead, water splashed directly onto my face.

“Ah!”

I blinked several times.

My face and the upper part of my chest were completely soaked.

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

“Adriana, are you okay out there?” Bulma called from inside the kitchen.

“Yes!”

I continued watering the plants.

But while I was doing so, I happened to look up.

My entire body stiffened.

Yoa was standing upstairs.

One hand was tucked inside his pocket while he held a cigarette with the other. His eyes were fixed on me.

His eyebrows were drawn together.

I immediately tried to look away.

But there was something about his gaze that made it difficult.

It was as if he were pulling me toward him.

I didn’t understand myself.

Why did his stare make me feel this way?

“Adriana!”

I quickly turned around.

My mother was standing on the opposite terrace, looking at me and then at my stepfather.

“Mom.”

“Come inside and change your clothes. You’re still young. You might catch a cold,” she said.

“I’ll just finish this. I’m almost done.”

“What are you talking about? There are plenty of helpers here. Don’t tire yourself out.”

I didn’t argue anymore.

I simply followed her inside.

My mother immediately handed me a towel.

“Sweetheart, I didn’t bring you here to work,” she said.

“Mom, I’m not tired. Besides, it was just a light chore. I get bored when I have nothing to do.”

She looked at me and gently caressed my face.

“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart. You look like a princess. That gentle face of yours wasn’t made for housework. What you should be doing is shopping. Buy whatever you want. Clothes, bags, jewelry, sandals. Pamper yourself in ways that make you feel relaxed. Not with things like this.”

She took my hand.

“These hands shouldn’t be touching anything dirty. You shouldn’t be covered in dust.”

“Mom, you know I’m not like that. Material things don’t make me happy.”

“You only say that because you’re used to being poor, sweetheart. I brought you here so you could have a better life.”

She smiled.

“Yoa already enrolled you in a private college. Do you know that only wealthy families can afford to study there? Explore, sweetheart. Make friends. I’m sure that eventually, you’ll get used to living comfortably.”

I immediately felt excited at the news that I would finally be able to attend college.

“Mom, I’m already enrolled? I haven’t even told you what I want to become yet.”

My mother smiled and fixed my hair.

“I know you can be a fine arts student. You loved painting when you were little.”

I smiled.

I was touched that she still remembered.

But that had changed.

I wasn’t a child anymore.

“Why, sweetheart? Not anymore? What course do you want to take?”

“I want to become a nun, Mom.”

My mother fell silent.

She looked genuinely shocked by my answer.

Then she immediately shook her head.

“No, sweetheart. No. You can’t.”

She grabbed my hand and stared at me.

“You can’t become a nun. Can’t you just paint instead?”

I was confused by her reaction.

“Sweetheart, being a nun is difficult. You’ll spend years in the convent, won’t you? You won’t be able to marry or have children. You can’t grow old without anyone beside you.”

“Mom, I’ll be fine. I want to stay with the sisters at the convent. I want to help the children in the orphanage.”

“Adriana, what are you saying?”

Her voice suddenly became sharp.

I flinched.

She took a deep breath and looked at me again.

“You’re hurting me right now, Adriana. It’s not that I don’t respect what you want, but sweetheart, anything but that. You can’t grow old with no one beside you. I’ve lived alone before, and I wasn’t happy.”

“Mom, I’ll have the sisters with me.”

She shook her head.

“You want me to be happy, don’t you?”

I stared at her.

“You’re still young. You can still change your mind. Besides, just try this course first. I know your love for painting will come back. You’ll meet so many new people. There will be plenty of handsome boys.”

She smiled faintly.

“You haven’t even had a boyfriend yet, have you? There’s more to the world outside, Adriana.”

I didn’t know what to say.

My mother’s expression softened as she looked at me.

“Sweetheart, I’ll grow old too. Before I leave this world, I want to see you happy. I want to see you have your own family and children.”

Only then did I realize how much pain she was carrying.

“I don’t want you to end up like me, sweetheart.”

She looked down.

“Loneliness can kill.”

I took a deep breath and nodded.

We both fell silent when Yoa came downstairs.

He was wearing a suit.

There was no denying how handsome he looked.

“Yoa, are you leaving?” my mother asked.

He nodded.

“Sweetheart, go ahead and change your clothes,” my mother told me.

I nodded and was about to leave when she and Yoa were left behind.

“You look disoriented,” Yoa commented.

“She wants to become a nun.”

Yoa’s eyebrow lifted.

“It’s inevitable. She lived with nuns for almost half of her life.”

“You too?” my mother exclaimed.

Yoa only stared at her.

“Remember our deal, Emma. Don’t forget why the two of you are under my care. I hate being given problems. You know me when I’m angry.”

My mother swallowed and nodded.

“I know. I’ll talk to her.”

“I enrolled her in fine arts. She will study fine arts. Understand?”

My mother nodded.

“I know. Don’t worry. And I’m sorry.”

Yoa said nothing.

He simply walked away.

My mother sank into a chair and held her head.

Her headache was coming back again.