Chapter 4:
1148 Words
Following her instincts, Coco walked towards the group, deliberately staying behind to avoid disturbing anyone, then stood on tiptoes to observe the situation.
In the center of the crowd was a young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six, with a handsome, striking face. He was very attractive, like a character stepping out of a novel.
“Michael! Amazing!” one gardener could’t help but exclaim.
Coco strained her toes to see everything inside. The young man was performing magic tricks! From an old hat, he pulled out a bright red handkerchief. He wrapped it around his finger and, in an instant; the handkerchief turned into a vibrant red rose.
He didn’t halt his progress at that moment; He took out a deck of cards and invited an audience member to pick a card. The person chose a card, glanced at it, and hid it in their palm. Michael only needed to glance their eyes, then dabbed the deck, and miraculously, the card appeared at his fingertips. Everyone gasped in disbelief.
“It’s not over yet!” the young man named Michael grinned broadly. “Now, I have an even better trick for all of you!”
He pulled a red cloth from an old bag beside him. Standing on the cloth, he raised his hands high and called for everyone’s attention. With a swift movement, he wrapped the cloth around himself and, in a blink, vanished before the astonished crowd. A sudden silence fell; no one dared breathe too loudly.
“Where did Michael go? He was just here!”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t he right here a moment ago?”
Murmuring people searched for Michael, unaware of his whereabouts.
Coco, too, was amazed by the scene but remained in her corner, saying nothing. Her presence seemed insignificant.
“Could he be possessed? The tricks Michael performed aren’t things ordinary people can do!” a man in his thirties, holding large pruning shears, speculated, probably a gardener in the estate.
“Don’t talk nonsense; there are no such things as ghosts!”
“Then where did Michael go?” the man argued back.
They began to split up, searching for Michael.
“Michael!”
“Michael!”
No one answered. The situation grew increasingly chaotic as people called out for Michael. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind.
“Alright, no need to search any longer!” It was Michael.
He had somehow reappeared behind Nora.
“I’m here!”
“Michael, where did you go? You were just over there a moment ago, and now you’re here!” a gardener exclaimed.
“Right. How did you do that?”
The crowd buzzed again.
“That’s what makes it magic.” Michael scratched his head sheepishly, his good looks enhanced by the evening sun, captivating everyone.
The workers couldn’t help but admire Michael. Besides Alpha Ricard, whom they had never met, no one else had such striking looks as Michael. He was also known for being kind and good-hearted, making him a desirable match for any daughter in the estate.
“Hey, are you new here? I’ve never seen you before.” Michael quickly noticed Coco’s presence. He had an excellent memory and knew he hadn’t seen her before. From her attire, he guessed her status wasn’t ordinary. Perhaps the Andersons had hired a new housekeeper? Michael wondered.
“Yeah, who is she? This is the first time I’ve seen her, too.”
“Are you new here?”
Faced with the barrage of questions, Coco shook her head: “No, I’m not a worker here.”
“Then who are you?”
“I’m the wife of Alpha Ricard.”
Hearing this, everyone immediately changed their demeanor, stepping back and bowing their heads, stammering apologies:
“We’re sorry, ma’am, we didn’t mean to offend!”
“We’re sorry, ma’am, we usually work very hard. We’ve never been distracted before. Please forgive us.”
Michael, fearing Coco might punish everyone, quickly took responsibility: “Ma’am, it’s all my fault. I told them I learned some new magic tricks and wanted to show them. It’s not their fault. Please punish me instead.”
After a pause, Michael continued, “Everyone here has a hard life. They have elderly parents and young children to care for. Please, ma’am, keep them employed.”
Coco, having worked menial jobs before, understood their worries. She never intended to use her status to bully others. If she did, she would be just like everyone else.
First, she approached Michael, helping him to his feet, then turned to face the curious and incredulous gazes of the others. She gently spoke, “Please, don’t misunderstand. There will be no punishment here.”
The gardener hesitated, “But...”
“Rest assured, I just stopped by because it was lively. I have no other intentions. I know you all work hard, an abrupt break is fine.”
Coco’s kindness and gentleness moved everyone. In this era, people like them were at the bottom rung of society, often trampled on. But Coco treated them with great kindness.
“Thank you,” Michael said, rubbing his hands together.
“It’s nothing. I must say, your magic show was very captivating, very impressive.”
Blushing at Coco’s compliment, Michael scratched his head awkwardly, stammering his thanks.
In the following days, Coco often visited the garden, growing closer to the workers. She and Michael, in particular, became good friends. Despite their different backgrounds, they found a deep connection.
Late at night, the soft moonlight filtered through the curtains, gently illuminating Coco’s bedroom. She was sound asleep. The mansion was eerily quiet, save for the rustling wind outside.
Suddenly, a strange burning smell reached Coco’s nose, causing her to frown. She stirred, feeling unusually warm. As her eyes slowly opened, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Thick black smoke filled the room, and the glow of fire flickered through the window.
“Fire! There’s a fire!” Coco shouted in panic, jumping out of bed.
The fire raged fiercely, the crackling of burning wood and frantic cries echoing everywhere. People scrambled to escape, pushing and shoving to flee the flames. The thick, acrid smoke stung their eyes and made breathing difficult. The estate’s workers, undistinguished by rank, all tried to find a safe way out, calling out for each other as they ran. No one cared about saving possessions; their sole focus was to escape the inferno as quickly as possible.
Coco rushed to the door, her heart pounding. As she opened it, the sight before her was terrifying. The fire had spread rapidly down the hallway, thick smoke engulfing everything.
At the same time, Luna Rebveca, in a panic, kept calling out for Coco. “Coco! Coco! Where are you?” Her voice echoed through the flames and smoke, her eyes scanning the frightened faces but not finding her daughter-in-law.
- Writer
