Scratches of Wound in Fiona's Heart
Sonia's Father's Request

Fiona turned to Steven who had just walked into their hotel room. It has been 3 days they both stayed at the hotel. Today, they plan to go home.

"Are you done, honey?" Steven approached his wife who was sitting in front of the dresser when he saw her looking beautiful with a white knee-length dress and thin makeup on her face.

Fiona pulled the corner of her lips upwards while looking at Steven. "It." Fiona turned her body to face Steven who was standing behind her then looked up. "Where are we going?"

Steven bowed for a moment then landed a light kiss on his wife's lips. "Of course to our mansion, Sayaang."

Steven aligned their faces, looking up at Fiona's face up close. "We're married. The mansion I built specifically for my wife. From the beginning, it seemed like the mansion was indeed created for you, proving that you were the only woman who had ever been there. You even occupied our room before we got married."

Fiona's eyes slightly enlarged and her eyelashes raised rapidly. "Am I really the only woman you've ever been to your mansion?" Fiona looks enthusiastic and can't wait for a response from Steven.

Steven stood up straight and nodded. "Hhhhhhhh."

"Then what about all your ex-lovers? Can't it be that you never took them there?" Fiona glanced sideways looking indifferent even though she was very curious about Steven's answer.

"My ex-boyfriend is just Gwen." Steven's words stopped for a moment, Steven's countenance changed slightly as he talked about it, "and he had never been brought there."

Fiona could feel there was a slight change in Steven's tone of voice. He then raised his head to look at Steven who was smiling at him.

"I no longer have any feelings for him, Fio. Now, he's just my past" Steven continued.

Before Fiona misunderstands him. Better he asserted once more. Steven was just afraid that Gwen's troubles could create unnecessary suspicion.

Fiona stood up and hugged her husband and put her left face on Steven's chest. "Steve, last night I had a bad dream. You left me with another woman, you kept walking away without even looking at me. I could see the woman beside you looking back and smiling mockingly at me. I'm scared." Fiona's body trembled slightly. Just imagining it scared her.

Steven placed his chin over Fiona's head then gently stroked her hair. "I'll never leave you, I promise. It was just a dream, Sayaang. Don't think about it."

Fiona tightened her embrace while nodding. Being in Steven's arms calmed him down. Finished packing, they headed straight for Steven's mansion in between by Erick.

"Put everything in my room" Steven ordered to Erick after they entered his mansion.

"Good, Sir."

Steven invited Fiona to sit in the lounge in the left corner of the mansion whose view was directly fixed on the small garden next to the mansion.

"Steve, where's bi Sarti?" fiona asked as they were already sitting on the black sofa.

"I'm liburkan Sayaang. I want to be alone with you in this mansion." Steven approached Fiona and landed his head on his wife's thigh.

A faint smile rose on Fiona's face when she saw Steven closing his eyes in her lap. "Are you sleepy?" Fiona lowered her head while combing Steven's hair with her hands.

"Hhhmmm" Steven muttered, "you kept me from sleeping all night" Steven continued without opening his eyes.

Fiona pursed her lips, a sign of not accepting her husband's words, but she was the one who asked him to stop, but not heeded by Steven.

"Then, it is better to move to the room. Don't sleep here" suggested Fiona.

"Here alone, I just want to lie down for a while" Steven refused.

Fiona finally did not force her husband again. "Steve, mom said she'd be here tomorrow."

"What are you doing?"

"none. Mama just wants to visit before we leave for our honeymoon the day after tomorrow" Fiona explained as she stroked her husband's hair which was still closed earlier.

Steven did not respond to Fiona's remarks. Looks like he's getting sleepy. "Steve, can Sarah's mom and Cindy's brother come here too?" ask Fiona carefully.

Steven opened his eyes. "You don't need to ask me for permission on this matter. They you consider family, so I'll treat them like family as long as they're nice to you. After all, this has become your home as well, so you are free to do anything as long as you don't defy the rules I've made."

Fiona looked down and kissed Steven on the cheek. "Thank you, my husband."

No contact with other men, no meeting with other men, the point is that no other men should enter their lives other than those determined by Steven.

He had to ask Steven for permission if he wanted to go meet another man, if he couldn't keep him company. That's the rule set by Steven to be obeyed by Fiona. In addition, Fiona is free to do anything.

*******

Leon took a deep breath after which exhaled slowly before stepping towards the main door of Sonia's house. Leon was seen tidying up his shirt and hair after that step.

For some reason, she felt nervous to meet Sonia's parents. Though, she was only pretending to be Sonia's lover but she felt like she was coming to propose to Sonia.

Before pressing the bell, Sonia had already opened the door. After arriving in front of Sonia's house, Leon does send a message to her that she has arrived. That's why Sonia opened the door.

For a moment, Sonia was stunned when she saw the appearance of Leon wearing a slim fit black shirt with trousers matching his shirt making Leon look manly and very handsome.

"Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

Leon's question unravels Sonia's daydream. "Tidaaak, there is nothing wrong with your appearance," Sonia replied as she shook her head with a embarrassed face.

"Come in, papa and mama are waiting."

Leon sits side by side with Sonia and crosses paths with Leon's mother and Sonia's cousin, while Leon's father sits at the head seat of the dining table intended for the head of the family.

"Who is this handsome brother?"

Sonia's cousin Mamaadang Leon who had just sat before her with a look of adoration while propping up her chin using her palm. He seemed fascinated by Leon's good looks.

"Don't bother him, Fanny. Leon is your brother's lover, "reproved Sonia's mother.

Sonia's mother's relationship with Fanny is like a mother and child, since childhood Fanny is very close to Sonia's mother because Sonia's mother and mother are brothers.

Fanny grunts. He turned his eyes to Sonia. "I thought it was your friend, brother. I just wanted to get close to him. She's my ideal type" I'm Fanny honestly without the slightest embarrassment.

Leon looks just silent and seems not affected in the slightest by the words of Fanny.

"Just look for another, he's mine." Sonia subconsciously said that and successfully made Leon take a quick glance at her.

"After that, we better have dinner first, then after that we chat," said Sonia's mother.

They all ate in silence, finished eating, they continued to talk. "Do you know, you are the first man Sonia introduced to us as her lover," Sonia's father said as he turned to Leon.

"For a long time he only knew work, work and work. I was worried about her because she was ripe, but she had not yet introduced her lover to us. We thought he had a little trouble because of the great responsibility he assumed as the successor to Liang Group. That's why we set him up with Steven who comes from the Pradigta family."

Leon was slightly stunned to hear Sonia's father's words. "Honestly, we were very surprised when he introduced you to us as his girlfriend" Sonia's father continued.

"Pa, don't embarrass me" Sonia said before her father said more.

"You can still be ashamed. Papa's very curious about your relationship, so how long have you been in a relationship?" Sonia's father looked at Leon first and then turned to look at his son.

"Six months."

"One year."

"........" Silent moment. All eyes were fixed on them with frowns and astonished gazes.

The answers are not the same. Leon and Sonia looked at each other. "We were close for a year and we were in a relationship 6 months later" Sonia explained quickly with a forced smile.

"So, you were already in a relationship with him when we got you set up with Steven?"

Sonia closed her eyes for a moment, she was stuck with her own answer. "Yeah." Yeah."

"Then why didn't you tell us and accept the match?" ask Sonia's father again. Sonia and Fanny's mother just quietly listened.

"Sonia doesn't want to disappoint you, which is why Sonia accepted the match."

Sonia's father sighed, she then turned to look at Leon. "Leon what's your job?"

Sonia immediately turned to her father with an anxious face, afraid that her father would compare her family's wealth with Leon's. "I run my parents' legacy business. Just a small business, can not be compared with your family," said Leon low.

"What business?"

"I have resorts and tourist attractions in the cities of B and D and malls in this city" Leon replied.

Sonia's father was a mangosteen. "Now I ask, are you serious about my daughter?"

Sonia was a little panicked at her father's question. He was afraid that Leon would answer wrongly. Sonia is seen squeezing both her hands under the table which is starting to sweat. It seemed that his lie would soon be exposed when Leon answered honestly.

"Yeah," Leon replied steadily as he clasped Sonaia's hand under the table. He knew that Sonia was panicking.

"All right then. If you're serious about my daughter, apply for her right away. I'm waiting for your family to propose to my daughter."

Leon and Sonia looked very surprised. They had not expected to hear such a thing from the mouth of Sonia's father. "Pa, isn't this too soon?"

The thing is, Sonia's initial intention was to pretend to have a lover so that she would avoid her parents' matchmaking for a while, but she didn't expect it to end this way.

"Sonia, how much longer are you going to wait? Your age is enough. Do you want to wait until we're not around?" said Sonia's father with intonation that began to rise.

"It's not so, Pa, but it's too sudden. After all, this matter should be carefully thought through first."

"Leon, I give you time to think for a week, if you can't give certainty to my daughter, then I'm forced to marry her to someone else" Sonia's father said firmly.

Leon's eyelashes lifted quickly and his gaze was firm. "No need to wait a week, all the decisions are in Sonia's hands. If he wants to marry me, then I am ready to propose to him immediately" Leon said firmly and confidently.

Sonia turned to Leon with a dazed and confused face. He does not understand why Leon actually accepts his father's request, even though they only pretend to be a lover.

Sonia's father turned to look at his daughter. "How's Sonia, what's your decision?"

Seriate....