Beauty's Beast

Confusion

Andrew

I stared at the music box and decided to visit Cedric. After all this time, why did we hear from Damien? Something felt off since Hawaii, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

I made my way to Cedric's house, nestled in the woods. I got out and walked to the door. After knocking, the door opened and I entered the house.

"What brings you in my neck of the woods?" Cedric asked, grinning.

"Cute," I said, rolling my eyes.

Cedric chuckled. We went into the kitchen, and Cedric got us bottled water.

"A few days ago, Goldie received a music box," I mentioned.

"Okay, not sure how that makes one's brother visit," Cedric said.

Cedric took a swig of water. "It came from Damien," I mentioned. Cedric spat out his water at my face. I got up and grabbed a towel. "Thanks for the unnecessary shower."

Cedric got up. "How is that possible? We haven't seen Damien since that day we gave him a check," Cedric mentioned.

"I don't know, but it makes little sense. Ever since that day, something hasn't felt right," I said.

"You got that feeling, too?" Cedric questioned.

"I know Damien can be a jerk, but it doesn't make sense that he left when he did," I said. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's a feeling I have."

Cedric furrowed his brows. The back door opened and in walked Cedric's partner as the guy set an ax down in the corner.

"How did it go today?" Cedric asked Eric.

"It went well. I cleared some woods and chopped firewood. There's an issue," Eric mentioned.

"What issue?" Cedric asked.

"A businessman is looking to destroy the village, endangering the wildlife and the land," Eric mentioned.

"I never liked William. He wanted the company, but we sold it to Dimitri," Cedric mentioned.

"That's the problem with people like William Manchester. They don't care who they destroy or hurt," Eric said.

I knew who Cedric and Eric were discussing. William Manchester was an unsavory person who no one liked. I stayed a little longer, then left. I went home and found Goldie making cookies. I walked over and chuckled.

"What?" Goldie asked.

I picked up a cookie. "Fairytale cookies?" I questioned with a look.

"Some people prefer snowmen and trees. I prefer fairytales," Goldie said, making me laugh. I bit into a cookie as she shooed me from the kitchen. I still had a nagging feeling about Damien and didn't know why? Perhaps, we will see Damien at Christmas. I did miss my brother. It wasn't the same without him.

*******
Goldie

I finished the cookies and placed them in containers. Andrew is such a goober, but I love him. What I didn't like is how I felt since Damien gave me that music box. I know we didn't get along, but something felt off about the Hawaii trip.

Since Cedric and Andrew sold the company to Dad, nothing seemed right, then Damien disappeared. It was beyond weird.

The front door opened, and Dante walked into the kitchen. "Ooh, cookies," Dante said, grabbing a cookie before sitting down on a chair at the counter.

"Don't you have some girl to annoy?" I asked.

"Well, I would, but I can't. To annoy a girl, one must have a girl," Dante told me.