Tangled By Fate

"Are you lying? Did you hear your moans? I heard that women only moan like that when they feel good. Tell me, Catherine, how do you like it?"

Catherine was so ashamed that she wanted to hide herself. "Mm… don't say it…" 

Her eyes blurred when Vincent took one of them on his mouth. "Don't be shy, Catherine. If you like it, just tell me more."

He would have gone further but someone knocked on the door.

"Cathy, you there? Why are you taking so long?" Veronica's voice came from the outside.

'Goodness! I hate her so much! Always interrupting us!' Vincent cursed her in his heart.

Catherine quickly pushed him away and stood up. She fixed her clothes and then hurriedly opened the door. She met her friend's worried expression.

"Are you okay? What took you so long?" Veronica asked her.

"Ver, why are you here?" Catherine was surprised to see her. In her heart, she was relieved too.

Veronica answered, "Well, Sebastian suggested that I should come here for a change of pace. So, Ironin and I came here for a day. We will go back in the evening. Since I knew that you would be coming here, I thought I would give you a surprise."

"That's good. Let's have some fun." Catherine grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

"Go easy on me," Veronica stated. 'What's wrong with her? She is all flustered. Even her hand is warm. Did I interrupt something I shouldn't have?' 

Before leaving, she turned her head to take one last glance toward Catherine's cottage. She found Vincent fixing his shirt. Veronica wanted to smash her head on the wall.

'OMG! Something was definitely happening. How can I be so stupid! I should have realized that they were in an intimate relationship. I didn't want to come between them and ruin everything. Sigh! When will I learn?'

No matter how many times she lamented, nothing could be changed. Catherine took her to the valley to enjoy the view of the lake. They sat on the ground and ordered some snacks.

Veronica cleared her throat and asked, "So, how is it going between you and Vincent?"

Catherine kept quiet for a long time before looking at her friend. "Ver, do you think we are a good match?"

'I thought they got along well. Why is she asking this right now?' Veronica pondered hard. "Well, I personally think you two look good together. But a relationship isn't something whether the couple looks good to others or not. It's about the spiritual and mental connection with your partner."

"Like peace and understanding?" Catherine wondered.

Veronica agreed, "Yes, something like that. When you are with that person, you will feel secure and at ease, because you trust him, and you know he won't harm you in any way. 

"For example, I know how much Arthur cares about me. Although he wants to tie me up and never let me go, he is doing his best not to do that because he knows I will hate it. When I talked to him about our relationship, he agreed to have a bit of distance that made me at ease." 

"Distance?" Catherine frowned. "What kind of distance?"

Veronica hesitated before answering, "…Like not kissing on my lips and having any sexual activities."

Catherine blinked. "You mean Arthur agreed not to have sex with you until you are saying so? Arthur?"

Veronica looked at the lake. The water of the lake was pure sky blue, reflecting the clear sky. The environment looked nothing like the snowy Tybu. The serene atmosphere calmed her heart.

She replied, "Yes, he agreed. I know it's hard for him. But, it's also hard for me to accept him physically. Our sexual relationship – I respect that activity because it bonds our hearts and souls along with our bodies. I don't want to do this unless my heart can fully accept it. 

"I'm not sure how to explain this. I don't even understand what's happening to myself. All I want is to take a slow pace. We got into a physical relationship before we could understand each other's hearts and intentions. So, I hoped we could get along like lovers for now. Slowly, we will get to know each other better and improve our bond."

Catherine let out a deep breath. "That's how it is then. I can't believe Arthur got along with your idea. He must cherish you a lot. But it is also hard for him, I guess. Don't be too hard on him too. Your rivals aren't just one or two."

"I won't hand him over to anyone. I'll fight for him if I have to," Veronica was determined.

Catherine snickered. "I'm sure Arthur would be super happy if he could hear that from your mouth."

"I know." Veronica couldn't agree more. "Enough about my story. How about you? Are you confused about your relationship with Vincent? I don't think he is a bad guy. He is even devoted to you, cares for you. He treats you with respect. He is a gentleman."

"I don't know. I thought so too, but now, he kisses me and touches my body. I want to say 'no', but I'm scared that I'll upset him." Catherine covered her face with her hands, feeling helpless.

Veronica patted her back to make her feel better. "Cathy, it's always okay if you want to say 'no'. The body belongs to you. Neither he is even your husband, nor you are his slave. 

"If you are not okay with it, just tell him you are not comfortable with it. If he can't respect your wishes, he is simply after your body, nothing more."

Catherine hesitantly stated, "It's not that he is completely forcing me. This new feeling, I want to know about it too. It feels good."

Veronica chuckled. "I know it feels good. But I hope you don't make the same mistake as me. For me, Arthur agreed to go along as I wanted. 

"I'm not sure if Vincent will do the same. Since he is already acting like this, I can't guarantee what's on his mind. However, it's not just him though. All men are horny for women's bodies."

"You still have the gut to say this. Don't tell me you don't feel horny. I'm sure you want to take him badly." Catherine elbowed her friend.

Veronica pushed her friend before saying, "I feel so horny that I want to ride on him like a horse."

'I can't believe she said that!' Catherine's face flushed in embarrassment. "You little slut!"

The girls giggled as they joked.

Ironin was sitting further away from them, keeping an eye on their surroundings. 

Sebastian sat beside him with some grilled fish. "What are they talking about?"

"You don't want to know," Ironin bluntly replied. "Why are you curious?" He faced him.

"Nothing important." Sebastian averted his gaze. He didn't dare to look at Ironin's eyes. He was scared that Ironin would read his heart like an open book.

"You like her," Ironin stated without changing his expression.

"What? I like who? What nonsense!" Sebastian harshly denied it.

"Confess before she is stolen," Ironin advised him.

"I can't believe you are trying to give me a love lecture with your poker face." Sebastian handed him a grilled fish stick. After a pause, he asked, "Did you ever fall in love?"

"No," Ironin curtly replied before taking the fish.

Sebastian told him, "Then you won't know how it feels before you fall in love. You will be scared of being rejected. That's why you won't confess. Moreover, when you see the guy she likes has more money than you, you will feel less confident."

"Is that so? I thought Arthur paid you enough."

"Not enough to have my own resort or business. Look at Vincent. His family got this entire hill. Their business is booming. Catherine will be better off with him."

"That's not always what moves a woman. Women are more into heart and emotions. They want to take things slowly. They don't like it when men are forceful. Even if they get pleasure, their heart feels confused and empty."

Sebastian frowned. "How do you know so much stuff? It's like you can read women. You don't even talk to women."

"…" However, Ironin became quiet. 

Sebastian thought of something and gasped. "You were listening to their conversation, weren't you?"

"…They were just too loud."

"Unbelievable! Ironin, I didn't expect that from you." In Sebastian's theory, listening to women's secret conversations unless it's life-threatening is extremely rude.

"I have no desire to live up to your expectation." Ironin was blunt.

Sebastian became silent. His mind was filled with thoughts. Suddenly, he sat closer to Ironin and inquired, "So, Catherine isn't happy with Vincent, is he?"

"…" Ironin stared at him without a word.

"Oh, come on! You heard everything she talked about, didn't you? Help me out here. Does she not like him? What does she not like about him? Isn't she thinking about marrying him? They went on a day.. They should have progressed."