Rino reached his hand over to the passenger door and opened the door calmly, his eyes resting coolly on the young woman standing under the soft downpour of rain.
The lady collected the door from Rino's hold and stepped a foot into the car.
Knowingly, Rino turned the car's inner light on, and at that point, the lady froze.
She left her foot halfway outside, with the other inside the car. She gazed in disbelief, her lips parting slightly as she took in the interior of the car.
She still couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing and thought she should clear the doubt that was settling in.
"Uhm, this... this is your car?" she barely whispered the question.
Rino didn't flinch. He leaned against his seat, his hands on the steering wheels.
"You either get in or move back. Stop letting my seat get wet."
He sounded calmly indifferent. No hint of sarcasm was detected in his tone.
The tapping of the rain still faintly sounded against the pavement, proving that it was yet to stop the downpour of rain.
Left with no other choice, the girl had to step into the car, slowly. She acted calm, still finding it hard to believe how things can sometimes turn out.
Rino watched her with the side of his eyes, scanning her from the top part of her body, landing his eyes on her—
He shook his head, to pave the thought away, and started the car.
The lady, however, sat down gently, careful not to drip too much water. She took in the scent of the luxury within the car, settling comfortably on the soft leather of the seat.
Immediately Rino started the car, the air conditioning hummed softly.
Struggling with the drench from the rain, the lady turned to Rino with freezing eyes.
"Can you... maybe turn it off?" she mumbled, rubbing her shoulders for warmth. "The AC I mean."
Rino kept his mute and only gave her a cold look. Well, he turned the AC off and zoomed as they traveled the path on the road.
After a brief moment, the lady broke the silence.
"Uhm... you didn't ask for my destination."
Rino turned the steering wheel to hurl the car to a drift, before responding.
"You can think again," he said. "I don't drive at night."
The lady shot him an understanding look but still had her doubts.
"Wait, what exactly do you mean?" she asked, startled.
"Is it not easy to understand? I'm not driving you home at this hour," Rino said, moving his gaze to the point that protruded on her chest from the wet top.
"You will stay at my place tonight," he added, coolly, turning his gaze just in time to avoid getting caught by the lady's eyes.
The young woman hesitated, opening her mouth to say something but shut it with no words. She simply gave a small nod, and there was silence again.
The only sound heard was the patting of the rain and the shifting of the wipers which swept off drops of rain from the car's windshield.
The drive continued, in disbelief on the part of the lady. She kept sneaking glances at Rino, then at the car, then back at him.
Rino on his part, did the same at her but shook his head each time.
Maybe he would give in trying to balance his cold self, with the girls' freak Rino.
Not long after, they arrived at the gate of the Carter Mansion.
Except for the interior, the exterior was still the same as Rino remembered from his past life.
Meanwhile, while they hurled their car into the surroundings, the lady's jaw dropped.
The Carter Mansion loomed above them, majestic and intimidating.
Confidently, Rino halted in front of the house's entrance, pretending not to notice the glance the lady sneaked on him.
"This is where you stay?" the lady finally asked.
Rino acted ignorant, as he came out of the car to the passenger side of the car, and opened the door.
"Welcome," he muttered with a slight nod.
Rino went and locked the door with the fingerprint on his driver door, and ushered the girl inside.
As she stepped inside, her eyes darted from the grand staircase to the intricate designs on the ceiling.
She lived in an extensive estate, quite right, and has seen expensive accessories.
But, it was her first time coming to a place as rich as this place.
'Moses Carter,' she thought, after seeing the large frame hanging on the side walls of the staircase. 'Carter's son?'
The realization hit her.
Her mind kept screaming disbelief as she followed Rino behind, still observing the interior of the house.
At the other end, on the veranda, a knowing figure watched them quietly.
It was Josh.
He leaned against the railing with folded arms, observing. His eyes followed as they landed on the unfamiliar girl.
"He's at it again," he murmured.
It was no surprise to him, this was Rino Carter's way of life.
He was in love with any gender with a hole in between their legs. So, this was just an additional evening of Rino to him.
Rino guided the girl into his room. He flicked in the sockets for the light and gestured towards the attached bathroom.
"You should get changed," he said. "You're soaked."
The girl looked down at her dress, which clung uncomfortably to her skin.
Rino turned his head from the sight, to avoid any suspicion from her.
"Do you... maybe have any clothes I can change into?" the lady asked.
"I don't have any female dress with me," Rino answered. "Why should I?"
The lady let a grin spread on her chin. "I will change into one of the clothes I bought new today, then."
Rino raised his brow.
He turned to his wardrobe pulled out a clean, oversized shirt, and handed it to her.
"Here, you can use this. It's clean and dry."
The lady hesitated.
She stared first at the shirt, then at him, before returning her stare to the shirt.
"My hands are hanging," Rino retorted. "And it's hurting."
"I'm sorry," the lady apologized and finally accepted the cloth with a quiet "Thank you."
She turned away and walked into the bathroom but paused at the doorway.
"I'm Zaria," she said. "Zaria Lin."
Rino tilted his head to meet her gaze, unbottling the jacket he wore.
"I'm Rino Carter."
Zaria smiled at him, then closed the door of the bathroom behind her.
For a brief moment, Rino stood there, watching the door until he heard the sound of the shower begin to fill the silence.
Then, he pulled his jacket off.