When We Were Young

Chapter 6

Six years ago(Flashback)

Rafael's dark eyes roamed around the glamorously furnished living room. The furniture, the antiques, everything screamed wealthy and power. Even the paintings dangling on the walls, which he was sure had cost them a fortune.

The rich enjoyed splashing around money. He mused to himself as his appreciative glance roamed around the room once more.

Even the imported carpet felt so soft and and fluffy against his bare toes. The pieces of furniture were too shiny  sparkling that he wondered if they ever collected any speck of dust.

The room smelt of cleanliness and sunshine. Far different from the smell of dust and mice that he was used to when he had been residing in a three roamed studio apartment with his whore of a mother.

Seeing his openly dazzled look, Hazel nudged him in the elbow with a scowl on her face. Rafael was jerked back to the present. His eyes went back to the man staring at him with scrutinising steel-grey eyes.

He was slightly around fifty years, he assumed. His hair was dark and sparse, pushed back his small head by an oily hair gel. One look into those emotionless shades of grey, one could tell the man didn't tolerate anyone who crossed him.

The older man's eyes racked all over his body again with an intensity that caused Rafael to slightly flinch in discomfort. He was staring at him as if weighing Texas beef in a local butchery.

If he wasn't so desperate, he could have told the old man to go rot in hell with his money. Pedro Solano leaned back in his plush leather chair still observing him.

He smoked from his pipe and blew out a ring of smoke upward. He grabbed a wine glass from the table and sipped the bourbon slowly as he gazed at the two of them over his glass rim.

Pedro Solano inhaled again from his smoke pipe. Rafael recoiled from the smoke in disgust. His mother had a habit of smoking every evening , filling their small apartment with a haze of smoke. It had infuriated him but he had held back his sharp retorts.

Rafael clenched his hands into fists in fury at the older man's rude behaviour. They had been standing for over twenty minutes while the rich old man sucked his stupid smoke pipe .

"Are you sure the young lad won't stir trouble around?," he calmly asked after a brief moment , his eyes intent on Hazel.

Hazel flashed him one of her famous sweet smiles.

"I assure you Sir Solano that Rafael has always been a good and charming boy ever since he was young. You won't regret taking him under your service," she tried to convince him.

Pedro's steel grey eyes went back to Rafael. He blew out another ring of smoke and stared at him through the smoke.

"I can hire him as long as he doesn't use that charm on my daughter."

Rafael and Hazel looked at each other shocked for a moment.

"You understand how l feel about having a lad with a face like your nephew's around my princess right ? Miss Ramirez," Pedro asked Hazel with one eyebrow cocked.

Rafael fought the urge to snicker . He would rather die than be associated with that beautiful spoiled brat in any way. Why would he wag his tail around Miss Solano when he had a beau waiting for him back in Pranco.

"You need not worry about that Senhor. My nephew is well mannered and knows his boundaries. He wouldn't even dare look at the young miss in any way," Hazel assured him.