Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world

Brandon sat on the leather-cushioned stool with his posture slightly hunched over the large sketchpad spread out on the slanted wooden desk.

The mobile phone rested upright on the stand just beside his elbow, displaying a full-screen image of Florence in a sunlit pose from earlier.

Florence sat quietly beside him on the edge of the low couch near the drawing table, her hands folded over her lap, watching him with quiet interest as he moved the pencil in steady strokes across the page.

The precision of his fingers was entrancing.

His eyes flicked back and forth between the image and the sheet, capturing the details, the curve of her collarbone, the slight tilt of her hips, the soft curls of her hair falling just short of her neckline.

Brandon’s gaze drifted from the phone to Florence herself, ”How did you know I liked drawing?” he asked, pencil still moving.

”Did you dig up stuff about me during my school and university days?”

Florence blinked, caught slightly off guard. Eh?

A faint blush crept up her cheeks and she gave a small, sheepish nod. ”I... yeah. I may have done a little background search. Not anything too intrusive,”

”You won several inter-school competitions. Even attended a few private art programs when you were in high school. One of them mentioned your work being displayed in a youth art exhibition.”

Brandon gave a soft ”Mhm...”

”Then... you must’ve heard about my old girlfriend too.”

At that, Florence lowered her gaze and her fingers clasped a little tighter over her lap ”I did... I’m sorry.”

He shook his head with a smile ”No need. She broke up with me. It’s in the past.”

For a moment, silence settled between them again, but Florence reached out, almost hesitantly, and placed her hand on his thigh.

”I did hear that you two dated for a few months. You met in university, right? She was a top student.”

Brandon nodded, ”Yeah. She was smart. Kind. Ambitious.”

Florence showed a faint smile. ”I did a small background check on her too. Nothing serious... just for peace of mind.”

”She really does seem like a sweet girl. Always on the honor roll, class representative, interned for a major media company...”

”But... it seems she went overseas before the day you entered the rupture and awakened. Japan, specifically. Her parents said it was sudden. She barely left a note. And... since then, they haven’t heard from her.”

Brandon’s eyes narrowed ”Japan?”

Florence nodded her head ”It wasn’t easy to find that out. Her name popped up briefly in a travel registry a day before you awakened... and then nothing. No social media activity. No calls to her family. No digital footprint. It’s like she vanished.”

Brandon’s eyes condensed in worry ”That... was the day we broke up.”

Florence hesitated. ”I didn’t dig further after that. I thought it was something you wouldn’t want me to pry into.”

He sat back slightly in his chair, tapping the pencil gently against his thigh.

Shaking his head, he muttered ”Let’s not talk about her...”

Florence moved a little closer to him ”Yeah, yeah, let’s not talk about some other woman when you are with a beautiful woman like me.”

Keeping his smile, Brandon continued to draw her.

Florence leaned in a little closer, resting her chin lightly on Brandon’s shoulder as he worked.

”You’re so focused when you draw.”

Brandon was shading the curve of her jaw in the sketch ”You are very elegant and I like to draw an elegant woman like you...”

Florence’s eyes widened slightly, ”That’s... a lovely thing to say,” she whispered, visibly touched by his words.

With a giggle she murmured ”I thought you would be a little embarrassed to draw me when I am sitting close to you like this.”

He gently bumped his shoulder with her ”That’s not true. having you with me is calming me.. it’s easier to draw.”

Her eyes softened tenderly ”Oh, my sweet boy.. you are making this old lady fall for you even more.”

She leaned forward and hugged his waist ”Should I just steal you away from my daughter or maybe we can have an affair behind her back, what do you say, sweetie?”

Brandon let out a soft chuckle a bit amused by her playful flirtation.

Florence had always been a bit bold when teasing.

But then he remembered Eira ”Did Eira called you?”

Hm? Florence tilted her head slightly ”No... and hey, we said no talking about other women.”

Branon just chuckled and muttered ”I can’t lie. You are growing on me.”

She smiled upon hearing this ”Same with me... I am liking you a lot now.”

”You bring out this side of me, Brandon. Makes me feel young again.”

Brandon reached over and gently squeezed her hand.

She squeezed him back harder and leaned on his shoulder.

”Haa...”

---

Florence, sitting on his side, found herself staring out of the wide glass window.

She sighed softly ”It’s such a waste to stay indoors on a day like this.”

Brandon followed her gaze out toward the beach, ”You want to go for a walk?”

She smiled upon hearing this ”Only if you’ll let me cling to you like a dramatic old widow.”

He chuckled and stood up, stretching his arms over his head before offering her a hand ”Then let’s go, my lady widow.”

Florence took his hand and stood ”Hmm, ok.”

Minutes later, the two of them stepped barefoot onto the soft sand as the cool breeze drifted in from the ocean.

Florence looped her arm around his tightly, her other hand clutching her sunhat as she leaned into his side.

The only sounds surrounding them were the gentle lapping of waves, the breeze in their ears, and the quiet crunch of sand beneath their steps.

A few seabirds wheeled overhead, and the salty wind tugged at Florence’s dress.

She giggled as it fluttered around her legs and turned to look at him, her hair catching the light of the fading sun.

”I know I tease you a lot,” she said her eyes glinting with amusement, ”but I mean it when I say I care about you. Not because of who you are to Eira. But because... I like you.”

Brandon didn’t speak right away, but the way he glanced down at her and the way his fingers curled slightly over hers where their hands were intertwined on his arm said enough.

”I know...”

Florence smiled up at him again. ”Good.”

They kept walking in silence until they reached a large driftwood log half-buried in the sand.

She pulled him toward it and they sat, watching the horizon where the sun met the sea.

---

”So, that idiot is cheating on me with my mother now, hmm?”

Eira murmured under her breath as she stirred the straw in her half-melted iced caramel macchiato.

The clink of ice cubes punctuated the quiet hum of the café around them.

Ravene let out a soft chuckle from across the small round table.

”Seems like Florence is the one who called him,” she said, swirling her own drink.

Eira clicked her tongue and leaned back and her ponytail swayed slightly as she tilted her head to the side in irritation ”Yeah, I can perfectly imagine that bitch calling him and asking him to come to the house without telling me,”

Ravene simply sipped her drink, ”You’re really something when you’re jealous,”

Eira’s expression tightened for a moment before she sighed, her fingers curling gently around the cold glass in her hands. ”And why did you suddenly call me today?”

With a nod, Ravene spoke in a serious tone ”Have you made your decision, Eira?”

Eira was quiet for a moment and lowered her gaze, staring into the dark swirl of coffee.

”I’m still thinking about it...” Eira murmured.

”No... I-” she hesitated, biting her lip, then slowly exhaled, ”I’ve almost made my decision.”

Ravene nodded quietly, ”Then let me hear it.”

Eira’s fingers trembled slightly on the glass ”I... I still love Brandon very much.”

”And I’m okay with him having many women...”

There was a brief silence between them as the ambient sound of other customers chatting and the hiss of milk steamers at the café counter filled the air.

Ravene closed her eyes briefly and let out a deep sigh in a mix of relief and appreciation ”Thank you, Eira. It means more than you know.”

Eira gave a dry laugh, brushing her fingers through her bangs. ”It’s not like I’m completely at peace with it. I’m not... happy that I have to share him. I’m still selfish, Aunty Ravene. Sometimes I want him all to myself.”

”That’s normal,” Ravene replied gently.

”You can’t become selfless overnight... with time, you will understand.”

With a dry smile, Ravene spoke ”Also call me Sister, please; let’s stop with the Aunty. I feel very old when you call me that.”

Eira blinked, a little flustered by her words ”Y-Yes, Sister Ravene.”

She took another sip of her drink and a faint blush crept on her cheeks ”Now I am ready to accept him having many women...”

”But I don’t know how to tell this to him and face him from now on. It’s kinda embarrassing, you know...”

Hearing this, Ravene’s smile widened ”Oh, I have a good plan for that.”