Chapter 790: Devastating Beauty
Kafka blinked at the phone screen, brows furrowing as Nina's words sank in.
"You saw what now?" He asked, his voice lined with confusion as he tilted his head at her image.
"A goddess, Kafka! A goddess, or an angel, or whatever you want to call it!"
Nina bounced slightly on her end, eyes alight, words tumbling out quick.
"Like someone straight out of a fairy tale, a vision who doesn't belong in this world...I swear she left me breathless, like the kind of figure you'd see in a dream, watching over us right now."
"...I saw her today, I really did, and I can't—hnnn! I can't handle it, I'm still shaking from it. I can't believe I saw someone like that!"
Kafka's lips curled into a sly grin, and he shook his head slowly. "So basically..." He said dryly. "...you looked into a mirror."
"Huh?" Nina blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? I don't—"
Then her cheeks reddened, realization dawning on her just as a loud...thud-thump-thump!...echoed through the call.
Kafka straightened, startled by the noise. "Nina? What was that? What happened?"
Her groan followed, strained and annoyed.
"Uuugh...it's your fault, all your fault, stupid Kafka! I was going down the stairs when you made that dumb comment, and I got flustered, and slipped! Owww…" She sounded like she was dragging herself up again, muttering between huffs. "Stupid, stupid Kafka...always saying embarrassing things, making me blush like this…"
Even though he couldn't see her flushed face, he could imagine it perfectly. He smirked, letting out a low chuckle.
"Sure, sure." He murmured, stepping out of the house and into the cool night, lifting his gaze toward the stars. "So...tell me again, what was this about a goddess?"
Nina perked up immediately, her excitement returning as if the fall never happened.
"Ah, yes, yes! So this morning I was cleaning up the hot springs before opening, wiping down the stones, sweeping leaves, you know the usual...And then suddenly, the door opened."
"...At first, I thought it was just another tourist who came too early, and I was ready to scold them and send them off. But then I saw her."
Her voice softened into a kind of reverent hush.
"Kafka, she was so beautiful. So radiant I couldn't believe someone like that even existed. For a moment, I froze, I couldn't move. My body just locked up like it wasn't even my own shop anymore. She wandered in, looking around, and I just stood there staring like a fool."
Kafka let out a low chuckle. "So she must've been quite the beauty, huh?"
"Yes!" Nina said at once, nodding furiously. "Not just beauty, her presence. It was...overwhelming. When I finally gathered courage and approached her to speak, I was nervous, me, Kafka, nervous!"
Kafka raised his brows, genuinely surprised. "You? Nervous? The same Nina who bites tourists heads off for leaving their towels in the wrong place?"
She pouted faintly but admitted. "Yes, me! I don't know why, but in front of her, I felt...small. Like some ordinary commoner, and she was a queen. I couldn't even look directly at her face; I kept glancing away. I was acting like a shy little girl."
Kafka laughed softly. "You act like a shy girl all the time."
"Only with you, Kafka." She shot back quickly, her voice tinged with heat. "With everyone else, I'm bold, assertive, I don't hold back...But with her, it was different."
"I couldn't even...I couldn't even muster the courage to kick her out. Instead, we ended up talking. She said she had just moved into town, curious about the hot spring, so she came by...We spoke for a while, but the whole time I was nervous. My hands were sweating, my heart racing."
Her tone shifted again, softer, embarrassed. "And then...somehow, we started talking about you."
Kafka blinked, genuinely taken aback. "Me? What did you bring me up for?"
"I didn't!" Nina insisted. "She asked me, out of nowhere, if I had anyone important in my life. And the first thing that came to mind was you."
Her voice grew shy, flustered, the edges trembling.
"So...I told her. I told her about you. And the moment I said your name, Kafka, she changed. Her calm eyes lit up brighter, her smile grew, it was subtle, but I saw it. Like she knew something, or like she was...interested. I don't know why."
Kafka leaned against the doorframe, frowning in thought.
"I see, I see…" He was confused, wondering what kind of woman could make Nina of all people flustered, what kind of presence could rattle her like this.
Was she some actress? A celebrity passing through town?
Before he could ask further, a sudden sharp scream tore through the call. "Ahhh! You—! You came back!"
Kafka flinched, fearing something bad had happened. "Nina! What's wrong? Did anything happen?"
"No, no!" She cried quickly, breathless and hurried. "It's not that! Kafka, it's the cat! The one that's been hiding around the springs! Every time I try to catch it, it runs away."
"...But now, it's just sitting here, calm, staring at me! If I go slowly, I think I can catch it this time!"
Her voice turned gleeful, bubbling over with excitement. "So I'm cutting the call now, I have more important things to do! I'm catching this cat, Kafka!"
"Wait, Nina—" But before Kafka could finish, the call ended, leaving him with nothing but the quiet hum of the night and his phone screen gone dark.
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head with a faint smile. That was Nina for him, wild, unpredictable, endlessly excitable.
Still, the thought of this mysterious woman lingered in his mind. Someone so stunning she made Nina nervous, someone whose demeanor changed at the mere mention of his name.
He then stepped back into the house, locking the door behind him. Dropping onto the sofa, he leaned back, eyes tracing the faint patterns on the ceiling while his mind circled endlessly around the same thought.
Who was that woman Nina saw?
Someone so dazzling she made Nina nervous, someone whose demeanor shifted the moment his name was spoken aloud.
Maybe she really was a celebrity, he mused. Someone Bella or Abigaille might recognize instantly from their endless binge-watching of dramas.
Perhaps he'd need to track her down himself, if only to satisfy his curiosity.
Just as his thoughts wandered toward Bella, his phone buzzed on the table. The name flashing on the screen pulled the faintest smile from his lips.
Speak of the devil...Bella was calling.
His chest warmed with an odd fondness. He remembered vividly the bratty girl who once scowled at him every time he spoke a word, who treated him like an intruder in her world.
And yet, she had softened, until she became that affectionate kitten who couldn't go a day without clinging to him and calling him "Daddy" in her playful, needy voice.
He swiped to answer, his tone light and teasing.
"Oh, Bella, I was just thinking about you. What perfect timing." He smirked, waiting for the inevitable singsong daddy to greet him.
Instead, what came through was not Bella's girlish lilt, but a low, velvety sigh, disappointed and tinged with mischief.
"Oh, Kafka...I'm so disappointed. Truly, I am."
His brows lifted, smile faltering as the voice, older, gentler, sultrier, continued,
"Here I was, thinking it would be such a pleasure to hear your voice late at night. But it seems all you were thinking about...was my daughter. What a pitiful mother I must be, to feel jealous of my own child."
"...You make me jealous so easily, Kafka, with just one careless sentence."
Kafka pinched the bridge of his nose, a chuckle escaping him despite himself.
"Camila..."
He muttered, realizing instantly. She was the only one who could slip into theatrics so suddenly, turning a mundane call into a playful performance. Always teasing, always prodding, never letting him keep the upper hand for long.
Still smiling faintly, he replied. "For your information, I was thinking about you too, not just Bella."
"Oh?" She teased, her voice laced with skepticism. "When was that, I wonder? In your dreams, perhaps? You must have seen an angel fluttering about. Or no, no—" Her tone dropped mischievously. "...it must have been a succubus, hmm?"
"...A beautiful, sexy succubus draining you dry in your sleep. That's why you remembered me."
Kafka shook his head, suppressing a laugh.
"Not at all. I was out earlier, and I kept catching glimpses of women with...let's say, big, fat, juicy asses. Perfect shapes from behind. And every time, Camila, I thought it was you. Those eyes of yours, that sway of your hips."
"...But again and again, I was disappointed when they turned around, and it wasn't you."
For a brief second, the other end of the line went quiet. Then, a small smirk slipped into her voice.
"Really now? That's quite the way to think of me, Kafka. Brazenly admitting you were ogling other women's asses, to me, of all people. You have no shame."
He leaned back, grinning. "Does it bother you?"
"Not at all." She answered smoothly. "Look all you want. Someone like you could fill this family with more women, and I would only watch. In fact, I'm waiting for it."
"And to think that even while staring at them, your mind circled back to me...mm, that only proves my ass is unforgettable. Once tasted, there's no going back."
Kafka let out a quiet laugh. "Careful, Camila...I really will bring back half of the town's women if you keep on encouraging me."
Her chuckle rippled through the line.
That was the thing about Camila, she wasn't like Nina, who flustered at the smallest tease. Camila gave back as good as she got, every word of hers a playful spark. Talking with her was always a game, always toeing that line.
He let the banter hang for a moment before steering the conversation. "Leaving all that aside, why exactly are you calling me on Bella's phone?"
"Oh, nothing dramatic." She replied smoothly. "I just finished making dinner. My own phone's out of charge, so I borrowed hers. No big deal. But…" Her voice shifted with a sigh. "It's Bella I wanted to talk about. She's become a little crazy. Honestly, I don't know what to do with her."
Kafka frowned. "Crazy? What do you mean? Did another one of her favorite soap-opera leads die or something? Is she crying and laughing at the same time again, like a lunatic?"
Camila let out a musical laugh. "No, no, nothing like that. Usually, she's crazy for you, her one and only idol. She talks about you endlessly, you know."
He smirked. "Of course she does. She's proud of her daddy. That's only natural."
"Yes, yes, that's true." Camila's voice softened, amused. "But it seems another idol has captured her eyes. Someone new to fangirl over. Someone else she can't stop talking about."
Kafka's brows drew together, a faint sharpness entering his tone. "A celebrity from TV? Some new actor she's infatuated with?"
Camila chuckled lowly. "No. Not a celebrity." She paused deliberately, as though savoring the suspense. "A person. In real life."
The words hit him like a stone in the gut. His eyes narrowed, voice dipping cold. "Another man?"
"Oho!" Camila sang, delighted by his reaction. "Look at you, so jealous, so possessive, at the mere idea of your daughter idolizing another man. You really are too cute, Kafka."
He exhaled sharply, irritation sparking.
"Of course I am. My daughter fangirling over some filthy bastard? That's unacceptable. The world is full of dangerous men, disgusting men. I won't allow it."
"Oh, please." She laughed, rich and amused. "The most dangerous man of them all is you, my dear. And listen to yourself, you sound more and more like a father with every word."
"I am her father." He said firmly.
"Sure, sure." Camila teased. "What kind of father sleeps in his daughter's bed, making love to her so hard that her bed always ends up wet the next while I'm in the next room?"
Heat flushed Kafka's cheeks, his eyes flicking away as if she could see his guilt through the line.
"Tch." He shook off the sting of her jab, forcing his voice steady. "Never mind that. Tell me, who exactly is this person Bella's suddenly idolizing?"
"Oh, yes." Her tone grew thoughtful. "We went to a pottery class today, just the two of us, a little mother-daughter session. But out of nowhere, someone else joined...We thought it was just us, so it was a surprise."
She paused, then her voice dipped into awe.
"And Kafka, let me tell you, I've seen many beautiful women in my life. Abigaille. Olivia. Even that spicy cracker goblin Nina. But this woman today...she was beyond them all. Out of this world."
"...Like a goddess had walked into the room."