The Grand Mistress

The Devon City where Simione and the other tres Maria's lived, so was Hawk Monsanto and the Hans was the capital of their country and due north where there was nothing but mountains, dangerous terrains and hills was Commis Village, one of the remote areas where few natives lived. 

To be able to get there, one had to cross several lakes and had to hike for a day from the main road. Hawk, who was desperate to leave the city and have a hard reset, didn't mind all the challenges, especially that he had ventured far worse places than that. From Devon City, it took him two days to be able to get there. One day was spent travelling to the north and the other for a long hike but after all the pain, sweat and exhaustion, he reached the small village safely.

His appearance in the village caused old folk's heads to turn, curious on what a stranger who seemed to be from the city was doing in their humble village but when he had talked to a few to ask a few questions they had understood he came to stay with someone he knew. 

Soon Hawk can be seen walking a few more miles, this time away from the village where most of the villagers' hut were gathered. He crossed a rice field at once and at the far end was a temple, being maintained by one single man. He was the village monk and he had been in that village for just a year as he had been recently assigned there and had long planned to dedicate the rest of his life to the work of religion. 

When Hawk stepped into the temple, there was nothing but bricks and a deafening silence. Nothing can be heard aside from a few birds singing and the brushing of tree leaves. There at the far end, he could see some smoke rising into the air and that was where he went. On his way was an open wide garden that stretched until the far end where a temple altar was placed. On that altar, a single human was standing—a man with a bald head and whose neck was full of beadles and was praying.

Hawk respectfully waited until the man finished his prayer and when he opened his eyes and noticed him, there was not a single expression in his face as if he was already expecting the man.

"Papa," Hawk called and bowed at him politely.

"You must be in trouble again," The man said and grimaced a bit at the sight of him. The M Conglomerate president rarely comes to visit him and for him to be willing to give up some time to meet him in such a remote area where he was just recently assigned means he was in deep real shit.  "You never really call me papa on regular days, only when you are in trouble,"

Hawk only smiled bitterly at the old man. It was the old Monsanto butler, Butler Gah— who single handedly raised him for years while they were on the run. He was a monk now which he specially requested to become when Hawk was finally able to get back on his feet and live independently.

"It's good to see you papa," Hawk expressed. Butler Gah, although he had long retired as his personal butler, was the only father he looked up to and so whenever he was in deep trouble, it was his company and wisdom he always sought.

Truth was if only Hawk had a choice, he would never want the man to leave his company but when the latter had seen that he had grown up and can tend on his own, he requested to retire and spent the rest of his life paying for his sins and that was how he became a monk. Hawk knew the man very well and had seen personally all the things—terrible and good —that he had done while he was in the service of the Monsanto's and so he accepted his request although he didn't want it. However he always kept watch on him and made sure he knew where to find him as he was one of the persons whom he treated as a family.

"This place is very remote compared to the last temple I was assigned. You should have not come and bother to visit me," The man all turned to him now, deeply scrutinizing his face and expression to see whether his previous words were right—that the Monsanto he raised was in deep trouble that's why he came.

"The journey is fine," Hawk replied and the old man who knew him well only heaved a deep sigh. 

"Guess you messed up big time," His butler noted and cued to follow him. The entire temple wasn't that big so in just a few minutes they reached a small quarters where his butler assigned him.  "Rest well. I'll cook some food for you but since you are here in the temple, it would be rude for you to just stay idle all day. Tomorrow when you are well rested, help me plant in the rice fields and gather some woods,"

"Yes papa," Hawk didn't protest anymore. He was used to this kind of treatment from his butler as he made sure he  knew how to work hard. This trait combined with his Monsanto blood was probably one of the reasons why he became the youngest billionaire in the country. However that title didn't matter to his papa as even when he had a big conglomerate under his hands, for his old butler, he was just anybody not worthy of special treatment. 

After that, his butler left and Hawk went for a good bath then took some nap. When he woke up, it was dinner time and so he and Butler Gah sat on the table and talked about many things—including the reason why he was here, his illicit affairs with two women and most of all sudden uncontrolled temper. Butler Gah sure spent the whole night lecturing his son and decided he should not leave the temple until he made up his mind. 

"How did you even end up having another woman?" Butler Gah was mad as hell with it. "Your deep devotion with the Han's heiress was something I was once proud of with you never expecting that you would end up ruining it by your misdeeds,"

Hawk didn't answer and just took in all the chiding.

"Hawk…." Butler Gah sighed, greatly disappointed but the look on Hawk's face told him well that things weren't easy for him. There was something, something in his story that doesn't feel right—not the cheating part but the part on how he ended up being seduced by another woman. However, knowing that Hawk was then pretty naive when it comes to relationships as he had never been in any real relationship before Feather, he knew something like this was possible.

"I could not really advise you on who among them to choose," he admitted his lack of experience too. "The fact that you had long treasured the Han's heiress and yet another woman managed to steal your attention, means the new girl wasn't ordinary either. But you can't keep them both. To have one with the other would only lead to more trouble and negativity and so you must make up your mind and choose,"

"I understand papa," Hawk heeded his butler's advice. "It's just that, when Cat and I started, I never thought being with her for real was possible. It felt like she was something I do not deserve but days ago, she demanded my loyalty and it was only then that I realized she wanted to be with me. I never thought this was an option,"

"Cat? Her name was Cat too?" The name sure did not escape Butler Gah's scrutiny.

Hawk nodded to confirm it and this only sponsored an amused expression in Butler's face. "Ah...funny how you always  have hard time on girls with such a name," 

"It was purely coincidental," Hawk defended, although he kind of agreed with his butler with it. Why indeed in the world girls with the name Cat gives him some real headaches? What's with such a name?

Thinking through it, he recalled something more amusing. "Her name was Cat and like Feather when she was young, she too had honey-colored eyes, skin so white like pearl and certainly tall. Except for the hair, she had a dyed copper one and so I'm not sure what her natural hair looked like. But with all her main features, I even think if I hadn't seen Feather yet, I might have mistook her as my old Cat. She was just like her when Feather was young,"

"When Feather was young? Why do you say that like 'the now' Feather didn't live up to your expectations?" Butler Gah noticed his indifference with it. The last time Hawk came to visit him was in another country where he was assigned previously and that was two years ago, before Hawk went to propose to Feather. Although he sent him some postcards then and now, their communication had always been limited so they haven't discussed Feather for a long time now. Right then, Butler Gah was curious about how she was.

"She was still beautiful as I could remember," Hawk started, "But she somehow changed,"