"Thank you, Zaneska; can we eat now?" my mother asked her.
Zander's gaze was drawn to Zaneska. But she disregards it. She  returned to the kitchen. And sh e even went inside Melissa's room to see Amara. I saw them walk into the kitchen.
"Hmmm, Melissa, where is your father?" Zaneska asked.

"My father died four years ago, and my mother already had a boyfriend, his name is Uncle Augusto, and he is nice to us," the child replied.

I gave a nod.
"Let's go out because your mother said we're going to eat, Amara; let's go."
Amara stood up, and the three of them exited the room to go to the kitchen. Zaneska sat across from Zander's mother. She noticed Duke had already eaten.

"You like cooking, Zaneska, you can get married right now," Duke joked.

"Like that? You're going to push me to marry just because I know how to cook; just don't, because it's difficult for me to do," she responded.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend? You're beautiful and wealthy," Amara asked.

"That was a nice question from you, sweetheart; why is that?" Duke inquired.
I scowled.
"This is too much. Seriously, Duke? You asked why? I don't know. Maybe I was born to be like this, and I was born to be alone forever," she responded.

"By the way, how old are you?" Amara inquired.

"Thirty-three," she said.

"Not bad; you can still catch up," Duke said.

"Yeah, I think so, but the one for me hasn't yet been born," Zaneska replied.

"How long are you going to stay here, Zaneska?" Zander's mother asked.
"Why?"
"We can go to Uncle Augusto's beach house?"

"All right, Aunt? We're still on vacation from school," Duke said.

"Maybe we'll go there tomorrow or tonight."

"Excellent," she said.

"Shall we not say goodbye to Uncle, mom?" Zander asked, who had now spoken as much as they had talked.

"I can call him because he's in Dubai on business right now, and Zander, call Mitch because we're going to the beach house today."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zaneska exited the house and went outside the gate after they finished eating. He intended to call the girls and introduce himself.

She called Lucianna as she leaned against the hood of Zander's car. It'll be a hassle if she calls them all.
"Hello, Lucianna, how are you?" she inquired.
"We're fine, Miss," Lucianna replied, "the mansion is quiet because there's nothing to do and because you're not here."

"Are you serious? Or are you kidding me?"

"No, Miss, it's true; we miss you when you're not in the mansion," she responds.

"It's really better that I leave now, because it's almost as if you're looking for me," she says.
On the other end of the line, Lucianna laughed.
"All right, Miss, be careful there," Lucianna said.

They all emerged.

"Are we going to the beach house?" Zander's mother inquired.

"Yes,"

Zaneska went up into the car. And her eyes widen because she was in Zander's car. They exchanged glances. But Zander wouldn't let her go, and he kept driving.
We stopped in an apartment complex where I saw Mitch emerge from the gate. She opened the car door and enter.
"Oh, Zaneska, how did you get here; you didn't even say you were going," Mitch exclaimed.

"Actually, Duke invited me to his birthday party next week, so I went along with him," she explained.
"It's good so you can relax now and then," Mitch said.
I gave a nod.

While driving, Zander was deafeningly quiet. He noticed Zaneska in the mirror, her gaze fixed on what we were going through.

Mitch inquired, "Who suggested we go to the beach today?"

"It's my mother; they're in the other car with Duke and Amara," he explained.
"Really? Amara and Duke back together?" Mitch inquired.
"Yes."

Zander didn't say why because he didn't want to come across as gossipy, especially since Zaneska was just in the back.

"It's also a waste of their relationship; it's simply broken because of a simple thing," Mitch said.

Mitch calls out to Zaneska, "Hmmm, Zaneska."

"Yeah, but why?"
"Are you all right in the back?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry. It's nice here. It's quiet and there's no traffic," Zaneska said.

"You can live here if you want; you can buy land and build a house, but you have a business in the city, and I'm sure you won't be left behind, but you have loyal employees, so it's okay," Mitch said.

"Yes."
"However, Zaneska, you should look for your soulmate here first, because you've been in the city for a few years and are still single."
"Really?" Zaneska asked, "Don't state the obvious, Mitch, because I'm beginning to regret it."

Mitch burst out laughing.

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the passing of time. They'd made it to the beach house. Duke entered the vehicle after opening the gate. Mitch and Zaneska leave. 

Zander noticed Zaneska move away from them.
"How are you, Amara?" Mitch asked.

"I'm fine, and I'm really sorry for what my parents did, and I didn't know what to do so I didn't show up. All I thought was that Duke had found someone else since he didn't call me anymore, but when he appeared in the mansion gate in the morning. I had hope. But I was very embarrassed because my parents agreed for Duke and I to go back because they are relatives of Miss Zaneska, who my parents have wanted to meet for a long time.
But that's fine, too. "Amara stated.
"Is that correct? Your parents are stern. They didn't accept Duke just because they wanted to, did they? Simply because of Zaneska. If Zaneska didn't show up that day, where are you now? Amara, you're no longer a child. You are also capable of standing on your own two feet. If you care about Duke, you must fight for him as well. " Mitch said, while Duke remained silent and Amara became speechless.
"I'm not sure."
"I'm sorry, Amara; it wasn't my intention to say those things, but the relationship you two built is being squandered."
"I understand."

Zaneska avoided them because she was embarrassed to be the only one in the group without a boyfriend. She had never felt insecure before, but now she is skeptical. She is happy for other people's successful relationships, but she is unsure how she feels. This place is so accommodating to people like her.

There is no noise and quiet. Only now did she prove to herself that she had feelings for someone. She would not admit it at first, but now she is certain, but she will not let it get to the point where someone will be hurt. It's not wrong to like someone because there are no words in the dictionary that say it's wrong to like someone, but what's wrong is that you ruin the relationship so that you can be happy.

"What a surprise seeing a beautiful woman alone in a place like this?" she heard a man say, but she did not hesitate to turn around to see who it was.
She just kept looking around as if she was alone.

"Hmmm,"

"Are you talking to me?" Zaneska inquired, turning to face the man. A man in his forties looks at me with interest. He had curly hair and was attractive.
"Of course, are you accompanied by anyone else?"
"Nothing," Zaneska replied, "but you ruin my loneliness."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go here but your whiteness is outstanding," the man apologized.

"Is that a compliment?" she inquired.
"Of course, by the way, my name is Nathan, and I used to own this place before Augusto bought it," the man explained.
I recognized the name he mentioned. Aunt's boyfriend was there.
"I see, my name is Zaneska, and I'm with them."

"I saw you come in, so what do you think of this place?" Nathan inquired.

My brow furrowed. This gentleman strikes up a conversation. But if she doesn't talk about it, she might be kicked out.

"It's nice; if I had the time, I'd buy this type of place if there were more available," Zaneska said.

"You can talk to me, and I can recommend something even better here," Nathan said.

"Sure."

"So, why are you here? Is it because you're the only one without a partner?" he asked.

I know he felt at ease talking to me because he asked me a question as if we were friends. I scowled.

"Do you ask a lot of questions naturally? Are you a reporter?" she asked.
Nathan chuckles.

"No, you can probably guess what my job is."

"No need, because we'll be late if I guess any more," Zaneska said.

"You can, because you're here to have fun, and then you don't want to go with them because you're the only one without a partner," Nathan explained.

"U-huh?"

They were on the beach in front of the bonfire, I noticed. And I noticed Zander's mother standing next to a man. Perhaps he's her boyfriend.

"My bestfriend is a man in a gray shirt named Augusto. They're going to be an ex-couple who get back together. Isn't that great? There's always a second chance in a relationship," Nathan explained.
"Not everyone who breaks up can get back together; it still depends on how everyone feels. Other people's mindset is why would you pick up something you've already thrown away? And why would you swallow something you've already spit out?" explained Zaneska.

“Makes sense,” Nathan said.

Zander noticed Zaneska talking to a man from a distance. And, according to Uncle Augusto, that man was a previous owner of this beach house. They're speaking seriously, as if they've known each other for a long time. My mother was also preoccupied with them.
"So your friend returned here, Uncle, did he find what he was looking for in another country?" he asked.
Uncle Augusto burst out laughing.

"I'm not sure, but seeing him right now, I think he really found the one for him," Uncle said.

Zander smirked. Is Zaneska the one Uncle is talking about?
"They're a good match because they're both business-minded," Amara said.

Zander notices Zaneska is at ease speaking with the man.
"Nathan is a nice man; we're about the same age, but I know when it comes to love, there's no age limit, right? As long as they feel the same way about each other," Uncle explained.

"Yeah, and Zaneska was single as well, so they can be together; the age difference doesn't matter," Mitch explained.

"What about when you're seventy and thirty? Is that still okay?" Duke inquired solemnly.

Duke's reaction made him laugh.
"Of course," Mitch replied.
"The ambiguity is that it's a patient, not a relationship; you'll be caring for the elderly; your profession must be caregiver, not lover," Duke explained.