Maya's POV

Unlike my expectations, the adobe-style house was simple and of one storey and roofed with red Spanish tiles. The driveway connected right into the yard with a carefully mowed lawn. There was a tropical patio garden at the side which would be suitable for reading and relaxing, Eden obviously put much thought into building this place.

The housekeeper welcomed us the moment we rang the doorbell as if informed beforehand. Unlike the outside which betrayed Spencer's wealth, the inside of the house was state of the art and made my jaw drop.

From the living room to the bathroom, every part of the house was made using modern construction techniques, my God!.

The highly glossed medium brown mahogany wood floor was a dynamic blend with the blue-green walls while diverse paintings ornated the walls.

I was quite mystified, the inside of the house was spacious than what the outside implied. The living room was furnished with luxurious seating, air conditioner, large LCD flatscreen, a minibar with a 3D wall panel.

" Wow, this is more than expected, " I said in amazement.

His amused eyes searched my face, "What were you expecting? "

I laughed silly, "Well when you mentioned countryside, I was expecting to see cottages, cabin, and mud houses with thatched roofs or spend hours trudging through narrow, quiet, and bendy roads with one of a kind potholes just to get here "

He tilted his head to the side surprised," How do you know all of this? You sound like someone who has lived in the countryside? "

Then he saw my knowing look, "You did huh? "

I pursed my lips and shrugged my shoulders," Well, it's not a secret that I'm an illegitimate child but what people don't know is the fact that my mom was determined to abort me, had my grandma not pleaded and swore to take care of me.

"So the best mom of the year - note the sarcasm - comprised her decision and brought me out to the world, handing me over to granny at once; my mom never breastfed me. I was eight years old when I was eventually taken back to the city "

I looked up and frowned, "Don't give me that look, Eden, the countryside is not such a bad place to live. You've got cleaner air than the overpopulated and crowded cities, homes are far more affordable, nature everywhere and the foods are fresh and straight from the garden. It's more peaceful than the hectic and stressful city life "

There was a captivated gleam in Eden's face until he cocked a brow and said, " But? "

"I'm not going to say that "

" Come on, just say it " he urged me

" No "

"Please ?"

"Countryside is wonderful, why would you want to hear the negative aspect of it "

"I'll give you the room with the best view " he tempted me and I sadly gave in.

"Countryside is intriguing and comfortable but what I dislike about it the most is the lack of Wi-Fi, sometimes getting a single bar of signal on your phone is quite a hassle " I shook my head and sighed exasperatedly.

"Oh don't worry, " Eden said to me as he started up the stairs and I followed after him, " I made sure to feature strong and free Wi-Fi Internet throughout the property "

"No way, slap me! " I stopped, my eyes expressing shock.

"It's nothing, I provided it to the whole community " he explained to me nonchalantly as if that was something normal people do every day.

I swoon inwardly, how nice it is to be so rich. Imagine if I had so much money like the Spencer's, what l would do with it?

Make sure my properties are scattered across the globe, there must be my personal house accommodating me each time I travel out.

Then my first date would be on the moon, it would be such ease breaking the Genius record. Imagine having steak with your honey boo on a spaceship, the scene would be so -

"Maya! " Eden burst me out of my imagination

I glanced up," Huh? "

"Where was your mind? " He asked.

I smiled at him sheepishly, "Sorry about that "

"Continue " he stated and continued up the stairs.

"Continue what? " I inquired.

Eden gave me a look, "The negative aspect of the countryside, remember? " he replied with a hint of ridicule.

"Oh " I cleared my throat, "Secondly, is the lack of an aesthetically looking building. Most houses are built for the functional purpose of shelter, no thought given to esthesis." I had to rack my brain for that one.

I tilted my head and looked up at Eden's face, awaiting an emotion called, " impression " but other than a slight nod of his head, his features were blank.

" Continue, " he willed me again.

I frowned, does he think I'm telling a tale here? Nevertheless, I still continued.

"Unlike cities where you need an alarm, background music, rambunctious neighbors, or traffic to wake you up from bed, that is if you live quite close to the roads. In the countryside, the cockerel Is sure to wake you as soon as the sun rises, not to talk of the chirping of the birds or bugs and insects "

This time my comment elicited a response from Eden. He stopped at a door and stated

"No wonder, you sometimes speak with a thick accent just like now. You really did live there " he pointed out joyfully

"Oh about that " I scratched my head awkwardly, "I've been trying to perfect my accent over the years but I guess, sometimes it slips from my tongue. My mom hates that accent a lot, she says it makes me sound like a country pumpkin "

"Don't stop speaking it," Eden said out of nowhere, taking me by surprise.

l lifted my head, our eyes met.

"Don't ever stop Maya, it sounds sexy "

My heart missed a beat.

I looked away breaking the contact and coughed awkwardly, my cheeks were burning, what the hell was that?

"We're here. " He said and ushered me into the room as if that weird moment never occurred.

I stepped into the room and stood rooted to the ground, someone should slap me!

My room was spacious and offers great views of the lush green farmlands and hills, the garden filled with flowers, and the beauty of the countryside through the balcony.

The room was attractively decorated in subtle hues and led lighting. It was well equipped with a king-size bed, deep and plush sofas, a coffee table, and a large LCD flatscreen.

I even had my own private bathroom equipped with a full-sized bathtub with shower, washbasin, and a water closet.

I kept on jumping and swooning over everything like a five-year-old taken to Disneyland for the first time, the room was equivalent to a super deluxe suite normally found in hotels - why shouldn't I jubilate?

"You will find the toiletries in your bathroom and bathrobe and slippers, it's being provided already. " Eden explained as I went through the sparkling white WC and the sophisticated looking bathroom that I would be using - Oh heavens! I wouldn't mind dying now.

"Are you sure I'm the one using this room? " I questioned him again with narrowed eyes, just to be sure he wasn't pulling my legs.

"Yeah Maya " he answered before pointing to the telephone on the coffee table, "You can use those for now until the scandals over "

At the mention of scandal, my uplifted mood sank at once the way rain falls on the earth, it seems I've been carried away by luxury.

" Sure " I answered him moodily, there was nobody to call anyway so It might as well have been a decoration.

" I'll be back " Eden announced and left.

I looked out through the window, the sun had already gone down, soon darkness would cover the land.

With a deep sigh, I threw myself on my unbelievably soft bed and stared at the ceiling.

What do I do with my life?

Eden returned almost immediately and I sat up. He was holding a first-aid kit and took a seat beside me on the bed.

"Don't bother yourself, I can treat myself " I told him when his hands moved to open the kit.

For a moment I thought he was going to argue with me until he has his way like Niklaus does but he surprisingly respected my wishes.

"Be careful of the Channel you watch, the scandal might pop up on one of the programs you tune on, alright? "

My eyes rested on the flat-screen television and I gave him a wry smile, " Alright "

He rose to his feet.

"Are you going somewhere? " I asked curiously.

"Yeah, I need to get Annabelle. She's almost here " he tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Oh " I gave him a-go - ahead look

"Take a shower and look around the house if you want to, contact the housekeeper or the maids if you need anything "

"Alright "

His mouth slightly opened as if he wanted to say something else but atlas, he shut it close and walked out of the room.