Chapter 39

Tessa’s POV

I didn’t get much more engagement on my blog other than Ruby. Then again, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out if anyone else read my post.

I looked around the room with a frown. It was very plain in there. I couldn’t wait to go to the store over the weekend and do a little shopping. I still had money in my savings account and my father still gives me an allowance every week. So, I had plenty of money to get a lot of things for this villa.

Joseph liked dark colors it seemed. I didn’t want to get too many bright things, but I also didn’t want this place to feel so gloomy. He gave me permission to open the curtains of my room and I was pleased to see that I had a nice view of the garden.

The garden was huge and led straight to the pool yard. Even at night, it was gorgeous and perfectly lit up with outdoor lighting. The pool water glistened under the illuminated lighting of the outdoor lights and the moonlight.

I wondered if he ever used the pool. I also wondered who kept the maintenance of the garden. I knew it couldn’t have been Joseph because garden work was usually a daytime activity.

Unless he did it at night.

I laughed at the very idea of Joseph gardening.

He certainly didn’t seem like the type.

I stepped away from the window, keeping the blinds open so I could have the natural moonlight rays beam through. Something about the moon always gave me a sense of serenity.

Just then, my stomach began to growl ferociously.

I was so hungry.

These last few weeks I’ve been eating nothing but snacks and takeout it seems. I could go for a home-cooked meal.

I’ve always loved cooking.

I used to cook for Brian all the time and I’ve even cooked a few meals for Ruby. They both always gave me praise for my cooking. This might be a good way to thank Joseph for allowing me to live with him.

It was the least I could do after all.

I wasn’t sure what kind of food Joseph liked eating, but everybody loved a good stew. Now I just had to hope that his kitchen was stocked enough to make this stew.

Leaving the bedroom, I went downstairs into the kitchen. The house was quiet, so I assumed Joseph was in his office working hard. It must have been lonely for him to live in this big villa by himself. But I also knew that as a vampire, he enjoyed being by himself.

He mentioned that his personal shopper was stopping by to stock up his kitchen and he certainly wasn’t wrong. There was way more variety of foods here than there was this morning.

He had a bunch of veggies stocked up in his fridge along with a variety of proteins, including beef. That would be perfect for some beef stew.

Stew was always my father’s favorite thing to cook for me and he said my mom cooked that for him when she was alive.

“The best way to satisfy a man is through his stomach,” he would say something like this to tease me.

So far, he hasn’t been wrong. However, the only man I ever cooked for, besides my father, was Brian.

My father always hated Brian because it seemed he only cared about money. He would flaunt his fortunes whenever he got a chance.

I see now that he was right about him this whole time.

I began to chop the veggies that I gathered and got the pot ready for the stew.

I wanted to surprise him with this meal, so I didn’t ask him if he liked stew. But I guess I will find out soon enough.

…

Joseph’s POV

I hadn’t said anything to Tessa all night and even as busy as I was, I found myself wondering what she was doing. I quickly brushed the thought out of my mind though because I needed to get these papers graded.

Whatever Tessa was doing, it had nothing to do with me. She was in my Villa, which meant she was safe, and I didn’t need to worry about her right now.

I constantly reminded myself that she was just a student to me and nothing more. But still, she invaded my mind constantly.

How could such a simple girl affect me so much?

Whom was I kidding… Tessa was certainly not a simple girl. She was special. Her blood alone was addicting enough to gain the attention of new vampires. It was addicting enough to make me almost lose control.

Whatever she was, it wasn’t a basic human, and I was determined to find out exactly what she was.

I decided to put aside grading these papers and look into Tessa.

I saw that she lived in the country for most of her life with her father. I also saw her grade school and the fact that she’s always enjoyed writing. Some of her pieces of writing even made it to her grade school newspaper.

Continuing my research, I stumbled upon a couple of pictures. One was of her and a couple of her friends. I recognized Ruby right away.

There was another image where she was with her father. She looked very young in the picture, and they were both on the farm she grew up on. Her father looked very happy, as did Tessa. She mentioned her mother passed away when she was very young, and she doesn’t remember her.

I wondered how her mother passed away, but I didn’t ask, not wanting to pry into something so personal.

Looking at the picture, there was something about the way the hazy lighting of the sun reflected off the farmland, causing a pinkish tint that seemed almost familiar.

Familiar？

I couldn’t figure out where I had seen something like that before. Living such a long life, I couldn’t be expected to remember everything.

I heard a knock on my door, bringing me out of my head and I pulled my eyes away from my computer just after closing the images.

“Yes?” I asked.

I smelled Tessa from inside the office and I knew it was her outside the door.

The door opened only slightly, and she stood before me, glancing around the study like this was her first time here.

“Am I bothering you?” She asked, finally meeting my eyes.

“Not at all,” I answered, trying to keep my tone even as I leaned back in my seat. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” she said quickly. “I just wasn’t really sure what to do so I took it upon myself to make a meal. Kind of like a thank you for letting me temporarily stay here.”

I raised my brow.

“You made a meal?” I repeated her words, keeping my eyes steady on hers.

She nodded.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn’t ask what you like eating. But I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a nice stew,” she said, brushing her fingers through her hair. “Would you like to join me in the dining room?”