Raised From The Wild-Chapter 52: They Are My Family
Instinctively, Amaya stared back at him fearlessly. In her years back in the jungle of Miraga, she learned that cowering before a predator would only provoke it more and caused it to attack.
She hissed like Khalil would when threatened. Her two feet were planted strongly on the floor in a fighting stance. She and the old man were in a staring contest.
Dave’s eyes widened when he heard a hissing sound. He looked at Amaya and then Marx who reached out to take Amaya’s hand to squeeze it.
Dave coughed lightly. "Grandpa, you are scaring her with that look of yours."
The old man with grey hair looked at Dave.
"Am I scaring her? Look at how fiercely she stared back at me." He huffed. ’Other women whom his grandchildren brought with them would have already scampered or hidden behind a man, but she is fearless,’ he said to himself.
"This is Marx Skylar, Grandpa. The one who is buying your property and is Amaya Rocas, the eldest princess of Lireya and the future owner of this island." He turned to the old man to introduce him. "This is the Earl of Anishton, Grandpa Alberto Anishton."
Alberto Anishton registered an expression of surprise. He bowed slightly to the princess. "I am sorry for my rude behavior Princess." He shifted his gaze back to Dave. "Hasn’t the first princess died in a plane crash fifteen or sixteen years ago?"
"She miraculously survived Grandpa. She was stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. Marx saved her and brought her back."
The Earl was flabbergasted. He regarded the beautiful young woman standing before her who looked at him warily. She must be a special child. Who would survive a crash like that? He remembered watching the video clip and he has clearly seen that the airplane exploded mid-air.
"It is so rude of me. Please take a seat." He gestured to the three to sit down on a nearby couch.
"Grandpa, we are here to fulfill your request. You said that you want to meet with the buyer to discuss some things before you sign the deed of sale."
A fleeting sadness crossed the old man’s eyes. He did not want to sell the island but all his children and grandchildren were useless and did not show any interest in the property. He and her wife were already old. Even the castle was in decline and he can only afford to keep his butler and two servants with his retirement income.
Dave was actually not his grandchild but a friend of a grandchild who migrated to Usturia.
"Why would want to have this island, Princess Amaya?" He asked in a gentle voice. The fierce look he previously gave her was gone.
"My pets are not happy in the zoo and I am missing my home," Amaya replied respectfully. If people treated her gently, then she would treat them back gently.
"This island is very expensive. Did your grandfather and father agree?"
"I am buying the island for her, Earl. Dave told me previously that you agreed at a price of a hundred million Usturian dollars." Marx spoke in Usturian like a local.
The Earl of Anishton nodded his head. A hundred million Usturian dollars was equivalent to ten billion dinarri.
He scanned Marx interestingly. He had previously investigated the person who wanted to buy his island and he learned that Marx Skylar was an ultra-rich business tycoon in Usturia whose plane disappeared a few weeks back. He was thought to be dead but he survived and brought back with him another survivor.
A middle-aged female entered the study to get their preference for a beverage. Marx and Dave requested black coffee while Amaya asked for Chamomile tea. Lilia, her personal maid served her tea yesterday and she liked the tea.
"Can you tell me more about your plans on this island? Earl Alberto asked Amaya while stroking his goatee.
"I would like it to be the natural habitat of my tigers, my wolves, and ape. Maybe I can add some more animals. I would also like to cultivate some of the medicinal plants that I brought back from Miraga." She said dreamily. "I hope it will be like Miraga, with clean rivers and springs that soothe both body and soul." Amaya’s gaze was bright as if she was recalling something beautiful.
Earl Anishton regarded her in a different light. He has half expected that she would use the place to build residences or a park or a zoo for business. So she was not a capitalist at all.
"I thought you are a realtor who will make use of this island for profit. Apparently, I thought wrong, Princess. Are you a Zoologist or a Botanist like Dave here?" The old man’s voice was no longer guarded and he sounded gentle like he was talking to his granddaughter.
Amaya pondered about what he meant by a realtor. She understood Zoologist and Botanist but realtor was a new word for her.
"I just wanted my friends to feel at home and be happy."
"Just call me Grandpa." He smiled gently at her. Amaya was surprised at the sudden change in his temperament.
"Grandpa." She repeated and her voice sounded sweet.
The old man smiled. It was a long time since he heard a young girl call her grandpa. He realized that he missed her granddaughters.
"And who are these friends that you want to please? I envy them. You are willing to spend so much just to make them happy."
"Grandpa, they are actually more than a friend to me. They are my family." Amaya took out her cell phone. Her thumb swiped a few times then she show the phone screen to the old man.
"These are my friends, Grandpa. I grew up with them so they are also my family."
The Earl’s eyes widened when he saw the photos of her family. But of course, she grew up in the jungle. So what could her family be?
