ASTRID almost received a whiplash upon seeing the face of the duke. Because he was unsure how to react, he wasn't able to look away as quickly. Now he couldn't even pretend he didn't see anything. His reaction made it quite obvious that he had seen the other, after all.
If the duke had a high-level physique, which he most probably had, then he would have seen his even minute reaction. Which meant Astrid couldn't pretend he didn't see the other even if he wanted to.
After a few seconds, he managed to calm down. He smiled at the duke and made a polite bow before turning his gaze away. Just in time, the photographer finally began the photoshoot.
He emptied his mind and did his job.
Marvelously, if he might say so.
-----
Anthony put down his gardening tools and looked at the young man wearing some kind of dress. Strangely enough, it didn't look out of sorts. As if the clothes were perfectly tailored for him.
He only found out this morning that some kind of photoshoot was about to be held today. Cassius didn't know he would be here today. That's probably why he chose this day to schedule this photoshoot.
And he couldn't blame him for that. Because none of the members of their family went here that often. It's one of the manors that were... not usually visited by any of them.
There was one reason for that, really. Because they were the favorite manors of his deceased wife.
His wife's passing left a huge hole in their family. So big that it tore them apart. Although, his own actions were the real reason why they ended up like this. He was so consumed by anger and revenge that he pushed away all the treasures that his wife left behind. No amount of forgiveness could ever atone for all the hurt and pain he had given them.
He gave one last look at Astrid before walking in the direction of the manor.
As he did, he suddenly thought of his grandson, Nicol. He remembered how much the child adored Astrid Townsend. To the point that he would be standing in front of the screen projector every weekend to watch that show the other was in.
Nicol didn't have a class in the afternoon. Maybe he could ask someone to bring him here so he could meet this big brother he liked so much.
-----
After the photoshoot in the garden, Astrid glanced back at the spot where the duke was. The other was no longer there. And yet, he couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Because it wouldn't change the fact that the duke was in the manor.
Casey must have not known that the other was here. If he knew, he would definitely not use this manor as the set location for this photoshoot.
But anyway, since the other was already here, there's nothing he could do about it. It's not like he could ask the owner of the manor to leave. He just had to do what he came here for. Nothing more, nothing less.
And with that, he focused all his attention on the photoshoot.
The photoshoot ended just nearing lunch. Because of how much focused Astrid was, everything ended much faster. Every photo the photographer had taken was almost editorial ready.
In fact, the photographer showed a look of disappointment when the photoshoot ended early. His face showing just how much he wanted to continue. Good thing the creative director stopped him from suggesting that.
Astrid was about to return to the dressing room to change clothes when he heard a familiar voice calling to him.
"Brother Aster!"