The Grand Mistress

Doctor Sora's words suddenly brought an intense ambiance all throughout the room. Everyone turned into looking between Simione and Hawk who both were surprised at the moment.

"Hawk, is this true?" Mario asked, worried that indeed the words that the doctor uttered were true. Now he finally understood why Doctor Sora and Nurse Leah went home early like that, they probably felt very uncomfortable with the situation.

"It is true, I've seen it myself too," Nurse Leah added although she was lying. However Doctor Sora needed someone to support her statements and so they both decided to say they saw it both, although it was only Doctor Sora who had seen it. Last night, things really went hard for her as he had truly been bothered at how Hawk treated her. Coincidentally, while she was tending to her shame and hurt, she saw the two kiss scandalously.

Mario felt thoroughly betrayed at the confirmation. He turned to Hawk and with a complicated emotion, expressed, "But Hawk, you know Cat is a married woman. Also you are a son of  a monk, you should have—"

"There might be some misunderstanding here," Hawk cut him off calmly. "I know you people saw it wrong but, it isn't really,"

"And how can you say that having an affair with a married woman is not wrong?" Doctor Sora glared at him. Now, it's time for a payback and if the man thought he was above her that's why she refused her and treated her without respect, then now perhaps he should learn to respect her. He was so naive to refuse her advances, doesn't he know who she was? She's Sora Luanco, a daughter of one of the highly recognized elite in their city. She should not be shamelessly treated like Hawk treated her last night.

"And why do you seem so affected by this? You seemed utterly mad.." Hawk almost grinned at how red her face was. "As for the village folks, I understand their concern and rage because they were Cat's long time friends. As for you, you only arrived here few days ago and is still a stranger to all of them, so I don't get the reason why you seemed so upset,"

"It's because…." Doctor Sora's confidence flew away. She couldn't give any reasons at all and became very conscious at how everyone turned to her to also question the fact. "It's shameless that's why. How dare you question this and turned the entire thing on me,"

"I was just curious about it, woman. You had certainly no reasons to be upset and be mad and here you are throwing the worst fit among everyone," Hawk added. "Ah I think I know now. Was it because I rejected your advances last night? You are jealous of Cat, are you not?"

The doctor's face went red at his Hawk's blatant accusation. Her face grimaced and her hands shaking with anger. This man was good at turning tables. Was he really from here? He seemed very educated and smart to be fooled around. She did expect that like all the other folks, he will just go on and be guilty without thinking of getting back at her. She was utterly long and she sure had not prepared for such a blow back she was having hard time rebutting it.

"Is what he says true Doctor Sora?" It was Nurse Leah this time who spoke. The great Sora Luanco had been rejected by a village boy? How cruel could that be. Now she understood her intentions clearly.

"Shut up!" Doctor Sora could not hold her frustration, she ended up shouting at Nurse Leah, more to her shame. The old folks and directress now immediately see through her character then and they could not help but stare at her indignantly. All shamed, the doctor bolted through the door to escape everyone's eyes.

"Doctor Sora!" Nurse Leah called on her but when she saw that she had no plans of coming back and was crying mercilessly, she bid farewell from everyone to chase the doctor. "I'll just go and talk to her. I'm sorry she was just shocked, please forgive her," The nurse then headed through the door and went on her way.

The room then sank in silence, a little intrigued at Hawk's claim of refusing the doctor's advances. It occurred to them then that Hawk was indeed a woman magnet that even a reputable doctor had to make schemes just to capture his attention.

"What a revelation Hawk," The director broke the silence. "However it does not erase the fact that you and Cat had an affair," She sighed with frustration, "I certainly did not expect this from both of you. You both were good people,"

"I'm sorry, directress,  if this troubled you. This is my fault, Cat had nothing to do with this," Hawk defended Cat's reputation. He knew the people of Comis village were dear to Cat and he didn't want to be the reason for them to hate her. They can hate him all they want, but they should leave Cat alone, it wasn't her fault anyway. He was the one who chased and seduced her into doing so.

"But Cat is a married woman," The directress turned to SImione with a bitter smile. "You child should have been more careful. Being a married woman as you are, you had the obligation to protect the sanctity of marriage. I thought you this Cat and it frustrates to know that despite everything I thought you, you willingly committed such a scandalous venture,"

"Directress I'm very sorry," Simione regretfully expressed. Only then she felt the weight of what she did and her ventures with Hawk Monsanto. Her expression then did not please Hawk as it only looked like she regretted everything they had together. She shouldn't, he will not allow it so.

"I apologised to you directress and to all of you—"

"Cat, stop it. I don't really think you need to apologize for this," Hawk cut Simione off completely and gave her a look that was rather telling her it was foolish of her to do so.

"Hawk, just please let me. We both know it was wrong,"

"How could it be wrong?" Hawk confronted her this time that the old folks who were there can feel both their tension and hidden hurt. It seemed that the two had deep understanding and that last night wasn't the only time they had been intimate. "Just tell them the truth. It's about time. You can't keep hiding and pretending to them,"

"Wait, what's going on?" The directress herself was lost and confused. It was very obvious that Simione and Hawk knew each other well and this surprised everyone. Was there anything behind this that they had no idea about. "Do you two know each other? I mean, did you know each other already before meeting here?"

"Yes," Hawk answered without hesitation and this only drew more surprised sighs from their companions. 

"You mean your affair had been going on even before you both came here?" Mario asked desperately. All this came as a shock to everyone as they did not expect that the two already knew each other. Did they perhaps agree to come here so they can secretly meet each other? "Is that why you both came here? To hide this affair from your families in the city,"

"No, of course not!" Simione denied. This was coming hard to her. The situation obviously was calling for her to tell the truth about her and Brother Don. That predicament there got Simione conflicted as she very much wanted everyone not to know because this place—the Comis Village was a reminder of their great love and happy times. 

For years, whenever she missed their great times and the warmth of Brother Don's love, SImione always came to this village to fool herself that their love was existing because only in this place did brother Don remained hers. Only at the Comis village can she be his woman, only in that place can she feel like the old Cat she was before.

"Then Cat, how can you explain all this to us?" Mario confronted her. They had all thought Cat and Brother Don were a great couple, they were always their standard of romance and love. Whenever the couple were brought up to every conversation, they had nothing but all admiration for them so this issue right here tore all their hopes about love apart. "I have always thought that you love brother Don. I had but pure respect for you because even when he was sick, I had always thought you did nothing but just care for him. And yet now….you and Hawk…"

"Cat..my dear...you understand why we are frustrated right?" Old Susan added on as she held Cat's hand. She too was upset but couldn't bring to hate Cat for it. "I know this hard for you and you and Hawk might be—"

"I'm not married!" Cat announced and her words cut everyone's chastise. "Brother Don and I had long split up,"