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2022-11-01 10:00:53ELISE
She laughed. Loud. Between the two of us, she seemed to know—smell was what we called it—if a guy was closet gay. I wouldn’t know unless someone outed himself already or the person was a crossdresser. I didn’t have what they call a ’radar’ for it. “Yes, he smelled straight.”
I sighed, relieved. “That’s a relief,” I even said. “And it’s not because I wanted him to be, but because his father is going to kill him. And I can’t believe we’re actually talking about this.” I just couldn’t picture Brandon, who exuded all-manliness, a homosexual.
But as I thought more about it, I got more depressed.
“So… we’re not in love with each other anymore?”
She was done and the wet dishes were on the drain dish. She pulled a towel and dried her hands as she turned towards me. “Don’t be sad. It is a very good
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ELISEAlia was already asleep in her bedroom when Brandon called. As I put the phone to my ear, I was distracted. I just had the call from the family, and I could still hear my mother’s frustrated crying after finding out about my beating last night. Of course, Gian felt obligated to report. It was something he thought my parents had a right to know, and he would do the right thing even if it would make him look bad.Classic Gian!But there it went, and I felt as distraught as my mother, sister, and my stepfather were as I assured them all that what they could see on the video call wasn’t as painful as it looked. I was grateful… well, it wasn’t a deadly sickness, that Anna had the flu and she acted nauseous (maybe she was indeed that after the shock of seeing my black eye?) so it wasn’t a long call. I also told them my meds had made me sleepy and that I needed to rest. Also, Anna being sick meant my mother would not catch the first ferry ride from the beach resort to get to my side.M
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ELISE“Elise?”“I think we should talk,” I said quietly.There was a distinct pause there that told me he caught on to what I wanted to talk about. “What do you mean? We’re already talking.” His voice went an octave higher.“Brandon, it’s like—”“Don’t do this to me, Elise. Please,” he pushed in, voice stricken.My heart thudded in surprise. That was too fast a reaction for someone I think was just acting. Did he not want to break up?Who was going to break up with whom? I thought it was going to be you? argued the voice in my head, which again sounded like Alia’s voice.I know! Shut up and stop distracting me.“Brandon, this isn’t working out. I can’t do this any—”Then he jerked around. “I have to go. We have guests for brunch and everything is busy around here but I missed you so much I can’t not call. I miss hearing your voice, baby.”“What? Wait—”“I love you. I’ll be there when I can. Please, baby. Don’t do this.”What? No time even for a breakup? Alia-voice was dripping with sa
Last Updated : 2022-11-20A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 20
ELISE“Elise...” Of course, Gian looked as guilty as hell.“How did you surviveyourcall?” I asked him sarcastically.His eyes opened and closed like a fish trying to gulp in more water, and I felt vindicated. I didn’t want to know what my mother told him. The shame and guilt on his face were enough. I knew my mother was his first crush when he was barely ten or something. Well, my mom was a petite woman and went against the tall and beautiful woman he went to now, but he was very young and my mom might have been tall in his eyes during the time. My Inay could get really scary even if she wasn’t trying.I snorted, glad I wasn’t the only one who suffered my mother’s wrath.“Why are you even here?”“Mom wants me to drive you to Tagaytay. She still feels horrible that she wants to do something for you.”
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EliseWe were both quiet as Mang Karding drove us up to Tagaytay. Gian got busy on his laptop as soon as the trip started while I listened to an audio book on my iPhone.But I couldn’t focus. I was thinking, not about that awkward moment I had with Gian in my room. In fact, I was overthinking something else because I didn’t want to talk about that.I pulled my earphones out and turned my attention to him. “Gian?”He raised his head from the screen of the laptop and looked at me, his eyes still unfocused as if he was still on the report or whatever he was reading there.“Can you come with me tonight to the Schultzes?”“Is it going to be a personal visit or—”“I wanna break up with him.”His eyes focused on me.“If he’s there, then he’s lying to me, and there is no reason to think he’s not doing that for a long time now. He knew I wanted to break up with him but he’s avoiding me.”He let a few moments pass before he spoke carefully. “I’m sorry to hear that. I had hoped he would be a goo
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Elise WE continued to walk. The house was getting nearer.It was a three-story rustic-designed house constructed in both wood and bricks and looked both pretty and a little imposing at night. I appreciated the design despite how I felt about its owners at the moment.I trembled from the cold again.I felt his arm land on my shoulders to carefully pull me to him to share his heat in a brotherly manner.“I’m here,” he started softly, “not only because you haven’t been here before, okay? I’m here because I got your back.”“I know.”“Good.”“It’s not going to be that hard,” I said after a moment passed, and it was heavy with things that didn’t need to be said.I always knew I had his back. That, I could never doubt even if I tried.“It’s not like it’s a sudden and impulsive decision. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. I should be grateful this is the only reason I was breaking up with him... that he’s away so many times and for too long that I’ve fallen out of love. It’s… at l
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EliseGIAN and I were both frozen under the balcony as we listened, and when I heard about the engagement, I turned to him, shocked.I had a hunch that there was something wrong—but nothing could have prepared me for this.Engagement?My boyfriend was engaged to another woman?! Since when? Why had no one told me? How come Gian didn’t know?There was no doubt in my mind that he would tell me right away had he known, and that he would move heaven and earth to protect me from it.“I don’t care what the guests think,” I heard Brandon grumble. “Why did we have to do this here? Why not abroad? Why here”“Why not? You don’t want your provincial lover to know?”“Ignorant,” I repeated sarcastically in a low voice to Gian. “Or stupid. Why did she have to make it sound so cute? And, excuse me, we’re not lovers!”Gian ssh-ed me and I pouted. He was listening more avidly than me!“Lisette, you don’t know anything about her.”“Because she’s a nobody! Not one who matters knows her.”My spine went mo
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Elise THEY were so into their argument that they hadn’t even noticed our movement down here, or noticed they were not alone anymore.“Didn’t you hear what I’ve been saying? She’s naïve—innocent provincial and all that which is a novelty these days. Nothing like that has happened between us,” Brandon was saying.Lisette laughed so loudly. In my head, I was shrieking at her. It was damn insulting! “She’s a virgin?! You got yourself a virgin girlfriend?”I saw Brandon snort. “So what? She was worth more gold than anyone of you. I’ve never met a woman ever that I admire the way I do her.”Lisette stared at Brandon like he just formed another nose on his face. Then she looked like she finally believed him. “Oh my God… what is it with you and virgins?”Brandon straightened up. He looked away from Lisette, too. “I don’t get what you mean.”“I lost mine to you when I was fourteen, you hypocrite.”And there I was, with my heart melting after I heard him say he admired me.And now, this.Ok
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EliseTHEY were so into their argument that they hadn’t even noticed our movement down here, or noticed they were not alone anymore.“Didn’t you hear what I’ve been saying? She’s naïve—innocent provincial and all that which is a novelty these days. Nothing like that has happened between us,” Brandon was saying.Lisette laughed so loudly.In my head, I was shrieking at her. It was damn insulting!“She’s a virgin?! You got yourself a virgin girlfriend?”I saw Brandon snort. “So what? She was worth more gold than anyone of you. I’ve never met a woman ever that I admire the way I do her.”Lisette stared at Brandon like he just formed another nose on his face.Then she looked like she finally believed him.“Oh my God… what is it with you and virgins?”Brandon straightened up. He looked away from Lisette, too. “I don’t get what you mean.”“I lost mine to you when I was fourteen, you hypocrite.”And there I was, with my heart melting after I heard him say he admired me.And now, this.Okay. E
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EliseThe next day, I arrived early at the office.Work hadn't started yet, but some people had stopped by to check on me. I was supposed to have fallen down my apartment stairs and gotten injured as an excuse for my leave. Janet, my secretary, told me that so far, she hadn't felt that anyone at the office knew about the revelation in Tagaytay regarding the Schultzes. I had already told her about it so not to keep her in the dark, given how closely she worked with me. This way, she could also try to look out for me and see what everyone was saying about whatever gossip found its way to work.Of course, I didn't mention the development between Gian and me. No one outside our families needed to know about that. Or at least, not yet.It made sense that no one here still knew about the formal breakup between Brandon and me. These employees weren't connected to people who would hear the news. Their concern and curiosity were the reasons they checked on me in my office, especially those old
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) Prelude IV and 37
Prelude FOURTwo drunk men staggered along the beach, singing drunkenly while one of them waved a bottle of gin in his hand. After a while, he lifted the bottle to his mouth and drank, only to be disappointed when he realized it was empty.He said something to his companion, and they both laughed. The man then tossed the useless bottle onto the sand, and they continued their unsteady walk.After a few moments, one of them stopped and pointed towards the water, close to where the waves were crashing onto the sand. He let go of his friend's shoulder and waded in to retrieve whatever was floating there, pulling it towards the shore. It was a large sack tied with a rope, and something was inside.They struggled to untie the rope. From inside, something round began to emerge from the sack's opening.Suddenly, both men sobered up and started shouting, for there on the sand lay the head of a lifeless woman. Her long hair spread out on the sand, played with by the waves as if wanting to pull h
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 36
Elise“For real? My God, Elise! Poor Tootsie! What kind of heartless person would do that to a poor dog?” exclaimed Alia on the other end of the line, shocked and on the verge of tears. I had called her first thing when I woke up in the morning.I sighed, massaging my forehead. “I don’t know. Anna was the first to find her, so she’s been crying nonstop. She even needed to take a tranq to calm down and rest.”“What about you, and Inay and Itay?”“We’re still in shock. But Tootsie has already been buried in the garden.” I realized tears were streaming down my face. I had been so worried about Anna that my own grief over what happened to our pet was just catching up with me now. “Alia…?” I said, wiping my tears. “Is it okay if we… if we have a pet there at our house?”“You’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking!” she exclaimed.I smiled. “I want to take one of the puppies once they’re stronger. I want to help take care of Tootsie’s remaining puppies.”“Please, pretty please?! I want to he
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 35
EliseI RECOVERED my senses as he showered sweet kisses over my face. I started to hear the waves again, and his hand that had worked wonders was arranging my clothes over me as if he had not wreaked havoc on the body that those covered.My heart was still beating very fast, and my mind was still stunned.“Welcome to the world of adults,” he whispered with our lips barely touching.My reply was to lift my chin to give him a passionately grateful kiss.It took a moment more before I could move. We laid in the sand in a tight embrace, and I moved my head. He looked down at me.“How do you feel?”I couldn’t help but smile. I felt so languid like I was warm liquid. I felt like I was dreaming but I knew I was not. “I feel wonderful.”“That’s great. I hope you don’t get mad at me…”I was still smiling like an idiot. “Why?”“It’s just that when we fell…? I landed on your rose.”I stared at him for a moment before my mind caught up. “What?!” I pushed him away so we could sit up. “Where?” I cr
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 34
EliseI PUSHED AWAY from him to get up, but I heard him grunt, and then I realized that my elbows were sticking to his ribs. “Oh!” I adjusted my position. “Sorry.” And I started to get up again.But his arms tightened around me. He looked winded, but he was smiling. My heart pounded as warmth spread somewhere in the vicinity of my lower abdomen. “Gian…”“You do know that all that stupid play was to get you exactly where you are right now? Minus this small accident.”I laughed. “Really? You didn’t plan to bump into my head?”He sighed. “I know… I should have just kissed you the moment Anna left,” he said, then reached up and pulled me by the nape of my neck so our lips met.I responded to him right away. As soon as he felt my response, he groaned and kissed me deeper. His mouth opened, and the next moment I tasted the sweetness of the chocolate we had shared in our heated kiss.I felt warmth permeating my body. His arms released me but his mouth didn’t. He worked his jacket off, kissin
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 33
EliseI GOT UP before Anna completely lost it. She was covering her entire face with her hands, feeling incredibly embarrassed that Gian heard what she said. She was also extremely thrilled.“It’s Valentine’s Day, so I brought flowers for two single, beautiful ladies I know are here. Here’s for you, Anna.”Anna quickly extended her right hand to take the flowers and chocolates, while still covering half her face with the other hand. “Thank you, Gian. Happy Valentine’s Day! Eeeeh!”Still screeching the longest screech ever, she turned and ran back to the beach house.Gian and I laughed while watching her, and Tootsie, who momentarily didn't know whether to follow or stay, eventually ran after her. Tootsie was, for all intents and purposes, really Anna’s dog.Then Gian turned to me. An awkward moment passed as he seemed unsure of what to say.“I thought you didn’t do Valentine’s?”He handed me a box with a long-stemmed rose and a ribbon-tied chocolate bar. “I don’t want you to be lonely
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 32
EliseAFTER A BURP and a sigh, I settled back in my chair, smiling. We had dinner on the balcony of the beach house that evening, at a long table filled with our favorite recipes cooked by Itay Jess. I was surrounded by soft conversation and laughter, and the atmosphere was relaxed. The smell of barbecue from the grill lingered in the air. The soft music of 2Cellos played from the speakers by the side of the house. The best part, though, was the steady white noise of waves lapping on the beach. I planned to get out there to walk or swim tonight, so I was wearing a bikini under my top and shorts.Right now, I felt so lazy.And happy.And without a care in the world.I heard the sound of a chair being pulled and looked up. Inay was standing up with the help of Itay Jess, who pulled her chair away from the table.“Look, guys. We need to scram.”Anna was all smiles. “Enjoy!”“Whe
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) Prelude IV and 31
Prelude IV“AYYY… wait, wait. Let’s stop. Stop…” The overweight woman stepped aside from the jogging trail in the woods and leaned against a tree. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her right hand before fanning herself. “Haaaay. Whose bright idea was it to come here? Why did I get dragged into this again?”Her jogging companion, a woman who had run ahead on the trail, jogged back with a grin. “Because you have a crush who only dates sexy women? C’mon, Betty. We’re almost done. Then you can have breakfast.”“Breakfast? My tongue’s already hanging out, Lorna. I don’t know if I can make it out!” Betty wailed, almost in tears.Lorna reached out and grabbed Betty's arm, trying to pull her along. But Betty was heavy, and Lorna momentarily lost her balance, bracing herself against the tree trunk. The two of them laughed.“You thought I was light, huh?” teased Betty.Lorna was about to respond but suddenly stopped. She crinkled her nose. “Why does it smell so bad? Like so
A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1) 30
EliseMorning came when I woke up. I wasn't surprised to find that Gian was no longer beside me, but I grabbed the pillow where his head had rested and hugged it.He had stayed until almost morning. Before he left, he whispered that he needed to get up and go back to his room before his mother checked on me. I remember his touch on my cheek before I fell asleep again.As I slowly awakened, memories of the previous night started to come back. My drunkenness... the things I said...I opened my eyes, gazing at the rotating ceiling fan above the bed. Did I tell him I liked him? It felt like I did, but the details were hazy. Did I mean it in a simple way or something more?I slowly got up, feeling the ache in my entire body. I needed my medicine. My head throbbed, and I craved a cup of coffee. I needed a hot shower.I had to be ready when I face Gian again. And only because I couldn't hide fr
