Chapter 4

The soft tick toks of the clock disrupted her thoughts. The longer she kept silent, the more she was being drowned in Caleb's blue eyes.

"Alright. Take your time. I don't want to force a woman to marriage."

He distanced himself away from her, then putting the tray on the bed where she was sitting, he said, "Help yourself. I'll be downstairs."

After hearing the door closed, Kaliya quickly checked where her phone is. She found it under the pillows, inside her purse she brought last night.

When things finally sunk in and confirming that this time she screwed up real bad, she muttered curses inside her head.

'I'm not going to drink alone anymore.'

She stood up, inspecting the room. The t-shirt she was wearing felt loose, but the pajama pants quite fitted her.

She then felt a surge of shame.

Eyeing the window and then the door, she made a decision.

Calling her sister's phone number, she nervously paced around the room.

["Who's this?"]

She stopped and doubted her decision, and then struggled to say the words, "Help me."

A good twenty minutes later, Kaliya quickly got in the car. She breathed heavily as Amanda steered the car into a U-turn.

"What the fuck, Kaliya?"

"Just drive. Don't stop," Kaliya urged her.

She felt a stare from somewhere and looking back to the house where she escaped a few seconds ago, she found Caleb staring at her from the window. The very same window she used to escape.

Kaliya had thought that she can use the window as an escape route earlier. The problem was, the room is located at the second floor. Fortunately, the next room had a balcony and Kaliya managed to get down and hid behind the bushes as she waited for Amanda.

The car drove past the house but Kaliya can't shake her uneasiness. She was sure that Caleb was saying something before they drove away.

It was something like, "You can't run away from me."

Kaliya felt small shivers down to her spine.

"Okay, Kaliya. Tell me what happened and why are you looking so nervous?" Amanda asked, looking at her every now and then. She was wearing her working clothes indicating that she is already working.

"Just had a drink last night and I forgot my car. I slept in a friend's house. You should have just send Aaron."

"Where were you last night?"

"Drinking."

"Where?"

"...at a bar."

"Where?"

"Downtown. Stop asking my head hurts."

The effects of alcohol had taken a toll in her head. Considering that she didn't even remember all that had happened last night and the terrible headache she's having, she knew that she must have drank a lot.

"At the downtown bar? Are you serious? Do you even know that there are countless scandals there? What if you drag down our family?"

Kaliya breathed out an exasperated sigh and massaged her head.

"Listen, that place is like a lion's den. Don't think of going back there," Amanda firmly said and noticing that Kaliya isn't even listening, she gripped the steering wheel and glared at Kaliya in the mirror. "Why did you even went there?"

Kaliya, who felt dizzy and all with the scoldings and hangover, replied quietly. "You won't even understand."

"I will if you tell me."

But Kaliya never planned to tell her. It was a day later when Amanda knew why.

It was supposed to be a family dinner. Just a simple dinner outside. If not for the Lopez couple with their third child in front of Kaliya.

Jonas was smiling since the beginning, creating a warm vibe within the two families.

"Kaliya, honey. Isn't Jonas a nice man?" Her stepmother asked her with a fake smile.

Kaliya gave her a small grin. "Yes, mother. In fact, when he and I first saw each other, he told me I was beautiful."

"Oh," Jonas' mother exclaimed, "I know you guys were just the perfect partner."

Jonas then eyed her, still smiling, as if he was amused. Kaliya quickly turned her focus on her food.

"Well, what do you think, darling?," her stepmother asked her father. "They look good together and Jonas is a gentleman. I'm sure Kaliya would be happy when she's with him."

There was a loud 'clink' from the side, prompting everyone to look at Amanda who dropped her knife on her plate. She made a 'whoops' reaction and proceeded to pick her utensil, said, "Sorry, my bad," while grinning and ate in silence as if nothing happened.

Fiona, Kaliya's stepmother, gave her daughter a scolding gaze and smiled back. "Well, back to business. I hope that this engagement will bring our families closer."

Jonas' father laughed and answered, "Of course, Mrs. Reyes."

Feeling sick, Kaliya excused herself to the restroom.

"Jonas, escort Kaliya."

"Yes, mother." On his mother's request, Jonas led Kaliya to the restroom.

"I can go on my own," Kaliya said after concluding that no one can hear them now.

"I'm very concerned," Jonas said with a sly smile. "I received news that the second daughter only come home on holidays."

Kaliya was sure that the second daughter meant herself. And it is also an indication that Kaliya isn't familiar with the place.

And so it was true. This was Kaliya's first time eating in a restaurant that the Lopez owned. Of course, she was bound to be unfamiliar.

Kaliya gave him a gaze of disinterest. "You don't have to. We'll just tire ourselves."

"Well, hun. I don't plan doing that."

The one who was getting tired was Kaliya herself.

Calming her temper down, Kaliya muttered under her breath, "What a f*cking bastard," which fortunately, wasn't heard by Jonas who was beside her.

What had their parents discussed earlier was their engagement ceremony at three months later. Although, both she and Jonas were silent and only nodded and answered yes, Kaliya didn't feel that it was a meeting where her marriage is the topic. Marriages should be sacred, she thought. She didn't even dreamed of getting married.

"I guess, I'll be the unhappiest fiance when our engagement would happen," Kaliya blurted out of the blue. She spoke what her thoughts are, reflectively.

Jonas hardened his gaze and stopped walking.

"Oh, my bad. I was just stating my thoughts."

That was the last straw and Jonas rushed to her and pinned her on the wall. His eyes full of anger, glared at her.

"You dare say that even you're a half?" he asked in a low tone. "You should be thankful that someone is willing to accept you even though you are an illegitimate child."

Kaliya felt her wrists hurting up as Jonas released them. He fixed his coat and tie and glared at her again. "Don't be late. We still have dinner to finish."

He left, without glancing at his back, leaving alone Kaliya.

The sudden excuse of going to the bathroom is just a pretext to get out of that suffocating dinner table. As she walked along the hallways, she remembered what Jonas said.

"Illegitimate, huh?"

'Fine,' Kaliya thought. 'I should act like an illegitimate daughter.'

It was time for her to throw away the gentle facade. There aren't shows no more.

"You there," she called a staff. "Tell them that I'm going home. I have a bit of a stomachache."

The staff flinched and bowed, saying yes and hurried over as if to escape.

Kaliya grinned inwardly. Marriage or whatever, she won't do it.

The family of two was in all smiles during the dinner. Jonas appeared after he and Kaliya excused themselves.

"Jonas," his mother called him. "Where's your fiance?"

He let out a gentle smile. "She said she'll follow me soon. Don't worry, mother. The staffs are guiding her."

Despite Jonas' smooth lies, Amanda gave him an icy stare. "Don't tell me you went off ahead, leaving your 'soon-to-be-fiance'."

Jonas glared at her too. "Kaliya said she wanted to tour herself. Wouldn't I respect her decision and let her be?"

Then he sat down on his seat. He gave Amanda a small smirk after hearing that she was being scolded.

"Amanda, don't be rude. Jonas is nice so it's no wonder that he cares for your sister."

Amanda scoffed inwardly and picked up her glass wine and took a sip, thinking that it would calm down her irritation.

The family meeting between the two families continued in a joyous manner. Not until a staff came and whispered on Jonas' ears.

"What?!" Jonas almost shouted. "What do you mean left?!"

The staff flinched as all eyes were directed to her.

"What's going on?" Jonas' father asked, eyeing the trembling staff.

"Kaliya left," Jonas answererd his father's question. "She said she was feeling sick."

"Who?" Francis Cruz, Amanda and Kaliya's father asked. It was a one word question but it held so much pressure that Jonas couldn't even dare treat lightly.

"It seemed that she was tired and decided to go home first today," Jonas replied.

He was pissed earlier by that half's attitude and now that she left feigning sickness just to get out of this situation, he fought the urge to break something.

"Hey you," Amanda took notice of the staff. "What did my sister said?"

"T-that she was going home because she has a slight stomachache..."

"What?!" Fiona, Amanda's mother and Kaliya's stepmother, nearly screamed.

It was an insult. Jonas knew. He balled his fists under the table.

Kaliya was indeed insulting his family. It was an indirect saying that she didn't want to be tied to Jonas. She was indicating that she won't get engaged to him. And this pricks Jonas' pride.

'How dare you!'

"She has a stomachache?" Francis eyes shone darkly which was directed to Jonas.

The reason why Jonas was forced to have an interaction with Kaliya even if he doesn't wanted to was because he wanted to have a powerful connection to benefit him. Recently he succeeded a small company that his father handed down to him, and as he wanted it to be bigger, he must first attract investors to invest. His first thought was to woo Amanda. But Amanda seems hard to subdue. So he settled for the weak second daughter. If things sailed smoothly, he would have to marry Kaliya and receive support from his in-laws.

But his plans were thwarted by that illegitimate child. He gritted his teeth.

"M-mr. Cruz!" Jonas' mother started stammering. "I apologize if it's about the food. She may have an upset stomach because she was unfamiliar with the food!"

Fool, Jonas almost said. It wasn't because of the food.

Francis Cruz picked up a napkin and wiped his lips. Dinner has not yet finished and the dessert will be served shortly but the mood had plummeted.

"Dear," Fiona Reyes tried to soothe Francis. "We haven't finished our conversation yet."

"There's no need," Francis said, standing up. "Our partnership is cancelled Mr. Lopez. I'll be retiring soon, so if you want to renew the contract, consider talking to Amanda."

The Reyes left. And Jonas' father, in rage, cursed his wife for her meaningless words and left first.

"This was your idea! If you haven't suggested Jonas getting married to that b*tch!"

Later, Jonas' mother left without any words. Jonas was alone in the room. Soon the chef arrived to serve dessert.

"Why are you late?" he asked to the chef.

It was meaningless but he needed to let out his anger.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Bring it here and leave."

The chef placed it on the table and left immediately. Alone, once again, Jonas angrily picked up a glass, still filled with wine and threw it on the wall. The glass shattering made an satisfying sound.

"How dare you."

He picked up a glass again and threw it. The wine spilling on the floor.

"I'll have my revenge."

Amanda chose to go on a different direction other than going home.

"Get home safely."

"Yes, Father."

Aaron, who was summoned to drive, greeted his boss as she opened the car door.

"Where are you off to, boss?"

The night was young. Amanda felt suffocated in her evening dress but it was such a waste to just go home.

"To Exodus."

Exodus was a private bar who was owned by an acquaintance of her.

'Come to think of it, I should bring Kaliya there sometimes.' As she felt a headache brewing by remembering what happened earlier, she decided to think about work.

"Aaron, what is my schedule tomorrow."

"Here," he gave her the tablet.

As she was browsing over her schedule, a notification popped. Eyeing the word 'Reyes' on the headline, she checked the news.

It contained some juicy posts; a typical ploy to bait viewers.

Her brows furrowed as she read out, "Caleb Cruz seen in a bar with a woman! Is he dating?"

The news of a famous young CEO dating would surely flip the business world. Amanda too, couldn't deny that he is a husband material and a good partner in terms of marriage and business. But he flatly refused when she suggested that they date. And of course, she backed out quickly.

The next headline shocked her.

'Kaliya Reyes and Caleb Cruz dating rumors; are they really dating?'

'Cruz and Reyes engagement leaks.'

"What the hell?"