NELINA
I entered our villa, pressing my lips with Royce in my mind. Royce made leaving him hard; I almost gave in to another heated move between us. He was simply irresistible.
I fixed myself when I saw Marica standing on the balcony, especially my messy hair. I don't want Marica to think anything negative about Royce and me. Though, I still didn't know where to start when she would ask what we did last night after leaving the bar.
"Hey!"
Marica shifted at me. "Oh, good morning, my beautiful best friend. How was your night?"
"Good morning, I'm fine. It was a long night." I kissed Marica on the cheek as I greeted her.
"Oh,
NELINAI was having difficulty sleeping at night as I couldn't get Royce out of my head. The touch of his hand and his soft lips brushing my skin became so apparent to me like he was in my bed. I longed to have him near me, to love and care for me. I wondered if he was thinking about me while lying on his bed.The flash thought of Roxie came into my head, especially when she appeared behind Royce on the beach. The real score between them was unclear to Roxie, while Royce insisted that they were done two years ago. The thought of Maddox and Roxie kept me up all night. I don't want to be entangled with an unfinished relationship.The following day I woke in my bed with Royce still in my thoughts. I hugged my soft pillow imagining it was Royce's warm body, until I remembered I had to attend an event.
NELINAI wouldn't get tired of visiting this place to eat. I said to myself when we walked into my favorite, or should I say our favorite Italian restaurant. Amazingly, we shared the same sentiment in this place. How odd is that to people not related to each other?His granny and my brother left us almost simultaneously, and this place reminds us so much of them. Thoughts after thoughts came to mind. I've visited Boloca Felize many times, but I didn't recall seeing Royce; he is not a familiar face to me. I would love to believe that there's a suitable time for everything. The right time to meet the right person.Is he the right person? Some parts of me argued in my head."Welcome, Mr. Park, Ms.
NELINA"That's very unwelcoming Nelly, it's not like we had a good time before," he said, a disgusting smirk spread on his lips.When I first met Royce, I was annoyed with his wicked smirk, but with this man, I felt disgusted."Did we? I don't remember," my voice firmed as I stood up beside Royce.Royce looked at me in confusion but didn't say a word. His narrowed eyebrows and wary eyes were enough statements that he wanted to know what was going on. Royce grabbed my hand entwining with his, a smile escaped on the corner of his lips. I took it as an assurance that everything would be fine. He squeezed my moist hand with my sweat."Sweet..." Dennis said in his low tone voice as if to tease us, and then he t
NELINA"Yes, you are," an old man appeared on the door. He was probably in his 60's."Dennis, don't degrade your family's reputation. This is such a disgraceful act. And also, we have plenty of valued customers tonight. I can't let you ruin our restaurant's reputation." The old man reprimanded Dennis. He then nodded to the security guards to dismiss them.The security started to drag Dennis again."You can't do this to me, old man.""Of course I can. If you don't want your father to know about this, you better obey." The old man said; his voice didn't trail off.Dennis froze at the mention of his father, he was taken aback and obediently followed the secu
ROYCEI continuously massage my temple while pacing back and forth in my living room, waiting for the call to be picked up. Nelina wouldn't admit it, but I saw it in her eyes. She was terrified; her anxiety attacked again even though she did her best to hide it from me."Hello, Mr. Park." Finally, a well-modulated voice came from the other line."Yes, Jay, thanks for picking up. I know it's late, but I badly need your help," I said as I sat on the couch. Almost midnight when I took a glance at my wristwatch. It took two hours before I finally decided to call for professional help."I am sending you a detailed format that I need for a certain person. Please give me all the details when I come home from Manila. I'll be leaving tomorrow, so hopefully, af
ROYCE The food was excellent, unlike what Nelina has pointed out that she's not a good cook. Probably my sense of taste is biased when it comes to her that the food is savored good. Although, I think it tastes delicious because Nelina might have gotten it from her mom, who's a great cook. Whichever might be, I enjoyed having my breakfast cooked by the one I love. "Hey," Nelina gently elbowed me, which interrupted my thoughts. "Yes." "Have you scheduled an appointment with the doctor today?" "Yes, we have to be there at 11am to check Sir Arthur and discuss the options we have for your dad's speedy recovery." "That's even be
NELINA The conversation with Royce in the hospital keeps replaying in my head. Royce seems really happy helping my family that I could not help but be curious about his own family. His parents, he said, left him when he was little. It must have been hard for him. The thought of it crushed my heart. All this time, it was all about me about my anxiety, my family, and my job. He always made time for me. I forcefully shut my eyes and suppressed the guilt inside. I should be reciprocating all the love he gave me; I don't want him to feel that way, not seeing his worth. My nails raked on the bed I sat on. I felt like I'd put too much burden on Royce's shoulder. If not for his looks, I wouldn't believe that he is a 30-year-old man. Royce was way more mature in dealing with things more than any other man I know i
ROYCEAt precisely 1 PM, the team was complete. Nelly and I were the last ones to arrive at the Racing Track. Rico, Santi, Leo, and Andi were already in their racer suits. Well prepared for our scheduled Sunday drag racing practice. "Guys, you know my girlfriend, right?" I said as we joined in the group patiently waiting for us. Nelly's hand entwined with mine."How could we forget?" Rico was quick to answer."Hi, Nelly," Andi and Leo said in unison and raised a hand in greetings."Hi, guys," Nelly responded as she pressed her lips in a thin line. She's still a little shy around my friends."Sweet..." I heard Santi. His voice had a trace of tease as he prolonged the word, a sinister smirk pla
NELINAEverything changed from where I stood. The tragic event remains in my memory, but justice has been served, so it felt better. I was looking at where my brother died 5 years ago.I lit a candle and brought white roses for my brother Mark. He sure smiles back at me as we finally commit justice for him.My anxiety was gone. For years I couldn't stand visiting the exact place. I was too scared to be bombarded with the horrible incident that gave me nightmares for years. But everything was in the past. I healed myself with the help of those who genuinely love and support me.The executives tried to appeal but failed to twist the truth and even lower the sentence. They will be stuck in prison for the rest of their lives. And obviously, they were all removed as executives in Sunny Corporations.Lexxi, Mia, and Arya didn't bother to argue with us again. My wish is that they have learned their lessons. I never meant to take revenge wrongly; I only wanted justice for my family."I'm so p
NELINAOne morning Marica called me. She wasn't in a good mood; I could tell by the tone of her voice."Besty, what's wrong?" I asked her."It's bad news.""Tell me.""I can't proceed with filing a case on anybody regarding the accident. The man driving the Ferrari was shot dead a day after the incident, and now the police have no lead on who could be the mastermind. It was a dead end.""Oh, Marica, I'm sorry to hear that.""The police just found out recently. They couldn't trace the car anymore; they suspected it was chopped and sold apart. Those bastards thoroughly clean up the mess they did.""They are so good at doing this. Don't worry, besty, we will surely find justice in another way.""What do you mean?""You know what I meant. The trial is ongoing, and we have a higher chance of winning. The sentence should be enough for them to be in prison.""Yes, I'd love that.""Besty, I am free for today. Well, I am always free since I don't have regular work. I want to visit you if you n
ROYCEThe first day of the trial has arrived. I was preparing my clothes when I got a call from Nelly."Hello, baby, how's your morning?""Not so fine," Nelly said weakly. It alarmed me to hear her that way."What's wrong? Are you worried about the trial later? Don't be; we have a strong chance of winning. I've talked to our legal team.""No, it's not that. I'm worried about you. Someone called me and said Mr. Gonzalez withdrew the charges against you, and he would expect us to do the same. I stood firm and told him we would continue the fight.""Baby, you did the right thing. We will fight and win. There's nothing to worry about. Was it Mr. Gonzalez who called?""No. And he was using a different number. But I'm sure he was tasked by Mr. Gonzalez. I mean, who else could it be?""Don't worry about that, baby. We had predicted he would withdraw the charges against me. He has too much in his hands now. He can't bear another problem, especially with me.""Yeah, but I'm worried for you. Mr
NELINAI gently shook Royce's shoulder to wake him up."Baby, I have to go."Royce had a little movement on the third time I shook his shoulder. His lips parted, and he talked like a baby. He opened his eyes little by little, and as soon as his sight landed on me, he smiled."Good morning, baby. What time is it?" He asked, grabbing me on my waist and pulling me close to him."Baby, stop. It's almost 8 in the morning; mom and dad must be worried. Besides, you still have to go to your company.""Hmm…it seems too early to work. We can spend an hour staying in bed. What do you think?""We can't; I have to go. Let..."Royce kissed me before I could finish what I had to say. I couldn't find the strength to protest as he was deepening our kiss. Royce succeeded in getting me to stay in bed for an hour.Before heading to shower, I checked local news online to see if there was an update about the charges we filed against the Sunny Corporations executives. Since they are well-known men, the pres
NELINA"Nelly, who is it?" Marica asked casually."It's the same number as yesterday.""Take it; let's hear what he has to say this time," Royce said.I swiped the screen to answer the call and then put it on speaker mode. We were all attentive in listening to the other line. "Nelly, you didn't listen to what I said the last time I talked to you. Let's make a deal. You stop the cases against Mr. Robert Gonzalez and the other executives, and we will withdraw the case against your boyfriend. You surely won't like having your boyfriend locked in jail. Do you?" The man, in a rough voice, laughed. He sounded like he was mocking me.His confidence in getting Royce in jail was on another level: he scared me to death and could not speak. Royce gently squeezed my shoulder; it took me out of reverie. He grabbed the phone from my hand."You cannot threaten us just like that. If you think you have what it takes to win this war, show it in court, not here. Mr. Chairman, you won't be bragging abou
NELINAI nodded to the bodyguards standing in front of Marica’s hospital room. I assumed Leo and Marica had hired security personnel just as Royce suggested last night. Four of my bodyguards join them in watching outside the room.I knocked on the door and patiently waited for Leo to open it for me. It took him so long that my naughty thoughts ran wild. “They couldn’t do it here,” I whispered and tried not to giggle. I didn’t want the securities to look at me like I'm an idiot.I hated myself for coming up with dirty thoughts in just a little while standing at the front door. By the time Leo opened the door, he looked at me in confusion. His hair was a mess which fed my naughty thoughts about him and Marica.“What’s wrong? What are you smiling at?”“Nothing.”Leo bobbed his head. “Come on in. Marica and I have been waiting for you.”I followed Leo and the look of Marica’s bed wasn’t helping with my dirty mind. The blanket was a mess and even Marica’s hair.“What are you laughing at, s
NELINAFirst thing in the morning I got a call from Royce. It brightens my mood to see his name on the screen of my phone. “Good morning, baby, why so early?” I answered as I sat on my bed and rested my head on the headboard.“I only want to check my baby following what happened last night. Did you get another call from the same man?” Royce asked in his husky morning voice.“No calls from him anymore and I hope he won’t be calling again. I hate the sound of his rough voice. It sent chills in my body.”“Baby, don’t be scared, I got you. You and your family are guarded. I added security personnel so no one could ever harm you. And one more thing, I already asked someone to trace the number if there’s anything we could get which will lead to the investigation.”“Thanks for the security. Regarding the sim card. What if he already threw it?”“Well, we can surely find another way to trace him. Anyway, we are certain he is one of the culprits, or he has been paid to do it.”“Same thoughts.”
NELINAMarica and I looked at Royce and Leo with our mouths falling open. Their reactions were unexpected. We laughed in unison, seeing how worried Royce and Leo were; both of them stared at us in confusion.“Is this a game? Girls, why are you crying?” Royce asked. He seemed relaxed by then.“No, baby, it’s just a sudden burst of emotion after sharing some of our recent experiences. You know, about my family and the incident today.” I didn’t mention Marica’s family matter as I thought she wouldn’t like discussing it in the hospital.“Can we have our coffee now?” Marica asked excitedly.“Sure,” Leo said as he handed Marica’s coffee, next was mine. Both of them were seated on the sofa while I stayed by Marica's side, sipping my coffee.The hospital room was spacious enough to have a sofa set and dining area beside it. It appeared neat and elegant with white paint, and a modern and luxurious interior.“God, it’s so good. This helps me relax.““Seriously, besty?”“Yeah, it does help me ca
NELINAIt took us almost 30 minutes to drive to Arturo Medical Center. Four of the bodyguards came with us inside the hospital. Royce and I hurried to the front desk, and I immediately asked the staff in charge.“Ms. we are looking for Marica Lopez. She was admitted just an hour ago and our friend told us she’s still in the emergency room.”The woman wearing white, probably in her mid-30s scanned the desktop immediately. She had a pleasant smile when she seemed to have found the answer. “Ms. Lopez is already in her suite room. Please head to room 309.”“Thank you,” I said as I nodded at her.“Baby, let’s go,” I said and dragged Royce on the elevator, the four men followed us. My heart was pounding in my chest even stronger with every step I made on our way to Marica’s room.“Calm down baby, we’ll get there now.”“Baby, you know I can’t. I’m so worried about Marica. My head just won’t stop thinking about the worst-case scenario.”“I’m here,” Royce said, clasping his hand on mine tightl