Chapter II

"So bothersome!"

  

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Emily fixed the messy pony she tied in between the crown and the nape before coming to the club. The dark shade of makeup and her dark lens hid the softness of her square face. Her strong jaw, above-average height, and tanned skin that caused the humid temperature in Brazil were a plus, and the muscle she gained from my ritual exercise, and having her apartment close to the beach, her swimming regularly helped to bring out the look of a young countryside man she wanted.

If the manager of the club she works didn't promise to pay her double, she wouldn't have agreed to come to work early in the morning for the decoration for a birthday event she did in the pool bar with the help of a few of her colleagues. Months ago, seeing the praise she received from their foreign clients for the food, wine, and decor, the boss and the manager never left a chance to take advantage of her using her weakness with extra money. Then again, she needed some cash, and dinner was free today.

The moment Emily reached the top of the stairs, the manager rushed towards her with a wine bottle in his hand. "Take this to the poolside. They choose to chill there, so don't worry. Our boss will be there, so don't be nervous about anything. No one more than you know how to deal with these kinds of clients." Before she could refuse him, the manager forcibly handed it to her, saying, "I don't want to hear any complaints about you this time. There wouldn't be anything I could do to save your arse from our boss."

"Okay, sir," Sighing in defeat, Emily took the elevator to the pool bar. She ran into a few men in black who blocked her way to check. She had to keep her gaze lower as, for some reason, she started to feel anxious whenever she saw these agents/bodyguards.

In all her life, Emily had to compromise her privacy with her father's men surrounding her for her protection, but now, that situation scares her more. With so many gazes on her, she couldn't tell whom she should trust or run from after so many attacks on me, and after losing both of her parents from her life, it became frequent. And now, she was in a hideout.

Stepping into the poolside, Emily inwardly cursed at those fellows relaxing in the water. Because of these elites and their last-minute notice, she couldn't go to her grandpa's home for his one sign, even though she knew the chances of him showing up ran negative.

Emily exhaled a breath and circled the pool to reach the bar counter. With over ten to fifteen men and women present there, drinking and swirling their bodies to the tune of music, she couldn't tell how the boss would discuss things for the meeting.

"That man seemed very strange to work with, trust me. We can't deal with someone like him who rules not only this country but has a reach and influence throughout all South American countries."

  

"You don't even want to imagine how many multinational companies and fast-growing start-ups he has destroyed in one year. Those industrialists who thought they could suppress James Groups & Industries because of the fall of Eriberto Iglesias James, the former chairman, are now struggling to make ends meet."

Emily was startled after hearing them take her father's name.

"Let's go back to the UK, Bash? Your mother will help to establish- "

Emily frowned. She felt as if she had heard that name somewhere before.

"I like to do things my way to my liking without any of their interference in my business. When I have more than thousands of loyal and hardworking people working by my side, why would I bother myself and compromise with anything after coming this far?"

"I didn't mean that, Bash. I am merely showing concern, hoping you will move to Northern America or Europe again. It's better to play safe than expect the unexpected from Emmanuel Iglesias, who now wants to destroy a girl's life with the media's involvement."

Emily froze when she heard that but forced herself to cross the pool to reach the counter where her colleagues could be seen.

"You mean he will call the paparazzi next time if he sees her anywhere close to his place?"

Grandpa! How could he even think about doing this to me? 

Her eyes welled up, and she desperately tried to push them back, not wanting anyone to see them.

She couldn't believe her grandpa hated her so much that he now wanted her dead.

It had to be that. Her grandpa wouldn't have done anything to involve the media when he knew what could happen to her after that.

"Why does it sound worse than calling the cops on her?" Our boss laughed while gesturing to the waiters, "Bring our drinks up here."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Emily took her position behind the counter to prepare the drinks. She joined her colleagues to serve the guests but kept her ears open to hear more about Grandpa and gather more information about that man named Bash.

"For the stalking, this girl should be thrown in jail rather than bringing her into the spotlight."

One of them commented, at which Bash laughed, whose back was facing Emily now.

"When I say that, believe me, I have never met someone so shameless who looks proud of the unethical job she has been doing for god knows how long," Emily observed Bash from a distance, still not understanding why he was holding grudges against her. "The only good thing I see about it is that I was not the one she had been stalking but my soon-to-be business partner in this city."

One of the women said as she asked teasingly, changing the subject or maybe the current topic those men were discussing was heavy, "So, Bash. When are you planning to propose to Maddy? After her parents fixed her marriage to somewhere else?"

Bash faked a pain in his tone when he said, "It's my birthday, and you are asking me about buying a ring for my girlfriend?"

Another woman joined, "You see the decoration here...Madeline did all this for you. The jet lag tired us all, but she comes here to prepare everything for you. Since junior high, she has always been by your side, but you still don't have time to give her a wedding."

"Allow him to catch some breath, girls." Mr. Kennedy laughed, "Everything in this city is taking a toll on him."

"How do you even live here, Roberto? It's too hot in this city." Bash huffed a breath as if he was having difficulty in this city. Sounding worried, he asked about his girlfriend, "Why isn't she still here? You told me she would be here."

Emily had been there since morning for the decor, but she didn't see anyone coming to look at the arrangements. All thanks to Mom, who kept her at her side many times while arranging Emily's Dad's meetings and events to keep her boyfriend away from her.

  

After overhearing their conversation, Emily could predict how she would end up if she went to Grandpa's place again. The Oldman had been planning what she had no idea of, but she could tell why he decided to take this extreme step when he knew what the outcome would be when so many people had seen her because of her mother, who always kept her in the spotlight, going against her dad's wishes.

A chorus of hooting took her out of her thoughts, and Emily caught the couple of the night who stole the show.

Her face warmed up, knowing they were kissing, even when she couldn't see anything because Bash's back blocked the view from her. How could anyone do that when she questioned the ground's existence for not swallowing her whole when my boyfriend used to plant kisses on her cheeks in public, ignoring her mother's warning eyes, her dad's icy glares, and his mother's disapproving look?

The party turned wild, and no one brought up her family in their conversation again, which put her at ease.

Emily immediately left the pool when their manager sent a few servers to replace her and others whose shifts were over or had been there since early that morning. That man was an annoying but thoughtful person who covered for us if we were in trouble.

After changing into her hoodie in the locker room, Emily headed to take the elevator.

She was so exhausted that she wiped off my makeup and put on my glass as she tucked the cap down to hide her face completely.

The elevator door opened, and just when she thought about stepping in, she froze when a man appeared behind her, sneering, "You!"

Suddenly, the man grasped her shoulder only to pull her out as he growled in her face, "Who let you into this private club?"

Her eyes widened when they met with a pair of icy green orbs.

That birthday boy, he was, who talked nonsense about her before his friends and colleagues.

But why did he look familiar to her?

He couldn't be that celebrity guy on that bus, could he?

But he sounded like that guy, and that faint cut on his perfectly shaped eyebrow looked the same.

Oh, gosh!

She couldn't help but stammer in fright, "So...sorry, sir. But I don't know you."

  

"You followed me here!" Looking at her, he glowered, "How dare you, lass?"

Her heart dropped, seeing him fishing out his phone from his jacket.

"No, sir, please. Believe in me. I am not that kind of person." She begged as she tried to pry his grip over her shoulder.

"I know what kind of girl you are! And...oh, you got the photos of us with you, don't you?" He didn't wait for her response and pushed her inside the elevator. "Wait till the police arrive here. I won't leave you today until I send you to where you belong, lass."

Shivering in fright, she saw the man tapping on the switch panel.

Adrenaline rushed into her, and she began sweating like hell in anticipation in her chest. She thought of doing something, but nothing came to her mind, and no matter what she said, he was not taking any, as he believed in his intuition that she had been stalking him.

The door slowly started to close, and she saw the door of hell opening for her.

If he took her to the first floor, she would lose her job and put her life at stake. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, and she wasted no time kicking his legs, and seeing him off guard, she shoved him out of the elevator before the door closed in his face.

"F.uck!" The last thing she heard from him as he looked at her with astonishment in his eyes.

Her heart was beating loudly against her ribcage in fear still. The man could easily catch her if he took the stairs.

As the elevator door opened, Emily ran out and dashed towards the back door quickly after pushing the crowd away from her way.

"That's her! Hurry up and catch her!"

She heard his voice and footsteps approaching her in the passage behind the club.

Her cheeks paled, and she fastened her pace before the men behind her caught her, but then, she bumped into someone.

Emily looked up, and her heart missed a beat, recognizing the woman was that man's girlfriend.

Is she here to catch me?

Her throat went dry.

  

But this woman proved her wrong when she left her way, but Emily regretted the moment she thought of thanking her, meeting her gaze. "Don't forget about this day, Emily. You owe me one, don't you?" She smiled at her, which could put anyone at ease, but it freaked her out inside at some point that her breathing halted there in no time. "We will meet soon."

Then Emily fled with yet another threat to her life.

*

The Next Day

The time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the day ended, and nothing terrifying had happened at her work since that morning.

No one talked about the commotion that Superstar caused last night, either. But how was that possible anyway?

A troop of men chased Emily in the streets until they lost sight of her. She knew that area way better than them, so it was next to impossible for them to look for her, yet a few followed her who wasn't one among them.

After getting a call from the officers who she called last night to tell them everything after taking her lawyer's advice, on her way to the subway, she felt she was being followed again, yet she didn't freak out as the agents were there around her in their civil dress. She quietly took the Jeep she was led to and greeted the lady officer she talked to last night. Thinking they would drop her at her apartment, Emily told them everything that happened earlier and how the couple, especially Madeline, behaved.

While they talked about the abnormal encounter with those celebrities, Emily thought about her coach, who was coming to Sao Paulo. She didn't know what would happen when her Grandpa and Godfather would come face to face. It wouldn't help. Because no matter how powerful Emily's coach was, he couldn't do anything to her grandpa, even if he brought an army here in Brazil.

Not that it mattered to her sister, nor did Cheryl ever feel the loss of their parents, as they were never there for her. But the child cried when Emily cried. She was barely two then. Emily shouldn't expect so much from that girl who misunderstood her as her mother.

Emily didn't correct her sister back then, but she soon regretted it when the authorities took her from their home, and from there, Cheryl came to know the person she thought her mother was not her sister even. If only Emily's ex-boyfriend's family hadn't made a complaint against her in that place. Did those people have to go that far to make her disappear from their son's life?

"Your coach has left for New York." The absentminded Emily didn't hear what the officer said until she noticed their Jeep was running in another direction, and if she wasn't wrong, this road led to the headquarters of the agency she was part of currently. "From an internal source, he found out that Sr. James will be sending someone to the hearing day in the Seattle Courthouse."

Her face turned pale as a sheet after listening to the officer.

Even the word petrified couldn't express what Emily was feeling then. How could Grandpa think about using Cheryl as his pawn?

Before she could digest the whole thing, the agent in the driver's seat had to drop another bomb on me, and instantly, Emily told them to drive me to my grandfather's place. They looked dumbfounded at first and probably wanted to take her to the police station to get her to talk to the commissioner, as a diplomat from Seattle arrived to escort her home safely.

"No, I am not asking you to take me there, ma'am. But I am telling you that I am going right now." She left no room for argument, and there wasn't an ounce of remorse and guilt in her eyes for behaving so rudely to them. "It is something I have decided after hearing you all. This is important, please. We shouldn't travel together, so please drop me here. I am taking a cab to my apartment before leaving for the estate. And if you follow me all the way there, please keep a distance between us, and they will be alarmed."

When Emily was about to jump out of the vehicle, the agent said, "There is one thing you should know."

Emily got a bad feeling from that, but her expression was blank, which gave away the vibe of the calm before the storm. The ground slipped from her feet when the next thing they said was, "It's him. Sebastian Fernandez, who you know as Bash, is working with your grandfather on a project based on the information we have. And..." The lady officer looked hesitant at first but told Emily nonetheless. "...he is the one who sent the money to your sister's foster parents, who live downtown in New York."

Everyone in that car was curious about what Emily was thinking, but she had that expression on her face that could never be read easily. The officers thought she was anguished about the actor's bold steps, but her thoughts were nowhere near their predicament. For what exactly had she been trying hard to hide and didn't let the news about her whereabouts leak to the media? Could her grandpa handle the blow if the whole world came to know the underlying issues on the surface of the companies they owned?

Haa! Emily snorted coldly. "Please make the necessary arrangements, officer. I am going back to Seattle tomorrow."

Since then, Emily started to hate Bash to the core. She'd never have a change of heart in forgiving him for what he did today. Just for a deal from her grandpa, that man went so far that he didn't ever think twice about ruining a child's life? No, a person willing to hurt a child for his gain can never be a good person, and Emily hoped their paths might never cross again in this life. Only if she knew what sufferings were awaiting in the future did she dare to dream of being with her sister she had been trying hard to bring home.