Chapter 6

"Why? You can't stand it? It is not who I really am yet. I'm giving you a chance. Runaway and back out from the deal. I won't give you consequence if you do," I told him. "Runaway as far as you can," he then just looked at me. 

We both became silent while just looking into each other's eyes. He opened his mouth but no words came out. "Runaway from me, Asher. I am giving you a chance now to do so," I said again.

He averted his gaze from me and looked in front before taking hold of the steering wheel. "Let's go home," he said before starting to drive. No one dared to talk until we got back to Manila.

"What's your address? I'm going to take you home," he said. I just told him my address and didn't talk again. When his car stopped in front of my house, no one dared to move at all.

"I gave you the chance of running away but you gave that up," I said and looked at him. "If you try to run away from me, I'll kill you."

"You're telling me to run away but the fact that you call me for the first time using my name..." he paused for a while before looking at me, "... wants me to stay with you," he said softly.

"I made that girl get into an accident. In general, I killed that woman," I told him, trying to change his mind.

"I know. And I'm sure you have a reason why you did that," he smiled at me. "I won't do anything dangerous so I can keep my body healthy."

"Thanks for the ride. I'm going," I told him before getting out of the car. I didn't even bother to look back, I just walked straight inside my house.

"Have you gone mad?! Why did you do that?!"

Before I could finally enter the house, I already saw her. I closed the door and carelessly walked closer to the sofa to sit down.

"Hindi ka ba nag-iisip? You created a mess and killed an innocent woman! Your job was to help other people, not to make the situation worse!"

"You have no idea how much I made her life easier," I said.

"What?!" her face was already red as she looked at me, she was fuming mad. "What are you planning to do with your life? You are making yourself even more miserable because of what you did! Kung hindi ako pumunta doon, nadagdagan na naman ang kasalanan mo!”

"Then why did you show up there? Why did you help the woman? Why are you preventing me from having another punishment?" I asked her. 

"Are you... for real?" she asked me in disbelief. "I am helping you so you can get the death you desire but the more you do something like that, the more you distance yourself from it to happen! You won't die if you keep on doing such things!"

"I don't care anymore. I did that to protect someone."

"And that someone was him," she said the reason why I looked at her. "You knew what would happen to him, that's why you did that. I told you Sia, I told you. You are putting that man's life in danger!"

"That woman is not innocent. She is pregnant but the father wants to abort the child. She was blinded by love so she was on her way to kill the baby when I saw her."

"She was blinded by love and so are you," she said seriously.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It is not because of the deal that's why you prevent him from dying but because you are starting to like him. You’re curious about him, Alessia. You want to know more about him."

Beat. I could not speak because of what she said. 

"You can lie to everyone but not to me. You can't love someone in this world, Sia. You're an immortal who cannot love a human being."

I laughed bitterly because of what she said. "Said by someone who is trying so hard just to keep the man she loves the most alive," I told her. I saw how her eyes grew bigger. "You might know me when I became an immortal but you don't know me when I was still a human. Don't test me, I can do a lot that you don't expect me to be able to do."

I don't know what happened after our conversation that night. The next thing I knew was I was sitting in front of Asher inside his Restaurant the next morning.

"Alessia Mackenzie," he slowly pronounced my name while nodding and drinking his coffee. My brows furrowed at him again. He has repeatedly mentioned my name since I got here.

"What? Did my name do something to you?" I asked him.

"Alessia Mackenzie," he said again. I was about to throw up my hands when he suddenly stopped sipping from his coffee and looked at me. "I think I've heard that name," he said in confusion.

"Alessia--- wait a minute," his eyes slowly widened as he looked at me. "Do you, perhaps, own a Hotel, Company, and Law Firm, and uh…"

"How did you know? Are you a stalker?" I asked him right away.

"Wow. I knew it. This is unbelievable, wow!" he said while covering his mouth, still in disbelief. "AM Hotel? AM Company? AM Law Firm? And AM stands for Alessia Mackenzie. Ikaw ‘yon, ‘di ba?!" 

My brows furrowed at his reaction. What's wrong with this man? Why is he acting like this today? Did he get into an accident and go insane?

"Hi, I'm Asher Ace, the owner of Heace Restaurant. It was nice meeting you," I was even more shocked when he stood up and bowed his head a little as he offered me his hand.

"Stop it or else I'll punch you," I said in a threatening voice. He put his hand closer to my face so I hit it. "I'll leave if you keep on acting like this."

"Sorry," he said before clearing his throat and sitting down. "Hindi mo ba alam kung gaano ka ka-curious sa pangalang AM? Kung saan galing? And it turns out that it was the initial of the owner's name. Wow!"

I closed my eyes firmly before I kicked his foot under the table. "I said, stop it," I glared at him. "One more and I won't give you a chance to speak again," I warned him.

He smiled at me sweetly before touching his lips and pretending he closed the zipper of it. I just looked at him with my what-are-you-doing-you-look-stupid look.

"Did you go nuts?" I asked him. He was stunned by what I said, "Are you going crazy? Are you still sane?"

"You," he asked me while pointing his finger at me. "Feeling ko lang may nangyari na namang hindi maganda kaya gusto lang kitang patawanin. How dare you call me crazy when I was just trying to lighten up your mood, you ill-tempered woman."

"What?" I raised a voice at him. "Ill-tempered woman?!" I asked in disbelief. "It was your fault because you make yourself look more stupid than you make me look like you're trying to make me smile!"

"Wow, you didn't even know how to appreciate small things. You have no heart."

"I do," I told him. "And it was functioning for so long I won't be able to realize that I still have it," I said. He kept his mouth shut because of what I said.

"May nangyari ba?"

"I'm not sure," I smiled bitterly. "Something bad always happens to me," I added before looking up at him. "Asher," I called out his name.

"Hmmm?"

"What if something bad happens to you because of me?" I asked him. He could not speak immediately. He seemed to be thinking carefully about my question. "What if you die?"

"If that's the case," he met my gaze, "then I am willing to die for you."

I remained silent and stayed that way until I got tired of staring at him. I'm trying to think if it's all just coincidence or if everything means something.

Of all people, why did I end up meeting this guy? And why am I waiting to finish the 100 days he asked me before giving me his body? What will be his role in my life?

"Stop sighing. You will get rid of all the stench of your breath."

"What?" I glared at him. He just smiled at me before sipping on his coffee again. This guy, sometimes he is fun to talk to but often he is so annoying. Fucking jerk.

"Do you like to walk around the area?" he suddenly asked me. Since I had nothing else to do, I just nodded. I waited for him for a while because he said something to his manager before he pulled me out.

I was quiet while walking with my arms crossed while Asher was busy smiling at the people who were greeting him. I can't help but to roll my eyes because of what he is doing.

"What are you? A politician? Mr. Friendship? Are you planning to run for president?" I teased him. 

"Is it my fault that many people know me because of my good looks?"

I looked at him with a disgusted face. "Kilabutan ka nga sa sinasabi mo. There is nothing about you but your smile. Don't be so full of yourself." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't tell me you got attracted by my smile the first time you saw me at my Restaurant?" he asked me in disbelief. Because of that, I stopped walking and faced him.

"Can you hear yourself? Feelingero ka!" he laughed so hard because of what I said. Because of annoyance, I turned my back on him before starting to walk hurriedly leaving him behind.

"Wait for me!" he said but I didn't look back. I just stopped walking when I bumped into a kid. 

"What are---" my words were cut off when the kid looked up at me.

"I'm so-sorry," the kid said with a small voice. As I looked at him my tears started to form in my eyes, "t-tulong p-po,"  he said before glancing at the back.

"What's going on?" I felt Asher's presence next to me but I didn't look at him. I just stared at the boy in front of me who looked terrified as he kept on looking behind him.

"Waki!" Someone called him and the child looked again behind and when he saw a man approaching our direction, he started to run away.

"What's with that child?" he asked himself before looking at me. "H-hey," he was surprised when he saw my face. "Did the child hurt you? What's wrong?"

"Marc Aminah," I said before looking at the boy who was now running as the man chased him. 

"Huh? Are you okay? May masakit ba sa 'yo?" he asked continuously but instead of answering, I just saw myself starting to chase the boy.

I accelerated my pace even more when I saw him approaching the road as he kept on looking back. I thought he would stop but my eyes widened as he just kept running while the street light was still on red!

"Sia!" I can hear someone calling my name but that didn't stop me. I closed my eyes and in an instant I was already next to him. I heard a loud horn before I grabbed the kid by his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

I intentionally looked straight into the driver's eye before looking across the street which made his car collide on the opposite side. My tears started to flow when I heard the child's cry.

"Are you okay?!" I saw Asher in front of me while trying to make me stand up. "Baliw ka na ba? You almost died!"

Instead of talking to him I looked at the child. "A-are you o-kay?" My voice was trembling as I tried to wipe away his tears. I saw someone approaching him and checking his condition.

"What do you think you're doing?" his brows furrowed at me.

"Asher, I…" I gulped as my knees started to tremble, "I just saw my younger brother's face at him. I thought he was my..." I inhaled. "...he was my brother."

"Ssshh, it's okay, it's okay. I'm sorry for yelling. The boy is fine, he's safe. Stop crying," he said while trying to calm me down.

"I saw my... my brother's face..." I didn't manage to finish my words. The next thing I knew he was hugging me tightly as he kept on saying 'Calm down. Stop crying'.