Chapter 6

THIRD POV

“Sir! There’s a woman causing trouble outside!” said his secretary as he walked into his office.

Martin stopped and smirked. He faced his secretary, who was waiting for his order.

“Sir, may I allow her?”

He nodded to his secretary, who bowed before leaving his office. The woman who was causing trouble outside rushed into his office.

“Martin!”

“What do you want—” He didn’t finish what he was saying when the business proposal that he didn't want to sign was thrown at him.

“What does this mean? Why haven’t you signed yet? This is not what we’re talking about!” Chloe shouted at him. When she woke up in a hotel, there was no Martin in the room and no signature from him on a deal they had.

“I didn’t say that I would also sign Mrs. Villalobos,” said Martin, which angered the woman even more.

Chloe approaches the table and slaps it because of the annoyance that the man has broken his promise.

“I agree with what you want just because of our agreement, Martin!” Chloe clenched her fists and yelled at Martin. I hope she shouldn't accept the man's offer.

She would have let her husband’s business proposal rot if she had known Martin was just playing with her. She also doesn’t know when Mateo, who still cannot speak, will return to his former self. Not only that, but she is the one doing the work that Mateo should be doing.

When Chloe heard Martin laugh, she came to a halt in her thoughts and looked at him.

“Did I hear correctly? You just agreed to what I want because of a deal?” Martin laughed as he stood from his seat and loosened his necktie.

He looked at Chloe, who was still annoyed with him, and walked closer to the woman, who backed away to avoid him.

“Do you know I just used you?” Asked Martin with a smirk on his lips. “But I never said I would sign your husband’s business proposal.” He came closer to Chloe and caressed her face and whispered, “Will your husband die if I don’t sign the paper?” he asked.

Chloe’s eyes widened as she realized what Martin had told her.

She put some space between them and shook her head. “W-what?!?” she stammered. “So, Martin, nothing happened to us at the hotel?”

When Martin saw Chloe’s reaction, he raised his eyebrows.

He sighed and smirked as he lost interest. “Oh, come on, Miss Chloe, I never said I’d agree to our deal,” he said as he walked back to his desk to get back to work. “If you have nothing to say, you can leave,” Martin told Chloe, who was becoming annoyed as she realized he was no longer interested in talking to her.

The girl clenched her fist, her face flushed with rage.

“I will sue you! You have no shame! You will remember this day.” Chloe yelled at him. She turned to leave, but stopped when she heard what the man said.

“Was that what you said to Miss Ana before she died?” asked Martin. Her eyes widened when she heard the name that they had forgotten for a long time.

She faced Martin again because he couldn't believe that Martin knew the name mentioned.

“W-what? H-how do y-you know?” She stammered. When Martin saw her reaction again, he grinned and leaned back in his swivel chair.

“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? Do you think I know nothing about my territory?” asked Martin, and she just swallowed. She couldn’t respond to the young man because she was at a loss for words.

“Miss Ana Bernardino was found dead on a cliff, right? And she was Mr. Mateo Villalobos’ ex-wife. I believe it was foul play,” Martin added, and Chloe was shaking and almost pale with fear.

Chloe shook her head and clenched her fist. “What does that have to do with me? I don’t know who she is!”

He nodded to Chloe and examined her from head to toe. He touched his lips and smirked.

“I just don’t want a crime to happen in my territory, and I don’t want trouble in my town. Go leave!” said Martin.

Because of her fear, Chloe ran from his office. The employees are confused why she is leaving as if she has seen a ghost.

Martin just grinned as he saw Chloe ran out of the company with shaking and fear.

“Just run and run. No one can get away from her, and I will wait for the day you fall into her hands,” said Martin, as he sipped his glass and looked at Chloe as she left his company.

CHLOE drove her car to the Villalobos mansion. To tell Mateo’s mother what happened when she and Martin met.

“Good morning, Mrs. Chloe!” the maids at the mansion greeted her, but she ignored them all and went straight to the garden where her husband's mother, Caridad Villalobos, was.

“Oh! Why are you here?” asked Caridad, as she drank from her cup. Chloe nodded and sat in front of her.

Chloe took a deep breath. “M-mom…” She was frustrated, and her hands started shaking.

Caridad was taken aback when she noticed Chloe was pale and scared. “What happened, huh? Has Don Martin signed the business proposal yet?” asked Caridad, smiling, but Chloe just shook her head and she held Caridad’s hand.

“Don Martin probably knows something about what happened, 5 years ago, mom,” said Chloe. Caridad was taken aback by what she heard, and her eyes widened.

She looked around and faced Chloe once again. “Wait, what? Shh!” Caridad scolded her because someone might overhear what they were talking about.

“What are you saying, Don Martin knows something?” asked Caridad. She was taken aback when she noticed Chloe was crying.

Chloe shook her head while crying. “I-I d-don’t know! He knows Ana! He knows about Ana! How did he know about the incident?!” asked Chloe. “Mom! I-I’m scared!” She was frustrated and combed her hair.

Because Chloe couldn’t speak properly, Caridad calmed her down.

“Calm down! Don Martin knows nothing about the incident!” said Caridad, annoyed. “Of course, he knows Ana! She became Mateo’s wife, but that's all!” She yelled at her. Chloe came to a halt and wiped her tears because she was still not feeling better.

“I-I’m scared! If only we can get Don Martin out of our way. We need to do something! What happened 5 years ago will be forgotten!” Chloe panicked.

“Let’s do it, mom! Use your power--” Chloe was stunned when Caridad slapped her to wake her up, so she just held her cheek. “M-mom…?”

“I said calm down, okay? What happened 5 years ago can’t be opened again! Ana is dead! Ana has been dead for a long time, so what happened has been buried in the ground for a long time!” Caridad yelled at her. Chloe remained silent because she could tell her mother-in-law was angry.

When they heard Mateo speak, they were shocked.

“What happened 5 years ago?” Asked Mateo.

Their eyes widened as they exchanged glances before turning to face Mateo. They hoped Mateo had not overheard what they were talking.

Mateo frowned as he noticed his wife and mother were surprised by his arrival.

He asked them again. “What happened 5 years ago?”

His mother and wife did not respond, which irritated him even more. “Chloe? Mom?”

Caridad and Chloe swallowed and laughed, so Mateo wouldn't notice how nervous they were.

Caridad stood up to approach her son. “It’s nothing, he-he. We were talking about your father’s campaign 5 years ago,” Caridad explained. She looked at Chloe to confirm what she was saying.

“Oh, yes. That’s right. He-he.” said Chloe, while still worried that her husband had heard something.

Mateo looked at them, and he nodded as if agreeing with what they said, and walked away to leave them.

They breathed a sigh of relief when Mateo walked out in front of them because Mateo didn't seem to have heard anything they were discussing.

Caridad turned to face Chloe. “Follow Mateo. Let’s talk again when I confirm with Don Martin if he really knew something 5 years ago,” she said, and walked away, leaving Chloe alone.

Chloe clenched her fist, remembering the name of someone she had forgotten for a long time. Because that person has been dead for a long time, she should not be affected because no one will ever know what happened.

“Mom Caridad is right; Ana is dead, and the dead will not live again.” she whispered.

She took a deep breath before following her husband, and she was going to put away what had happened in her mind first because she needed to do everything for Mateo to love her.