"Happy birthday Mr Ricardo." Mark is polite when he says these words, a complete one-eighty, different from the way he was threatening Benny a few minutes ago.Leia wouldn't even believe this was the same person if not for the fact that she was currently witnessing the whole thing.She chuckles to herself as his polite tone echoes in her ear, his facade makes her wonder just how many masks he can wear when she feels Mark's arm slip around her waist as he leads her to their table. It sets Leia's teeth on edge as they all settle into their seats to commence the celebrations. They wait for the star of the show to sit first and then join him.When he finally settles, Mark guides Leia to an orange settee before settling into one beside her.He wasn't given her a second to be by herself. Ricardo gives them a smile that doesn't reach Mark's eyes. He's had a whole lot of experience for his age to not notice Mark being protective over another man's gift. "Glad to see your gift looks more th
"That's your reward, Mark," Ricardo says with amusement. Mark feels himself bristle at the man's condescending tone but he still can't take his eyes away from the briefcase filled with bundles of hundred dollar bills.He would be deceiving himself if he says he was uninterested in learning the total amount in this briefcase but still his eyes avert in desperate search. He swallows, his throat dry as he lifts his eyes to the smirking man he gets a hold of himself. A sudden thought pops into his mind that has him chuckle, "I've got plenty of those.""I don't know what to say. This is a very generous gift," he says. The man laughs at Mark's dry words almost as if he understands what Mark was thinking of before getting to his feet, leaving Leia alone on the loveseat.The sight of her, sitting like a delicate little flower rapidly reduces Mark's pleasure in getting valuable resources, a heavy bitter feeling residing in its place.He can't help but stare and notice all the expressions s
She found it hard to believe, thinking to herself that maybe her ears may be playing tricks, when she feels cold air tickle her body. Her fabric falls to the floor before her very eyes, exposing half of her bosom to their amazement as they laugh. Unwilling to continue the fight and protect herself, she desperately clings on to her dress, trying to cover her exposed chest. With scornful eyes, the girl stares at her sluttery appearance, giggling about how she looks so much like a seductress and Leia knowing she cannot let go, takes in their words with her head low. She thinks it's not going to end but suddenly somebody pulls back the women surrounding Leia. Stopping them from continuing their violent assault.Leia slowly sits up and finds Mark showing up as her helper, who stepped in to save her from the woman and he stands right in front of her prone form, defending her.He must feel her gaze on him because he turns around and gives her an unreadable expression before unbuttoning h
With wobbling footsteps, Leia walks through a busy street, her shoes in her hand. Eyes staring back to catch another glance at her figure, and the jacket over her shoulder. It's been more than twenty minutes since she left the party and now, she believes herself to be lost. She glances from side to side, observing the hungry gazes of the predators and increases her pacing. "Those imbeciles, how dare he disgrace me like that," she murmurs with furrowed eyebrows. Honk! A car horn blows so loud, that the hearts of all those around skip a bit. Leia forges on without turning back to see who it is, with absolutely no idea where she's headed to. A clean Mercedes, reeking of luxury automatically chases her pursuers, slows down to match her pace, and the windows wind down, the honk continues once again at a longer time frame, but she does not pay attention to its driver. "Hey, beautiful lady," an unknown man says, dividing his attention between Leia and the road. "Do you want a
The man turns around in search of the guest which Leia talks about, but finds nobody, save the car with an owner who keeps forgetting to turn off his light. "What are you talking about?" He questions her. Leia's face turns pale when the man suddenly yanks her hand, dragging her towards his car. He grumbles angrily from the cat-and-mouse game with Leia, as a matter of fact, this is probably the most patient he's ever been with a woman who defies him.Not resisting, Leia gets into the car, looking back at the car with suspicious eyes. "Hurry up, and get in there," he yells at her. She turns back to face this man and frowns from his nagging but gets in nonetheless. The car door closes and the two begin their drive. For ten minutes on the empty road, everything seems to be going fine, and Leia couldn't help but feel at peace. "Sigh~" she goes. Her eyes gently close from the stress of the night, and she succumbs to taking a nap with a gentle yawn. For a moment, all of Leia's probl
With silence all around, two miserable lives turn towards channelling their despair. Leia secluded herself in her room, lying still in bed, as she stared blankly, with a folded pose, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs to comfort herself. Her soulless eyes stared at nothing; however, a certain person could feel the impact of her gaze. As she had predicted, Mark watches from his flat screen up in his room, he sits in a slouching pose upon his sofa, with his right arm dropped to the floor barely holding the remote. Nothing but sighs could escape his lips as he watches diligently as Leia doesn't move. The two, trapped in their past, could not escape and turned to seclusion. ***Three days flew by.Three long, awfully dreaded days fly by with nothing but a gloomy atmosphere that even Stacia becomes affected. "Please Miss, you have to eat something," she begs, knocking repeatedly outside Leia's door. After that day, Leia became gloomier than ever, the only time she would leave
For a couple of minutes, the two stay quiet and distant in the room, especially Mark who secluded himself from his loneliness, covering his ears, he remains still. "You never really loved me did you?" He questions Leia who stays quiet.bHis answer would determine his next move, however, she's as confused as can be about what to respond with. Did she love him? "Once upon a time, when I didn't know better," she replies, instantly plunging a dagger to his heart. Mark scoffs, he's unsure of what to make of the situation or what to address himself as. A fool? Or someone who's been blinded by something he would never have. "Was it a crime, to want something?" He asks her with teary eyes. Her heart is pained by the pain she was inflicting on him, but she knows too well to leave him with false hope. The two of them were simply never meant to be. She couldn't possibly deny that. Still... If she were Mark, she would also be this hurt to know that the one thing she wanted to have, didn
The cameras around the room cause Leia to feel Mark's watchful eyes. Whether or not he was watching, she did know she felt anything but comfortable in that room. "Haiz!" She sighed heavily falling back to her bed as she spread her arms wide. "Abandoning you would do both of us good," she says to herself as she stares up at the ceiling. The thought of giving up crosses her mind not once nor twice, but each time she closes her eyes, she would hear his voice loud and clear as if he were right next to her whispering into her ear, "I'll protect you."Those words, were her salvation when she needed to flee. "I can't lose you as well, I might finally go crazy if I do," Leia murmurs to herself with a pained laugh. Her laugh gradually becomes tears and in no time, she's sobbing enough to wet her pillow. Thunder!!!The building shook as the clouds grew dark by the minute. Droplets, knock at her window until they turned into an army, and Leia, in a warm sheet, stares at the window with a f