CHAPTER 1

Marcus Madrigal was blessed with exceptional wealth and good looks and he knew how to spend his father’s money. He chose to live lavishly with fast cars, private jets, all-night partying, and uncomplicated sex with several women. Even prostitutes were also welcome to satisfy his unusual fantasies in bed.

    Everywhere he went, women would swarm over to him like flies and he enjoyed the attention he would get from them. From paragliding, skydiving, water rafting, cliff diving, and car racing, he just couldn’t get enough of these thrills and he has mastered how to be a daredevil!

    Last year, he went to Switzerland to fly an Albatros, a fighter jet, for an hour. Then he flew to China to hike at the majestic South Peak of Mount Hua. Although it was famous for tourists, it was also considered one of the world’s most dangerous places to hike.

    There were a few who wanted to climb and reached the peak of Mount Everest. But Marcus spared himself from the long preparation and other possible troubles and just skydived past it! It’s not that he has a death wish or something, but the truth was, he was bored and he had nothing to do with his money.

    And he wouldn’t want the women to miss him for long!

    His father wasn’t someone to be proud of, but he was grateful to the man for passing his good looks to him, and his wealth was a bonus. Some would describe him as similar to a Greek god, Adonis, with remarkable beauty. Marcus was aware that he was extremely impressive and attractive and he used it to his advantage to seduce women of all ages.

    The time came when he had to pay for his lavish lifestyle. He got sick, not just once, not even twice, but three times. He was admitted to the hospital for fatigue and his heart nearly surrendered and causing him to die young. After the third time that he was being treated at the hospital, Marcus decided to review his lifestyle and take everything slowly.

    “Do you have a death wish, Marcus?” Philip Madrigal yelled at his son who was lying in a hospital bed. Marcus was his only son and heir but the bastard couldn’t do anything good that would make him happy in his old age.

    “Dad, relax. I’m still breathing, you know.” Marcus answered and it infuriated Philip more causing him to storm out of the room. He giggled at his father’s reddened face before he closed his eyes to nap.

    After he was discharged from the hospital, Marcus decided to try something new, away from wealth and women. He didn’t go home to live with his infamous father but went to Camotes Island instead to live differently from what he was used to.

    On the island, he tried to live like the others, who wanted to settle down in a peaceful community. He then rented a space in the market where he sold general merchandise and he started to live below his means. It was hard at first but he was positive that he could manage.

    Then an angel came into his life and she helped his island life to become easy. They became friends and eventually, Marcus learned to love the young and charming Veronica Cortes, a fisherman’s daughter who was able to graduate with a degree in Business Management because of hard work and determination. After a year of dating, they decided to tie the knot, and soon after, they were blessed with a baby girl.

    But fate has another plan for him and it seemed that he was not meant to be happy. Could it be retribution for his past sins? He wanted to know why at a very young age, his heart was broken and there was no way it would be normal again.

    After the death of his loved ones, Marcus couldn’t continue to live on Camotes Island and he was glad that his friend, Samuel Velasquez convinced him to live in Cebu with him.

     Samuel Velasquez owned a sugarcane plantation in the northern part of Cebu Province. Aside from sugarcane, he inherited the cacao plantation from his grandmother.

     Marcus refused to be treated as a guest in Hacienda Velasquez and insisted on working to keep himself occupied and as they were both single, they decided to take on their hobbies of raising and training horses. From then onwards, Samuel started to buy thoroughbred, Appaloosa, and Arabian horses.

    For years, Marcus lived his life bitterly and refused to talk with anyone else except his friend, Samuel. Some workers in the Hacienda assumed that he was mute and deaf, but nevertheless, they were scared to be on Marcus’ bad side.

    A few years passed but still, he couldn’t move on from his past. It frustrated him that justice was not yet served against the persons who caused his life to be miserable.

    There was never a night that he wouldn’t have a nightmare of what had happened in the past. He used to stay in the room next to Samuel, but when his friend got saddled with a feisty woman named Jessica, Marcus transferred to one of the apartments meant for guests. With Jessica around in the hacienda, she forced him to come out from his shell and she couldn’t say no to her. He adored the brat and he enjoyed watching Samuel become a helpless man when it comes to Jessica.

    It took him more than ten years to forgive himself, and he started talking to the workers, although his hard stare remained the same and it still frightened some of the farmhands.

    When Samuel was occupied with his love life, it was Marcus who managed the hacienda. He hired, trained, and supervised workers engaged in planting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, marketing crops, and livestock raising. He would also inspect the farm structures such as animal buildings and fences and took care of any maintenance activities as required. He was also in charge of monitoring pasture or grazing land to ensure that horses were properly fed. But for the financial aspect and employment records, he wouldn’t touch it. It was Samuel’s job to negotiate with buyers and acquired additional funds if needed.

     It was a very hot day when Samuel found it necessary to check on the fence.  After he repaired parts of the broken fence, Marcus went home to shower but he found Samuel waiting with a forlorn face. He wondered why he came when he was usually busy with Jessica. He opened the door and let Samuel in.

    “Problem with Jessica?” Marcus assumed that Samuel had an LQ or love quarrel with his young wife.

    “No, it’s about Alexander. He needed our help,” Samuel answered.

    “What is it this time? Another woman?” He knew Alexander to be a master of seduction and he only has one problem in life – women!

     Samuel nodded. “But this time, he is serious. In fact, he wanted her to become his wife.” He added the most vital information so he could convince Marcus to come with him on this rescue mission.

    Marcus raised his eyebrows at the news that Alexander Demakis wanted to propose marriage to someone. “Really? I thought I will never see the day when that notorious bastard will settle down for good.” For the first time, Marcus felt that something inside him seemed to be excited for Alexander, and he also missed his friend. Ah, that chap! He remembered how he and Alexander would usually spend the night – with women and alcohol!

    “The chopper’s ready in fifteen minutes, okay? I already asked my wife’s permission that I will be on a mission and you know how she favored that playboy!” Samuel said while helping himself to a cup of coffee.

    “Seriously?” He asked Samuel with raised eyebrows. “No, you’re not.” Marcus refused to believe that they were leaving in fifteen minutes. When Samuel didn’t answer, he knew that his friend was serious. He hurried up towards the bathroom and took a quick shower, then get ready with his types of equipment. He retrieved a Glock 45, AK-47, point rifle, bullets, and a ballistic knife.

     His wet hair was kept in a top knot that looked messy in the mirror but he just ignored it. He looked like Antonio Banderas in his movie Desperado. Carrying the bag, which was full of the equipment and ammunition that they were going to use, they went outside the apartment and proceed to the landing field where the chopper was waiting.

    “Who is this woman?” Marcus shouted the question for Samuel to hear him while they were on the landing field.

    “Ella or Emma? I’m not sure, the line was choppy when he called,” Samuel shouted back.

    The name didn’t ring a bell to Marcus, but just let it go because it had been a while since he kept himself inside the hacienda. “She must be something then,” he said as he was seated beside Marcus inside the chopper. He and Alexander used to be in the same circle but when he secluded himself on the island, he never got to see him again. Until Jessica came into Samuel’s life, tagging Alexander along and claiming that they were just friends.

    “I bet she is,” Samuel answered. He disliked Alexander at first, but somehow, they became friends…eventually!