Halfway through the villa, my brain still felt restless when all I could think of is what the police officer whispered to me earlier. The name of the person that he dragged down remains a mystery to me. So, to fill my curiosity, I slow down the speed and park the car at the corner of the road, and dialed Malia's digits. "Where are you?" I was supposed to be the one who should ask her the question but she preceded me. "I've been looking for you in the parking lot but you are nowhere to be found." As far as my ears can hear from the background of her phone, it sounded like a screeching of the wheels. Perhaps she is already heading back to the mansion. "I'm not going home tonight," I said instead of telling her where I am exactly. "May I know why?" she asked. "Is it about what Roland and Roger did earlier at the party? Let me stay with you wherever you're going." A simple yes or no was supposed to be the one thing I expected from Malia's response. However,
"Come on, Malia!" Roger exclaimed. He even pointed a finger at me with those vicious and deadly eyes. "That bastard humiliated me in front of my friends because of that fucking car." Right. I almost forgot about that incident back I'm the parking lot. But I have no regrets if he got humiliated back there. He deserved more than just getting humiliated after almost ruining my life again. "Prank, my ass," I uttered to myself before I removed Malia's arms away from me. "Which part of the conversation last night did I embarrass you, huh, Roger? For not covering your ass about the car? Did you tell gramps that you sell me to the cops?" Malia and Don Lucas curve their brows in unison. Perhaps my instinct about Roger was right. He did not tell their old man the entire story. He only told him the part where the blame could benefit from it. "If I was arrested by the cops and found out about my relationship with Malia, what do you think might happen to gramps' reputation, huh?" If he knows
The worst part of my situation is that I find it hard to reach out to my phone. I simply want to send a message to Unclen Romnick to cancel everything as planned but Malia's hand was clamped with mine and were set on my lap. If I am going to remove her hand from mine, let alone from my lap, she might be getting suspicious or feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. Those two terrible things would be the last thing I want to happen. So I leave with no choice but to ignore those negative thoughts that run through my brain and proceed with the plan. I am simply going to convince Uncle Romnick to take Mr. Emilio away from us. And if possible, he must take him away from the villa even for an hour or two. Right. That will be the right thing I must do. "Another thing, Madam President, I got a call from Don Lucas you will have an early trip to Europe tomorrow with Mr. Roland," he added. "Forget addressing me that way, Mr. Emilio. We both know that I am not the presiden
"Why not bring Mr. Emilioto our favorite spot in this villa, huh, Uncle Romnick?" I sharpened my stares at him to shut his mouth. "Don't forget to offer him something to eat or drink. Mr. Emilio needs to revitalize after the long drive." "Of course, my Lord." Uncle Romnick nailed his drama. I wanted to kick his butt but he was in a rush I'm heading to the main house while holding Mr. Emilio's hand. And from that moment on, nothing has been left in a luminous romantic parking lot but me and Malia. "Did you like my surprise?" I asked Malia after getting the bouquet from her hands. "Actually, this surprise was already late. I plan to do this the same day we went to Roland's party. However, the two devils ruined my plan. I got mad. That's why I did not go home that night." "Why didn't you tell me about this?" she asked. "We could have escaped from the party, just the two of us." How could I? Aside from that, I got extremely mad at Roger and Roland, my heart felt j
The good thing about being on the plane is that Malia was seated next to me while Roland was a few seats away from us. It so happens that as tough as Roland, he is frightened of heights. It means that I can hold her hand and lean on her shoulder for a few hours. "do you think I can make this unexpected trip a success?" she uttered while gently rubbing my hand. Before I could say my piece of advice, I catch a glimpse of Roland and stealth a kiss on Malia's lips. "you can do it, honey." I curve the tip of my lips and rubbed them into a smile while staring at her expression. "Honey, huh?" Malia smiled back. "So, that is what you want me to call you then?" she also stealth a kiss on my lips. "I'm fine with that. And thank you for trusting me, John. Your word means a lot to me." "Who is this business tycoon, anyway?" I could not help but ask, not because I got jealous of this man, but because if what they claim about him is true, it will be good to introduce my busine
Undeniably, my patience with Roland is getting thinner. What worried me the most is that we have not marked our first day on the trip. I still have six more days to tag along with the bastard. And I believe it will not be promising. As Mr. Emilio told us last night, Roland is a total idiot. "Are you just going to stand there the entire day, young man?" to my surprise, those words were coming from the cab driver in front of me. He fluently speaks English. "I'm hopping in," I said back before I set all my luggage bags into his car. Roland and Malia brought six luggage bags in total excluding the two he snatched from me. I, on the other hand, simply brought one. Twenty minutes later, Cecelia Spencer, my secretary personally greeted me as soon as I hop out of the cab. "Welcome back to Europe, Mr. Stevenson," she uttered with a humble smile on her face. Cecelia Spencer is a year younger than me. We were classmates here in Europe. However, she did not make it to the end because
"Roland was right about it, Malia." I smiled at them awkwardly to make the act more convincing. "Indeed I could get a referral bonus every time I could bring customers into this hotel. This is what I keep doing for the past four years." Before this hotel becomes mine, I also work as one part-time housekeeper. I wiped floors, glass walls, and delivery boy. And I am not embarrassed about experiencing those kinds of workloads. That embarrassing experiences helped me to reach what I have right now which Malia and Roland have not experienced their entire life because they were born with silver spoons in their mouth. "See? I told you." Roland agreed. "What else could we expect from someone who needs money? John would take the opportunity to earn even a cent. But don't worry Malia, I'll give him a reasonable tip once we're done with the job assigned to us." That was too generous of him but I know for a fact that he only wants to boast about his kindness to Malia. A show
"Where are you going?" she asked me the second I hopped out of the bed. "Making you miss me," I smiled at her. "We still have a long day tomorrow. And it's getting late. Even if you already said yes to me but I am still a gentleman." Then I stealth a kiss on her lips before I slide to the doorway and left the room with high spirits. Everything goes according to my plan. All I have to do now is to convince her family to agree as well, especially Don Lucas. Instead of heading to our room, I went to the club to celebrate my victory. Unfortunately, I did not expect could bump into someone I don't want to see in the club that late. The time was already midnight. "What are you doing here, John?" Roland asked, his voice already out of place. He's already drunk. Roland and I had never seen eye to eye, but things had always remained cordial between us. That was until tonight when we bumped into each other at the club, and he accused me of hitting his fiance, Malia.
"Don't forget to bring those with you, Miss Spencer!" Uncle Romnick added. He pointed a finger toward the table. "Relax, Uncle Romnick," I said in a calm tone, trying to take control of the situation. "How can I get relax, John." Uncle Romnick insisted. "Our enemies are here. And we are caught by surprise. We let our guards down." Without hesitation, Cecelia sprung into action. She swiftly gathered all the essential documents and pieces of evidence we had been examining, carefully concealing them from prying eyes. "I'll be hiding in the guest room." Cecelia cut us in. As she disappeared into the shadows, I followed Uncle Romnick, making our way toward the main door. With a touch of apprehension, we opened the door cautiously, revealing Don Lucas and Malia standing before us. Although I already knew the purpose of their visit, I could not let them suspect that this villa truly belonged to me. Taking a deep breath, I masked my true intentions and put on a c
"I would like to apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Roland. Let's go, John." Uncle Romnick bent half of his body toward Roland and his parents. Then he tried to drag me out of the room but I dodged him. "Are you challenging me right now, huh, Roland?" I scoffed with confidence while glancing at them, one by one. I groped my phone in my pocket and dialed Cecelia's digits which confused Roland and his parents. "How about canceling the European expansion?" "What are you doing?" Cecelia said from the other line of the phone. Good thing I did not put the call on speaker so no one could hear it apart from me. "Yes. It happens that I am confronting Roland in front of his parents for the five million dollar scheme but he denied it despite the evidence we have. Is that the kind of person are you going to be part of Mr. Stevenson's business?" Everyone's eyes, especially Roland's dilated in disbelief. He even tried to snatch the phone from me but I refused to give it to
"Are you sure about involving them in this case, John?" Uncle Romnick asked, his voice laced with doubts while looking at Chris and his friend from head to toe. "I mean, this is a crucial case in your life." I cannot blame Uncle Romnick to feel that way. He still doesn't know a thing about Chris and his hacker friend. I once informed him and Cecelia back at my office when we hired someone to be the fake Mr. Stevenson. But we already reached this far. Chris and his friend already know my secret and I was amazed by how they achieved a mission without any trace. So, keeping them on my side will be the best thing to do. Chris and I already sealed a deal that he will serve me until I say so. And their skills are one-of-a-kind. ''They are here to help us, Uncle Romnick." I smiled at them to lessen the tension. "And besides, I have something on them if they are going to betray me." Chris and his friend were taken aback in disbelief. Though it was simply a bluff, the
"I'm so sorry, John." Finally, some dare to speak up. However, it was neither Dad nor Mom but Uncle Romnick. Cecelia and I exchanged confused glances when we realized it was just the two of us who seemed to be unaware of what was currently going on. "Perhaps this is the result of what I did behind your back," he added, his voice sounding desperate and regretful. "Did I do something wrong to you in the past that I am not aware of, Unce Romnick?" I said back. "Was my monthly allowance not enough for you to betray me?" I tried to stay calm as much as possible but my nerves are showing the other way around. So I grasped the metal bars of the cell I was in to minimize the trembling of my nerves. One thing that I hate the most about trusting people is when they stab me behind my back. I already learned my lesson after what happened to me five years ago. That is why up to these days, I only limit those people who I talk and share my day with. And that includes Unc
Malia may have shown her tough side but I feel her heart was also in excruciating pain. She barely looks me in the eye even if my glace at her is quite obvious. It means to me that she still has feelings for me even if she was already married to Roland. So am I to her. Unfortunately, our love is not enough, and was bonded by a lie. As Cecelia and I left Don Lucas' dinner, the weight of her actions weighed heavily on my mind. I couldn't help but express my frustration as we started our journey back to my place. The car ride was filled with an awkward silence, punctuated only by the faint sound of the radio playing softly in the background. "Cecelia," I began, my voice tinged with disappointment. "I did not expect you to go that far tonight. Announcing our relationship in front of everyone, it's just... it felt like too much." Cecelia sighed, her gaze fixed on the passing city lights. "I'm really sorry, John, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just t
Don Lucas, who was sitting next to us, coughed all of a sudden. He quickly regained his composure and asked, "Why? Did something happen, Malia?" Malia glanced at Roland with her eyes sharp. "Well, my beloved husband didn't spend a single cent before and after our one-week honeymoon. His credit cards kept getting declined every time we pay something." The room went silent as we all caught up in the middle of absorbing Malia's shocking revelation. Then Cecelia and I exchanged glances, our mouths agape in disbelief. Not that I was trying to tease Roland. However, I couldn't help myself from bursting out laughing, finding the situation incredibly amusing. "I'm sorry for laughing," I said, trying to compose myself. "It's just that I find it hard to believe that a billionaire's son does not have anything on his credit cards. Perhaps he already maximizes his credit limits. It happens sometimes, right?" Malia suddenly gave me a stern look, clearly not amused by my reaction. But despite h
Then, I filled Cecelia and Uncle Romnick in on our plan to meet up. "Remember Chris, the one that I fired from this company?" I said. "You mean, the Branch Manager Chris, who we met in the shopping mall and humiliated you?" Uncle Romnick asked, pointing to the main event of our encounter. I nodded. "I ran into him outside, and brought me such wonderful news." "But I thought you already fired him?" Uncle Romnick furrowed. "Why changed of heart?" he and Cecelia looked me in the eye without even blinking. "He did something big for me in return," I uttered. "Something that I cannot just ignore. And it worked somehow." "If it has something to do with the Andersons, then perhaps that's what changed your heart and mind." Uncle Romnick said, however, this time, in a cold tone as though he disagreed with it even if I haven't told them anything yet. Before everything gets awkward, Cecelia's cut us in and said. "That's great! I'm glad you are now thinking indifferentl
Uncle Romnick and I looked at each other as if we had something in common, then back at Cecelia. There was a long pause before Uncle Romnick spoke, "That's... actually not a bad idea." I nodded. "But who and where should we hire someone to do the job? And how much was the probability this idea is going to work?" Before anyone could respond to my inquiry, my entire family appeared in the living area all of a sudden. Their unexpected appearance made me furrowed when as far as I could remember, I did not ask Uncle Romnick to invite my entire family back to the villa. What was more surprising by their unexpected visit was that all of them were carrying luggage bags and backpacks behind them as though they will be on a one-month vacation or more than that - to stay with me for good. If they could have bought with them their house's electrical pieces of equipment or utensils, I could have assumed they will be staying here with us forever. So, I glanced at Uncle Rom
Right after that, the tour continued. Cecelia and I did not waste more of our time but enjoyed the best the night could offer. We experienced eating street foods, listening to live music, and even taking a riverboat cruise. On top of that, I also found something new about the woman I spent them with. Cecelia Spencer is such a lovely woman, easy to go with, and she always put a smile on her face every time I asked her something. And the experience was all worth it. The next morning, Cecelia and I walked into Don Lucas' office, hand in hand. It was part of our plan to pretend to be a couple. I could feel the sweat on my palms as we walked closer and closer to the meeting room. We had been practicing our act, but it was finally time to put it into action. As we entered the meeting room, I could see the confusion and curiosity on Don Lucas and Uncle Robin's faces. I knew we had to sell this, so I kept my grip on Cecelia's hand. We greeted them warmly and made our way t