Chapter 6

The plane landed, and the moment Emily set foot on Philippine soil, she felt refreshed all over her body. It was one of her dream destinations, and even though the weather was hot and humid, she brushed it off because she was enjoying roaming her eyes around and taking in the view.

She was even smiling at everyone she met eyes with. The residents were clearly perplexed and stunned, but they warmly returned her smiles, which Emily appreciated so much.

"Someone's excited."

Alias suddenly showed up beside her, smirking like an idiot.

"And someone's fuming mad."

Emily glanced over at Richard, who was behind them. His forehead was creased, his lips were thinned, and his jaw was clenched—he seemed like he was about to explode at any moment.

Emily bit her lip. Her boss was acting that way because one of the staff on the plane earlier had accidentally spilled juice on Richard's coat.

It was an accident, but he had kept cursing to no end, and Emily had to be an anger absorber for a while up there.

Alias also glanced at Richard, who was now talking to one of his employees, his eyes dark. Alias already knew what that meant.

He whispered to Emily, "That flight attendant’s career is over."

Emily’s eyes widened. What Alias told her was bothersome, but the guy was even chuckling. She was panicking, for Pete’s sake!

She was about to run back to Richard when Alias caught her arm and held her back.

"Wrong move," he said. "Talk to him about it later. That bastard's ears are closed at this moment."

Emily’s eyebrows furrowed as she begged to disagree. Obtaining a diploma and studying in college for years only to be treated and humiliated like that was a grave insult.

The peace and happiness she had felt earlier vanished, replaced by annoyance. But she pretended to understand and decided to talk to her boss once he calmed down.

She changed the topic instead. "Seems to me that you’re closer to him than just a boss-employee relationship."

Alias squinted his eyes, but his lips formed a wide grin.

"Yeah, birds of a feather flock together, I guess."

Emily gave him a puzzled look, and he just laughed.

"He’s a bastard, and I’m a bastard too, so we became friends."

Emily was beyond surprised by what she heard. It never occurred to her that someone like Richard would have friends—or rather, a friend like Alias, who was obviously chatty and vibrant.

"Who told you we’re friends?"

Her thoughts were cut off by Richard’s voice. He sounded haughty, and it seemed like his anger was still there.

"I did." Instead of denying it, Alias even answered like he was taunting him.

"Did I ever agree?"

Alias just laughed. "You have no choice."

Emily thought Richard would gobble Alias up and vent his anger on him, but he just sighed in defeat, scoffed at him, and walked past them.

A car was parked nearby. That was their transportation to the hotel.

All the staff bowed before them as they got into the car. Alias was driving, while Richard and Emily sat in the back.

"Best friend," Alias called. "I’m going to a bar near the hotel later. Do you want to come?"

Richard glared at him. "You’re not my best friend. We’re not even friends. So shut up and just do your job right. You’re not here to party; you’re here for work."

Emily inwardly grimaced. That was harsh. She couldn’t help but peek through the rearview mirror to see Alias’s reaction, but he was still chuckling.

It was as if Richard’s words had no effect on him.

"Party and work? They’re synonyms to me, best friend," Alias mocked, much to Emily’s headache.

Richard clenched his jaw. He had had enough of Alias, so he chose to stay silent. The only way to shut Alias up was to ignore his existence.

"Oh, come on now. It’s been a long time since I was here. I miss being with Filipina girls. They’re the hottest."

Richard did what he did best—he ignored him. Again and again. And that was how they reached the Hotel La Rosa, where they would be staying.

It was a five-star hotel in Cebu, gigantic and luxurious-looking.

Amazed, Emily regained her cheerful persona. Everyone was smiling at them and welcoming them. She was so happy and really looking forward to the charity event Richard had mentioned.

When they reached the 11th floor, everyone stepped out, and Richard instructed them on their room assignments. Richard would stay with Emily, while Alias would have the room in front of theirs.

At first, Emily was baffled. She hadn’t signed the contract yet, so it shouldn’t have been effective, but she remembered Richard had already informed his grandfather, so she just let it go. It was a double-bedroom suite, anyway.

"In case he harasses you, just come to my room, okay?" Alias told her seriously in front of Richard. But Emily knew better—he was just joking, so she laughed.

"I will." She even patted him.

Richard went inside the suite first, and she followed. He threw his bag on the sofa and went straight to a door.

Emily realized that was the bathroom. She sighed. It seemed like she would have to pamper a child for the day.

Richard must have felt sticky the whole flight because he hadn’t even changed clothes after the juice was spilled on him. He had been too busy lashing out.

Now, she wanted to talk to him about the flight attendant who had spilled the juice. It was a simple mistake, and she wanted to know what Richard planned to do about it.

While waiting for Richard, Emily was contemplating the contract. She even considered deliberately making him mad herself just to see how much of a devil he could be—and whether she could handle him.

Then, the man who had been conquering her mind showed up in front of her.

Richard’s hair was dripping wet, a towel covering his lower body, his toned abs and biceps exposed.

Emily’s mind went blank. She was kind, confident, and all that, but hell—she wasn’t that innocent!

'Damn this sexy devil.'

She could only squeeze her tongue. Her mouth suddenly went dry as she stared at an Adonis replica standing before her.

Richard saw how quickly lust ran through Emily’s blue eyes.

He had been seething all day, and finally, he found something interesting and entertaining enough to clear his mind.

He neared Emily, and when he was right in front of her, he quickly closed the gap.

Richard took Emily’s hand and placed it on his abdomen. He saw how Emily—who was always composed—gulped when their skin touched.

There was no sense in denying it—he liked what he was seeing.

"So this is your weakness, huh?"