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Chapter 2 – Lux

“WHO’S that?” Lux asked his Abuela as soon as he entered the Montesalvo mansion.

He had just dropped off a friend whose car broke down. He had promised his seventy-eight-year-old grandmother, Carmenzita Almendrez-Montesalvo, that he would spend an afternoon with her in her favorite salon. She wanted to get a foot spa, have her nails cleaned, and get a haircut.

Damn! He didn’t need grooming, for Pete’s sake. He had no choice. His Abuela was happy treating him like a little boy, even though he was already thirty-one years old. Well, they were the only two who were always together from the beginning.

“Oh, here you are,” she said, just having put down the phone.

His grandma didn’t have a smartphone. She was the only person in the world still relying on a landline. She had a phone and a registered SIM card, but she didn’t use them. She didn’t have any social media accounts either. She didn’t know how to use modern cellphones. She would only make calls on her basic phone when she wanted to reach someone she knew.

“It was Vandros,” she said, grabbing her clutch bag and fan. She seemed ready to leave.

At her age, she couldn’t be considered old. She was still too vibrant to be called that. She still had a straight back even as she walked. During Lux’s younger years, when he was still a little boy, his Abuela was the prettiest woman in town.

He remembered that she won the Mrs. Manila pageant. Men flocked to her when she was still in her prime, but she didn’t replace her late husband. She remained a widow until old age.

“What does that dick want?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

“He was asking me what to do about this certain waitress who spoiled your lunch with your friend. And he was asking if you’re here. He wants to talk to you,” she said casually.

He paused for a while. The beautiful face of the woman instantly registered in his mind. Her beauty was noticeable even with her bold appearance. When she bent over in front of him, he immediately imagined her in front of him, letting his manhood in and out. As she wiped the front of his body, he could feel her hand caressing his manhood.

He was halfway aroused, especially when her cleavage was exposed. That woman’s breasts were not that big, but they were definitely big enough to be covered by his palms. It was perverted of him to think that way, especially since he was already married, but he was used to it.

He had been with many women, but he still loved one woman, Diana. However, his wife was too cold towards him. She still couldn’t move on from being single, so her behavior was probably like that even when she was in front of him.

He only satisfied his physical needs, but his feelings remained with his wife. When he reached orgasm, he moaned his wife’s name.

That was it. End of it.

“What did you tell him?” he thought of asking.

They walked out.

“I told him to ask you. He mentioned some details that I didn’t quite understand, but to sum it up, he said that she was in need.”

They got into his car, and he glanced at his elderly grandmother.

“I don’t know. You deal with him. Just be humane,” she reminded him, so he nodded.

His grandmother always told him to be humane in all decisions he made in life. Even though they were very rich, Carmen wasn’t arrogant.

She was down to Earth. She came from a poor family but won the Sweepstakes at the age of fourteen when she bought a ticket.

Her parents invested in various businesses in the Philippines, and with her grandfather’s background in financing, it was easy to grow their wealth. Carmen met men In the business industry until she met her grandfather, who was the heir of the Montesalvo family. When the two merged their businesses, Monteverse Investment Holdings or MIH was formed.

Now he was the heir. He had a younger sister, but they weren’t close. She was the daughter of his mother from another man. She was still young, just in high school and living in the province. He had only seen Katy once, probably during her elementary graduation. They hadn’t met since then.

That's because he didn't want to form a deep bond with his sister. If Katy's father hadn't intervened in their parents' relationship, their family might still be intact today. Lux sighed and pushed those thoughts aside. He turned his attention to Vandros. He needed to call his friend. It seemed like Vandros only sought him out when there was a waitress or someone he knew who needed money, just to entertain him. Vandros sells virgins to him, or so he thought.

If they're virgins, they pass his standards. It means they're safe from diseases because they haven't had any life experiences yet.

He has helped many, in a way. Some have even finished their studies because of the money he provided, but none of them lasted. The longest time he spent with someone was three weeks, but he didn't feel any love. He easily gets bored and doesn't form attachments.

HE and his grandmother arrived at the salon and spa. Lux immediately took out his smartphone to call Vandros. He couldn't wait.

"Hey," his Abuela held his arm and shook her head at him, "You are not going anywhere, Lux."

He chuckled, "I'm not going anywhere, Mama. I'm just going to take a call."

"Is it that confidential that you have to go outside the salon?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

He didn't answer and she didn't pay any more attention to him, so he continued to wait outside in front of the salon's main door for Vandros to answer the phone.

"Bro," Vandros said, but he didn't respond. He wasn't really a talkative person. He only confides in his grandmother, selectively.

"What was it all about, Van?" he asked immediately.

"I have an offer, a previous offer. Heart Chavez, twenty-one, single, I think virgin. She was the one you were staring at inside the restaurant. Believe me, she's good. She just has some problems, which is why she spilled the food on your table."

"Uhm," he nodded,

"If it was boiling, my dick is probably bruised right now."

Vandros laughed on the other end, but he remained serious.

"Enlighten me about her," he ordered his brother.

"Well, she's confused because her father needs a heart surgery. She needs five hundred thousand, one hundred for the down payment."

"That's quite big. She's not a celebrity." "Yet she's clean," Vandros replied promptly.

Okay. That's all he needed. As long as the woman he gets is that kind of woman, he's certain he won't catch any diseases. Five hundred thousand pesos is just spare change, to be honest. It's just the strap of Diana's bag.

"Interested or not? And about her penalty. Do we deduct it from her salary?"

Be fair. That's what his Abuela said.

"Investigate. If she's really in need, we won't deduct it. If she's lying, fire her right away."

"As you wish, Master," Vandros said to him, "How many weeks and how much if she's really telling the truth?"

"One hundred thousand for one week, whether she's in need or not. Fire her if she's lying. Two hundred fifty for two weeks if she's really telling the truth."

"I'll talk to her right away, bro."

"Just make sure she will never speak," Lux ordered Vandros.

"I'll take care of it," he assured him, so he ended the call. He knows his brother well. His brother knows him too. Vandros knows all the qualifications he has for women from before. Vandros will handle everything and he'll just have to wait for the time to meet Heart Chavez again. It won't be long. It depends on his unfulfilled desires that his wife won't satisfy, whether the meeting will happen sooner or later.

He starts chatting with his wife, updating her on what he's doing. Funny, right?

He cheats but he still updates her. Lux enters the salon again and is ready to be groomed this time.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you were going to escape," Carmen exclaimed, which made him sit down and finally ease his grandmother's worries.

He looks at his smartphone again and opens a chat, only to feel disappointed with his wife's response.

Thumbs up.

That's Diana's answer to him. Who would be happy with a thumbs up? He's the type of person who doesn't like that kind of response. He wants words, not emoji’s. He sighs again. As always. What did he expect from Diana? She's probably colder than a glacier.