Gun 13

Third Person’s Point of View

Juliana and Alexa breathed a sigh of relief when they managed to hide in a nearby bar. Luckily, they had their IDs with them. The bouncers weren't too strict; Alexa had seduced them to get in right away.

Fortunately, Alexa was skilled in such things, unlike Juliana, who was always focused on studying.

"I thought we wouldn't escape those people, but I’ve got another problem. How are we going to surprise sister Elaine?" Juliana asked. They sat at the counter to order drinks. They were exhausted from running and needed to refresh for a bit.

"But how can we surprise her if we can’t get into Uncle Alexander’s hospital? Argh, they’re such party poopers," Alexa said. She immediately pointed to the bartender, asking for the margarita cocktail she always ordered when going to parties.

"What about you guys? What do you want?" Juliana asked her companions. They immediately sat at the counter and ordered a lot of drinks, which surprised her.

"Idiots, I don’t have money to pay!" she shouted. They laughed. She was surprised when a staff member came up to them and asked what they wanted to order.

This guy had such an intense presence it felt like he could take her soul away the moment he approached her.

"Hey, idiot, you already have a boyfriend. Share your blessings, not everything’s about you!" Shane, one of their friends who helped with the props, yelled at her. Unfortunately, their surprise had flopped.

"Fine, I’m just ordering. You guys have wild imaginations," Juliana said, rolling her eyes at her friends, who were staring.

"What’s your order, ma’am?" the young man asked. Was it really a requirement for the bartenders at this bar to be so hot?

She bit her lip before answering, “One sex on the beach,” she said. Alexa, who was drinking her margarita, immediately spit it out.

“I’m telling Brother Kaizer about this. You’re so flirtatious,” Alexa said. Juliana’s eyes widened, and she quickly defended herself, especially since her friends were staring at her because of what she said.

"What do you mean, I’m talking about a cocktail drink. You all have dirty minds!" she defended herself, rolling her eyes when they clearly didn’t believe her.

"Is that all, ma’am?" the bartender asked, turning to face Juliana. From the way he spoke, it was obvious he wasn’t Filipino. He probably had foreign blood.

Juliana smiled immediately because this was exactly the type of guy she liked. She thought foreign accents sounded so sexy.

When their eyes met, the bartender immediately winked at her. He started preparing her drink. His movements were so smooth it left her mesmerized, but she was snapped out of it when her phone rang.

Shit.

"Hello, what do you need? You keep calling me, can’t you see I’m—" Juliana was cut off when her Brother Kaizer spoke on the other end, which made her stand up, causing Alexa to look at her, distracted from typing on her phone.

"What are you saying? Where are you? Why is it so noisy there?" Kaizer’s series of questions made Juliana gesture for Alexa to understand that it was Kaizer on the line.

She pointed to the nearest restroom, and they quickly went in. She held the call so they could talk in private.

"Just tell him we messed up, simple as that," Alexa suggested. Juliana grimaced at that idea because she knew her Brother Kaizer well.

"It’s the last thing I’ll do," Juliana replied, pressing continue on her phone.

"Sorry, Brother. We were practicing the choreography for the surprise. You know we’re going all out for Brother Louis," Juliana explained, hoping to make an excuse. They’d be in even deeper trouble if they revealed that they had hidden in the bar and messed up the surprise.

"Monkey’s awake and said it’s Elaine he’s surprising. Hold on, he wants to talk to you both. Wait a minute, damn you, Louis," Kaizer said, and they could hear him and Louis arguing on the other end.

Juliana trembled as she greeted her Brother Louis, “H-Hello,” she stammered, with Alexa standing beside her, also sweating from anxiety.

Holy shit, she thought. This was the first time she had messed up something like this. Her family had always expected perfection from her, so their standards for her were high.

They always expected her to be the valedictorian because, for them, a Montemayor was always supposed to be at the top.

"Make sure you won’t mess this up," Louis said, which made both of them nervous. They weren’t sure whether they should tell him they messed up or wait for him to see the news for himself.

Would he be mad if they told him the truth?

Juliana quickly turned back to her thoughts, knowing for sure he would be angry with them.

"Of course, Brother. The signal here is really bad," she lied. She signaled to Alexa to make noise to make it seem like there was a real reason.

"Wait, I’m not finished yet," Louis said, but Juliana hung up the call and sighed deeply.

"I don’t know what to do anymore," Juliana said. They slowly walked out of the restroom and went back to their original spot, but someone was already sitting there, so they just moved to another seat.

Juliana was surprised when someone handed her the drink she ordered earlier. When she looked up, she immediately recognized him.

It was the bartender from across the counter. The guy was as handsome as Adonis.

"Your order, ma'am. I hope this drink will make you smile," the young man said, handing her the sex on the beach cocktail she had ordered earlier. It came with a note that she quickly opened. Her previously frowning face was now replaced with a smile.

Hi, Ms. Aphrodite,

I don’t know your name, but the name Aphrodite suits you well because you’re like a goddess of love who shot my heart with just one arrow.

Here is my number if you want to talk about your problems: 091926323**

Sincerely,

Liam Beckett

"Who’s the one with a boyfriend but still getting all giddy over other guys?" Xandra asked from behind her. Juliana was immediately startled and quickly hid the note in her pocket.

"What are you talking about? That’s not what you think!" Juliana said, taking a sip of the cocktail the bartender gave her.

Truth be told, this was the first time she felt giddy over a guy.

Her friends might think she was being unfaithful because she already had a boyfriend and was getting excited over another guy, but they were wrong about that.

Because he wasn’t really her boyfriend, she was just helping him get his inheritance.

Claude’s parents were so strict that she couldn’t find anyone to help her pretend until she met Juliana, who was perfect for everything her parents wanted.

But what about Juliana’s freedom to fall in love? What if the moment they saw her with another guy, her friend would be exposed?

They slowly left the bar to make sure no paparazzi were waiting outside. Before they left earlier, Juliana couldn’t help but whisper to Liam, who was serving other customers.

"Good luck with your work, handsome. I’ll text you later," she whispered and kissed the bartender on the cheek when she saw no one was looking.

He immediately winked at her as she left, and Alexa, who had just returned from the restroom, invited her to continue with the surprise for Elaine. They had only been passing the time to make sure no reporters were following them. They couldn’t enter the hospital with so many reporters around.

"I saw that, flirt. If you don’t tell Brother Kaizer later, I’ll tell him," Alexa whispered as they entered the hospital. She could see these things right through Juliana. But then again, she didn’t have anything to hide from her because Alexa was one of the most trustworthy people around her.

Her cousin would never throw her under the bus.

"Okay, just don’t make noise," Juliana replied. They slowly entered the hospital. She signaled to their companions that there were no reporters inside.

"Are you sure we’ll make it? What if Brother Louis got there first?" Alexa asked as they walked to the elevator. Taking the stairs to reach Elaine’s room was too tiring.

"If that’s the case, you know what to do," Juliana said. When they got to the front of the room, they knocked immediately. They prepared the remaining balloons and Louis’ gift.

Alexa opened the door and was about to speak when they froze upon seeing Brother Louis, who was hugging the woman on the bed.

"Are we interrupting?" Juliana asked, but the woman immediately pushed Louis away and covered herself with a blanket.

"Obviously. Tss," Louis said, frowning. He knows they mess up the plan. If he had known, he wouldn’t have trusted them with the surprise.

"Sorry, Brother Louis. We’ll just leave," Juliana said, about to close the door when Louis suddenly stopped them and pointed a gun at them.

"W-What are you doing?" Alexa asked, swallowing nervously.

Please don’t tell me he’s going to kill them for messing up the surprise.

"Follow my lead," Louis whispered, which made Juliana nod nervously. It seemed like he was still planning to go through with the surprise for Elaine, but what was his plan?

They immediately signaled their companions.

"Happy Valentine’s Day, Ma’am Elaine!"

Elaine sat up to look at the people outside.

She turned to Louis, who smiled at her. "Happy Valentine’s Day, wifey. Can we have a date tomorrow?" the young man asked. Elaine couldn’t help but tear up because this was the first time she had been surprised like this.

She had thought everything was prepared for Mariella, especially after seeing the news on TV. She also thought it was just someone who had opened the door, so she immediately covered herself with the blanket out of embarrassment.

"Of course," she replied and immediately ran to hug Louis.

Elaine didn’t know, but she was so happy that the young man was okay and hadn’t forgotten her this Valentine’s Day.

She just hoped he wouldn’t change the way he treated her because she knew she was falling for him.

She was shocked when he suddenly offered his right hand to her. "Can I have this dance?" he asked, which made her nod immediately.

Louis signaled for them to play a song, which they immediately did. They played "Every Woman in the World.”

They smiled when they saw the two of them dancing. This was probably the sweetest thing they had ever seen. It was the first time they had seen Brother Louis put in so much effort for a woman.

A few minutes later, the song ended. Juliana approached and smiled at Elaine. "This is from Brother Louis. Sorry. He didn’t mention who it was for," Juliana teased. Elaine smiled as Louis furrowed his brow while they handed her the dog and cat gifts.

"Tss, you can leave now," Louis said, waving them off.

"Yeah, no thank you. Hmp," Juliana said, turning as if sulking. But she immediately ran out when she heard Louis cocking his gun.

"Goodbye, Sister Elaine. You take care of Brother," she shouted as they left the room.

"Thank you," Elaine whispered, but just enough for Louis to hear.

He smiled secretly and turned away from her so she wouldn’t see the redness in his cheeks.

"You deserve it," Louis said. He walked over to Elaine to kiss her on the forehead, but they were interrupted when someone knocked on the door.

Louis sighed deeply, annoyed by the interruption. Elaine smiled at him and opened the door.

A woman in a wheelchair appeared, wearing sunglasses and a scarf to avoid being recognized by the paparazzi.

"Where’s Louis?" she asked Elaine. She raised an eyebrow at what was said.

Who was she to be looking for Louis?

"What do you need with him?" Elaine asked, but the woman immediately took off her shades and spoke again.

"If you’re one of his flings, get out of my way," she said, pushing past Elaine, but Louis immediately noticed them and approached Elaine.

"What’s going on here?" Louis asked. He checked to make sure Elaine was fine before looking at Mariella, ensuring Elaine was okay.

"And what the hell are you doing here?" Louis asked, his frown deepening. Mariella tried to stand from her wheelchair to face him.

"Can you tell your fling to go away for a while?" she said, which immediately annoyed Louis. He didn’t know why he felt this way every time someone said that to Elaine, but he immediately pulled the young woman towards him and kissed her in front of Mariella.

“She’s my wife. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have something important to do,” Louis said, holding Elaine’s waist to help her walk out.

Mariella’s face showed shock, but before she could leave, she grabbed Louis' shirt.

"Wait a minute, Louis, I just have to tell you something," she said. Louis looked at her as if he didn’t care.

"I don’t care," he replied and started walking again, but this time, Mariella grabbed Elaine's shirt.

"Please, this is important," Mariella pleaded with Elaine. Louis looked at her, waiting for her to say something.

She sighed before finally answering, "Go on, I’ll just wait here," Elaine said, about to speak when Louis simply smiled at her and walked to the nearest chair.

She watched as Mariella and Louis entered the room to talk. Honestly, she wasn’t in a position to be jealous since they didn’t have any labels, and she wasn’t sure how Louis felt either.

** Flashback

"Aunt Hacel, is Louis here?" she asked, smiling, but the older woman only raised an eyebrow as if she had said something wrong.

She planned to surprise Louis because it was their anniversary, and she also wanted to see him. He hadn’t contacted her for three days, almost as if he was ignoring her.

"Does it look like he’s here? He left early for work. Just check over there," Hacel said gruffly while sitting on the couch. She was getting a manicure, and someone was fixing her hair.

"Thank you, Aunt. By the way, here’s the cake I made for you," she said, but the older woman just looked at her while she placed a paper bag containing the blueberry cheesecake she made.

As she turned to leave, tears began to fall. It had been a year with Louis, but his mother still treated her coldly, almost as if she didn’t approve of their relationship.

She tried contacting Louis, but his phone was off, so she had no choice but to take a taxi and see him.

"Just at Montemayor’s Building, Brother," she answered while tightly holding the box with the cake she planned to give him.

When she arrived at the building, the guard at the entrance greeted her. "Good morning, Ma’am Mariella. Have a nice day," he said as he opened the door for her.

She returned the greeting and entered. She was startled when a woman from the front desk approached her.

"Hi, Ms. Mariella. Can I get an autograph? My daughter is a big fan of yours," the woman said, handing her a photocard with her picture on the back. Mariella couldn’t help but smile at what she said and began signing the card.

She was pleased to know that she already had admirers, even though she had just started getting television projects.

"What’s your daughter’s name?" she asked, and the woman immediately answered with a smile.

"Hi, Elisse,

Thank you for supporting me. I hope you’re doing fine. Don't forget to greet your mom when she gets home. Love you!

Love,

Mariella Althea"

After finishing the conversation with the woman, Mariella headed straight to Louis’ office and was about to turn the doorknob when she overheard Uncle Izaak talking to Louis.

"I told you to break up with Mariella," his father yelled, which surprised her. What had she done to make Louis' father so angry?

"She’s my girlfriend, Dad, and you don’t have the right to order me around," Louis answered boldly.

"You’ll know the consequences, Louis, if you keep disobeying me. The only one for you is the one I chose," Uncle Izaak said. Before he could finish, Mariella quickly ran out of the room, unable to stop herself from crying.

**

Now, Mariella understood why Louis' parents treated her this way whenever he took her to their mansion.

"Do you love her?" she asked Louis, trying to hold back her tears, but he just turned around, seemingly ready to leave.

Slowly, she stood up and pulled Louis by the shirt to kiss him, but she froze when he suddenly grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her away.

"Leave, and don’t f*cking touch me because I don’t know what I will do to you," Louis said, and that was when the tears that she had been holding back finally fell.

"I think I know the answer to my question. Thank you for proving it," she said. Slowly, she went to her wheelchair and put on her sunglasses to hide the tears from him. She was about to open the door when Louis suddenly spoke.

"Don’t think about the surprise that happened earlier. It’s for my wife," Louis said coldly.

She nodded, replying, "I know. Just help me clean my name in the media," and she opened the door to say goodbye.

She had forgotten the real reason she came to Louis' room—to ask him for help in clearing her name. She had gotten too emotional.

But now, one thing was certain: Louis didn’t love her anymore.

If that were the case, she would no longer consider the possibility that he wasn’t the one who killed her father. It seemed like he was now capable of such things because he had already hurt her for a woman.

Louis had truly changed; he was nothing like the Louis she had once known.