XV - Surprise Gone Wrong I

Third Person's Point of View 

Elaine woke up from the ray of light completely blinding her. When she opened her eyes, the white ceiling was the first thing she saw. “Child, good heavens you are awake. I thought I would lose you,” said her father. He immediately went to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. Kaizer was next to him who was smiling at her. He looked like he already knew what had happened to the two of them. 

“I...I'm fine. Where's Louis? ” she asked but Kaizer and her father just looked at each other as if no one wanted to answer the question. 

"D...d-ad?" she called Mr. Natividad, but he just smiled at her and held her by his head. 

“Chill, it's better if you rest first. The nurse told us not to make you move too much first, especially that what happened to you was traumatic,” Mr. Natividad replied, but she couldn't rest until she's sure Louis was okay. He was the reason why she is still safe. She wanted to thank him. 

“But, Father. I want to see him. Is he all right? Tell me! ” she asked in panic as she slowly tried to get up from bed that's why her father was holding her back. 

“Rest first. Louis is fine. He will definitely get angry if you force yourself to see him,” her father firmly said. Kaizer approached her to calm her down. 

“Shhh, Elaine. Bad weeds take a long time to die so just chill,” Kaizer said and smiled at her, but everyone's surprised when she suddenly slapped him. 

"Louis is still human!" she cried. Elaine immediately realized what she had done so she immediately bowed and apologized to the young man. “I'm sorry, I'm just too worried about Louis. H...he's in danger because of me,” she stammered and began to cry. Kaizer immediately hugged her to calm her down. 

Elaine must have been traumatized by what happened and he was not even there to defend her. Soon, Elaine fell asleep while she was in Kaizer's arms. He slowly put her to the bed to talk to Mr. Natividad.

“It seems to have traumatized Elaine a lot. Has something like this happened to her before?” he asked Elaine's father to make sure that the information he gathered about her past is correct. 

He knows that there was a psychiatrist who went to Elaine and Mr. Natividad to treat the maiden's condition. He was so interested in her that he had her investigated. That's when he found out that Louis was doing the same thing. 

So even before the information reached Louis, he threatened to immediately arrest the investigator. Actually, he wanted his cousin Lucas to investigate because he was a private detective, but he was on a mission so he had to hire another investigator. 

“What else can I hide from you, boy? You are the one I trust completely when it comes to my daughter,” said the old man.

He slowly opened the door, signaling Kaizer to go with him outside to talk about the matter because Elaine might hear it. Kaizer took ten pesos and dropped it in the vending machine to give Mr. Natividad some coffee. They sat in the chair lined up in front of Elaine's room. 

"Honestly, I don't want my child to marry Louis Montemayor because of his state in life," Mr. Natividad started while sipping coffee. They watch people passing stuck in their worlds. Some were listening to music with earphones while others were bringing flowers and fruits for the person they were going to visit. 

The old man took a cigarette stick and began to light it while he put his cup of coffee on the chair between him and Kaizer. 

"But I have no choice but to trust the Montemayor family because this is what my wife Serena asked me to do," he continued. Kaizer listened intently because he was interested in what life the girl and her family had before he met her. 

“My wife took our daughter Elaine when she was only five years old for her brother to see. He said he was ready to turn his back on their father and put an end to what they were doing illegally. But the only thing that came back to me was my daughter with bloodstains on her clothes . . . . and she couldn't speak anymore. My happy child who was always smiling has become an idiot who can't talk anymore. When we looked for Serena, we found her lifeless. We also confirmed that the blood on my daughter’s clothes was her mother’s, so I didn’t hesitate to take her to the hospital so she could receive treatment. The doctors only told us we should visit a psychiatrist because Elaine was traumatized,” Mr. Natividad said in detail while smoking his cigarette. 

This is the only thing that calms him down every time he remembers what happened to his wife. 

“Why didn't you ask Uncle Izaak for help? He will definitely help you catch your wife's brother and pay Elaine's bills,” Kaizer asked. If the old man already knew about the agreement between Izaak and his wife, why didn't he ask for help? 

"Because I want my daughter away from the life of the mafia!" Mr. Natividad growled which stopped Kaizer. His aura was too frightening when angry. 

“Don’t you understand that while my daughter is near Montemayor, she will not lose this kind of life? So I ignored what my wife said and took my child away but Izaak still tracked her down,” Mr.Natividad seriously said. The coffee's now cold because he's been talking for some time already.

The information Elaine's father said was still not enough, but there is only one thing he was sure of and that was that Louis should not know what Mr. Nativitad said because it will change the way he looks at Elaine. 

"If you don't want to know anymore, let's go back to her room," Mr. Natividad stated. 

Kaizer stopped him when he saw his sister and his cousin waving at him. What are they doing here? 

What he knows is that they are in another country to study, but why did they suddenly end up in the Philippines? What's even more shocking is that they didn't even tell him they are going home. 

"You go first, Uncle, I don't want to ask anything anymore," he said with a nod. He approached Alexa and Juliana who are wearing red dresses as if they are going to a party. 

“And what do you think you're wearing? If you don't change in the nearest powder room, I'll take you both home to Aunt Serendipity! ” Kaizer threatened and the two immediately looked at him angrily. 

They greatly prepared for the occasion today and decorated the venue to the core where they planned to surprise Elaine. The surprise was ruined when they received a call from the hospital owned by Uncle Alexander where they planned to hold the surprise. They heard that something bad happened to Louis. 

“Oh, god, this is so expensive and suits me very well. You're welcome, Brother Kaizer!” Alexa tantrums, her eyes rolling at Kaizer. 

"Alas, if Aunt Serendipity found out that you're dressed like that, you'll be doomed," he teased her while imitating the tone of Alexa's speech making her pout. 

“Tse! Come on, Juliana. Let's change our clothes before Brother Kaizer tells Mom,” she said while simply glaring at the young man who just laughed at her. 

His cousin Alexa is really childish. Their aunt Serendipity spoiled her too much because she was the only girl among the siblings. Kaizer just frowned when he remembered that he forgot to ask why they are in the Philippines. The two seem to have run away again to get wasted, just like the last time he saw them at a party he was exactly invited by one of his flings. 

He even called his Aunt Serendipity to ask when Alexa came home, but it turned out she didn't know that the two were in the Philippines and even cut class just to go to a party. Since then, security at every airport has been tightened. His aunt ordered it because the two are fond of escaping and ditching classes. 

About a few minutes later, the two went out from the nearest comfort room. They are already wearing crop tops partnered by cargo pants. 

"You took too long to get dressed," Kaizer complained, very impatient waiting for the two of them to come out. 

"Who told you, Brother, to wait for us?" Juliana's philosophical question made Alexa immediately laugh and even high-fived her. 

Kaizer immediately took out his cellphone and pretended to call their aunt when the two stopped him. 

"It's just a joke, our handsome brother," the two teased him. He immediately hid his cellphone and started asking questions to the two. 

"Why are you two here?" he asked. They started walking towards Louis' room. 

“We didn’t run away, duh. Brother Louis just ordered us to bring the best dog and cat in the world,” Juliana explained while calling the people they hired to fix the balloons and the surprise. Louis didn't instruct them to hold a surprise, but they wanted it to be romantic especially because this is for the woman who captivated their cousin's heart. 

"Where is Brother Louis' room?" Alexa asked in a complaining manner because her feet were already sore from the heels. Juliana told her not to wear it anymore but she still insisted, making things difficult for her. 

“And why did Louis order you to buy the best dog and cat? To whom will he give it? ” Kaizer asked. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to be sure for whom Louis had the surprise prepared.

“That's why we have to see him because we don't know for whom. He didn't even tell us on the phone,” Juliana complained. That was their biggest problem so they didn't name the cake and the balloons. 

“Tss, come here, Alexa. I will carry you,” Kaizer said when he saw that his cousin could no longer walk. She immediately rode on his back 

"Next time, bring spare shoes," he preached her and she only nodded. When they saw Louis's room, Kaizer immediately opened it. The young man, who was fast asleep, was exposed to them while his three disciples watched over him. 

“Motherfucker, dude. By the way, good you are here. I thought the bossing's operation would not be successful, but it's okay. You know when weeds are bad, it takes a long time for them to die,” Volstrige said and went to Kaizer. 

When he saw Alexa he immediately introduced himself. 

“Good heavens, you have a new fling and you even brought it to our boss. Fuck you! ” he shouted at him. Kaizer just kicked him and motioned for Brennon and Alex to leave the chair. He made his cousin Alexa sit there and started talking. 

“That's my cousin, stupid. This is my sister Juliana. Just try to flirt and you will have to eat the ground,” Kaizer said. Juliana slowly went next to Alexa who's now wearing heels again. 

They know the organization in their family and Louis is not the only mafia in the Montemayor family. Many of them. Most of them are cousins. So every time they attend a family reunion, this is probably the coolest place they got to be in. It takes place on a yacht or sometimes it depends on the family who is scheduled for that year. 

The Montemayors keep only one and that is their dignity because they hold responsibility for every baby born. And once you are born with the Montemayor surname, you will receive expensive gifts as a baby and until you grow because your future godparents are billionaires from different parts of the world. 

"I'm ready to eat the ground just to be with your cousin," Volstrige joked. He slowly approached Alexa to introduce himself, but Kaizer immediately blocked him. 

"Fuck you, womanizer!" Kaizer was so upset that Volstrige just laughed at him. 

“Fine, this is Brennon. He has no bad habits and women. Maybe you two would like him so that someone here can focus on this idiot,” Volstrige said while pushing the man towards Alexa and Juliana. 

“What? I don't want to ruin my life! Look at Kaizer, he looks ready to pull out a gun,” Brennon joked. Alexa slowly approached the young man and introduced herself to everyone's surprise, especially Kaizer. 

"Hello, I'm Alexa, but you can call me baby for short," she introduced herself and winked at Brennon. It seemed to catch the young man's attention. 

“Hey, Alexa. What are you doing? You are embarrassing!” Juliana whispered looking at Alexa who's already staring too deep at Brennon's face, making them laugh. 

“I can't do anything about that, Kaizer. It looks like Cupid hit your cousin,” Volstrige said, still laughing. Brennon scratched his head because of what Alexa did. 

“That’s fine, Brennon is a nice man compared to you. But, Alexa, have some delicacy. You're a Montemayor for Pete's sake,” Kaizer said and pulled his cousin away from Brennon. 

“Brother, I'm just introducing myself. He is my type and besides, he looks decent," Alexa reasoned out while admiring Brennon. Brennon immediately approached her and extended his hand. 

"I'm Brennon, but you can call me by any name you're comfortable with," he said. Kaizer glared at him because he's already flirting with his cousin. 

"Hey, weirdo, I'm just saying you're a better person than Volstrige. I didn't say I will let Alexa get to know you," Kaizer told him. Alex immediately cleared his throat and everyone stopped. 

"Here comes the bitter one." Volstrige shrugged. They immediately turned their attention to Alex who at the moment, looks impatient. 

"I'll just answer the call," he said. They followed him as he walked out of the room.

“Is he crazy? No one is calling his phone, ” Volstrige asked which made everyone laugh. Kaizer immediately approached Volstrige to ask what happened at the resort. 

“Brother, the staff is already here. Where is the woman that Kuya Louis will surprise? ” Juliana asked which made Volstrige look at her because of what she said. 

"Are you referring to Ma'am Elaine or the ex of our boss who's an actress?" the young man asked because even he had no idea who Louis wanted to surprise. 

“Brother Louis didn't mention anything. Why don’t we just go to the two and surprise them? You, Volstrige, why don't you ask him when he wakes up? Then call us so we can retrieve the surprise if we're wrong, ” said Juliana that even Kaizer scratched his head because of what his brother thought. 

It will be a big mess by the time they make a mistake about who will Louis surprise.

“Son of a bitch. I'm nervous about you two but go ahead. Mariella's room is on the ground floor. All I know is that she’s still there because she’s not completely recovered yet. As for Elaine, just ask Kaizer," Volstrige said.

Juliana nodded softly and thanked him. She then pulled Alexa who's talking to Brennon. 

“What is it? You're a nuisance! You see, we're talking,” Alexa complained because Juliana suddenly pulled her in the middle of her conversation with Brennon. But it's okay because they got each other’s social media accounts. Fortunately, her older brother, Kaizer, focused his attention on Volstrige so that she and Brennon could talk. 

The first thing they looked for was Mariella's room on the ground floor and prepared the surprise. Many people passed by and they were impressed with the surprise Juliana's companions prepared. They plan to just knock on the girl's room and have her see the surprise they have prepared since they are running out of time.

They have to go to another person when the woman is not whom Louis was referring to. When they were done, they immediately took the Ashera cat and Samoyed puppy they bought to give them to Mariella. Since they were not sure yet, they hid them behind first. 

They knocked on her door and the girl came out with the nurse pushing the wheelchair she's seated on. She was wearing shades because some paparazzi takes a picture of her. She was also greatly shocked to see the surprise they prepared. 

"Who sent this?" Mariella asked as they handed out different brands of clothes and cake. 

"Sir Louis," Juliana answered formally, but they were surprised when she threw the cake away and spoke angrily. 

“Don’t ever mention his fucking name. Go away! ” she shouted. The paparazzi are relentlessly taking pictures. 

"Miss Mariella, have you and Sir Louis got back together?" 

“Do you have anyone else, Miss Mariella? Why did you throw away the cake that Sir Louis prepared for you?” 

"Do you like someone else, Miss Mariella?" 

They posed various questions to Mariella, but not even one ignored the questions. Juliana and Alexa ended up scratching their heads when the paparazzi attacked them with questions about the surprise. 

They will be doomed by the time it spreads all over television. It doesn't seem like Mariella is the one Louis intends to surprise. The only shocking thing about the girl's reaction is why is she so angry with their cousin Louis? Did he do anything bad to her? 

They thought that their cousin was planning to get back together with his ex because they have heard her name before from their cousin Louis. Now, they have to think about how they both clean up the mess they made, otherwise, they will both be pressed by their Aunt Hacel. 

"When I count to three, we will run," Juliana instructed and the staff nodded. 

"One, two, run!" she shouted. They swiftly ran out of the hospital because the cameras were still chasing them. Hopefully, they can outrun them.