Nicholas immediately recovered and flashed a smile at Laverna.“I have to go, baby. See you soon.” Ending the call, he served a hot chocolate drink on the counter and motioned Laverna to have it.The young lady was still appalled at what she just heard. Somehow, she felt disappointed because she always thought that he never had a lover. That was one of the things she made clear before she had let him become her bodyguard.“So… you lied about not having a girlfriend, huh. I might just fire-”Bago pa man tapusin ni Laverna ang sasabihin nito, isang ngisi ang binigay sa kaniya ni Nicholas na siyang dahilan para taasan niya ito ng kilay.
Nang magising si Laverna kinabukasan, katahimikan at hindi pamilyar na kuwarto ang kaniyang naabutan. Naupo muna siya saglit at hinayaang magising nang husto ang sarili at maalala kung ano ang nangyari noong nakaraang araw. Makalipas ang ilang minuto, umalis siya sa kama at akmang aalis na ng kuwarto ngunit tumunog ang cellphone niya. Agad naman niya itong sinagot nang makita na si Julia ang tumatawag.“Miss, may schedule po kayo ngayong 1 PM ng rehearsal for the fashion show to be held five days from now. Venue is Eslinwood Paradise,” saad ni Julia na siyang dahilan para mapabuntong hininga si Laverna.“Okay… I will be there on time.”“After the rehearsal, Mr. Valdemar wants you to attend the family dinner by 7 PM.”“Okay.” Iyan lang ang tanging tugon ng dalaga bago binaba ang tawag. Pagkalabas niya ng kuwarto, nilibot niya ang bahay at kahit ni anino ni Nicholas ay wala siyang nakita kaya pumunta na lang siya sa kusina para uminom ng tubig. Maya-maya pa ay napansin niya ang isang r
Nanatiling nakatayo si Laverna sa harap ng pinto at nagda-dalawang-isip kung kakatok ba siya o aalis na lang. Napansin na rin niya kasi na tila sinasanay niya ang kaniyang sarili na naka-depende sa presensya ni Nicholas. Nangako siya na hindi na siya uulit dahil sa takot na baka mawala lang ito bigla katulad ng pagkawala ni Julius. Bumuntong hininga ang dalaga bago nakapagdesisyon na umalis na lang. Tumalikod na ito ngunit nakakailang hakbang pa lamang siya paalis ay narinig niya ang boses ni Nicholas.“Hindi naman kita pinapaalis kaya bakit parang ayaw mong pumasok?” tanong ng binata.Kahit ni isang salita ay walang binitawan si Laverna. Hinarap niya lang siya at napatakbo sa kaniyang direksyon. Tanda pa niya ang sinabi nito na lagi siyang andiyan sa tabi niya kapag kailangan niya ng masasandalan kaya naman hindi ito nag-alinlangang yakapin ang binata.Gulat man si Nicholas sa biglaang pagyakap sa kaniya, hindi na siya nagtanong at niyakap na lang siya pabalik. Isang minuto silang hi
Laverna woke up the next morning with Nicholas right beside her, still sleeping soundly so she could not help but stare at him for a while. She truly appreciated his kindness and for some reason, she tried reconsidering his words about leaving the Valdemar group and just live like a normal person. Ngunit nangingibabaw pa rin sa kaniya ang pagkuha ng pabor ng kaniyang ama. At ano na lang ang magiging buhay niya kapag iiwan niya ang pagiging isang miyembro ng mafia? She never got to finish school so applying for a decent job was close to impossible. And not to mention, she never imagined living a life not receiving any orders from her father. For her, the orders she had always been receiving from the head of the Valdemar mafia group was the only reason she continued living. Maya-maya pa ay unti-unting nagising si Nicholas at agad napansin na paalis na sa kama si Laverna. Agad niyang hinawakan ang kamay nito at hinila papalapit sa kaniya. Nang napahiga niya ang dalaga, agad niya itong
Early in the morning, Laverna woke up, still feeling uneasy around her new apartment. It may be more luxurious than her previous home, however, it did not give her that homey and comfortable feeling. Still, she convinced herself that she will get used to it later on.Dahil magkikita sila ni Liraz sa isang malapit na cafe, pumunta na ito sa banyo para makapaghanda. Habang inaayos niya ang kaniyang buhok, tumunog ang doorbell na siyang dahilan para magtaka ito dahil wala pa namang nakakaalam na naroroon siya maliban na lang sa mga tauhan nilang tumulong sa kaniya sa paglipat. Lumabas ito sa kaniyang kuwarto at tiningnan muna ang monitor para makita kung sinuman ang nasa labas ng apartment niya.She let out a relieved sigh upon seeing that it was just Clarrisse, who was waving right at the camera with a huge smile on her face. Lav
Nicholas gritted his teeth after hearing those words. He had no idea how and when Laverna got to speak with Liraz during the masquerade party but that did not really matter at the moment. He excused himself, telling Laverna that he needed to use the restroom, and rushed to a corner away from her. He immediately dialed her girlfriend’s number.Ring after ring, he felt more and more agitated, hoping that Laverna’s men couldn’t have found her yet. Makalipas ang pang-limang ring, sinagot ni Liraz ang tawag ng nobyo.“Nasaan ka?” agad na tanong ni Nicholas.“Bakit? Hindi ba’t ngayon na alis ninyo ni Laverna so bakit ka tumatawag?” Halata pa rin ang sarkastikong tono ng boses nito kaya naman napahawak ang binata sa taas ng ilong nito.“Babe, this is no time for this. Wherever you are, I want you to hide in a place where no one can find you. Wear something that covers your face and turn on the location of your phone. I will have Victor fetch you. No matter what happens, do not go with anyone
Gunner stared at Laverna for a while and the next thing he did made the woman glare at him.Chuckling at her words, he said, “And do you actually think that will make a difference?”Laverna, on the other hand, could only knit her eyebrows because she does not know what he was actually thinking. It made her a bit anxious that when Gunner took a step forward towards him as his silver eyes seemed to bore into her very being, made her step backwards until she was backed in a corner.A smirk slowly formed on his lips. “But since you are willing to show me your bare self, then entertain me even more, kitten.”When he was about to brush his hand over her cheeks, Laverna shot him a glare and slapped his hand away. Ayaw na ayaw pa naman niyang tinatawag siya sa isang pet name. Umalis siya sa kaniyang kinatatayuan at hinarap ang salamin bago unti-unting tinanggal ang kaniyang make-up.Gunner was watching on the side with a poker face, but deep inside, he was very much amused and curious. Hind
Kinaumagahan, alas-10 na ng umaga bago nagising si Laverna dahil 3 piraso ng sleeping peels ang kaniyang nainom noong nakaraang gabi. Buhat na rin iyon ng kaniyang pago-overthink tungkol sa magiging kasal nila ni Gunner. Hindi niya alam kung paninindigan pa talaga niya ang desisyong iyon o mas piliin niya na lamang na tumakas at magbagong buhay. Iniisip niya pa lamang ang mga iyan ay sumasakit na ang kaniyang ulo kaya naman naghilamos na siya muna bago umalis ng kwarto.“Lance!” tawag niya sa bodyguard niya ngunit purong katahimikan lamang ang kaniyang narinig.Pinuntahan niya ang kwarto nito ngunit wala siya roon. Pati sa kusina ay hindi niya ito makita. Tatawagan na niya sana si Nicholas ngunit biglang bumukas ang pinto at iniluwa nito ang lalaking hinahanap niya. Base sa pawis nitong halos tumagaktak na sa kaniyang mukha, alam na agad ni Laverna na lumabas ito para tumakbo. Imbes na magpaliwanag si Nicholas kung saan siya nanggaling, natulala na lamang siya sa itsura ng babaeng na