Chapter Four: Emma

Kieran Belmonte took a deep breath as he stood in front of the gate of a modest mansion in West Greenhills. He’d just gotten off the town car to pay a visit to his errant business partner. He had already wasted a lot of time today so he decided to make the most out of it.

If Kieran couldn't find him through his personal assistant then he would most certainly find him with his beautiful, reliable wife.

He rang the buzzer and was promptly let inside by a uniformed maid. 

With a nod, he entered the fantastically decorated home and garden of the famous king of their high school .

He’d advised his friend against spending too much on aesthetics but he was ignored.

The gardens were like a miniature version of the fabulous gardens in Versailles and the house itself looked like the Petit Trianon.  

Kieran walked through the sprawling halls of the house briskly until he arrived at the den on the second floor.

He was received by another old friend from their rosy high school days into the spacious but cozy den.

Emma Wintergarden was waiting for him inside the den. She stood up with a small smile as he entered the room.

He smiled back and immediately sat down on the easy chair closest to the door which was his favorite spot. 

He calmly noted that her attire was meant for comfort rather than for formality but it was obvious that her slacks and blouse were of good quality. Instead of the pixie haircut from high school, she’d let her hair grow out to a fashionable layered hairstyle. But it was her wide, honest brown eyes that remained familiar and the same to him. 

She looked more like a secretary than the mistress of this beautiful and gigantic home.

"Kieran! This is a surprise." Emma smiled warmly as she sat down again on her spot on the couch. She was in the middle of piles of papers on both sides like a treasure guarded by protective ivory walls.

He nodded stiffly. "Where's your husband? We were supposed to meet for lunch but he stood me up."

"Didn't you get the message?" Emma frowned thoughtfully. "I believe that his secretary gave you a call to tell you that he wanted to reschedule."

Kieran's eyebrow twitched. He was used to Thomas Wintergarden's flighty attitude ever since they were in high school but he demanded to be treated as a professional when it came to work.

It was only for his best friend of more than 10 years that he rescheduled his other meetings for the afternoon.

What a waste of my time, he thought grimly. "Did he say why?"

"He wanted to pick out a fountain for the backyard," answered his wife with a tiny twitch on her lips. She knew Kieran well enough to detect irritation under his cool exterior.

"I'm here because he wanted to surprise me with the design that he picked out. Would you like to sit down so that we can wait for that idiot to come home? You can berate him for me, if you like." Emma chuckled heartily.

Kieran took her invitation and relaxed on the easy chair.

Emma returned to her place on the couch and picked up her laptop. Concerned brown eyes turned to him. "Do you mind if I work for a while?"

He shook his head. The younger woman smiled at him and buried herself in her work. He restrained himself from staring at her so he decided to take out his laptop too.

How many times had he imagined a scene like this? How many nights had he spent dreaming about days when he could simply sit down in the comfort of home with his beloved beside him, quiet and diligent?

It didn't matter if she was busy or they were both busy. He would be happy if they were just beside each other and she would be within his reach.

It was painful and it made him uneasy. He was alone with the infamous Emma Wintergarden nee Guevarra for the first time in years. It still made him feel lightheaded. 

People often said that it's hard to forget your first love.

Kieran never forgot the first time that she looked at him with her large, luminous brown eyes and told him that he was a good person.

He could still clearly remember that golden September afternoon inside the Student Council office of their alma mater where they both stood facing each other.

Their friends went ahead to the cafeterie to grab snacks and drinks after Emma's rigorous training. They were left alone because he was still busy checking the club's expenses for the day and she was cleaning up the mess like a responsible manager should. 

She'd always been dense and unaware of his stolen glances. In fact, she didn't really notice that the male members were infatuated with her. So she went on with her chores without noticing anything.

Even then, Emma was petite with a slight frame so she looked like a little boy in her pixie haircut. She was really pretty in a placid, down-to-earth way unlike the other girls in their school. But Kieran loved her because she was honest. 

They'd accidentally bumped into each other when he walked forward and she turned quickly to check if he was following her. She nearly fell to the ground but he swiftly caught her in his arms. 

Emma's eyes widened as she stared up into his blue-gray eyes innocently. For a moment, he let his guard down. His grip on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze. 

It was the only time that his heartbeats accelerated and his entire body trembled. It was the only moment in time that he desperately wished that Tommy didn't want her and that he was the one she wanted too.

If only she did then he could have leaned down to kiss her to claim her…

He looked away when she laugh awkwardly at him. 

Of course, he helped her back to her feet. 

Yes, he allowed himself to let her go. 

Kieran never allowed his emotions to take control of him. It was messy, uncontrollable and hard to understand. So he merely gathered all of them and stuffed them inside a box where he could never see them.

He would rather die than let anyone know that he still secretly loved his best friend's wife.

“Kieran! You made it!”

Tommy’s voice echoed throughout the den. 

It was a good thing that he was in the mood to pick a fight with anyone on his path. 

Kieran smiled coldly and prepared himself to face his best friend who committed many sins against him like standing him up for their lunch date today and winning the heart of their high school heartthrob among many other things. 

x0x0x0x

Imogen didn't know how she got home.

He's getting married.

Then she remembered that Kevin and Isabel had driven her from Alabang to their house in Quezon City. She’d gotten out of the car without thanking them and ran up to her house without looking back.

Imogen was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she almost didn't hear her mother call out her name from the living room. Her body was shaking; her fingers were trembling. It was shock, she supposed. .

She was lucky that she didn't die because of shock.

"Are you all right?" Vivian asked, instantly worried. Her instincts kicked in as she drew her daughter into her arms. "What's wrong?"

Imogen didn’t respond so she drew her daughter to sit on the couch. In the silence and solitude of the living room, her daughter lay her head on mother’s lap. 

He's getting married.

Imogen's eyes were huge with unshed tears. Her lower lip trembled and her body shook harder under her mother's arms. But she couldn’t say anything.

The words wouldn’t come out. 

"Gen, darling, what happened?" The older woman’s voice was calm and soothing. “Darling, you can tell me. Please tell Mama what's wrong.”

Imogen looked so much like a little girl who'd gotten trapped inside the attic for hours.

In situations when her daughter needed her, she preferred to be like a solid rock in the face of a storm. If she was calm, she could think. She needed to think properly for her daughter's welfare.

Imogen's voice was small and lost when she whispered, "he's getting married."

Vivian's tears fell as her precious little daughter, her darling Imogen, began to weep for her broken heart all over again.

x0x0x0x

Emma Wintergarden watched their best friend, Kieran, give her husband a thorough scolding about professionalism and business manners with a barely concealed smile. 

She always thought that her husband was too relaxed so it was wonderful to have someone give him the talking-to.

Anyone could see that she loved him too much to scold him so she left that responsibility to Kieran.

Kieran and Thomas were partners and best friends after all.

It was obvious that Kieran was different from her husband.

When they were still going to that famous high school that accepted elite, super-rich and prestigious international students, Kieran already showed so much talent in moneymaking in different business ventures. 

Kieran exercised those skills in managing the Student Council as the right hand man of the president, Tommy. He was an easy man to respect because of his good judgment and loyalty to his friends. 

Tommy- bright, sparkling and charming- often left the technicalities to Kieran. He was content to charm, flatter and flirt his way to their sponsors, business partners and future associates. This was a skill that he often used in business and in real life.

His hard work was in his efforts to maintain good relationships between companies and to close down difficult deals. It was his talent in human relations that made him a good boss and a great business partner. 

He also had an unusual instinct for investment that he soon handed over to Kieran who multiplied it so much that they couldn't ruin themselves if they tried.

They were truly two of a rare kind.

Emma knew from the moment that she met the Student Council members that she would have to choose between someday. But she had also known that there was only Tommy for her. 

So she broke all of the boys' hearts when she said "I do" to her blond idiot.

Emma was aware that Kieran still held feelings for her unlike their other friends.

She never acknowledged them and he never said anything about them. They maintained a cool and almost professional relationship just as they had in high school.

Tommy, bless his clueless heart, never suspected a thing.

"I'm going to leave now," Kieran announced late in the afternoon. He'd taken his merienda, shared old stories and discussed their newest investment. "Thank you for the merienda."

It was almost six o'clock and he was looking forward to going home. 

"It was nothing!" Tommy declared magnanimously as if he’d forgotten his earlier scolding from his best friend. At six feet tall with blond hair, he looked like a gentle giant. His violet eyes sparkled. "I'm so glad you visited us! You got to see the fountain! It's a marvel and an art form!"

"I wouldn't have come here if you didn't stand me up," Kieran said sharply. He smiled with bared teeth. "Don't do it again. I'm leaving."

He refused to look back as he boarded the town car to see Tommy wrap an arm around his wife lovingly. 

It was a long day and he desperately wanted to go home to his three-bedroom condo unit in Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes tiredly. 

Kieran wished that he asked for that girl’s number before she left.

Talking to her would have been an effective way to distract himself. She would have driven all thoughts of Emma out of his mind. 

He looked for the invitation of the charity ball at home and the office but couldn’t find it. Perhaps it was time for him to look for it online so he could find the social media profile of the pretty singer. 

Kieran had never seen such pretty violet-blue eyes on a woman before. Tommy had violet eyes too but he prefered the singer's.

It was so strange that her beauty and grace struck him like a lightning bolt. He hated himself for not having moved fast enough to get her number.

Maybe later, he thought before he fell asleep at the back of the car. I want to see her later.

The driver didn’t say anything and continued to navigate the tedious traffic going to BGC.