Chapter 03

KEI

"Hey, are you okay now? There are a lot of people inside the bar," Sam said to me. I smiled at her and nodded.

"I'm feeling a bit better," I replied, but I could still feel the anxiety in my chest.

Sam squeezed my hand and smiled. "Just face him and tell him you're going to pay your debt. That's all. You don't need to bring up whatever happened between you two before."

I wish it were that easy, what Sam was saying. But she had a point. I needed to face Gio. After that, I could live peacefully, without any lingering problems. That’s right, that's what I’ll do.

We entered the bar. The lights were already up, and there were plenty of people. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, so I wasn't sure how I was going to find Gio.

We headed to the bar station and grabbed some drinks. Sam was chatting with a lot of people she knew since her family was well-known, and she herself was recognized as the next heir of their company. But as for me, hardly anyone knew who I was because my dad kept me hidden. He didn’t want to be embarrassed.

That’s fine with me. I prefer to live my life on my own terms, not according to what my family wants for me. I'd rather follow my own path than theirs.

"By the way, Sam, who's this girl with you?" asked a man with a strong build. He was fair-skinned, had a sharp nose, and his eyes seemed to speak. He was tall too.

"Oh, this is Kei Garcia," Sam introduced me. I looked at him and gave a small smile. He was cool and handsome, but my purpose tonight seemed to slip away.

"Really? So you're Dylan Garcia's sister?" I paused when he mentioned my brother's name. How should I respond since he seemed to know Dylan well?

"I didn’t know Dylan had such a beautiful sister. It’s nice to meet you. By the way, I’m Zion, Zion Evangelista." I froze.

"E-Evangelista?" I asked.

"Yeah, my cousin owns this bar, Gio Evangelista." I swallowed hard and nodded. I quickly finished my drink.

He walked closer and handed me another drink. "You know, I really want to get to know you better," he said. I looked at Sam, and she signaled for me to continue talking to Zion.

I felt weak with nervousness—an Evangelista was standing before me, and he was Gio's cousin. I became even more tense during our conversation.

"You know, I didn’t expect to meet someone like you tonight," he said, taking a sip of his drink. I could see the desire in his eyes. It wasn't surprising—his looks alone hinted at his intentions.

"So, what do you do in life? Any business plans?" he asked. I smiled and shook my head.

"I’m not into business. I left that to my brother and my dad." His brow furrowed, confused.

"Really? I didn't know they weren't forcing you to be like them." I paused. But they did. I just resisted because their plans weren't for my happiness. I had my own dreams. But now, it felt like I had made so many wrong choices—and one of them was Gio.

"Let's not talk about it. I can't really relate anyway."

He laughed and took another sip of his drink. "Don't worry, I'm on your side. Imagine how hard it is to do what you need to do in life just to reach your parents' expectations. They're forcing me to match him."

I looked at the person he pointed to—a muscular man wearing glasses. His aura screamed sex.

"That's Gio." I froze. "Good-looking, right?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"So that's Gio," I said. He nodded.

"My parents make me do a lot because they want me to follow in Gio's footsteps. They think he's the perfect son. But the Gio they know is just a mere portrayer." I frowned.

I laughed and took another sip of my drink. "Why, what did he do to you?"

I was curious about what Gio was up to now. It had been a long time since we last saw each other, and he had changed a lot.

"To me? Nothing. But to his women, a lot. What a notorious f*ck boy," he said, laughing. I swallowed hard and looked at Gio. "Do you know how many girls that animal has made cry? But it doesn't matter to him, or to me either—we do the same thing." I looked at him.

"You, maybe, but him? It doesn't seem like it," I said, laughing.

He laughed and shook his head. "Why, because he looks like an angel? I'm telling you, that innocent face doesn't mean he's innocent. He's worse than me."

To think that we had a thing before, I guess he's just like that—another typical man who's different when it comes to sex.

"Hey, Gio!" Zion shouted. My eyes widened. I grabbed him to stop him.

"What are you doing?" I asked. My heart was pounding—I was going to face him again.

"Why? Are you scared? Don't worry, I'll introduce you as my girl so there's no fighting over you." He winked at me and walked toward Gio.

I watched them before turning back to my drink. I downed my drinks one after another. I asked for another glass of liquor, savoring each burn down my throat, hoping it would give me the courage to talk to Gio.

It took them a while to come back. I had asked for several glasses of tequila and vodka just to build up the courage. I felt the heat in my body and the dizziness, but it didn't stop me from drinking.

"Uhm, can I get another one?" I asked the bartender.

"Ma'am, you've had a lot. Are you sure?" he asked, concerned.

"Can you just do it, please," I said. He did as I asked. As soon as he handed it over, I drank it immediately.

"Sorry for the wait—I couldn't bring him over right away because there were—oh f*ck, are you alright? Are you drunk?" Zion asked.

"Mhh, me? Drunk? Come on, I just started," I said. I held my forehead and closed my eyes, feeling the dizziness. I stood up and moved closer to Zion. But because of my drunkenness, I stumbled. He quickly caught me, and I ended up wrapping my arms around him.

He smelled good, the scent of his perfume is familiar. I felt like I'd smelled it before—I just couldn't remember where.

"You're definitely drunk," he said calmly. I smiled because something about the way he said it felt different. Why was that? His voice sounded deeper, and he seemed taller.

I looked closely at his face, but with the various colored lights around and the dim lighting at the bar station, I couldn't make out his features clearly. But I was sure he didn't seem like Zion.

"Are you Zion? Why do you look different?" I asked with a smile. Despite just meeting him, I couldn't resist touching his eyebrows. Zion had thin eyebrows, but before I could touch them, I felt eyeglasses and removed them to feel his eyebrows, sensing their thickness.

My hand slowly moved down to his nose, feeling its sharpness. I planned to trace more of his face, but he quickly grabbed my hand.

"Stop it. Are you trying to provoke me?" he asked seriously. His deep voice was something I found particularly attractive.

I laughed and held his broad shoulders. "Why, are you getting seduced? You don't seem like Zion because he was eyeing me earlier, but you're pushing me away? Don't tell me you're an Evangelista too?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm also an Evangelista."

I smiled and nodded. "Well, I hope you're not Gio. I owe him money, and I haven't paid it back yet." He didn't say anything and just looked at me.

"If you're an Evangelista, can you help me? I need to pay back the money I borrowed from him, fifty thousand," I said to him.

"So you're going to borrow money from me to pay him back?" he asked. His voice was cold, emotionless, but I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. 

"It shouldn't even be a loan. Isn't the thing that we had is enough?" I said with a smile. He took a deep breath and looked away. "Maybe he likes me and just wants an excuse to see me," I laughed.

"Then what will you give me once I help you pay off your debt to him?" he suddenly asked, making me pause.

I could feel my heart racing with nervousness, but maybe this was the time. I didn't know who he was, but I could use this to avoid being saved by Sam again.

"What do you want me to give you? I can do it, I will do it, whatever you want, just help me. I want to get rid of that guy. I don't want any more trouble."

"Why do you want Gio out of your life? What did he do wrong to you? If I remember correctly, he helped you, and you two had a thing. So why do you want to stay away from him?" I took a deep breath.

"I don't know... I just--I really don't know." Flusttered feeling that I experience in that moment. 

I felt him suddenly move closer to my ear and whisper, "Then it's settled. I guess you know what I really want. Prepare yourself; you have a lot more debts to pay. I'll make sure you won't be able to walk tomorrow. And I'll make sure you never forget this Evangelista..."