TS International Group, a leading company in NY city had a business from many sectors; from hotel chains, construction industry, large department stores, entertainment firms to amusement parks. People who lived in NY City might not know their mayor, but they had surely heard of Travis Santiago, the leader of his big family businesses and one of the most sought-after business giants.
Mr Santiago was not only successful and rich, but he was also an absolutely fascinating man who looked more gorgeous than most women. It sounds unreal, but one should see him to say this was true. In addition, he was so smart and intelligent that he could defeat his competitors without them noticing. People tagged him as a "playboy" because he appeared in many various magazines coupled up with his very appealing appealing appearance, his smile alone can melt the heart of any woman and that made people tag him as the "Ladies Man".
News had it that Travis favorite girl is Shriya Gu, his personal assistant because she's always over him like an ants does to sugar. They are always everywhere together. Asides Shriya, no woman has been seen together with Travis.
*********
The busy building of the company became silent totally the moment a black Audi RS3 drove into the drive way.
"CEO is around"
"Boss is here, silence everyone, silence" the workers whispered around each other. They knew better not to make unnecessary noise and even mistakes. Linda, a lady in the finance department quickly straightened her skirt then she bent and started gathering pieces of some files that were flying around.
Those whose desk were not in order hurried to put them in order, In TS, a little mistake can make one loss his or her job because the CEO, Mr Travis Santiago lives the life of a perfectionist.
As his steady strides approached, the silence held still. Travis is a very handsome man even when he's not smiling. Ohh he doesn't smile at work, he only smiles in magazines or whenever he's out for a public appearance.
Behind Travis was Shriya, his personal assistant and the only closest person to him, which made Shriya gained a lot of respect from the workers too. They thought they would loss their job if Shriya doesn't like them. At times, some of the workers bring gifts specially for Shriya.
"Sir, we've completed the concept for ismar stall"
"There's a telecom with Mr buleni in 15minutes about the sponsorship" Shriya told Travis as she took steady strides equally to match his pace.
"Water" Travis said in a low voice and Shriya lowered the files in her hand and quickly hand him his water which he collected so fast.
He opened the water and was about to drink but he suddenly paused when he saw some sheet of papers flying around. They were from Linda's desk. He frowned and hit her table loudly. Linda jerked back in fear.
"What's all these?" Travis asked, now in a low voice.
"Why are all these sketches flying around?" He asked.
Linda fiddled with her fingers in fear. Oh no, she can't bear to loss this precious job. Travis may be so cold but one thing about him was that he doesn't treat his workers badly. All what he demands is their proper service and dedication to work.
"I asked a question, Linda. Why are you so careless?" He demanded.
Linda's words came superfluous. She looked at Shriya with a pleading eyes as she(Linda) couldn't bear to talk back at Travis.
Shriya smiled. She gently placed a hand on Travis shoulder.
"Sir, I'm sure those files must have flied out itself. Linda is a very dedicated person" Shriya said. "We still have a public appearance to make in the next ten minute" she added, trying to change the topic.
"Tell Alex to get the cars ready" Travis replied and left Linda's desk.
Linda heaved a sigh of relief. She knew deep down that she owe Shriya another set of gifts for always helping her out whenever she gets in Travis lane.
"I need information about someone, I will send you the name" Travis said to Shriya who was following him from behind.
"Okay" Shriya replied.
"Your Mom called four times this morning" she told.
Travis let out a smirk that Shriya wish she could see again. She knew the reason why his mother had called him four times in the day.
She had called to talk about marriage to Travis.
"When the car is ready, call me?" Travis replied and walked straight into his office.
"Your Mom is calling again, what should I tell her?" Shriya asked but Travis already left.
*****Night*****
Mrs Lila, Travis mother was worried. She has been trying to reach her son for the past few days but he wouldn't pick her calls. He had stopped picking her calls just because she's always telling him about marriage.
"When will Travis get a woman to bear his heir? Remains an unanswered question in Mrs Lila's thoughts.
"I'm lossing my patience, why isn't he picking up. Does he thinks I have nothing better to do" Mrs Lila seethed.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" Thomas, Travis father stated as he gently descend from the stairs.
"As long as it doesn't fall on my head" Lila replied, she throw her phone to the couch.
"Darling, you can get the donkey to the water but you can't make him drink" Thomas said. "Travis won't get any share of my properties if he doesn't get married. And if he doesn't want marriage, he must birth a child before he have an access to my properties all over the world" Thomas said with pride.
Lila took a deep breath and sat her butt down on the soft couch.
"I'm sure he would start preparing to get a wife once I state my conditions to him" Thomas affirmed.
"I hope so" Lila replied. She's happy now with what her husband said. She's sure Travis won't want to loss everything.
To while away time, Lila took her phone from the couch and opened her YouTube app to check if Annie had drop any new videos.
She doesn't know who the girl is but she has developed an unconditional love for this girl she met online. She's a you tuber who does make up tutorials and while at it, she gives words of encouragement to keep her fans happy while doing her make up.
Lila searched for Annie's channel on YouTube and luckily for her, she had just dropped a new video. Lila opened it with delight.
"May God be praised for creating such an epitome of beauty" Those were the words that always slip out of Lila's mouth each time she opens any of Annie's video.
Annie is a lady with the beauty of several women. Mrs Lila is always facinated to beautiful things, maybe that's one of the reasons she loves this mysterious girl greatly.
"They say life is what happens while you're making plans, what I mean is while you think you're making plans. Fate decides for you and suddenly you're in a place you don't know. Sometimes life will push you all the way to the bottom of the pit and then suddenly lift you up the skies, that's why we have to believe in miracles even on worst days. Do you believe in miracles?"
Annie's smile in the video was contagious in the video as she goes about making a make up video.
The video was coming to an end. And it ended alas which made Mrs Lila frowned.
"Annie you could have make this video longer?" Mrs Lila said as thou Annie could hear her.
"Mrs Lila, your son is here?" Mira, Mrs Lila house keeper announced.
"Really?" Mrs Lila asked and Travis showed up from behind in all demeanor of superiority.
"My son?" Lila called happily even though she's so angry with him for not picking her calls.
Travis approached her. He is not a man of many words. Not even of sweet words. He couldn't even give her a warm hug or sweet cheek kisses.
If he continues like this with her, his mother, how then will he do it he gets married?
Mrs Lila was greatly disturbed.
"Travis not even a hug?" Lila requested.
"I'm sorry Mom, I forgot" he rolled his eyes and finally gave her a warm hug with a little kiss on the nose.
"Travis who's your girlfriend? I mean who's the woman in your life" Lila asked.
Travis smirked. "You. You mother. You're the woman in my life. And can we not have this conversation again."
"I can't cheat you to love another" he whispered..
Lila blushed fiery red even though she knows it's an excuse from him so she wouldn't tell him about marriage.
As Travis sat down on the couch, his hand lay on his mother's phone and he mistakenly played the video she was watching earlier.
Lila smiled, waiting for the expression on her son's face. "Travis, isn't the girl in the video beautiful?" She asked.
"She needs to try extremely harder" Travis replied, his tone was neither harsh nor calm.
"She needs to try extremely harder" Travis replied, his tone was neither harsh nor calm. In a swift, he turned off the phone's power button. Lila was bewildered at her son's behavior for some seconds. Her son isn't a gay or is he?"Travis?" She called, angrily."The truth is bitter Mom. She need to try extremely harder and besides, she's not my type of girl, she look like those hopeless Indian women. You know my taste, Mom" Travis winked and at that point, Mrs Lila's words were superfluous. Some seconds passed before she finally found her voice. "What's you type of girl then?" She asked, feeling a little hopeful that her son is not gay.Travis let out a smirk that covers a lot of emotions. If he wasn't Mrs Lila's son, she would have said her son looks like a deadly devil when he made that smirks."My type of girl......" Travis let out a playboy smile, at least he noticed his mother wasn't happy with his expression
The first touch of his lips was so slow and drugging, Annie reacted immediately. Then the bite of his teeth against against her lips made her felt as if butterflies were singing in her tummy. She couldn't help but held tightly unto the mysterious handsome man that suddenly appeared in her world.She swallowed down salivatingly. His kiss turned completely fierce as the last whom she guess was his date approached them."Travis!! " Bridget shouted, almost close to tears but Travis just couldn't stop kissing Annie, he ignored the presence of Bridget. When she couldn't take it anymore, she walked away angrily and in tears.The moment the Bridget was out of sight, Travis unlocked from the kiss and pushed Annie away like she were some piece of trash. He dipped his left hand into his pocket and brought out a handkerchief which he used in cleaning his bottom lips."Get lost!!" He glared coldly at Annie.
"Then he kissed her right there,in front of the whole restaurant. This is just unbelievable. I can't believe Travis has a girlfriend" Lila blurted out while pacing around the living room."Calm down darling, I dint think Travis knows the girl. It might just be a prank to get away from the date set with Bridget. That girl he kissed is a way too low for him. I know my son, he will never settle for less" Thomas replied. His focus still remain fixed on the magazine he had at hand.It's already all over the internet that his son kissed a poor waiter."What a bad way to start a new day?" He thought.Lila disagreed. She refused to believe it was a trick from Travis to get away from his date. "Oh can't you just forget about that crossword and use your brain here? He french kissed her"Thomas dropped the magazine. "So he french kissed her and then?" He asked."Travis kissed the waitress in public in front of every eyes there as if his life depended on it
"What nonsense?" Damian shouted with all his might before passing out.Annie's eyes popped out, she rushed to her brother who lay as if thou he was lifeless. One of the guys held her back. She fought back tears, struggling herself away from his hard grip."Let her be" the devilish looking man who she assumed to be their leader commanded and the guy who held her let her be.She wanted to run to her brother who still lay still but Mr devil was quick to close the gap between them. He now had on a black mask on his face.Annie wondered why was that.She couldn't see through his face but she can feel the fact that those cold unfeeling eyes of his were piercing through her body. It was very obvious."Let my brother go, you beast" Annie yelled at him, she even spat at him.He let out an evil grin and held her chin, pressing her against the wall."Do you know what I did to the last person that spat at me?" He asked."Why should I care to know
Travis eyelid opened to bright light of the day. He got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He stood under the shower for long, different thoughts running through his mind. He thinks of nothing asides his chains of company. Now that Ran Yu, his strongest competitor is back in town, Travis has every reasons to double his efforts.He came out of the shower, in an expensive blue robe. He carefully removed the diamond earrings in his ears and place them on the table stand. He had forgotten to remove them before sleeping yesterday's night.Thinking of what to eat, he heard a knock at the door of his bedroom. He knew who it was, it was Mine. The only maid he has kept for years and the only reason he kept her was because she is an old woman, old enough to be his mother. If it were to be some young ladies, Travis was sure he wouldn't come. Before, he had always had young ladies around as maids but what they all did was to seduce him and he hat
Annie sat alone in front of a fountain, her mind flash back to the time at the restaurant. She remembered the moment the mysterious man kissed her. "I should have slapped him hard" she bit her lip in regret. She was in deep thought when she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice call her name. "Good morning, Annie. I'm Lila, Lila Santiago. Would it be possible to talk to you? In private," the unfamiliar voice asked. She was a woman in her late fifty's. Annie nodded innocently and Lila sat beside her on the bench. She removed her sun shades and faced Annie with a smile. "Do you come to the bay often?" She asked. "Excuse me?," Annie pouted, wondering why the stranger woman picked interest in speaking with her without knowing her from nowhere. "We all have our secret spots. I also had a place like this in my youth,"Lila started a friendly conversation. "And then?," Annie smirks. "I realized
Annie couldn't sleep at night. Her brother's tormentor had called several times, threatening him that he had three more days to pay up his debt, else they would come to take Annie away.Annie needed someone to talk to and so she snuck out of window and rush off to see her best friend, Hana.Hannah was surprised after she narrated everything."Are you serious? That's not possible! What kind of a man is he? Handsome or ugly, tall or short, kind or cold?. What if he is some kind of a psycho?" Hannah asked.."Now you're scarring me. Maybe I should say no. Why do I always end up in situations like this?" Annie sobbed.Hannah rubbed her shoulders. "Annie listen to me. You're looking for work, take it. Say yes. How else will you survive if you don't take it?""What if something happens to me Hannah? The guy can abuse me or kidnap and sell me, what if he's some beast or drug lord?
"Speak up" Travis urged, his eyes staring back into hers only. He hoped she would say what he wanted to hear.Annie knew it was better to keep quiet and not remind him that she was the girl he kissed at the restaurant."Come on, speak up" his masculine voice vibrated in her ears. It was a ragged command. He approached her slowly."You're almost naked!" She shouted, her eyes glued to the tattoo on his right arm. His tattoo was beautiful.Travis scoffed. He knew he was no where close to nakedness, he had on his joggers and he was shirtless and that's because he just left the gym. "I will be right back. I will go get my shirt" he glanced at her once and left.Immediately he left, Annie slammed her forehead, wondering what she has really gotten herself into."Why him? Oh god!" She muttered, close to tears because she knows she knew she was into real trouble. She only hope he doesn't remember her.