CHAPTER 2

IT'S already 5 pm and Demie is still sleeping upstairs. While the Favre family has already started cooking because they will surprise Demie for her 25th birthday at the same time as Christmas.

Alessandro is currently putting shrimps on a large disposable pan and patting them off to dry with a paper towel— he's going to cook shrimp scampi. His mother said that Demie likes kinds of seafood.

"She will really love that, Sandro," his mother said, cheering. She's currently beating butter and sugar together— she's going to make snowflake butter cookies.

"Mom, I should've just cooked something for her too!" Alastair exclaimed, whisking flour and salt together. He’s helping his mom bake.

 "Shut up, Aly, how can you cook when you don't even know how to cook," his mother sneered at him. Alastair was shaken because what his mother had said was true. He looked at his brother who was just quietly cooking, he's currently seasoning the shrimps with salt and pepper.

"Bro, isn't Venice will be coming over here?" Alastair asked, still whisking the salt and flour. Their mother's face immediately turned sour at what she heard.

"Why would she? She has her family to spend the Christmas," Sandro replied, putting the shrimps on a heated pan.

"I thought she will also tag along like a leech on—" Sandro stared at his brother, not liking the word he used to describe his close friend.

"Oh, that's right, we'd better finish what we're doing. Maybe Demie will wake up any moment," they planned to hide the food until midnight to surprise Demie. Aside from the food that Sandro's cooking and Kareen baked, they already ordered cooked food that will come later.

It took another four hours before Demie woke up. She stretched her body and immediately picked up her charged smartphone to find out the time. And she was immediately surprised to see that it was already seven o'clock in the evening. She slept for 8 hours. It must be the jetlag.

Demie immediately undresses and she rummages through her suitcase looking for her bathrobe. And when she saw the red bathrobe, she immediately took it without looking and then she wrapped her body in a towel. And she just runs quickly to the bathroom to take a bath.

While 30 minutes had passed, Sandro was instructed by his mother to check on Demie. And the man immediately obeyed his mother's command. He even heard his brother Alastair complaining, saying that he wants to be the one who should have been ordered. Sandro can tell that Alastair has a shot on Demie, just a man's instinct. 'Who wouldn't?' Sandro mentally said and found himself smirking at that thought.

Sandro stopped in front of Demie's bedroom door and knocked softly three times. Of course, Demie can't hear it. She's still in the bathroom, finishing her shower.

Sandro knocked three times, once again. Then he thought, his mother told him to 'check' on Demie not to wake her up. So he slowly turned the doorknob and it opened. He let himself in and found no one in the room. His brows furrowed, and just when he's about to go out in the room, Demie came out from the bathroom— on her red silk satin bathrobe that ends on her mid-thighs.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room went hot. Sandro can't help himself but gaze upon an exquisite and ravishing woman in red in front of him. From her slightly open mouth that made him lick his lips, and his eyes followed the droplet of water from her wet hair that went to her visible cleavage. Sandro can see her round breasts that are under the bathrobe that made his c*ck screaming. And the mouth-watering sweet scent of Demie is urging Sandro to have a taste of it. And prove that they taste as sweet as they smell. Just by thinking of it, his c*ck is so hard that it's aching.

While Demie at the moment, she can't help but constantly gulp every damn second. Her body is on fire, she can feel her core dampening just by the stare of this man in front of her. But she needs to get a hold of herself. This is not the man whom she planned to get laid to.

"A-ah… What made you c-come here?" Demie used the little voice left from the sudden thirst she felt. She can't stand looking into Sandro's eyes. She can see again that glint of some emotion on his eyes that she can't read, but she's sure that it is something that made her wet down there.

"Demie…" Sandro called, grunted. Sandro needs to control himself before he'll launch to Demie that looks like a prey ready to be eaten by a predator— him. He needs a cold shower after this, he needs to load 'stuff' to calm his ‘buddy’ down there.

"Mom, made me look for you. If you want to go down, she's looking for you. Sorry for busting in, and thank you for giving me my gift this Christmas," Sandro said, murmured the last sentence while giving a trail to Demie's body before he stormed out of the room, leaving Demie dumbfounded.

Demie heaved a loud sigh, she's been holding her breath since she was rooted on the floor. Even though she had just taken a bath, she felt the sweat rolling at the side of her neck.

"Damn… what's wrong with you, Demie?" she was still talking to herself as she walked to the bed where her suitcase was still lying and she was even more embarrassed when she saw that her undergarments were open on the bed because of her rummaging earlier. Sandro probably saw it.

Demie hit herself, she hasn't even gotten her femininity yet but she felt like Sandro owned her already. She doesn't know but she felt that when Sandro was looking at her. It's like looking at his property. And Demie doesn't know why she likes the idea that the man owns her. But that won't change her plan, she's sure of it. Christmas won't be over without her, giving her cherry to Alastair.

A few minutes ago, Demie was already dressed. She's wearing A.W.A.K.E's red striped tartan blouse, Isabel Marant's calliandra draped sequin- embellished georgette midi skirt paired with Balenciaga's silver polka dot heels. Demie felt like she's overdressed, but her Aunt Kareen told her earlier that she should dress well because it's her day. And she silently thanked her friend, Katrina, who chose a series of clothes and dresses for her before coming here to the Philippines.

Demie took a picture of herself and sent it to her friend Katrina, before finally going out of her room. She's just holding her phone looking at herself through the phone's camera. She suddenly feels anxious about how she'll look because of  'someone'. And just by thinking of that someone, Demie heard a door shut behind her. That's why she turned around and there is the man she's been thinking of since earlier— Alessandro.

She can't help herself but smile a little when she saw what he's wearing. A preppy charcoal sweater that has a polar bear wearing Christmas prints, printed in the front. And Sandro saw it, who's also dazzled on the way Demie looks tonight.

"What are you smiling at?" Sandro was so close to Demie that she couldn't hide her smile because of the cute polar bear in his sweater. "It's just because of the sweater you're wearing, it’s cute," Demie replied, giggled.

"Oh, this sweater. Mom made me wear it, I can't say no to her at this time," Sandro answered, and for the first time he's smiling while shaking his head.

"It's cute though, it's not making you less attractive," and it's too late for Demie to take back what she said. She bit her lips out of embarrassment, and his smirk says it all.

"I know, sweetheart," Sandro responded, before passing on her. And Demie can feel her cheeks on fire on what he just called her. Demie dared to follow Sandro down the stairs.

She was taken a back by his endearment. Sweetheart?