CHAPTER 3

AFTER arguing with her mother, Triana did not hesitate when she booked a flight to Nepal the next day. She never expected that she would face this harsh reality. She came back to the Philippines a month ago after finishing her master’s degree at Harvard, majoring in Business Administration. 

Bullshit! 

She wanted to discern. The future of her family would depend on her decision. She needed to make the most of her vacation. She joined an international team scheduled to trek to the Everest Base Camp. 

It would take her two weeks. And it was enough for her to think before making a decision. Caleb wanted to join her, but he couldn’t go due to his busy schedule. Triana hadn’t told her boyfriend about her current dilemma. The only thing Caleb knew was her going to unwind before they married. And have her trek of a lifetime.

And surprisingly, Lara joined her. She immediately agreed when Triana told her about the destination. 

Triana called Lara right after she talked with her mom, and she was also shocked. Lara was her childhood friend. She was the daughter of her father’s business associate. She was also well-off. That was why even in the US, they studied together. Although Lara was more focused on arts than business. She was the sole heiress of the infamous Tan Holdings, the top manufacturer of a well-known designer’s bag in Asia. 

They both loved adventure. They usually roam around outside the country whenever they got extra time. Like now, they would travel to South Asia with little preparation. It was not new since they were athletic and could survive a high-altitude trek. They only need to be properly acclimatized. Besides, Triana had an intuition that Lara might have had a different plan when they arrived in Nepal. 

There was no direct flight from Manila to Kathmandu. They had to stopover in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. They would only wait two hours before the next flight. 

They were in the lounge waiting for their plane when Lara started blabbering nonsense, as usual. Triana remained silent. She preferred her friend to be noisy than staring blankly because she was heartbroken. 

“Oh, gosh, my eyes should adjust looking at these Nepali guys who almost looked the same!” Lara exclaimed while her eyes studied everyone around. 

“Lars, that’s racist. They’re not that the same.”

“These young men are hot, just like Nehan—”

Lara immediately stopped when Triana glared at her. She was talking about her ex-boyfriend. The two were classmates in art class at Harvard. Nehan also came from a well-off family in Nepal, and he had a good relationship with Triana since the latter would always ask about Mount Everest. Triana dreamed of climbing the highest mountain in the world, and it was one of her bucket lists. Unfortunately, she lacks training. 

Lara remained quiet until they entered the plane. It was a first-class flight, and they had to observe the flight etiquette not to disturb their fellow passengers. 

Triana was surprised when Lara stood up after fixing her hand-carry bag, and she gently kicked her feet. 

“What?” Triana’s eyes broadened. 

Lara made a hand sign pointing in the direction beside them. She was smiling mischievously. 

Triana followed the direction and saw two men seated near the center aisle. One of them seemed to be a westerner, and the other, she assumed to be a Nepali. Based on his prominent nose and light stubble on his face. 

The Nepali guy had clean-cut hair, wearing dark sunglasses and a plain black shirt. He had a lean body as if a regular at a gym. 

Triana scrutinized him more, noticing the tribal tattoo on his right arm. While the westerner guy was carrying something for his companion as if he was his secretary. 

“Gorgeous!” Lara murmured. 

Triana rolled her eyes. “Not my type. Please behave!” She thought these two men might be a couple. Anyway, it was none of her concern.

Lara settled in her seat. At the same time, Triana put her AirPods in her ears and closed her eyes. It would take over four hours before they arrived in Kathmandu. It would be better to sleep. 

“SIR, are you really sure about this?” Austin asked Devance worriedly. 

Austin Wright was his private bodyguard, a Filipino-British who served the British Army. His father hired him for his safety because there had been many kidnapping attempts. Austin has been working for more than a year now, and he considered him his close friend since he could count on him for everything, especially when it comes to those girls who kept pestering him. 

And now, Austin had no choice but to accompany him when he decided to go back home to Nepal. 

“I told you to call me, Dev.” He took a long deep breath. 

Devance was not in his best mood right now. He didn’t talk to his dad after the night he announced his arranged marriage. He wanted to clear his mind, and getting back home would give him the freedom to be in touch with nature. It would help him process everything that had just happened. He had to plan on how to avoid his father’s will. Because if ever he got married in the future, he would make sure that love is involved. 

“Let’s rest at home in Bhaktapur when we arrive.” Devance looked at his black wristwatch and estimated the time of their arrival. 

THE flight went smoothly as they landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The arrival area was small, and the arriving passengers were crowded inside. Triana and Lara immediately fall in line at the immigration booth. 

“Look, the hotties from the plane,” Lara whispered. Both of them had their sixty liters hiking bag. They didn’t bring non-essential things. It would only add weight. Besides, they already planned to shop at Thamel for additional climbing gear. 

“Oh, come on, Lars. These strangers are picking up your interest. Isn’t it obvious they are lovers?” she teased her friend. She made sure her voice was low since there were in the same line. 

Lara smiled mischievously and murmured, “I don’t think so. Let me check if they are love birds.”

Lara turned without warning and pretended she was out of balance in front of Triana. But the former had pushed her hard, which caused her to fall. 

Triana almost shrieked in shock because the Caucasian girl behind her stayed away to avoid her. However, there was a muscular arm that caught her waist. Its reflexes were also fast because the stranger put his hands to her mouth to prevent her from shouting. 

“Hey, easy! And be quiet!” said a baritone voice. 

Meanwhile, Lara was smiling and playing innocent about what happened. She pretended to massage her legs as if it was injured. 

Triana immediately stood up, stunned. He turned to see his savior, and her eyes widened when he recognized him. It was one of the men from the plane. 

The Nepali guy! 

This time, she could give a glimpse into his eyes. She was mesmerized when she realized his unique eye color that gave more appeal to his tanned skin. The man was green-eyed! It perfectly complemented his slightly bushy eyebrows and thick eyelashes. Triana assumed he was over six feet. 

“Are you okay?” his westerner guy asked. He held a traveling bag. Because the other man only had a passport and an arrival card at hand. Triana noticed these men were about the same height. 

Triana blinked twice before she nodded. She forgot to express her gratitude since she could see the irritation visible in the face of the green-eyed man. 

“So clumsy,” the man said if deeply disgusted. 

Triana heard it clearly. Her jaw clenched as she felt her blood boils going in her head. 

“What the—” She wanted to call out the man, but he sauntered, going to the other line. 

Conceited bastard! She glared in his direction. Although he helped her earlier, she didn’t like his vibe. It seemed he was full of himself. The man was nothing compared to her boyfriend’s angelic character. 

“What do you say?” Lara asked as her lips turned up into a playful smile. 

“If we’re outside, I might have punched you. Are you out of your mind?” 

Lara rolled her eyes. “They’re both hotties, right? Don’t worry. We won’t see them again.”

Triana sighed and didn’t argue. She just waited for her turn to present her passport and get a stamp. 

“Namaste!” the middle-aged woman from the immigration counter greeted her. 

She only smiled and lightly nodded.