2. A Fresh Start

"Welcome to the big city, Velmark." Maribel blurted out, peeking over her shoulder to meet Tessa's hesitant eyes, glancing back at her.

Dylan vanished with all the money she owned in the world. That bastard. She was fired for low performance at work, heightening her depression. Her rent was due, and bills had piled up, waiting to be sorted from an empty account. She didn't want to turn to her grandparents again. She just took a huge chunk from them without something tangible to show for it.

They would be beyond disappointed if they knew what she did with the money. She tightened her grip on the door handle, her heart sinking at the thought of the mistake she had made with her life.

"Hmmm," Maribel, her best friend, took her hand and slid it atop hers. "You don't have to worry about anything now, Tessa. My dad is very comfortable with you living with us until you find something good for yourself." She assured with a smile, followed by a firm nod.

"Bel." Gratitude gleamed in her brown eyes. She had saved her from drowning in depression. "Thank you."

Maribel shook her head. "Come on, don't do that." Jumping out of the car, she hurried towards Tessa's side to get the door for her. "Welcome to Velmark, and welcome to my house." She spread her arms around the gigantic building that stood before them.

Tessa surveyed the mansion in a glance, eyes back on her best friend. Her jaw dropped. She knew Maribel's dad was loaded, but she never expected to see a paradise-on-earth building awaiting her upon her arrival at Velmark.

"Your house?" She asked again, eyes back on the surroundings.

The garage where they stood alone was three times bigger than the one-room casita she managed back in Bally.

"Yes," Maribel said, rolling her eyes like it wasn't a big deal. "Come in with me, I need to introduce you to my dad before he leaves the house. He has a meeting to attend in an hour." She gestured to the chauffeur to help with Tessa's luggage while she linked her arm with hers, leading her into the house. "I'll show you around the house when you're well rested."

Tessa nodded, smiling. She was beyond grateful to her friend.

"And don't fret, Velmark will be nice to you. You graduated top of our class in college. You will land a good job in no time."

She nodded again. Maribel's faith had been upholding her since the huge heartbreak she suffered.

They walked on, Tessa's eyes scouring the manor. The colorful flowers and well-manicured shrubs added touches of nature to the house. Sleek, tall, glass windows, she had only seen on television. The water featured garden lights. The sculptures sprawled at every corner.

"I can speak to my dad to offer you a job in his company to save you the stress of job-hunting. You know?" Maribel interrupted her silent exploration with a hard smile that accentuated her dimpled cheeks.

Tessa quickly shook her head in declination the moment she mentioned her dad. "He has done enough, Bel. He let you bring me here to stay with you. That's enough. I don't want to bother him further."

Maribel chuckled lightly. "Trust me, that's not a bother, and I'm sure he wouldn't even mind. "My dad will do anything that I ask of him, Tessa. He wouldn't sit back there and watch my best friend suffer from being broke."

This time, a short laughter spilled out from Tessa's lips. Maribel was a clown on her own, and she imagined what her father would be like. They had been friends for four years in college, but today would be the first time she was meeting her father.

So many myths have been created about him, but only one stuck with her. Mr. Julian Anderson looked way younger than his age, and she just assumed that Maribel might take after her father in the beauty department. For four years straight, she won the award for the most beautiful girl in Sterling College. Others tried, but her beauty was unmatched, and sometimes, Tessa wondered how they became friends.

They were the exact opposites. Mirabel was slender and curvy, of model-ish height, and hostile... close to strict. She, on the other hand, was free with everyone, hiding her insecurity under the façade of being funny. To her, it was more pleasant for people to find her funny than to find her fat. Maybe Thick. However, they called it to make her feel better.

Maribel always assured her that her 5'6 height was average, and her body was too banging to be called loose, but she still didn't feel safe, as she didn't fit into the societal standards of perfection.

She was starting to think that was one of the reasons Dylan cheated on her. He didn't think her attractive enough.

'A dry, fat pig.' Those words replayed in her head for a second, but she smothered the thoughts before they settled deeply inside her.

She was now in Velmark. The start of new things. That old life with Dylan no longer existed.

Maribel ushered Tessa into the house first, walking behind, her smile growing wider with each step they took close to the foyer.

Tessa's heart throbbed uncontrollably. What if Maribel's father frowned at her when he saw her? What if he didn't like her and asked her to leave his house? A bunch of 'what ifs' messed up her system within seconds.

She was finally getting to accept that coming to live here was her new reality, and staying in her best friend's house for the meantime was her only hope of getting herself back together. She needed to find herself again before going back to Bally to see her grandparents again. She had merely told them she had received a better job offer and was leaving to stay with her friend in Velmark.

She needed to find that job. Get her life back in shape before summoning the courage to face them again. Her aim in Velmark was to rebuild her shattered life from scratch and devote herself to it without distractions.

There would be no distractions. No distractions.

Footsteps descended the stairs. Loud giggling sounds followed. Tessa stood still, hands behind her back. The heady scent of a rich, masculine cologne assailed her nose, stirring her to take a look.

Still harboring the thoughts of starting over in the new city, and of Maribel's father changing his mind about her, she lifted her chin and found herself caught in the piercing gaze of dark green eyes.

She stiffened, her eyes sweeping over him in a single, startled glance before looking away very quickly. Damn, this man was perfect.

Tessa looked at him again, longer this time. She opened her mouth to utter a word, but none came. Then she closed it back, steadying herself, trying to regain her composure from the daze his sharp eyes had plunged her into.

Maribel stepped into the middle, deterring her from properly assessing the beautiful man in their midst.