Chapter – 3

When we landed at the New Ikandas airport, there was a chopper ready to take us to the estate. I always loved the Cortez family helicopter. Its glass floor gave us the perfect eagle’s eye view of the city, an experience one should never miss.

 The Cortez family ranked on the list of the top ten billionaires for the past three decades. My dad always wanted to do business with them, but it wasn’t easy to get a deal with the Cortezes.

Mike was the only son of Cortez Senior’s daughter. Only a few knew of his relationship with the famous family since he had a different surname. Mike, Rosie, and I went to the same school in Linnesse, and we’d been friends since kindergarten.

If my dad knew, he’d have found a way to marry Alana to Mike. I shuddered at the mere thought.

“Say cheese!”

I was pulled out of my reverie by an excited Rosie, and I smiled in time for the selfie. “Are you posting that?”

“Yeah!” Rosie chirped. “The twin pig is stalking me on I*******m. I’m gonna show her that you aren’t bawling your eyes out like she expects you to be.”

RosalindaPike: On the way to the Cortez Estate with @AriannaSweety320 #Funtime #Relaxed #RetreatToParadise #NewIkandas

Our photo had come out well. New Ikandas did look like a paradise in the background with the vast blue ocean and miniature buildings.

“When did you click that?” I asked, taking the phone from her. It was a photo of me, sleeping, more relaxed in the private jet. There were two more photos, one showing the interior of the plane and the other showing me munching on my muffin.

RosalindaPike: It’s time for vacation. Any guesses where we’re headed? We’re on a private jet, by the way, snacking on chocolate muffins and delicious homemade cookies. #BreakTime #Vacation

There were several comments under the post, and one of them belonged to Alana’s friend, Jenna.

Jennalovescookies: Ooh…someone who can’t even afford tickets in this economy is now flying in private jet. #JokeOfTheYear

“It’s not worth your time, Rosie. They’ll always find a way to put you down.”

“I know how to handle that bitch. Maybe I should post a reminder of who she is,” Rosie said.

RosalindaPike: You should really stop comparing others with you, Jenna. Maybe if your head isn’t stuck up your a** you would’ve realized earlier that we have actual jobs.

I rolled my eyes and left her to her gadget, returning back to admiring the scenery before me. It had been a while since I posted anything on my social media. Fortunately, I didn’t share the photos of me or Brian anywhere since he wanted no one to find out.

But there was a new photo of them every day on F******k and I*******m with tons of emojis. I stopped looking at them after a while. It was hurtful to see them, and the photos were a painful reminder of what I lost.

“Look here.” Rosie chuckled, showing me the next comment.

Jennalovescookies: Now I know you girls are crazy. No one can go to the Cortez’s private estate. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Honeycake18: Well said, @Jennalovescookies. Nice try, Rosie.

RosalindaPike: That’s true @Jennalovescookies, we are indeed desperate to escape from the bitches who were taking up our private space.

Now, this didn’t sit well with me. Jenna knew my parents had stopped supporting me since my seventeenth birthday. But I worked in a private firm and had decent savings to afford the trip.

While I didn’t like posting my whereabouts on social media, I couldn’t help but agree with Rosie. That was two of her friends jumping in, and I wanted to rub it in their faces and show I didn’t care.

“Let’s go live.”

Rosie nodded with a mischievous smile, and I knew right then this would be one hell of a trip.

***

When the chopper landed, we were still laughing. I noticed everyone, including my parents, had joined the live video, though they didn’t comment on anything. A secret satisfaction filled me knowing how my parents felt about Cortezes. I pocketed my phone with a satisfied smirk when someone opened the door.

“That smirk is bad news!”

“Enrique!” My grin widened as I jumped into his open arms, squeezing the air out of him. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you. Ah, there’s my love. Rosie, sweetheart, give me a hug!”

“You broke my heart, Enrique.” I shook my head at her dramatic reply. “You didn’t think of me before proposing to Chiara.”

My eyes widened when I noticed Jeff, Rosie’s boyfriend, creeping up behind her. He placed a finger on his lips, asking me to stay quiet.

“You know I’ve always loved you,” Rosie continued.

“Is that so? Then what about me, my love?”

“Jeff!”

The surprise on Rosie’s face was priceless as she jumped into his open arms, kissing him senseless. I recorded the sweet moment on my phone before pocketing it again. I made a note to add this clip to the video I was secretly making to play at her wedding. I knew it was only a matter of time before Jeff proposed. Well, I’d know that since I helped him choose the ring last summer.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Rosie kept gushing as we walked in.

“I wanted to surprise you, and it worked.” Jeff grinned.

“When did you come to Ikandas?”

I tuned out their conversation when I noticed the familiar figure pacing the corridor, phone to his ear. His broad shoulders and tall frame dominated his surroundings, and suddenly, everything around him looked so small.

Dark hair, strong jawline, cold gray eyes, olive-skinned, handsome, and hot as hell—Orlando Gabriele Cortez, the man who never smiled.

When he turned, my breath whooshed out. What was with these men? Age only seemed to increase their hotness. He looked ruggedly handsome with his one-day stubble. His gaze fixated on me as he ended the call and walked toward us.

“Mike! It’s great to see you.”

“Orlando! It’s been a while, cousin.”

The men hugged and patted each other’s shoulders as I stood there. An awkward feeling filled me as I looked at my crush. It never went very far since Orlando hardly paid me any attention, and I was too young at the time.

“Arianna and Rosalinda, welcome to the Cortez estate.” His smile was restricted, and when he held my eyes a moment longer than he usually did, I squirmed under his gaze. He turned to Enrique. “I’m heading to the city. I have to meet the caterers and the wedding planner to make some final arrangements. Tell Papa I’ll join him for dinner.”

“Sure, brother.”

My gaze followed Orlando until he turned and disappeared from view. Now I knew what Mike meant on our way here. Orlando was supposedly my distraction. But did he realize it wouldn’t work? I wished their plan didn’t add to my “break down and cry” list.

“Orlando doesn’t have a plus one to my wedding,” Enrique whispered in my ear, making me jump.

“Then let’s make sure she’s his plus one,” Rosie said with a grin.

“What are you guys talking about?” My cheeks had heated up considerably. Orlando could stir my emotions, even after all these years. Maybe that was why the first crush was special. It was a feeling that bloomed in the heart of someone when they were too young to even comprehend what it was. It was also something that made one smile when they looked back at their younger self.

“We know about your crush, girl,” Rosie said. “Even after all these years, you get that same look whenever you see him.”

I shook my head as Brian’s face flashed in my mind. The pain I’d managed to shove away once again made itself known. “And you also know I’m jinxed and never get what I want,” I muttered as I walked toward the guest rooms.

Orlando was five years older than I was. He often came to visit Mike and his aunt in Linnesse on the weekends. The estate was their vacation home, and they had a mansion in Linnesse and Ikandas.

While I understood why Orlando wouldn’t spare me a second glance, I didn’t understand why others would reject me. To Orlando, I was his cousin’s friend. I was younger than he was, and he never saw me the way a man should notice a woman. I was thirteen, and he was eighteen then.

As for the others, they’d always asked me out, only to stand up on me too often to count or ditch me after a few dates. They all wanted the perfect Alana, not me, the flawed, rebellious teen who was shunned by her own family.

“Hey…” Rosie came in as I lay on the bed, aimlessly staring at the ceiling.

“Hey,” I greeted without turning to look at her.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t be.”

“You know it isn’t true, right?”

“You know it is.”

“Ari, I’m sure not all the men are same.”

“I believed that when I met Brian.” A humorless chuckle bubbled in my throat. “We happened only because he accidentally met me instead of her. Then, when he met her…” I couldn’t continue. A sob erupted from the deep pit in my chest and shook my body.

“Oh, baby, he’s a fool to let you slip through his fingers.”

“He didn’t let me slip. He threw me away.”

“Ari…”

“What’s wrong with me, Rosie? I don’t even want to look at my own face anymore. Because all I see is her.” We were identical twins, and the more I saw my face, the more I remember. I could only see their betrayal.

Rosie was quiet for a moment. “That’s true. You don’t look like you anymore.”

This had my attention.

“The bastard was changing you without you realizing, Ari. Your hair isn’t bouncing like it used to before. You stopped wearing bright colors, and even your dressing style changed over the time you were with him. I was a fool to not notice it earlier.”

When her words dawned on me, I rushed to the bathroom, looking at myself. Rosie was right. I couldn’t even tell who I was anymore. All this time, I thought I was changing him, but in reality, he was changing me.

I no longer wore my favorite red lipstick. Alana’s favorite peach gloss adorned my lips now. I began to straighten my hair so it now looked like hers. The same went for my clothes and accessories.

“Why? Don’t you like this dress?”

“I do. I just don’t like bright colors,” Brian responded, hiding a grimace.

“Oh.”

“Hey, I didn’t say it doesn’t look good. I prefer this instead of your steel bangles,” he said, slipping a golden charm bracelet on my hand before removing the steel trinkets I loved.

Brian replaced everything I loved with another thing in the form of a gift, and I never realized it. He was taking control of my life, and I let him, like a fool. Tears flowed freely as I thought about my naivety.

“How about a makeover?” Rosie smirked as she leaned on the frame. At that moment, that sounded like the first thing I needed.