PROLOGUE  

The night came and the grand beauty pageant in search for Ms. Albaya 2020 started. It was past eight o’clock in the evening.

Grazziena and all other contestants dreaming for the crown were all set for their production number outfits. They were all wearing white shirts with print thereon of the Ms. Albaya beauty Pageant’s logo and design, paired with black shorts showing all their legs. They top it all with white or black sneakers.

Grazziena danced gracefully and with poise. She made it a point to stand out from the rest at this early stage of the competition. She was anyway, the tallest and with the fairest skin among all the contestants.

From the lines of the Board of Judges, seated in front of the stage; a one particular, young and gorgeous man, was all eyes to Grazziena. 

He never left his eyes from contestant number 8. He seemed to be mesmerized and drawn into the tallest beauty among the contestants, who strutted her long and fair skin legs with her catwalk, swaying her hips in its most seductive yet elegant manner. She carried her yellow one-piece swimsuit with grace and style that none of the other contestants was able to do.

He shot her with an intense look when she posed at the middle-end part of the ramp, few inches away from where he was seated.

As Grazziena’s eyes locked into those intense-looking deep-seated black eyes, something inside her growled and her heart made some somersaults. 

All throughout the pageant those deep-seated black eyes never left Grazziena every time she was on the ramp.

It was almost ten o’clock in the evening yet the Contest for Ms. Albaya 2020 was only on its midway. Grazziena knows very well what will happen to her when midnight time will tick on the clock.

It was ten-thirty in the evening when they were in their last attire; the long gown creative attire.  

Grazziena carried with ease and grace the blue princess cut style, free-flowing long gown out of abaca fibers, which was specially made by her mother for her.

Everyone was cheering on her as she started to ramp on the stage with her blue long gown.

The man with that deep-seated black eyes was spellbound that he could not contain to shot Contestant Number 8 with such an intense and possessive look.

It was almost midnight when the Master of Ceremony, held in his hand the winners of the pageant.

The audience went crazy; contestants number 2 and number 8 have not been called yet. Who among the two will be crowned as Ms. Albaya 2020?

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Ms. Albaya 2020 is …” The Emcee stopped and looked at the audience.

The audience shouted their bets.

At that moment, Grazziena suddenly glanced at her wristwatch and she felt her face turned to ash. Ten minutes more and it will be twelve midnight!

At twelve midnight, the curse in her will control her body once again.

While she was in her tense and panicking state; the man with that deep-seated black eyes stood up and walked towards the stage, towards her.

When he came near her, his lips were almost touching her right ear as he whispered, “In due time, you will be mine.”