Chapter 8

I stood up from my swivel chair and went to the mini bar in my office. I needed a drink. Five hours of sitting and getting down to business without a taste of my favorite cognac Camus Cuvee 5.150 is not giving me even an ounce of pleasure.

I forgot to bring one in the middle of an online meeting with our European counterparts which lasted for almost three hours. I couldn't leave the forum even just for a second because of succeeding calls from the consultants in Japan. I was planning to take the famous capsule hotel to the Philippines and Japan being the pioneer of this is the perfect place to start. Capsule hotel or pod hotel offers cheap overnight accommodation for guests and tourists who cannot afford for expensive hotels. The room is small hence the name capsule.

I know that the idea has been pitched in from left and right but I wanted to give it a bit of a twist. I'll make it into a more culturally inclusive concept to suit the taste of Filipinos.

I reached the bar area and opened a bottle and poured it on the glass. I added two cubes of ice before gulping it down.

Ah, heaven on earth.

Holding the glass on my hand, I pulled the curtains opened in my current hub for today. I'm still in my penthouse until now with no plans of going home.

I looked at the scenery before me—the towering skyscrapers, the busy roads and crossings, and the people below who are always in a hurry. I can't help but remembered my conversation with my mother last night. She's nagging me again for grandchildren. As if it's as easy as counting three. Technically, it's easy to make a baby. The tricky and the hardest part is looking for a partner whom I could marry. I don't want a child out of wedlock. I might be a playboy in the eyes of many but I believe in our family's edict. It's also one of the reasons why I'm camping in my hotel. I don't want to hear any more nagging from my very overpowering mother repeating the same topic every minute every time I'm in our mansion.

"You're too old for that game of yours, Maverick. Settle now for God's sake! Look at your younger brother. He's happily married now with a very beautiful daughter!"

I stifled a laugh at the thought. Marriage is not on my mind right now and definitely not in the nearest future. I'm only 27. Too young to be caged, too ambitious to stop. She should have known about this. She should have seen it coming. After all, she made us into like this, too competitive and too thirsty for validation. It only changed when my father had died. My mother craved for a companion. Not another husband but grandchildren.

"Besides, I haven't got my hands on Femella."

My body felt the familiar ache on the virile organ between my thighs. It twitched at the thought of the feisty woman. I have not been laid for almost a month now. Another record breaking moment.

No night will pass when I don't have a woman to warm my bed plus the weekly visits to La Vida club. You can't blame me. I'm a healthy man with a great appetite for sex. But something changed when I saw Femella. I can't give in to the obvious stares and interests of other woman now. Now I believed more than ever that she bewitched me.

What could be the other reason why she's constantly barging in my mind?

The woman has become a challenge I needed to overcome. She continued to test my patience and ego.

I closed the curtains again when the sun has set. It's the only spectacle I'm waiting to witness. Sunsets in the city are different. It brings serenity to my jam-packed day.

I went back behind my desk to finish reading the papers. It's just mostly tying the loose ends of a billion dollar contract for the looming Europe expansion of my hotel empire.

My gaze shifted to my cellphone I put above my closed laptop when it rang. A knot formed on my forehead when I saw the caller ID. It's the head of the security of hotel. I answered it right away knowing that it could be an emergency. The security barely calls on my personal number.

"Yes Carl?"

"Sir, sorry for calling without notice. I just want to report an incident. 7:23 PM. An unidentified assailant was caught breaching our security protocol in our control room," he answered.

I sighed. This incident is not new to me. Last month, the same thing happened. Someone tried to break into our security again. It's not because our security is substandard. It was an inside job. A part of our security team broke the system.

"Another inside job? Call the legal department. They are the ones you should be calling first."

"Sir, the suspect wants to see you. She said you know her."

Now this more warrants my interest.

"Who?"

He said the name. I was shocked at first. What is she doing there?

I stood up and pulled my coat at the back of swivel chair before I got back on the line.

"Hold her in. I'm coming."

I hurriedly walked out of the office and into the private elevator.

Minutes later, I was in the control room and opening the door. All the men stood up to recognize my presence. Carl walked to me.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Sir, she's inside together with our security force," he answered pointing to the other door in the room.

"Okay."

I stepped into the room and saw the woman sitting comfortably in one of the chairs. She looked too relaxed in her seat. Her expressions are so stoic I am having a hard time reading her.

"Leave us alone," I asked the attending security guards which they quickly follow. So now it's only me and the woman who is looking at me smugly. I dragged a chair on the corner and sat crossed-legged.

"Look at you. What a very unlikely guest we have here. What brought the La Diva club's owner to my turf? Are you that bored in your club that you decided to play in my territory?"

I did not get any reaction from her. She just sat there looking at me with her unreadable face. After seconds of fighting stares with me, she sighed and looked away. Her face became grim.

"I know we were not friends to begin with Mr. Fuentebella but can I at least ask for a favor this time? Can you at least let this pass through? Can you let me off the hook for now? Please?" she begged. The hard expression was no longer on her face. I thought she's even gonna cry. My curiosity heightened.

I touched my chin and studied the woman.

"What did you do? I know I can have all the information I want from my staff but I want it to hear from you. Let's hear it and let me decide. After all, your club has been a really good addition in my life."

The fire in her eyes came back which fueled the intrigue I'm feeling about what really transpired. Could it be?

"It was just out of desperation." Her clasped hands on her lap trembled which she immediately hid inside the pockets of her jacket. "My feelings and nerves got the best of me. I was so pumped up to get any evidence against him so I didn't think anymore." She met my eyes defiantly. "Room 901. Your guest there did something I badly want to have."

"That's why you came all the way here to get that footage. You know you can't do that. That's against our rules and policy of the hotel. Our guest in the room you mentioned is our exclusive member," I added.

"I know that's why I did what I thought was the right thing."

"What you did was stupid. You really believe you can pass all my security protocols unchecked?"

"So what would it be, Mr. Fuentebella? Are you going to put me in jail?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Depends upon you."

I can tell she got confused by my answer. "What do you mean?"

"Ms. Vida, you know exactly what I mean. You know who I wanted for so long now."

Her face hardened and shook her head repeatedly to emphasize that she will not be giving me what I badly need this time. "You can't have her. She doesn't want you."

It's my turn to wonder. "So what? She's supposed to be given to whoever bids the highest for her. I was really wondering now. What is it with Femella that you refused to bid her out?"

"You are also in the business world, Mr. Fuentebella so you should know the value of keeping the highest customer interest in your business. In my case, Fem is my greatest asset. I will give her in the right time. Just not now. I still need her."

"I think you should be more worried about your situation Ms. Vida more than your business. Going to jail should be the least of your concern now." I adjusted my seat and tapped on my knee.

"What do you mean?"

"I know that man in Room in 901. By now, he already knew what you did and I already have an idea on what he's going to do."

"So what do you propose?"

"I'm a simple man. Fate brought you here. I want that woman. Pick a struggle."

"What would you give me?"

"The CCTV footage."

Vida fell into a deep thought.

I glanced at my watch impatiently. "Decide now Ms. Vida. I don't have the luxury of time to wait for your decision."

A loud stinging tone interrupted us. The woman grab her phone on the small table and answered it.

"What?!" She jumped from her seat rashly while listening to the call which only lasted for a few seconds.

"Mr. Fuentebella, do you have a chopper?" the woman asked me in a determined tone.

"Why? What happened?" I rose up from my seat.

"You want Femella, right? Get your chopper now before it's too late."

Confused about what she meant, I asked her. "Why?"

"The NBI is raiding my club."