Chapter Two

Leonardo’s POV

I finally woke up from a long sleep when I heard my phone ringing. My eyes were still closed as my hand fumbled around the side table next to the bed, searching for my phone. I picked it up as soon as my fingers made contact with it.

"Hola!" I answered, still with my eyes shut.

"It’s Vania, idiot! Amanda told me you’ve been ignoring her calls." Vania’s voice came through the line, irritated. "There’s a Charity Ball tonight that you need to attend. She said Miguel Sandoval will be there."

"I was out having fun last night. I’ll call her later. Bye." I hung up.

I opened my eyes, the pounding in my head a reminder of how much I drank last night. I’d gone to a drug party with some old friends here in the Philippines. They must’ve missed me because they gave me a Russian hooker as a welcome-back gift. It wasn’t the first time, and I wasn’t the type to turn down a gift—especially when my friends had paid five thousand dollars for her.

For me, having sex with another woman other than my fiancée is just a normal thing. It doesn’t have feelings involved. It is just normal in our culture as a Latino. I have been doing it for fun without Amanda’s knowing. I knew that she would never accept it, she is raised conservative and was born here in the Philippines. I kept it as secret because I don’t want to hurt her, I knew in my heart, I truly loves Amanda, despite of cheating on her.

I proposed to her because I knew that she is the woman I want to settled with, but right now, I want to enjoy my bachelors’ years. I promised to myself that, as soon as we got married, I will stop with this infidelity.

Amanda is the most amazing woman in my eyes. Everything she wanted to learn for herself, she’s accomplished, and I can’t help but admire her for it. I’m in awe of her. She’s so different now compared to when I first met her. Back then, she was just a vulnerable, innocent woman with a sophisticated look. Now, she’s still the sophisticated, beautiful woman I see, but stronger and bolder. It’s a huge turn-on for me that she’s capable of anything. I know it’s not easy to be with someone like me, considering the businesses I run, so it’s important that Amanda is a strong, independent woman who can protect herself.

I was still in the hotel room, but I guessed the lady had left early. I forced myself to stand up and scrolled through my messages on the phone, finding that Amanda had been calling me repeatedly. I quickly sent her a message saying I would attend the Charity Ball to speak with Miguel Sandoval. I had been waiting for this moment. We needed him for the mission. I run to the bathroom to take a quick shower and leave. I need to look for something to wear for the Charity Ball.

Exactly at 8:30 in the evening, I arrived at the ballroom, scanning the entire place to see if I could spot a familiar face, even though guests were wearing masks as part of the theme. Not far away, I saw Amanda standing with a glass of wine. She was wearing a black sequined, floor-length dress. She looked so beautiful just standing there alone. Too bad I couldn’t hold her waist and show everyone that she was mine. But I made sure she’d notice my presence. I stared at her until she saw me and smiled. Too bad she didn’t give me even a small smile in return; she literally ignored me. Maybe she was just being cautious.

After a few minutes of roaming around, I finally spotted my target, Miguel Sandoval. But it was still too early to approach him. The party had just started, and I needed to think of a way to introduce myself.

The program had started, and the host introduced some of the people who had contributed the most to the charity event. Of course, Miguel Sandoval was one of them. He gave the crowd one of his sweetest smiles when his name was called, but it disappeared the moment Agustin Carillo’s name was mentioned. After the thank-you speech, there was an auction and a raffle, but I wasn’t interested in either. When dinner began, I simply moved closer to where Miguel was standing; he was enjoying his wine.

“Hi, I’m Leo. Nice to meet you here, Mr. Sandoval!” I extended my hand, expecting him to shake it, but he just stared at me.

“I understand, you don’t know me yet. I’m Vania’s friend.” I knew he knew Vania because she was dating his son, Lucas. “We are really pleased to help you win the upcoming election and—” I wasn’t able to finish what I was about to say when his bodyguard stepped in between us.

“Excuse me, but you are disrupting my boss’s time.” I heard him say.

“It’s okay, Noel,” I heard Miguel say to the bodyguard as he tapped his shoulder, then he turned to me. “Follow me!” he instructed as he walked away, and I followed him to a private room.

“Have a seat!” he said a he seated on the chair in front of me, and now he has Lucas in his right side.

I opened the suitcase I was carrying and took out a brown envelope, placing it in front of Miguel. He frowned when he took it. I could see the disbelief on his face as he saw what was inside — some documents about Agustin’s secrets.

"Why would I trust you?” he asked as he scanned to me from head to toe. “I can take down Agustin myself," he said confidently.

"No, you can't," I smirked. "We both know he's still more influential than you, and you know little about him. We can collaborate. Without laying a hand on him or putting any energy into it, we can help you win this election. You know you can get as much support as he does because he puts more money into it than you do. Besides, he supplies you with drugs, right?"

It’s true. He can’t touch Agustin because he needs him to run his business, and he’s afraid Agustin might cut their connection if he plays dirty with him during every election. So, he has been hoping and praying for nothing, believing that he will finally win someday. He is trying to play safe.

Miguel clenched his jaw, while Lucas stood in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"What if I turn you down?" Miguel asked.

"Consider this your downfall, man. Your secrets will be the ones I reveal. Would you like to experience your downfall without ever winning a single election?" he asked playfully. "All we need from you is your men to help us recover one person, a very important person to me. After this, you won’t need Agustin anymore. I can supply drugs to your business."

I could see the expressions on Miguel and Lucas’s faces turn dark with anger. Their eyes narrowed, their jaws clenched, and the atmosphere around them shifted. It was as if a storm was brewing in the room, and I could feel the tension rise with every passing second. Their fury was palpable, and I knew I had crossed a line, this was exactly what I wanted.

“My Chief Assistant will get in touch with you. Tell them exactly what you need so they can assist you,” he said in surrender.