Puzzled Hearts (Book 3 of Precious Series)

Most of the names here are made up specially the ones for the Emirati family. I could have used a real Emirati surname but I just made up my own, better to be safe than sorry. Some of the events here are close to my heart.

PROLOGUE

         Eliza looked up admiringly at Valeria and Regina who were both in their late teens. They were so pretty and tall, an impressionable girl of 8 like her would believe anything they would say. Valeria is the only child of their next-door neighbor and Regina who also lives next to Valeria’s house is the second eldest child of their other neighbor. Eliza thought they really think her cute so whenever the two young adults, Regina being 19 while Valeria just turned 18; ask her parents to bring her with them, she gleefully goes. She never suspected that they’ll be her downfall. One day, they tagged ger along to Valeria’s house and went into a forbidden room that contains adult magazines. As young as she was, she thought those magazines were okay to be viewed. Of course, they also told her not to spill their secret.

“You must promise not to tell anyone, Eliza, otherwise we will deny it and tell them that you did it on your own and we’ll not be your friends anymore.” Warned Valeria.

         More scared of losing their friendship, Eliza nodded. She more or less became a slave to their whims nearly losing her innocence in the process until she realized when she turned 14 that the things they had her do were not for children.  She found this out when they tagged her along to a wedding and a dancing was involved. Due to her height, people think she’s older than her actual age. An inebriated guy chose her as his dancing partner. It was quite innocent at first, the guy asking her questions until he closed his arms around her and attempted to kiss her in the middle of the dance floor to which she got scared and ran away with the guy in hot pursuit.

“Please don’t let him see me, Aunt.” She begged her aunt as she hid her body behind the lady.

“Don’t worry, he won’t see you and he won’t touch you!” her aunt said in outrage seeing what the guy did.

“Where is she!? She embarrassed me leaving me in the middle of a dance.” The guy almost shouted. Eliza was cowering behind her aunt while in her periphery, she saw Valeria and Regina giggling as they were pointing at her. Fearing that the drunken guy would find her because of them, she hid her face on her aunt’s back.

          From then on, she did her best to avoid Valeria and Regina. She never expected them to tell on her, falsifying facts which earned her parents’ wrath. She was spanked until she almost lost consciousness. Only her father’s pity saved her from more of her mother’s anger. The only bright side of that episode was the two older girls never bothered her again. She thought she was well-rid of the two’s mischief until one day while she was walking to school, she encountered the drunken guy only this time, he was quite sober but apparently, he never forgot her. He intentionally stalked her until she had to stop staring at him in horror while he mockingly looked around for some flowers to give her. Managing to pick some wild flowers growing on the side of the road, he presented them to her while giving her his leering smile.

“Pretty flowers for a delicious dumpling like you.” He mocked. Eliza was so scared; she could barely move. She was saved when her younger brother came upon them and saw her trembling on the wayside. The guy left immediately.

CHAPTER 1 Are you stalking me?

“Ami sure is lucky, Rain is quite a catch.”

“Do you think so?  I thought it is the other way around.” Eliza whirled around to see Matan smirking at her.

“Oh, it’s you! Why do you always intrude into my personal space?”

“I think you are the one intruding into mine.” Replied Matan sarcastically.

“Why, you, you, incorrigible beast!” Eliza fumed.

          "Are you stalking me?", Matan tried to snarl at Eliza but it came out as a low growl instead. He has been grumpy of late, it started when his closest pal, his best buddy, his brother Ali, got married. Gone were the days when the two of them would get into all sorts of trouble that pushes the limits of their mother’s patience. He wouldn’t deny his brother the contentment he seemed to have found, although Matan has his doubts. How can Ali be content when the woman he professed to love has married another man? If he isn’t stupid too, he thought as he attended said woman’s wedding. His reverie was broken by Eliza’s strong

        "You wish! My godmother invited me to her son's wedding so why the hell do you think I am stalking you? You may be my boss’ son but you aren’t my boss so get lost!" It irked Eliza that this man could easily rile her when she is an expert in masking her emotions thanks to her upbringing and her past experiences as a child. The Vicente’s like most of the farming folk in her hometown are not so showy with their emotions. Even a simple hug could prove awkward, a hug for Eliza would be a disaster; since that day at the wedding a long time ago. She summoned her courage and gave Matan her famous glare which usually cowered her younger brothers. It seemed ineffective to this man though as evidenced by his sarcastic reply

          "If that is so, why then are you always at the same place where I happen to be?"           

“Oh crap! You must be sick in the head if you think so. Do you own this place then, you odious man? I would never lower myself to that of a stalker especially to someone such as you. Ewww!” Eliza visibly shuddered.

             "What did you say?" asked Matan.

            " That you are so handsome!", replied Eliza in false sweetness before she bared her teeth and regally moved out of the kitchen forgetting what she was meant to fetch for Ami. Ami is her godmother's daughter-in-law now as she married Rain just that morning. Ami also happened to be another of Madam Claudia's numerous godchildren as the former was the daughter of Claudia's best friend and neighbor who passed away when Ami was younger. In truth, Claudia is in alt as she finally has Ami as her daughter by virtue of her marriage to Rain. She couldn’t stop saying in a loud voice,

           “Just get lost, will you!” and she swiftly turned her back on him escaping the confines of the kitchen that seemed so small for them both. She just couldn’t understand why Matan seemed so bent on unnerving her. She saw how he interacts with Ami and Mabel; it was no surprise as he was friends with them most especially Mabel. With that in mind, she hurried her steps away from the kitchen and from the horrid man.

            Matan watched Eliza's hips swaying gracefully as she swept out of the kitchen. For some reason, it bothers him that she seems the only woman who dislikes him immensely. he couldn't explain it as well, he enjoys annoying her just to get her attention. She has that unflappable facade that could fool others but not him. Living in the UAE with so many nationalities, one learns how to mask one’s expression to get a point across.  When he met her at the cruise ship, she was a bit reserved or aloof and only seemed to have eyes for Rain. What a waste, he thought at that time as Rain was already head over heels in love with his best friend Ami. True, Eliza wasn't as innocently beautiful as Ami nor as goddess-like as Ami’s cousin Mabel but she is a beauty in her own right. When Matan looked into her eyes during that time, there was vulnerability hidden in the depths. Despite all that he couldn’t stop looking at her, hair is jet black and her eyes, they reminded him of his coffee, not black but dare he say it, dark chocolate. Damn, am thinking like a poet, he grimaced. He should be tracking another beauty and see if they would match. he was thinking of another woman, Rain's ex-fiancée but for some reason his mind cannot conjure what Fiona looked like. In his mind he can only see a chocolate-eyed, long black-haired woman with fair and smooth complexion. He shook himself and followed Eliza out of the kitchen. He nearly laughed; he might be the one stalking the irksome woman after all. 

           Now, where are these people hiding their booze? He wants a drink right now, where is the harm in that? This is a wedding after all, consequences be damned. He has loads of practice dealing with consequences after all, what could one more hurt? He didn’t even mind Devlin ribbing at him telling him even to mind his own business.