Till we reached his ward no one had ever spoken. Samuel opened the door slowly thinking Desmond might be sleeping. The stillness inside gave us the impression of it so. But I stayed foot on the door frame when I saw he was not alone.
He was with someone. And this someone was crying...beautifully!"Who is she?" I whispered to Samuel and he was about to answer when the girl turned around and stared at us."Dad!" she called."Valerie, what are you doing here?" Samuel immediately asked. "Pardon me, señorita. She's my daughter!" Samuel apologetically answered."Uncle Samuel, señorita!" I glanced at Desmond accidentally ignoring this Valerie's wave earning a snort from her. Desmond's face looked much better now and his blue eyes that were fixed on me radiated some meanings I couldn't define. He seemed to be happy seeing me here but at the same time, I could also feel his anxiety.I ambled toward him while Samuel followed behind. Valerie was sitting on the edge of his bed and wiping her tears with a tissue she took from the side table. I stretched my hand giving him our present before I spoke my first word to him that day."Hello, Desmond. How are you feeling now?" a thin smile crept up my face. I could feel a slight blush on my cheeks. I also sensed Valerie's face tense as I side-glanced at her and met her furious look."I'm getting much better now, señorita. Thank you for your visit and the cake!" he shyly told me. A tingling sensation sparked abruptly when our fingers accidentally touch each other when he took the cake from my hands.Like the time stopped ticking for a while I just stood there staring at him while his face showed a smirk. It didn't make him less gorgeous, it just made him more charming. I shook my head when I heard Valerie's voice beside me."Thank you for visiting Desmond, Miss de la Frontera!" I could hear the sarcasm in her tone and when I glanced at her, I saw her angled eyebrow. This girl was looking for trouble."Hrm! Val, don't you have classes today? Why are you here?" Samuel's stern voice behind me broke her smug face. She shifted her glance at her father and got up. She took her purse from the bed and smiled at Desmond. She walked toward him and leaned her body forward."Bye Des. I will visit you again next time!" her voice was a whisper but good enough for me to hear it. However, her next move was the one that took me by surprise. She gave a swift soft kiss on his cheek which the latter just calmly accepted. His expression would tell that wasn't his first peck from her."Valerie!" Samuel roared. I imagined him widening his eyes at his daughter at that moment. But me, I fixed my unpleasant stares at the young lad who couldn't look me in the eye.When the door closed, Samuel cleared his throat first before he followed his daughter outside. Now, it's just us left here in the ward. I glanced around the four empty beds. The other patients might have been discharged I thought."You're the only patient here!" I uttered breaking the awkwardness as I shifted my stare back at him. I could feel his enchanting sapphire blue orbs glued on me."Yes! Two patients were discharged earlier!" he replied timidly. Now, he was bowing his head. Was he embarrassed about that kiss? That gave me the idea to ask him."Is...Valerie your girlfriend?" for a bit, I felt a pang deep inside while asking that question. I was also anxious to hear his answer."She's my best friend. We grew up together. We have the same age!" he suddenly lifted his head leveling my face. His deep stare was meaning something. Was he checking my reaction to that answer?"Ow! I see. Then why did she kiss you?" again, the first thing that came up to my mind was that stupid question. And I even asked aggressively.Foolish me, really!"It was just a friendly kiss. It has no other meaning at all!" he explained with a tad bit of tease in his voice, his cute lips slowly turning into a sneer. "Why don't you sit beside me? Your legs are gonna get hurt standing for too long!" he uttered before I could let out a word."I can manage!" I raised my chin showing my señorita aura I learned a little from my aristocratic stepmother. "Besides, I'm not staying here for too long. I have some stuff to do at the resort!" my arched eyebrows were taunting him. I couldn't understand myself but all I knew was my heart skipped when he accepted the kiss from his childhood friend.Was I experiencing some trickery coz I saw his smirk shifting into a gloomy expression? "Could you at least stay for a little bit? I mean...you brought a cake!" he then hesitantly uttered."The cake is only for you. It's my sorry gift for accidentally hitting ~""I can't eat the whole cake. Also, a chocolate cake gift tastes better if you share it with the person who bought it. My mom always tells me that!" he smiled ignoring the fact that he just cut me off...in an adorable way. "Please, señorita!" now, he's even pouting. I couldn't help but chuckle and found myself sitting on the edge of his bed facing him."Okay! Only today!" I shrugged my shoulders off while he formed a wide grin. He set the patient's table and put the cake on it. He took the plastic bread knife and sliced a pie."Wait!" I said and stood up to get two paper plates from the side table. "Here!" I gave him one while I was holding the other one."Thanks, señorita!" his smile was reaching his ears and his eyes glistened like crystals. "This is for you!" he gave me a slice of cake and took the other slice.A few minutes had passed and we were now both enjoying the sweet delicious taste of the dessert that I bought."That's so funny. How did you escape then?" I laughed at him and lightly slapped his shoulder after telling me his story."Well, it's so easy. I just told the teacher, I had diarrhea that day and she let me pass the dental check-up!" I burst out, my hands were on my tummy. Just one more jest from him, I also might have ended up at this hospital due to stomach pain.He was just telling me how scared he was of the dentist at their school that every time they had students' check-ups, he would lie that he couldn't do it because he was having the trots. That happened a lot during his primary days.We laughed, we talked, and we ate the whole cake. We forgot about the time. When Samuel opened the door and entered the room, he was stunned at how close we were. I saw a tiny smile escape his lips but didn't really ask about it anymore."Señorita, your father has been calling you. He asked me why aren't you answering!" he uttered.That's the only time I realized I spent more than an hour at Desmond's ward. I got up immediately and took my purse from the bed. "I gotta go!""Wait!" he stopped me with his abrupt word. I turned around and glanced at him. I saw sadness in his eyes, feeling like he didn't want me to leave yet. "Could you come again tomorrow? It's really boring being alone here!" his voice was gentle and his eyes were beseeching."Well! I dunno! I mean...I'm kinda busy~""Please...señorita!""Desmond, Señorita Amy Leah is busy. You can't just take her time. She's going back to the mansion this Monday!" Samuel disclosed, making us both surprised."What?!" we questioned in unison. Yeah! That wasn't the plan. As far as I had known, I still had a week left. "Daddy said I will be staying at the resort till Friday!" I clarified whimpering a bit."Yes, señorita. But Don Miguel has some sudden appointments with the company's clients. So, Jack will be arriving tomorrow to pick you up. Jack was my dad's driver and bodyguard. He'd been working for my father for five years now."That's too bad. I've been even planning to discharge earlier so I can tour you to my favorite place!" Desmond butted in, disappointment was written all over his gorgeous face.I chuckled at his little gesture and placed my hands on my waist. "Well, where is that favorite place of yours then? Huh?!" feeling haughty and chesty, I sternly asked him. I was trying to pretend I was snobbish for suddenly asking me out but my shoulders which were bouncing up and down just exposed me.He sneered at me. We totally ignored Samuel's presence who was just listening to us with amusement. "Can't tell you. Unless you promise me to come back here tomorrow!"Hah! I knew it. This handsome lad was feeling advantageous. He thought he could buy me with those tantalizing eyes and killer smile he was doing at the moment. I raised my eyebrow at him but he just winked in response. This becoming annoying crony of Adam, seriously?!"Okay, fine! I will come back here tomorrow!" he threw his fist in the air, a sign of his vicious victory. "But...If that favorite place of yours isn't exactly charming, I will leave right away!" I lordly said. Samuel was just awkwardly gawking at us. At first, he was stunned. Then he also smiled in the end."Deal!" he shortly answered and shook his hand with mine."Deal! So, see you again tomorrow, Mr. Desmond Thompson!" I replied standing like we had just closed a business deal."See you tomorrow, Señorita Amy Leah de la Frontera. Eight sharp!" he responded with a wide grin."All right! Let's go Señorita. Don Miguel might get mad at us!" Samuel butted in and stepped out of the door."Bye, Desmond!" I whispered before I followed Samuel.After three months! . . It's spring! Flowers were blooming everywhere in the garden. The shades of red, yellow, pink, and white color the beautiful landscape Iñigo and Elsa had created. A tribute for their loyalty and care for me and my parents. We were still at Desmond's villa. I could always go back to our mansion, but the feeling of emptiness was still there. I felt like that big house was no longer the same home where I was born and raised. It was totally a stranger to me. I was watching the morning sunshine from the balcony of our room when a gentle knock disturbed my senses. "Come in!" that could be Elsa. "Señorita, we're ready!" indeed it was her. "Yes, Elsa. I'm also ready. This is it!" I gladly told her as I hugged her tight. Elsa was like a mother to me. She saw me grow up and she was also a witness of our love with Desmond. Speaking of my man, he must be waiting for me now. "Let's go then!" Elsa uttered with a smile. As we sauntered downstairs, we saw I
A soft warm peck on my lips made me moan as I opened my eyes and saw the person carrying me. I was like a baby lying on his lap. He was just staring at me, my man, worries were cleared on those mesmerizing orbs. "Hi?" I asked, a thin smile appeared on my face. "Hi!" he answered. "You scared me to death, you know that?!" then a sweet scolding. I chuckled at his cuteness, but he furrowed his brows at my response. "I'm sorry. How long was I asleep?" I asked not cutting my stares at him. "A couple of hours. Kota already left with Martin and Gwenny is with Adam. Everything is cleaned and fixed, sweetheart. We can go home now!" Desmond answered. I slowly got up as he gently held my back. "What about Donna, Elsa, Alden, and Dante?" I asked again worried something worse happened to them, especially Donna who had blood on the right side of her head when she shot Franco to death. "They're all fine. Donna is at the ward, resting. She's with the rest. Sweetheart, let's go home. You nee
I let out my loudest scream for help when the door banged open, followed by the figure of the man I would admit scared to see. It was Franco! His face displayed the darkest night I had ever seen. His eyes were flaming red to my vision, and his sneer was devouring me little by little. If there was a real face of a monster, it was him. "Don't come any closer, Franco!" my shock was cut in by Iñigo's deep voice. I could see the face of a man prepared to die with him. "Iñigo?!" I whispered with my trembling voice. I held the hem of his shirt as he moved forward, trying to shield me from the monster. "Old man!" even Franco's voice was scary. "You think you can frighten me with that lamp you're holding?" he laughed maniacally. I just noticed now, Iñigo was gripping the lamp he grabbed from the side table. I grasped his shirt tight, wrinkling the fabric, there's no way we could survive this dawn. Till I heard a loud gunshot and saw Iñigo's shoulder bleeding. I screamed, calling his
"You've failed me, Mrs. Amy Leah Zaborowski. You need to be punished!" he gritted his teeth while he was staring deeply at me. I shivered at the tension rising around us."Des, I- I""First, we have to get out of here!""But ~ But them!""Let Dante and the rest take care of the mess you've caused!" another sharp look before he pulled me up and led me to his car parked at the entrance.I glanced over my shoulder and saw Martin's men firing guns against Divina's goons. Screams and banging of furniture everywhere.It took us only an hour to arrive at Martin's villa. The way he maniacally drove his sports car was evidence that I was in complete trouble. He slammed the door after opening it ignoring that I was still inside."Desmond, let me explain!" my voice cracked as I followed him in quick stride. He wasn't just upset, he was mad.He aggressively turned around and yelled in my face. "You planned to deceive me by fucking me! You lied to me! What the heck were you thinking, Amy Leah?""D
Amy Leah POV.Months had passed....Everything was set. My plan to enter the lion's den was final. Over the past few months that I recuperated, I also asked Desmond to help me with some self-defense and how to hold a gun. At first, he was hesitant but I finally managed to get his approval. I told him it was for my own safety. The bodyguards he hired were not enough for me."Sweetheart, are you sure about this? Don't you really need us?" my husband asked after he rolled down beside me. We just had finished our lovemaking and I took control which to his surprise and satisfaction, he had no idea I could do it. Guess those months of training and building my strength paid off."Baby, I'm just gonna talk to Divina. The spy I assigned to the mansion is 100% sure she crept there every night once in three months to visit my dad's study room. There must be something important in that room that she can't get rid of or can't bring to her wherever she's hiding!" I confidently told him."All righ
"Ams, about that case, I can't help you anymore. I've been cut off!""I told you so!" Desmond interrupted making my eyes roll."Desmond, I need to speak with Adam alone, please!" I needed to get to the bottom of this. It was almost ten years and I couldn't wait for closure and justice. Justice for my father's name and George's death."No!" my husband urged."Desmond, please!""Amy Leah, you don't need to keep your talks with him a secret, okay? Remember, my parents were also victims of that fire...and my friend, Valerie!" the word Valerie came out only a whisper as he side-glanced at Adam who secretly took a glimpse of his reaction."Our best friend, Valerie!" Adam corrected."All right, no one wants to help me get closure. Then I guess I need to continue what I had originally planned!" I was losing my patience. I felt like I was left wandering alone in the dark wilderness."What?! No, Amy Leah. You almost got yourself killed!" Desmond uttered in a loud tone."Wait! I don't follow. Wh