CHAPTER 3

“Uhm… Just curious, how exactly are you related to dad?”

“We’re business partners. I’m one of your company’s investors. I’m just actually your new investor, I started investing two or three months ago and hell, I already started earning. Your family’s business is pretty much in demand in the market, huh.”

I forcedly nodded and smiled. He probably meant about the dirty businesses of my family. My dad and two brothers facilitate the family’s gun trafficking business. Not just guns, all kinds of war equipment are being distributed by my family in different parts of Asia and Europe. My father is a general, my brothers also hold higher titles in the military so they know a lot of stuff about wars. Our main customers are the criminals and even the governments.

On the other hand, my mom is a pharmacist and my two other sisters are both doctors. They ran the family’s huge pharmaceutical company and our personally owned hospitals in different parts of the country. These two businesses of ours are the only legal businesses we have. The rest are illegals.

I grew thinking that all those illegal practices are normal. Not until everyone started telling me not to tell anyone about it.

Up until now I couldn’t understand why my mom decided to make me take a fashion designing related course where in fact we are a family of doctors and militars. All public servants. It seems like she started a new tradition through me.

“Why did you decide to invest in us?”

“Well, your family is pretty much well-known in the business world. And I heard that your hospitals are starting to have branches outside the country. Your dad’s convincing skills are on another level. And besides, who am I to say no to money?!” he followed with a laugh.

“Wow! You sure do love money.”

“You can’t survive without money, princess.”

Is it just me? Or my heart just skipped a beat after he called me “princess”? Gosh! What’s happening to me? My heart never had this kind of reaction after being called “princess” before. In fact, I’m used to it. Why now?

Why did it sound special coming from him? I’m just probably tired and stressed.

 “Can I ask for some, then?” I jokingly asked, grinning.

He gave me a playful look. “Sure, but you have to come to my place tonight.”

I burst out laughing at his response. “That was witty!”

We’re probably going to get along pretty well. He has amazing humor.

“By the way,” he stopped laughing. “What college program are you taking?”

“Well, it might be a surprise, but I’m taking fashion designing as a major. I know, it’s too far from what my family is known for.”

“Why? Your brothers are members of the military and your sisters are doctors, why didn’t you decide on which of the two?”

“Seems like my mom wanted to start a new tradition through me. Maybe she wanted to have something new about us, something unique from all of them,” I replied.

“Well, you are indeed quite unique in some ways.”

I chuckled. “How do you say so, you don’t even know me.”

“Not to brag, but I’m good at identifying a person’s personality with their looks, aura, the way they talk and act. Just like earlier, with the look you’re giving me, you were doubting me because I looked like some sort of a thug, am I right?"

“Sort of. You look scary, for real. Not to mention, you have tattoos on your arms that represent death. Doesn’t look like fashion to me, at all. If  I were a fashion designer, I would never hire you to be my model. My audience might be terrified of you.”

“That hurts, you know. But I knew a lot of models who had a lot of tattoos on their bodies, but people still loved them, praising them while they’re on the runway.”

“Yeah, but those people are less scary. Look at yourself, it looks like you came out straight from hell.” He burst into laughter.

This moment is so odd to me. It feels like I’m suddenly a different person. I never used those kinds of words. As much as possible, I avoided saying them out loud especially when talking to someone.

I was always that girl who likes to say good stuff on bad looking people. But, right now, it feels like I’m free to say anything. Maybe because he looks like he won’t mind hearing those words.

And, maybe because he’s a stranger and I know that in the future, we might not be able to see each other again and he’s probably not going to remember all the unusual things I said.

“But, you don’t have to be scared of me, alright?”

“Who says I’m scared?!” I confidently said.

“Well, you said I came from hell. People are afraid of hell.”

“Are you afraid of hell?”

“You said I came from there, so why would I be afraid?!”

“Oh, right! My bad.”

He chuckled and shook his head as if he’s amaze of me. “We’re here!”

I looked outside the window and realized that we’re in front of the huge gate of our village. I grabbed my backpack and unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said before opening the door.

But, before I could get out, he stopped me. “Wait!” I turned to him. “I forgot, I have something to give you.” He picked up a mini bouquet of crocheted rose flowers beside him with three bars of chocolate on it and handed it to me.

Shocked and confused, I stared at it. My heart beat went fast quite a little. “What’s that for?”

“My thanksgiving offering for helping me,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.

I just realized that he has a beautiful smile and his eyes turn a lot prettier every time.

“You don’t need to. I hardly did anything,” I insisted.

“Just please, accept this. I randomly saw these earlier and I thought of you. I have no one else to give this. Please?” He made a puppy eyes expression and I just couldn’t say no anymore.

I chuckled. “You gave me no choice.” I accepted the bouquet and went out of his car. “Thanks, by the way. Take care,” I said before closing the door of his car.

I sneakingly placed the bouquet on my bag so the CCTV cameras won’t see. I then went straight to the gate and didn’t look back anymore.

A golf cart stopped right in front of me and I immediately hopped in. Our house is quite far from the main entrance of the village.

“Is that one of your brothers, Princess? Why didn't he drive you straight to your house?” the old lady who's driving the golf cart asked. I’m kind of close to older people, specifically the granny ones.

“No, Mrs. Michelle. It was one of dad’s friends. Dad couldn’t fetch me up so he sent someone else instead. He was nice to me.”

“Is he the same age as yours?”

“I don’t think so. He looks a lot older than me. He probably has the same age as Darius.” Darius is my oldest brother and he’s thirty-five years old.

“Aww, I thought you’re starting to have friends who are the same age as you.”

“We’re not friends, I just met him. And I have friends who are the same age as me, don’t worry.”

“Friends my ass. They don't even like you. They're just there because you’re an Adolfo. They just want to be known so they stick their asses to you.”

“At least, they still count as my friends.”

“Why don’t you find a real one? A friend who doesn’t care about your social status. A friend that likes you because you are you.”

“It’s not that easy to find those kinds of people nowadays. Someone like me can barely find people who would care for us genuinely without minding our social status.”

“I’m just glad I’m born poor,” she sounded a little sarcastic, but I just laughed at her.

She stopped the cart right in front of our house. “Take care and good luck!” she said before leaving.

“Bye!”

I went inside and oddly enough, the house was quiet. They said there will be a family dinner tonight. But, why does the house look like no one lived in it? Whatever! I quietly went straight to my room on the second floor. I opened my bag and picked up the bouquet. I picked up the chocolate bars and placed the flowers on the base that was in my window.

And after I got undressed, my phone suddenly rang, a notification was sent. I grabbed it and saw a message from an unknown number.

: Hi, this is Lurcos. I forgot you dad gave me your number so I called you before fetching you up. Anyways, have a good night's sleep, Princess. 

I didn’t know how it happened, but my heart feels like it's jumping in so much joy. Does this kind of thing really happen? Weird.

I didn’t feel this way the first time I laid my eyes on him. This started when we started getting along.

: Ok, nighty-night! 

I was smiling like an idiot before putting down the phone and went straight inside the shower. 

After finishing, I blow-dried my hair and went to bed. Seems like the planned  dinner is not happening. Everyone probably got busy, as always. I saved first the number of Lurcos on my phone before closing my eyes.