Lahat ng Kabanata ng WILL I EVER LOVE AGAIN?: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The ten days at sea passed like that. I relaxed during the day, ate amazing food, and watched TV with Joemar in the evenings. He never made a move on me, and I felt my defenses beginning to lower. I actually started feeling comfortable around Joemar—or at least, as comfortable as someone could be around a man who was worth more than most of the Southeast Asian countries we were sailing past on our trip south.Overall, it was a relaxing trip. It felt like a vacation at my own private resort.On the morning of the tenth day, I woke up and opened the curtains in my room. I was greeted by an unexpected surprise: instead of endless ocean, a tropical island filled my view. Vibrant colors popped out as we drifted along: turquoise water, yellow beach, lively jungle greens, and a perfect blue sky above it all. But the island looked deserted.By the time I got dressed and went up to the lounge deck, we were pulling into an isolated cove with calmer water. There I saw our true destination: a mar

Melissa Villar POVJoemar met with his investors for two straight days, almost around the clock. He took all of his meals with them, too. Once again, I felt practically ignored.He wasn’t rude. He greeted me warmly the couple of times we passed in the hall or while getting coffee in the kitchen in the morning. But overall, I felt like I was forgotten.By the time the last investor departed on the helicopter, I was getting stir crazy. There was only so much time a girl could spend at the pool or on the beach before she started getting antsy.I found Joemar on the terrace overlooking the pool. He was with Roman and Andre while a white-clad servant popped a bottle of champagne.“Just in time,” Joemar said when he saw me. He was wearing baggy linen pants and a tighter-fitting T-shirt, which made his arm tattoos visible.“What are we celebrating?” I asked.There were four glasses, which meant he had expected me. “The conclusion of two days of nonstop work. Talking to people is exhausting.”

Melissa Villar POVDespite being dark out, the streets of San Jose were still packed with people. Joemar’s fingers held my hand tightly as he guided me along, turning right down a larger street and then left along a smaller alley. He seemed to know where he was going, although it seemed impossible without marked street signs.“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked.“Of course it is,” he replied.I hoped he was right. I was outside my comfort zone and felt a tingle of anxiety as we delved deeper into the city.After ten minutes of crowded streets and twisting alleys, we came to a nondescript door behind a restaurant. Joemar knocked; the man who opened the door looked like he wore a permanent scowl and scanned us up and down. Joemar slapped some money into his hand with a handshake, and the man stepped aside.We descended a narrow staircase, passed through two more doors, and then emerged into a larger space. House music that was muffled by two stories of cement was thumping loudly here,

Joemar Soriano POVExtraordinary.That was the best word to describe the first time Melissa and I made love. Extraordinary. People often romanticized their first time, making it out to be more perfect than it actually was. In truth, it was usually an awkward, fumbling affair while two people learned how to communicate through the language of sex. Which was fine; communication, in every form, took time to perfect.But not with Melissa. The two of us had an undeniable chemistry together, intuitively sensing what the other wanted. Just like on the dance floor, we were naturally in sync. That was rare.It was extraordinary.“A fine vintage,” Fernando said, smacking his lips after tasting the wine. “I am quite fond of reds.”I gave him a measured smile. “So I remembered. I had a crate of their bottles from 2003 delivered after our last visit.” In truth, it was Andre who had made note of the preference and taken steps to ensure we always had some here at the island. But Fernando didn’t need

“It’s weird when you phrase it as growing,” Joemar said. “Like it’s a plant in the garden.”“Dodging the question. Interesting.” I sat up a little straighter and sipped my wine. “You’re not planning on doing that incredibly arrogant thing men do, are you?”“What is that?”“Naming the baby after yourself.”He gave me a funny smile. “Why is that arrogant?”“Because it is!” I insisted. “Men see a perfect bundle of joy and have to put their own name on it. You’ll never see a baby named Melissa Junior.”“You know what? Just for that, I am naming her Melissa Junior,” Joemar said happily. “If it’s a girl.”“Absolutely not!”“You have no say in the matter,” he pointed out. “I can name him or her whatever dumb thing my heart desires.” “You have good taste. You would never do that.”He narrowed his green eyes at me. “Deflecting with a compliment. You’re cunning.”“I still can’t help but notice you’ve avoided the question.”Joemar sighed, swirled his wine around, and said, “I haven’t settled on