Semua Bab Mafia Kings Series #1: Nostra Vita: Bab 11 - Bab 20

AFTER my three-day leave, our tour project in Palawan was finally kicking off. I was packing my suitcase, folding clothes and checking off my list. Joshua had called earlier and said he'd be the one to pick me up, so I was expecting him any minute now. It was already 5:20 AM when Joshua and I arrived at the Manila International Airport. None of our other companions had arrived yet—except for Sir Sky and Aisha. Joshua and I were in the middle of a conversation when Sir Khiro suddenly approached us. I raised a brow as he came closer. Was he going to ask again how much a one-night stand with me would cost? "Trinity, do you have any extra sandals I can borrow? Luna twisted her ankle. I asked Aisha but she said she only brought heels," he said, clearly worried. "I'm a size 37." "Perfect. Luna's a 37 too." I quickly reached for my backpack, took out my nude doll shoes (still in plastic), and handed them to Sir Khiro. "Thanks so much," he said as he rushed back to the woman he

“You guys go ahead. Your boss and I still have somewhere to be.” Nicole looped her arm through Leo’s with a sweet smile that made my stomach twist. I couldn’t even respond—my eyes were glued to her hand wrapped so tightly around his arm, like she was staking her claim. “So do we.” I turned quickly to my side when I suddenly felt an arm wrap firmly around my waist. Joshua. He stared straight at Leo, the same way Leo stared right back at him. Their eyes locked in that unspoken, territorial showdown. Dark. Intense. Neither of them are willing to blink first. And yeah, I’m pretty sure the Market Research team felt the tension too. They looked like they wanted to disappear. “U-uh, actually, we also have somewhere to go,” Vince suddenly piped up, awkwardly laughing. “Why don’t we all just go together? Seems like everyone’s got something to handle anyway.” Vince—the poor head of the Market Research team—was trying hard to save the awkward scene. Joshua and I started walk

I heard the music playing from Aisha’s phone since their boat arrived at the same time as ours. I think it was *“Hanggang Ngayon”* by Regine Velasquez. I'm not so dense not to recognize whether that was intentional or not. “Leo,” Nicole called out. But he didn’t look away from me. Our bodies were still pressed together, my arms loosely wrapped behind his neck. And once again, those green eyes stared at me with that same depth they held fourteen years ago. “Leo, seriously! Trinity’s fine now—put her down already!” That seemed to snap him back to reality, and he gently helped me stand on my feet. Once we arrived at the rest house, I immediately went to check the files and set up the projector, making sure everything was safe and organized. We arrived around eleven in the morning, and by then, it was nearly lunchtime. I had lunch prepared near the beachside. “This is really impressive, Trinity,” my boss said, hands on his hips, smiling, his hair catching the soft breeze.

“And the saying goes, ‘So near, and yet so far,’." I heard Aisha say beside me, her voice pulling me back to reality. “He’s just there and yet so out of your reach, huh? If only you hadn’t lied and thought about yourself for once, maybe it would’ve been you in his arms right now.” I rolled my eyes at her. Her voice was gentle, but the words cut deep. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The image of them kissing just seconds ago kept replaying in my head like a broken record. Sometimes… I wish I could just sleep and never wake up. Because in my dreams, he’s within reach. In my dreams, he’s mine. A dream I never want to wake up from. “That’s enough. Stop crying. Nothing will change if you cry all night,” she said gently. She pulled me to my feet, and we walked over to join Luna, who was eating alone. “Hi Luna! Khiro’s not here?” “He just went to grab something from the room,” she answered. I sighed. Three minutes ago, I saw Khiro making out with the receptionist.

“Just a random suggestion,” Joshua said casually, “but instead of hiring professional models to endorse our products, why don’t we let our own employees—or even people from the streets—model them instead? Y'know, breaking the norms?” We’ve been in this meeting since nine in the morning. I barely slept last night, my head was still pounding, but I had to be here to take down the minutes. “Actually, Sir,” one of the marketing team members chimed in, “if we allow someone who’s not a famous model to endorse the product and the hotel being launched, there’s a slight possibility it might flop within a few months—at least based on our research.” Joshua didn’t even flinch. “The Vasquez Company has already established its name. Your data isn’t solid. Besides, if you take a look at the ITR of the company’s funded projects and businesses, they were already performing well even before any advertising.” He paused to take a sip of his mango shake. “In other words, whether you market it or not—