A loud cry was heard from the closed doors in one of the second floor bedrooms.

Inside, pieces of colorful fabrics of what was once a beautiful clothing are strewn all over the floor along with the debris of broken glass and porcelain. 

On the big princess bed Maya cried clinging into her mother’s arm. It was already morning but her emotion was still flying over the roof, unable to calm down whenever she remembered what happened to the gala last night. 

The media is now feasting over her disastrous entrance at the red carpet and that’s not all, everyone now began to compare her against Sena. Unlike before where she was at an advantage, it was her who became the laughingstock this time.

“I can’t… and I won’t accept this!” She screamed. “I had it all, why did she have to come and ruin everything?!”

“Alright, enough of this.” Crisanta said to her daughter impatiently. She had been throwing a tantrum since she came back and it made the whole house restless. “What’s the use of crying over it? The important thing is that Timothée hasn’t broken ties with you. Now if you continue to stay here and let the situation as it is, the things you have worked so far are going to be wasted!”

Maya gritted her teeth.

Timothée? She was then reminded of Dresden who appeared out of nowhere in a completely different person and her burning anger shifted to remorse and frustration. 

Who doesn’t know the Troy Corporation when they are the fifth largest machinery and steel export industry globally? All the ugly things she said to him came back, echoing in her consciousness like a taunt. As if mocking her for her ignorance. For Dresden whom she looked down on to turn out to be its apparent heir, Maya’s regret could not be described. 

No wonder he was so generous!  

Crisanta frowned, “Do you want to give up?”

“Of course not!” 

“Then get up there and fix yourself. Nothing comes out of crying.” Crisanta said firmly. “Your agency already made countermeasures to the scandal. All you have to do is to remain passive for the moment and let it cool down. Give it a week or a month people will eventually forget.” 

“A month? I can’t stay silent for long, what about my work?” Maya cried out. 

Crisanta let out a frustrated sigh, “I did not say you stop working in a month. What I meant was to stay away from the public’s eyes for that duration. You can still go on with your business but refrain from attracting the media’s attention. Baby, a month is not too long.” 

“What about Sena? Why do I have to stay silent while she goes around prancing like a— ugh, I can’t just let her go like this!”

Crisanta Luz felt like her head was about to explode. She also had too many troubles lately and she cannot just attend to Maya alone. 

“You’d have to let go whether you like it or not.” She said flatly. 

“But mom—”

“Shut up!” Crisanta snapped. “At this moment there is nothing we can do about her. Maybe other people have but right now we don’t. Sena has one or more enemies she offended so let them do the job for now. As for you, you will stay low!” 

Unwillingness was written all over her face but her mother’s cold eyes prevented her from further arguing.  

“You still have an audition for Director Young’s drama series. You are currently one of the hottest newcomers but it is never going to hold if you fail to get into any huge production.” 

Maya stopped crying at once. She looked at her mother with part expectations and part resentment. If she hadn’t released her photos with Timothée last night she wouldn’t have to face severe backlash. Everyone was teasing her about going with Timothée but they were also secretly mocking her for proudly showing off. 

“When will the shoot begin?” 

“Although we have secured the role for you, you still need to undergo the auditioning process in order to avoid suspicion.”

She wiped her tears. 

“Remember not to act recklessly just like last time.” Crisanta warned. “Be more tolerant of the other casts, especially the staff because you never know what they talk about you once you are not looking. Any flaws you show are guaranteed to fly in the media in half a day.” 

In these past two years, Maya slowly made a name as the sweet-faced sister of many famous celebrities. There are minor and big roles that effectively helped push her name to fame. What she lacked is a major breakthrough where her acting skills will be put to test and to prove her versatility as well. 

Director Young’s drama promises these changes. If she wanted to change her soft sweet image and transition to a more steady one, she needed to take this role seriously.

 

Tang House

“It looks like a heated discussion.” Linda remarked while sipping tea from the sitting room. 

Sena, who was fidgeting on her seat, stood up and looked over the window to see if the two men outside began to punch each other’s brains out. A sigh of relief came when she saw that none of her imagined bloody scenarios came to reality. 

“Don’t scare me, please,” She said poutily.

“My bad, it was a joke.” Linda chuckled. “You look like you were in between fainting and crying. It's unbearable to look at. Didn’t I tell you to relax? Those men are perfectly capable of being civil.”

She doubts that… 

“You dazzled everyone at the ball and you have now become the belle of the season. I heard Dresden came to personally return the pill box to you. Have you accepted?”

“No, I told him to donate it to the Agni Museum.” Sena said unbothered. “The money from the auctioned item was used for CWI and it would be too much to take it back. He wanted to hand it over as some sort of an apology for his behavior these past months.” 

“It’s nice to hear him realizing his faults. He’s not entirely stiff and unbending as rumored after all.” 

Thank God for the changes. She did not want to break Grandpa Oslo’s heart by fighting with his favorite grandson. She is aware that she and Dresden were like oil and water since young but they never truly fought seriously nor intentionally insulted each other; however, with the involvement of Maya, their harmless bickering turned into a cold war. 

“Everything is going well for you, sweetie,” Linda said, patting her hand gently. 

“I couldn’t agree more so let’s keep our fingers crossed.”  

“For once we did not have to worry whether you will make another bad decision or end up somewhere a lot worse than nightclubs.” 

Prison for one, Sena thought funnily.  

“What are you smiling so silly for?” Linda poked her forehead. 

“I’m just… so happy.” 

“Happy to finally admit about having a boyfriend?” Linda looked outside with a smirk. “You are one sly child to be able to hide it for a long time. Have you seen the surprise on your big brother’s face earlier? The poor man could not speak for a while.”

“Oh, thank goodness he was just surprised. I thought he was going to have a heart attack.” 

Linda covered her mouth then burst out laughing. It somehow made her recall how tortured and nervous she felt when Leo came to confess to her. Her first thought was, how is she going to tell Sena?

“I gave you a lot of headache, didn’t I?” Sena said, mortified. 

She had been pinned to Leo’s belt ever since small. It was a fact that Leo spoiled her rotten, making Chang’an so jealous of her and occasionally, even Linda. Leo had been there when she wet her bed or when she lost a tooth. He was there to teach her how to ride a bike and when she sprained her foot in ballet class. 

When life deprived her of a biological father. Leo came. 

She was so close to him that he had to tiptoe when having a relationship with Linda. The concealment resulted in many hilarious and unforgettable situations then. 

When Leo told her he liked a girl and was afraid they may be able to stay together Sena was instantly outraged. She thought the girl turned him down. She could not understand why a certain girl would not want her big brother. 

"Why?" She asked.

"Well sweetie, adults sometimes have their own problems." Says the senior high school Leonard Tang

"Does she like someone else and not you?” Nine-year old Sena pouted. “She's obviously blind. You are the kindest and most handsome big brother of all.”

“You think so, peanut?” 

“To be honest I would be very worried if you ended up with a girl like that. You should like better ones. Big sis Linda is much better…" 

Linda, who was eavesdropping from the other side of the couch burst into tears.

“Don’t worry, you big brother will only be mad for a few minutes. He is not going to—”  

There was a loud crash just after Linda finished speaking. 

The ladies looked at each other dumbfounded and ran only to see Nicholas sprawled face down on the ground dragging with him a pot of orchid.   

“My plant!” Linda's horrified scream tore through the sky. 

Leo’s back visibly turned stiff the moment he heard his wife’s roar. “Dear, I can explain…”

“Explain your foot!”

“P-Please calm down.” Leo was sweating buckets now.

“Leonard Tang, you and I are going to fight!” With her hand on her bulging belly, the angry woman marched towards her husband, raised her dainty foot and stomped on his toes. “It took me a whole year to grow this, you hear me?”

Linda’s face fell as she held the broken stem of the flower like it was her very own child. 

“A whole year…” She whispered as tears brimmed in her eyes. “My orchid. What have you done?!”  

Helpless, Leo glared at Nicholas and hastily threw the dirt over, “It was him! It’s his fault he stood too close to the—”

“Be quiet, you!” 

Leo nodded his head frantically, “I know, I know, don’t be angry. Be careful… you and the baby…”

Sena took this time to help Nicholas up. “Are you alright?”

“He’ll be fine. His skin is thicker than the wall plaster.” Leo snorted. Throwing his opponent a disgusted look. He felt all the more angry when he saw their baby sister fussing over him.  

“Big brother,” Sena shot him a reproachful look in return. 

And with his wife also glaring at him, Leo felt so aggrieved and helpless he had to put his hands up. Not so long ago, these girls were his darlings, now they have more concern for a stranger. 

Away from his sights, Linda winked at the two indicating they escaped inside the house.

Sena: ( ・◇・)？

Weren’t you crying just a while ago, Mrs Tang? 

“Hey, we are not finished.” Leo called out when he noticed that Nicholas was about to sneak out. “Come back here you miserable bastard I’m not finished with you!” 

Linda pinched his waist, stopping his rant abruptly, “No cursing in my house! It’s bad for the baby.” 

Poor Leo had to choke on his anger and began to earnestly pacify his wife. 

When everything went back to calm, it was already past lunch. The four were sitting in the backyard facing the lake and hills.  

“Still hurts?”

Nicholas hissed when the cotton hit his broken lip. “A little bit but it’s not entirely bad actually. I found that I could handle Leonard Tang’s fist much better this time.”   

Sena looked at his disheveled appearance, the bruise on his left brow and felt so distressed for him. “I’m sorry about big brother. I didn’t know he would take a jump at you.” 

“After what I did, it’s to be expected. I did you wrong in the first place.” Nicholas smiled wryly into her eyes then caught her hands, pinching them gently. “Count this as my atonement.”

“But that’s…” Sena bowed her head, hiding the growing flush on her face. 

God knows how embarrassed she was at the thought of Nicholas going up to Leo asking for permission to date her. 

Nicholas put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. In a soft coaxing tone he said, “They are your most important people and I do not want to force you to hide things from them. No matter how ridiculous it may appear to some, I still had to tell him and get his consent because I want to pursue you in an upright and honest manner in order to prove my sincerity.”

It’s a little old fashioned but it is the right way and despite Sena’s mortification she could not deny that being cherished like this has made her more confident and happier. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Everyone is an adult.” He winked mischievously. “They will get over the thought of it soon.” 

At least now embarrassment was just the least of their worries. On the other side, Leo was doing his best to serve his wife with a foot massage. Linda reclined on the soft chaise complete with a wide hat and sunglasses. 

“Nice days like this are rare.” Linda moaned. 

“Are you comfortable, dear?”  

Linda poked her sunglasses up her nose and answered, “You’ve improved quite a lot, President Tang, I like it. Now if you could just control your temper a bit, that would be perfect.” 

Leo dare not contradict. 

“Is madam no longer mad at me?”

“That is still under observation,” she replied cheekily. “Seriously, what made you fly off the handle? Is it because he broke your trust or because Nicholas snatched our dear baby under our noses?” 

Leo’s hand stopped kneading and replied grumpily. “Both.” 

Who would have thought that most of this was his fault? Damn, he trusted Sena’s safety to him oblivious that he already set his eyes on her. Inviting him over was tantamount to leading the wolf into the cage. 

Now their little rabbit has been eaten! 

Linda leaned over to his side observing his expression with amusement. It’s rare to see this man upset, he looks like a father unable to express his vexation properly because the object of his resentment was someone his darling daughter cared for. Linda felt like laughing for some reason, poor Leo who had nowhere to vent might give Nicholas more trouble in the future. 

She fiddled with the collar of his shirt and said in a lowered voice, “I know you love her as much as I do but we have to let her experience this all on her own. I guess what you are truly afraid of was the same as I; Nicholas being a whole different level than Sena, him being worldly and that slew of past relationships behind him,”

“Unlike me.” Leo did not forget to solicit some praise.

Linda snorted. “Yes, unlike you. It could be frightening to imagine that she might be just one of his conquests.” 

“No, in fact…” that’s not what he was wary about.

Leo’s hesitation piqued her.

“Am I wrong?” Linda asked owlishly. 

He nodded slowly, “I know Nicholas neither for his past relationships nor for his playful nature, it was entirely something else.” 

He is not afraid the man would cheat on Sena. Nicholas was not someone like that nor his pride would allow him to degenerate like that. He values affection and family more than anyone else which is quite an excellent trait by the way. However, he still disapproved of him because he knew Nicholas’ life had many complications before. If he often stayed too close to her, there is a high chance of Sena getting dragged along the mire.

“Problems? Was it his family?” Linda asked not knowing his complicated thoughts. 

Leo made a soft hum and refused to say, causing his wife to misunderstand.  

“I see, so that’s it.” Linda clicked her tongue, “I did hear about the conflict between Nicholas and his grandmother… nasty old witch.”

Well, if she so much do something disagreeable to their dear baby, she will fight tooth and nail! 

Linda held her husband’s face and smiled, “If they truly like each other and are determined to stay together, they will figure everything out on their own. Neither us nor a blockade skeptical people can separate them if they remain firm.” 

He could only smile to assure his wife. He refrained from telling her more for her peace of mind. 

“Without the complications you thought of and since you believed in Nicholas' character, does that mean that you at least approve of him for NaNa?” Linda asked with a playful poke on his cheek. 

Leo’s answer was a dark scowl.   

“You have to give in one of these days, big guy.”  

Leonard Tang did not reply, he rose to his feet and called Sena for a short game of badminton. 

“Now?” Sena asked reluctantly. 

“Come on, peanut. Don’t look as if I invited you to go to the dentist.” 

 

Coming back from the Tang house, the two went to a restaurant to meet director Lee from the production of the sci-fi disaster movie, ‘Dawn of The End’ they invested some time in last year. During the meal, director Lee was all politeness and smiled at Nicholas when talking about the progress of the shoot. 

Sena excused herself earlier to go to the washroom to clean the sauce stain on her cuffs. On her way back, she got a little confused about the box number where they dined and stopped at a door before. She was about to push it open when a hand clamped hers so strongly she felt pain. 

“I believe this meeting should end here,” The guy in sunglasses and trench coat warned. 

The completely confused Sena frowned.

“My hand, if you please?” 

The guy looked at her from the soles of her feet to the tops of her head and sighed irritably. “I know you’re the blind date my mother sent but I assure you there is no way I am going to be coerced against my will into agreeing to this kind of  arrangement—”

“I think you’re mistaking me for someone else.” Sena said dryly and tried to dislodge his hold. 

But the guy just wouldn’t listen and continue on with his dialogue. 

“Let me lay this down clear enough for you to understand. I do not want you nor do I want to form any sort of relationship with you.”

“Rest assured sir, neither do I have the slightest inclination towards you.” Sena said with undisguised sarcasm. 

Thank God, she’s in a better mood today, she understood that his annoyance was not directed at her personally— or she might have just punched him. Her reaction, on the other hand, puzzled the other party. 

What did she just say? The guy was stunned silly. It suddenly came to him that the manner of the woman in front of him was too indifferent, calm even. It struck him as strange.

“You are saying you don’t like me?” 

“As you heard.” Sena said with a small laugh. 

When she raised her head up, she saw him looking absolutely lost. 

“Are you sure you don’t? You are not just saying this because I—”

“Not in the least or for any reason. Can I have my hand back?”

The guy let go finally. 

Sena rubbed the hurt part and shot him a reproachful look. “You ought to listen when people are talking.” 

“Mr Lockmoore,” A woman in a strapless print dress and high heels greeted the man with a coquettish smile. “Aiden Lockmoore? Goodness, fancy meeting you here. Your mother recommended this restaurant for lunch, I didn’t know I would find you here.” 

Aiden, the man in question, looked at the new arrival blankly then turned to Sena then made a quick comparison. Undoubtedly, he found the answer to his question based on the grim expression overtaking his face. 

Sena stepped away from them just in time to see Nicholas coming out of the other door. 

“There you are, I thought you had gotten lost.” He said as he smilingly opened his arm for her. 

She shook her head and quipped, “Almost but thankfully you went out to rescue me.” 

The woman earlier shot her a grimace, “Who is she? She's rude, isn't she?”

Away from her sight, Nicholas gave the people behind a brief glance before protectively putting his hand on the small of her back. 

As they disappear into the private room. Aiden Lockmoore was left there in astonished silence. His originally calm face began to change color from white to red. 

Damn, did he just mistakenly scold someone else’s girlfriend?!

“Uhm… Mr Lockmoore?” The woman approached slowly. “We were interrupted a while ago, my name is Jamie Long, we…” 

Sena could not stop laughing about it when they were on their way home from the restaurant. He told Nicholas what happened in the corridor and even imitated Aiden’s manner of speaking. The other just listened attentively and did not interrupt. She had so much fun dissing the person and neglected to notice the gleam of coldness that flashes within Nicholas’ eyes.

Upon arriving, she was directly pulled into his unit. He went straight to the kitchen, got a cold pack from the fridge and took her hand. 

“Does it hurt,” he sighed. Looking sorry at the bruise just above her pulse. 

“A little.” That person grabbed her so hard after all. “But don’t worry, it will be gone by tomorrow.” 

But Nicholas knew she was just saying that to make him worry less about it. He pulled a fat pillow from another seat and made her lean on it, “Hold this for a little while.” He handed the ice pack to her then kneeled down the carpet to remove her shoes. He set them on the side of the couch first, before taking off his own. 

As Sena settled herself comfortably, Nicholas pulled her to lean back against him. Slowly, he slipped his hand from her right elbow down to her palm and let their fingers intertwine. Their feet stretch out, pointing towards the balcony then his left free hand took the cold pack again and began gently dabbing her red patch in short intervals.  

“I remember you don’t like cold things on your skin because they make you tingly.” She murmured and squirmed to adjust her position. “How was your injury from big brother?”

“A little lip cut. Nothing I cannot handle.” His jaw is still hurting, he didn’t know why he told her that stupid lie. Other than maybe wanting to impress her, which was ridiculous to admit, even for himself. 

“I won’t force you to ice it,” she laughed. 

He tipped his head to look down on her, “Baby, I’m more concerned about this than mine.” 

“It will be gone before we know it.” 

Nicholas played with her right hand, pulled it next to lips softly, complaining, “I don’t like it against your skin…”  

“I know it’s ugly but we can’t do anything about it,” Sena replied offhandedly. “Unless you have something to erase it with.” 

He chuckled, stared into her eyes and approached slowly “What if I say I do, would you like me to erase it?”

“By all means…” she found herself agreeing so quickly. It was hard to be coherent when you are being gazed at by those deep dark eyes. 

Nicholas’s smile was particularly sinister. He turned his head to her hand and closed his lips against the soft texture of her skin. The warm, slippery feeling on her hand jolted Sena awake. She looked incredulously as Nicholas licked and bit on the bruise, covering the patchy red with a neat row of tooth marks. 

“Oh God, what did you do…?”

He looked over at her, “Covering it.” Her eyes were widened by surprise. “I just hate looking at it.”

This is when her mouth pinched together into a pout. “Petty.” 

He admits he is. He did not want any person or man in particular hurting her. 

Nicholas looked at the tooth mark pensively, it was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen after her. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soft and slow, tasting her lips as he’d always been accustomed to. When she squirmed again and reached out to hug him, he dropped the ice pack on the floor, laid her down and deepened the kiss. 

It was late in the afternoon with the orange glow of the sun splashing golden color from the large windows. It spilled to the carpets towards the couple sleeping peacefully on the couch. Nicholas cradled Sena’s head on his arm as he let her rest. 

The next morning, the redness has turned into deep purple appearing so ghastly against her skin. Sena frowned and decided to wear long sleeves until the things fades away. Last night, she woke up at nine o’clock in Nicholas’ place, had a very late dinner there and was sent back home to continue her sleep. 

While having breakfast, her eyes inadvertently strayed on the television showing the local news about an accident at the construction site in the east district. 

“Isn’t this Bluejay Construction and Development Company?” April frowned, turning up the volume. 

[...three workers died as the piling rig failed while lifting the metal plates. The victims’ families demands an explanation from the company…]

Sena straightened on her seat. Bluejay Construction was the one Arthur Min warned her for and since they did not allow them to bid on the Metro Hub project they found another huge client. She happened to recognize this construction site as one of Luz Company’s, so in the end, along with Bluejay they managed to buy an area of land in the East District. Sly old man, it made her wonder what kind of method Mr Luz had to resort to in order to win a portion of it when all of the good lands were already at the hands of their original developers. 

Sena looked at the familiar surroundings thoughtfully, and wondered why this place gives her an ominous feeling. She couldn't tell why exactly but she just knew this land should not be dug or moved. It was such a strange feeling.  

A phone call from home took away her attention from the television; the message inquired if she would be able to return. Sena immediately turned silent. 

She finished breakfast quickly and told April she will be over to the neighbor's house. She had to tell him she would be gone for a while. 

 

Since it is the weekend, they have all the time to rest which should be the case for Nicholas as well but when she came over, she found him in the living room working with something on his laptop. She was about to greet him when the guy blasted a sneeze. He pulled a tissue from the box then dabbed his nose. He continued working. 

“Nikki, you’re not feeling well, are you?” Sena asked.

She walked straight to him, felt up his forehead and quickly took it back. He was burning up! Nicholas looked so startled he nearly dropped the laptop. “NaNa!”

“What happened? How did you get sick?” She sat anxiously beside him. “Can’t the work be put aside?”

He put the laptop away. 

This means I will have to put aside telling him about the trip. She thought.