Chapter 10
1305 Words
Chapter 10
Elise POV
A minute ago I got a message from Greg that he's close to the town proper, so I waited for him outside the hospital premises. I hadn't seen him in days, and I was eager to catch up with him.
From a distance, I could already see our company car from where I was seated, so I stood up to meet Greg. My smile widened as he approached, and I waved at him until he slowed down and parked on the side of the road near where I was standing. Greg got out of the driver's seat with a smile and handed me my laptop backpack, which was also issued by the company for us. It has a padded back and straps, and I chose it because it's comfortable to carry. Inside it was my laptop.
"It's good that you didn't get lost," I said to Greg.
"Nope, ma'am, I've been here twice or thrice if I'm not mistaken," Greg replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Oh, I see. Come, let's go to the plaza, there's a food court there, it's my treat," I invited, hoping to spend some time with him before he had to rush back to work.
But I was surprised when the passenger seat opened, and Sir Alex got out. My stomach dropped. I hadn't expected to see him here.
"Am I not invited?" he asked as he approached, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I thought only Greg was coming here," I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice trembled slightly.
"I cancelled the meeting, I've decided to come with Greg to see your place," he paused, his gaze lingering on me. "And of course, to see you in person," he added, a smirk playing on his lips.
I remained silent. This wasn't the first time he was being flirtatious, but I kept on ignoring it. Don't get me wrong, Alex is a good looking man, rich, and he would be an ideal boyfriend. But I couldn't find any room for him. My heart belonged to someone else, and I was determined to keep it that way.
"Ahem! Excuse me, I know the place, I'll go to the plaza first," Greg said as he quickly crossed the other side of the road.
"So, how are you now, Elise?" Alex asked as Greg moved away, his voice smooth and seductive.
"I'm fine, sir, thank you," I replied, trying to maintain my composure.
"It's Alex," Sir Alex corrected, his voice a low murmur. "By the way, you don't need to file an emergency leave, since you're working here, and expect an incentive pay if you close the deal with Mayor Agapito."
Mayor Agapito? He's a Agapito? Is he Reuven? Is that the reason why his scent and touches are familiar to her? Is he playing with her? Seriously, it's giving me a headache just thinking about it! My mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Elise, any problem?" Alex asked as I remained silent, his voice laced with concern.
"Nothing, Alex," she said, forcing a smile. "Let's go, let's follow Greg," she said to the young man as she took the lead in walking, trying to escape the intensity of his gaze.
When we arrived at the plaza, I immediately saw Greg at the food stall selling native delicacies of Santa Monica. I was relieved to see him.
"This is for my wife," he said with a smile, his eyes twinkling with love.
"I'll pay for it," I said, my voice softening.
"Don't bother, ma'am, it's already paid for," he said, his smile widening.
I nodded, and since I was craving something sweet, I picked two plates of biko and a small bilao of suman. "Do you want anything else to eat?" I asked my companions.
"That's too much," Sir Alex said, his voice laced with amusement.
"Drinks?" I asked again.
"Water is fine with me," Sir Alex replied. "And you, Greg?" he asked Greg.
"Water is fine with me too, sir," Greg answered, his voice polite but strained.
"Okay, three big bottled waters," I said to the vendor. "Let's go." I said to them as I got the water, trying to regain my composure.
"Let me," he said as he quickly took the food I was carrying.
"Thank you,"
I led them to the park where there were many benches and tables. When we found a nice spot, we sat down. In the park, the fifteen centennial trees were noticeable, each representing the fifteen barangays of Santa Monica. At that moment, the barangay officials were busy decorating the trees with various Christmas ornaments and colorful lights. This was done annually in the town. It was almost finished, so in the coming days, they would probably light it up until the last day of January, where it would surely be crowded with people, especially at night.
"This tastes good," Sir Alex said as he ate the biko, so I glanced at him. He was already on his second slice.
"Why don't you buy some from the vendor," Greg suggested to Sir Alex as he enjoyed the suman.
I opened a plate of biko, taking two varieties, one original and one ube flavor. "Try this too, it's delicious, the ube halaya tastes really good," I said while chewing my first bite, savouring on the sweet taste of the biko.
Greg also took a slice. "It's really good," Greg said. "Sir, you should try it too," he said to Sir Alex.
"Later," Sir Alex said as he savored his last bite, his gaze never leaving me.
"Here," I said as I offered the biko to him. I saw him pause in his actions but then smiled as he was about to take a bite when suddenly firm and strong hands enveloped my wrist and forcefully pulled it away from Sir Alex's mouth, I looked up to reprimand the person who did that, but then my tongue got tied when I recognized who it was.
"It's mine," he whispered softly, but it was audible to me, his voice husky and possessive.
"Ahem," Sir Alex cleared his throat, his voice a little too loud, as if trying to regain control of the situation. "Nice meeting you here, Mayor Agapito."
"It's my place, Mr. Hermosa," he said while staring intensely at her, his eyes burning with a fire I couldn't quite understand.
"My wrist," I said as I looked away, his intense gaze melting me, so I subtly pulled my hand back, but he quickly caught it and held our hands together, his grip firm and possessive.
"You know each other?" Sir Alex asked as he looked at our intertwined hands, his voice laced with confusion.
"YES..... him
"NO.... ME
We said simultaneously. So when Sir Alex looked at me with a frown, I tried to pull my hand back from the man, but he wouldn't let go.
"You know what, Mr. Hermosa, Santa Monica is small, so people here usually know each other," he said as he turned his gaze towards Sir Alex, his voice laced with a hint of warning.
"Let her go," Sir Alex said instead as he met the man's gaze, his voice low and dangerous.
But instead of letting go of my hand, the man's grip on me tightened even more as he locked eyes with Sir Alex, his jaw clenched, his expression a mixture of anger and possessiveness.
"You know what, Greg, it's better if you take Alex away from here," she said to cut off the rising tension between the two, her voice a little shaky.
Greg hesitated but eventually gathered their belongings and led Alex away from them. "What was that? You'll need to speak up," I said to him my voice trembling with anger and confusion.
_ tagaIloCosNak
- Writer
