Painful Love

Chapter Five (Part II)

"A gang-star?" she replied unsurely.

"And I just happen to know one," Zarah spoke with a smile, and she noticed the woman's shoulders relax. She then proceeded to call Alexei, and when he pickup she said, "I trust that I can trust you. I have someone that I'd like you to keep safe." She took a picture of the woman and put the phone back on her ear, "I just sent you her picture," and then she hung up. Zarah went back to where she was sitting and pulled the chair for the woman.

"You are changing," Marce commented. "I feel like I should be scared of you now."

"Did you know she betted 50 million dollars?" Alexei was standing a foot away from their table. Zarah stopped chewing and looked up at Alexei and gave him the most murderous look she could muster. She couldn't believe he actually brought it up. She frowned because of how fast she showed up but she remembered that he had never stop watching her. Marce, in turn, turned to Zarah with a shocked look.

"You did what?!" He shouted and pulled out his phone to check and see if the money was still in the account, and it wasn't even a cent below. "What..." Marce started saying, but he was stopped short when Zarah talked over him, which she never does to him or anyone.

"What's your name?" She asked the woman that was now eating. She swallowed the food that she was chewing and replied with, "Maria." She seemed like she hadn't eaten in days. She was really going at it like it were the last meal that she was going to eat. Zarah called the waiter and asked him to bring them everything they had on the menu. Ha-Neul was watching her, but he felt stuck. He didn't know how to communicate with her. She had always been alone, with no friends nor family, and trying to get someone who has always depended on themselves for the longest to open up seemed nearly impossible. The way she cut off Marce just showed how quick she was to defend herself, and he didn't want their relationship to be that way. He didn't want her to always be on her tiptoes. They waited till she finished eating, and it was amazing to see Maria slowly regain her energy. She seemed like a pretty outgoing person, and talking to Zarah, she felt safe. They all got up, and Zarah turned to Alexei and said, "make sure she's safe shall anything happen to her, well what's the use of threatening, I'm sure you won't let that happen." She started to walk away, but Maria held her hand.

"Could I stay with you for the next few days? It would be nice to be around someone. Safe." She said, and Zarah's heart melted. From what she had been going through till that point, that was the most heartfelt thing anyone had ever said to her. She couldn't talk to the boys. One had daddy issues, the other one had business in his mind, and the last one was the one that always seemed to put her life on the line. She turned to her fully and hugged her tight, she intended it to be a short one, but when Maria started crying, she held her tighter and stayed there God knew how long. When her tears died down, she pulled away and held her hands, "I can't let you stay with me, my apartment... I think it's cursed," she said, and when she noticed Maria's face forming a frown, she continued, "how about I come spend the night at your new place, I'm never home anyway." In an instant, Maria's face changed to that of a happy girl. She had the most beautiful smile Zarah had seen in a while. She bid her goodbye intending to see her later, and left with Marce and Ha-Neul. Since Zarah decided on their way to her apartment once again that she wanted to visit the site before she retired for the day, Ha-Neul decided to go to his office and check things out since it was his first day back in America after a month of being away. There were minor details that she wanted to be fixed as she thought while she walked through the building under construction. Marce was also taking notes on what she was saying, and about three hours later, they were driving to her apartment to pick up clothes to go stay with Maria as she had promised. Marce waited in the car while she went upstairs to pack, and when she got back to the car, Ha-Neul was also in the vehicle. "What time did you arrive?" Zarah asked, shocked seeing him.

"It sounds like you are not happy to see me," Ha-Neul said with almost a sad voice.

"No, no, absolutely not. I'm always happy to see you love. I just thought that you might have already retired for the day seeing how you had a long day from flying." Zarah said and Ha-Neul replied with a huge smile. He looked content. It appeared that he heard the sweetest thing ever, and he had. She said she was always happy to see him, so that meant that when he thought she didn't need him next to her, she was actually pleased about the moments they shared together and that she called him love. The fact that she associated him with love turned his world upside down for a second in a good way. It made him realize that she actually cared, but she didn't know how to communicate with him like he does. They drove to the address that Alexei sent Zarah, and it was the same hotel that they were in with Sofi. She liked the hotel. Maybe that was why Alexei chose it in the first place. It was precisely the same room that they stayed in and when they all got upstairs and into the penthouse, Zarah started to wonder if they were going to leave because neither of them seemed like they were thinking about departing anytime soon. "Are you okay if they stayed here for the night?" Zarah whispered to Maria, and Maria asked, "do you trust them?" To which she replied with a nod and a smile. Marce went to the kitchen and found some liquor which he brought back to the living room.

"Let's drink our worries away!" He shouted as he started to pour drinks on the tiny glasses.

"She can't drink," Zarah spoke up after Maria hesitated to take the tiny glass that was being handed to her by Marce.

"What happened to freedom, Zarah?" Marce asked sarcastically.

"She's pregnant."

"What?!" Both Ha-Neul and Marce let out.

"That f*****g bastard! And he put his hands on you..." out of nowhere, Marce was starting to fume. Zarah smiled and wondered if he found her attractive, but it was Marce, and any living creature was appealing to him.

"He doesn't know," Maria spoke lowly. Marce stood up, took the liquor bottle with him, and came back for the shots glasses. When he came back again, Zarah and Maria had already disappeared into the room, and it was just him and Ha-Neul. When he tried to talk to Ha-Neul, Ha-Neul altogether avoided a conversation with him like he always did. Marce knew that they started off on the wrong foot, but it amazed him how he could hold a grudge. He didn't even remember what they fought about when they first met each other.

"Why do you hate me so much?" He asked despite the cold treatment. He was usually more forthcoming when Zarah was around, but when it was just the two of them, it felt to him that he pretended that he wasn't even there.

"I don't hate you," Ha-Neul replied without looking at him.

"Then why are you so hostile towards me?"

"Why would I be friendly towards someone who just about almost killed a woman I love?" Ha-Neul held his gaze this time. Marce hesitated for a minute.

"But Zarah..."

"I am not Zarah. But she likes you, so for her sake, I'm being civil with you. Don't let it get over your head." He cut him off with a serious tone. Ha-Neul always seems to have a smile on his face; even when he wasn't smiling, he had those happy faces, and so to see him look so serious was quite terrifying to see for Marce.

"It wasn't my fault that it happened!" Marce was getting defensive now.

"You know what?! You are right, it is not your fault that she got shot because of you, it's not your fault that your father pissed off someone and in turn, they wanted you dead, it is not your fault that she had to suffer for a year because of a bullet that meant to be vengeance. You are absolutely right Marcellino, it's not your fault, but whose fault is it; knowing fully well that your father has yet to set right with whoever he messed with, but he didn't, and there could possibly be a bullet reserved for you, and yet, you are by her side at this point almost 24 hours a day. What makes you think that she won't try and save you again, that she would survive if that were to happen again?"He was talking through his teeth now, and Marce could tell that he was mad and didn't like mad Ha-Neul. He looked like a psychopath. But thinking about it, it made him understand where he was coming from. Although he never did what his father told him and paid barely any attention to him or what he did, he noticed the bodyguard following him around disguised in regular clothes. He always thought that he was always safe, but he never thought about Zarah, whether or not she was safe. The bodyguards were there for him and not her, and if anything were to happen to her, they would do nothing at all. He leaned back on the couch and looked at the ceiling. He grew to love Zarah, although he would never tell her that. From the very beginning, it was evident how she felt about Ha-Neul, and Ha-Neul was a good man in his eyes. He had no doubt that he would treat her well, but the thought of never talking to Zarah for the rest of his life gave him chills. For the days that he doesn't get to see her, he finds himself missing her and thinking of her. If there was no Zarah, he would have to go back to the person he used to be before he met her, and he didn't like that person. Zarah taught him to love himself. She taught him to be himself. She was the reason he started the real estate company, to begin with, and if she had spent the 50 million dollars, he knew that he wouldn't be a tad bit upset because he trusted her that much. He looked at Ha-Neul, who was now laying on the sofa opposite him, and tried to understand. 'He must hate me so much; she's literally a dead-meat just by being near me. It must be hard for him to smile when I am around' he thought to himself. For the first time in his life, he really got to experience what it meant to think about the other person. He got off the couch and walked out of the huge penthouse feeling so lost.

For the next week, Marce kept his distance from Zarah. They had to work together, so he really couldn't avoid her all that much. The bodyguards seemed to double since he started doing so, and it dawned on him how right Ha-Neul was. His father never did anything to make sure that he stayed as far away as possible because he also had a hint that if it were to happen again, Zarah might just do exactly what she did, especially now that they were close. Back then, they didn't even know each other. They even started off on the wrong foot, yet she still did what she did, and now that they were friends, it would kill her to see her friend hurt. That was the type of person that she was, but she never realized it because she always put other people first, that she sometimes forgets that she was human and that there are people that actually cared about her. When she was around people, she looked like a superman. Trying to save the world, make sure that everyone around her was okay. Even the constraction people, she sends them meals twice a day since the beginning of the project, and although it worked in their favor, it showed how much she cared, but when she was by herself, she was a different person. From outside looking in, it seemed that she didn't know who she was sitting next to. He still hadn't gotten the chance to understand what happened a month back. When he and Ha-Neul saw the bruise on her cheek, they knew without a doubt that it had to be Alexei, but he looked so rough that they didn't even get the chance to sit down and talk with him. He was glad for his decision, though, because he noticed her smile more. She even laughed, a wholehearted laugh since Ha-Neul had used that opportunity to be around her more often. He was jealous. He couldn't help it. It had been a year or so since they started their business, and a few months back, they got invited to an event celebrating new businesses, and tonight was the event. They had initially planned for Marce to pick her up, but he texted her and said he was running late to the event and asked Ha-Neul to take her there.

Zarah kept an empty seat next to her, and when he didn't show up an hour in, she stepped outside to call him, and when he didn't pick up his phone, she freaked out. She was pacing back and forth when she heard their company's name being called through the speaker and the applause. She took another look around in the open to see if he was coming, but there was no sight of Marce. She went back inside, and she saw Ha-Neul looking for her. She forced a smile and went to the stage to take the award. As she stood by the mic trying to figure out what to say because she didn't really think they were going to win, she looked through the crowd, but Marce was nowhere to be found. He was never one to miss a chance of attention. He had even written a speech just in case they won. She cleared her throat and met Ha-Neul's gaze, who was sitting at the edge of his seat. She smiled, and she felt her shoulders relax.

"I am here as a representative of Maza Realty. Really truly, the hard work that goes on behind the scene is redundant, from our secretary to Jeff that never gets tired of copying papers and everyone in the office. The people we work with, Enrique, always comes through to save the day when it comes to construction, interior decorators that we worked with, the cleaning services companies we collaborated with, and everyone for that matter. It wouldn't be possible without you. Last but not least, my business partner, my partner in crime, my other half sing along in the car," she paused when laughter erupted through the crowd. "And my friend, I would dare say best friend, but I haven't been around him lately for the past week, and so I really don't think if I deserve that title right now. It's amazing to work beside him. Watching him being excited and giving it his all every single day inspires me to work harder. He is one of the coolest people I have ever met in my life. He has a way to make you forget about all your worries, and his smile lights up the room, so y'all are really missing out because this room is not lit enough." She paused again when she heard a few chuckles and noticed some smiles. "He made this happen, and for that, I am not only grateful but also extremely proud of him. He is pretty amazing. Who might he be, you may ask? Well, for you to find out, you will have to visit our office so he can introduce himself. He loves people; you would love him for sure. Thank you." She took a bow and went to her seat. When the event was over, some people came up to her to congratulate her and exchanged some business contacts, which she was hoping to do, and all the while, Ha-Neul was on her right side, and his hand never left her lower back.

The following day, Zarah found herself in one of Ha-Neul's shirts and sitting on either side of his lap. She slowly caressed his bare chest and stopped her hand at the back of his neck before leaning in and kissing him. The kiss was slow and sensual. She bit his lip as she slowly pulled back, and to this, he took a deep breath. For a second, they just looked into each other's eyes, and with passion, he placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, but this time it was deep. They were each fighting for dominance. He removed his hands on her face to let her take the lead and placed them on her waist as he pulled her closer to him, and as she slowly moved to kiss his jaw and then neck, he slowly moved his hands to her back and up. She stayed still for a second and went to get off, but he put his hands back on her waist and squeezed her sides as he pulled her back to the sitting position. "Why won't you let me touch your back?" he whispered through heavy breathing. She bit her lip and looked down. He squeezed her sides again, but this time a bit harder, and moved her closer to him, and in response, she let out a soft moan. He buried his face on her neck and took a deep breath, and squeezed again, and he was met with yet another soft outcry. "You like that?" He asked as he traced her helix with his tongue and then moved to her neck, and she involuntary tilted her head to the side to give him more space. With no hesitation, he bit down very slowly and gently just a little above her collarbone, and he was rewarded with a loud moan, and he found his hands moving up her back once again, but Zarah placed both of her hands on top of his to stop him.

"f**k!" he breathed out against her neck.

"Sorry," she whispered. He pulled away from her neck and lifted her head up. He took a deep breath when he noticed the frown on her face. "You doing that doesn't annoy me," he paused. "It makes me want you more." He smiled back when she smiled at his words. "There is nothing you can tell me, nothing you can show me on your body that could make me stop loving you, let alone love you less. I f*****g love you, Zaraphinah Queen. I'd go as far as to say I'm obsessed, really." To this, she chuckled. "Don't even think about it," he said when he noticed her thinking. "I know the moment has passed, but I'd like us to stay like this for a while. Please?" He said with the cutest face he could muster, and she smiled so big that for a moment, he felt like the time had stopped still. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he took his hands from under her shirt and wrapped them around her. An hour, two, and three passed by, and none of them seemed to have any intentions of letting go. "I love you more," she mumbled moments later. He hugged her tighter as he smiled. He didn't want the moment to end. He wished that they would stay like that forever.

There was a knock at the door. Ha-Neul got off the sofa while she was still wrapped around him. "I ordered us food for lunch," he said as he opened the door. He took the food from the young guy and handed him his tip, but before he could close the door, someone stopped it just in time and pushed it open as he pointed a gun at Ha-Neul's face. Zarah instantly noticed Ha-Neul's body go tense, and then she heard the door close. She got off him, and when she turned around, the gun was inches away from her face. In a quick motion, she hit the guy's hand upwards and then moved to the side and hit his wrist, and as it came down, she took the gun off his hand and then hit him on the face with the back of the gun. "I am very happy right now, and I really don't like it when people mess with someone I love. It rubs me the wrong way, as you can imagine." She said angrily. "Fucki..." the man went to say but was stopped with another hit on his cheek. "f**k!" he shouted as he held onto his cheek. His nose was bleeding already.

"Don't even think about it. I won't f*****g think twice about putting bullets in each joint of your f*****g body." Zarah gritted through her teeth. She was pissed. She could finally say that she was actually happy for the first time in a long time and the fucker... nonetheless, she was consumed with anger that the only thing she could think about was how could she punish the fucker. She reached for her phone and called Alexei, and when she hung up, for the next ten minutes, she pointed the gun at the guy that was now sitting just beside the door without shaking. The only thing she could think of was Ha-Neul. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. The door swung open, and Alexei was stopped in his steps at the sight before him. Zarah looked calm but angry at the same time, it was an expression that he hadn't seen before, and on the far back, Ha-Neul was sitting on the floor looking at Zarah as if he was looking at a masterpiece of art. 'She looked sexy,' he thought. "I f*****g warned you," she said, and when Alexei looked at the man, he had been shot on his knee. Ha-Neul was on his feet in a second. "Aargh!" the guy screamed. "Take your shirt off," Zarah spoke to him as if she hadn't just shot him. The guy obliged to the request, and when his shirt was off, Zarah handed Alexei the gun and took the shirt from the guy and tore a piece, and wrapped it above the wound and the other one she wrapped it on his injury. She stood up and stepped back, and tilted her head to the side. "He's all yours," she said and turned around and headed to the kitchen. When she came back, the guy and Alexei were already gone, she had a bucket of water with her, and she started wiping the blood away. When she was done cleaning up, she went to the kitchen to get water, and as she took a glass off the cabinet, her hands started shaking. It finally hit her that she had shot someone. She had never thought that she would ever hurt anyone to that extent. She didn't mean to, but it was just a reflex when she saw him reach for a knife on his side. She knew that if he had gotten to Alexei, then he might have gotten to Ha-Neul. Ha-Neul went and stood behind her before turning her around and giving her a hug. "You are a fighter. You did what you thought was the right thing to do. It was either him or us." He tried to reassure her, but at this point, she was already tearing up. A few hours later, they sat down to eat, and she couldn't help but smile when it was her favorite food before her. He was glad too that she was still smiling. He stopped eating and wondered how he got so lucky to have met her four years ago. She was the most courageous and strong person he had ever come to know and will know. "What?!" She asked when she noticed he had stopped eating. He shook his head and propped his head, and lay the side of his head on the palm of his hand, staring at her. She covered her face smiling shyly. "Stop!"