When the Billionaire Meets Heaven

Chapter 2: Salvation

XYRIL

"Come here at midnight. Make sure to bring someone trustworthy with you," I said to John over the phone. Although I knew it wouldn't make much of a difference, I left the door unlocked for their arrival.

"Noted. Should I bring anything else?" He asked. "I mean, aside from that anyone you've mentioned."

"I have everything covered."

"Alright then."

"Thank you."

Both of us became silent for a moment.

It was then that I remembered all the things that John did for me as my road manager and as my friend for the past few years. Even though we both have our shortcomings, he was always there for me through thick and thin. My life would have been a lot different if not for him. And now I couldn't believe that this would be our last conversation.

"Uh, Sir. Ms. Sophie wants to know what your schedule is for tomorrow."

The room temperature was at its lowest, the coldness was already seeping through my limbs.

"I'm going on a trip," I replied before ending the call.

Death can be experienced more than once.

To die through natural causes, accidents, or diseases might be a given. But you could also experience death in other ways. Such as when those you care about forget that you exist, when you live your life in so much fear, and when you finally give up on living.

While there are many ways to live, there are just as many ways to die. If luck is on your side, you can only experience death once.

In my case, I have already died several times in this life, and the idea of death just became an understatement.

Leaving my phone on top of the couch, I looked around the hotel room one last time.

I had already placed the most important things on top of the bedside table. At the same time, those that I prepared for Heaven: the gift, blueberry cake, and red wine, were arranged perfectly on top of the round table near the couch.

"Happy Birthday Heaven," I whispered in the air, hoping it could get to her somehow. "And Happy Valentine's Day."

I winced at the sudden rush of pain in my chest. It was suffocating. My throat tightened in despair, and it became difficult to breathe. A single tear escaped my eyes, and I wiped it away.

My knees felt weak when I started walking toward the bed. I put my signed will inside a brown envelope and placed it on the bedside table. All my money will be donated to my chosen orphanages and scholars. At the same time, my properties, specifically Hotel Alcantara and the ranch in Batanes, will be given to John and Sophie. I was able to talk with my attorney about this, and he will be the one to explain it to them.

I took off my shirt and laid down on the bed. It was freezing, but I wanted to look like I was comfortably sleeping when others find me.

And just when I was about to start my plan, my head throbbed painfully again. Perhaps because I haven't slept nor eaten anything since last night. However, it didn't matter anymore to me because I was planning to end my life.

I reached for the box where I was keeping the syringe with a pentobarbital solution. I bought it in Europe years ago, and after several attempts, it was only now that I dared to really use it.

This is the most expensive gift that I bought for myself.

As I was about to hold the syringe, I paused when I thought of one important thing I had yet to accomplish.

I took out my wallet and opened it just to see the piece of paper that the 10-year-old Heaven gave me on my fifteenth birthday. She scribbled a poem on it, but because I didn't laminate it before, the ink that she used had already faded while the paper turned yellow and was now speckled with brown spots.

I will always remember,

Laughing on the 25th of December.

Inspired by your little stories,

Knowing you has led to great discoveries.

Enjoy this special day,

Your Heaven promises to always stay

On the 14th of February

Unveil this gift to celebrate our birthday

Today is February 14, my birthday - and Heaven's birthday too.

For fifteen years, I got used to reading this poem on this special day. Although I had already memorized every word by heart, I needed to see her writing with my own eyes. This is so I can prove to myself that she actually became part of my life.

The very thought would always give me hope for another year. It would serve as a reminder for me to look forward to finally meeting Heaven again.

But tonight was different. I knew Heaven's poem would no longer give me hope. Her death made everything meaningless. She didn't keep her word.

After the press conference yesterday, I asked John to cancel everything that was on my schedule today. I mustered up the courage to visit Heaven's house in Batanes this morning to confirm the report that I received.

And it turned out to be accurate. The Lim family left no trace in the said province.

Their Ivatan-inspired mansion made of stones that was once situated on top of the hill has been replaced by a modern hotel. According to the investigator, when the mansion was caught on fire fifteen years ago, someone else bought it and used it for commercial purposes.

And as reported in several articles, Heaven and her parents were trapped inside the mansion when the fire took place. Digging deeper, there was even a rumor that the Lim family was actually murdered and that what happened was an arson case - but no proof turned this into a fact.

Confirming Heaven's death was the hardest thing I've ever done. Ending my own life felt easier.

Maybe for others, dying because of a woman I met when I was 15 years old looks foolish, but Heaven is my life. She’s the reason why I could manage to breathe and my heart continues to pump blood throughout my body. She’s every reason for my existence.

No one could ever imagine how I lived for fifteen years, how I worked so hard to be where I am now, what my struggles were, who I've turned into – just so I could be the man she wanted me to be.

Heaven is my first love.

The idea of meeting her again once I turned into a better man was the one thing keeping me sane and alive all these years. I overcame every struggle I encountered because of her, even if it was a really tiring battle, to begin with.

I knew I had nothing before, but now that I finally had everything – she was gone.

So, should I be blamed if I want to give up now? If I was still hoping that maybe in the afterlife, I could finally meet Heaven?

I placed my wallet on the bedside table and was about to get the syringe as planned, when all of a sudden, the door slammed open.

At first, I thought it would be John or Sophie who would rush in to stop me. But it was neither of the two when it turned out to be an unknown visitor.

A woman showed up in front of me, looking as bewildered as I was by her sudden appearance. Although I couldn't see her entire face because of the black sunglasses, her slightly parted lips gave her mind away.

Holding her chin up, she knew too well that she was dressed in a way that could drive any man crazy. She was deliberately highlighting her hourglass figure and enviable curves before my eyes.

Yes, she made it clear that she was a beautiful woman – and I wouldn't deny that. However, it also became clear that she had just entered the wrong room because she was in a hurry. It was an accident. And as the owner of this hotel, if she was lost, I knew it was my job to help her find the right way.

But just when I was about to speak, she caught me off guard with her vibrant personality and honeyed voice. She removed her sunglasses and started undressing like it was nothing unusual for her.

As if time had stood still, it was my heart that first recognized her bare face. It started pounding so hard in my chest, screaming one name that sounded more like a plea.

Heaven.

How come this woman bears a huge resemblance to my first love? If Heaven was still alive, I knew she would look like her.

Interrupting my thoughts, she laid down on her back next to me unannounced; her face was so close to mine that I could almost see every bit of her.

Beautiful in all possible ways, her dark hair with silver-gray highlights perfectly matched her fair complexion. She looked like the full moon when it shone brightly at night. The spiral strands of her hair fell down her heart-shaped face, bringing out her high cheekbones and that little dimple on her chin.

"Who… are you?" I've never been this confused in my entire life that these were the only words that I managed to say.

Looking at her almond-shaped hazel eyes made me think of the magnificent sunset in Basco, Batanes. The beautiful scenery that I saw once through Heaven's eyes.

But this woman appears to be the complete opposite of Heaven. She is more fearless and straightforward. She knows how to play with words as well as use herself to her advantage. Because of these things I noticed, I started questioning how they could possibly relate to each other.

Heaven is an only child. If this woman is one of her relatives, would it really be possible to look exactly like her?

Or should I make things less complicated by thinking that Heaven is alive and she has turned into this woman?

"If you could read my mind, you'd find yourself trapped there. You wanna see?"

Instead of an answer, she brought more questions to my life as she dragged me further under her spell.

My entire body stiffened when she started kissing me. It was all too sudden that I didn't have the chance to process what was happening between us.

As a celebrity, a kiss is not something new for me, as I have shared this several times with my co-stars. But whoever this woman is, she was way ahead of me tonight. She was able to steal my lines, making me forget everything else but her.

Moving in a way that was both gentle and persuasive, her lips felt unbelievably soft as it crashed into mine. But I couldn't respond.

I shouldn't kiss her. This isn't right.

When her cold hands found their way to my face, somewhere in between, I felt my heart reacting. Not in a way that it was beating so fast. But instead, it was a concern that was building up inside me.

What would she gain from this?

I tried so hard to control myself - to resist what was happening. While the idea of pushing this woman away crossed my mind, I just lost it all at once when Heaven's face appeared in front of me. A wave of warmth immediately washed over my entire body.

Thinking about all our memories together, no matter how brief they were, my heart knew who to remember, as if it had a mind of its own.

I started responding in a way I didn't know I could. I owned her lips as if I'd been waiting for this moment a long time ago.

"Mr. Alcantara!"

In a flash, my world stopped.

Hearing someone's voice in the room soon made me realize that the woman in front of me was actually a mere stranger. Even though I only kissed Heaven once, perhaps this woman just reminded me of her.

And I suddenly felt guilty. I knew I shouldn't have let this woman kiss me. At least I should have stopped her, but this woman invaded all of my senses before I even knew it.

I still have no idea who she is, but I couldn't let her leave just like that even if the authorities were to get involved - not before I figured out her connection to Heaven.

She came into my life without a warning, and it wouldn't be just as easy to get out.

Thinking about how she got inside my room in the first place, she was obviously trying to escape and was seeking salvation. Although I had no idea about her situation, I gave her what she wanted and helped her this time.

It was the most I could do as she also managed to save me tonight.

I drove the authorities away, and in return, it gave me more time to figure out who she was.

However, I wasted the opportunity. When I asked her again about her identity, she didn't give a reply straightaway. It even took a while before she told me her name.

Bonnie.

It was the last thing I heard from her before I felt another pain in my head, and my ears started ringing.

She used my weakness to her advantage and left the room without my permission. And when I tried to run after her, I lost my balance and fell on my knees.

That was why it was too late when I finally had the strength to stand. I asked the security to search for this woman discreetly in the entire hotel, but they weren't able to see her in the end. They lost control of the CCTV cameras as though they were hacked.

She disappeared just as fast as she showed up – like evening dew.

It felt like I was lost once again when I came back to the room. I grabbed the bottle of wine and threw it on the floor, screaming at the sound of shattered glasses.

I need to know who that woman is.

Dialing John's number, I waited until he answered my call.

"Disregard my instructions earlier. I want you to look for someone-"

Before I could finish my sentence, my vision turned pitch black.