A Bullied Billionaire

Chapter 6

She turned and left Riri in the room. Let her carry all her things. She was already sitting in her car when Riri came out carrying her three suitcases, and the trolley with her countless makeup. Her brother helped her because she seemed to be struggling. After her things were loaded onto the truck, Riri only then got into the car, carrying an old knapsack—and a new golf bag, a gift from Kuya Dante.

“What is this? You're carrying so much stuff!” she said irritably, referring to the two bags Riri was carrying.

Riri pouted before explaining.

“I'm sorry, Marimar. We might be staying there for a long time.”

She was about to retort, but her brother, who was already in the driver's seat, spoke first.

“Are you two okay there?”

“Of course,” she replied.

He started the car.

She didn't speak for the duration of the trip. She was really irritable when she woke up that early. She and her friends had been drinking the night before, so she had only slept for a few hours. She felt very tired, although it didn't diminish her beauty.

They were already on the Star Tollway when she closed her eyes. She leaned her head against the headrest. She should look fresh when she met Rex. She took advantage of the long drive to rest. After a while, she fell asleep.

Riri looked at the sleeping Marimar. She wanted to laugh at her appearance, but she stopped herself. Kuya Dante might see her, and she would surely be scolded again.

With Marimar's mouth open, she could even see her tonsillitis from where she was sitting. Her head was tilted as she slumped against her own shoulder. Even though her head was moving, she wouldn't wake up, even though Riri was getting dizzy from her brother's erratic driving. She wasn't sure if Dante was really braking or accidentally pushing the accelerator because of his large body. He didn't fit in the space behind the steering wheel.

She didn't want to look at him too much because she would burst out laughing. You see, she could clearly see the tautness of his brand-new polo shirt. Why didn't he buy one that fit his size and instead, he chose a smaller size. So, the shirt was stretched and already tearing even before he got on the plane.

She looked at Marimar again. Her mouth was closed and she had changed position. Her chin was resting on her prominent chest, so her lower lip was hanging down, almost touching her full chest. She estimated that Marimar's chest was bigger than her head. Because of her brother's sudden braking, Marimar's head nodded, causing her lips to drop further onto her chest.

She was really trying hard to stifle her giggles. She was just waiting for Marimar to snore so she could finally burst into laughter. She just looked out the window to avoid laughing at her appearance.

She looked back at Dante when he spoke.

“Riri, are you ready?”

“Yes, I'm ready,” she replied. She smiled at him and nodded to reassure him.

“Did you bring your TESDA training certification? You might have forgotten it.”

“I have it, Kuya Dante.”

“Good. Find a job as soon as we arrive in Manila, since Kuya Ed gave you a few thousand pesos. Actually, you shouldn't have come with Marimar because it's embarrassing to my friend. But I also want you to monitor Marimar's situation there so you can report to me. Once she's okay, leave immediately, okay? It's embarrassing to Rex. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

“Yes, Kuya.”

“Don't cause trouble for my friend, okay? I'll beat you up if Marimar reports that you did something stupid at my friend's house.”

“That won't happen, Kuya. I'll work immediately. I'll try to find a job. I'll start distributing the flyers I had made before we left.”

“Do whatever you want, just don't cause trouble for Marimar and Rex.” He grinned as if he had another mischievous idea. “Text me immediately when Marimar attracts Rex, okay? I have a strong feeling they'll like each other.”

She looked at Marimar beside her and nodded again. “Maybe, Kuya.”

“Report it to me immediately, okay?”

“Of course, Kuya.”

“Good.” He grinned again, as if he could already see the future of his sister and friend. He seemed very sure that Rex would immediately fall for Marimar. Then she heard a rip, and the side of his polo shirt tore open. “What the…!” He touched his polo shirt. She just looked out the window again, biting her lower lip hard. She didn't want to see his expression for fear that he would beat her up before he left for Riyadh. She still didn't look at him when she heard another, longer rip of fabric. He cursed loudly and blamed the polo shirt for tearing. She was struggling to hold back her laughter. She felt like she would get a hernia before they arrived in Manila.

Rex was fixing himself up so he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of Marimar. He also wanted to make a good first impression, especially since she seemed like a hot chick based on his brother's story.

He called Dante when he arrived at the restaurant where they would meet. They agreed to just meet on the street since Marimar would be driving her own car back to her apartment. They were already in Alabang when he called. While talking to Dante, he could hear a woman's voice in the background that sounded really sexy to him. Assuming it was Marimar's voice, he became even more excited to see her.

He was serious about life, but he was also a man. If such good fortune came his way, why would he refuse? He smiled and then fixed his layered, shoulder-length hair again. He was aware that he resembled the handsome teenage heartthrob Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers band because many young people said he looked like him. He was actually curious about who the Jonas Brothers were, so he researched them on the internet. When he saw Jonas's picture, he was convinced that he did resemble him, only an older version.

More points for being handsome, he thought with a grin. Because he was usually aloof with women, he supposedly had an air of mystery, which made him even more popular with women and gay men. He used this to his advantage, especially when he went out with his friends and went bar hopping.

He was still waiting for Dante's arrival when his cell phone rang. It was Bong calling. He pressed the answer call button.

“Tol, you're not at your house. Where are you?”

"I'm at a restaurant, pare," he replied. “I'm waiting for my friend who's back from abroad. He's bringing his sister, and I'll be temporarily taking care of her.”

“Ha? Taking care of?”

“Hot chick, tol,” he replied with a grin.

Bong snorted on the other line. “Wow! I thought you said those chicks were a headache? Why would you take care of one? Hey, I'm starting to think I should join you at the bar.”

He smiled. It wasn't just a few times that women had fought over him in the bars they'd been to. "You really shouldn't come to the bar, Mags will be the one fighting with me. That one's more ferocious."

“Your voice sounds different, Restituto. This one seems special.”

“My friend's sister, pare. Naturally, she's special.” He planned to use all his charm on Marimar from their first meeting.

“Okay, next time then. I'll show you that D-max my kumpare sold me in Marikina. Okay, good luck to you there.”

“Okay, pare.”

After pocketing his cell phone, he pushed back his long bangs and then went back to his order of hamburger and fries. His gaze was fixed on a group of women who didn't even try to hide their interest in him. He had noticed them looking at him for a while.