Love or Vengeance

Chapter 14: So fine and calm

Louise's POV

I couldn't help but smile as I leaned back on the soft chair in Don Bernardo del Prado's Main Office. His businesses suddenly went bankrupt in just one week. Tsk... as easy as 1-2-3. So where are you now, Judas? Everything—his legal businesses, his properties—was forced to be sold off so his family could move abroad and settle there.

I don't blame you for wanting to keep your family away from me because even I can't be sure they won't get hurt. Especially your eldest, Grace, who, knowing that Ivan is my boyfriend, has said cruel and humiliating things to me—almost like she wanted to kill me with her words. There was even a time she embarrassed me in a department store, but I didn't retaliate. Still, I can't promise that I won't hurt her next time.

"Next target—illegal drugs," I said to Christian with a smile. "You already know what to do." I stood up.

"Hmm... leave it to us," he replied, locking eyes with me. "Can I talk to you privately?" Kiera, Ryan, Drago, and Dan looked at him, puzzled. "It's a bit personal."

"Alright," I answered. "You guys head home first." I ordered the four of them.

"Please escort Kiera back to HQ," he told the three, who simply nodded.

"I can go on my own, Christian," Kiera said firmly, but Christian ignored her. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Call me once you've brought her back safely," Christian said, and to avoid any drama or dragging out the conversation...

"Just let them take you, Kiera," I told her. She didn't respond but walked out of the office with a scowl on her face.

"I'm getting nervous about your behavior, Chris," I said, sitting back down—he did the same. "Just be straight with me. Whatever it is you're about to say." I added with a faint smile.

"Louise, I'm asking you... please remove Kiera from this job."

Did I do something wrong? Or maybe I gave an order that put Kiera in danger?

"I'll take over everything you assign to her. I'm a terrible friend."

"Did I make a mistake, Chris?" I asked nervously. "If I did, please tell me so we can fix it."

"I'm the one who made a mistake, Louise—one I'll never regret," he said, dropping his gaze.

"Something happened between me and Kiera."

"WHAT THE HECK?!" I shot up from my seat. "You mean... that kind of thing?"

He nodded.

"Don't tell me... you got her pregnant?"

He nodded again.

I clutched my head in frustration.

"Why would you do that?! We're still so young!"

And he still wouldn't meet my eyes.

"She didn't tell me. I just happened to see her going into an OB-GYN clinic."

But come on—only pregnant women go to an OB-GYN? Maybe she went there for something else entirely.

I grabbed my phone and called Drago.

"Hello, Louise." – Drago answered.

"Where are you now?"

I glanced at Christian, who was visibly restless. I smiled—he looked so damn nervous.

"We're in the parking lot."

"Bring Kiera back up here."

"Can't she just go up there herself?" he complained.

"Just bring her here, please?" I asked nicely.

"Okay fine." beep

A few minutes later...

"Is something wrong, Louise?" she asked me right away.

Tsk... she really is gaining weight.

"Are you pregnant?" I asked bluntly.

"Yes," she replied, lowering her gaze.

"How did you know?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Christian's eyes widened, his mouth fell open—completely stunned!

"How far along are you?" I probed.

"Three months."

"Three months?" I repeated, and she nodded.

"If I'm not mistaken, you and Christian have only been dating for, what, almost two months? How does that even add up?"

"How did you even do it?"

Oops—wrong question. Their eyes widened even more.

"I mean, how did you... how did it... ah, crap! Just explain how that happened!" I pointed at Kiera's belly.

"It was three months ago," Christian began.

"I came home completely drunk and wasn't in my right mind... then, well, something happened between us.

"But I don't regret it—not at all. I already loved her so much by then, that's why it happened."

"Then why didn't you tell Chris you were pregnant?" I asked Kiera, who looked like she was about to cry.

"I didn't know how to say it," she replied tearfully.

"I was afraid he'd deny the baby was his."

Aww... this part is making me swoon.

Chris suddenly pulled Kiera into a hug.

"I know that child is mine—because I know what kind of woman you are, and because I was your first."

The two hugged again.

"Hey!" I shouted at them. "I'm still here, you know! Save that talk for later."

The two of them laughed.

"Kiera, stop working just to help me," I said seriously.

"I'm actually mad at you—do you know that?"

She looked like she was about to cry again. Calm down, Louise. She's pregnant, I reminded myself.

"What if Christian hadn't told me about this? What if I gave you a task and you or your baby got hurt?"

I motioned for them to sit down.

"I have a house in Manila that I bought before. I'll have you both brought there so you can live peacefully—"

I wasn't even finished when...

"I'll finish my work, Louise," Christian said firmly. "We know how important this is to us."

"But—"

"Let Christian finish what he needs to do," Kiera said.

"I'll stay at the Underground for now."

"It's not safe there if he's not with you. Stay at the house I bought—it has maids who can watch over and accompany you," I told her.

Then I suddenly burst out laughing when I remembered something.

"Actually, I bought that house back then as a gift for your wedding—just in case I succeeded in playing cupid for the two of you."

Kiera hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, Louise."

"Oops," I said, stopping Christian before he could hug me too.

"Don't hug me—you flirt."

That turned our serious conversation into a round of laughter.

I'm truly happy for both of them—and I'll miss Kiera (ToT).

They're perfect for each other in every way, and I can clearly see how much they love one another.

After that conversation, I instructed Christian to take Kiera to the house I mentioned. And that very same day, they returned to Manila.

The Next Morning...

Even before sunrise, I had already started jogging—and I happened to pass by Ivan's house. Ever since that embarrassing incident at W&B, I haven't seen him. I've been too busy dealing with Judas.

I've been coming home in the early hours of the morning and leaving again just as early. Emilie even told me that Ivan keeps asking about me. I'll admit—I miss him. But right now, I have to keep my distance.

I took a deep breath before continuing my run.

Ate Miley asked me if I could watch over my niece for a while. Kylie's grandparents had gone out, her uncle was working, and Ate Miley had a shift today. Even the child's nanny was on her day off. If only Kuya were here...

After getting dressed, I headed downstairs for breakfast. And there he was—Ivan, looking fresh and extremely handsome, greeting me right away. He immediately hugged me and kissed me on the forehead.

"Good morning, my babe," he greeted with a smile that could kill. "Glad I caught you before you left."

He took my hand and gently pulled me toward the kitchen.

"Good morning, besty!" my ever-energetic best friend chirped.

She and Rim looked so sweet together—it made me suddenly think of Kiera...

Could they have done what Christian and Kiera did already?

I glanced at Emilie's stomach. She didn't look like she was gaining weight...

But then again, not all pregnant women get bigger right away.

I looked at her figure again—

Still sexy.

But then again, pregnancy doesn't always show immediately...

What am I even thinking?

But she's my best friend, and I have to protect her—especially from her boyfriend.

What if she gets drunk too and then... boom.

No way! I'm not going to let a repeat of what happened with Kiera and Christian happen again.

"Hey!!! Besty, are you okay?"

I jumped at Emilie's voice.

"You're really deep in thought."

"Is something bothering you, babe?" Ivan asked, a little worried.

I just shook my head in response, even though my mind was racing.

This isn't a physical pain, it's mental and emotional.

I knew I had to do something—right now!

I looked at Rim. He was smiling at me, completely unaware of the silent interrogation he was under.

I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.

They all turned to look at me, like I suddenly became the host of a family meeting.

"Where do you sleep, Rimjel?"

Rimjel was surprised by my question, clearly not expecting it.

He scratched his head and looked at Emilie.

"Uh... sometimes at the condo, sometimes here with Emilie..."

My eyebrows shot up. Here we go.

"We have separate rooms, right?"

Emilie quickly defended, like she knew exactly what I was thinking.

She even glanced at Ivan, as if asking for backup.

"Yeah, Louise. They have separate rooms," Ivan added while chewing bread.

I'm not sure if they're protecting Rimjel or Emilie's hormones.

"Are you sure?" I raised my eyebrow. "No 'boom boom' happening, right?"

Both of them laughed.

"You're crazy, Louise!" Emilie said, laughing. "We haven't gotten that far yet. We still have self-control."

Hmm... for now.

But I still have to keep an eye on them. The stork might show up when least expected.

"Good, if that's the case," I approached him.

"Never come home drunk, understood?" He nodded.

"And never, ever go into my best friend's room, got it?" He nodded again.

"Good."

"Hey besty, what's going on with you?" Emilie asked me.

"Nothing... let's just eat"

I ate and ate and ate.

After eating, I helped clean up a bit and then said goodbye, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ivan asked.

Caught off guard, I quickly closed my mouth, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Just around here," I said, but judging by the way he looked at me, I could tell he didn't believe me.

"I'm just going to visit someone," I added, but he still seemed doubtful.

"I'm leaving now... bye!" I said, trying to leave.

But before I could go, he caught me by the waist and pulled me close in front of him.

"I miss you," he whispered.

"I miss you too," I said as I pulled away from his embrace. "I have to go."

"Where exactly are you going?"

I guess there's nothing wrong with bringing him along—after all, I didn't really have anything important to do today. I held his hand and gently pulled him outside.

"You're bringing me with you?" he asked.

"Hmm... I'm going to babysit my niece."

I stopped walking and turned to face him. I fixed the collar of his shirt and brushed his hair with my fingers. Every time I do this, it really feels like I'm his girlfriend.

"Don't you have anything to do today?"

He shook his head.

We started walking again, still holding hands.

"You have relatives around here?"

"Yeah... it's a long story. I'll tell you about it some other time."

"Were you avoiding me the past few days?"

"No... I've just been busy."

"Busy with what?"

I didn't answer.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Just be careful, alright?"

I smiled at him in return.

When we arrived at Ate Miley's house, I found her fixing Kylie's hair. I introduced Ivan to her as my boyfriend—because if I didn't, someone would be pouting the whole time again.

Ate Miley soon left, so it was just the three of us left at home—and we were all bored out of our minds.

"Tita, can we go somewhere else?" Kylie asked me. "Let's go where there are other kids."

She probably meant she wanted someone to play with.

"Let's go to the house where there are kids," Ivan said with a smile.

"You have a niece or nephew too?" I asked. He smiled widely.

"She's older than you, but you two think alike."

I grabbed Kylie's bag, which had her change of clothes. Ivan's house wasn't far from Ate Miley's, but Kylie was just too lazy to walk.

"Tito, carry me," she said, raising her arms. Ivan picked her up.

We rang the doorbell, and one of their maids answered the door.

"Sofia," she called to her younger sibling who was watching TV in the living room. Sofia turned and came running toward me to give me a hug.

"Hello Ate Allejah. How are you?" She almost slipped and said my other name.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"I'm good too, wow there's a baby!"

Don't tell me Sofia is the one Ivan was talking about?

"Hi! My name is Azh Kylie Nicole Lopez. You can call me Akie or Kylie."

It's only now that I learned Ate Miley gave Kylie our last name.

Wow! Not only are you super cute, you're also so lively!" Sofia couldn't help but gush over Kylie.

"You wanna play with me?"

Kylie's face lit up with excitement.

"I have a dozen dolls, two big dollhouses, and so many adorable teddy bears!"

"Yes! Yes!" Kylie jumped up and down in delight.

"I'll take you to her playroom," Ivan said as he picked Kylie up again.

We went upstairs to the second floor and entered one of the rooms.

"Taa-daaah!!!" Sofia announced. "Do you like it, Akie?"

"Wow," Kylie said in awe. "Can I play with those?" She pointed to Sofia's big dollhouse beside a group of large teddy bears.

"Yes, you can!" Sofia held Kylie's hand and they started playing.

Ivan and I sat on the sofa in the room.

I thought to myself, Kuya Kyle would be so happy if he saw how cute and clever his daughter is.

A few days ago, Ate Miley and I had a talk. She said she's finally ready to introduce Kylie to her dad.

And she asked me to be the one to call him.

I don't even know why I agreed.

Now, I'm scared... what if Kuya's mad at me?

But I need to call him soon. He deserves to meet his daughter.

And if he is mad... I'll accept it.

"Why do you look so down?" Ivan asked.

"It's nothing... just remembered something. And stop smiling at me like that."

"Why? Did you fall even more in love with me?"

"And if I say yes, will you stop?"

"Nope... I'll just make you fall even harder, until you crave being with me all the time."

I couldn't help but laugh at his answer.

When the two girls got tired of playing, Ivan invited us to play Xbox downstairs.

Eat, play, eat, play—that's how the four of us spent the entire day.

I even had the chance to talk with Tita Athena.

She gave off such a warm feeling—just like how I feel when I talk to my mom.

Kylie and I ended up having dinner at Ivan's house with his family.

I really enjoyed our entire day there.

I even learned more things about him.

After dinner, we brought Kylie back to Ate Miley's house and said our goodbyes.

I thought Ivan would just drop me off and head home...

"Ah, the lovebirds are here!" Emilie greeted us.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Me? Not yet," I answered, and they both gave me a look.

"Okay fine, I ate there already, but I'm hungry again."

"Go eat in the kitchen, besty. I cooked beef lasagna and Rimjel baked a strawberry shortcake," Emilie said.

"WOOOOW!!!" The cake was still whole—no one had touched it yet.

I stepped out of the kitchen and went to the living room.

"Is this all for me?" I asked.

Rimjel nodded.

"YES! And because of that, Rimjel, you're no longer getting evicted from here."

"Wait, am I getting evicted?" Rimjel asked, confused.

"You were supposed to! You guys have been forgetting about me—especially you, besty! You don't even ask me what's for dinner or plan to cook anymore for me!"

"Sorry!" she said, flashing a peace sign.

"Whenever I'm with my honey, he's the only one I see. Nothing else matters," Rim added.

"It's okay... the cake is delicious anyway."

I was about to leave when I saw Ivan smiling at me again.

"Do you want to eat?" he asked.

"Wow!" Rimjel and Emilie said in awe.

"Oh, Ivan's really leveling up," Emilie teased.

"What? Why?" Ivan asked, confused.

"You're the only one she's ever asked, 'do you want to eat?' That's a big deal," Rimjel said teasingly.

"She's willing to share everything with you... but never her food" Emilie added in agreement.

"You talk too much... I take it back!" I said as I walked away.

"Wait! I love you, my babe!" Ivan shouted, chasing after me into the kitchen.

...................................

Hi-Yu