A Third Chance In Love

CHAPTER 13 - The Annoying Couple

Aloida stopped walking. Her eyes were fixed on two figures walking in the reception area of the hotel.

“Why, Sissy? Something wrong?” Mariel asked, surprised when Aloida suddenly halted from walking.

Aloida did not reply, but her mouth pouted as if pointing to someone. With that, Mariel followed her cousin’s gaze and her eyes suddenly grew wide. “Oh my God, is that Alexus?!” she blurted out while grabbing Aloida's right arm.

Aloida shook her head and looked at her cousin, whose expression was still in awe. “No. He just looked like Alexus. His name is Lexandro Montaro, the Chairman of the Black Hotels Corporation. My current boss,” she replied thereafter in a murmuring way.

Mariel’s eyes grew even rounder and bigger when she heard Aloida’s reply. “Oh my. Really? He is your boss now? Goodness gracious, Aloida, is it a coincidence that your current boss looked like your former great love? Or is he Alexus or maybe his twin brother?”

Aloida looked at Mariel with a serious expression. “That is what I wanted to know at the onset when I laid eyes on him, and that is the reason why I am now working as his Executive Assistant.”

“Oh, goodness. Sissy, I am here to help you to discover that. Remember, Ronel, our classmate in elementary until high school?”

“Yes, I remember, Ronel. So, how can he help us with this?”

“Sissy, Ronel has been pestering me for a date for a month already after he went back to our place. He spent almost ten years in Washington and I learned that he worked as a CIA agent.” Mariel’s voice was laced with excitement this time.

“Really?”

“Yes, Sissy. All I need is to date him and then ask him a favor to find out about your boss. And, who is that woman, clinging to your boss’ arm like a wild vine in the forest?” Mariel asked with her left eyebrow lifted. Her eyes suddenly became focused on the woman whose two hands were encircled like snakes on Mr. Montaro’s right arm.

Mariel noticed the sudden flash of pain in her cousin’s beautiful face when she looked at the duo walking like sweet lovers in Paris.

“She is Amara. My boss’ fiancée,” Aloida answered in an almost whispering manner again. She could hardly say the word ‘fiancée’.

“Hmm, I see. We will unleash the truth about your boss, my dear cousin, and if he is Alexus or his twin brother, you have all the opportunity to get him back or allure him, and let him fall for you, just like how Alexus fell for you so hard, before,” Mariel whispered near her cousin’s right ear. She could detect that Aloida felt something romantic about her boss. As her dear and close cousin, she knew very well what happened before to Aloida, and she wanted her to be happy in love this time. If Alexus is dead already and this Mr. Montaro is his twin brother or whoever he is, Mariel vowed to help her cousin have her way with him, and have a happy ending love story.

Aloida tapped gently, Mariel’s shoulder and smiled at her. “Thank you, Sissy. Let us go now, and think nothing about my boss in the meantime. Our agenda for today is to make you have fun. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, we needed to be home by six o’clock in the afternoon. I will be accompanying my boss to a party by seven o’clock in the evening,” she said. She almost forgot about the sixtieth birthday party of the Chairman of Magnanimous Real Estate Corporation tonight.

“Hmm, alright. Enjoy tonight then with your boss, my dear cousin,” Mariel said and even winked at Aloida.

Aloida let out a short laugh and then grabbed her cousin’s arm. “Go to the receptionist now, so that we can hit the road already,” she ordered to her with a flash of smile on her lips.

Mariel laughed back and nodded. She dashed to the receptionist, and after telling her that she wanted her booked room to be cleaned while she was away, the two of them headed to the city’s biggest and most popular mall.

Unknown to Aloida, Lexandro Montaro noticed her at the Hotel H10 a while ago but decided to act like he did not. He was with Amara, for a lunch meeting at Hotel H10 restaurant with his father. Amara’s family owned a ten-hectare lot near a beach, which he wanted to acquire. He has a great business plan for that area. Although he hated to be so near to Amara, who always clung to her, he needed to be nice to her to get that ten acres of land.

Just as they entered the hotel’s restaurant, he had already spotted Amara’s father sitting in the VIP seat that he reserved in the restaurant. Amara’s father even waved his hand to them when he noticed them approaching.

The meeting ended well after just an hour, but Amara’s father hinted to him his desire to wed his daughter to him soon. Before signing the Contract of Sale of the ten hectares of land near the beach, Amara's father even emphasized that he looked forward to seeing his daughter finally walking down the aisle with him. Lexandro did not give his final assurance about the wedding but did not reject the idea either. He needed to play his cards well.

He even agreed to Amara’s demand to accompany her to the mall that afternoon, as his way of gratitude for helping him achieve his goal for the day.

…

At the mall, Aloida and Mariel stopped by a luxurious jewelry shop. Mariel has a fetish for expensive pieces of jewelry, and she always makes a way to buy some or at least one piece when she comes to the city.

“Sissy, you choose one too. I will buy you one. You can choose between earrings, a bracelet or a necklace that you can use at the party tonight,” Mariel said as they entered the jewelry shop.

Aloida smiled at her cousin and shook her head. “No need, Mariel. I have a few pairs in my jewelry box that Augustus gave me before. There is no need for you to spend thousands on me for jewelry today. Just treat me to an Italian restaurant when we get hungry, alright?”

Mariel rolled her eyes and insisted on buying Aloida a pair of nice dangling sapphire earrings. Mariel knew that Aloida was born in September and her birthstone was a sapphire.

“Just consider it as my advance birthday gift to you, cousin. No buts and resistance!” Mariel said, grinning at Aloida as she handed to the attending saleslady the sapphire earring.

By three o’clock in the afternoon, the duo cousins were already eating in the Italian Restaurant inside the mall, which Aloida chose.

“Sissy, I will just go to the restroom. Wait for me here,” Mariel said while they were waiting for their ordered dishes. Aloida nodded and motioned for her cousin to go.

Just as Mariel’s form got out of Aloida’s sight, she noticed a familiar pair walking inside the restaurant. She took a deep breath in annoyance. “Of all places, why did this annoying couple choose this restaurant today? I hope they will not notice me,” she mentally said while she looked down to hide her face from them.

However, Amara noticed Aloida. Her eyes squinted as she saw the Executive Assistant of Lexandro.

“Of all places, why do I have to see your Executive Assistant, here?” with a raised eyebrow, she told Lexandro.

With a furrowed forehead, Lexandro directed his eyes to the direction where Aloida was sitting. He noticed she was alone, but there was a set of eating utensils in front of her. “Was she on a date, here?” he thought, still with a furrowed forehead.

Amara pulled Lexandro in the direction where Aloida was sitting.

“Hello, hello, Ms. Executive Assistant. We were surprised to see you here. Are you on a date?” Amara, without control and with a lively voice, said while a smirk was plastered on her well-made-up face.

Aloida wanted to curse when she heard the mocking voice of Amara. Her wish not to be noticed by the annoying couple did not come true. She slowly looked up, and the first thing that her eyes saw was the grim expression on the face of her boss.