I Do Series 2: Entangled Marriage

“Marry me.” The man in the blue suit said with confidence as if he was proposing a deal with his client. Stella’s brows raised as she stared at him intently. While her mind is busy recalling how she ended up sitting in front of a stranger - a man she had never met before. Thirty minutes ago. . . Staring at strangers waiting for their luggage, Stella immediately realized how foolish her attire was. She’s wearing a black turtle-neck long-sleeved top paired with ripped denim jeans in the hot and humid weather of the Philippines. “Stella, you’re only gone for a few years and you already forgot how hot it is here?” she mumbled to herself while fixing the sunglasses above her head. Stella heaved a soft sigh as she began picking up her luggage. “It’s a good decision to bring only my summer clothes, or else I would just bring useless luggage with me,” she mumbled. “It’s good to be back,” Stella told herself enthusiastically. Fourteen years was a pretty long time to be away. The idea of coming home after studying and working hard without a break to be a general surgeon for the past years makes her feel accomplished. Now that Stella’s back at home, there’s only one goal she’s pursuing. A new beginning in a new environment in her home. She’s now completely letting go of the past. Carrying her only luggage, Stella makes her way out of the airport with disappointment that her older sister can’t make it to pick her up. And, hailing a cab with her clothes in the hot weather was already too much for her to start the day. A few minutes later, a black sedan suddenly stops in front of her. Then, a man in a black suit steps out of the car and makes his way towards her. “Miss Stella Montoya,” the man in the black suit said. “Yes, that’s me,” Stella answered in confusion. But, at the back of her mind, she was already thinking that the man might be someone that her sister hired. “I’m Harold Velasco, your designated driver today,” Harold introduced himself as he slightly bowed to her. Harold then opened the door on the back seat for Stella to hop in. “Okay,” Stella mumbled as she stared at him questioningly. Stella knew that her older sister loved giving surprises in the most unexpected ways and reasons. But, the idea of hiring a designated driver for her never crossed her mind. After Harold secured Stella’s luggage in the trunk of the car, he also hopped in and began driving towards their destination. Stella’s eyes slowly get glued to the scenery outside as she notices the changes along the road. New buildings and establishments rise while some of the ones she knew years ago vanish. “But, the traffic remains the same.” She commented at the back of her mind as they got stuck in the middle of endless traffic in the city. For the next few minutes of their ride, Stella keeps on getting mesmerized by how the city she grown and changed. It feels familiar but, at the same time, she felt like a stranger in the middle of a foreign city. “Why are we here?” Stella asked when Harold stopped the car in front of a fancy-looking restaurant. Instead of giving her an answer, Harold just stepped out of the car, leaving Stella completely lost. “This way, Ma’am,” Harold said as he opened the backseat door. Still lost at what was happening, Stella followed Harold in good faith. Assuming that her older sister, Violet, will be there welcoming her with a bright smile. But, as soon as Harold opened the door of one of the private rooms, Stella immediately wanted to turn around and run away. Instead of her older sister, a man in a blue suit was waiting for him. He was sitting up straight on one of the chairs, crossing his long leg while her elbows were resting on both arms of the chair. “Good day, Miss Stella Montoya,” the man in a blue suit said as he stood up and welcomed her. “Who are you?” Stella asked as she took a step back. “And, you?” she added after turning her attention to Harold. “My sister didn’t hire you to create such a welcome party, did she?” “You can put this in that way if you want to. By the way, I’m Sebastian Morris,” he introduced himself. “CEO of Morris Entertainment and Media Company,” he added. “I know,” Stella answered in her mind. Morris Entertainment and Media Company is a very well-known company that handles local and international artists. Watching movies and attending concerts is one of Stella’s ways to relieve her stress from work. And, coincidentally, some of the movies she watched were either produced by Morris’s company or the actors, and some of the artists were also from them. Thus, Stella was already familiar with Sebastian’s name. “Who would have thought that this man in front of me was the young CEO of an entertainment company? He could be an actor or model himself,” Stella thought. If he hadn’t introduced himself earlier, Stella would definitely have thought that he was a model. As a CEO himself, he can effortlessly outshine every model and artist that his company is managing. Sebastian’s custom-tailored suit perfectly hugged his well-toned body, and no one had made that impression on her yet. He would pass in an instant as a model with his charisma, expressive almond eyes, and most of all, his visuals. “And?” Stella asked in a firm tone as she pulled herself together. “This is still a k********g. Even though you introduced yourself.” “I know that what we did was wrong, no matter at what angle we looked through. And, I’m very sorry about that,” he admitted. “But, I need to do that in order to meet you.” “Why should I meet you?” Stella asked, still wary about the man in front of her. “I don’t know you, and I don’t know how you knew me. But, I’m sorry. I need to go,” she added as she turned her back to him. But, she wasn’t even five steps away when Harold stood in front of her to block the door. “Move,” she said firmly while glaring at Harold. “I said move,” Stella added when the latter didn’t bother stepping aside, not even an inch. “Are you deaf?” Stella asked while holding her anger in. “Can you give us a few minutes, Ms. Stella?” Harold asked calmly, still not stepping aside. “Mr. Morris, just want to discuss an important matter with you,” he explained. “He’s right,” Sebastian agreed with Harold, as he took a step towards Stella’s direction. “I have an important matter to discuss with you,” he added. “And, doing this is the fastest way we could think to be able to talk to you.” Stella remained silent. She just stares at Sebastian, while listening to him. At the same time, her mind began analyzing and speculating every reason she could think about why they wanted to talk to her. “How about me? Do you consider whether I would agree to meet you, or not?” Stella asked. Her fist is turning into a ball ready to punch any second. “I’m sorry for that,” Sebastian apologized. “But, I really need to discuss an important matter with you.” “Please, Miss Stella,” Harold pleaded as he stared directly into Stella’s eyes. “Just give us a few minutes.” “Your eyes won’t work on me,” Stella said indifferently. “It’s not cute, no matter how sincere they are,” she added, as her tone slowly turned colder. Both men then remained silent for a second, as if they were giving her time to think. “It’s about your parents,” Sebastian said after a few seconds of silence. “My parents?” Stella confirmed as her eyes grew bigger. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. A faint smile drew on Sebastian's lips as he saw Stella getting curious. “Are you ready to listen to me now?” he asked. Sebastian tilted his head a little towards the direction of the chairs. And, Stella’s eyes followed his action and she immediately understood what he meant. She closed her eyes for a second. “Fine,” Stella gave in after heaving a deep sigh. Sebastian thanked her with a big smile on his face. “Shall we?” he said as he pointed to the chair. Stella followed Sebastian towards the table filled with different varieties of food. She then thanked Sebastian, after pulling out a chair before taking his own seat across from her. “I hope these will suit your taste,” Sebastian said as he pointed to the meal he ordered. “Thanks. But, I’m not that hungry,” Stella declined as she took the glass of red wine. “This will do,” she added. “Just go on with what you want to discuss.” Sebastian just smiles at Stella while he fixes his tie. He stared straight into Stella’s eyes as he leaned his back and rested his elbows on the armchair. “Stella Montoya, marry me,” Sebastian proposed in a heartbeat without a bit of hesitation. “Marry me,” he repeated after a moment of silence. Sebastian’s voice pulled Stella’s mind back into the present. He was staring straight into Stella’s eyes as if he could dig a hole there and enter her mind effortlessly. For a moment, her mind went blank while Sebastian’s proposal kept on playing in her mind. Stella feels like her ears are playing tricks on her. She mentally picks up her jaw and eyes that fell on the floor after Sebastian’s out-of-the-blow marriage proposal. “Miss Stella,” Sebastian called her name. “Are you nuts?” Stella asked in disbelief. “I-” “You’re crazy.”