Destined Hearts - 9. Chapter 9: Antonio gets jealous.

"That’s you in the picture?" Antonio gasped, pointing shakily at the magazine. He quickly rushed to Praveen, grabbing the magazine away from him. "B-but, how? When? Where?"

Praveen shook his head, frowning at the question. "That day when I was locked out in the room, I came out and found that you had already done the shoot. Mr. Lopez felt bad that he decided to have the shoot with me. I couldn't turn him down so..."

"But..."

"Oh, stop whining!" Granny chuckled, slapping his hand a bit. His eyes were still glued on that cover. "Praveen, dear, you looked different."

Praveen sighed, smiling at granny. "I know granny. That's just another part of me that I haven't seen for a long time. Actually, there was a time I used to look like that."

Emilia was really surprised. She went to Praveen and looked at him. "I am so proud of you, Praveen. This is a high fashion photo."

"Thanks, mother." He nodded. "I am sorry that I didn't tell you that about the shoot earlier."

"You don't have to apologize." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "It's a shame that my son didn't get to shoot with you. I am proud of the both of you, son, but most especially you because you've proved that you can do anything those models can do."

Bruce on the other hand was standing there looking like a constipated monkey. He was burning, mad because of what he had seen. Praveen was his competition, he thought as he clenched his fists, looking straight at Praveen. He wanted to vent out! His body was about to start shaking in anger.

He moved his eyes to Antonio, seeing him looking at the cover like he wanted to rip it made him want to cry. He could tell by the way Antonio looked at that magazine that... anyway, he didn't want to even think about it. Praveen had won against him and he needed to beat him.

Ethan chuckled when he saw the look in Bruce's eyes and he had an idea. "You know, this is nice considering that it was your first photo shoot. I would say that you've..." He eyed Bruce, giving an evil grin when he saw him frown. "...done a lot compared to some of these models, even Antonio's photo isn't that hot."

They all laughed except for Antonio who was still staring at the magazine, Bruce who was burning in anger and Andrea who was still shocked by the news of Praveen's photo shoot. The boy had guts and she knew it wasn't gonna be easy to do something to him.

Antonio slowly opened the magazine and the first photo he saw inside made him feel cold and weak. In that picture, Santiago was seated on a classy office chair with a huge building behind him, dressed in a beautiful gray Designer's suit with his shirt half way buttoned and his jacket off but it was with Praveen who was holding it seductively in his hands.

Praveen was wearing a black designer's skinny jean with a white shirt and yellow snickers and his hair tied in a braided ponytail. He looked like a true model, especially with his body language. He had his foot between Santiago's parted legs and then leaned down in a position that made him closer to Santiago's face. It was as if he was teasing him.

Antonio had seen such a pose before but there was something about the way Praveen and Santiago took it that made his blood boil. They had a smile on their faces with Praveen pulling Santiago’s necktie. Office romance!

Antonio couldn't believe what he was seeing. For the first time since his marriage to Praveen, he felt mad at seeing such a romantic photo of him with another man. It felt as if... he didn't even know how to explain it. His heart was racing beyond miles.

He flipped through to the next page and he just got weaker. This time, Praveen was in front, pulling Santiago by his necktie with a brilliant smile on his face, slightly looking behind at the handsome man behind him who had one of his hands on his waist. Shit! Antonio clenched his fists, going to the other side of the page.

This time Praveen was alone, dressed in a red designer’s shirt that was tucked in a white designer’s skinny jean that showed his gorgeous curves that almost looked feminine. He was standing in a place filled with flowers with the brightest smile Antonio had ever seen on him. His hair was being blown backwards, revealing his gorgeous face. It was almost as if Antonio had never seen him before. He couldn't believe that was the same boy standing right next to him.

He slowly started passing his hands on that beautiful picture, a smile popping up his face but before he went far, he withdrew and then went to the next page. But he lost his cool when he saw Santiago holding Praveen as if he was about to fall, holding his waist tightly.

Praveen was holding on tightly to the man's shirt, both of them looking into each other's eyes. Antonio closed the magazine and looked at the boy that was talking to his granny, his mother and Celine. He looked really different, smiling at the people he was talking to and were congratulating him. He had no expression on his face because he felt a little mad.

"He's hot, isn't he?" Antonio heard a voice say to him.

He looked passed his shoulder, seeing his friend with a smile. He chose to ignore him and just looked at Praveen, getting lost in him. Both of their eyes met but Praveen decided to look away and talk to the people he was talking to.

Meanwhile, Bruce was still standing there feeling out of place. People in that fucking house hadn't given him attention like that when his and Antonio's magazine had come out a few hours back. They were acting as if Praveen was the first model to have ever appeared in a magazine.

"Fuck!" He said under his breath.

"This is absolutely amazing, Praveen." Granny said with a smile on her face. "Now I can see that my two sons are celebrities."

"No, granny." Praveen shook his head, smiling brightly. "I only took this photo shoot because I felt like I had let the crew down. They had so expected to see me in magazine and they felt bad when I explained what had happened. I didn't do this because I wanted to be famous."

"But you are." Ethan said, coming closer to him with his eyes on the phone. "The people online are demanding answers as to who the model in the picture is." He said, looking at Praveen with a bright smile on his face. "There are reporters right now at Santiago’s company and they demand answers."

"What?" Andrea gasped, feeling extremely mad. "But that's impossible. Praveen knows nothing about modelling and besides, there is nothing good about that photo shoot. I still think Antonio and Bruce's is hotter."

Everyone looked at Andrea in shock, wondering why she would say such a thing. She looked at them with her eyes moving from side to side, shrugging. "What? I am only saying the truth. All of you saw that Antonio and Bruce's magazine has been the highest rated magazine of their history in the few hours it came out. That to me seems like good modelling."

Ethan shook his head and then just chuckled softly. "You think so?"

He opened his palm, showing his phone to her. He was showing her the number of sales and views in just two hours after the release of the magazine. When her eyes landed on that phone, her mouth fell open as her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her heart instantly started pounding deep in her chest as anger and envy got the best of her.

"This is impossible?" She shook her head. "I am sure those views and sales are all fake." She chuckled bitterly. "He's the owner of that company and can do anything just to..."

"This is their official website, Andrea." Ethan was a little pissed by the way she answered. "Not everyone is narrow minded like..."

"But it's impossible to sell..."

"50,000 copies and 20 million views in 2 hours." He asked with a raised eyebrow. "This is possible and it's because when you're good, you're good."

Andrea clenched her fists, looking away in anger. She could tell that Bruce was dying inside because of the way he was looking. There were a lot of things going on through his head. In his years as model, he had been getting more views. His pictures, magazines and commercials had been getting high sales than any other model in the industry but never had he reached such sales or views in just a few hours. Those usually took weeks for him to reach. He was so mad that an amateur like Praveen had dethroned him and that meant war.

Antonio on the other hand felt as if the entire world had just fallen on his shoulders. He was looking at Praveen non-stop, getting angrier and jealous at the same time. He was supposed to take that photo shoot with Praveen that particular day and not some guy that had his hands all over him.

His heart was racing in anger, his breaths coming out harshly. He couldn't control himself at all. He knew that being there and listening to his family members telling Praveen that he looked hot with another man made him mad.

He knew he couldn't be there. He just turned and started leaving but he didn't even go far before he suddenly stopped and froze, his eyes widening. His mouth started shaking as his feet felt cold, his body reacting. Antonio was suddenly hit by strong emotions that pounded on him like heavy stones.

His body started vibrating in anger, his fists getting clenched. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at all. The guy, the same guy that had taken photos with Praveen was standing right in front of him with a bright smile on his face. He was wearing a dark blue designer's shirt, green trouser and brown shoes with a black blazer. His hair was well combed and he looked handsome but Antonio didn't care.

"Oh, hello." Santiago greeted the man that was staring at him like he was a ghost. "I am sorry to come in like this." He extended his hand to Antonio who just looked at it like it was made of thorns. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face, Antonio. I am a fan."

Antonio gave a half smile, slowly shaking the man's hand. He didn't even say a word but deep down inside, he was so mad that he wanted to kill the guy in front of him.

"Santiago!" Antonio heard Praveen's voice behind him.

Praveen was really surprised when he saw Santiago in his house. He somehow felt uneasy and uncomfortable because everyone was inside that house and he didn't want things to go... anyway, just forget about it.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, moving slowly to him.

"I am so sorry." Santiago apologized, looking at the boy with a smile on his face. "I couldn't help but come to you because what you've just done is an achievement to my company. I had to come and see you myself. I just hope it's not too much trouble, otherwise, I could..."

"No!" Granny said with a smile, coming closer. "Please, come in dear. You're most welcome."

Santiago looked past Praveen and saw a beautiful elderly woman with a smile on her face. She reminded him of someone, his grandmother that he had lost a few years back. Seeing her, he couldn't help but smile brightly.

"Thank you so much." Santiago said as he quickly rushed to the woman, touching her feet. "Please, just give me your blessings. I have been missing this for a long time, now. Please!"

Everyone was in shock with what they show. Santiago looked like one of those modern men that didn't give a hoot about culture but what he did, pleading for blessings proved them all wrong.

"Bless you." Granny touched his head with the brightest grin. "May you always be happy, son."

He slowly got up, touching his head softly with a smile on his face. Granny cupped his cheeks, slowly rubbing them and right in front of everyone gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Fuck!" Okay that was it for Antonio. He didn't like the guy one bit. First, he had gotten a photo shoot with Praveen and now he was stealing his blessings? He was so pissed that he saw red. He was mad and he was having difficulties controlling himself.

"I am sorry for coming in like this." Santiago apologized, putting his hands together. "I know this was your family moment but I couldn't help myself. After all the achievements that my company has made in just a day, I had to come here to thank all of you, especially you, Praveen." He turned and looked at him as if he was staring into his very soul. Praveen couldn't help but blush. "Our magazine has had more views and sales than I had expected. I am now receiving calls from various firms and media houses asking me about the model that I took a photo shoot with.

They all want you as their model and they are offering all kinds of deals to me. The phones at the company are going crazy. There are reporters all over the company premises and they all just wanna know who this talented model is."

"But I already told you that..."

"I know Praveen." He gave a sigh, nodding his head. "I won't ever disclose your identity to them. But they shall have my head for this. What you've done is nothing that any model has ever done at my company. To be honest, I thought Antonio and Bruce appearing on the cover would yield more sales but that..." He chuckled happily, taking a deep breath. "...that was a shocker and I am glad I was in that picture with you. You're like the greatest model ever."

Bruce's heart gave a sharp pinch, making his entire system feel as if it was poisoned. He clenched his fists harder, ready to snap but before he opened his mouth, he felt a hand grip his arm, stopping him from making a mistake. He looked past his shoulder and saw Andrea staring at him, shaking her head in disagreement to what he was thinking of doing at that particular moment.

He breathed harshly, biting his bottom lip hard and swore that Praveen was gonna get it from him. He wasn't gonna just let it go like that.

"Why are you guys talking like that while standing?" Emilia asked, raising her eyebrow. "Son," She smiled brightly at Santiago. "Why don't you come to the living room where we can all talk and enjoy this time we have?"

"Sure!" Santiago nodded.

Emilia led him to the living room and made him sit down on the couch. The entire family went there with the exception of Antonio and Ethan. While Antonio was looking at the guy, hating on him, Ethan on the other hand had been watching Antonio's reaction ever since Santiago had arrived.

"Why do you look like that, dude?" Ethan whispered, wondering what was going on in his friend's mind.

Antonio sighed, his eyes still glued on the handsome man. "There's something that I don't like about him." He groaned, clenching his fist.

"What?" Ethan teased, slightly hitting his shoulder. "Is it because he had a photo shoot with Praveen?"

"What?" Antonio looked at his friend, wide eyed. "Fuck, no!" His voice was filled with anger. "I had a photo shoot with the love of my life. What else can I ask for? I don't care about who Praveen takes a photo shoot with and if you think I am jealous then you're wrong."

With those words, he rushed to the living room and sat on the couch with his legs crossed, his eyes still on the guy. Ethan on the other hand shook his head, laughed and went into the living room. He had no idea if it was his craziness but he could tell Antonio was jealous.

"So son, what would you like to have?" Emilia asked, smiling brightly at him.
"Oh no!" He shook his head. "I don't think that..."

"You cannot come to the Gonzalez house and leave just like that." Granny shook her head. "I will have the maids make something for you."

"No, mother," Praveen interrupted, getting up from the couch. "I will do it. After all, he is my guest."

"But Praveen..."

"No, granny." He smiled brightly. "Santiago came to see me so it's better if I serve him. I will be back."

He quickly left the living room into the kitchen to make something quick. He just took some flour, made dough and started making some cookies for his guest which he was sure he was gonna love. He was still making the cookies when he looked towards the entrance and found Antonio entering with his eyes everywhere.

Antonio slowly walked towards Praveen who was staring at him as if he had just seen a ghost. He looked away and continued what he was doing. Antonio wanted to talk to him, tell him to send the Santiago guy away but he didn't know where to start. Plus, he didn't want to talk to him but he also needed to get his attention somehow.

Antonio slowly walked towards Praveen, clearing his throat. Praveen just looked at him once and continued making his cookies. He wasn't interested in what Antonio was trying to do or his trouble.

Praveen put the cookies in the oven and got some ice from the fridge, putting them in a bowl. He was trying to get some cups but almost bumped into Antonio who was standing right there without saying anything. They looked at each other awkwardly and looked away.

Antonio took an apple from the table and started eating it, leaning towards the table. He saw Praveen opening the fridge and then walked slowly to him. When Praveen closed the fridge to go back to the table, he just found himself staring into Antonio's beautiful eyes and he began drifting away.

Antonio was staring at him as if he was telling to just stand down and remain immobile and that was what he did. He felt as if something had him glued where he stood. He was holding in his hands but he felt really weak in his knees.

A shiver went down his spine to his brain, making his heart jump in his chest. His body felt hot and cold at the same time, making him feel as if he was standing in a really cold shower. Everything suddenly froze. It was just him and Antonio there.

Antonio on the other hand had no idea what was happening to him. Looking into Praveen's eyes, his beautiful face and his sweet, pink lips got too much for him. Wait! Did he just say Praveen was beautiful? What was wrong with him, he thought as he tried to move away but he couldn't do it.

For the first time ever, Antonio saw Praveen in a way he hadn't seen him before. He was wearing glasses but he was breathtakingly gorgeous and his coolness, his quietness was something that he couldn't understand. Sometimes Praveen was a little fierce but other time he was just quiet.

With all those questions in his mind, Antonio didn't even realize how close he was getting to Praveen. His hands were slowly moving up to Praveen's face, probably to cup his cheeks. His breaths were getting a little harsh and his body, his feelings were vibrating, getting out of hand with each passing second. He was getting lost in those...

"Antonio!"

A voice got the both of them out of their thoughts, bringing them to reality. Antonio almost jumped up from where he stood. He quickly stood right in front of Praveen staring at the person in front of him with wide eyes. It was Celine and she had a smile on her face. She wasn't even talking but Antonio knew she was teasing them.
Praveen on the other hand just dropped his eyes to the floor, looking like a shy bride. Who knew what Celine was thinking, he thought as he tried to hide his shaky hands. He knew Celine thought they were about to kiss but that wasn't the case. The idiot had just bumped into him. Why did he even look into his stupid face?

"I am sorry to disturb you." Celine apologized, folding her arms. "But Antonio, you've got a guest in the living room. Mother and granny want you to go and entertain him."

"Great!" He thought as he clenched his fists.

Now he had to go and entertain the same guy he hated. "Of course," He smiled at her. "I just came to drink some water. I will leave."

He quickly picked up his pace and let the kitchen questioning what he had just done.

"I knew that something was up when he decided to follow you." Celine slightly pushed Praveen, making him raise his face. "I bet your husband has fallen deeper in love with you just by seeing that picture."

"What?" Praveen gasped, rushing past her to his cookies. "It's not what you think, Celine. Antonio was just here for wa...

"Yet, he couldn't even drink the same water he wanted." She teased, breathing in audibly. "Anyway, I won't say anything but it's good that your romance is starting to show. I will leave you to yourself now. Let me go and talk to Eduardo."

She left and Praveen just remained standing there for a few minutes, thinking about what Celine had said. If only she knew how much Antonio hated him. What he didn't understand was the reason why no one in the house knew about Bruce and Antonio's relationship. Antonio had said that he loved Bruce and had been planning on marrying him. Shouldn't everyone have known about him, he thought rubbing on his chin?

But it wasn't his business. As long as they stayed out of his way, everything was gonna be okay.

He shook his head and went to check on his cookies.

***

"Thank you so much for everything." Santiago said, getting up from the couch. "I had a good time and your cookies..." He looked at Praveen, gesturing to him. "...they were wonderful. I enjoyed them. You're so good at everything."

Praveen blushed, dropping his eyes to the floor. Santiago had created a connection with everyone using his charm, good looks and his wonderful charisma. Everyone seemed to love him except for Bruce, Andrea and Antonio and of course, not forgetting the ever-rude Emma who was just seated quietly without uttering any word.

"Yeah, that's what makes him our lucky charm." Granny said, wrapping her arm around him. "Ever since he came, our happiness has doubled. He is like an angel sent to us."

Andrea rolled her eyes, feeling sick to the stomach. Bruce just stood there in rage. He had reached his limit because ever since the guy came, they had just been talking about Praveen.

"Well, he is like my lucky charm too." He looked in his eyes, staring in them. Praveen was just there smiling.

Santiago turned and faced Antonio, extending his hand to him. Antonio hesitantly shook the man's hand, trying his best to act cool.

"You're a very lucky man, Antonio." Santiago said to him, powerfully shaking him. "And I say that not because you're a celebrity but because you've married a gem, a rare diamond and I must congratulate you for that."

Antonio looked at Praveen and both lost their smiles. He sighed, forcing a smile at Santiago. "Yeah!"

When Bruce heard that, he furiously turned and went upstairs with Andrea following right behind him.

"Well..." Santiago breathed in deeply, his eyes at Praveen. "It was wonderful spending time with all of you. My day has been great and wonderful. I know you said you don't want your identity known for reasons best known to you but..." He paused and looked at all of them with a brilliant grin before looking at Praveen. "...can you please come to the office tomorrow?" He put his hands together. "It will be my pleasure to see you. Please!"

Praveen remained stationary, not knowing what answer to give the handsome man. He was suddenly feeling speechless, scared and dumbstruck. He looked at granny and she raised her eyebrow, still smiling at him. He looked at Emilia and she too was smiling. He couldn't read what was on their mind.

"Well..."

"He'll be there." Granny said in a sweet voice. "Don't worry, son. After all, you two are already friends."

Santiago felt a wave of bliss pass through his entire body, making him really excited. He breathed in deeply, smiling brightly at Praveen. Praveen gave him an equally bright smile, nodding his head.

"I will do that."

"Okay. Should I pick you up?"

‘What the fuck!’ Antonio thought, clenching his fists in anger which was building deep down inside of him. He felt something moving deep inside of him but he couldn't tell what it was. ‘This guy has nerves.’

"No! Don't worry." Praveen said. "I will be there."

"Okay. I will leave."

He put his hands together, slowly bowing his head. Then he left, leaving everyone waving at him. They could all feel his absence as he went, well, all except for Antonio who was still pissed at him for even thinking of coming to his house after all that he had done. He was gonna make him pay for it and that was what he was gonna do.

"Wow!" Granny finally said, touching her cheeks. "He's such a well behaved, sweet man and so cultured. For a moment, I thought he was part of the family."

"You're right, mother." Emilia agreed, shaking her head. "He's not like these spoilt rich kids nowadays. He's humble, well behaved and cultured."

They laughed but Emma rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't think there is anything special. I still don't get why he even came here. He ruined our moment to celebrate our Antonio's victory."

Granny looked furiously towards Emma, wondering what was suddenly wrong with her. She was in a bad mood. "What's that supposed to mean? You saw what he came here to do. He came to congratulate Praveen for a job well done. Their magazine went viral and he was happy. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"My point exactly." Emma shrugged, chuckling evilly. "What was the point of coming here? It was a picture which he probably cheated everyone by thinking that it had gotten high sales. After all, it's his company and Praveen..." She pointed at him, making him feel uncomfortable. "...it was his first photo shoot and there was no way his picture would have sold more copies of the magazine compared to top celebrities like Antonio and Bruce. It's impossible."

Hearing her answer, Emilia burst into laughter, making everyone look in her direction.

"I am sorry for that but you sound as if you didn't see the magazine Praveen took. He looked nothing like any model or celebrity out there because..." She paused and looked at him, feeling at peace. "...because he's unique. The people loved him because he gave them everything they wanted, beauty, elegancy, body angle and language. What else could they want?"

"There's a lot more to modelling than that, Emilia, dear." She gave a half smile, crossing her arms on her chest. "But you wouldn't understand that, would you?"

Praveen felt hurt, really hurt. Even when he had done something for himself, Emma still did everything within her power to make him feel inferior. He just looked at the floor, trying to forget that she had said. He was feeling out of place, his heart pounding deep in his chest.

But before things went out of hand, he felt little arms wrapping around his legs. He quickly looked and found little Ryan holding him tightly. Instantly, his heart started racing with pleasure and happiness. He had no idea why Ryan made him so happy.

With a grin, he knelt down and took his little hands.

"Ryan!"

"I'm hungry." Ryan said in his little voice, drawing a small chuckle from Praveen. "I wanna eat."

Praveen nodded and then opened his mouth to speak but before he did...

"Ryan, my love, granny will prepare something for you." Emma said happily, looking down at her perfect grandson. "I know you like granny's food, don't you?"

There was no way she was gonna allow her grandson to eat food made by Praveen. Never!

Hearing her answer, Praveen lost the smile on his face, slowing looking up at Emma. Their eyes met and the moment he saw that look in her eyes, warning him to stay away from Ryan, he just looked away and then at Ryan, smiling at him.

"Granny is right." He ruffled through his hair. "You should go with her. She'll make you food and..."

"No!" Ryan said angrily, letting go of Praveen. "I want you to cook. I want to eat what you made me yesterday!"

Everyone in the living room smiled brightly, feeling really happy except for Emma and Antonio. Emma couldn't believe her own ears. Her grandson had just rejected her food. She was so mad that she clenched her fists, biting her bottom lip. She felt like a vessel of anger. Her grandson, her own grandson had just rejected her proposal to make him food.

"Ooh..." Granny moaned happily, touching her chest. "That's so sweet. Even little Ryan is in love with Praveen."

"You're right, mother." Emilia agreed, nodding her head. "Who wouldn't love him? Praveen, dear?" She called, getting his attention. "Why don't you take him to the kitchen and fix something for him? He seems hungry."

Praveen smiled brightly, nodding. "Yes!"

He took little Ryan's hand and the two left for the kitchen. The entire family went to their rooms to rest after such a long and wonderful day but Emma remained standing there, wondering what had just happened?

What was going, she thought as she looked in the direction of the kitchen? How could her grandson have slipped out of her hands like that when she thought she had him in her hands? It was impossible.

"You've succeeded in turning my own lovely grandson against me, Praveen." She said, chuckling sinisterly. "Let's see how long you'll last in here. Whatever you're doing, better hold on to it tightly because I will hit you back... hard."

She hissed and left for her room, walking like a model on the run way.

***

"No!" Bruce screamed, gripping his hair and almost pulling it. "This can't be."

Bruce's heart was on fire, feeling as if someone was about to fucking pull it out of his chest. It hurt so bad and his entire body felt hot as if he was in a sauna. He was sweaty, panting and raging. His hair was a mess... his face was a mess... damn, his whole mood was a mess now.

His heart was pounding so deep in his chest, threatening to rip out. What had happened, he thought as he pulled on his hair hard. He was acting like a wounded bull, his eyes blood red. Veins had popped up in his head and he was ready to kill someone, anyone.

"Fuck!" He grabbed a lamp from a small table, throwing it harshly to the floor. "No!"

The lamp broke to pieces on the floor, scattering all over. Just then, Andrea came rushing inside, only to be met with the mess in her room. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She rushed to him, gripped both his arms and shook him.

"Are you crazy?" She raged, breathing harshly. "What do you think you are doing? Do you wanna get us both into trouble?"

"I don't care!" He seethed, clenching his fists. "I am so mad right now that... that..." He pulled his arms free, bringing his fists closer to his face, staring at them like they had just disappeared. "...that I don't care about anything."

"Well, this is my house and most especially my room, Bruce." Andrea said angrily, wondering why Bruce was acting crazy. "If you wanna scream, cry or turn the whole room upside down, I won't stop you. But you're gonna have to do that at your house. Do you understand?" She warned, pointing angrily at him. "Everyone is down stairs and they might hear your foolish commotion. Will you please calm down?"

"Calm down?" Bruce censured, angrily shaking his head. "What the fuck do you want me to do when..."

"I am telling you to..."

"What?" He yelled in her face, clenching his fists even more. "What? You know that I worked so hard for..." He was visibly trembling, panicking. "I worked so hard to just... just to..."

"Will you calm down?" Andrea snapped, smacking him hard across the face.

Bruce felt a sharp pain on his face and he knew that Andrea had just slapped him. He held out his cheek, looking at her. Then he felt his nerves calming and he took in a deep breath, sitting on the bed with his fingers passing through his hair.

"I just can't believe this is happening. I didn't see it coming." He was still angry but his voice wasn't high anymore. "I locked him up in that, that room to prevent him from taking a photo shoot but the little brat is smart. He's just shown me that he is smarter than..."

"Calm down!" Andrea sat on the bed, rubbing his shoulders sweetly. "But look on the brighter side..." She shrugged, looking into his wet face. "...you and Antonio finally got to appear in the magazine as a couple and people went crazy. Your fans love you and..."

"Until that stupid magazine came out!" He carped, his mouth shaking in anger. "Everything was perfectly fine until that stupid magazine showed up and that stupid man came here to rub salt in our wounds. Why is everything going so wrong, Andrea?" He looked at her, feeling defeated. "The more we try to get him out of this house, to destroy him, the stronger and fiercer he gets. I don't get it, Andrea."

"Sweetheart, you don't need to worry about..."

"Why shouldn't I be?" He growled, getting up from the bed. "I am getting worried. Did you..." He slowly turned, feeling as if his words were eating his insides before they came out.

"Did I see what?" Andrea got up, raising her eyebrow.

"Antonio!" He sighed, feeling tears started building in his eyes. "Did you see the way he looked at Praveen, how shocked he was? Did you see how he was looking at that man as if he wanted to kill him? Did you see how speechless he was?"

"So? Everyone was surprised and..."

"No, Andrea." He shook his head. "I am not mistaken because..."

"If you're implying that my brother is in love with that boy then you surely don't know him." She laughed, folding her arms on her chest. "I have lived with him my entire life so I know him. He loves you and he was only shocked because none of us had expected that to happen."

"But what if he..."

"He feels nothing and you can't prove that because of some stupid magazine." She hissed, losing the smile on her face. She knew the magazine had been great but that was what was making her rage. She couldn't accept it. "It was nothing high fashion. The stupid guy probably just faked everything, maybe even photo shopped it. People are probably not even going online to view it. Your photo shoot was beauty, sexy and romantic. The crew even told you..."

"But he also had a photo shoot. He looked really different in that shoot." He complained, fighting off his tears. "Even we couldn't recognize him until he said so himself. That also means that everyone saw him differently, including..." He paused, feeling his heart pounding deep in his chest. "...Antonio! But I won't allow that boy to seduce him. That's why I am confused."

"What's there to be..."

"Him!" Bruce yelled, stomping his foot on the floor. "What are we gonna do next because it seems everything we are doing, we are failing."

"No, baby boy!" Andrea shook her head. "Right now, we need to do something stronger, something that when we strike..." She laughed sinisterly, smiling like an evil queen. "...we will be able to cripple him, make him weak..." She clenched her fists, bringing it closer to her chest. "...something that will bring him down once for all. We need to strike in such a way that even his supporters in this house will not be able to support him anymore. We need to make them throw him out of this house themselves."

Bruce knew what Andrea meant but he was confused.

"In case you haven't noticed, we have tried everything but something always happens in his favour." He frowned, raising his eyebrow. "How are we gonna do that or rather, what are we gonna do?"

Andrea laughed like an evil villain, breathing in audibly while a lot of things went through her evil mind.

"You see, sweetheart, that's what makes you and I different." She said in a sweet tone, rubbing on her seductive lips. "This is where my specialty will come in. We need to observe him and see his weakness, grab an opportunity that will make him look bad."

"What?" Bruce gasped. "I don't think we can wait that..."

"It doesn't mean we have to tolerate him." She lost her smile. "Just follow my lead and I promise you'll never be disappointed. That boy won't know what hit him. Before he even realizes it, he will be in too deep."

"Hmm..." An evil grip appeared on Bruce's face. "That sounds good. I like that, Andrea. You really are a genius."

"Just follow my lead, baby boy."

Bruce grinned as the two of them laughed sinisterly. Their plans were gonna be successful. Now plan "get Praveen kicked out of the house." was now in action.

***

Praveen got out of the bathroom, tying his hair which he had made into a braided ponytail. He was wearing a black designer's skinny jean, red shirt that was tucked in and blue snickers that he thought looked nice. Although he didn't like cologne, he had worn it so that he could smell nice that day.

He came to the dressing mirror, took his wedding chain and placed it around his neck. After making sure that he was ready, he checked himself one last time before turning only to meet with Antonio's glaring eyes, piercing through him.

Antonio was staring at Praveen, wondering why he was looking like that all of a sudden. It was not like he was in love with him but the truth was that he looked somehow, different from the way he had been seeing him the past few days.

Praveen stared at Antonio, wondering why the guy was staring at him like that. He looked at himself, making sure he was fine before he went back to look at his husband. The crazy guy was probably trying to look for something to insult him about. He didn't have time.

He picked up his phone and without saying anything started going away.

"Where are you going?" Antonio asked, grabbing his arm.

Praveen stopped in his tracks without even turning. "I am going to see Santiago. You're home today so I will save you the trouble of having a headache with me around. Now you can enjoy your day with Bruce."

He tried to go away but Antonio was still holding his arm. "So, now you're friends or what?"

Hearing his question, Praveen turned and looked at him, wondering why he would ask such a question. "For the first time, I have met someone that isn't arrogant but he's rich." He gave a half smile, wondering what the hell was going on in his husband's mind. "I wouldn't mind being friends with him at all. After all, the almighty likes such hearts."

He let loose his arm from Antonio's grip and left the room quickly, leaving Antonio standing and looking like a lost soul. There was something really painful, something in his heart that he couldn't recognize. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about Praveen and Santiago meeting and becoming friends after releasing such a hot photo.

He stared at the door as it shut, feeling as if his heart had also been shut down. He was supposed to be thinking about his boyfriend, how to please him and how to get rid of Praveen for good but his actions were now different. What was going on?

***

Antonio was outside, leaning towards a pillar with a glass of wine in his hands, taking a little sip. He had been outside for over two hours, staring towards the gate, hoping he would see Praveen walk in and say something to him. Since Praveen had left early morning, Antonio's mood had been completely ruined. He had cancelled all his meetings and decided to stay in his room the entire day. He had his lunch with his family members but he wasn't active. Even when his boyfriend wanted to talk to him, he just brushed him off and told him he wasn't feeling well.
Now here he was, outside, wondering what he was doing there in the first place. It was already getting dark and his heart was racing for some reason. He was mad, mad at something that he didn't want to think he was mad about. But he couldn't help it. He had even lost count of the number of alerts he had gotten about the hottest magazine in town. He was pissed. It was like Praveen and whoever the idiot was had suddenly become a couple under his nose. It was so damn annoying.

"Honk!"

Antonio's heart gave a sharp pound in his chest when he heard a car honking. He suddenly raised his face towards the gate, seeing it opening wide. It was one of his cars, indicating that Praveen had finally returned. He felt some kind of wave take control of him, making his breaths come out harshly.

He gulped, gripping the glass harder, wondering why his mood had suddenly changed. Just when he was about to smile, something else happened that completely ruined his mood. It was a beautiful, light green, Porsche car, really expensive from the look of it. It was coming right behind his car.

He didn't need to be a genius to know whose car it was. It was Santiago's car. He felt something move inside of him, making him gulp audibly. He clenched his fists, throwing the glass harshly to the floor. It broke into pieces and he just stood there without moving an inch.

His car stopped at a distance from him and the car behind stopped too. It didn't take long before the idiot came out as if he was rushing somewhere. wait! He was rushing to open the other side of the door. He was dressed in a beautiful, green shirt that was folded at the sleeves and a black shiny trouser with white shoes. His shirt was half way done, revealing his pretty thick muscular chest that Antonio wanted to stab.

He quickly opened the door as a smile lit up his face as if he was almost bowing his head, opening the door for someone he loved. Praveen came out and he was smiling brightly, chuckling loudly. Antonio could notice that Praveen was happy, happier than he had ever seen him before.

"We are here." Santiago said happily, slightly closing the door. He leaned on the car, still smiling at Praveen. "I really had a good time with you, Praveen."

Praveen took a deep breath and nodded. He had a good day, away from all the troubles Antonio, Bruce, Andrea and Emma would have caused him. He was just hoping they weren't gonna give him any trouble. But who was he kidding? He knew that once he stepped inside, trouble was gonna be back.

"I also had a good time, Santiago." He confessed, folding his arms on his chest. "I never knew that rich men like you could be so good and..."

"What do you mean rich men?" Santiago raised his eyebrow. "I'm sure you are used to this from your husband. He's rich, remember?"

Praveen slightly lost his smile, nodding his head. "Yes! But aside from him, that is."

"Well, this is me." He opened his arms, looking at himself. "If we don't help people who are poor, then who will? I like doing charity and that's why I am like this. My mother always told me to be good to people and then good people will always come to me. And she was right..." He slowly moved his hands and held one of Praveen's hands, rubbing on it sweetly. "...I have met such a sweet person, Praveen. Thank you so much."

Praveen blushed, dropping his eyes to the ground. Where Antonio was standing, he clenched his fists harder as his jaws vibrated in anger. How dare Santiago touch Praveen, he thought as his entire body got engulfed in anger?

"Well, I don't know about that but the almighty sends us people for a reason." He raised his face, looking into Santiago's eyes. "Your mother was right. I am sure she would have been proud of you. What am I even saying?" He chuckled, rubbing on Santiago's hand. "She's proud of you. After everything that I saw today when we visited your two orphanages, I am impressed. People love you so much and you're like a god to them. You've got everything."

Praveen laughed, dropping his eyes to the ground. He had no idea that Santiago was staring at him with eyes of love. They had become so close that they had become friends after visiting the two orphanages. Praveen had become so emotional after seeing all those kids that wanted to be adopted.

"Well, not quite everything." Santiago moaned as his heart started racing.

"What?" Praveen raised his face to stare into Santiago's serious face. "Why do you say that? What would a man like you lack?"

"Love!" He said in an emotional voice. "Antonio is a very lucky man to have found someone like you. I just hope that one day, I will find someone that will make me happy."

"And why's that?" Praveen was now confused. "You're a very handsome man and you can have any woman you want."

"But I haven't met the right person." He simply said, licking his lips. "Sometimes when you meet the one you want, you might find that person is taken. But I hope that mine won't be taken when I meet her. I always thought my mother would find a good woman for me."

Praveen sighed gloomily, taking both of Santiago's hands. "I will be praying for you. The almighty shall give you a really good woman. I promise you, he will."

Santiago smiled brightly, nodding. ‘If only you knew, Praveen. I just hope you'll be happy.’ He thought as his nerves got the best of him. ‘Your husband is one lucky bastard, I swear.’

He chuckled, letting go of Praveen's hands. "I gotta go now. I don't want to keep your family waiting."

"Alright," Praveen sighed, smiling softly. "Are you sure though, you don't wanna come inside?"

"No! Maybe later."

"Bye!"

They waved at each other and Santiago got into his car and drove off, waving at Praveen. Praveen waved back and watched as the car got out of his compound. He could feel that Santiago had really gone because he couldn't feel his presence.

He gave a gloomy sigh, slowly turning and almost bumped into Antonio who was standing right in front of him with his arms folded. Their eyes locked and for some reason, Praveen felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn't read Antonio's face... it was blank.

"Welcome!" Antonio said harshly. "How did your day go? Did you enjoy the day with him and his crew telling you how cute you look together?"

"Antonio, I..."

"You left the house really early and you're coming back late." He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "You were smiling at each other as if..."

"Antonio, please." Praveen sighed, rubbing on his head. "I am really tired and I need to go inside and rest. I have had a really long day and I just wanna..."

"You've got to be kidding me." Antonio said harshly. "But who cares?" He shrugged. "You can do anything you want because it's your life. You can even move to his house if you wanted to. I don't care. After all, that would be good because I would finally get rid of you. I wonder what that guy even sees in you because you're a mess."

Praveen felt as if his heart had just been ripped to pieces with Antonio's words. He felt a cold wind blow on his face, making his body feel colder than it was. He stared at Antonio, frozen and wondering why he had said that to him. He was supposed to be used but he it hurt like hell.

"You know, I pity that guy because he is wasting his time with you." He said harshly, furiously dropping his hands. "If I were him, I wouldn't have even taken that photo with you. I wonder what even everyone saw when they saw that magazine. But guess they were just curious as to who had appeared in that magazine, beginner's luck. Very soon, that man will realize the mess he has gotten himself into and he'll abandon you."

Tears started forming in Praveen's eyes as his pain increased, getting worse by the second. He had been really happy but now, he was so hurt that he wanted to run away and cry. But something had him frozen where he stood. It was too much. He was just staring at the man that said those painful words to him.

"If I were him, I would start running away because you're a directionless car that's speeding." He gestured, chuckling bitterly. "Look at the mess you've made into my life and you only came recently. When will you realize that no matter what you do..." He chuckled bitterly, looking at the boy in tears. "...you'll never be able to reach that high status?"

Praveen looked away as a tear went down his cheeks. He quickly rubbed it before he looked at Antonio, hating the man that he was looking at. When was he gonna finally accept that Praveen was also a human being who got hurt, he thought as he felt something move deep in him?

"You might be used to using tricks to trap rich guys but... I don't think you'll always be successful."

"Well, Antonio, not everyone is like you." He said confidently, feeling a bit angry. "I agree that my status is not like yours or Santiago's but some people see past that and one of them is Santiago. He associates with the poor..." He smiled, remembering how he had seen people at the orphanage happy. "...he likes to help and people love him. He is a good man and he doesn't care about status as long as other people are happy."

Hearing what Praveen had just said, Antonio felt anger slipping through him fast. His adrenaline started moving in his body with so much pressure that he could feel it take effect. He clenched his fists hard, his jaws shaking in anger.

"I am really tired and I don't want trouble. Excuse me!"

He moved to the other side and walked past Antonio, leaving him standing there like a statue. Antonio's anger had gotten to another level. Sure, he had spoken to Praveen in anger but he hadn't expected him to defend the bastard.

Antonio didn't understand what was happening to him or his mind. He was supposed to let Praveen do whatever that he wanted but he couldn't do it for some reason. He didn't even like the boy, right? He was in love with Bruce and he wanted to be with him, right? Then why was he acting like a jealous husband? He took a deep breath, sighed and followed Praveen into the house.

Praveen entered the house with a bright smile on his face, trying to mask his pain. He was expecting to find granny and Emilia but got disappointed when he didn't find them in the living room. Normally, they were supposed to be in the living room talking or watching something.

He lost the smile on his face, taking a gloomy sigh as he scanned the entire place. But to his disappointment, he couldn't see them anywhere. He took a turn to go to his room but something stopped him, a voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Are you looking for your favourite granny and mother in law?" A voice chuckled behind him. "Well, they are not here. They left."

He took a gulp, slowly turning to find Emma looking at him with a smile which was full of mock. She was tying her hair in a ponytail, her entire face now in full view. His piercing brown eyes were now visible and Praveen couldn't help but get scared when she looked at him. It was as if she was killing him with her eyes.

She was wearing a black dress, white slippers and had a phone in her hand. Seeing her, his heart started pounding deep in his chest. He was really praying for her not to give him trouble but who was he kidding?

"Aunt, Emma...”

"They left after waiting for you for hours but you never showed up." She said, not losing the smile on her face. "Why they've suddenly given you so much importance compared to other people in this house, I will never know."

Praveen bit his top lip, trying to hide that he was scared. "Well, aunt, I don't understand what you're trying to say."

Emma chuckled sinisterly, getting closer to him. She was eyeing him as if he was the most disgusting thing she had ever set her eyes on. He just made her soul really disgusted.

"What I am trying to say is that I don't like you one bit." She snapped, furiously dropping her hands. "You are always up to something. First you stole my mother, my sister in law, got married to Antonio with your tricks and now you have managed to even turn my grandson against me. You were reluctant to take a photo with Antonio yet you just got romantic with another man on set."

Praveen's mouth opened wide, a gasp escaping his throat. "What? No! It's not what you think."

"And what am I thinking?"

"I don't understand why you hate me so much, aunt." He asked. "I thought you said you wanted to give me a chance to prove myself. What had..."

"That was before I knew exactly what you were up to." She hissed, making him take a step back. "Why would I take the risk of being one of your puppets? I will never accept you into this house or into Antonio's life and I am gonna personally enjoy seeing you leaving this house. If I were you, I would enjoy my time here because very soon..." She paused, giving him an evil grin. "...you'll be leaving us."

"How do I show you that I never wanted this life?"

"Oh please!" She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "We both know that you're just a gold-digger who wants our money but not on my watch. You will never, ever get a dime because..."

"I swear I didn't. I am just a victim here, aunt, I swear. If only I could turn back the time then I'd set everything right."

"Of course, you know that's impossible. You've already made your way into our lives. But I don't blame you." She said harshly, breathing like a warrior on the battlefield. "I blame Emilia and mother for this. They knew what would have happened had I been here and no wonder they didn't tell me anything about this sham of a marriage. Had it been up to me, you wouldn't have even set your stupid eyes on him."

Praveen couldn't say anything anymore. He just dropped his eyes to the floor. She was staring at him, enjoying seeing him at his weakest. He deserved everything and she was gonna make him suffer for it.

When Praveen raised his face to stare into her face, it was walk away from there as quickly as he could. He was rushing towards the stairs that he didn't even know that Antonio was standing there, watching everything that had happened. Although he was mad at Praveen, there was something inside of him that made him hurt but he couldn't do anything.

Praveen stopped in his tracks, staring into his husband's face. He just sighed and rushed up the stairs. Reaching the room, he went into the bathroom, locked the door and went to the mirror where he stared at his reflection, seeing tears going down his face. He just wanted to cry and let it all go.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Antonio was standing near the bed, his eyes fixed on the bathroom. He didn't need to be a genius to know what was going on in the bathroom. He could tell that Praveen was crying after all the insults that his aunt had given him down the stairs.

It felt really nice to insult Praveen and make him sad but what Antonio felt at that moment was something that he couldn't even understand or explain. Deep down, he was mad because of what had happened and how Praveen had almost insulted him outside the house. But he felt, well... he didn't even know what he felt.

He went and sat on the bed then opened his tablet and went online to check out some of the trending things on social media, mostly his fan club. But the moment he just opened his browser, a picture popped up on his screen, an ad that made his blood boil.

"The picture that has people questioning their romance."

It was the same picture that Santiago and Praveen had taken, closer to each other. Seeing that picture, Antonio simply closed his tablet and threw it harder on the bed, feeling really angry. He groaned, clenching his fists as if he wanted to punch someone's stupid nose. His heart pounded so deep in his chest that he felt like he was gonna have a heart attack.

It didn't take long before Praveen opened the door to the bathroom, coming out with a towel which he was using to wipe his face. He threw the towel on the chair before going to the mirror to check himself out. He had been crying but his eyes looked really fine. They were not red or swollen. That made him feel at least happy.

He was still checking himself out before he heard his phone ringing. He got it out of his pocket and smiled when he saw who was calling.

"Hey, Santiago." He chuckled happily.

"Hey! I was just checking up on you. Are you okay?"

Praveen smiled even brighter, nodding. "Yes! Thanks a lot for checking up on me. But you didn't have to. In fact, I was the one that was supposed to check up on you. You were the one that drove to your house and not me."

Santiago laughed on the other end. "Well, I am fine. Maybe I just wanted to say goodnight and to thank you for making my day wonderful and special. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome and goodnight."

"Goodnight!"

Praveen cut the call and went to the couch smiling as bright as ever. He was so tired that he just took his blanket and went to sleep on the couch without even realizing that Antonio was staring at him, his jaws shaking like they were about to come out.

Antonio couldn't understand what was going with Praveen or with himself. He hated that Praveen was getting happiness from another man, someone that he had just met. He had expected him to be sad because of the insults that Emma had given him but he was now smiling. It was so... depressingly painful.

He couldn't stay there anymore. With a final look at the boy, Antonio turned and stormed out of the room.

***

"So, Praveen, how did your meeting with Santiago go yesterday? You kinda took longer than we had expected." Granny asked, looking at him with a smile.

"I am sorry, granny that I took longer." He apologized, directing his gaze at her. "It's just that we went to visit some of his orphanages and foundations that I totally lost track of time. I am truly sorry."

"Orphanages?" Emilia gasped, not masking the surprise in her voice. "That boy is something else. I knew there was something about him that I couldn't put my fingers on. He's just so..."

"Perfect!" Granny finished the sentence, gesturing with her hands. "Nowadays, it is very difficult for rich people to be useful to society. Only a few rich kids do such things."

"Yeah, and those few are the ones being constantly used by fraudsters," Emma commented, taking a sip of her juice. She had a mocking smile on. "Sometimes it is good to be tough so that some idiots can be sent to hell where they belong."

Praveen felt those words hit him like a billion cold winds at the same time. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Emma was talking about him. He glanced at her and she gave him a sinister smile.

"What do you think, Praveen?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Granny asked, a bit angry. "It is not wrong to do something good for some people. Not every rich person out there should be rude. Sometimes, we should all participate in charity works."

She shook her head, diverting attention from her. She wanted to talk to Praveen again but she got worried when she found Antonio looking quiet. "Antonio, are you okay? You seem quiet. What's going on?"

Antonio raised his face, giving his granny a half-smile. "I am alright. I was just thinking about something work-related. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

Everyone was seated at the table, having their breakfast in peace. Antonio was already dressed for work. He had a deep blue designer's slim fit suit on, a blood-red shirt inside, and black shoes on his feet that made him look sexy. His hair was just combed backward and his face was in full view. He was having his tea in peace, trying to forget about his troubles.
Andrea was seated quietly and so was Bruce beside him whose gaze was Antonio. He could tell his boyfriend was not okay and it affected him so much. The previous day, Antonio had even refused to talk to him. He was scared because he didn't want to lose Antonio for anything in this world. Antonio was slipping away from him and he was gonna do everything to get him back. He hated Praveen and he was gonna deal with him for everything that he had done.

"Alright," Granny sighed, taking the remote from the table. "Since everyone is busy having their breakfast, it's better to listen to some morning news."

She turned on the big Television on the wall and started watching.

"And now to Entertainment..." The beautiful lady dressed in white said on TV. "There's a magazine that has caught the attention of everyone out there and this particular magazine might just be the hottest magazine of the year." She said with a chuckle. "People everywhere are going crazy and not just in our country but most of the countries."

Suddenly, a picture of the magazine appeared on the screen, catching everyone's attention. It was the picture of Praveen and Santiago in a hot photoshoot, one where Santiago had his hands on Praveen's waist while Praveen slightly looked behind with a brilliant, seductive smile.

"This magazine has people asking and it's not just about the romance but the model in the magazine." She continued, now replaced by Praveen's picture alone. He was looking so hot that the look from the lady herself made everyone think she was flirting with the picture. "Who is he? Where is he from? How come no one has ever seen him before and yet some people are calling him the hottest male model to have ever appeared on the cover of the magazine?"

Where Bruce was seated, he felt his heart rip in his chest. He stopped eating and held the folk harder as if he wanted it to snap. He could feel it starting to hurt his hand but he kept on applying pressure. He didn't care.

"Everyone probably has a crush on him. The owner of the firm who took the photo by his side has refused to give information. Who knows..." She shrugged, opening her arms wider. "...just maybe we might find out about who this boy is. And for you fans out there... this picture... will be appearing on several billboards later today so better watch out. We are doing everything to find out who this boy is. Maybe Mr. Santiago..." She chuckled happily. "...just maybe he is not telling us because that's the love of his life. Who knows, maybe we might be hearing wedding bells soon."

That was the breaking point for Antonio. He had been seated quietly without saying anything until the stupid lady said those words to him. His anger was now boiling over. He took a deep breath, furiously placed the cup on the table, making a terrible noise. Then he furiously got up and stormed out of the dining room, surprising everyone in there.

"Antonio!" Emma called, getting up from the chair. "Baby, what's wrong?"

But he was already gone and even if he heard her, he wouldn't have stopped. He felt as if someone had done something terrible to him, something that concerned his heart. His heart was pounding deep in his chest, adrenaline taking control of his body.

"What's going on?" Eduardo asked, getting up from the chair. "He said he was alright, right? I will go and check upon him."

He started going away but...

"No!" Emilia shook her head. "Don't go there."

"But mother," He stuttered, pointing towards the door. "...my brother is mad about something. I need to go and..."

"Praveen will go and find out."

The moment Praveen heard his name, he felt his heart miss a beat. He abruptly moved his face to Emilia, his mouth gaping at her. He couldn't believe she had just said that to him. He knew that Antonio was the last person he wanted to speak with or see at that particular time.

"Me? Mother, I..."

"Of course, he's your husband, dear." She smiled, squeezing his hand. "He's not feeling well and it's up to you to make him feel better. He's your husband and you should be responsible for making him feel better."

"She's right." Granny agreed. "Go dear and find out what's wrong with him."

Praveen looked at both granny and Emilia, taking a deep sigh. He felt fear starting to get to him. His breaths were starting to change and adrenaline started preying on him.

"Yes!" He nodded, slowly getting up from the chair.

When he got up, he saw Andrea and Bruce giving him cold looks but he didn't care. He had promised granny and Emilia that he was gonna talk to him. He walked out of the dining room and went upstairs.

He didn't take long before he reached the door to Antonio and his room. He felt his nerves getting to him. But he held the knob and opened the door only to find Antonio throwing some papers on the bed. He stood still in the door what, watching what was going on. He had never seen him act like that.

With a confident breath, he closed the door and slowly started walking towards his husband.

Antonio on the other hand was so mad that he couldn't hide it anymore. He had never felt as much anger as he felt at that particular time. Not even when he had been forced into marriage did he feel the way he was feeling at that time. Damn! He didn't even know it was possible to be that angry. He didn't like the way he was feeling.

"Antonio!" He heard Praveen's voice and he simply lost it.

"What?" He said as he threw a document furiously on the bed, suddenly turning to face the boy. His eyes were red and it scared Praveen. "What the fuck do you want? Shouldn't you be watching the news about Santiago or something?"

To say Praveen was surprised would be an understatement. Shocked was more like it. Antonio was speaking so coldly to him when he didn't do anything.

"Well, granny and mother are worried and they..."

"Granny, granny, granny, granny! I am fine!" He snarled, chuckling bitterly to himself. "I am fine."

"You're not and everyone else is worried. Please..."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Antonio yelled, his voice filling the entire room. "What the fuck is wrong with your brains? I told you I am fine so why should you keep on asking me stupid questions?"

"I was..."

"You're my problem in this house." He stomped his foot on the ground, scaring Praveen who took a step back. "Ever since you came here, you've been giving me problems. Is it not enough that I have to tolerate seeing your stupid self in this house? Do you always have to find ways to ruin my mood every day?"

Praveen was still confused. The frown on his head kept on getting bigger and bigger. He had no idea what Antonio was mad at him for. He hadn't done anything.

"But..."

"Are you not ashamed of yourself, Praveen?" Antonio snapped, shaking his head in anger. His breaths were harsh and scary. "Look at yourself and tell me. You have a fucking wedding ring on your fucking wedding finger." He yelled at the top of his voice. He didn't care who heard. "You even have a fucking wedding chain around your neck. You are fucking married and yet..." He chuckled bitterly, pointing angrily at the boy. "...you are not even ashamed to take a photoshoot with another man. Did you even think about what would happen if..."

"Excuse me?" Praveen frowned, his mouth shaking me. "Are you blaming for this? I thought you didn't care about who I had a photoshoot with and besides, I already explained the situation to you and you..."

"What the fuck!" Antonio angrily gripped the papers on the bed, throwing them to the floor. Praveen's eyes widened as he realized just how angry Antonio was. "What the fuck are you talking about? You and I were supposed to have a photoshoot together that day. It was supposed to be you and I but I should have realized what you were up to."

"Antonio..."

"Shut up!" He carped, pointing his shaky finger at Praveen. "How could I have been so stupid?" He chuckled. "You are out to ruin me. That day..." He hit his head furiously. "...that day you were reluctant to have a photoshoot and you... you told me that you would have a photoshoot with someone else. This was a plan to make me look bad in front of the family."

"What?" Praveen shuddered, taking a step behind. "I already told you that I got locked up in a room by..."

"Isn't it enough that I have to put up with you?" He seethed, clenching his fists. He had no idea why he was just so angry. "You are fucking married and yet you were acting like a whore with another man. That's what everyone is seeing, everyone else but you. But let me make you understand this." He warned the boy that looked like he saw a ghost.

"Antonio, please, try to calm down. It's not a big deal. After all, you had a hot photoshoot with Bruce and you enjoyed it too. Why should it be..."

Before Praveen could even finish his sentence, Antonio gripped his arms harder, painfully and slammed him into a wall, pinning him there. Praveen winced as pain slipped through his entire system. He took a deep harsh breath, his heart racing beyond miles. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked at the man that held him painfully.

"Listen to me and listen very well..." Antonio warned, adding pressure to the boy's arms. "...you are married to me and I will never watch you embarrass me out there. You wanted this marriage, didn't you?"

Praveen was trying to let himself loose but all did was inflict more pain on himself. He winced as he felt his arms burning painfully. "Please, you are hurting... me, Antonio." He pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please, I... I..."

"And what did you think?" He chuckled bitterly, enjoying the look of pain on the boy's face. "Just because you and I are in this for obvious reasons that I am gonna allow you to make a fool out of me or this family? You chose to get married to me and you are a married man, you idiot. You should act like one instead of acting like a whore on the cover of the magazine."

Praveen moved his eyes away as a tear went down his cheek. "Please..."

"You talk about values. What happened to those stupid values that you talk about?" He growled, getting closer to the boy's face. "Did you suddenly lose them, your mother's teachings?"

"I didn't mean to take that shoot," Praveen said in a voice of pain. He felt as if his veins were bursting in his arms. "I... I was..."

"You were what? You wanted to compete with me and Bruce?" He answered acidly, breathing on the boy's face. It felt so hot that Praveen felt more pain. "What he and I share is unique and I had every right to do it but you..." He laughed in his face. "...you don't have such freedom because you lost it the day that you decided to enter my life and this very house so you better think twice before you even do anything stupid, otherwise, you'll be very sorry. Right now, you are carrying my name and as long as you have that name, you belong to me." He pointed at himself. "I own you, Praveen."

More tears went down Praveen's face.

"I am your husband and I was supposed to appear in that photo." He snapped angrily, gripping his arms harder. "It shouldn't have been that bastard. You better be careful. Do you hear that?"

"But..."

"Do you hear that?"

"Ouch!" He cried, nodding his head. "Yes! I will. Just please, let me go. You're hurting me."

Antonio pulled the boy closer to himself with one hand, looking into his face. He didn't like what he was doing but jealous had gotten to him so much that he couldn't get to control himself. He felt he owned Praveen and nothing was gonna change that.

"You are mine!"

He furiously let go of Praveen, leaving him falling to the floor with a thud. He looked at the boy one last time and stormed out of the room, shutting the door with a bang. Praveen remained on the floor, wincing and rubbing on his arms.

He slowly raised his sleeves and saw the red marks Antonio had left on his arms. He slowly rubbed his face as he continued rubbing his arms. They hurt like hell and he felt really weak. He had no idea why Antonio had acted like that with him, something that he had never done before. He was acting like, like a jealous husband. But why, he thought as he remained on the floor, looking at the mess Antonio had left in the room.

What was he gonna do?

***

"I think that would be a great idea." Andrea smiled brightly, looking at her mother with a smile. "Antonio's new music will be released very soon. I think a great concert after that would be a great idea." She stared at her friend then. "What do you think?"

"I think it is a great idea." Bruce just wanted what was best for his boyfriend. "I am pretty sure he'll be happy too."

"Then it's settled." Emma clapped, breathing in deeply. "We'll be attending our Antonio's concert after so long. I can't wait."

"And it will be his first after his marriage." Granny pointed out, smiling at everyone. "There is..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, she got the greatest shock of the morning when she looked towards the stairs. It was Antonio and he was coming down, looking a mess. His shirt was almost wrinkled... it was halfway buttoned up and he was removing the necktie. To her surprise, he angrily removed it and threw it hard on the floor, whispering something that she couldn't hear. His hair was a big mess and so was his face.

He furiously came down the stairs and started heading towards the door, now getting the attention of everyone. They were so shocked that they all just stood and watched the venting man.

"Antonio, what's wrong?" Emilia asked. But all he did was ignore her. "Baby, what's going on?"

But he didn't even bother to look at her. He just stormed out of the house and drove off. Everybody else was just standing there looking lost and puzzled. All of them had noticed that something had changed with Antonio ever since the magazine had gotten out.

"What's wrong with my son?" Emilia asked as she rubbed her forehead, taking a deep breath. "I can't even understand him."

"I think I might know the reason, mother." A voice suddenly spoke, getting the attention of everyone.

They all looked in the direction of the voice and saw Celine standing there, rubbing her hands together. "Well, I didn't need to hear their conversation but..." She paused and remained quiet.

"Celine?" Granny walked to her, standing right in front of her. She was worried because the look on Celine's face was not promising for any good news. "Tell me, what's going on? Why do you look as if you just saw a ghost?"

"Because... because..." She stuttered, gulping. "...I..."

"Will you please say it?" Emilia said angrily. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well, mother, I was passing by their room when I heard Antonio's voice. It seemed he was... he was..." He paused and took a deep breath. "...he was really angry at Praveen."

"What?" Granny gasped, feeling a sharp pound in her chest. "He was angry at Praveen? Why?"

"I don't know but I think this has to do something with the magazine that Praveen took with Santiago." She said abruptly, looking at everyone. "I think he is jealous because he was shouting at Praveen in the room."

Andrea and Bruce looked at each other in shock, wondering what Celine was talking about.

"That's impossible." Andrea chuckled in shock, shaking her head. "I think you've got this entire thing wrong? You must have heard something else. Antonio, jealous?" She laughed, gesturing to everyone. "Does she even know what she's talking about?"

"I am serious!" Celine slightly raised her voice, watching as the smile on Andrea's face disappeared. "He was shouting and telling Praveen that he shouldn't have taken that picture when he very well knew that they were married. I swear. You can ask Praveen if you want."

Where Bruce was standing, he felt fear take control of him. He wanted to believe that what she was saying was impossible. He wanted to believe that because Antonio loved him so much. There was no way he'd be jealous when they'd taken a hot photo together. He felt as if his heart was about to stop beating.

"Oh my God," Emilia gasped, covering her mouth. "Why would Antonio do that? I thought he understood what was happening? I just hope..." She moved and looked at granny with a worried look on her face. "...he hasn't done anything to Praveen?"

Granny was extremely worried. She hadn't expected her grandson to act like that with Praveen. "I hope so too. Why would he act like that when their marriage is new? What was he thinking? That boy isn't used to him and he's already making things worse."

Emma's mouth fell open as she shook her head, wondering what they were all talking about. "Are you being serious, right now, mother?" She chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. "You can't even consider your grandson's feelings and you are now considering someone else's feelings?"

Granny furiously moved her face, staring angrily at her daughter. "Well, I don't care about his feelings. Praveen is the son-in-law of this house and as such, he deserves more respect from everyone including Antonio. He too took a photo with Bruce..." He pointed at Bruce, making him feel uncomfortable. "...but Praveen didn't even complain although they shouldn't have taken that picture in the first place. So why should it be a problem for him? He's got a lot of explaining to do."

She hissed and looked at Emilia who was still worried. "Please, go and check up on him and make sure he's okay."

Emilia nodded. "Yes!"

She took a deep breath and started rushing towards the stairs, her heart racing. She was hoping that Praveen was alright. She prayed deep in her heart that Antonio hadn't done anything to hurt him otherwise she was gonna forget that he was her son.

She started heading up the stairs but only took one step before she noticed Praveen coming down the stairs with his face down. She stopped and just stared at him from head to toe, examining to see that her son hadn't hurt him. She felt at peace, breathing in deeply when she saw that he was alright.

Meanwhile, Praveen's mind was in the room where he had just left. He had arranged the papers that Antonio had thrown, washed his face, and attended to his bruises before making sure that he was heading down the stairs. He just prayed that none of the family members had heard the entire commotion that had happened in the room.

"Praveen!"

Praveen froze when he heard a sweet voice calling him from down. He quickly raised his face to find his mother in law looking up at him without any smile on her face. Just her look made him feel cold and scared. Could she have known, he thought as he brightened up his face and smiled?

"Mother?" He started coming down the stairs. Each step he took closer to her made him nervous.

"Are you alright?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Err... yes." He lied.

He reached her and she held his hands, leading him to the living room where everyone looked at him as if he had just grown another head. He moved his eyes, looking at everyone. Bruce just rolled his eyes and folded his arms on his chest.

"Son? Why did Antonio come down looking like that? Are you alright?" Granny asked, holding his hands sweetly in hers. "Please, tell me you're alright?"

"Granny... I..." He paused and nodded. "I am alright. Well," He was thinking of a lie because he didn't want them to be sad. "He... he just had a lot of things to do at work and the reason why he looked upset is that they were messing up with his head. I am sure that he will be alright."

He kept a bright smile although deep down inside, his heart was telling him that he had done something terrible by lying. But he had to do it.

"Are you sure?" Granny raised her eyebrow, seeing through him. She could tell he was lying. "Is that the reason he stormed out of here looking like he hasn't slept in days? Did he hurt you or something?"
"No, granny." He shook his head abruptly, rubbing on his arms. He was just hoping no one was gonna know his arms were bruised. "He didn't hurt me. He was just mad because of office work which has become too much plus his music. I am sure he went to get some air. He will be back soon."

Emilia and granny looked at each other. Emilia was just so worried that her son had made her son in law lie. "But Praveen, Celine..."

"Praveen dear, why don't you go and make some tea and snacks for me?" Granny interjected before Emilia could finish her sentence. "I am craving for those wonderful snacks of yours."

Hearing granny's question, Praveen simply smiled and nodded. "Sure, granny. I will make them for everyone."

He slowly bowed his head and started heading to the kitchen. The moment he turned his back to everyone, he lost the smile on his face and got lost in his thoughts again. He was really worried, scared, and emotional. Antonio had never warned him like that and although he was such a jerk, he couldn't help but worry about him.

Emilia and everyone watched as Praveen disappeared into the kitchen.

"But mother..."

"I know, Emilia." Granny gave a gloomy sigh. "I know exactly what you want to say. I know he was lying but I am just so happy and sad at the same time. I am happy because... no matter what would have happened, Antonio wouldn't have found such a boy in his entire life. On the other hand, I am sad because Praveen lied to protect his husband while he's hurting inside."

"I have observed that mother, but why did you just let it go like that?"

"Because... because Praveen is unique." Granny smiled brightly, her eyes still glued on the door where he had disappeared on. "I had expected him to tell his husband off but he didn't do it. Where can we find someone as perfect as him?"

"You're right, granny." Celine sighed relief. "I honestly think that Antonio wouldn't have found himself a jewel as precious as him. But it's all thanks to the almighty that you brought Praveen in his life. I just pray that they fall deeper in love with each other."

Celine's statement made Bruce so angry that he couldn't even stay there. He just turned and left the living room, looking like an evil warrior. He had had enough of Praveen in the house and he was gonna make him pay for it.

"They will. But not until Antonio gets it from me." Granny said angrily, losing the smile on his face. "This is foolish. Who gave him the right to shout at Praveen? The boy and he are yet to get closer and yet he wants to make things awkward. I will talk to him and he'll find me waiting right here."

She turned and went to the living room, leaving everyone looking puzzled and a little upset about different things. Ever since Praveen had come into the house, people had noticed that granny had changed. She was... happier and livelier than she had ever been. Some people thought it was for the best while others like Emma thought it was bad.

***

Praveen was busy kneading the dough to make one of his special cookies for granny and everyone else that needed them. He was kneading slowly, trying to make it smooth but he was so lost deep in his thoughts that he wasn't even aware of his environment. His mind was already back in the room and he could hear Antonio's angry voice and the powerful grip that he had held him with.

Thinking about what had happened, Praveen felt his heart getting heavy and restless. His breaths were becoming a little harsh and his body a little cold. He couldn't even think properly because he was scared and really worried.

"Why did Antonio react like that with me?" He thought, frowning as he got more confused. "It's not like he cares about me or anything. He doesn't even own me. How long shall I continue living like I am his toy? It's not like he even likes me or I like him. I..."

"You!"

Before Praveen could even finish his thoughts, he heard an angry voice on his side and he stopped what he was doing and stood still without even looking at the person. He was already having problems as it was and he didn't want any more. The most annoying thing was that he started getting angry the moment he heard that voice.

"I don't know what game you're playing but I won't let you succeed," Bruce said angrily, pointing at Praveen. "If I were you, I would leave this house early. I told you that I can be aggressive when people mess with me or anything that I own. I can attack from anywhere so you better know where you step because you might yourself in a pit."

Praveen slowly moved his face and looked at the man that was scaring him or rather threatening him. He could tell from the frown on his face, the anger in his eyes, and the way he was harshly breathing that he was in a rage.

"Why?" He smiled mockingly, raising his eyebrows. "Do you see anything that makes you feel that way?"

"Don't play coy with me." Bruce yelled, feeling as if he could kill the boy. "I know what you are doing and I will not let you succeed. You are trying to seduce Antonio so that he can sleep with you and..."

"Even if I am, how is that your business?" Praveen lost the smile on his face. "I am not interested in what you or anyone else thinks because I know myself. I am married to Antonio and it's normal for married couples to sleep with each other, don't you think?"

"How dare..."

"Lower your voice. This isn't your house, Bruce." Praveen had lost his cool. He felt he needed to put Bruce in his place. "I might not be welcome here by some people but at least I know how to behave and I am not a voice. If I was you, I would be really careful because I don't know when I will still be here. And what did you think?" He chuckled bitterly, rolling his eyes. "That you were just gonna come here and scare me and I would be scared?"

"Praveen..." He pointed angrily, his mouth shaking.

"And what did you say?" He chuckled, remembering what Bruce had said. "That no matter what I do, I will never be like you? Well, you're right Bruce, I will never be like you because I am more than you right now. People don't even know who I am and yet they consider me one of the best models alive. They need to see me more. You took a picture with your boyfriend and you had your time but alone, I topped the charts in few hours."

Bruce felt as if Praveen had just ripped a part of his heart and it hurt like hell. He felt as if his heart was about to break out of his chest. He felt a wave of anger take control of his entire body, making him vibrate in anger. He clenched his fists and then breathing in angrily, his eyes widening. He was just so angry.

"Praveen, I will not..."

"I have a lot of things to do and a lot of things to think about." He put his hands together, pleading with the idiot. "Can you leave me alone now? I don't have time for you."

"You will pay for this, Praveen." He swore, shaking his head. "I swear to you."

With those words, Bruce turned and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Praveen alone. Praveen sighed, taking a deep breath. He then shook his head, wondering why he had talked to Bruce like that but he had just been so angry.

Anyway, Bruce deserved it for provoking him. He continued what he was doing and got lost deep in his thoughts again.

***

Antonio entered the huge mansion, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He was sweaty, stinky, and pissed. Throughout the day, he had been really mad. He had gone to the office, snapped at every little thing at the employees, and angrily walked out of a meeting. Everyone at the office had probably been really worried because they knew their boss as a wonderful and carefree guy. They knew that something had happened to him so they understood him.

It was almost 10 PM and he had been hungry the entire day. He hadn't had any food because he had lost his appetite. He had tried... he had tried to make himself calm and find a reason why he was angry but he couldn't do it. His anger was still there.

Antonio was still going inside when he heard someone clapping, making him stop. He quickly froze, moving his eyes in front and found granny clapping, coming closer to him with a smile on her face. She was with his mother and his brother and Emma were also there. He tried to smile but it failed. He had no idea why his granny was doing that.

"Welcome!" Granny clapped even harder. "You're welcome, Mr. Antonio Gonzalez. How was your day?"

Antonio got confused with the tone his granny used. She sounded rather mad, something that he hadn't heard from her in a long time.

"Granny, I am sorry, I just... I had a lot of things to do and..."

"Wow, Antonio!" Granny smiled brighter, standing in front of him. Then she did something that surprised and scared him too. She lost her smile and gave him the most serious angry face he had ever seen from her. "Just wow!" She clapped again. "I am proud of you. Superb! You're a great man. I am proud."

"Granny... I... what's going on?"

"What's going on?" She laughed, looking at Emilia who was also serious. "What's going is that I don't like your behavior, Antonio." She snapped, breathing in deeply. "How dare you do what you did this morning? What gave you the right to try and hurt Praveen?"

Antonio's heart gave a sharp pound in his chest, fear taking a hold of him. He's never heard granny speak to him like that and it kinda got him scared. His fear melted at that moment as he stood still, looking at granny wide-eyed.

"Who do you think you are, Antonio?"

"Granny, I... I..."

"Can't talk now? You surely had a lot to say before you left." She yelled, angrily pointing at him. "You had a photoshoot with someone else and I never heard him complain. What went wrong with Praveen having a shoot with Santiago? Did they do anything wrong?"

Antonio became dumbfounded, feeling as if he had been busted. He had no idea that people had known what had happened. Why wouldn't they? After all, Praveen had such a big mouth. He got angry with the realization that Praveen had told everyone on him. What was his boyfriend going to think now, he thought as he got raged?

"Granny, you've got this all wrong, I swear." He shook his head. "I never had a problem with..."

"And now he's become a liar." She laughed bitterly. "Is this how we raised you, Antonio? This is what's wrong with you kids of nowadays. You think it's okay for you to do things that make you happy but let your spouse do it and you become monsters. That boy has only been in this house for a short while. He is yet to get used to you and look what you did. I have always tolerated you doing anything you want but I won't allow you to hurt that boy, Antonio."

"What, no!" He tried to get closer to granny but she moved back. "You are just misunderstanding this. If this is what he told you then..."

"Praveen never said anything, Antonio." Emilia finally spoke, looking at him as if he had committed an abomination. "He was even trying to lie for you. We know because someone heard you, Antonio. What are you trying to become."

"But mother, why are you not listening to what I am saying? I am your son."

"And Praveen is my son-in-law, Antonio. You're his husband and I am only looking out for his best interest. You're gonna go upstairs, apologize to that boy for your behavior and make things right again."

"But..."

"Antonio, that's not a request." She spoke softly, taking a sigh. "It's an order. Go upstairs and apologize to him right now."

Antonio moved his face angrily, clenching his fists. He had never been so humiliated in his life before. It was painful. His anger, hatred, and pain came crawling right there. He could feel it about to overflow. He couldn't believe his mother and granny had just talked to him like that. It was like he had suddenly lost them. He promised to make the boy pay.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Emilia seethed. "Go up there and apologize now."

Antonio groaned, looked at all of them, and quickly turned, rushing up the stairs. The more he climbed, the more he got angry until it started overflowing. By the time he reached his floor, he was dripping wet with sweat, breathing like an evil warrior. He was seeing ready as his anger got intense.

Reaching his room, he furiously opened the door and found the boy folding some clothes on the bed, his clothes. He entered the room, furiously banging the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Praveen felt his heart pound when he heard the door bang. He moved his face up only to meet with a furious, red-eyed Antonio coming to him. Seeing him, he got really scared but he knew he couldn't be weak. Maybe Antonio wasn't even coming towards him, he hoped.

He quickly took some of the clothes he had been folding and started rushing to the closet. He didn't even walk far before he bumped into something, a body. It was Antonio and it got him scared.

"What the hell did you tell my parents?" Antonio yelled, gripping the arms of the boy.

Praveen felt weak, letting go of the clothes he was holding. They fell to the floor, on both of their feet. He shook his head, wondering what Antonio was talking about. He had a powerful grip on his arm that the bruises started hurting again.

"Antonio..."

"Fuck, when the hell will you stop playing these games?" He yelled, not caring that anyone could hear him. "When the hell will you stop turning everyone against me?"

"Antonio..."

"Shut up!" Antonio pulled Praveen, slamming him to the wall. "I hate you so much because you've made my life miserable." He snapped, shaking his head. "I hate you so much because you've turned my special life into a nightmare ever since you came here. Can't I have some peace?"

Praveen moved his face away as he tried to fight his tears. Out of nowhere, the windows to the room burst open, letting in a really strong wind. Praveen could feel it blowing on his beautiful face, making his tears feel cold.

His hair started blowing uncontrollably backward.

"Until when will you stop turning my family against me?" He seethed, applying pressure on his arms. He slowly started moving his hands down, towards Praveen's hands. He felt something harder on Praveen's hand, probably a bangle but he didn't care.

"I didn't tell anyone anything, Antonio, I swear." He said with a tear following. He was just so scared. "I... I didn't say anything and I am not doing anything to your family. You know that. Please, let me go... you... you are hurting."

"Hurting you?" Antonio chuckled sinisterly, getting closer to the boy as his grip got harder. "You think I wanna hurt you? I hate you so much. I wanna torture you, Praveen. I wanna make you regret ever getting married to me or coming to this house. You are gonna pay for everything."

He tried to apply more pressure but felt something snap in his hand, something that made him stop what he was doing. Before he could even do anything, he felt the boy wince softly and nimble in a painful groan.

He quickly moved his eyes to his hand and found that Praveen's bangle had broken and that wasn't all. It had broken into pieces and Praveen's wrist was hurt but not that much. He was bleeding. Seeing Praveen's blood, Antonio's anger melted away, replaced by fear. He felt terrible when he saw that he had hurt him.

"Fuck!" What had he just done, he thought as he slowly moved his hand, letting the pieces of the bangle fall to the floor?

His eyes were on Praveen's wrist. It was just two tiny cuts but the boy was still bleeding. Shit! He felt like an asshole, an animal. That was when granny's words came to him. If she ever found out that he had hurt the boy, he didn't even know what she was gonna do to him. He was scared.

Praveen on the other hand slowly moved his other hand to his wrist, trying to hide his pain. He slowly opened his eyes and got surprised by what he saw. He could see fear, regret, and pain in Antonio's face. Just what was going on he thought, as a tear went down his cheeks? He had no idea why Antonio was causing such pain to him.

"I... I... I..." Antonio's voice was cutting. He didn't know what to do. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I... I swear. I didn't."

But Praveen just stared at his husband without even saying anything. He was in pain but somehow, he was more concerned about Antonio than he was about himself. He knew the man was going through something. Why the hell would he hurt him like that?

"I..."

Antonio quickly rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He quickly ran to the terrace and just sat there, wondering what the hell was going on with him. Even though he hated Praveen, he didn't need to hurt him like that. Wait! Was that the reason why he was even acting like an animal? He could feel all kinds of emotions building up inside of him, something that he had never felt before.

What was going on?

Meanwhile, in the room, Praveen was still standing there, looking at the door where Antonio had disappeared, wondering what was going on through his head. He could tell that it was more than the hatred that Antonio said he had for him. He had never hurt him that way before. What was happening to his life?

***

Since that night, everything changed for Praveen and Antonio. Antonio started avoiding Praveen even talking to him. They just passed each other like strangers who had never met before. Maybe even strangers even greeted at times but things were awkward.

Antonio pretended to be happy when he was with his family, smiling and talking to them but he wasn't fooling anyone. Granny and Emilia could tell that nothing was the same anymore. His mood was always foul, especially when Praveen went out or Santiago called Praveen or even came to see him.

Praveen was getting affected by what was happening. He had a feeling of emptiness inside of him, something was missing but he had no idea what it was. He could see Antonio and Andrea talking, laughing, and at times with Bruce but the man was still not happy.

Praveen had never thought that he would miss talking to Antonio. Thanks to long sleeves, no one had noticed his cut on the hand or the bruises that were on his wrists. Whenever granny or anyone asked him how the relationship with his husband was, he always came up with an excuse that they were all fine.

Although, Ethan had talked to him at one time and he had told him what was going on. Ethan had told him that his friend was probably just jealous but he had just laughed it out. Antonio would never be jealous because he had Bruce by his side and they spent time together, in fact, more than that time.

As for Bruce, he was trying all he could to deny that his hunch was wrong. No wonder, he did everything he could to make his boyfriend happy and forget that there was Praveen. But something about Antonio was making him mad although he never snapped or demanded answers. After all, he didn't wanna argue with him or get to hear something he didn't wanna hear. So he kept his cool but he needed to find a permanent solution to his solution, something that would bind Antonio to him.

***

5 days later

*

"Are you crazy?" Antonio fumed, angrily getting up from the bed. "Why would you even ask me that? Did you think about this carefully before..."

"Yes, I did, Antonio!" Bruce yelled, following Antonio behind. He gripped his arm harder, pulling him back. Their faces were now close. "I love you so much, Antonio, and my life revolves around you."

"I love you too," Antonio said, pulling his arm away. "But I can't do what you are asking me to do. Did you call to your hotel because of this?"

"Yes!" Bruce said, tears building in his eyes. "This is truly important. I wanna be yours forever, please, don't deny me this. What would connect us more than this?"

"Love!" Antonio yelled in Bruce's face. "Isn't it enough that we are in love?"
"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you insinuating?" He asked, feeling angry. "What else do you still want me to do?"

"Antonio, please..."

"No, tell me." He chuckled bitterly. "I am a married man, at least, to everyone including my family. What do you think they'll do when they find out about this? They don't even know about us and you want me to do this. No!"

"They won't know. I just wanna have..."

"No!" He tried to move but Bruce pulled him back. "What?"

"I love you and I just wanna carry your baby inside me." He furiously raised a note. "Male pregnancy has been tested and it has been approved, Antonio. I went to see one of the doctors and..."

"Why would you even do that, Bruce?" Antonio was really angry. "Did you think about the consequences of this? Did you ask me or you just thought about your own selfish needs? Did you think about the problems that..."

"I don't care. I just wanna have your baby, Antonio." He cupped his boyfriend's cheeks, planting a kiss on his lips. "I want you to just listen to what I am saying. I wanna have your baby, Antonio, our baby."

"Why? We are not married."

"But we are gonna be soon, aren't we?"

Antonio got the shock of his life by that question. He tried to open his mouth but no words came out. "I can't believe this. Of course, you know that will happen. I am gonna marry you."

"Then let me carry your baby and..."

"It could be dangerous and my family will disown me for it." He said, pulling himself free from Bruce. "I will not accept this and until you come back to your senses, I don't wanna have this type of conversation again, do you understand?"

"But..."

"No!"

Antonio furiously turned and stormed out of the room, shutting the door with such force that Bruce could have sworn the ground shook. Seeing Antonio leave, Bruce's tears came rushing down in billions. He covered his face as more tears came flowing.

He was so hurt... his heart was bleeding... his body was really weak... his entire system felt weak. He was really mad deep inside because Praveen was to be blamed.

"No!" He furiously rubbed his tears. "I won't allow myself to be defeated. I will win this game whether Praveen likes it or not." He chuckled bitterly. "Antonio, you're, mine and I will make you mine forever."

He rubbed his tears as an evil grin appeared on his face. He wasn't gonna accept defeat. Antonio was his and his alone.

***

Praveen was coming out of the kitchen, his mind elsewhere. He had just come from giving instructions to the maids on what to cook for granny that afternoon. He had had a pretty tough week, especially with all the tension that was going on in the house. Truly, Antonio was making his life miserable. He was really tired but he still wanted to do some things to get him busy and forget about what Antonio was doing to him.

He was dressed in a tight, brown t-shirt with a black skinny jeans and gray sandals on his feet. His hair was tied in a braided ponytail, revealing his gorgeous beautiful face. He was still wearing spectacles and he was still slaying his look.

"Hey!"

Praveen's thoughts got disturbed when he heard a really happy voice calling him. He quickly moved his face up to find Emilia and granny smiling at him in the living room. They were with Emma and Celine. He put up a fake smile and started rushing towards them.

Reaching them, he bowed his head and touched their feet, getting blessings from them. They all smiled but when he was about to touch Emma's feet, she moved her legs and looked away. He just smiled sheepishly and then sat closer to granny, letting her hold his hands.

"Darling, you looked lost." She said with a smile. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Of course," He lied, shaking his head, giving her the brightest grin. "You don't have to worry about me, okay?"

"Alright."

"Anyway, Praveen, we have great news for you and I am sure you'll be happy." Emilia bubbled, smiling as she had just won a lottery.

"News?" Emma thought, frowning her face. "Why the hell do they always treat him like a king? Shit! This boy is getting on my last nerve. I am gonna have to get rid of him one way or the other."

She repositioned herself and then paid attention to what was going on.

"Mother, what..."

"Just hold on for a minute."

Just then, Andrea came into the living room talking on the phone, laughing and smiling brightly. She was wearing a bright pink designer's dress which was knee-high, blue high heeled shoes, and a small blue leather jacket. Her curves were on full view.

Her makeup was glowing with makeup and her lips were red as blood. Her hair was curled and let loose which made her look even more beautiful. She came and sat on the couch close to her mother and then cut the call. Then she looked at both her mother and granny.

"Mom, I was told you wanted to see me. And it's urgent." She asked, wondering why they had called her. "What's going?"

Granny and Emilia looked at each other and then smiled. Emilia then took her daughter's hands, sweetly rubbing on them. "My love..." She chuckled happily, breathing in deeply. "...you know I love you so much, right."

Andrea raised her eyebrow, looking all around. "Okay..." She wasn't sure of what to take of what her mother told her. "...why does this sound weird? What's going on?" She chuckled happily.

Emilia smiled even brighter and then this time looked at Praveen who was just as confused. "I have got really good news for you. I am sure that you'll be just as happy as I am when you hear it."

"Really?" Andrea got excited, literally jumping from the seat. She was a sucker for surprises. "Tell me."

"Well..." She started and took in a deep breath. "...your granny and I have found a perfect match for you, someone we know will be able to make you happy."

The moment Andrea heard that her smile instantly started fading. Her heart started racing beyond control, her body feeling both hot and cold. Her nerves started getting to her as she started shaking a bit. Her mother's words kept on ringing in her head. "We've found a match for you."

Praveen and Celine on the other hand smiled brightly when they heard that. Even Emma smiled brightly.

"What?" Andrea gasped, feeling as if she was running out of breath. "Mom, but..."

"Listen to me honey," Emilia said, rubbing on her daughter's hands. "This boy is really good. He's handsome, successful, and very humble. We'll never find a better match than this for you. I assure you this. Besides," She smiled. "You know him and I am sure you also like him. He's been coming to this house."

Andrea felt her heart jump in her chest the moment she heard that. Adrenaline rushed to her entire body, feeling it rushing in and out of her system. Then suddenly, a smile popped up on her face when she realized who they were talking about. She was just so excited, really happy because it had been her dream. OMG, she couldn't believe it was happening.

"Wow! She's brushing." Celine teased, laughing at the top of her voice. "I think she likes him too."

Andrea dropped her eyes to the floor and blushed. Damn, even Praveen was happy for her.

"Why wouldn't she?" Granny raised her eyebrow, teasing her. "He's a good man and they'll make such a good couple. We are gonna see the boy this evening so we just wanted to inform you so you won't act surprised when we break it to you."

"That's nice, mother." Emma was really happy. Her smile was priceless. It was the first time Praveen had ever seen her smile. "I can't believe my Andrea is gonna get married. This is nice."

"Of course," Granny laughed happily. "It's nice, especially since the boy has got all the values we need. Santiago is a good boy and they'll make such a good couple."

"Santiago!"

That name gave Andrea the greatest shock of her life. She quickly raised her face, instantly losing the smile on her face. A big frown appeared on her face as her heart raced. She instantly started sweating, feeling as if she couldn't breathe.

"What?" She gasped, breathing in deeply.

Andrea's eyes widened in shock as her mouth gaped. Everyone was now shocked by her expression.

To be continued…