Destined Hearts - 10. Chapter 10: Andrea's marriage is fixed. Will this relieve Praveen of some troubles?

"What?" Andrea gasped, her mouth shaking like a leaf. "Mother, why would you do that without asking for my consent first and..."

"Your consent?" Granny laughed jokingly. "Are you serious, Andrea? You very well know that when parents find a better match for their children, they don't even need to waste time. We'll never find a better match like Santiago. And what happened? I thought just a few seconds ago you were all smiles. What's going on?"

Andrea couldn't believe what she was hearing from her grandmother. There was no way she was gonna marry the pig. Shit! She was eyeing someone else and that was who her granny and mother were supposed to get for her.

Praveen on the other hand just sat silently, trying to digest what he'd heard. First of all, Santiago was a good man and he thought Andrea didn't deserve him. They were on different levels when it came to kindness but in that case, he just had to listen and hear everyone's views.

"Your grandmother is right," Emilia said, holding her daughter's hand sweetly, smiling brightly at her. "The boy is very rich, but most importantly he's well cultured, kind and a good boy for that matter. I know that he..." She held her chin up, hoping to see a smile. "...he will make you happy. There's nothing in this world that would make me happy than to see my daughter happy. Santiago is that man."

Andrea felt like crying. She quickly moved her eyes to Praveen, feeling like strangling him there and then. She knew that they were doing this because they wanted to get rid of the rift that was forming between him and her brother. Annoying little bitch, she thought as she clenched her fists.

"But mother..."

"Shh..." Emilia put her finger on her daughter's lips. "...we didn't need your opinion on this dear. We just called you all so that we can inform you so that you wouldn't get surprised. We're gonna see the boy this evening to take your proposal."

"What?" Andrea's heart gave a sharp pound, feeling like it was about to rip out. "This evening? But mom, you're just telling me this right now and..."

"Yes, dear. We need to act fast because such men are always in demand by girls' families. If we miss this opportunity, we'll never find it again. We can't afford to lose it." Granny chuckled. She was just so happy. She moved her eyes to Praveen and Celine. "What do you think?"

Celine took a deep breath, failing to hide her smile. " I think this is a thing of joy. There's nothing more important than a girl getting married and that too to a man like Santiago. I think it is a good decision. I know Andrea is classy, elegant, and beautiful and from all the qualities I observed from Santiago, they'll make the perfect match."

"See..." Emilia smiled at her daughter. "And Praveen?"

"Uh?" Praveen gasped, feeling cornered. "Well, I have interacted with him and... and I think it is a good match. Besides, I think Andrea needs someone like him, someone that I know will love her and make her happy." Though he said, he wasn't completely sure about the alliance. "I think it's a good decision."

"See, everyone thinks so." She smiled, rubbing on her daughter's cheeks who was staring at Praveen, imagining she was strangling him there and then. "Don't worry about anything. Arranged marriages are normal and you know that.

And if you're worried about getting to know him, there's a lot of time for you two to spend with each other and get to know each other."

Andrea was defeated. She simply just nodded.

"I know what your plan is, Praveen." She thought, giving him an evil look. "You want to get rid of me so that you can seduce my brother, cast a spell on him, and lure him into your clutches and finally control all the companies with him. But guess what, sweetheart, I will never allow you to do that. You want this marriage to happen right..." She smiled genuinely, shaking her head. "...then fine, this marriage shall happen but with a little twist. I will get you out of this house at the snap of my finger."

She took a deep sigh, smiling softly at her mother. "You know what's best for me, mother."

Hearing her daughter's words, Emilia felt joyous. She couldn't believe Andrea had just agreed to the marriage. It was wonderful. Finally, her daughter was gonna be getting married.

"Oh my God," She gasped, touching her chest. "Thank you so much, Andrea."

Andrea nodded and got up from the chair. "Excuse me, mom."

She quickly got up, losing the smile that was on her face. She clenched her fists, feeling a whole lot of anger taking control of her. She wanted to kill someone, punch something, and just bury it alive and that something was Praveen. She was really mad at him.

***

"Uh..." Andrea screamed, furiously throwing things off the table. "What the fuck?"

Her hair was a mess... She was sweating... She was hyperventilating... her blood was boiling... Her heartfelt like it was about to come out of her throat... Her body was quivering... her entire being was not okay. She didn't remember the last time she was that mad.

"Me?" She laughed angrily, pointing at herself. "That... That man? No!" She gripped her hair, pulling on it like she wanted to rip it out. "What the fuck? No!"

"Will you calm down?" Bruce smiled mockingly, putting his cup of coffee on the small table. He gracefully got up from the chair, cat walking to his friend. He was dressed seductively in beautiful orange skinny pants, green tight shirt, and sandals on his feet. He had a band around his head, revealing his sexy face.

"Calm down?"

"Calm down!" He laughed, almost in mock. "Why are you getting bothered over such a small problem? Santiago isn't that bad. He's handsome, though not like my Antonio. He's sexy, muscular, and yummy and he's built like hell. He's got those strong arms that when they wrap themselves around you would make you weak and cream yourself. And those lips when they kiss would make you..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Andrea yelled, making his friend raise his hands like he was surrendering. "Can you hear yourself? If you can't help me with this problem then shut the hell up before I do that for you."

"I was just saying..."

"Oh really?" Andrea got closer to her friend. "How would you like it if I just watch Antonio and Praveen fall for each other because they're married?"

"You wouldn't dare?" Bruce gave a nervous chuckle. "You're bluffing. You wouldn't do that."

"Then shut the hell up and help me." She snarled. "That boy planned all this. He's trying to get rid of me in that house so that he can finally succeed in seducing my brother. Can't you see? Are you that dumb?

How come they just suggested my marriage immediately after my brother got mad at Praveen because of Santiago? They're trying to bring the two closer. This entire marriage thing is a plan and if you're just gonna sit there feeling like you've won then you've got another thing coming. Praveen has made a really big move."

Hearing Andrea's words, Bruce got weak and scared. Now he knew that the reason why they wanted this marriage was to bring Antonio and Praveen closer.

"OMG!" He gasped, feeling like he needed some air. "What are we gonna do?"

"What happened?" Andrea smiled, folding her arms on her chest. "Are you not excited about my marriage anymore? What changed your mind?" Then she rolled her eyes. "You know sometimes I wonder if you're my friend at all. Just because I mentioned Antonio and that bitch and now you're willing to help me. Wow!"

"Look, I am sorry but I can't lose Antonio. He and I have come a long way and we love each other." He said, rubbing the sweat from his forehead. He was now feeling the heat. "We need to do something and quick."

Andrea shook her head, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. "I think we need to come up with a plan that will cripple Praveen for life, something that will permanently remove him from the house. We need to do something and quick because I am not getting married to Santiago unless the man I love." She blushed, rubbing on her lips seductively.

"What are you trying to say?"

Andrea got up from the chair, smiling like an evil empress. "We need to kill two birds with one stone."

Andrea gave Bruce an evil grin and both of them just grinned at each other. What were they up to?

****

"Here you go." Praveen smiled, handing the cup of hot chocolate milk to Ryan while Emma watched him where she sat from the chair with other family members.

"Thanks, uncle!" Ryan leaned forward, kissing Praveen on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." He kissed him on the forehead, drawing chuckles from him. "Now why don't you run along and go and play outside?"

Ryan left laughing, really happy. Praveen watched as he left, smiling like an angel. He got up and then slowly went to the living room where there were Celine, Eduardo, and Emma together, talking and laughing. Seeing Emma there, Praveen got really nervous and extremely scared.

"Err... Would anyone like something to eat?"

Emma lost the smile on her face, rolling her eyes. "Of course, anything not prepared by you is fine by me."

Praveen lost the smile on his face, dropping his eyes to the floor. Ouch! That was painful and he still failed to understand why Emma still hated him so much. He had practically done everything to please her and honestly, he had no idea what else she wanted him to do so that he could accept her. Three people in the house so far were making his life miserable.

"Don't worry, Praveen..." Eduardo gave him the brightest smile, making him smile back. "...just come and sit with us. You'll be bored if you stay alone and besides, your husband is not home yet."

Praveen nodded and sat next to Celine who held his hand, sweetly rubbing on it. He couldn't help but smile at her.

Suddenly, before anyone could say anything, they saw granny and Emilia coming through the door and the moment they saw them, they all got worried. Both granny and Emilia were looking like they'd just come from a funeral. They had frowned on their faces and they... they just didn't look okay.

"Mom?" Eduardo rushed towards them. "Are you okay? What's going on? Why do you look like that?"

But both of them were quiet. They got to the living room and sat down, still looking lost.

"Mother?" Celine rushed towards her mother in law, kneeling in front of her. She cupped her cheek and then looked into her face. "Mother, please? Tell us. We're all worried. What's going on?"

Emilia slightly closed her eyes, taking a sigh. "He didn't accept it." She simply said, making Celine cover her mouth. "He didn't accept the proposal."

"What?" Celine gasped, shaking her head. "But why mother?"

"For reasons, he couldn't explain to us," Granny said, rubbing her face. "We did all we could but Santiago couldn't accept the proposal. Santiago has rejected the proposal for our Andrea."

"What?" A voice was heard throughout the living room, right before they heard the sound of high heels coming towards them.

All of them got up, looking towards the sound where they saw Andrea rushing towards them with Bruce behind her. She was looking pissed, worried and something that no one could read.

"He rejected the proposal?"

"Andrea, honey..."

"No, mother," Andrea said, her voice rising. "This is what I don't like. I told you that you should have asked for my consent before deciding this, didn't I? But now, that boy has rejected me?" She laughed, shaking her head like she was hurt but deep down she was happy. Bruce came behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

"This is what I was trying to avoid." She nodded. "Now he's out there thinking that you guys were desperate and I..." She pointed at herself. "...I had no other choice but for him. I tried to tell you this but... but Santiago is a modern boy and he probably isn't into all this arranged marriage thing and..."

"Andrea, it's not like that," Emilia explained. "He agreed that he believes so much in arranged marriages and he assured us that he'd have agreed but due to circumstances beyond his control, he rejected the proposal and he also apologized for..."

"And you believed that?" Andrea yelled, furiously dropping her hands. "This is painful, mother. I mean, being rejected by someone that... that you never even thought of. What will he think of me now, mother?" A fake tear went down her cheeks.

"Of course," Emma chuckled, eyeing Praveen like he was food. "Why wouldn't he reject the proposal when you have invited bad luck in your house?"

Praveen got hurt. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Emma was talking about him. He looked at Emma, their eyes meeting. He quickly dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling like an outcast in the house.

"Why wouldn't he reject the proposal when that bad luck already got him?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Granny asked angrily. "Are you trying to say..."

"I am trying to say that ever since you got this boy married to Antonio, nothing has been going right in this house." She said in a high tone. "Antonio is not happy, and now Andrea's proposal has been rejected. Do you know what it means when a girl's proposal is rejected?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Emilia said, angry at Emma for even saying something like that. "How can you even utter something like that? Who told you Antonio is not happy with Praveen?"

Emma laughed at Emilia's words. "I don't expect you to understand since you don't even care about your own son anymore."

Emilia tried to say something but she couldn't find words to use. She was really mad at Emma for saying something so bad about Praveen. She looked at him, seeing him playing with his hands and his eyes fixed on the floor. Her heart broke.

"Do you realize that without Praveen, we probably wouldn't have met this young man, not to talk about knowing how he is? You didn't even like Santiago so what's this you're saying?"

"Well, Praveen isn't God, is he?" She folded her arms on her chest. "Antonio had a photoshoot at their company. One way or another, that boy would have come to this house. I don't owe this boy anything. As long as he's still in this house, nothing will ever be right. Now only God knows what that boy is thinking of us and my poor Andrea right now."

Praveen couldn't stay there anymore. As it was, he was bleeding and hurt. But he promised not to cry in front of his in-laws. He simply turned and started walking away slowly.

"Excuse me."

"Praveen!" Granny called.

"Don't worry, granny." He looked behind, smiling faintly. "I am okay. Just attend to Andrea. I am sure she's going through a lot right now."

With those words, he simply went away from the living room.

"See!" Emma said angrily, getting closer to Andrea. "You don't even care about your daughter's feelings." She wrapped her arms around Andrea, hugging her tightly. "It's okay, sweetie. Why don't you come with me so that I can make you feel better? It seems I am the only one here who cares."

Andrea nodded and followed her aunt with Bruce behind her. While they were going, an evil grin appeared on her face.

"Even God doesn't want me to leave this house." She thought as she grinned at Bruce. "I didn't even get to do anything and it's already working in my favor. I guess God has given me another chance to play some mischief. You're so going down Praveen."

Meanwhile, in the living room, granny sat on the couch now even more worried than she had come.

"What was the need of saying all that to poor Praveen?" Eduardo too was angry. "Why does aunt do this to him? Why can't she just accept him and move on?"

"I have no idea." Emilia sighed, looking at Celine. "Dear, can you please go and check up on Praveen? I am pretty sure he's hurting right now."

"Sure!" She quickly got up and left the living room.

***

"Where could he have gone?" Emilia shuddered, looking at all the faces in front of her and around her.

"Calm down, mom." Celine tried to hold her but she retaliated, moving away from her.

"How do you expect me to calm down when Praveen is nowhere to be seen?" She was really scared and worried. She moved to her son who was standing there staring at her without uttering a word. "Antonio, you need to find him."

"Mom, I..." He stammered, thinking of what to say to her so that she could calm down. He was really worried too. He had tried Praveen's phone and found that he had left it. "...I will find him but try to calm down. He probably just went out and..."

"He never leaves this house without informing us. You know that Antonio. And without any of the cars? I have a really bad feeling about this."

Antonio had no words to say to his mother. He'd never seen her worried. She simply sat on the couch with her hands on her face.

"This is your fault, Emma." Granny gawped, looking at her with wide eyes. "If you had kept your mouth shut then you wouldn't have hurt him."

"Me?" Emma pointed angrily at herself, shaking her head. She couldn't believe her mother had just said that to her in the presence of her entire family. "What have I done? Is telling the truth now a crime. Your granddaughter was just hurt and you're just brushing it off like it was nothing.

Let Praveen just play some drama..." She laughed mockingly, opening her arms wide. "...everyone will be looking for him. You know what, mother..." She got serious. "...you are just being a puppet to that boy. Until when will you realize that he is nothing but trouble..."

"Not as much trouble as you've caused, Emma," Granny said angrily, getting closer to her daughter. "...you are a mother, Emma and before anything else, a grandmother. Very soon, little Ryan will be grown up. How will you feel if he'll be maltreated by his in-laws? Has that ever crossed your mind?"

Emma smiled brightly as she'd just won a lottery. "No! Because that won't ever happen. My grandson will marry into one of the best families and someone who'll love him and who he'll love back. So I won't ever have to worry."

Granny was really upset by her answer. She shook her head furiously, diverting her eyes to Antonio who was standing there looking lost. Perhaps the pressure placed on the boy had been too much that he just ran away. That would have been good for Antonio but he wasn't happy. He was rather worried about the whole issue.

"Antonio..." He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his grandmother and she wasn't smiling. "Dear, please, you and Eduardo should go and look for him. Bring my grandson back."

Antonio nodded. "Yes, granny."

He gestured to Eduardo and the two of them started rushing out of the living room. They just took a few steps when they stopped in their tracks, looking forward. It was Praveen, entering the door with a serious look on his face. When he saw them, he stopped and just stood still, his eyes looking forward.

Praveen's heart pounded deeper in his chest, feeling like someone had just scared him to death. Seeing the entire family in the living room, looking the way they were, he got worried. He was just hoping it wasn't that serious.

"Praveen!" Eduardo gasped, alerting the entire family. "Thank God you are here. Everyone's been worried."

Hearing Praveen's name, Emilia quickly got up and rushed to him. Reaching him, she quickly gripped him into a tight hug, pulling him closer to her.

"God, Praveen, you scared me." She pulled away from him. "Where did you go? You have no idea how worried we've been."

Praveen got even more scared. He couldn't believe that he'd made his family so worried. It wasn't his intention to make them that worried.
"Mother, I..."

"Anyway, forget it." She smiled brightly, cupping his cheeks in her palms. "Come inside and..."

"Well, mother, I... I..."

"He came to see me." A voice was heard throughout the entire house.

Everyone's eyes moved to the door, widening as they'd just seen something really surprising. It was Santiago, dressed in a beautiful black skinny jeans, a red shirt that was halfway done, exposing his gorgeous muscular chest and his hair. He wasn't smiling. He was really serious.

"You?" Emilia tried her best to smile. "What are you doing here?"

Santiago rushed to her, going for her legs. "Please, bless me." He touched her feet,

Emilia slowly and hesitantly touched his head. She didn't know how to act around him, especially since he'd rejected her daughter. She didn't hate him though because she understood his reasons. But she wasn't happy because her daughter had been rejected.

"Bless you."

"What are you doing here?" Emma said in a rude tone, weirdly looking at him.

"I am sorry." He apologized softly, going towards everyone. "I know that you might hate me so much right now and I probably deserve it."

"Yeah!" Emma jeered, moving slowly towards him. "Why would we welcome you with open arms after what you did to..."

"Emma!" Granny didn't need to tell Emma what she wanted to say. Emma got it.

"My son, I am..."

"I accept!" Santiago beamed. His face was brighter than anyone in the house had ever seen it before. "I accept your proposal."

The moment he said that Andrea felt her heartbeat deep in her throat. She felt weak in the knee, feeling like she was about to fall. She was about to fall if not for Bruce that held her quickly. Her eyes widened as she failed to breathe, feeling like someone had cut off her oxygen supply. Her body felt cold like someone had poured ice on her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was a joke.

"I accept the proposal." Those words kept ringing in her head as they made her weak.

"What?" Emilia exclaimed, a brilliant smile appearing on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" He bubbled, looking at everyone's faces. "I will marry your daughter."

"Really?" Emilia still couldn't believe it. "OMG, but you..."

"I know what I had said and I am sorry."

Emilia smiled brightly and went straight to him, cupping his cheeks. She kissed both his cheeks and gave him a tight hug. Then she took him to the living room and made him sit close to her and granny. Everyone was now smiling except for Andrea and Bruce. They were surprised. Even Emma was really happy. The guy was super rich and handsome. What more could she want for her niece?

"What made you change your mind?" Granny burst. She was just so excited. "When we came to see you, you seemed to stand on your decision."

Santiago slowly raised his head, his eyes landing on Praveen who was standing a little distant from him. A smile shot up his face, his heart beating rhythmically and with passion. He had no idea why he felt so calm, so at peace and so happy whenever he stared at Praveen. He was the best, the complete package although he was taken.

"A heart so pure that it can talk to your very soul." He said sweetly, feeling his body vibrate.

Praveen smiled back, dropping his eyes to the floor, blushing. Santiago was the kindest guy he'd ever met in his life. He was just wishing him a happy life.

"Praveen!" Emma bubbled as she looked at him lovingly. "I should have known. He's truly an angel."

"No, mother..." He quickly raised his face, nodding sweetly. "...I just had to go and talk to my friend, find out what had made him reject the proposal. The rest was done by him. He's the one you should be thanking and not me."

"All credit goes to you."

The two souls smiled brightly at each other.

"Praveen!" Andrea thought as she clenched hard on her dress, feeling her body vibrate. "You bitch, you stupid bitch." She wanted to cry. She wanted to rip his fucking neck off, watch him die on the floor. But she couldn't do all that. "You've ruined my plans, you idiot."

"Andrea!" Andrea was gotten out of her thoughts when she heard granny's voice. She gasped, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Yes, granny..."

"Come here!" Granny gestured, giving her a brilliant smile. "Come and sit with your husband to be."

Andrea felt her stomach move and her breath stop. She got a irritating vibration on her skin and wanted to puke. Without saying anything, she went towards Santiago and shyly sat with him while everyone just smiled brightly, even Antonio. For some reason, his hatred for Santiago was somehow vanishing. Why was that happening when he didn't like the guy one bit?

Anyway, the plans for the engagement started there and then. Granny was so happy that she couldn't wait. She suggested that they started discussing the wedding as soon as they met Santiago's brother and anyone else that was still alive in the family. It was a happy occasion except for Andrea who felt defeated. She didn't know what to do.

***

"I am in love with someone, okay?" Santiago's voice was high. "But being in love like this hurts."

"What do you mean?" Praveen asked, raising his eyebrows. "Shouldn't that be something to celebrate? You should have told them that but..."

"It's not that simple." Santiago's eyes were watery. "Not when you're in love with someone that is already someone else's, someone that's already married."

Praveen froze, staring at Santiago without even blinking. What he'd heard was too much to digest and sad to some extent. The guy was in love with someone who was married, he thought as his mouth shook? Why? How? When? He had lots of questions that he needed answers to. But did he have the right to ask him?

"This is like a curse, Praveen." He quickly rubbed a tear that was making its way to his cheeks. "I swear, it hurts because each day that you live, you get to realize that that person can never be yours. You get to realize that that person is happy with someone else and not you. It hurts, a whole lot but as long as that person is happy, I am really happy. I will always be happy."

That had happened a few hours back but they were still fresh in his mind. He couldn't believe how on one hand, Santiago seemed to have it all, like he was happy but on the other, he was sad. He felt for him and he wished he had helped him.

"Okay, just think about it." He had said, looking deep in his eyes. "How would that woman feel if she got to realize that you're in love with her?" He had asked him with a lot of emotions in his voice. "Imagine how she would feel if she got to know that because of that love, you have refused to start a new life."

Santiago had gotten close to Praveen, slowly rubbed on his cheek while looking emotionally in his face.

"What would you do?" He had asked, shaking his head. "What will you say to me?" He had said, making Praveen scared at his question. "I mean if you were her."

"I would want you to get married and make her happy." He had responded without any thought. "Marrying someone else doesn't mean you don't love me anymore. You can continue loving me even though you are married to her and eventually she'd take that love you feel for me and you would be happy. You would learn to let go of me and you would be happy with your new life."

After his answer, Santiago had hugged him tightly and told him that he was gonna accept the proposal for Andrea.

Praveen was now walking slowly towards his room, deep in thought. He had a really strange feeling and had no idea what had to be done to let all his worries go away. They'd all had dinner with Santiago and he just wanted to sleep. On one hand was Antonio acting all strange and on the other was Santiago.

"Did I make a mistake by convincing Santiago to marry Andrea?" He thought, feeling bad. "Will she make Santiago happy?" He stopped in his tracks, putting his hands together and bringing them forward. His eyes looked up as he took a deep breath. "Dear God, please guide my path and help me, but help Santiago even more. He made this decision because of me and I don't know if what I said to him was right. I don't want him to be unhappy.

But you know the reason why I did this. I love granny and mother so much that I couldn't bear to see them sad. Please," He breathed. "If this is a bad decision, don't make Santiago suffer or unhappy. Let me get the punishment because I forced him into this. He's a good man and deserves to be happy always. Please, help him with everything and let him prosper."

He slowly bowed his head and was about to continue going to his room when suddenly...

"Wow, he's praying..." He heard Bruce's mocking voice.

He stopped in his tracks and just stood still. Bruce and Andrea came and stood in front of him and God knows he'd never seen the look Andrea was giving him. It was scary. Was she angry or happy, he thought, gripping his shirt?

"Are you praying for my departure from this house?" Andrea accused, folding her arms angrily on her chest.

"What?" Miguel was rather surprised. "Why would you ask that? This is your house and..."

"Exactly!" Andrea fumed, furiously dropping her hands. "How dare you play that stunt?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't think you did me a favor by bringing Santiago." She warned, pointing angrily at him. "Whom do you think you are, Praveen? How dare you try to predict how my life should go and whom I should marry?"

"I don't think I did that, Andrea." He breathed. "I only did that because of my mother and granny." He wasn't scared of her because he was used to her anger. "Santiago is a very good man and he's my friend. Granny and mother did all they could to fix this alliance with him and I only thought it would be good if I helped them."

"Oh, and you think that..."

"I don't think anything." He said rudely. "You might think I did this for you but I didn't. As I said, Santiago is a very good man and I don't think you deserve someone like him, Andrea. You two are completely different and I hope he'll continue being happy even after this marriage."

With those words, he started walking away from them but before he could even take two steps, Bruce furiously gripped his arm, pulling him back.

"Don't try to be a saint because we know what you are..."

"I am not trying to play a saint or anything." He angrily released his hand, looking at Bruce like he wanted to beat him. "And I think I have spoken to you for long. I don't even have to answer you. Look, if you're looking for trouble, I don't have it."

He walked away from them and went to his room. The two friends remained standing there, staring at the door he'd entered. They were furiously.

"Don't think that you've won anything by doing this." Andrea grinned evilly, looking at her friend. "This is just the beginning and you'll be surprised by the turn out of events. If I were you, I would be careful."

"What have you got planned?"

"A lot!" Andrea said abruptly. "But we need to hit him hard and very soon. He has overstayed his welcome."

"I don't..."

"I will explain to you."

Meanwhile, when Praveen entered the room, he found that Antonio was not there. He thanked his lucky stars because he was not ready to face any drama that night. He was just too tired. He just brushed his teeth and went to sleep on his couch. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep even before Antonio came to the room.

***

"Sure!" Antonio smiled brightly, throwing the towel he was toweling his hair with. "I will do that."

He waited for a second before answering again. "A meeting! Sure, that would be nice. I will meet you at the grand prime hotel at 3 today."

He waited while smiling. "Thank you too."

He cut the call, smiling brightly. Another businessman was interested in his music company and that meant more money was gonna come. He was just so happy that he felt like dancing. Putting the phone down, he just met with Praveen's eyes, staring at him sternly.

"What?" His mood with Praveen seemed to improve. Even Praveen was surprised. "Can't a guy be happy even though he's staying with you?"

"Well..." Praveen raised the towel, showing it to his husband. "...you should try cleaning the room one day. Maybe you won't be throwing things anyhow in this room."

With those words, he threw the towel on Antonio's face, surprising the guy. "What?" Antonio removed the towel, following Praveen behind.

"Don't ruin my mood because another deal is about to..."

"Look, I don't care about your mood and..."

Praveen quickly turned and something happened. The very moment he turned, he hit into Antonio who was rushing behind him. Both of them were heading for the floor. Antonio hit the floor with his back while Praveen fell on top of him. Without even realizing it, Antonio quickly wrapped his arms tightly around Praveen's waist, bringing his body closer as both of them hit the floor.

Praveen's mouth went straight to Antonio's face, kissing his cheek, very close to his lips. Shit! His hair flipped forward so quickly, covering Antonio's face. When Antonio breathed out deeply, it hit Praveen's face so hard that he felt his body vibrate in what he couldn't even explain. Feeling Antonio's powerful arms around his waist, he couldn't control the shivers that overtook his body. Where his hands were, it felt really cold there.

When Antonio slightly closed his eyes and when he opened them, it was to look into Praveen's beautiful eyes that seemed to be glowing. First, he could have sworn he saw the moon in Praveen's eyes. His body on top of him felt different. Feeling his hair on his face felt different too, magnificent. His breath also felt different.

The two souls couldn't help but stare into each other's eyes. They were alone in this world, literally. Antonio felt nervous. He couldn't move his hands away from Praveen's waist. Something was wrong with him. It was as if he was frozen.

Suddenly...

"Ahem!" Someone cleared his throat, getting the two of them to reality.

Praveen quickly moved his hand, removing his hair from Antonio's face and slowly getting up. Without even seeing the person that had come into the room, he stood still, dropping his eyes to the floor. He felt really shy and he was moving his eyes from side to side.

Antonio on the other hand quickly got up, moving his eyes to the person that was in the room. It was Ethan and he was busy smiling with his arms on his chest, looking at Antonio like he was about to laugh at him, really hard.

He was dressed in black skinny jeans, sky blue shirt, and white shoes. His hair was beautifully combed and his face was brighter that morning. It was as if he was mocking Antonio.

"Hmm... Looks like romance is all around this house." He said, looking at the two of them, especially Praveen who was still really shy. Who knew what Ethan was thinking? "I just found out downstairs Andrea is getting married and here, you two..."

"No... it's not what you're thinking, Ethan." Praveen shook his head, still unable to make eye contact. "I bumped into him and..."

"Why are you explaining yourself?" He laughed, enjoying the awkwardness in the room. "I am supposed to be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have entered the room like that knowing that you two are newly married. But truth is, I knocked several times..."

"What nonsense?" Antonio rolled his eyes, wondering what the hell his friend was talking about. "...you found us both on the floor and..."

"Dude!" He raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "I didn't mean to..."

"You know what," Antonio playfully grabbed Ethan's ear, pulling him towards the door. "You talk a lot. Now, why don't you come with me so that we can discuss something important instead of talking nonsense?"

"Ouch!" Ethan screamed softly. "You don't have to be so serious."

But Antonio was already getting him out of the room. After closing the door, Praveen looked towards the door as a smile appeared on his gorgeous face. He had no idea why he was smiling like that. After days of acting weird around Praveen, he was finally able to act the way he did.

"Why do I keep seeing a different side of you?" Praveen thought, still smiling. "I don't understand what's wrong with me. Why do I keep feeling this way around him at times?"

He'd never felt like that before.

He breathed in deeply, holding his cheeks." No!" He shook his head. He couldn't accept the thoughts that were on his mind.

"N, please Praveen..." He screamed. "This can't be happening. Please, have mercy on your heart."

He needed to do something. He quickly turned and went to fold some clothes in the closet. He needed to keep himself busy but that wasn't gonna be a problem since there were a lot of things to do in the house.

***

Praveen was slowly coming downstairs, smiling brightly to himself. He was really happy. He had just been from talking to his aunt on the phone and she had been telling him a lot about their lives abroad. He was really happy that now things were starting to turn out great for his aunt. After everything they'd been through, they deserved it. She missed him as much as he missed her.

Suddenly as he was coming downstairs, he almost bumped into Emma who was coming from the kitchen with a glass of juice. Seeing her, he lost the smile on his face and stared at her, hoping she wasn't gonna insult him.

"Watch it!" She said in the rudest tone he'd heard from her. "You're a walking disaster."

With those words, he stood there watching as she went to the living room where the rest of the family members were. She sat happily with her hands on the couch, putting the glass on the small table. Andrea and Eduardo were not there but Bruce was. Early that morning, Santiago had gotten Andrea so that they could get to know each other.

"Hey! Praveen!"

Praveen got out of his thoughts, looking forward. He saw his granny calling him with a smile. He quickly nodded and then went to everyone in the living room. He sat close to granny who smiled happily when she saw him. Antonio was there too but he was busy on his tablet, probably on social media.

Bruce was also there, staring at Antonio like he wanted to devour him there and then. He was admiring his man, probably fantasizing about the two of them making love. The guy was horny. It had been a month since he came back and the two hadn't had any sex. Shit! It was killing him inside.

He just wanted to throw himself at Antonio there and then and fuck his brains out in front of everyone. There was a lot in his mind and his cock was hard. He was just lucky that it wasn't showing due to what he was wearing.

"Now that all of us are here, I can finally break the news to all of you," Ethan said in a happy tone. "And I am telling you that this is gonna make all of you happy."

"Yeah, dude..." Antonio closed his tablet. "You've kept me waiting for a long time and it's not funny anymore."

"Relax!" Ethan winked. "Listen, I have some great news. You know the news of your marriage went like wildfire and that was why people demanded you to take a photoshoot with Praveen. Too bad that didn't work out." He took a deep breath, sitting at the edge of his seat.

Antonio knew Ethan very well and he knew that something was in his mind, trouble.

"What are you getting at?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What I am getting at my dear brother is that..." He paused and gave an evil grin. "...for the music videos that we are about to start shooting, your fans and your business partners want to see Praveen in it too."

Praveen felt his heart move in his throat as his breaths seized. He felt frozen, looking at Ethan like he'd just grown another head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, again. He had just been from making another mistake by agreeing to the photoshoot and now the music video. He was dumbstruck.
Antonio on the other hand was silent. He had no idea what to say to Ethan or how to talk to him. First, it was the photoshoot and now his music videos too had to feature Praveen. This joke was not funny anymore, he thought as he looked at his boyfriend who was equally staring at Ethan, hating him even more.

"What?" Bruce's mouth was shaking. His heart was pounding deeper in his chest and fear had already gotten inside of him. "What are you saying Ethan, Praveen..."

"Do you have a problem with it?" Ethan asked, losing the smile on his face.

Bruce's mouth shook visibly as everyone in the living room stared at him, all except for Praveen whose eyes were still glued on Ethan.

"No, it's just that, you know..."

"Well, I guess there's no problem." Ethan was trying to be as nice to Bruce as he could be. "As long as Antonio and Praveen agree then there's no problem."

Bruce diverted his eyes to his boyfriend, looking at him with puppy eyes. There was absolutely no way that he was gonna allow Antonio to agree to that. Antonio's songs were romantic and there was no way he was gonna allow him to be romancing on set with Praveen. First of all, he had planned to convince Antonio to put him in the video, not Praveen.

When Antonio stared in his boyfriend's eyes, he saw nothing but pain. His boyfriend was gonna be in pain, especially if he agreed to Ethan's suggestion.

"Err..."

"There's nothing to think about." Emilia chuckled nervously. "They are married and I think it will be for the best since the last photoshoot didn't work out."

Antonio tried to open his mouth but couldn't utter any word at all. He again looked at Bruce and saw the anger on his face. He wanted to say no, he really did. But what could he do in that situation? His mother had already agreed and he had lost the right of saying something at that moment.

"Shouldn't this decision be made by Antonio?" Emma was really upset. Why was Praveen so highly favored in the house? She was tired of him. "I mean, this is his career and I am sorry to say but Praveen isn't a model or famous. He's just an ordinary boy from a village and you can't risk ruining your..."

"I think you should keep quiet, Emma," Granny said, looking at her in anger. "Didn't those models too start from nowhere?"

"No, granny... I... I think aunt is right." Praveen said without even looking at her. "I know nothing about modeling or how to act in that video. Let someone else do it. There are many models out there that are..."

"Nothing like you." Emilia chimed in, holding his hands sweetly and then smiled brightly when she felt him get tense. "You are my son in law and I believe in you, we all believe in you. Don't you wanna help your husband get to the top?"

Praveen raised his face to stare at his husband and saw him looking at him. Their eyes met and Praveen dropped them. He knew he had to be careful and thought the guy was an idiot, Praveen knew he had to help him, not that he deserved it. But there was something else that was scaring him more than the music video itself, being close to Antonio.

"Yes, mother." He breathed in deeply.

"Good!" Granny smiled brightly. "It is settled then. So when are they supposed to start shooting? I can't wait already."

Ethan smiled at granny's question. "Two days from now as we are still choosing the various locations. Praveen has to appear in the three songs that are pending from Antonio's previous singles."

Ethan was excited that his heart was already racing. Deep down, he could feel the pressure rising in Bruce's heart and he could already feel the anger emanating from him. He was just so happy. He just wished the guy could leave Antonio alone.

He glanced at Bruce, seeing his fists clenching. "I know what's on your mind, Bruce." He thought as an evil grin brightened up his face. "I will not let you succeed in your plans. I promised you that no matter what you do, I will bring Antonio and Praveen together. If I won't succeed in this then I am not Antonio's best friend."

"Wow!" Celine's hands were holding her cheeks. "This will be great since Praveen's identity will get to be revealed in Antonio's videos." She saw all the faces looking at her in confusion. "Come on, people do not know who the model that appeared on the cover of the magazine is and if they get to know that he's none other than our Praveen, Antonio's spouse, what do you think it will do to Antonio's image?"

"Right!" Ethan agreed, nodding abruptly. "Of course, you're right Celine. Antonio will be one of the most sort after celebrities, I tell."

Bruce had heard enough of the non-sense. He couldn't stay there anymore. He just angrily got up from the chair.

"Excuse me!" And walked away.

When Emilia saw him, she didn't appreciate his behavior. "What's his problem?" She asked, shrugging.

"Who knows?" Granny said with a chuckle. "But I don't know, I don't like him." She was being honest about it that Antonio got worried when he heard the tone of her voice. Her granny never spoke like that about anybody. "Now aren't we glad Praveen got married to Antonio instead of someone like that?"

Everyone in the living room laughed jokingly except for Antonio who didn't find it funny. It was his boyfriend they were talking about, someone that he loved. Emma too rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She didn't like Praveen at all. She preferred Bruce because he was classy, elegant, rich, and famous. That was the kind of boy she had wanted Antonio to marry and not the idiot that they'd forced on him.

***

Bruce was in Andrea's room, really mad. He was moving about from side to side trying to think straight. He was so angry and so much in pain that he didn't even know what hurt the most. He'd expected his boyfriend to reject Ethan's plan for his sake and suggest something else and not just sit there like a pumpkin.

"Babe!" He heard Antonio's voice.

He quickly turned and found him entering while folding his sleeves, looking sexy. But that didn't matter.

"I am sorry." Antonio felt he owed his boyfriend an apology. "I had no idea that..."

"You had no idea?" Bruce chuckled in pain, clenching his fists. "You had no idea or you are enjoying this?"

"Babe?" He tried to hold his hands but Bruce retaliated. "Try and understand."

"Of course," He smiled in pain. "I will try and understand that your mother and your granny agreed to it and to make them happy, you couldn't disagree. Did you even try to think for once what this was gonna do to me?" He fumed, tears building in his eyes. "Do you even know how much I love you?"

"I love you too and I thought of you the entire time." Antonio knew very well that Bruce was in so much pain. "And I know it hurts you as much as it does right now and..."

"Well," Bruce got closer, staring at Antonio sternly. "If you care about me and if you love me as much as you do, you're gonna have to reject the suggestion everyone's making."

"What?" Antonio laughed. He laughed because what his boyfriend had just said sounded like a really big joke. "Are you serious? Do you know what that will do to me? We're talking about my image in this industry."

"Does that matter more than I do?" Bruce pointed at himself, getting closer to Antonio.

"I didn't say that." He defended himself. "But you know it's impossible. That might ruin me and my music. My fans are very important to me and so are my business partners and..."

"To hell with them!" Bruce rasped as his foot stamped on the floor so hard that it felt like Antonio's heart had just been stamped. "I don't give a fuck about them."

Antonio's heart crushed right there on the floor. His heart bled for the first time since he had started dating his boyfriend. His body felt hot and cold at the same time and he fixed his gaze on Bruce while he froze where he stood. He failed to believe what he had just heard from his boyfriend. It was as if something had just cut him. Then suddenly a wave of emotions took control of his body.

"Bruce, I have supported you in your career and I have always stood by you." His voice was really low but the tone he used broke Bruce. "You've had romantic photoshoots with numerous guys and not for once have you heard me complain."

"But that..."

"That was what?" He yelled in Bruce's face, making him take a few steps back. Bruce's heart jumped. "You don't care about my career. You don't even care about what's important to me. This also proves that you don't trust me."

Bruce wanted to speak, to defend himself but he felt his tongue get heavy. He couldn't open his mouth.

"How many times do I have to say that I love you? What the fuck do you want me to do to prove that I fucking love you a lot?" He was getting tired of all the drama. "The other day, it was about the photoshoot and today it's about the music video. I am sick of trying to prove my love to you. This will be nothing but a fucking music video and if you don't believe that I love you then that's your problem, Bruce."

He furiously turned and left the room, banging the door so hard that Bruce could have sworn the ground shook.

"Fuck!" He screamed, throwing the pillows that were on the bed. "Why does everything seem to be going in the wrong direction?"

He kicked the pillow on the flow in anger, sending it flying to the door just as Andrea was furiously entering the room. She looked around her room, opened the door, got out, and came back inside. She found Bruce panting, his fists trembling and his face looking red. He was mad.

Andrea was looking sexy in a black designer's dress that looked like it was designed by angels, red high heels, and her hair curled and then tied. Her makeup was on point. She was looking really cute but her mood was foul.

"Uh... This is my room and I have been warning you not to mess it up." She warned as she angrily picked up a pillow and threw it harshly at him. "Look, sweetie, I have told you that if you want to scream, cry, vent, or do whatever crazy thing you want, I have no problem with it. But you have to do it at your house or the hotel you are staying at. You can even burn it if you want. I don't give two hoots about it."

Bruce rolled his eyes, ragingly sitting on the bed. "What do you want me to do?" His voice sounded like some grating noise. "That boy always finds ways to make me mad and this time he has stepped on my last nerve. I won't spare him."

Andrea could tell from Bruce's tone that his day hadn't been good either.

"And Antonio is not making things any easier for me either." He yelled.

Andrea sighed, throwing her handbag on the bed while she folded her arms on her chest. "Yeah, I saw him angrily leaving. What did you do?"

"Me?" He chuckled mockingly as he got up. "I didn't do anything. Can you imagine..."

Bruce started narrating the story to Andrea about Ethan's suggestion up to the time Antonio had left the room.

"...and just like that, he got upset and I am yet to find out what I did wrong by asking my boyfriend to reject the proposal."

Andrea laughed softly, losing the smile on her face. "This boy is becoming a big thorn in our flesh and that thorn keeps on getting bigger and bigger every day. I am simply sick of it. I am just from my first date with that... that..." She didn't even know what to call him. "...all he did was talk about that bitch, praising him like he's an angel or something." She felt sick to the core. "Praveen this, Praveen that. I am simply done hearing that name.

And can you imagine where he took me for our date? He thinks I am mother Theresa or something. I have never been to such a boring date my entire life. If he's that boring and dry on a date, can you imagine him during..." She convulsed, shaking her head. "...sex, disgusting."

Bruce looked at Andrea and she got worried. "I am really worried." He said softly, feeling tears building in his eyes. "That boy is becoming dangerous. He's pulling Antonio closer to him day by day and..."

"Not on my watch, our watch!" Andrea sounded dangerous. "This game has already started and baby, it is our destiny to win."

"What do we do?" Bruce gripped his hair harder, not minding the pain. "I can't handle him anyway."

Hearing that question, Andrea's face lit up with an evil grin. "This boring date wasn't that useless, baby." She cupped his cheeks, rubbing on them sweetly. "While that idiot was busy talking non-sense, I was able to come up with a plan on how we can get rid of that idiot for good. He'll never return."

"Really?" Bruce gasped, feeling his heart racing. "What's that?"

"I'll tell you but first..." She pointed. "...we are gonna have to play along with something for a short period."

Bruce tried to speak...

"And of course, stop that boy from appearing in that music video."

Bruce smiled. "That's great."

Andrea was an evil genius. She had an evil plan up her sleeve and it required starting immediate work.

"I am sorry Praveen but you leave me with no choice." She thought. "You have to leave this house one way or another. That will surely happen or my name is not Andrea."

It was on!

***

Praveen finished tying the band and he was busy checking himself in the mirror. He had tied his hair into a ponytail which by the way made his face to be in full view. He was looking really young but very handsome. He slowly took his spectacles and wore them which made him look like a nerd but he loved it since he was already used to it.

"Wow, Praveen..." He said in a sweet voice. "...now you can start your day with the Lord's blessings." He slowly bowed.

He was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt that looked gorgeous on him, a green skinny jeans and black sandals on his feet. He was looking really simple but he loved it like.

He took a deep breath, taking a final look in the mirror before...

"Wow, he's ready for another embarrassing moment." He heard Antonio's voice and wanted to respond but he decided it was best to ignore him. "Must be good getting all these opportunities to be famous right?"

Praveen simply rolled his eyes, picked up his phone, and started getting out of the room.

"Just don't embarrass me on that set because I will kill you."

"Look, I don't like it as much as you don't," Praveen said rudely, still heading for the door. "I would have preferred it if it was Santiago."

With those words, Praveen got out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Yeah, right!" Antonio said softly, heading straight to the bathroom. There was a part of him that was really excited that he had got another opportunity to do something with Praveen.

Shit! What was wrong with him, he thought? His boyfriend had just argued with him and he seemed not concerned. Okay, something was majorly wrong with him.

Meanwhile, Praveen was almost heading downstairs when someone pulled him furiously behind.

"Antonio, what the hell is wrong with you. I told you..."

Wrong! When his eyes landed on the person that had pulled him, it wasn't Antonio. The guy was wearing a foul look on his face with a band tied around his head. He was wearing a pink designer's shirt with his chest exposed, a sexy blue short, and designer's sandals. He was a true model but Praveen didn't care.

"Wow, you can't even get my boyfriend's name out of your mouth." Bruce snapped, breathing like a soldier at war. "How many times will you..."

"Look, Bruce..." Praveen wasn't in the mood for arguments. "...today is kinda important to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ruin my mood."

"Oh," Bruce laughed, getting a bit closer to Praveen. "I see. But you won't ever have peace as long as you are trying to seduce my boyfriend. Why can't you go and find your own? There are a lot of guys out there and..."

"I don't care how many guys are out there." Praveen was losing his temper. "I am not hungry for a man and I am sick of trying to explain to you. Whatever you're thinking, whatever is in your mind, you should always remember that Antonio and I are legally married. I have a wedding ring..." He raised his hand, showing the beautiful ring on his finger. "...and the holy wedding chain." He showed it to Bruce, igniting the flame in Bruce's heart. "So our marriage should be none of your business.

I don't care what Antonio or you does. I have already told you to leave me alone."

"I will never leave you alone as long as you're the villain in our love story." He chuckled, starting to go round, Praveen, looking at him from head to toe in disgust. "You think you can compete with me." He was mocking the boy. "You don't stand a chance. Antonio might have married you but he's in love with me. It's me he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He detests you. Your very existence irritates him."

Harsh words! Praveen usually didn't care but right at that moment, he felt his heart breaking to pieces.

"Your marriage is a sham, just for show." He added. "But with me, Antonio is always happy, always smiling." He smiled himself, remembering his best moments with Antonio. "He's always himself, caring, sweet and angelic. He always shows me his best side and when we kiss..." He moaned sensually as if he was about to orgasm, rubbing his lips while Praveen stared at him. "...it is fire.

When we make love, it is ecstatic." Praveen slightly closed his eyes, fighting off his tears. Why was it hurting so much, he thought? "We're always on cloud 9."

Praveen looked away just as Bruce was getting closer to him.

"But you..." He laughed. "You've never experienced such things and you never will. He's always sad with you, shouting at you and hates you."

Praveen laughed softly at Bruce's words. "You're right. Antonio is never happy with me, he's always shouting at me and has severally told me he hates me. But he's my husband and I am happy with what he does." He chuckled, remembering the couple of times he'd smiled at Antonio. "Whenever he comes with a problem, he shouts at me. Whenever he's not feeling well, he shouts at me and tells me he hates me.

Whenever something is wrong, he blames me." He pointed at himself. "But that's my job as his spouse. I like the fact that I can take away his problems when he shouts at me. I can take away his anger and bring him back to himself. That's the job of a good husband."

Bruce couldn't believe what Praveen had just told him. He got so upset that he couldn't even speak.

"You may get to experience his good side but as long as I help take away his problems, I am fine with it."

With those few words, Praveen quickly turned and left Bruce standing there like a statue. He was so mad that he just groaned and went back to Andrea's room. He had come with a plan to hurt Praveen but he was the one that got hurt. It was so annoying.

Meanwhile, Praveen was coming downstairs, reliving his encounter with Bruce. He felt he shouldn't have said all that he had said to him. Why did he even talk about Antonio like that, he thought as he rubbed his face?

He took a deep breath before suddenly bumping into someone. The next thing he felt was the sound of a phone on the floor. He quickly moved his eyes to the floor and saw a really expensive phone on the floor.

"Oh my God," He gasped, quickly kneeling. "I didn't see you."

His hands went to the phone and just when he reached it, he felt another hand on his. He quickly moved his eyes up and looked in really lovely eyes that were staring at him, a cute smile that made him smile too and a handsome face.

"You?"

He was dressed in a really beautiful black shirt that was tucked in a dark blue skinny trousers that made him look handsome. He was casual with red snickers that seemed expensive and his hair was combed perfectly. Seeing him, Praveen felt like he was alive. His mood changed there and then.
"Praveen!"

"God!" Praveen took the phone from the floor, rising but Santiago's hand was still holding his. When he looked at the phone, he noticed that it was broken.

"I am so sorry, Santiago." He apologized, losing the smile on his face. "I bumped into you and I seem to have broken your phone and..."

"Shh..." Santiago blocked Praveen's lips with his finger. "Don't say anything anymore. You broke the phone. So what?"

"But it seems so expensive."

"I will replace it."

"You sure?"

"Sure!" Santiago was still holding Praveen's hand, sweetly rubbing on it. "Don't worry about it. A phone is nothing compared to you, Praveen."

Praveen blushed, looking down on the floor. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Santiago was truly different from any other guy he'd ever met.

"Thank you but..." He paused, looking at Santiago with a smile. "What are you doing here? Are you not working?"

"Work?" Santiago laughed. "No! I came to pick Andrea up. We still have some things to do plus your husband..." He got close to Praveen's ears. "...he wants to get to know me better, you know... Judge if he will allow me to marry his sister." He whispered, making Praveen chuckle.

"So why don't you come with us. It will be fun."

No way in this world was Praveen going to spend a day with Antonio and Andrea in the same place. Plus he still had a lot of things, important things to do.

"Oh, no..." He sighed, shaking his head. But he was still wearing that beautiful smile on his face that made Santiago's heart melt. "I have a really big project coming up and I just thought of putting the almighty in it first." He breathed inaudibly. "I would have come with you Santiago but guess what..." He took Santiago's hands, rubbing on them lovingly. "...I will make up for it. You and I will have our own time together. Get to know Antonio first, okay. I will see you."

Then he quickly leaned forward, giving Santiago a quick peck before he ran out of the house. To Praveen, it was just a peck but he had no idea what it did to Santiago. He remained standing there, frozen like a statue. He couldn't believe Praveen had done that, for the first time.

"Thanks..." He slowly touched the area Praveen had kissed him. "I appreciate that."

Santiago smiled brightly, staring at his broken phone. He wasn't mad but rather happy. Ever since Praveen had come into his life, so many things had changed. With a brilliant smile, he went to the living room to wait for the siblings.

***

Praveen slowly bowed, touching the holy ground near the feet of the lord's idol. He touched his head first and then his chest before finally covering his head with a scarf. Then he put his hands together, connecting with the idol's face. The temple wasn't that full probably because people were busy during that time since it was a weekday.

He had returned to his village temple, brought some food for the poor and some clothes. He was really happy and now he just wanted to make prayers to the almighty for his wellbeing. He felt at peace in that place. His heart wasn't troubled at all.

"Dear Lord," He took a deep breath. "I came here today to ask for your blessings once again. I know that my life has changed a lot in ways that I didn't expect. You know what's going on in my life because you destined me for it. Only you know my future and everything that will happen."

He slightly closed his eyes. "Today, I came here to ask for your blessing and your guidance as I will be participating in Antonio's music video. Let everything be successful and let no evil befall me or succeed in their plans."

He closed his eyes and prayed hard about his husband's coming project. He prayed though Antonio didn't deserve it. He had learned to care a lot about the guy. He prayed for his decision about Santiago...

"He's a good man and deserves all the happiness in the world. Please, make him happy. You know very well what is happening in my life. Since my marriage, I have known nothing but sadness. Bless me, even more, to withstand all these tortures and make my new family happy. You know very well that I only live to serve you."

Praveen's eyes were already watering.

"I am ready to accept your guidance and instruction because I have never gone against it. What I don't understand is how long I am gonna have to endure this. It is too much for me Lord. Please help me, give me more strength to overcome it and give me more courage. Please, help me be the best son in law."

He prayed harder as a tear went down his cheeks. Then in just a few minutes, he was done. He bowed down, touching the ground again. He removed his scarf and then turned to leave. But he found the priest behind him, smiling brightly.

He was looking... priestly in a pure white robe and a trident. He had long pure white hair that reached his back, long white beards and his eye rashes were also bushy. He was still just like he remembered him.

"Priest!" He quickly touched his feet, getting his blessings.

"My son, the almighty hears every prayer that you've made since you were born." He said, hitting the trident harder on the floor. Praveen could have sworn he felt a strong wind blow on his face. "And very soon, you will run into your destiny. You'll get to understand that he hasn't abandoned you. A miracle shall happen very soon in unexpected ways."

Praveen was confused. "I still don't understand."

The priest chuckled, shaking his head. Then he got serious. "On this very temple, before you were born, your souls were connected and now, the almighty will do wonders. You'll get to understand everything and why the almighty did what he did."

Praveen was still confused.

"I have to begin my meditations now my son." He smiled. "May peace be upon you."

Praveen simply nodded as he slowly started going away down the long stairs. He was so confused because the priest's words were in his mind. He kept on remembering them, wondering what they meant. Was something about to happen?

"The almighty works in so many ways, Praveen." The priest said as he looked at the boy that was going down the stairs. "He gave you to your mother and you are a blessing to anyone that has you in their lives... Though..." He paused. "You'll pass through your most difficult test yet but the Almighty is always with you. You're about to run into your destined place. You still have a lot of things that you do not know. Go in peace my son..."

The priest waved and just as he did, a strong wind started blowing at the temple. Praveen felt it and it blew his scarf away and his hair started blowing backward, revealing his face. He quickly shielded his face with his hands, wondering what was going on.

"A storm?" He gasped, slowly trying to remove his hands from his face. His village was known to have storms since it was near the sea. "Not today. I need to go back."

He removed his hands from his face to see but something hit his face, a piece of paper. He slowly removed it from his face when suddenly, the strong wind started dying down. He looked at the paper and found that it was a piece of some magazine and it was...

"...Richard Marasigan, billionaire business tycoon returns to the country."

Praveen didn't know who the man was and he had never heard of him before but the name... it somehow brought a strange feeling to him. And who was the man, how did he look like? Praveen couldn't answer those questions because there was no picture on the piece he was holding.

"Richard... Marasigan..." Somehow, he got really curious as to who the man was.

He looked at the magazine closely, realizing that the man owned a lot of companies home and abroad, also a fashion house that made him smile since he had always wanted to be a designer.

"Almighty, what are you showing me?" He sighed, looking towards the heavens just as the wind completely died down. "Are you testing me again?"

He had always wanted to get into a fashion house and those dreams were still there. He just took a deep breath, threw the piece of a magazine, and went to his car. He had a lot of things to do back at home and as it was, it was already getting dark. He didn't want to make anyone worried.

***

Inside Marasigan Group of Companies...

*
A really beautiful blonde lady, dressed in the best clothes was walking inside the company, greeting every worker there with a smile on her face. She was really beautiful, in her late 40s but you could easily mistake her for a teen because her face was gorgeous as hell.

Her hair was curled and then made into a spoof which made her face to be revealed. She had beautiful makeup that made her face glow even more. She was dressed in a really expensive designer's red dress with red high heels on her feet that made her look like a fashion goddess.

Everyone loved her so much and admired her. She wasn't married and didn't have any children either. But she was really happy and loved what she did. Her eyes were on the door at the far end which belonged to the boss of the company, a really rich man who she had been working with for as long as she could remember.

*

Inside the boss' office...

"Would you like anything else, sir?" A tall handsome man asked as he took the files from the table.

He was staring at the man who he couldn't even see. The man was seated in a tall office chair, with his back to the handsome man, his secretary. He was looking at the window, admiring the beautiful view outside.

"Sir..."

He just raised his hand, gesturing for the secretary to leave without saying anything.

"Yes, sir..." The man bowed, taking the files. Just as he was leaving, the beautiful woman arrived and then leaned at his desk with one of her hands on her hips. Then she chuckled and smiled brightly, shaking her head happily.

"And how's the boss doing this morning?" She asked, her fingers hitting the desk slightly.

"As usual." The man answered in a deep manly voice. "Is there any news?"

The woman sighed, taking a deep breath. "As usual, there's nothing. I called the private investigator and he still hasn't been able to locate her. Maybe she... she's not in the country anymore."

The man was silent.

"Till when will you continue to look for her, Richard?" She had concern in her voice. "You know your condition and..."

"I don't care about my condition." He said without turning. "Even if it's the last thing I do, I must find her, at least... even if she's no longer here, I... I..."

"Do not..."

"You don't understand."

The man quickly turned, facing the beautiful woman. He was handsome. Richard Marasigan was a handsome man with tan skin that made him look like a god. He had short dark hair with a few white. He was in his late 40s but he could easily pass for a thirty-year old.

He was dressed in a deep grey designer's suit, black shirt inside, and black shoes. He was muscular, really sexy, and attracted a lot of women to him but he wasn't interested in any of them. It had been many years and he had been single.

"I have had to suffer ever since I lost her..." He said with tears building in his eyes. "...I have had to pay a huge price. I am rich Vanessa, really rich. But what is all this wealth without an heir? I am a failure, Vanessa."

Vanessa was Richard's cousin, a really lovely woman. She had stayed with him, helped him a lot, and had never left his side, not once. She had missed a lot of opportunities of getting married because of him but she didn't mind. She was happy that way.

"Richard, I know that but..."

"No, Vanessa." He shook his head. "I cannot depend on the investigators alone. Even if I have to give to the poor at the temple the entire day, I will do that. But I will start looking for her myself. I will find her and I will bring her to where she rightfully belongs."

"But Richie..." She started panicking. "...your heart. You just had a huge operation. I don't think it can stand any more stress..."

"I don't care but my heart..." He touched his chest slowly, rubbing on it. "...will allow me to find her or our child. They've got to be alive somewhere, just waiting for me. I will never be at peace until I find either of them. It's been too long, Vanessa." He sat back on the chair. "I have been suffering without them. Maybe I made a really big mistake by leaving her."

Vanessa didn't know what to say to her cousin to make him feel better. His story was really sad.

19 years back, Richard had brought his girlfriend home after marrying her despite his mother's disapproval since she was from a humble village and an orphan. He'd been in love with her since the very first time he had set his eyes. They'd been dating though his mother hadn't approved of her.

After running away together, they got married and he only came back after the death of his father. His mother had accepted him and his wife and they had started living together in the same house, so he had thought.

His mother had been treating her well and she had convinced him to go and study abroad. He had wanted to go with her but his mother had rejected saying she wanted to bond with her. Seeing it as a great opportunity, Richard had left her with his mother while he went to study abroad.

He had spent a year there and when he came back, he had found his wife gone with his mother giving him a story of how she had been cheating on him with all kinds of men and how she had caught her. But he hadn't believed her until she had shown him pictures of his wife with a man in bed.

He had been hurting that he had cried...

"I told you she was an unfaithful woman and now she's gone." His mother had said. "You will find a woman that will love you truly and make you happy."

With pain, anger, and regret, Richard's heart had been broken forever. He had become cold and closed his heart to love. He had buried his pain and anger through his work until he had expanded his business abroad because he didn't wanna do anything home.

It was eight years back when he had found out the truth from his mother on her death bed. She had confessed that his wife didn't have an affair. She had framed her up, given her a fake letter which showed that Richard had a girlfriend abroad whom he was intending to marry.

The worst and most painful of it was...

"...I am sorry, son..." She had pleaded. "...I made a mistake and she... she was pregnant for you."

That had been painful. After so many years of pain, he had found out the truth. His wife had been pregnant with their first child. He had stormed out, leaving his mother and he had gone to look for her but no one knew where she had gone.

His mother had died and he hadn't even attended her funeral. Since that time, his problems with his heart had started. He had had three operations and still, it gave him problems. Richard was a sad man. He was never happy. Just about two months back, he had had another operation and just recently came back to the country for good.

"Even if Isabella died," He sighed, fighting off his tears. "My child should be alive somewhere, right?"

"But that makes it even more difficult, Richard." Vanessa, leaned on the table, towards him. "I just pray that Isabella is still alive. But don't worry," She smiled to make him feel better. "I will help you. We'll look for her and your child together. We'll find them. Now cheer up."

She lovingly pinched his cheeks, laughing softly.

"Hey!" Richard smiled, moving his head. "I am not a child anymore, Vanessa. Don't you have anything to do?"

Vanessa raised her hands as if she was surrendering. Then she just left, chuckling to herself. As soon as she left, Richard lost the smile on his face and sighed, placing his hands on his face. He was no longer a happy guy.

"Almighty please, help me." He said softly. "Guide my path. You're the only one that can help me."

Was his family still alive?

***

Praveen was slowly cutting some tomatoes, his mind elsewhere, wondering why he had been feeling uneasy and nervous out of the blue. He was somehow scared and had no idea why he was that scared. Ever since the day he'd come back from the temple he had been feeling uneasy, like something bad was going to happen. He was hoping that wasn't the case.

Praveen was putting on an old T-shirt that his mother had bought for him, a dark blue trouser and brown sandals on his gorgeous feet. His hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing his gorgeous, lovely face and he had his spectacles on.

"Why have I been feeling this way?" Praveen thought, trying his best to be calm. "I don't understand. Almighty, are you trying to warn me about something? Is something about to happen, something really bad? Please, help me, please..."

He shook his head and continued cutting the tomatoes, putting them aside. Then he started with the dough, kneading softly and carefully. He was multi-tasking, cooking, and baking. But before he went any further...

"What are you thinking about? Worried about the video?" Antonio chuckled, leaning on the table with a smile on his face. "You know it's not too late to back out. Just go and tell granny that you don't wanna embarrass yourself."

Praveen took a glance at his husband, eyeing him from head to toe. The guy was just in an ordinary T-shirt, a dark blue cargo short and green sandals on his feet. His hair was a mess as if he had just been from playing in the mud. He had a red apple in his hand which he was playing with.

Praveen decided to ignore him as if he didn't hear what he said. He continued with what he was doing.

"Even if you don't answer, you know I am talking to you..." He was teasing the boy.

Hearing him, Praveen quickly faced him, staring into his face. Then he wore a mocking smile on his face. "You know that's a great idea..." He slowly rubbed on his hairless chin. "...but where will I get all the fun of embarrassing you on set? I love seeing you looking shocked." He laughed, enjoying as the smile faded on Antonio's face.

"Don't you..."

"Let me help you with that." He grabbed the apple from Antonio's hands and accidentally left flour there.

"What the?" Antonio gasped, looking at his hands. "You did that on purpose? How dare you? You even got flour on my shirt."

"Well, that's a signal that you need to leave the kitchen, Mr. Antonio." He turned again and started kneading the dour, this time a little faster. He was still wearing that smile on his face. "Leave me to work if you don't wanna bath in all this flour and..."

"You little..."

"Granny!" He shouted at the top of his voice which surprised his husband.

"What are you doing?" Antonio asked as his eyes widened and a shiver went down his spine.

"What do you think?" Praveen chuckled, smiling brightly as if he was teasing his husband. "I am calling granny and... Gra..."

Before he could even finish shouting, Antonio moved quickly and covered Praveen's mouth with his hands. Now, all that he could hear were Praveen's muffled screams and he felt really happy.

Praveen tried to shout at the top of his voice but he couldn't. Antonio had covered his mouth and no words.

"Hey..." But no word came out. He wanted to tell Antonio to leave him alone. Leaving him with no choice, Praveen used whatever he could, his hands. He tried to hit Antonio but slipped on something and he found himself falling backward. But Antonio's hands were so quick to grab his waist that he found himself being held closer to Antonio's body.

They were both looking into each other's eyes as soon as they did, everything else disappeared right there. Praveen had his hands on Antonio's chest while Antonio's powerful arm had found its way on Praveen's waist, holding him close. They could feel their breaths on each other's faces. Both of them were breathing... Like they'd never breathed before. It was different, it was lovely.
Praveen's stomach felt like it was turning. His heart was beating rhythmically, wonderfully and he had no idea what he felt. It was different, wonderful, something he'd never experienced before. He was both scared and confident but then...

"Ahem!"

Both of them quickly came to reality and Antonio pulled Praveen, both of them standing still like they were soldiers. It was granny and she had her arms on her chest, looking at the two of them sternly but deep down, she was smiling. She loved the position she had found them in. If her hunch was right, the two of them had already started falling for each other. The way they'd been staring at each other. She was sure that if she hadn't come there or disturbed them, they'd have surely kissed.

"Antonio!" She was still serious and she sounded mad. "What's going on here? What are you doing to my grandson?"

"Granny?" Antonio was in shock. "What do you mean?"

Praveen chuckled, looking towards the floor. He was smiling.

"I heard him scream my name. What did you do?"

"Nothing!" He chuckled nervously. "He was just..."

"I won't ask you. Praveen!" She called his name with such seriousness in her voice that he almost jumped up. "What's going on? Is he disturbing you?"

Praveen moved his eyes to Antonio, seeing him gesturing him to say no. Then he looked at granny and smiled.

"Yes, granny... I was trying to do something important and he..."

"Lies!" Antonio chuckled nervously at his granny. "He's lying, granny. Look what he did to me." He opened his arms wider, showing his granny all the flour on him, including his shirt. "So tell me, who are you gonna believe, your favorite grandson or Praveen?"

Granny sighed, rolling her eyes. "Of course, my favorite grandson."

Antonio gave Praveen a "Nah Nah Nah Nah..." Look before he turned to granny and got another surprise.

"Which is why you're getting out of here..." She held his ear, dragging him out of the kitchen.

"Ouch! Granny!" He screamed, following her. "You're hurting my ear."

"And you're disturbing my grandson," Granny said with a laugh. "Let's go you massage my feet."

She took him out of the kitchen, leaving Praveen alone, smiling to himself while he stared at the door where granny and Antonio had just exited. There had been no such wonderful scene as seeing granny and grandson in that position. It was wonderful that it made Praveen see Antonio in another light.

*

"Fuck!" Bruce stormed in Andrea's room, slamming the door so hard that it almost gave Andrea a heart attack.

She furiously got off the bed, dropped her tablet there, and went to him. "You know you're seriously getting on my nervous, Bruce, right?"

She was just dressed in a simple dress and slippers and her hair was tied in a ponytail but she looked lovely.

Bruce just stared at her and looked away. "Look, I am sorry but I am just so mad."

"Are you ever in a good mood, these days?" Andrea rolled her eyes, picking up the tablet. "Look, I am tired of this nonsense."

"What do you expect?" Bruce roared, gripping his hair. "That idiot is getting too close to my boyfriend. Do you know exactly what he told me the other day? He warned me about Antonio, saying he's his husband and has every right on him. Can you imagine such nonsense?'

Andrea shook her head, breathing inaudibly. She had already had so many problems and didn't need anymore. "And what are you gonna do about it? I wanna hear your plans so that I can know how to help you."

Bruce clenched his fists, smiling like an evil warrior after defeating all his enemies.

"I need to stop him from appearing on that video at all cost." He snarled, feeling anger taking every bit of him.

"Sweetheart," Andrea sighed. "Last time you prevented him from taking a romantic photo with Antonio but he still managed to pull..."

"Not this time, Andrea." He smiled. "This time, I will deal with him in such a way that he won't only lose this opportunity to be with Antonio but he'll also be scared of me. He'll leave this house on his own because he'll be too ashamed to face anyone."

Andrea loved the sound of that.

"What are you planning?"

Bruce gave Andrea an evil grin, shaking his head.

"I have tolerated you too much, Praveen." He thought as he smiled even brighter. "You are hungry for Antonio, I will satisfy your hunger. You will always run when you see me. You leave me with no choice. I warned you that I can go to any extent just to get back what belongs to me. You're playing with fire and you'll get burnt."

***

3 days later...

Praveen was seated in front of a huge mirror, staring at his reflection. He looked completely different, really different from the way he'd ever looked before. The image in the mirror reminded him so much of his past before he even became a nerd back in school.

He was looking beautiful. His hair was made into braids that reached his butt and some passed down his shoulder. His face was in full view without any spectacles on his eyes. His eyes were in full view that seemed to be piercing through him, his own eyes. He was emotional because he was remembering his mother and how she used to make him happy.

"You're really beautiful, my love." She used to say. "One day, the world will see how beautiful you are, inside and outside. I thank God for giving you to me. Your father must be proud wherever he is."

Praveen had to fight off his tears. He didn't wanna ruin his face plus he didn't think the makeup artist working on his face would have appreciated it after her hard work.

"Your dream for me is slowly coming to reality, mother." Praveen thought, placing his palm on his chest as he slightly closed his eyes. "Your Praveen will get to appear in a music video."

He completely closed his eyes and gave a short prayer of guidance and protection.

"You look lovely, sir." The makeup artist commented as soon as she was done. "I can't wait to watch the video because I am drooling already."

Praveen smiled, fighting off his tears. "Thank you so much." He said just as the director came inside the room.

Praveen was already at the scene and he was nervous as hell. The people that were working on him were already done. He was wearing a deep pink designer's shirt that was halfway buttoned, fitting him like a second skin and it was tucked in a black skinny jean that was also marvelous and he had black designers snickers on his feet, the best he'd ever seen in his life. Had he been dressed like that and went out, people would mistake him for a billionaire's son.

"Aren't you charming?" The black handsome man with hazel eyes and slightly pink lips spoke. He was tall and muscular too. "I still wonder where Antonio got a diamond-like you."

Praveen nodded. "Thank you so much, sir."

"Sir?" The man laughed, folding his arms on his chest. "My name is Shravan and I am the director. By the way, your first scene is gonna be right here and your second will be at the beach and then we're gonna have to change. You are gonna have a long week."

Praveen simply nodded and smiled at the man.

"Why don't you do some final touches while I check if your husband has arrived?" He smiled. "We need to start shooting soon."

With a smile, the man left. Praveen got up from the chair and started checking himself out in the mirror. He was truly looking like a prince but he was nervous as hell. He was just hoping that there weren't gonna be any mistakes.

"Come on, Praveen!" He said softly, looking at his reflection. "You killed it at the photoshoot. This is no different. You just have to be confident and go with the flow. Granny and the family are counting on. Don't disappoint them."

Then he smiled at his own words. He slowly turned to leave the room but before he did, he heard his phone. He quickly turned, grabbed his phone from the table, and looked at the screen. It was just a number that he couldn't recognize but he answered it.

"Hello!"

"Thank heavens," the deep manly voice on the other end answered. "Is this Praveen, the famous Antonio's husband?"

"Speaking..." He said, wondering who it was and why the man on the other end was breathing so harshly. "How may..."

"You need to come here quick!" The man said abruptly. "Your husband was involved in a terrible accident and he's losing a lot of blood."

"Your husband was involved in a terrible accident." The man's voice echoed in his mind.

"What?" Praveen covered his mouth shut, tears already forming in his eyes.

His heart gave a sharp pound in his chest which felt like he was about to have a heart attack. A cold shiver raced through the body, giving him the greatest fear he'd ever felt. His knees felt weak that he almost fell if not for the wall. Before he knew it, tears were already running down his cheeks. He was so scared and weak that he started trembling uncontrollably.

"W... what?" He stammered, the phone shaking on his ear. "Where? How? Why?"

"Sir, you need to come quick..." The man said abruptly. "There is an old mansion in..."

He gave Praveen the address and cut the call. Praveen's phone fell from his ear to the floor and before he thought about anything else, he was running out through the door. He prayed to the almighty that there was nothing wrong with his husband.

***

Bruce and Andrea arrived at the site of the music video, smiling brightly, especially Bruce. He was sure that he was gonna play the part that was supposed to be played by Praveen and Praveen was gonna be in a corner somewhere crying. He had come prepared. He was dressed for that part.

He was wearing a really lovely green designer's shirt, dark blue skinny jeanss and brown snickers. His hair was combed backward and gelled, revealing his makeup overdone face which looked magnificent, or so he thought. He was really happy.

"Look, Andrea!" He moved his arms around, looking at the people there that were busy setting the whole place up. It looked magnificent. "Dreams do come true. This place is a perfect place to romance with Antonio." He folded his arms around himself, looking all seductive. "I can't wait to have him kiss me on set."

Andrea shook her head. She too was dressed like a queen. "You don't cease to amaze me, Bruce. You're such an evil genius."

"Yeah and..." He paused and gasped. "...Look!"

Andrea turned and saw got excited too. Black designer's shoes, red trouserss and a blue shirt that was folded at the sleeves with glasses in the hair that looked lovely and a face that looked like it was carved by angels and that chest exposed for everyone to fantasize about. Andrea's brother was to die for.

Antonio was entering the room, his mind busy on the phone. He was busy typing something with a stern look on his face. Walking a distance away from the door he turned and stood still, looking all around. He seemed to be impressed as a smile popped up his face.

"Isn't he dreamy?" Bruce asked, touching her chest. "And poor Praveen will be nowhere to be seen, dear Andrea."

"I know..."

They both burst into laughter.

"Andrea, when I am all set to reclaim what belongs to me and protect it, I can do anything." He felt like a hero. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and..." He moaned, winking at Andrea while he bit his lip like he was in a porn movie. "...reclaim my man."

He turned and started walking towards Antonio but stopped before even going further. His heart stopped beating... his body, mind, and soul felt frozen... his breaths seized and fear took control of him... his eyes widened just as he heard the harsh breaths from his friend.

"How is this possible?" He gasped.

He closed his eyes, rubbed them, and open them again but he was still there...

"Praveen!" He gasped as the fear of God himself took control of his body.

Praveen was standing in the doorway close to Antonio, staring at him like he'd seen a ghost. His eyes were a bit red and his face was wet from tears. He seemed shocked, weak, sad, and happy at the same time. He was weakly sobbing, looking like he'd been chased by a predator.

"Ant... Ant..." He couldn't even say his name.

Seeing Antonio standing there alive and well just weakened him. He got emotional that he couldn't even think straight. Only God knows what he wanted to do. He didn't care. Antonio was alive. The person that had called him had been lying to him but who cared?

With a sharp breath, Praveen started running towards Antonio who couldn't see him because he was busy on his phone. Praveen didn't care. He ran as fast as he could and reaching Antonio, he did the impossible, something he wouldn't have done even if someone had chased him in the past. He gripped Antonio and hugged him tightly, wrapping his arms around him and resting his head on his chest while he sobbed softly.

To say Antonio was surprised would be an understatement. When Praveen hugged him, he felt a sharp electrical sensation take control of his body and he dropped the phone, his eyes widening. He hadn't expected that at all. He was caught by surprise and he didn't know what to do?

Suddenly, he was caught by so many emotions that he started trembling. Everything again disappeared in front of him, everything. His trembling hands slowly started moving until suddenly, they wrapped themselves around Praveen though his eyes were still wide open.

Where Bruce and Andrea, they felt like the earth had moved but truly, it was their heart that pounded so hard that they felt like they'd been hit on their chests so hard that they almost had a heart attack?

To be continued...