Raging Love - 7. Chapter 7: Antonio is having second thoughts. Could this be what he needs to soften his heart?

“I accept!” Travis said with a stern face. “I accept this position.”

As soon as Travis said those words, there were cheers in the conference room. Everyone was happy and they all stood up to go and greet their new vice president. They were happy. It had taken them over 30 minutes to convince him to accept the position and they were glad that they were successful.

“Thank you so much,” Travis smiled, greeting all the people there. “Thank you so much.”

Travis was happy and nervous at the same time. He couldn’t believe that he’d only been there for a month and he was now the vice president of Tonzalez blue. He was excited and emotional at the same time. But the thing at the back of his mind was to see Andrea’s reaction. Acquiring that position was gonna help him a lot with his plans.

“You don’t know how happy this makes us, Mr. Marasigan.” The chief operating officer said. “We don’t know how we can express our happiness right now. You are the perfect candidate for this position. All of us have agreed.”

Travis smiled, looking at everyone. “Thank you all so much for this wonderful opportunity that you’ve given. I just hope I’ll be able to reach your expectations.” He laughed sheepishly. “But one thing I can promise you is that I’ll do my best. And with your help, we’ll take this company to the next level. Like I said when I came into this company a month ago, my goal is not only to make profit for myself but to take the company to another level.”

Everyone was clapping again, cheering because they knew that Travis wasn’t gonna fail them. Everyone was present, everyone except for Antonio, Bruce and Andrea. Travis wasn’t surprised and he absolutely didn’t give a hoot about it.

“That also means that you’re gonna have a new office as well.” The chief operating officer said. “Your office is gonna be just next to the president’s office, Mr. Gonzalez. We hope you two will work together in harmony.”

Travis smiled sheepishly, shaking his head. Just hearing that his office was near Antonio’s gave him chills. But he wasn’t gonna be afraid. He was just gonna play it cool. Antonio could continue with his bullshit but Travis was always gonna be on top of his game.

“Thank you so much.”

The meeting was dismissed and Travis was personally taken to his new office by the chief operating officer. It was a really big office, bigger than his previous one and more beautiful. It had a huge bathroom, a small living room, a balcony and a huge glass table with the most comfy chair. There were beautiful paintings on the wall of nature but also… Andrea’s pictures.

“We’ll bring all your stuff in here so you don’t have to worry.” The man said with a smile.

Travis nodded and the man left. He was so excited that he literally jumped. He looked all around and he just couldn’t help but be happy. He quickly dialed his assistant’s number and she quickly picked.

“Hello, sir…”

“Can you please come to the vice president’s office later? I need you to remove all the pictures of Andrea.”

“Yes, sir.” The assistant said.

Travis smiled brightly and cut the call. Then he went and sat comfortably on the chair with his legs on the table as he enjoyed the view of the office. In his mind, heart and soul, he was really so happy. He was going somewhere with his plans and he didn’t even have to do anything.

Suddenly, the door to the office flung open and before Travis even got to understand what was going on….

“Get your ass out of my chair and my office, bitch!” Andrea rolled, breathing like she was about to go into labor.

Travis quickly moved his face to Andrea and saw her staring at him like she wanted to kill him. She was standing near him… I mean his table. Her eyes were red from anger and probably crying… her face was red… her breaths were harsh, her nose flaring from total anger… her fists were clenched and her chest moved up and down furiously. Her hair was messy and it looked like she was just from a fight. Travis couldn’t help but look her from head to wherever his eyes could reach. She was with Bruce but he didn’t even pay any attention.

Travis chuckled, slowly moving his legs from the table. But he made sure that he wore that gorgeous smile that made Andrea feel like someone was stabbing her in the heart. “My office you mean.” He laughed mockingly, putting his hands together on the table.

“It’s my office, bitch!” Andrea rolled. “We own this company and no matter what you do, you can never remove me from my position. Do you understand?”

“Well, that’s not what this nameplate says.” He pointed, his grin getting even bigger. “And besides, I didn’t cheat my way up there, they all voted for me. It’s not my fault that they think I can do a better job than you, Miss Gonzalez.”

“Fuck you!” Andrea gave him the middle finger. “I am not going to give up that position for you or anybody else. I am gonna involve my brother and I’ll make sure that you’re kicked out of this company. Do you think sleeping with all the board members will help you? No, it won’t!”

Travis got up, laughing. “Well, that’s what makes us different, Andrea. I don’t use my body to get what I want. My brain and my hard work does that for me. But anyway, it’s quite understandable since…” He paused and folded his arms on his chest. “…you must be used to using your… body!”

Andrea felt like she’d just been placed in a river of anger. Her heart began racing as her fists clenched.

“How dare you!” She fumed, breathing heavily. “Who do you think you are to say that to me?”

Travis smiled and started walking around the table to where Andrea stood. He stood in front of her, staring right into her angry eyes.

“Well, only a cheap person that uses her body to get what she wants thinks everyone’s cheap and…

“How dare you!” Andrea furiously raised her hand to slap Travis but got shocked when he caught it and gripped it hard and painfully.

Travis lost the smile on his face, getting closer to Andrea. “I dare you to try that, Andrea. It looks like you haven’t known me at all. Try that and I’ll make sure this overdone face of yours is bruised.” He chuckled bitterly. “You just have to accept the fact that you’re no longer the vice president of this company. This is not your office and you don’t belong here. So I suggest you go back to where you came from and accept the fact that…” He pushed her away hard and she found herself in Bruce’s arms, staring at Travis like a ghost. “…I am now the vice president. And please, get out before I call security to throw you out.”

“You can’t do that.” Bruce rolled. “All of us know that you got fucked by those old bastards to get this position. But don’t forget that my husband owns this company and…”

“Oh, I am shaking my boots.” Travis wrapped his arms around himself, acting scared. Then he laughed at the top of his voice. “Bruce, dear, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and keep whatever words you have for your husband. Now get out!”

“I am not getting out of here!” Andrea screamed, her mouth shaking angrily. “If there’s anyone who’s getting out of here it’s you. I will not let you take my position. Not after the hard work that…”

“What hard work?” Travis raised an eyebrow, folding his arms on his chest. “I thought the reason why you were removed from your position is that you are not working hard anymore.”

“You may think whatever you want, bitch!” Andrea snapped. “But I have been in this company for so many years and I have contributed a lot to its success.”

“History!” Travis said, shrugging. “But now times have you changed. How come you’ve been here your entire life and I have only been here for a month and yet…” He chuckled mockingly. “…I was able to accomplish something that you have failed to do. I thought you were so confident about your sop called brand…” He gestured with his fingers in the air. “….Brandrea and yet even after combing your two names, it was a failure. That only proves that I can do a better job than you. Now if you excuse me…”

“You’re not gonna get away with this, I swear,” Andrea vowed, pointing her shaky finger. “I give you less than 24 hours and I promise you that I will be back to this office and you… will be out of this office and this company for good. Mark my words!”

Travis smiled teasingly, winking softly. “Until then, Miss Gonzalez and Mr. Gonzalez.” He pointed towards the door. “You may now leave.”

“You’ll pay for this.”

Andrea groaned angrily and stormed out of the office, banging the door so loud that everyone on that floor probably felt the floor shake.

“It has just started,” Travis said, his face getting stern. “I will crush you to the point where you will not be able to recover.”

An evil grin appeared on his face as he watched the door.

***

Antonio was busy staring at the screen, deeply lost from the world around him. He was comfortably seated on a couch in the office with his laptop on the table where he was busy, lost in what he was searching.

‘Richard Marasigan.’

Antonio had been searching and reading about Richard Marasigan since he came into the office that morning. He had no idea why he had suddenly developed an interest in finding out about Richard Marasigan or rather Travis, his son.

He had found some pretty interesting things about him although not much was mentioned about the son. Richard Marasigan was one of the richest men… a billionaire business tycoon who was very well known in the business world as the god of riches. Since his inheritance, he had expanded his business empire into many different countries and they were all doing okay.

He had constantly mentioned that his son, Travis was gonna inherit all his companies and he was gonna introduce him to the world when the right time came. However, Richard Marasigan died of heart disease six years back and his son took over.

‘I am not Praveen!’ Travis’ voice through his head.

“Could he be telling the truth?” Antonio muttered, running his hands through his hair. “Or maybe he’s the same person.”

Now he was really confused. True, Travis was sophisticated, rich, classy and a billionaire, even richer than Antonio. But he was really confused. First Travis had entered his company and then took his granny. He was now confused.

Antonio sighed, taking a deep breath before he dived into his laptop again. But before he even did anything, the door to his office flung open, getting his attention. When he saw his sister and his husband rushing to him with frowns on their faces, he quickly closed the laptop, getting up from the couch.

“What are both of you doing here?” He asked.

Antonio hadn’t expected them to come to his music company that day. “I thought you had something to do at Tonzalez blue.” He glanced at his watch. “Are you done?”

Andrea threw her handbag harshly on the table and folded her arms. “I didn’t do any freaking thing and you won’t believe what’s happening there.”

“What?” Antonio frowned, looking at his sister. She was a mess. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“No!” Andrea roared. “That Travis has gotten on my last nerve and he’s got to go right now, Antonio. Use your powers to remove him from the company.”

“What?” Antonio gasped. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you know I went to the company today and…” Andrea started narrating the story to Antonio of what had happened. By the time she was finishing, she was breathing heavily with her fists clenched. “…and that’s why I need that idiot out of the company, Antonio. He thinks he is a god or something.” She chuckled bitterly. “But I am gonna show him that he messed with the wrong lady. There’s no way he can get my position from me like that.”

Antonio was speechless, staring at his sister like she’d grown another head. His heart was racing and his breaths were harsh. He didn’t know what to say to Andrea or how to make her calm down.

“I… I can’t do anything!” Antonio said softly, resting his hand on his sister’s shoulder.

“What?” Andrea gasped, her eyes widening. Fear slipped through her system and she trembled. “What are you saying, Antonio?”

Antonio took a deep breath. “I can’t remove him from the vice president position.”

“No!” A tear went down Andrea’s cheek, shaking her head. “Please, tell me you’re joking?”

Antonio shook his head. “I am sorry but… the board has already made a decision. You told me that they voted him into position, right?” Andrea was dumbstruck. The only thing speaking for her were the tears. “I can’t disagree with the board. Even if I vote against it, it will be my vote against theirs.”

Andrea’s face was wet and her heart was in pain. She had never felt so much pain. “No, Antonio. You can. You’re the CEO of Tonzalez blue. It’s our company. You’re the owner of the company and you can make any decision. No one can oppose you and…”

“Andrea, listen…” Antonio took her hands and he could feel that she was trembling. “…the company might be ours but the board has the power to remove anyone from the position by voting, all except for the president. That’s what our constitution says and I cannot go against it.”

Andrea sobbed, shaking her head. “No! That’s not true, Antonio. Please, tell me it’s not true. I can’t lose that position, Antonio. Please…”

“I am sorry.” Antonio apologized, feeling terrible. “I can’t do anything but…”

“I can’t lose that position, Antonio. Not to Travis.” She cried softly, her lips shaking. “Please, do something. I can’t lose that position to Travis.”

“Andrea, please calm down,” Antonio said, rubbing her tears. “You’re still part of that company. You’re my sister and…”

Before Antonio could finish soothing his sister, his phone started ringing and he quickly picked it. It was Ethan and he told him that some clients were waiting for them. They had an important meeting.

“I am sorry, Andrea.” He apologized, taking his jacket from the chair. “Bruce, please take her home. I will meet you there later.”

“Okay!” Bruce nodded sadly. He hadn’t even told his agony to his husband.

Antonio kissed their cheeks and he left. As soon as he left, Andrea broke down and fell to her knees, feeling the weight of the entire world on her head. She had never been so sad her entire life. She had been holding that position for six years and everyone feared her at the company and now… now it was all over. She felt like she had died.

“No!” Andrea screamed, throwing everything on the table to the floor. “No! You can’t do this to me, Travis. No! I can’t lose to you. No!”

Bruce fell to his knees and gripped Andrea. He couldn’t even fight his tears. “Calm down, Andrea. It’s okay.”

“No!” Andrea cried out in pain, warm tears flooding her face. “No, this can’t be. I can’t lose to that bitch. I can’t lose to that whore, Bruce. No, I can’t lose like this.”

“Shh…” Bruce held her tighter. “…Andrea, please calm down. It will be okay.”

“No, it won’t.” Andrea cried. “Everything’s ruined.”

Andrea cried in Bruce’s arms and no matter how much she did, the pain kept on increasing. It was like someone had stabbed her in the heart and it hurt like hell. She felt like it was a dream, a really bad dream but it had happened. It was a reality. What was she going to do?

***

“Congratulations, baby!” Vanessa said excitedly as she put her arms around Travis.

“Thank you so much, aunt!” Travis said, chuckling like a little kid.

The two hugged tightly. Travis had just told her the news and her happiness was nothing like he’d have expected. It seemed she had been waiting for something just like that and he didn’t know how. He was very happy.

“Your father would have been proud. I knew that you were gonna win the hearts of the board.” She pulled away from the hug but still held her smile. “Now those Gonzalez know that you’re not to be messed with. I just wish I was there to see the face of that Andrea and that Bruce.”

Travis chuckled sinisterly. “But I am sure you can imagine it.”

Vanessa laughed but then gave a sigh. “But there’s still a lot to do, Travis if you want the truth. And now that you’ve gotten this position, I am sure that Andrea will try to get back at you. You’ve got to be careful.”

“Aunt is right!” Travis heard a familiar voice.

He quickly turned and found him standing at his bedroom entrance with his arms folded and a gorgeous smile on his face. He was dressed smartly in black designer’s trousers that were tucked in a beautiful green designer’s trousers with black shoes. He was looking sexy and that smile on his face was everything.

“How long have you been standing there?” Travis asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Long enough!” Santiago said, entering the room. “And I think Aunt Vanessa is right. Andrea is gonna come at you, really hard. So you need to be prepared for it.”

“Of course,” Travis smiled, looking like he was thinking of something evil. “That’s exactly what I want although I didn’t plan for getting this position, not so soon. This time I had plans to crash Bruce and the almighty gave me a chance to hit two birds with one stone. My plans are going better than I thought.”

Vanessa sighed, taking his hand. “I just want you to be careful. I have never had any encounter with any of those two but I have a bad feeling about them. They might just hurt you.”

“No, auntie!” Travis shook his head, smiling. “They will do no such thing. Even if they try, I’ll still be on my feet. The worst thing that could be done to anyone was done to me six years ago.” He lost the smile on his face, clenching his fists. “I was crushed hard and I thought my life had ended. But the almighty gave me another chance.”

He turned and looked through the window. “I will use this opportunity to bring the truth to light. Three people hated me so much in that house and they’d do anything to hurt me. I am gonna break Andrea and Bruce… I will make them so vulnerable to the point where they’ll have no choice but to confess to me what they know about what happened three years ago.”

“You know that’s gonna be difficult right?” Vanessa sounded worried. “What if…”

“You don’t understand, aunt!” He turned and smiled sheepishly, feeling some pain forming in his heart. “No matter how much Andrea might have pretended to be happy about the wedding, I know she wasn’t because she used to warn me that she’ll never let me win. Both she and Bruce promised they were gonna clip my wings and let me fall flat to my face. I received several warnings before Antonio and me….”

Travis remained quiet when he realized what he had just been about to say. His heart began racing and images were slowly forming in his head. He didn’t wanna think about it because it caused him nothing but pain. But he also wasn’t gonna allow that to ruin his mood. He was really happy.

“I have already begun.” He smiled as he walked slowly to where Santiago and Vanessa stood. “I am not gonna stop until the truth is out.” He held both their hands. “I promise.”

Travis hugged the two and felt at peace.

***

“Please, I need to know.” Bruce pleaded, gripping the phone tighter. “There’s no way my contract can be canceled out of the blue like that. I am the best model that the company has ever had so just let me go like that is…”

‘I am sorry, Mr. Gonzalez…’ A deep but apologetic male voice spoke on the other end. ‘…the order came from higher places. We needed a fresh face for the company, someone younger than you. Sorry…”

“No!” He yelled on the phone. “You can’t do that to me. You even had to terminate my contract with all the sister companies for good. Do you know what that means for me? That’s like killing me.”

‘We’re very sorry, Mr. Gonzalez.’ The man apologized. ‘The decision was already made and there are still many companies that would…’

“I don’t want other companies.” He snapped, failing to fight his tears. “Please, you can’t do that to me. Those companies are of low class. What do you want people to say about me? Please, just tell me what’s wrong, please. At least, you owe me that. I have contributed to the success of that company and you’ll never find a model like me. That I can promise you.”

The man on the other end sighed. ‘Sorry, Mr. Gonzalez. But the decision has already been made and we can’t do anything. Our new partners want a fresh face and amongst other reasons that I cannot tell you, we had to terminate your contract.’

Bruce groaned. “And who are these new partners?”

The man sighed. ‘For the sake of our friendship, there is model and Fitness Company, Jingxi model and beauty management, Marasigan…’

Bruce didn’t even finish hearing when he felt his heart pound violently in his chest. Everything around him disappeared… his breaths became harsh and his anger, hatred, and pain took over. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

He gripped the phone angrily and with a groan, he threw it hard on the floor, breaking it to pieces.

“That bitch!” He groaned, tears of anger flooding his face. “Travis, you bitch! You’ll pay for this, I swear.”

Bruce gripped his hair painfully, breathing like a monster in a cave. The name Travis kept on ringing in his head. He furiously turned and looked at Andrea who was seated on the bed looking lost. She’d been hit hard and there were a whole lot of evil plans going on at the back of her mind that she didn’t even know which one to adopt. It was a lot.

“Andrea!” Bruce rushed to her. “That bitch! He’s the cause of this. Do you know that he’s the one that terminated my contract and destroyed my career? I swear… I will kill him. I swear.”

Andrea looked at Bruce and got up, slowly walking to the window with her arms folded. She was so much in pain and she hated her brother for what he had done. He could have done something but he chose to leave her hanging like that.

“This war has just gone to another level,” Andrea said bitterly, her fists clenching. “Never in my dreams did I think that I could lose my position. I never dreamt of losing it, not even to someone like Travis.

First, it was Praveen. He was becoming a thorn in my flesh, our flesh and we thought we had gotten rid of him. Now, this… this…” She furiously gripped on the curtains, pulling them to the floor. “…this lookalike has become an even bigger thorn. But no… I will not allow him to do that.” She angrily turned and gripped Bruce’s arms almost to the point of pain. “We need to get rid of him. We need to find a way to eliminate him for good. No more playing Mr. nice guy. This guy is very dangerous and it looks like we underestimated him.”

Bruce clenched his fist, staring into Andrea’s eyes. “You’re right. He’s stabbed us right in our hearts and now… he’ll see exactly what we can do. It’s time to give him a super-strong Bruce-Andrea dose. We’ll hit so hard that he’ll stop flying high.”

The two looked at each other, evil grins on their faces. It was time to start planning evil again and it was gonna be soon. That was s promise.

***

The elevator door opened and Travis came out of it. He was dressed beautifully in a red designer’s shirt that was tucked in a black skinny jean with green snickers on his feet. His hair was made into a ponytail, revealing his gorgeous face. It was a really cold day and he had a black coat on. He had a small bag with him.

It had been a really busy day for Travis and his team. First, they had gone out to check on the progress of their previous brand and it was still doing great. Then they had gone to the factory to check on the progress of their newest shoe line and they had spent quite some time there. Immediately after coming back, Travis had to review some documents and they were quite a number of them. As if that had not been enough, he had an important meeting with a client in his office. It was really hard work. He was just happy he hadn’t encountered any of the evil friends.

It was already night and only a few people were still at the company. Having a position as vice president meant that sometimes long hours of meetings and work. Shit! Anyway, he had to endure it. He just couldn’t wait to go home and see his son.

Travis got out of the building and he heard his phone ringing. It was his driver.

“Hey!”

“Sir, are you done already?’ The driver asked in a deep manly voice.

“Yes! Where are you?”

‘Just give me ten minutes, sir!’ The driver said softly. ‘I will be there.’

“Okay!” Travis smiled. “I am already outside. Just hurry it up.”

Travis sighed and then started walking towards the car park. It didn’t take him long to reach there. He started walking slowly, took out his phone, and started texting his aunt that he was gonna be a bit late.

But Travis didn’t even text her before he bumped into someone. He quickly moved his face up and found himself staring into the face of an ugly-looking man with a neckerchief and a bandanna wrapped around his head. He had overgrown beards and he looked muscular too.

“Sorry,” He apologized, giving a slight smile. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

He moved the other side and tried to pass but got surprised when the huge man blocked him, still staring into his face. Travis looked at the man, a frown appearing on his face. He tried to pass on the other side but got blocked again. Shit!

“What the hell is your problem?” Travis said hoarsely. “I thought I told you it was an accident. Leave my path before I call security.”

The man laughed maniacally. “You’ve got a loud mouth for such a beautiful boy.”

“Excuse me!” Travis raised an eyebrow. “Please, leave my path. I don’t have time for such conversations. I will call security.”

The man laughed, opening his arms widely. “Do it! I am not afraid of security.”

“Look, Mr….”

But Travis didn’t even finish his sentence. He was surprisingly grabbed from behind and then a cloth placed on his mouth and nose while someone had a powerful grip on his neck area. He tried to scream but all that came out were muffled cries and when he tried to breathe, something really strong entered his nose and he got dizzy for a second.

Travis felt his heart begin racing as a shiver ran down his spine. He knew that he was definitely in trouble and had to do something quickly. With a groan, Travis flexed his hand and thrust his elbow behind, hitting the man right in the abdomen so hard.

The man behind yelped, letting him go instantly. Travis furiously turned, clenched his fist, and gave the man a huge blow, sending him flying to the hard floor with a thud.

“Ow!” The man cried in a deep manly voice.

Before Travis even had a chance to see the man’s face, his arms were gripped and pinned behind. He raised his foot and stamped on whoever had him gripped behind. The man gave a painful groan, jumping as he’d just stepped on a nail.

But something was wrong. Travis was getting dizzy and his vision was not that perfect. It was like he was drunk or something and he knew he was in trouble. His heart was racing so much and he got thirsty. He tried to get away but a man gripped his arm and pulled him back.

“Careful, the little fucker is strong.” A man said but Travis couldn’t see him. It seemed there were several of them, maybe three of four.

He quickly turned and punched the man who was holding him on the face but just strong enough so that he could let him go. Travis tried to run but he was getting dizzier by the second and he found himself heading for the floor. But to his shock, he fell right on someone’s arm.

Travis held on tighter to the arm, trying to get away but the man held him tighter, trying to help him up. “Are you okay?”

When Travis heard that voice, he simply froze. He rose his head up just to look into Antonio’s face, their eyes locking on each other. But Antonio seemed mad. Travis quickly moved and went behind Antonio’s back, shielding himself from the thugs.

Antonio had no idea why he got so angry when he looked at the four thugs that looked like they had just seen a ghost. He was so mad that his jaws shook and his fists clenched immediately. His eyes instantly became red and veins popped up in his head. His breaths were heavy and he looked like a warrior from medieval times. Even gladiators would have been jealous had they seen him at that time.

“Who are you?” One of the men gasped. “This does not concern you. This is between him and us. Go away and you won’t get hurt.”

Antonio groaned. “Didn’t you recognize me? I am your doom and you’re gonna wish you hadn’t touched him.”

Although Travis was feeling dizzy and funny, he could hear Antonio’s words.

“Beat him up!” The boss ordered.

The other three thugs charged at Antonio with their weapons but Antonio was too powerful for them. He made sure that whenever he touched one of them, he beat him so hard that his nose was bleeding and his face was badly bruised.

He punched, he kicked and he made sure that they were all hurt. The boss couldn’t even dare to touch him. He just took his people and they all ran away. Antonio wanted to run away but he couldn’t leave Travis alone.

He rushed to Travis who was seated on the floor with his hand on his head. “Hey!” Antonio leaned down, cupping Travis’ cheeks. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you or anything?”

“I… I am fine. I need to go home.” Travis said in a weak voice.

Everything was spinning and Travis had no idea what was going on.

“You don’t look so good. Let me take you…”

“No!” Travis managed a word. He tried to get up but found that it was impossible. “…leave… me alone, Antonio. I… just wanna go home.”

“But…”

“Leave!” Travis was just too weak to even move.

He tried to get up but his entire strength left him and he collapsed right in Antonio’s arms. Antonio wrapped his arms around him, bringing him closer.

“Travis!” He muttered, shaking him slightly. “Hey!”

But the boy had passed out. Antonio was so confused and angry that he didn’t even know what to do. He knew that he had to take the boy to the hospital but he just sat with his arms wrapped around him. He didn’t know why he felt the need to do that.

***

“Eduardo!” Antonio screamed like a mad man. “Eduardo, can you please come out here.”

Eduardo was in the room, trying to get changed since he had just arrived home but when he heard his brother’s voice, he got really scared and stopped whatever he was doing. He wondered what kinda drama his brother had brought home that day.

“It’s from Antonio!” Celine said softly, looking at her husband. “It seems he’s mad about something. Let’s go see what’s wrong if not that Bruce!”

Both husband and wife agreed and they started going out of their room. They rushed downstairs to the living room just as the rest of the family members joined. Eduardo and Celine glanced at each other in shock before they looked at Antonio.

Antonio was carrying a handsome man in his arms and not just any man but Travis Marasigan. Both Celine and Eduardo were shocked. He was sweaty and seemed like he was in a hurry and a bit angry.

“What are you doing, Antonio?” Emma snapped, rushing towards where he was. “How dare you bring that boy to this house after everything he’s done! Have you suddenly lost your mind?”

Antonio carefully laid Travis on the big couch, standing up straight and staring at his aunt. “I am sorry but I had no choice. I had to bring him back home and…”

“Excuse me!” Emma chuckled bitterly, glancing in disgust at the sleeping boy. “What business do we have with him, huh? Just look at him, he’s trying…”

“He was attacked!” Antonio glanced at his brother, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. “I think they wanted to kidnap him. He collapsed right after I saved him. Eduardo, check out what’s wrong with him. I think they drugged him.”

Eduardo looked at his brother and then at the beautiful boy on the couch. He took a sigh before he rushed to him and sat beside him, checking his eyes first. They were a bit red and his forehead had many sweat droplets and his body was hot.

“I need some cold water and cloth!” He announced, looking at everyone. “Aunt, can you…”

“Excuse me!” Emma snapped, shaking her head. “You expect me to help that whore sleeping over there. I don’t care if he dies but I will only help him over my dead body.”

“I will do it!” Celine was already rushing to the kitchen.

Eduardo checked him out and found out that his heart was racing and he was burning up. He needed to give him an injection to help him. He rushed to the room, came with an injection, and administered it to the sleeping boy.

Celine came with some really cold water and a cloth. She put it on Travis’ forehead to help bring down the temperature. The boy stirred when she placed the cold cloth on the forehead.

“Is he going to be alright?” She asked worriedly.

Eduardo nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be awake any time soon. He passed out due to the chemical that he inhaled.” He said, looking at his worried brother. “You were right. I think they wanted to kidnap him. It’s a good thing you reached there in time.”

Antonio glanced at the face of the beautiful man on the couch and he felt his heart jump. “He had put up quite a good fight before I arrived. I think if they hadn’t covered his mouth with that cloth, he’d have handled himself just fine.”

Which made Antonio wonder too. The Praveen he remembered was weak and would have been easily kidnapped. As he was rushing to help, he could see the boy fighting the thugs. But he didn’t go into deeper thoughts as he got disturbed.

“Who would want to do this to him?” Emma asked softly, getting also a little worried and she had no idea why.

Emma laughed, rolling her eyes. “The idiot probably has many enemies which wouldn’t even be a surprise because he’s such a pain. I am not surprised someone would want him kidnapped.”

Everyone remained quiet and just watched, some in anger and some in worry.

Meanwhile, on the staircase…

“What is that boy doing there?” Andrea gasped, her heart pounding in her chest.

“I thought we told those idiots to do a clean job!” Bruce muttered, clenching his fists. “Looks like they failed. I swear I am gonna deal with them.”

Andrea was just as shocked as Bruce was. They had a perfect plan but it had backfired. The thugs they had hired were known as the best and they would have kidnapped Travis whether he was with his bodyguard or not. But they had failed. What was so fucking difficult about kidnapping a weak boy, she thought as she felt her blood boil. Kidnap him, beat him to a pulp, and tell him to get out of the city. It would have been a perfect win and they’d have gotten whatever they wanted.

Andrea took Bruce’s hand and they rushed to her room, locking the door behind them. As soon as they reached, Andrea was already calling the thug boss’ line. She was mad as hell.

‘Hello, madam…’

“Don’t you madam me!” Andrea snapped, yelling on the phone. “For a person that was highly recommended, you’re such a disappointment. I told you to kidnap him, take him to an abandoned building and beat him up, scare him to the point where he would flee this city and never come back. But the idiot is in my house and…”

‘Look, ma’am…’ The man said harshly in a deep voice. ‘…I don’t care about our deal right now. Do you think it’s funny? My men and I are in so much pain and we’re bruising. I don’t even know how long it will take for my men to complete heal because they have fractures.’

Andrea chuckled bitterly. “And that’s supposed to be my problem?” She yelled. “I paid you a huge sum of money and all…”

‘It’s not my problem too, madam!’ The man said rudely before he hissed, surprising Andrea. ‘You told us the boy was gonna be an easy target but you didn’t tell us the little fucker is a martial artist. Even drugged, he was able to fight. We would have had him but that brother of yours ruined everything. And don’t yell at me, I don’t work for you.’

Andrea’s mouth gaped and she looked at the phone slightly. “Did you just…”

But Bruce took the phone away from her and he was mad as fuck.

“Look here, you son of a bitch!” He roared. “Because of you, our enemy is in the house right now. We gave you a simple job and you failed to do a single thing. What the fuck do they call you ‘the equalizer’ for? You’re a total idiot.”

‘Hey, don’t insult me.’ The man snapped on the other end. Even though the phone, Bruce could still feel how mad he was. ‘If you’re not an idiot then why didn’t you handle him? We were almost caught by those stupid guards, we’re hurt and you’ve got the nerves to yell at us. Remember, you needed our service and we’re very dangerous men. So don’t fuck with us!’ He screamed, making Bruce’s heart race. ‘Don’t ever call this line again or else….’

He didn’t finish the sentence. He just the call, leaving Bruce dumfound.

“What the fuck!” He threw the phone on the bed. “He cut the call and threatened that we shouldn’t ever call his line again or he’ll rat us out!”

Andrea was so angry that she knocked a glass jar off her night table, breaking it into pieces. “Damn, Antonio! Why the fuck did you have to interfere?”

Both of them knew that that plan had been ruined and they needed to come up with something evil and perfect. It wasn’t over.

***

Travis moaned softly as he opened his eyes slowly, moving his hand to rub on his head. He had a terrible headache and everything at first was spinning and he couldn’t see anything at all. But then things started getting clear and he looked around, trying to see where he was. First, he could see that he wasn’t in his house and secondly, he didn’t know where he was. But…

“Are you feeling okay?” He heard a sweet voice.

That was when Travis realized that there were people there. When he moved his eyes to look at who had spoken, his heart gave a sharp pound in his chest when he just looked at Celine’s beautiful face with a smile on her face. A shiver when down her spine.

No! No! No! Travis didn’t want what he was thinking to be true but he slowly moved his eyes and just landed on Antonio who was standing close to the chair with a stern look on his face, staring right at him. His heart began racing even more and he felt like an idiot all of a sudden. Everyone else was there except for Andrea and Bruce.

He quickly rose, putting his legs on the floor but was welcomed by a sharp headache. He groaned in pain, trying to massage.

“Hey, careful…” Eduardo said softly, resting his hand on the man’s shoulder. “…I think you’re not fully well.”

“I am fine!” He said, raising his head to stare at Antonio. “How did I get here?”

“Antonio brought you here,” Celine said with a smile. “You were attacked by some thugs and he brought you back here.”

Travis looked at Antonio and he felt like anger had just taken the best of him. “Why did you bring me here?” He rose, sounding ungrateful as well.

Antonio was shocked. “What do you mean? You were unconscious. My brother is a doctor and all that was on my mind was to bring you to him so that he can examine you. I didn’t that was gonna be a problem since…”

“You could have taken me to a hospital.” Travis shrugged. He didn’t know why he was so upset. “And besides…”

“Wow!” Emma laughed. “You are an ungrateful, little bitch, aren’t you? First of all, he saved your stupid ass when you didn’t deserve it and then he brought you here so that you can be saved. I don’t think you deserved it. He should have left you to those thugs so that they could have dealt with you.”

“Aunt, please!” Eduardo said, rising from the couch. “Why are you talking like that?”

“What?” Emma chuckled bitterly. “All of us here are probably thinking it. It’s not like we like him or anything. He’s been a pain in the ass and we just want to see him go to hell and burn.” She got closer to Travis with her arms folded. “On behalf of everyone here, you’re not welcome and we’re not happy to see you. You should have been in the hands of those thugs right now. We would have been happy. But it looks like we’re not that lucky.”

Travis glanced at her and felt angry and pained at the same time. It wasn’t like he expected them to like him or something. He wanted them to suffer and it looked like they were already suffering.

He looked at Antonio and the man was still wearing a stern face. But he didn’t know the war going on in his heart at that time. He shook his head and sighed but that was when he saw his phone in Antonio’s hand.

Travis felt his heart sink in his chest, fear getting the best of him. He knew that if Antonio had looked at his phone and seen the wallpaper there, he had probably seen Sean. Travis started sweating from just the thought of that. His heart was pounding so hard that he felt like he was gonna have a heart attack. He was getting paler by the second.

Suddenly, Travis did the first thing that came to his mind. He furiously gripped the phone from Antonio’s hands, looking at it. Shit! The phone was off and Travis felt like he was able to breathe once again. His world would have been a mess.

Raising his head to stare into Antonio’s face, Travis got closer. “Thank you so much but you shouldn’t have done what you did.” He said harshly, slipping the phone into his pocket. “I didn’t need your help and neither did I ask for it. You should have just left me there. I was handling it just fine.”

He shook his head angrily and turned to face Emma, staring right into her piercing brown eyes. Those eyes had scared him a lot when he was Praveen. But he wasn’t scared anymore. He looked into the faces of everyone and then started leaving hurriedly.

“Wait!” Antonio hollered.

Travis stopped in his tracks without turning. But he slightly closed his eyes, getting ready for the insult that Antonio was gonna rain down on him.

Antonio slowly walked towards Travis. “I… your phone is off and I don’t think you’ll be able to call your driver. My driver can take you home.” Travis remained dumbstruck, his eyes widening. No! He was gonna do that. “Or you can use my phone to call home so that someone can pick you up.”

Travis was shocked. He didn’t expect to hear such a humble voice from a rude guy like Antonio. “I will take a cab. I know my way home.” He didn’t even turn to face him.

Then he continued going. Antonio wanted to call him but he just remained quiet and watched as the boy exited his house, walking like a professional model. Shit! His body was really to die, Antonio couldn’t help but think.

“And then he goes away again, insulting us.” Emma scoffed. “I don’t know why you insist on helping that boy because he doesn’t deserve it. You should have just left him to his fate.”

She hissed and then stormed out of the living room. Eduardo patted on his brother’s shoulder and left with his wife and mother, leaving Antonio all alone. Antonio hadn’t expected to help Travis but it felt so right and he didn’t have any regrets. Did he suddenly develop a soft spot?

***

“My God, are you okay, Travis?” Vanessa sobbed softly as she held him tighter. “Please, tell me that you’re okay? I tried to call you and I was so worried.”

Travis had just reached and he was feeling all kinds of emotions resting on his poor head. He had already told his family exactly what had happened and Vanessa was really scared. She had been crying for two minutes.

“I am okay, aunt!” He said, pulling away from the hug. He slowly rubbed her tears, smiling to make her feel better. It was already past 11.pm. “I am really fine.”

She cried softly again. “It’s a good thing you were not harmed. I owe my thank you to Antonio Gonzalez.” She said, holding him tightly. “I don’t know what I would have done had anything happened to you. I would have died, I swear. May the almighty bless his soul for this!”

Travis was confused by her words. Truly, Antonio had saved his life twice. First, it was from the riot and now from the thugs. He kissed her hands, holding them tighter. “Nothing will ever happen to me. I have Sean’s love, father’s love, your love, and…” He paused and looked at the guy that was lost deep in thought. “…I also have Santiago’s love. Nothing will ever happen to me.”

Vanessa smiled through her tears and hugged him even tighter. “Bless you, my son.” She kissed his head. “The Almighty will never let anything happen to you.”

“Amen, aunt!” He slowly bowed and touched her feet. She slowly proceeded to bless him before kissing his forehead.

“I know you’re really tired, aunt!” He said, caressing her cheek. “Please, you can go and rest. I am fine!”

“But I wanna…”

“Go and rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He reassured, smiling. “I am okay!”

Vanessa remained quiet, staring at him like she was confused. Then she took a deep sigh. “Okay! I will do that but I wanna be with you.”

“I promise, we’ll talk tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek and she left.

Then he sighed gloomily and started walking towards Santiago who was seated on the staircase.

“You know that this wasn’t an ordinary kidnapping, right?” Santiago said, getting up from the stair. He was really mad and his fists were clenched.

Travis sighed. “I know that it was planned. And I also know who you’re thinking and you’re right about that. But I was ready for this.”

Santiago groaned. “I would have murdered those bastards if they had laid a finger on you, I swear.”

Travis was shocked. He had never seen Santiago so mad before. It was like he had switched to something else. His fists were clenched… his eyes were red and his breaths were harsh. He looked ready for war.

Travis quickly went to him, putting his hand on his chest. Man, his heart was pounding so hard that Travis felt a bit scared.

“Calm down,” Santiago. “I am okay. Nothing happened to me. I can defend myself.”

“How will I know that they won’t get you next time?”

“Because they’ll be no next time,” Travis said with a reassuring smile. “What happened today will never repeat itself. It was just a cheap stunt by Andrea and Bruce. And do you know what this means? They’re already feeling the heat. But I can promise you that I’ll never let it happen again. I’ll make them pay for what they did today. I swear.”

Santiago had never been so mad. He looked at Travis’ beautiful face and couldn’t imagine anything happening to him. He was ready to give his life for him. That was how much he loved him. He looked away because he couldn’t bear the thoughts of anything happening to that face.

“Look at me, Santiago!” Travis muttered. “It’s okay. I am fine!”

But Santiago still looked away.

“Santiago!” Travis cupped his cheeks and brought his face in front. “I am okay.”

He leaned up and kissed his temple, near the mouth. Santiago couldn’t help the sensations that took control of him. When Travis looked at him, he was smiling brightly. His anger had melted away and his fists were no longer clenched.

“Besides, you’ll protect me like always, right?” He asked. “You’re the reason I am here today. Any guy that can challenge the almighty to bring me back to life can protect me from anything.” Santiago couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re crazy.”

Travis threw himself on Santiago’s chest and he got really happy when he felt those muscular arms wrapping themselves around him. He held the guy tighter and breathed in the man’s scent, enjoying the warmth he felt.

“I love you so much, Santiago!”

“I love you too.”

Santiago kissed his head and the two just remained like that.

***

Antonio was seated on the bed, staring at his phone like he was expecting something to come out of there. His heart was racing beyond control… his breaths were harsh and he was nervous as hell. He felt like he was in a bowl of ice and he had no idea how to get out of there.

Antonio’s finger was only a second away from pressing the call button but he was so scared and never had he ever felt as vulnerable as he did. He tried to press the call button but he quickly withdrew like there were needles there.

The name ‘Travis’ was displayed on his screen and God knows he wanted to just make the call and ask how Travis was doing but his fear and his mind wouldn’t let him. He didn’t even know what to do. After so much hard debate between mind and heart, he had finally managed to call his assistant and request for Travis’ line. And now that he had it, he didn’t have the balls to call.

“I can’t do this.” He muttered, running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t do this.”

He put the phone on a small table near him and decided to listen to the radio instead. He wanted to be calm before he went to sleep and he was glad Bruce wasn’t in the room yet. As soon as he switched on the radio….

‘….and to everyone that is out there, this is your best friend and your favorite host, RJ I.K…’ The man said in an excited tone. ‘…and it is your favorite show, ‘matters concerning life.’ If you wanna talk to me…. Oh…’ He laughed. ‘We’ve got a caller already. Hello!’

There was silence at first. ‘Hi!’ It was the man’s voice on the call.

‘Hello, bro.’ the host said happily. ‘RJ Ik is here for you.’

Antonio had never been a fan of radio but for the first time, he got interested.

‘I have a best friend.’ The man who had called said but in a sad tone. ‘I mean…. I had. He was my love, my husband, my friend….’ He paused but everyone could feel the emotions. ‘…and he’s left me forever. Before leaving me, he gave me such a shock…. that he shattered my life into many parts.’ He sobbed. ‘Every part has a question… but there’s no answer. I can’t understand what’s right or wrong. I can’t understand what was love or deceit.’

Antonio felt a shiver when he heard what the caller had just said and he couldn’t help but stare nonstop at the radio. It was like the man had a similar situation as him.

‘Sometimes, without knowing…’ RJ I.K said softly. ‘…or understanding, our decisions hurt those people whom we love the most. Mistakes are made by humans only, not God. Then why do we treat humans like God? But expect them not to make a mistake? You will be able to move on once you change your thinking.’

Antonio felt the words begin to melt his heart. He was surrendering hit by a myriad of emotions and his eyes became glassy. He could feel something inside him melting and he had no idea what. He moved his hands and brought the radio closer.

‘Every story has two faces.’ The RJ continued. ‘I know it’s very easy to say, move on… but doing it, in reality, is the most difficult. But times heals all wounds. Sometimes we get a little too stagnant in life which causes unwanted wounds to remain with us, keep on thinking about what happened and why did it happen? And why only me? But actually, it is our defense mechanism because we’re living due to our pain.

If this pain vanishes…. what will be left? But this is not right. You will do nothing besides harming yourself. Bro, life doesn’t end if you’re undergoing pain. There’s a saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.’

Meanwhile, at Travis’ house, Travis was on the bed, slowly rubbing on his sleeping angel’s face. He was so lost in the radio and it had made its way to his heart. He was listening carefully to the words of the RJ. And he was filled with a myriad of emotions. He felt like the RJ was speaking to him.

‘The agony which is not able to destroy you… it becomes your strength later. Today or tomorrow… day after or some later day. Some day or the other, your pain and hatred, you will have to forget and move ahead in life. Else your future and your memories, everything will be reduced to ashes due to the hatred.

So basically, I am telling you to also think from your friend’s point of view. If he was your best friend, then why did he leave you? Slowly stop thinking about your friend and start thinking about yourself. Then you’ll realize that happiness will sneak into your life once again.

Like the first ray of the sun… like the first drop of the rains, you will surely find such love some or the other day. Someone whose every little thing will affect you. His smile will make your day. If he sheds tears, you will get all the happiness of the world for him.’

Travis was already in tears but everything about the advice was emotional for him. His face was already wet.

Antonio on the other hand had tears filled in his face. There were a lot of sad memories in his mind and he just wanted to bury them and move on. Maybe it was time to let the hatred and the pain go away.

‘I hope someone comes into your life and loves you so intensely,’ Even the RJ’s voice sounded so emotional. People could tell that he was touched. ‘Your anger, your pain, and your hatred let it flow away. Because when your heart is empty, happiness will enter your life.’ He chuckled.

‘And I have a special song for our special caller and everyone feeling like him. I hope this song will mend all the broken strings of your heart.’

Then ‘It might be you,’ by Eric Santos started playing on the radio.

Antonio could feel his emotions flowing as he listened to the emotional song on the radio. He took a sigh, walked to the window, and stared at the bright moon in the sky. He smiled just as tears went down his cheeks. He clenched his fist and put it on his chest, nodding his head. Even through those tears, he thanked his lucky stars that he had switched on the radio at that time.

Travis on the other hand slept close to his son, spooning him closer. He kissed him softly while tears flooded his face. He was wishing that what had happened hadn’t happened. Would he have been happy with Antonio? He didn’t know because he was so fucking confused.

Both souls were confused that night and they had no idea when that confusion was gonna end. But one thing was for sure, that radio moment had changed something inside of them. Question is, ‘what changed in them?’

***

Bruce threw the file he was holding on the floor angrily and then started stamping on it like he was killing something really dangerous. He was mad and his head felt like it was about to explode. He had never been as mad as he was that day.

“This is all bullshit!” He yelled as he took the file up again and started ripping it into shreds. “This is all useless.”

“I am sorry, sir…” The man in front of Bruce said. “…but I have already provided all the information I could find in such a short time. All of it is contained in there.”

“What fucking information?” Bruce snapped, pointing angrily at the man. “All that is in there is bullshit. I asked for valuable information, something that’s gonna help me put that motherfucking bastard in his place once and for all. And all that you could provide me with was the companies he owns and the billions of money he has. What am I supposed to do with that? Kill him with it?”

The man was greatly surprised by his client’s words.

Bruce had hired someone to find out all the information he could about Travis, a weapon that he could use to finally clip his wings and bring his fucking ass to the ground. But it was a dead end. There was nothing and he was so damn mad. It was a dead-end once again.

“Fuck!” He groaned, kicking on his car tire. “What can I fucking do?”

“Look, sir…” The man said, shaking his head. “You asked for information and I provided you with information. Can I get my money now?”

“For what?” Andrea who had been quiet finally spoke. They were meeting the man outside an abandoned building. “For being stupid and incompetent? You’re supposed to be paying us instead of us paying you. You’re not getting a penny.”

The man laughed, shaking his head. “You asked for information and I gave you all that I had found out. What did you want me to do, lie? Maybe it would have made you happy if I had created fake information but I don’t work like that. I was hired and I did my job. I need my money.”

“Didn’t you hear that, fucker?” Bruce roared. “Get the fuck out of here.”

The man laughed. “It’s fine. But maybe Mr. Marasigan will pay for a huge amount when I tell him that you’ve been investigating him. After all, he seems richer and he’ll pay me more.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Andrea barked. “You’ve got no idea how dangerous…”

“And you don’t know me either!” The man warned, looking at both of them. “So I would be careful if I were you.”

Andrea felt like murdering someone. She groaned, picked up a huge bundle of money, and threw it at the man’s face. The man took the money and laughed maniacally. Then he entered his car and drove off.

“Why is it so hard to defeat that bitch!” Bruce glowered, hitting the car several. “I hate him so much!”

“We need to find other ways and quick!” Andrea said, rubbing on her temple. “He’s always a step ahead of us and it’s so fucking stressful. We need to do something real quick. Real fucking quick.”

“I don’t know. I am out of ideas right now.” Bruce said as he combed his hair with his fingers. “I thought if we had at least found out something dirty about him but….” He paused and groaned. “I don’t know.”

“Calm down!” Andrea rubbed on his shoulders. “Let’s put our brains together. We’ll surely defeat him. One fail won’t stop us.”

Bruce looked at his friend and sighed. “What do we do now?”

Andrea smiled. “We’re gonna think of something big.”

The two friends smiled at each other and evil grins appeared on their faces.

***

“Wow, Emma… I must say that you’re doing a great job of managing your family.” A beautiful blonde woman, Emma’s friend said. “Who’d have known that you’d become the mother of that house?”

Emma chuckled, smiling at her friend. “Well, who better to manage that house than me? My sister in law almost destroyed all of us.”

“You’re right about that.” A brunette spoke this time. “I am glad that you’ve all passed that phase. And look at you, you’re shining.”

Emma laughed together with her two friends. They were in a gorgeous designer shop for their monthly shopping like they always did. Emma always took her friends out shopping every month and after that, they went to a five-star restaurant and had lunch together before departing. She’d been doing that for the last five years and it had been a success.

“And by the way, I just wanted to ask how the preparations for the fast are coming.” One of the ladies asked. “You know we always observe that fast and break it at your house.”

Emma chuckled happily. “Of course, you know that I am always prepared for that.”

The annual marital fast was on its way and according to the traditions, all the married people had to fast for their husbands, for their wellbeing and good health. The fast started at 6.and could only end at 9.pm. After the fast had ended, they always celebrated by eating good food together with their husbands, if they were still alive.

“Guess we’ll be coming to your house in the next two days.” The blonde lady said. “It is always fun to be with you and your family.”

They all laughed and continued with their shopping. Emma wanted to buy something that screamed class, sexy and elegant. She was known as a lady of class and she always wanted to be over the top. No one ever messed with her.

They all continued with their shopping and Emma was happy. But as they were shopping…

“Hey, look, it’s your son in law!” The blonde gasped.

Emma quickly looked at her friend, a smile popping up on her face. She got super excited and she had no idea why. “My son in law? Where?”

Her friend gestured and Emma felt like she was in heaven when she turned in the direction that her friend had pointed.

“I had no idea that Bruce was gonna…”

But Emma trailed off when she saw what her friend had just pointed at. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt like venom had just entered her system. Her fists clenched and anger suddenly swept her off her feet. It was Travis, the boy that she wanted to hurt so much. He was just a little distance away from her, looking at some expensive skinny jeans with a smile on his face. He was wearing a black designer’s shirt that was tucked in a white skinny jean with white sneakers on his feet. His hair was just loose and he was looking amazing.

“That’s not my son in law!” Emma muttered, her voice sounding hoarse.

“I meant you ex-son in law.” The blonde lady spoke, getting closer to her friend. “I heard he’s now a rich man, the son of Richard Marasigan.”

Emma rolled her eyes, looking at her friend. “He’s not my son in law. He’s not even Praveen but just a stupid lookalike.”

“Yeah!” The brunette lady spoke. “I also heard that he managed to become part of your son’s company. There was even an article of them dancing at the governor’s party. I thought he was the one. And honestly, I don’t understand how such a boy could have turned out to be a snake. I thought he was well cultured and had great values. But you’re lucky your son married someone better instead.”

Emma chuckled mockingly, smiling like an evil genius. “Birds of the same feather if you ask me. Even that Travis is no different from him.” She spoke so loud just so that whoever wanted to hear could hear her. “They’re all just after my son’s wealth. You know Antonio is very rich and very handsome. Even whores pretending to be rich can’t resist him. But who can blame them? They can try but they’ll never be able to get him.”

Emma laughed and her two friends joined her.

Meanwhile, Travis who had no intention of bumping into any member of Antonio’s family got unfortunate when he saw Emma and as usual, she was acting like a bitch. He got really upset when he heard her calling him a whore. He had come to get some things for himself and his son but someone had managed to ruin his mood.

“The other one cheated on him…” The blonde lady laughed. “…and now the lookalike is following him like a whore! Wow!”

“What did you just say?”

All the women looked in the direction of the voice and saw Travis coming to them with a stern look. He looked like he was getting ready for war and all of them lost their smiles. Travis had his eyes on the blonde lady and so God help him, he didn’t like her one bit.

“How dare you talk about me like that?” He snarled. “Who do you think you are? Just because you’ve heard of Travis Marasigan doesn’t mean you know who he is so be careful what you say to me.”

Emma shook her head. “Respect yourself, Travis!” She warned, pointing angrily at him. “Why do you like interfering in matters that don’t concern you?”

Travis laughed. “When someone thinks they can talk bullshit about me, why should I keep quiet?” He asked angrily. “And this is not your house where you can think you can just talk anyhow, remember that. Just because I kept quiet the other day doesn’t mean I will today.”

The other two women looked at each other in shock because they hadn’t expected him to answer like that. They’d had an encounter with Praveen in the past and Emma had insulted him and he had just kept quiet.

Travis looked at the three women. “Look, I respect your age. But, please learn to know your limit.”

“What nonsense!” The brunette lady snapped. “Don’t you have respect for your elders?”

“With age, you gain experience.” He spoke softly. “With experience, you gain intelligence about what should be spoken at what time. But look at you three old ladies, don’t you have anything else to talk about rather than gossip?”

“Travis…”

“Enough!” Travis gestured with his hand. “I have had enough of everyone trying to talk like they know me. I will not take this nonsense lightly so I urge you to be careful. You think just because you’re rich and your husband is powerful, that gives you the right to talk about anyone however you like? You should be careful because you’ll be disappointed. I may look young to you but I am ready to put you in your rightful place.”

Emma was so mad that she saw red. “I think I have had enough of your stupidity, Travis!” She roared.

“I can say the same for you!” Travis said, making the other two women look at each other in shock. “I am not one to hide my feelings so why should I hide that I don’t like you?”

Emma clenched her fists, groaning. “I think I have had enough of you and today, I’ll teach you a lesson.” She vowed, pointing at him. “Security! Security!”

Travis got shocked when she heard Emma calling the security like she was going insane. It attracted some attention and some shoppers started watching them. It didn’t take long and two muscular security guys came.

“Yes, ma’am, any problem?”

Emma glanced at Travis. “Yes! I need to see the manager right now. Tell him Miss Emma Gonzalez wants to see him.”

The two security guys slowly bowed and left. Emma looked at Travis with an evil grin while the boy just looked like he was in deep shock. She was gonna show him that she wasn’t known as Emma Gonzalez for nothing. She was a powerful woman.

A few seconds later, a man who looked to be in his mid-40s came rushing. He was a tall man, dark well-shaven hair with green eyes and spectacles. He was dressed smartly in a black designer’s suit with a white shirt inside.

“Yes, Miss Gonzalez.” The manager said, wondering why she had called him.

“Yes!” Emma smiled mockingly. “I just got insulted by this stupid boy here.” She angrily pointed. “I can’t just stand such people so I want you to get him out of here and ban him from here.”

The manager first looked at Travis and then at Emma. He got nervous, really nervous. “But ma’am…”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” Emma snapped. “I am one of the biggest clients here and you won’t like what I will do next if you don’t ban this boy from here right now. He just insulted me and…”

“We cannot do that, ma’am.”

Emma got shocked when she heard the answer from the manager. She furiously turned and faced him, giving angry eyes. “What the hell did you just say? Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“Ma’am, I am aware that you’re Antonio Gonzalez’s aunt and the Gonzalez family are one of our biggest clients.” The manager said softly. “But I am sorry, Mr. Marasigan is the biggest client that we have here.”

Emma shook his head. “Excuse me! This stupid boy has only been here for a month and…” She paused and glanced at Travis who was now wearing a smile. “…we’ve been your clients for a long time now. You won’t like it when I stop coming here.”

“We know that, ma’am.” The manager said. “But Marasigan industries have helped this shop to be the way it is. Most of the designer clothes here are actually from their company and at times, they just donate to us. We can’t risk losing him for the sake of you, ma’am. We’re very sorry.”

Emma felt tears building in her eyes when she saw that mocking smile on Travis’ face, a smile that gave her nothing but pain. She just wanted to wipe that smile off his face with a slap but she couldn’t. The most humiliating thing was that her two friends whom she usually boasted to were there witnessing everything.

“And I am sorry, ma’am but….” The manager paused. “…I am gonna have to ask you to leave right now.”

“What?” Emma gasped, her eyes widening. “You want me to leave because of…”

“Please, don’t let me call security.”

Emma felt like someone had just stabbed her in the heart with a really hot knife. She clenched her fists, looking at Travis who was smiling in anger. She was never gonna let him go just like that. With an angry groan, Emma cursed and stormed out of the shop with the two women following her behind.

“I am sorry, sir!” The manager apologized, putting his hands together. “Forgive me for…”

“Why are you apologizing?” Travis smiled. “I am not complaining. You can go back, sir!”

“Thanks!”

The manager quickly left.

Meanwhile….

“I have never been so humiliated my entire life, Emma!” The blonde woman complained bitterly. “We just looked like fools in there. Are you gonna let that little rat humiliate you just like that?”

Emma breathed harshly. “Never! I will pay him back for this humiliation.” She pulled on her hair hard. “Fuck! Damn you, Travis!”

She screamed like a mad person, throwing her expensive purse on the ground. “Damn, that Travis. This is your fucking fault!”

Emma had never been as mad as she was. That had been the most humiliating moment of her life and she felt like it was a dream, a terrible nightmare and she wanted to wake up from it. There was no fucking way she was embarrassed in front of everyone. It was impossible.

Emma took a deep breath and then knelt to pick up her purse from the ground. But as soon as she tried to reach it, she just got another shock when she touched white snickers instead. She quickly moved her face up and just met with Travis’ mocking smile. She looked at where her purse was and she saw that he had stepped on it.

“That’s what’s happens when you try to play smart with me.” He chuckled bitterly. Emma couldn’t even stand but she just looked up and stared at him. “And I like you in the position where you are, on the ground where you belong.”

Emma opened her mouth to say something but she got surprised when no word came out.

“Perhaps if you mess with me some more, you might just find yourself permanently there.” He shook his head and left laughing.

Emma picked up her purse and got up, watching as he entered his expensive sports car and drove off like a king, waving his hand as he went. A tear of anger went down her cheek but she quickly rubbed it. He was gonna pay and that was a promise.

***

Antonio was seated on the couch in his room with his eyes glued on his phone and a smile on his face. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His latest song, ‘Found by you’ had just been released and it was already topping the charts. He was so happy and his heart jumped with joy. He felt like hugging someone, anyone because that was how happy he was.

He almost jumped out of the couch when he heard his phone ringing. It was Ethan.

“Do you know I could kiss you right now?” Antonio gasped, acting like a mad person.

‘First of all, eew!’ Ethan said on the other end. ‘And secondly, I haven’t done anything. It’s just your hard work paying off. You were able to give your fans what they wanted and social media is going crazy. Everyone’s asking when the video will be out.”

Antonio combed his hair with his fingers, sighing. “What do you mean, you and I both worked on that song together. We both wrote the lyrics so you deserve the credit as well.”

‘I didn’t sing it, you idiot!’ Ethan laughed on the other end. ‘It was all you and I am so happy that you can smile even though I am not there to see. I just hope when I come there, you’ll still be smiling.’

“Why not!” Antonio chuckled. “This is some great news and we need to celebrate. Can we meet, just the two of us to celebrate this?”

‘As if I am insane to say no to an offer like that. But I am gonna have to call you because I am a bit busy.’

“Your call. I will be waiting. See ya!”

Antonio cut the call, put his phone on the table, and started checking out the comments on his PC that were on his new music video. He was on the edge of his seat, smiling like an idiot. Every comment he read made his heart jump with joy and his smile to grow even bigger.

Antonio was so engrossed in his phone that he didn’t even hear as footsteps got closer to him. The next thing he heard was a voice, a voice that gave him chills.

“Handsome uncle!”

Antonio abruptly looked in the direction of the voice and saw little Sean standing in front of him with the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen on a child. He was dressed in a red t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and brown snickers. His hair was well shaven and lord, he smelt so nice.

Antonio felt his heart race as he stared at the handsome young boy. Everything around him seemed to disappear and he could feel his heart as it pounded in his chest harshly and each breath he took, he felt like it gave him peace, the same peace he felt when he had seen the boy the first time.

As if he didn’t have a grin on his face already, Antonio smiled like an idiot, feeling tears forming in his eyes. He had no idea why he still felt that kind of connection with the kid, a connection that he didn’t even feel with Stephanie. Not even Stephanie had been able to make him as happy as he felt at that time. It was strange.

“Sean!” He gasped, rising quickly from the couch.

He wrapped his arms around the boy, kissing his cheek several.

“When did you arrive here?” He asked as he pulled away. He cupped the boy’s cheeks, looking into his beautiful green eyes. “And how did you find my room?”

“I am sorry, uncle!” The little boy apologized. “I lost Stephanie and I thought she came upstairs so I followed and I found your door open.”

Antonio smiled and leaned to kiss the boy on the forehead. He took him to the couch and made him sit on his lap. “You don’t have to apologize, baby. Handsome uncle is very happy that you came here. I missed you, little man.” He playfully pinched his cheeks.

Sean giggled happily. “I missed you too, handsome uncle!”

“Really?” Antonio felt a shiver when he heard those words. “You missed me?”

“Yes!” Sean nodded. “I even told my dad about you.”

Antonio smiled, raising an eyebrow. “Really? What did you tell him?”

“That you’re very handsome and very nice.” He said happily. “My daddy even said I should say thank you.”

“For what?”

“Just thank you!” Sean said, wearing that smile that melted Antonio’s heart.

Now Antonio was curious about the father of such a handsome boy and in his heart, he was dying to know who it was. He had no idea why his mind was telling him to find out more about the little boy’s father.

“Err, baby…” Antonio muttered, ruffling the boy’s hair. “…what’s your daddy’s name? You didn’t tell me the last time.”

Sean looked at Antonio. “His name is….” He chuckled happily. “…his name is papa. He is my daddy and he is very beautiful.”

Antonio laughed, shaking his head. He knew that he wanted to know who he was but…

“Papa, huh? Doesn’t he have another name?”

Sean nodded. “Papa!”

Antonio gave up and he rose his hands like he was surrendering. “Okay, Sean…” He rose with the boy in his arms. “…would you like handsome uncle to buy you ice cream and chocolates?”

“Ye!” Sean danced in Antonio’s arms.

“Okay!” He made the boy sit on the couch. “Let me go and get changed and then we’ll go out.”

Antonio went and got dressed simply. He was putting on a black designer’s t-shirt, white skinny jeans and black sneakers. He had a band tied around his head, something he hadn’t done in a long time. But it just felt right at that moment.

When he came back, he took Sean into his arms and both of them went downstairs. There was just a strong connection that Antonio felt when he held the boy. It was really sweet and Antonio could feel it grow stronger and stronger.

“Hey!” Celine sighed when she saw Antonio with Sean in his arms. She was holding Stephanie in hers. “We’ve been looking for Sean! I had no idea you took him.”

“I didn’t!” Antonio shook his head but wearing a smile. Then he leaned and kissed Steph on the cheek, making her giggle. “He came to my room.”

Celine looked at Sean and couldn’t help but smile. “Wow! All the way to your room. The boy likes you.”

Antonio nodded. “The feeling is mutual. I have no idea why I am really happy whenever I see him. It’s like, I can’t even explain it because I don’t understand it myself.”

Celine nodded. “I completely understand. Anyway, we were just…”

“I was thinking of taking the kids out for ice cream and chocolate.” He said, smiling when the boy jumped in his arms. “I just want them to be part of my celebration.”

“Celebration?” Celine raised an eyebrow. “What about?”

Antonio chuckled, putting little Sean on the floor. “I will tell you later when I come back. It’s a surprise for the family.”

“Hmmm…” Celine frowned. “…now I am curious. Anyway, I don’t know because Sean’s driver will be here to pick him up around 5:30 pm. I think his father is taking him out or something. His grandmother told me that his father wanted him at 5:30.”

Antonio glanced at his watch. “There’s still like 4 hours before that. I’ll bring him back before that. And by the way, do you know who his father is?”

Celine shook her head. “No! I was supposed to meet him the other day when I took Sean home but…” She sighed, rubbing on her forehead. “…unfortunately, I couldn’t. Eduardo called me on that date. Anyway, why do you ask?”

“Nothing!” Antonio kissed her cheek and took Stephanie from her arms. “I will see you when I come back.”

“Okay!”

Antonio took the two kids and he left in a hurry. He was so excited and it wasn’t because his song had become a hit but because he was gonna spend almost an entire afternoon with the little boy that made him so excited and peaceful.

Celine watched as Antonio left with the two kids, holding Steph in his arms while ruffling Sean’s hair. She didn’t miss that smile on his face and she also couldn’t help but remember the last time he had smiled like that.

“I have never seen him smile like that in a long time.”

Celine lost the smile on her face when she heard that voice. It was Emilia and she was standing right beside her, staring at the entrance where Antonio had just disappeared. But she had a smile on her pretty face.

“It makes me happy to see him smile like that.” She sighed, glancing at her daughter in law. “He might still be mad at me but as long as he’s happy, I am okay even if he shouts at me.” She chuckled nervously. “By the way, I can see that he loves the boy a lot. I saw him the other day and his reaction.”

Celine sighed. “Yeah! He likes him. Sean is such a sweet boy and I am not surprised.” She proceeded to her mother in law. “What about you, mother? Are you alright?”

Emilia smiled, nodding. “As long as my son is okay then I am okay. It’s just nice to see him smile after that boy almost destroyed his life. Even when Travis is trying to make him miserable, I know he’ll pull through. I am ready to do anything to make sure that my son regains his happiness. Even if it is the last thing I’ll ever do.”

Celine smiled, patting on her shoulder. “He’ll soon regain it.” She didn’t wanna talk about that. “Now why don’t you come and help to start making dinner. And then we can also talk about the plans for the upcoming fast.”

The two women went to the kitchen.

***

Travis entered Tonzalez blue building looking amazingly sexy and yummy. He was dressed in a sky blue designer’s suit with a blue sparkly shirt inside and a blue necktie. His jacket was unbuttoned and he looked amazing with blue designer’s shoes on his feet. His hair was in slicked back high-fashion style, revealing his face. He was looking yummy, especially with his beautiful walk. He had many people staring.

“Of course,” Travis chuckled, holding that smile in. “A meeting with you would be very wonderful.”

‘Okay!’ The man on the other end acted as he had just won a lottery. ‘Ever since your return, I have always wanted to meet you so that we can strike a deal. Marasigan airlines are the leading airline company and I have always wanted to have a contract with them. But of course, to also meet the beautiful son of Richard Marasigan whom everyone’s been talking about.’

Travis chuckled. He was talking to one of the many businessmen that wanted a contract with Marasigan airline. The man had been looking for his line so Travis had told his aunt to give his line so that they could talk business.

“Hmm, thanks.”

‘You’re welcome and I’d like to invite you to dinner tomorrow.’ The man said softly. ‘We can talk business over dinner. Unless, of course, you’re observing a fast tomorrow.’

Travis chuckled softly. “No! I am not observing any fast because I am not married.”

‘Is that a yes?’

“No!” Travis said softly. “I still have something to do tomorrow. I will call you and then we can meet the day after.”

‘Cool, I will be waiting, mi Hermosa.’

Travis shook his head and cut the call. He was still wearing a smile on his face and he didn’t know the reason why. He couldn’t help but feel that the man was flirting with him. But anyway, he had gotten used to it. Many people he met had flirted with him at some point.

Travis sighed and went upstairs to his office. He had barely entered his office when he saw his assistant rushing to him with a smile on her face.

“Thank God you’re here, sir!” She said abruptly. “Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

Travis frowned. “Why? Is there a meeting or something?”

She shook her head. “No! But there’s a photo shoot going on. Everyone thinks that you should be our model.”

“What?” He gasped, feeling a shiver going down his spine. “Me? But I am not a model.”

“We know that, sir!” She answered, still wearing a smile. “But you own fashion and the city, the biggest and most successful company in this country. You’ve got the body and everyone thinks that you’ll do better than any supermodel out there. Mr. Bruce…” She paused and lost the smile for a second. “…has been our main model for the last six years. But I am sure that our magazine will top the charts with you in it.”

Hmm, another chance to put Bruce where he belonged, make him weaker to the point where he was gonna break and in anger, tell Travis everything. Travis couldn’t miss such an opportunity. Besides, he remembered six years ago how he had beat both Antonio and Bruce with his photoshoot. Maybe he could do it again.

“But, I don’t know…”

“Come on, sir! Please!” She put her hands together. “The crew is ready. Your clothes are ready and even the makeup artists and hairstylists are here. We’re just waiting for you.”

Travis sighed. “Okay, fine! But don’t say, I didn’t warn you.”

“Yes!” She acted as she’d just won a lottery.

Travis just shook his head and followed her with a smile.

***

Antonio was coming out of his office with a hand in his pocket, looking smart and handsome in a black designer’s suit with an orange shirt inside, black shoes on his feet with his hair gelled perfectly. He had a stern face and he was ready to go meet up with his sister. They had planned to celebrate his achievement together. His family had been really happy when he had broken the news to them.

It had been long he had broken the news of his music to his family. He just told Emma, Andrea and Bruce and of course, Ethan. But he had no idea what had happened to him the previous day. Spending time with Sean that day had been the best moment of his life. The kid had brightened his mood that he had just been smiling like an idiot. He was also too intelligent and smart for his age.

Now that Antonio had remembered it, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He remembered and still couldn’t understand how Sean had managed to open his phone without Antonio showing him the pattern. It had shocked him. No one else knew his pattern, not even Bruce though he had been trying to open it.

Antonio was so lost in thought that he didn’t even realize that he had stopped and stood still, smiling like an idiot. The next thing he felt was a snap of a finger in his face, bringing him to reality. He gasped and found his assistant, looking at him like she was confused.

“I am sorry, sir!” She apologized. “But are you okay? I have been calling you for over 30 seconds.”

Antonio nodded softly. “Yeah. What is it?”

“Well, sir, I just wanted to remind you that today there’s a photo shoot going on downstairs.” She said, slowly bowing. “You are needed there.”

Antonio glanced at his watch. “Now!”

“Yes, sir!” She answered.

Antonio sighed, wondering what he was gonna do. On one hand, he knew that he was late and Andrea was waiting for him. On the other hand, he knew that his company photoshoots were important and he needed to personally see what was going on before anything could be approved. He was in a dilemma but…

“Okay, I will just be there for a sec.” He said, giving a sigh of frustration.

Antonio followed the assistant to the room where everything was going on downstairs. As soon as he entered, he was welcomed by Justin Bieber’s ‘Yummy’ which played loudly. The entire place was well decorated with beautiful backgrounds of different colors, flowers and everyone seemed to be busy.

At first, Antonio couldn’t see what was going on when he entered. But he started getting closer to the crew which was busy taking pictures while nodding their heads. He wanted to ask something but he froze as soon as his eyes landed on the model, Travis.

Antonio felt his heart begin to race as he felt chills all over his body. His breaths started getting harsh and he felt hot and cold at the same time. His eyes were directed on Travis’ hot body, scanning him slowly.

Travis was dressed in a sexy black and red boxer brief that fit him like a second skin. He was looking fierce, confident, adorable, and extremely seductive. He had a smile on his face that screamed sexy as cameras rolled and took as many pictures as they could. Fans were blowing his sexy, straight hair back, revealing his beautiful face. Antonio couldn’t help but look.

Antonio had never seen Travis with anything but a boxer on. He was scanning his body, feeling as saliva filled his mouth. He had never seen a body as perfect as Travis. He was hairless and his body was a little feminine and he had a bubbly butt.

Antonio gulped when Travis jumped and his butt bounced. He felt something super strong move through his system and his cock started getting hard instantly. But he didn’t even feel it as his entire senses were on Travis.

Travis had one hand up in a sexy way while one leg settled on a chair, turning into a real turn on position. Antonio was sweating and he didn’t even realize it. The room was chilly but he felt really hot. His hormones were preying on him.

“Okay!” One of the crew members shouted. “We may take a break and we’ll continue in a few minutes.”

Antonio came to his senses when he saw Travis pick up a white robe and covered himself, smiling brightly at the crew members that were clapping and cheering for him. He quickly turned his back to Travis while trying to control his breaths. He was suddenly nervous when he realized that he had a hard-on.

Travis on the other hand couldn’t have been as happy as he was. He could see Antonio standing a distance from him and had seen him checking his body out while he had been shooting. Travis was happy that the shoot had been a success. He had taken several pictures in different clothes and wrapped it with the new boxer briefs. The crew were happy and had told him that he was the best model they’d ever worked with.

Travis was just happy that the scar from his caesarian section was not showing. It had healed and he had hidden the remaining small scar with makeup. It had worked and he was sure that no one had seen it.

Meanwhile, while Antonio was busy trying his best not to panic, he heard his phone ringing. He quickly took it from his pocket and found that it was Bruce calling, probably to remind him that he was late and they were waiting for him. He tried to answer the call, his finger almost touching to answer but he couldn’t do it for some reason.

At that same time, Travis reached Antonio and stood behind him. He caught a glance at Antonio’s phone and saw Bruce calling and also Antonio hesitating to answer the call. A smile popped up on his face, feeling happy.

‘Why are you ignoring your husband, Antonio?’ He thought, his face getting stern.

Then he turned and slowly started walking away. ‘This is just a phone call but very soon, he’ll be able to completely ignore you, Bruce. That is a promise I make to you. I will make you feel the pain you made me go through years ago. And until I can do that, I’ll never rest. I promise!’

Antonio cut the call and put his phone on silent. Then he quickly turned and found Travis walking away slowly.

“I… I didn’t know you were a model.” Antonio said softly, chuckling nervously.

Travis turned and smiled. “I didn’t know you were gonna be here. What are you doing here?” He asked as he started getting closer, making sure not to lose his smile.

“Well, I… I had something important to do here.” He said with a smile. “I had no idea that you were here too. But anyway, since I have seen you, I hope you’re alright. The other night at my house…” Antonio was getting tongue-tied and he had no idea why.

Travis smiled, getting closer. He was surprised that the guy had asked him that question. Then he did something even crazier by resting his hand on Antonio’s chest. Antonio took a glance at that hand and felt like he was on fire.

“Don’t worry about that.” He nodded. “I should be the one saying thank you. After all, you did save my life twice now. If not for you, I don’t know where I could have been now. And the other night, I was rude to you so forgive me for that.”

Antonio couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For the first time, he heard Travis asking for his forgiveness. He couldn’t believe it. His heart began racing just from that apology.

Antonio laughed softly. “What are you saying? It’s nothing. My aunt was rude to you too so I understand. Don’t worry about it.”

Travis gave a killer smile. “Thanks!”

With those words, Travis turned and started leaving but something happened, something that shocked both of them. As soon as Travis had started walking away, he felt like someone had snatched his robe away from him. He just felt cold air traveling up and down his body and that was when he realized that he didn’t have the robe covering his body anymore. It was only hanging by the sleeves on his hands.

Travis quickly turned to see what was going on and saw Antonio staring at him with his eyes wide open. Antonio traced the part of the robe that was on the floor and almost got a heart attack when he realized that he had stepped on the hem of the robe. But how, he thoughts as he got nervous. He hadn’t moved an inch.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry!”

Antonio abruptly ran to Travis and stood behind him. Then he took the robe and slowly put it on him, covering his body. As he did that, Antonio felt powerful sensations pass throughout his entire body. Being so close to Travis, breathing in his scent took his senses elsewhere. As he moved the robe up to cover Travis’ shoulders, the boy slightly turned his head to look at Antonio and both of them got lost in each other’s eyes. They could feel each other’s breaths and they looked romantic.

At that same time, Bruce was standing at the entrance with tears in his eyes and his fists clenched. His heart was racing and the pain he felt was unimaginable. He couldn’t believe he had been waiting for his husband and his husband was busy romancing with his enemy. It was too much.

A tear went down his cheek before he started rushing towards his husband and Travis. But before he even took a step, Andrea pulled him and got him out of there.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked angrily.

“Didn’t you see that?” He snapped, failing to fight his tears. “Why did you get me out of there? He’s trying to seduce my…”

“I saw but trust me, I am really angry right now,” Andrea said. “But that’s what that boy wants, to create a lift between you two. We’re gonna deal with him once and for all. But now, you can’t afford to make Antonio angry. The fast is tomorrow and I promise that he’ll be all yours after tomorrow.”

Bruce furiously rubbed his tears, feeling like someone had just pulled on his heart. It was really painful.

‘You’ll pay for this, Travis.’

He clenched his fists and vowed that he was gonna get rid of Travis once and for all. He was not gonna lose his husband and that was a promise.

What happens now? Will Bruce be successful or is it just what Travis wants to finally bring the truth to light?

Find out in the next chapter