CHAPTER 3
"I'm not in the position to answer your question, ma'am. So why not talk to Sir Kim about it, instead?"
Reading the meaning between the lines, my suspicion that I was indeed Jakara grew higher. I could consider having an identical twin, but the intuition or "lukso ng dugo" made me eliminate the thought. Not only that, there was something in the way Kim looked at me that attracted me to him ever since I knew him. And there was a strong emotional pull within me that I could not explain every time I got near him.
My thoughts then went to that day I first met him at Ara's office. I was sitting across from Ara's desk when Kim entered the office. His eyes fell on me right away, and he seemed to freeze for a second before he shifted his gaze to Ara.
"Ar, Mr. Sato, and his team are coming over this weekend. They'll be staying for about a month," he said, but his side glances didn't escape me.
"Got it, sir. I'll be meeting them as soon as possible," Ara replied, but an amused smile spread on her lips.
As I caught his perfectly chiseled jawline and the dark brows above his peach-shaped eyes, my heartbeats immediately throbbed against my chest. If he were to look at me closer, he would surely hear them pounding like drums on a showdown finale.
"By the way, Ara, aren't you going to introduce the beautiful lady here?" Kim's eyes were already sticking on me.
Ara scrambled to her feet and walked around to my side, grabbing my arm. I also stood up; the sense of unexplained thrill and awkwardness made me blush.
"Sir, it's my honor to introduce my best friend Yen to you."
I reached out and pinched Ara's side. He should have introduced him first because he's the company's CEO and I was a nobody.
"Glad to meet you, Miss Yen. I'm Kim, working for Kim Yuan Microelectronics." He extended his hand, and I accepted it while holding my breath.
"It's an honor to meet the man behind the great success of Kim Yuan Microelectronics, sir," I said, fighting to win over my erratic heartbeats.
He held my hand tighter for over a couple of seconds before releasing it.
"Glad to meet you, as well."
His smile was so magnetic that it tickled me inside. He then moved his eyes to Ara and said,
"Ar, why not bring Yen over to our team building outing next month?"
"That would be wonderful, sir!" Ara moved her eyes from Kim to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
I just smiled without saying a word. I was too overwhelmed that I no longer knew what to say.
"See you then, Miss Yen?"
"S-sure, sir. Thanks for the invitation."
Ara walked back to her seat at the back of her desk while I was standing before Mr. Kim. My knees seemed to worsen my awkwardness since they started shaking. I even got afraid they would eventually give way.
"Alright. I must go ahead. See you next time," he said, letting his eyes stick to me for a couple of seconds before he turned to leave.
Of course, it was never a secret that Kim possessed stunning features that often attracted women to him. And even if I were one of them, that short encounter with Kim had sealed the traits I wanted in a man. Not only physically but on his consistent and unwavering drive towards perfection and success.
"Pssst! Do I see something strange?" Ara's voice pierced into my ear.
"Strange?" I furrowed my brows as I turned to him.
Ara rolled her eyes. "You can't hide anything from your best friend. I saw the way you look at him."
I giggled. I knew better than anyone else that I shouldn't keep anything from her. Or else, she wouldn't stop pestering me until I give way.
"Alright. He's gorgeous," I tried to make my confession as simple as possible.
"Only that? My goodness, Yen, I saw how you blushed and how your temples sweat while gawking at him!"
I laughed harder. I knew I put off Ara's excitement by those few words. "What else should I say? Ar, it's just a crush. And it's normal for a woman like us to admire him."
Ara shrugged and frowned. I thought her enthusiasm died, but I got surprised when her eyes glowed again.
"You should go with us next month. There you will have ample time to ogle at him."
I heaved out a sigh. "You're too much, you know? Remember, I have a boyfriend, and we are going to get married soon."
Arah rolled her eyes and spread out her palms in surrender. Who knew that a month after that, I met Kim again at the beach during the company outing? And during that event, I got stung by a jellyfish, and Kim lifted me out of the water, carrying me in his arms.
The sequence of that incident flashed again in my mind…
Kim carried me again towards our cottage because Ara insisted that I couldn't walk by myself anymore. Perhaps because the wine had started to have its effect on me and because I kept thinking about him ever since that day I first met him, I gave in to the temptation of throwing my arms around his neck the moment he placed me on the bed. That move prompted him to bend down and pressed his lips on mine.
I kissed him back, giving in to the dictates of my drunken state. I was aware of what went on and that I dared to make out with a CEO, but I couldn't care less. This chance may not happen again. So I kept on giving in until we went deeper, riding on my irrationality. I didn't flinch when he took down my bikini, and I didn't refuse when he started to explore every part of my body.
He may have stopped and didn't go further than heavy petting, but for me, that was the best intimacy I had experience with a man--not even with Zed when he finally became my husband. Every time Zed failed during our intimate moments, I would imagine this experience with Kim. Only then would I have the satisfaction.
"We're here already, ma'am!" Vic's voice pierced into my reverie I realized we were already in front of the Royal Park Hotel.
"Thank you, Vic," I said, smiling. "Please thank Mr. Mori also for me."
"But, ma'am, Miss Trish has called that I should be taking you to the party. Sir Cris picked her up, and you were no there, so she asked me to bring you there."
My bad. How could I forget Trish? Cris, her fiance, held a pool party to introduce her to his circle of friends, and she needed my emotional support. Soon marrying a famous business magnate, Trish wasn't so comfortable to be there with Cris alone.
"Okay, Vic. Just give me 15 minutes."
Before I opened the door, Vic's voice stopped me from stepping out of the car.
"Ma'am, I've heard that Mr. Josh Herra would also be there."
Josh Herra. Hearing that name immediately sent chills down my spine, followed by a welling anger that I couldn't explain where it came from.
In less than fifteen minutes, I was already done changing into a casual little black dress. It was a sleeveless, body-hugging dress, and its hemline fell several inches above the knee. I couldn’t care less if it was the proper attire for the party or not since it was all I had. I was even glad that Zed, my thoughtful husband, spared me this extra dress for the trip. He seemed to have predicted that I might be needing it. And since it was a pool party, I wore ahead a bikini set underneath my dress. Japan is known for ‘onsen,’ a hot spring bath that is geothermally heated under the ground due to natural volcanic activities. So, I presumed I would also have time for this later. "Yen, where have you been?" Trish sprang up from her seat and ran to meet me while I was still halfway towards the group of people who gathered by the pool. There seemed to be an equal number of men and women; some of them were even seated by twos. "Sorry, Trish! A friend called out of th
Kim stood up and moved his chair beside me. He reached for my hands under the table and held them tight. "I'm here. You don't have to be afraid," he said, staring into my eyes to force me to look at him. I wondered if my reactions were so transparent or if I had a history with this Josh Herra. But my reaction told me I had been into some conflict with him. Addressing me as Jakara further added to my suspicion that I was indeed Jakara. Because If I had an identical twin, I wouldn't have been bothered like this. "Who is he, Kim? Why does he address me as Jakara?" I asked; my lips were already quivering. I was glad the lights were dim because the people around us would have seen my reaction. "Don't trouble your mind for now. You're pregnant, and it isn't good for you to worry much." He released my hands from squeezing, but just when I thought he would already pull them out, he began interlacing his fingers with mine. I no longer realized the roma
CHAPTER 6Trish turned and asked me to zip up her dress. I stopped for a second to give her a thorough overall look and I couldn’t help but stick my eyes on her flaunting curves. The body-hugging cream dress that showed her long legs and a big portion of his back, shoulders, and arms made her so stunning that I even imagined her as a real bride. I even wondered if there was a time where Kim was attracted to her.Remembering that Kath was waiting for us, I also hurried to change into the dress prepared for me. I had no idea on the whole plan for the night, but since Cris involved me in this, I expected that I would have an important role later. While looking at myself in front of the huge mirror, my thoughts then went to Mr. Williams and Josh Herra.Who are they? What is their significance in Jakara's life? And why do I seem bothered inwardly even by just the mention of their names?“Miss Trish, Miss Y
Staring at the old man from my seat, I felt something strange inside. It felt like I had already met him and that I had been close to him. Yet, no matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't bring myself to remember a thing about him.What's the problem here, I thought. Is it really me? Why don't I remember them?I glanced at Kim with a questioning look, but thinking it would prompt an emotional outburst, I excused myself and went to the bathroom. Seeing that I was alone, I let go of the tears that were welling inside me. I was so confused.What happened to me five years ago? Why don't I remember any of these? How do I become someone named Jakara? If I indeed married Kim, what caused our breakup? What role does this old man have on me? I have a biological father in my country. So, why does everyone say he's Jakara's father?My questions popped one after another, and they were as many as the teardrops that raced down my cheeks. T
I froze in my seat when I realized that tonight wasn’t just an engagement party but an actual wedding ceremony. I looked at Trish, and I also saw the massive shock registering in her face. Her glowing eyes were now red, and a gentle emotional tug would surely send her to tears.I turned and looked at Kim and his lips twisted into an amused smile. He seemed to read my mind because he tried to explain.“The couple had some arguments lately because Trish has this feeling of insecurities. So when she learned that Cris is planning to supervise his business in the Middle East, she thought that their relationship isn’t going to work anymore, so she broke up with him. Thus, this surprise wedding ceremony. The grand wedding will follow soon.”“Is there a third party?” I asked because a woman won’t easily get insecure if she doesn’t have to compete for attention from a man.“Not really, but Trish took it serious
I couldn’t believe those things Josh Herra said happened to me. I forgot my current situation for a moment, and it felt like I was listening to a radio drama series.“What happened next, Josh Herra?”Before Josh could answer, a loud siren pierced into my ear. Josh fumbled immediately on my handcuff and released me.“Don’t ever make things hard for me because I always have ways,” Josh said as he glanced at the police car blocking our way. Because his driver didn’t even try to escape, so I guess Josh used this incident as just a threat.Josh rolled out the window when a policeman stood by the passenger’s door.“Sir, what’s the problem?” Josh asked in a poker face that I clenched my hands to hold back my urge to slap him.“We received a call that you’re taking a woman with you by force.”Josh scoffed and moved his gaze between me and the police.
I noticed that he didn’t mention Maezy’s name, but I didn’t expose him. What for? We were already both married and had led separate lives, so it’s useless to cry over spilled milk.Perhaps Kim was afraid that I would confront him for marrying the woman who sold me. If he truly loved me before, he should have married someone else and not the one who betrayed our friendship. But I couldn’t question his decisions because it didn’t matter anymore. Things like that could happen to people, even to someone you don’t expect.“Thanks for coming back to me, Yen,” he said, and his hand crawled on top of my right hand, clasping it with his.Tears rolled down from my eyes as I shook my head.“I am already married, Kim. And so you are.”“But you were mine first.”“But it’s in the past.”I heard with my two ears when Josh confronted Kim for stopping him i
We arrived at about six in the evening, but Zed wasn't in the house anymore. He had probably left for his lecture tonight, so I sent him a message to inform him of my arrival."Welcome home, dear. I'm already here in the Bayfront Hotel. Just heat the food I have prepared for you. Don't wait for me anymore since you need to have a good rest."I roamed around the house and wondered how my home with Kim looked like. Perhaps, our few months of staying together had already let us set up a house of our own. And probably, he had turned that apartelle into our residence.A wave of mixed emotion stirred my emotion. Something deep inside had recognized Kim all along, only that I couldn't remember. Since Zed and I were into a seven-year relationship, it only meant that Zed was my first boyfriend and left for Japan when we were in our second year of the relationship. I began to wonder if Zed knew all about my amnesia. And as to why I got it, I still have to discover it.