I jolted up from the bed while feeling the mattress for my phone to check the time. I'm late, aren't I? Did I forget to set my alarm?And then I realized that I actually have no classes today! Yeah, of course. Classes technically ended yesterday. How did I forget that? I shook my head as I let myself flop back into the bed. So, this is how it feels to wake up in the morning without having to rush? It's been so long since I have experienced this. I feel like I am always racing against time ever since I came here to Barcelona. I lied down again, took a giant pillow, and hugged it tight. I even buried my face against the plushy pillow, enjoying the sweet scent of the fabric conditioner. Everything in this room smelled expensive. I let my eyes wander around me. Every corner in the room spelled fortune in big, bold letters. Who would've thought that I'd have the chance to stay in a room as lush and expensive as this? Definitely not me! Not even in my dreams. And then I realized somet
I came out of the fitting room wearing a nude-tone cocktail dress and spun around in front of Mei so she could take a good look at what I was wearing. She shook her head. Not again. I was fighting the urge to roll my eyes and groan in frustration. "Not this one, too?" I asked, trying so hard to hide the frustration in my voice."Nah. Too plain and boring. Try that one," she pointed at another dress on the rack.One of the three sales clerks who had been assisting us took the dress from the rack and handed it to me. I took it against my will.I was about to head back to the fitting room when my phone rang from my bag."Just a moment," I said to check who it was.It was James. "Hello, James," I answered the call and went back inside the fitting room for some privacy."Hi! How's everything there?" I heard him say. "Please save me," I said to him, whispering."Why? What happened?" He sounded worried. "This Mei your boss sent me is driving me crazy."His laughter rang from the other s
[Barcelona, Spain]"Ilegas tarde!" Catalina snapped at me the moment I stepped inside the kitchen.I was late for the event so she's obviously mad at me."I know, Catalina. Lo lamento," I said sorry as I hurried to put on my apron.She was telling me instructions in Spanish; I kept nodding while I fixed myself."Go!" she said as she gave me a little push on my waist without having to wait for me to get totally ready.I had no choice but to get out of the kitchen right away."Oh, you're here!" One of the bartenders, Sebastian, said in his thick accent when he saw me."I was five minutes late, Catalina was basically fuming!" "She's basically mad at everyone. That doesn't make you special!" He winked at me before he handed me a tray full of drinks. I chuckled. "Well, I guess you're right. Gracias, Sebastian!" I grabbed the tray from the counter and spun around to start working. I squeezed myself in among the crowd. The venue was jam-packed with guests of different nationalities. Servi
The man started dragging me to the elevator. "Hey, what are you doing? Let me go!" I was trying to free myself from his grip but to no avail. He was far stronger than I am. He was acting like he didn’t hear my protests at all. He punched the keys on the elevator and basically dragged me inside when it opened. "What the! Let me go!" I yelled at him. I tried to get out of the elevator but he was quick to pull me back inside. He was able to close the doors before I could even try to escape one more time to do it. "Are you aware that this is harassment?" My voice echoed in the four walls of the elevator carriage. He basically ignored me, acting like he didn't hear anything I said. I was starting to panic but I tried to calm myself down. I need to think straight. He then dragged me out of the elevator the moment it stopped and the door opened. I realized that there was no point in fighting, so I just let him drag me through the hallway. He's way too strong for me. I just went
"Aerabella, right?" James asked while putting down my ID on the table. "Can I call you Belle?" “You can just call me Aera,” I replied. I was still seated on the couch while he hovered in front of me, making me feel small. But I tried to hold my ground. "Okay, Aera. I'm Louie's assistant. You can call me James. I'm so sorry for the huge misunderstanding. Louie has been through a lot recently. So I admit, he's starting to get a little paranoid. He hasn't set foot in the Philippines for two years now, but there will always be someone secretly following him around. That's why he had trust issues with everyone he finds suspicious," he explained. "I could sue him for harassment," I said. "I know. But believe me, you don't want your name to get entangled with his." He's threatening me, I know. "Is he a celebrity or something? He must be really famous," I asked. James looked at me as if gauging the truth in my words. "You don't really know him?" I shook my head. "I’ve been here i
[Two weeks later.]I hurried out of the library. I was on my way to my next class with my backpack slung to my shoulders, books in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other hand. I was wearing a loose hoodie paired with faded jeans, and my trusted two-year-old Converse shoes.I wore my hair, which I haven't washed for two days now, in a messy bun. I adjusted my large-framed eyeglasses (because I had no time to put on contacts earlier) before I ran down the steps of the library building. I was on the last steps when I felt my phone vibrate. I stopped walking, transferred my coffee to my other hand --- which is not an easy task considering the books I was carrying with the same hand --- and grabbed my phone from the back pocket of my pants with my now free hand. It was my mom. "Hola, mama!" I said as soon as I picked up her call."Where have you been? Why aren't you picking up my calls? I've been trying to call you since this morning!" She sounded distressed."Relax, ma. I'm fine.
"Marry me," Louie said without batting an eyelash.It took me a while to digest what he just said. And when I finally did, I burst out laughing.My laughter filled every corner of the huge, expensive hotel suite we were in. This is where James took me.We came here before Louie. He just got here like some five minutes ago.And that's basically the first thing he said to me the moment we sat down to talk.He asked me to marry him!I stopped laughing the moment I realized that neither Louie nor James was laughing with me. They both looked serious."You're
I was staring at the documents sprawled in front of me for I don't know how long already. It was the contract that Louie gave me. It came with a prenuptial agreement, as well. It was a long and tedious read.I've read everything many times already. It was overwhelming, but the main point was he would pay me an additional 50,000 US dollars, on top of the agreed 150,000 US dollars, as alimony after we got divorced.That's if I could survive the two-year contract without any problems at all. But if I fail to fulfill my obligations as his "wife" or break the terms and conditions set in the agreement, I have to pay him 100,000 US dollars for breach of contract. It was also written in the contract that no one should know about our agreement, except both of us and James. And, of course, the lawyers who will handle the case.And according to the prenuptial agreement, aside from the agreed amount, I wouldn't get anything from him after the divorce. That means I have no hold over all his wea