“I know, but that won’t happen again.” Alexander was quite skeptical. He asked before ending the call, “Besides, why are you getting so worked up? I mean, I guessed you’d want me to get there as soon as possible so you could leave that cold country you so despised?”“I uh…” Sam stuttered, “I’m starting to like the cold, I suppose.” It was a lie and he knew it but there was no way he would admit it.“The cold or the girls?” Alexander once more with a knowing tone.Sam chucked as he glanced at Sally from outside and thought to himself, just a girl. Some girl. But he dared not to say anything, especially to Alexander. Sam could already guess how much Alexander would tease him if he did say such a corny thing.Years of womanizing, and yet there he was, secretly in love with the most headstrong and stubborn woman he ever met, Sally.In love? That was st

Maya was frozen. A part of her was still unable to accept what Stephanie had said.She was still in denial of what she had just heard. Maya remained quiet as she sat still across Stephanie.“Maya, listen to me, your parents might be dead, but surely, you have family remaining. Don’t you want to find them? The old woman who gave you up at the front porch of the orphanage- all clips that could lead me to who she might be were all gone and deleted. I believe that whoever that woman was is still alive up to this day since security regarding it and all information were classified. I couldn’t get my hands on it even I tried. And I tried.” Stephanie continued to explain while looking at Maya as if she took pity on her.Pity? Maya wanted to laugh. She felt like she was a fool for even talking to Stephanie.Maya scoffed and asked with unmasked disdain, “What do you want to do? I just spent the rest of my life searching for my

Sam glanced behind her and said, “I brought some alcohol, but it seems like you beat me to it.”Stephanie frowned and immediately tried to hide it from Sam.Sam smirked and suddenly grabbed the bottle himself. He looked at her smugly before he poured a glass for him.“You don’t need to hide it. If Pedro finds it, just blame it on me,” he said with assurance.Sam did not like Stephanie cause of her recent actions with Alexander and Maya, but it did not mean he would be hostile to her all the time.“Why are you here?” Stephanie questioned while eying him with suspicion. “And who told you to get my drink?“I figured you’d be drinking home alone again,” Sam snickered. He then added, “Isn’t it better to have some a company? I thought you could use some.”Well, more likely, he was there to make sure she would not be doing more stupid things that they won&rsq

Pedro was surprised. He then frowned with confusion and started asking, “France? What do you mean France? Maya can’t leave Russia, and I made sure-“Mrs. Simons shook her head. Her eyes coldly glinted as she looked at Pedro and asked, “You made sure? That was very kind of you. I bet Maya wanted to Russia, right??”“That… Well…” Pedro did not know how to answer that. Recalling everything that happened from the time he intercepted her in the US airport, canceling her flight there and scamming her to ride a jet under Pete’s name, and then banning her from leaving Russia. None of that was what Maya wanted.Mrs. Simons remained quiet and looked at Pedro as if accusing. It was like the old woman was telling him that he was a bad person, and he made Maya do things against her will.There was silence, and Pedro was the one who felt like being burned from the guilt.Mrs. Simons waved her hand and

His feeling was complicated. It was embarrassing to choose to have another guy dealing with his problem, and not to mention that the same guy was the reason for Pedro to ban Maya in Russia.But what to do? There was really no other choice.It was not like he could use his family background to Maya in Russia when Stephanie might get that information soon enough.Nevertheless, he was hesitant because, for him, Maya was important too. So he did not want her to go.He also knew that if Maya and Alexander met without any arranged marriages and fewer complications than before, the chances of being together were definitely higher now.Pedro did not want to take that risk. He liked her, damn it was weird, but there was a part of him that thought that he might really love her already.Despite the bad start and complicated relationship that she has with Maya, of course, he would not want to just give away his chance towards Maya by bringing Alexander