A week later
Sande inquired of Eds, who she was working alongside in the convenience store's storage room, "Aren't you going to call Mr. Santillan?"
"No," Eds replied.
"Why not?" Sande asked, surprised. "Give me one good reason."
"He's out of my league. I don't belong in his world," She listed off her reasons on her fingers. "I lied about my identity, and I have kids."
"His world isn't vastly different from ours, you know." Sande countered. "It's just more glamorous, filled with wealthy people and stuff. Did you know it was because of him that his family became wealthy again?"
"What do you mean?" Eds frowned.
"His grandfather squandered their wealth gambling, and they became poor. Sinjin Santillan was a high school genius; he created a game called Warlords of Chaos, which he sold for a million dollars. Then, he developed unhackable software, which he used to start his company.”
“Now, he's the richest man in the world," Sande explained with a hint of pride in her voice. "I read somewhere that one of the tech giants offered him an executive position in their company, but he declined their offer."
"Seriously?" Eds was shocked. Eds had heard of Sinjin Santillan's brilliance; he graduated from high school at fourteen, right after creating and selling his game, and received numerous scholarship offers from universities. Eds lamented that his girlfriend of ten years hadn't appreciated him.
But someone else would, because that man was almost perfect. No one was perfect, but Sinjin Santillan was quite close to being perfect, and she'd only known him for a few hours.
"Now, he's involved in countless ventures. Let me tell you, the woman who marries that man will want for nothing," Sande said.
"See?" Eds threw her a pointed look. "I'm not that woman."
"Never say never, girl." Sande clicked her tongue. "You can change your destiny and the only way to do that is to call the man."
"He probably wants to use me to get over his ex-girlfriend." Eds grumbled.
"So? It doesn't matter. You can show her that she missed out on a great man." Sande stated, and sighed. "Oh God, if only."
"You're free to leave Lex for him." Eds shrugged.
"Anyway, that aside... Have you seen Taron yet?" Sande queried.
"Not yet." Eds sighed.
"Why not?" Sande frowned. "What are you waiting for?"
"I'll meet him tomorrow." She said. She couldn't fathom why she was stalling, but she had a hunch that Taron would try to exploit the fact that she had injured him during their last encounter and demand more compensation. He was that heartless.
The bell jingled as the convenience store door opened, prompting Eds to rush out of the storage room to assist the customer. However, she halted abruptly upon seeing that it was Taron and Diggle. Swallowing nervously, she made her way to the counter, silently praying that Sande would stay in the storage room and not come out until they had left.
"Figured I'd find you here," Taron smirked, leaning one arm on the counter. "Been a while since I saw your face."
"Are you here to buy anything?" She asked.
"I'm here to see you," Taron replied. "Where's my money?"
"I have 250 grand," Eds said. "I was going to see you tomorrow to give you the money."
"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Taron feigned innocence.
"Tell me what?" Eds' brows furrowed in confusion.
"You owe me a million dollars now," Taron smiled.
"What?! Are you mad?" Eds blurted out angrily.
"Watch yourself," Taron warned.
"I mean..." She sighed in frustration. "Why are you doing this to me, Taron? Why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you, sweetheart. I'm just not mixing business with pleasure here. Do you not remember how you connived with your boyfriend to beat us up?" He reminded her. "Dagger lost two of his teeth that night, and his nose will never look the same again."
"He wasn't my boyfriend. I don't even know him," Eds protested.
"I beg to differ," Taron clicked his tongue. "Dagger saw you looking all sweet last week for the rich guy. I should have known that bastard looked familiar."
"What are you talking about?" She inquired.
"Mr Tai chi is the billionaire who got dumped by his actress girlfriend two weeks ago. He was the one Dagger saw you with last week." Taron explained. "You got yourself a great catch, sweetheart."
"I was doing a job." Eds informed him. "Nothing more."
"How much did he pay you?" Taron demanded. "Surely, he couldn't have paid you 250 grand."
"That was exactly what he paid me." Eds lied. She'd thought she couldn't lie to save herself, but she was obviously a pro at it.
"Really?" Taron arched a skeptical brow.
"Yes." Eds nodded. "I swear to you."
Taron stared intently at her face for a long time, and she forced herself to hold his gaze while holding her breath at the same time. She silently exhaled when he nodded, as if satisfied with whatever he saw on her face, and rocked on the balls of his feet.
"I won't take the money from you," He said, shoving his hands in his front pockets.
"Why?" She questioned, surprised.
"I've waited long enough, don't you think?" He asked. "You have until the end of tomorrow to pay me my one million dollars, or else I'll send your boys to you in a box. A very small box."
"Where will I..." She began.
"Twenty-four hours, sweetheart," He cut her off. "That's your last chance." With that, he pivoted on his heel and walked out of the store.
After Taron left, Sande rushed out of the storage room and found Eds crouched down behind the counter, trying to catch her breath. She sighed and walked over to meet Eds, wrapping her arms around her friend. Sande had warned Eds not to borrow money from Taron after hearing stories from people who had borrowed from him and narrowly escaped with their lives.
Eds' son Troy fell sick late last year and required surgery. With no health insurance and no one else to turn to for the $150,000 needed for the operation, she sought help from Taron, who lent her the money. Fortunately, Troy recovered.
Unfortunately, months later, her other son, Tristan, Troy's twin brother, was diagnosed with leukemia. Desperate for funds to cover his treatments, Eds returned to Taron for assistance, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"He wants me to pay him one million dollars," Eds' voice was barely audible. "Where will I get that kind of money from?"
"You know where, Eds," Sande said. "Isn't it better to owe Mr. Santillan than Taron?"
"What if he wants something I can't give him in return for payment?" Tears welled up in Eds' eyes as she looked up at Sande. "What then?"
"Don't assume that he's someone like that. Didn't you tell me that he was a really nice guy?" Sande queried. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Eds. Give him a try."
~~~~~~
Sinjin knew the beautiful Miss Archer wouldn't contact him, but he still held out hope that she'd call him. He still couldn't believe that a woman like her existed and hadn't been snapped up by a man. His words to his father about proposing to his date if he liked her came back to him, and he groaned.
His mother would probably prefer death over seeing him married to someone like Miss Archer. After being dumped by Mallucia, who wasn't even half as beautiful as Sande, he resolved not to marry any woman from his social circle. Making the decision to reach out to her first, he pressed the button on the intercom to summon Adella.
"Yes, sir? You wanted to see me?" Adella walked into his office and shut the door.
"Yes." He rose to his feet, skirted the desk and walked over to the sofa to take a seat. "Sit." He patted the space beside him.
Adella looked surprised, but she settled down on the sofa and crossed her legs. She wondered if her boss wanted to ask about Edselyn, who had posed as Sande, and she felt really guilty for lying to him. She was still smarting over the issue because Sande had lied to her, and it wasn't until she saw Eds at the party on Friday instead of Sande that she knew her friend had chosen Lex Parker.
She liked Lex. Everyone liked Lex Parker, the Chief Human Resources officer at Midas Corporation, but she would have preferred her friend to become her boss's new love interest, not Edselyn Moore. She hated Edselyn and had no idea why Sande chose to be friends with someone like her.
"Adella!" Sinjin snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"I'm sorry, sir. You were saying?" She blinked him into focus.
"What were you thinking about?" He frowned.
"Uh... Nothing, sir," She shook her head.
"I was saying that I would like to meet your friend again," Sinjin informed her. "If it's not too much to ask, I want you to give me her contact number."
"Um... That'll be kind of impossible, sir," Adella winced.
"Why? You don't want to give it to me?" He frowned.
"No, of course not! I mean, I don't have it," She replied in a small voice.
"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed in confusion. "Isn't she your friend anymore?" He asked.
Adella wondered if she should spill the truth to her boss. Since she didn't like Eds and couldn't stomach the fact that her boss wanted to see Eds again, maybe she'd just tell him the truth. If he knew who she really was, he wouldn't like Eds anymore.
"Sande Archer is my best friend, but... I'm sorry to spring this on you now, sir... The woman you were with last Friday wasn't Sande," She blurted out.
"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed in confusion. "You told me your best friend, Sande Archer, would be my date to the party, and now you're telling me she wasn't the woman who I was with last Friday?"
"My friend couldn't go, so she asked her friend to go in her place," Adella lowered her gaze to avoid seeing the fury in her boss's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir."
Sinjin rose to his feet and began to pace. "Why didn't you tell me?" He growled.
"I didn't know about it until I saw her at the party myself. I was really upset with my best friend when I got in touch with her the next day. I didn't know how to tell you, sir. I'm sorry," Adella apologized.
"So... Who's the woman I was with last Friday?" He demanded.
"Her name's Edselyn Moore, and she's a single mother." Adella responded.
Sinjin scoffed in disbelief at the notion of Edselyn being a single mother. "You're kidding," He remarked. The stunning woman he'd been with last Friday could've passed off for a model if she wanted. She'd not looked like someone who'd given birth to one, much less two kids."I'm not, sir," Adella assured him. "She has two nine-year-old boys who are in elementary school, and she works four jobs to support herself and her sons.""Four jobs?" Sinjin was stunned. "How's that possible?" It was already challenging for some individuals to maintain just one job, yet Eds managed four. He considered himself quite gifted, attributing his success to his abilities.As the CEO of a massive multinational corporation with millions of employees and numerous subsidiaries, he often delegated tasks. Despite occasionally needing breaks himself, he couldn't fathom Eds finding any time for one for herself.Adella shrugged. "All I know from my best friend Sande is that Edselyn didn't go to college, so she c
As Sinjin drove to Dapplewood, all he could think about was the potential aneurysm his father would have if he knew what he was up to and about to do: risking his life to save a stranger's kids. Despite the danger he knew he was going to be in, he wasn't scared of dying himself, though he hadn't planned on it. However, he couldn't say the same for the men who had kidnapped Eds' sons.Pulling up at the curb in front of Sande's apartment building, he dialed Eds but received no response from her, so he quickly dialed Sande, who answered on the first ring, as if she'd been waiting by the phone. Worried that Eds might have acted impulsively by trying to save her sons alone, his fears heightened when Sande came downstairs, got into his car, and tearfully revealed Eds' absence.She recounted how Eds had slipped away when she waited for him, and when he didn't show up, she asked Sande for a cup of water. Sande blamed herself for not anticipating Eds' actions, but thankfully knew where Eds had
"What happened to her?" The attending doctor asked Sinjin as Eds was wheeled into the hospital."Uh... She was shot," He replied anxiously. "She's barely breathing. She's lost a lot of blood. Please save her.""We'll do our best, sir," The doctor assured him, hurrying after the gurney through the operating room doors.Anxiously, Sinjin ran his fingers through his hair, praying fervently for Eds' recovery. He knew he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her. If only he had reached her friend's apartment sooner, she wouldn't have felt compelled to rescue her sons alone.She likely believed she couldn't truly rely on a stranger, especially a billionaire, to abandon everything and rush to her aid. After all, just a week earlier, she had been his escort, and he hadn't even known her real name or anything else about her until now.Speaking of sons... Sinjin spun around and spotted the boys standing outside the hospital doors, clinging to each other. He sighed heavily. He had done
"Okay, your pizza will be here in ten minutes," He informed them. "Another ten minutes?" They whined. "Yes, that's the fastest the delivery person can get here," He explained. "Bummer," They grumbled. "Shame on you, boys," Sande scolded them as she approached. "What are you supposed to say?" "Aunt Sande!" The boys ran to hug her. "We thought we'd never see you again." Sande sighed as she pulled them close. "Me too," she said, pulling back to look at their faces. "You have bruises." "We tried to be heroes," Tristan explained. "You should never fight a man with a gun," Sinjin admonished them. "You did. You were cool," Troy smiled. "You used your words, but... It was cool." "Now, did you thank Mr. Santillan for saving you?" Sande queried. "Or did you just prank him as a way of saying thanks?" "Sorry," the boys looked duly chastised. "Thank you for saving us and for the pizza, sir." "It's okay," Sinjin said.The Lobster Shack's delivery guy arrived, and Sinjin paid for the ord
A week later It was a given that neither Sande, Eds, nor the boys were returning to Dapplewood, especially after what happened to Dagger. Even though it was his fault, they were the ones who would pay the consequences for his death. The only safe place for them was in Sinjin's house. Sande's boyfriend, Lex Parker, was not happy when she refused to stay with him. However, he realized that if anyone could truly keep his girlfriend safe, it was his boss. It also helped that his boss was after Sande's friend, not Sande herself.Fortunately, the boys loved it there. They had their own rooms, TVs, video game consoles, and everything two energetic nine-year-olds would need to stay occupied. Sinjin's house was right on a private beach, with the ocean not far away. However, Sande had not been able to get a tan because she'd been cooped up in the hospital, waiting for her best friend to wake up.Sinjin kept her company by working from the hospital, but she could see the stress catching up to h
As the call connected and his mother's voice spoke on the other end of the line, Sinjin took a deep breath. However, she wasn't speaking to him but cussing out a poor maid who'd not done her job well. He had mistakenly thought that she would change as the years passed, but she remained the overbearing woman he had known all his life."Sorry about that, dear," Camilla said, her voice carrying a hint of a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call this fine morning?""Isn't it too early to call people names, mother?" He asked, his voice devoid of emotion."It's 11 am. That's not early," She responded casually. "Is something wrong, darling? You never call me first. I always do the calling, and you always ignore me.""Right," He murmured. "Mrs. Bale told me you dropped by for a visit yesterday. Did you meet anyone you weren't supposed to talk to?""What are you talking about?" She feigned ignorance. "I met Imelda, and she told me you weren't home, so I left.""I see," He said, rub
Sinjin finished giving Sande and Eds a tour of the three-bedroom condo and asked, "So, what do you think?""The view is amazing!" Tristan exclaimed as he stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "We're in the heart of the city, aren't we?""Close enough," Sinjin replied, walking over to stand beside Tristan and placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You see that high-rise building over there?" He pointed to the skyscraper in the distance."The one that looks like it's reaching the sky?" Tristan smiled. "Yeah, I see it.""That's my company. It's the tallest building in the country," Sinjin imparted."Seriously?" Troy joined them. "Wow!""How many stories?" Tristan's eyes widened."About forty stories high," Sinjin replied. "I designed the building myself.""Really?" Troy frowned. "So you're also an architect?" "I had too much time on my hands when I was younger, so I studied architecture in school and graduated with honors. I have a master's degree in architecture, robotics,
"Hey, Mom, are you busy?" Tristan asked as he settled down on the chair in front of the kitchen island.Eds turned to give her son her full attention. "No, baby, what's wrong?" She replied."I was, um... Well, Troy and I were wondering when we'll go back to school," He said, fiddling with his fingers. "It's been weeks, and we've missed a lot of things."Eds sighed and walked over to the island, leaning against it as she reached out to take Tristan's small hands in hers. She had been thinking about their education too and knew she needed to get their transcripts from the school, but that would mean going back to Dapplewood, which was not an option.She knew Taron's silence since the kidnapping didn't mean he had given up. Far from it—he was likely planning something even more sinister, and she dreaded to think what that could be. His closest friend had died, and he would want revenge."I know, baby. I've been thinking about it too, but you know we can't go back home. You and Troy will