AFTER arguing with her mother, Triana did not hesitate when she booked a flight to Nepal the next day. She never expected that she would face this harsh reality. She came back to the Philippines a month ago after finishing her master’s degree at Harvard, majoring in Business Administration.
Bullshit!
She wanted to discern. The future of her family would depend on her decision. She needed to make the most of her vacation. She joined an international team scheduled to trek to the Everest Base Camp.
It would take her two weeks. And it was enough for her to think before making a decision. Caleb wanted to join her, but he couldn’t go due to his busy schedule. Triana hadn’t told her boyfriend about her current dilemma. The only thing Caleb knew was her going to unwind before they married. And have her trek of a lifetime.
And surprisingly, Lara joined her. She immediately agreed when Triana told her about the destination.
Triana called Lara right after she talked with her mom, and she was also shocked. Lara was her childhood friend. She was the daughter of her father’s business associate. She was also well-off. That was why even in the US, they studied together. Although Lara was more focused on arts than business. She was the sole heiress of the infamous Tan Holdings, the top manufacturer of a well-known designer’s bag in Asia.
They both loved adventure. They usually roam around outside the country whenever they got extra time. Like now, they would travel to South Asia with little preparation. It was not new since they were athletic and could survive a high-altitude trek. They only need to be properly acclimatized. Besides, Triana had an intuition that Lara might have had a different plan when they arrived in Nepal.
There was no direct flight from Manila to Kathmandu. They had to stopover in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. They would only wait two hours before the next flight.
They were in the lounge waiting for their plane when Lara started blabbering nonsense, as usual. Triana remained silent. She preferred her friend to be noisy than staring blankly because she was heartbroken.
“Oh, gosh, my eyes should adjust looking at these Nepali guys who almost looked the same!” Lara exclaimed while her eyes studied everyone around.
“Lars, that’s racist. They’re not that the same.”
“These young men are hot, just like Nehan—”
Lara immediately stopped when Triana glared at her. She was talking about her ex-boyfriend. The two were classmates in art class at Harvard. Nehan also came from a well-off family in Nepal, and he had a good relationship with Triana since the latter would always ask about Mount Everest. Triana dreamed of climbing the highest mountain in the world, and it was one of her bucket lists. Unfortunately, she lacks training.
Lara remained quiet until they entered the plane. It was a first-class flight, and they had to observe the flight etiquette not to disturb their fellow passengers.
Triana was surprised when Lara stood up after fixing her hand-carry bag, and she gently kicked her feet.
“What?” Triana’s eyes broadened.
Lara made a hand sign pointing in the direction beside them. She was smiling mischievously.
Triana followed the direction and saw two men seated near the center aisle. One of them seemed to be a westerner, and the other, she assumed to be a Nepali. Based on his prominent nose and light stubble on his face.
The Nepali guy had clean-cut hair, wearing dark sunglasses and a plain black shirt. He had a lean body as if a regular at a gym.
Triana scrutinized him more, noticing the tribal tattoo on his right arm. While the westerner guy was carrying something for his companion as if he was his secretary.
“Gorgeous!” Lara murmured.
Triana rolled her eyes. “Not my type. Please behave!” She thought these two men might be a couple. Anyway, it was none of her concern.
Lara settled in her seat. At the same time, Triana put her AirPods in her ears and closed her eyes. It would take over four hours before they arrived in Kathmandu. It would be better to sleep.
“SIR, are you really sure about this?” Austin asked Devance worriedly.
Austin Wright was his private bodyguard, a Filipino-British who served the British Army. His father hired him for his safety because there had been many kidnapping attempts. Austin has been working for more than a year now, and he considered him his close friend since he could count on him for everything, especially when it comes to those girls who kept pestering him.
And now, Austin had no choice but to accompany him when he decided to go back home to Nepal.
“I told you to call me, Dev.” He took a long deep breath.
Devance was not in his best mood right now. He didn’t talk to his dad after the night he announced his arranged marriage. He wanted to clear his mind, and getting back home would give him the freedom to be in touch with nature. It would help him process everything that had just happened. He had to plan on how to avoid his father’s will. Because if ever he got married in the future, he would make sure that love is involved.
“Let’s rest at home in Bhaktapur when we arrive.” Devance looked at his black wristwatch and estimated the time of their arrival.
THE flight went smoothly as they landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The arrival area was small, and the arriving passengers were crowded inside. Triana and Lara immediately fall in line at the immigration booth.
“Look, the hotties from the plane,” Lara whispered. Both of them had their sixty liters hiking bag. They didn’t bring non-essential things. It would only add weight. Besides, they already planned to shop at Thamel for additional climbing gear.
“Oh, come on, Lars. These strangers are picking up your interest. Isn’t it obvious they are lovers?” she teased her friend. She made sure her voice was low since there were in the same line.
Lara smiled mischievously and murmured, “I don’t think so. Let me check if they are love birds.”
Lara turned without warning and pretended she was out of balance in front of Triana. But the former had pushed her hard, which caused her to fall.
Triana almost shrieked in shock because the Caucasian girl behind her stayed away to avoid her. However, there was a muscular arm that caught her waist. Its reflexes were also fast because the stranger put his hands to her mouth to prevent her from shouting.
“Hey, easy! And be quiet!” said a baritone voice.
Meanwhile, Lara was smiling and playing innocent about what happened. She pretended to massage her legs as if it was injured.
Triana immediately stood up, stunned. He turned to see his savior, and her eyes widened when he recognized him. It was one of the men from the plane.
The Nepali guy!
This time, she could give a glimpse into his eyes. She was mesmerized when she realized his unique eye color that gave more appeal to his tanned skin. The man was green-eyed! It perfectly complemented his slightly bushy eyebrows and thick eyelashes. Triana assumed he was over six feet.
“Are you okay?” his westerner guy asked. He held a traveling bag. Because the other man only had a passport and an arrival card at hand. Triana noticed these men were about the same height.
Triana blinked twice before she nodded. She forgot to express her gratitude since she could see the irritation visible in the face of the green-eyed man.
“So clumsy,” the man said if deeply disgusted.
Triana heard it clearly. Her jaw clenched as she felt her blood boils going in her head.
“What the—” She wanted to call out the man, but he sauntered, going to the other line.
Conceited bastard! She glared in his direction. Although he helped her earlier, she didn’t like his vibe. It seemed he was full of himself. The man was nothing compared to her boyfriend’s angelic character.
“What do you say?” Lara asked as her lips turned up into a playful smile.
“If we’re outside, I might have punched you. Are you out of your mind?”
Lara rolled her eyes. “They’re both hotties, right? Don’t worry. We won’t see them again.”
Triana sighed and didn’t argue. She just waited for her turn to present her passport and get a stamp.
“Namaste!” the middle-aged woman from the immigration counter greeted her.
She only smiled and lightly nodded.
DEVANCE immediately sat on the black leather couch when they arrived home in Bhaktapur. The house was only a ten-minute drive from the airport. The traffic was tolerable, and they didn’t have a stressful trip.“Shall I call Vijay to check the chopper for tomorrow?” Austin asked. He referred to their private pilot, who maintains the family-owned choppers in Nepal.They had two helicopters at home. Both were parked at the helipad of their mansion on the sixth floor. They often used it when the whole family was on vacation here and usually when they wanted to see the Everest Region from above.“Yeah, let him check the engine. I’ll pilot the chopper going to Lukla.” Devance breathed out.Devance might be easy-go-lucky, but he was a licensed private pilot. He had the rank of captain, carrying four stripes in his uniform. He attended a prestigious aviation school in Amsterdam a couple of years ago.
“CALL me, Nim, and I’ll be your guide for this EBC trek.” The man introduced himself. And then he looked at his two companions. “These are Adesh and Hem, your porters.”The porters lightly arched their heads. They seemed shy. At the same time, Nim exchanged a firm handshake with everyone.“I’m Nehan,” he said as he stood beside Lara.“Lara.” She raised one hand.“I’m Austin.” He grinned and pointed the man at his side, “and this is Devance.”Triana’s one brow raised, and she couldn’t help but say something unfriendly. “Is your friend mute or something?”But she was a little dumbfounded when the man raised his hand for a handshake. “I didn’t know you wanted my name that bad. You can call me Dev. What’s your name?”Everyone made fun of them. The team was teasing that they make a good pair. Triana felt as if all her blood had surged up. She looked at her companions before she accepted the man’s hand with hesitation.“Triana.” She casually put her hand in the pocket of her gray trekking p
EVERYONE went back to the trail in the morning time after they had their breakfast at the inn. Triana tried her best to ignore Devance because of what happened a few hours ago. Her hatred towards the man grew even more. She couldn’t stand his overly confident attitude. He was so full of himself! His presence alone made her feel uneasy.And speaking of the devil, it seemed he had already developed the habit of pestering her. Devance walked in her direction, and their eyes met.“Hey, Austin! Can you please look at my hydration pack,” he was smirking and not breaking his eye contact with her. He uttered those words in the Filipino language.Austin quickly came over. And he answered back in the same local language. “Why, is there a leak? I checked it earlier. I made sure it’s fine.”Triana gaped at them as her jaw dropped. She could not believe these two could speak Tagalog with ease!Austin glanced at her. He seemed to enjoy making fun of her, too. “Are you surprised, my lady? We are Fil
TRIANA woke up in an unfamiliar room. She massaged her temple because the throbbing pain would not subside. It took her a while to finally move free while remembering what happened.Her eyes widened when she realized what had occurred during the trek. She recalled her severe altitude sickness. Probably Lara had been worried, and the team despised her for ruining the itinerary of their trek. They were about to reach the Basecamp in a day, but she was careless about her health.Triana got up and leaned on the headboard. Her eyes traveled around as she studied the room. Based on the luxury fixtures around her, she was not in a hospital because she recognized some famous paintings proudly mounted on the wall.What is this place, and where is Lara? Stretching her legs down carefully, she could stand without being lightheaded. She started to walk unhurriedly, going to the terrace to know her location. The sun was already up, and a cold wind greeted her.It appeared that her room was locat
DEVANCE carefully drove his bike, and they reached their destination without inconvenience. It was the famous Nagarkot village. However, they had to go to some unpaved road, which Triana had been complaining about because she expected a decent highway since it was a road toward a well-known tourist destination.They went down the bike and had a mini hike going up a hill where they could vividly see the Himalayas. Unfortunately, when they reached the summit, there was no clearing. It was nothing but thick fog.Devance lightly shook his head and smiled apologetically. “Sorry girls, it might rain anytime with these cloud formations.”“This place is heavenly if only it’s not cloudy,” said Austin. Lara dived into the conversation. “It’s all right. We are thankful for your efforts to drive us here. Besides, weather up in the mountain is unpredictable.”And as if on cue, it began to drizzle. “Let’s go. It’s raining!” Devance called out.Everyone ran going down the concrete stairs because i
EARLY in the morning, Triana knocked at Lara’s room. It was almost dawn, and her friend lazily moved as she opened the door. Her hair was all disheveled, and the dark circles in Lara’s eyes were visible.“What’s the matter? It’s too early. I’ve only been asleep for an hour!” Lara stared at her in disbelief. “Come on, Lars. Get a shower, quick! We need to leave here now.” Triana pushed her going to the bathroom. “What is your problem?” Lara was annoyed. “I’ll explain later. Come on!”“It’s impolite to leave without saying goodbye to our host. Are you that shameless?” Lara held her temple as if summoning energy because she was feeling dull.“I know! But something happened last night.”Lara turned her head out of curiosity. “Why, what happened?”“Well…” Triana hesitated whether she’d tell what had happened last night. She swallowed hard before she went on, “H-he tried to kiss me…”“Okay, and?”“That’s it! He shouldn’t have done that without my consent!”Lara rolled her eyes heavenward
“MOM, Dad! I didn’t know you were coming home.” Devance was surprised to see his parents drinking tea on the roof deck. Bilhana was busy catering to their needs.He just got back from jogging in the nearby temple, and his parents didn’t inform him that they were back in Nepal.One week went by since Triana and Lara left the house. Devance was busy with his workout and gardening to pass the time. He loved plants and anything about nature. It was a good form of meditation for him.“Good thing you’re here now. We have been back here to catch you because we’re going to the Philippines,” Akhil said after sipping tea.Devance kissed his mother’s cheek and sat beside her. “Why? Is there a problem?”They paused for a moment when Bilhana served his tea. His mother held his hand over the table. The way she gestured her hand, Devance sensed something was wrong.“Mom?”Akhil heaved a sigh. “You’re going to have a date with your soon-to-be-bride.”The Chaudhary patriarch said those phrases casuall
DEVANCE went down the car along with his parents. Austin drove them because they didn’t bring a lot of bodyguards to stay low key.This could be his engagement, but he had already taken precautionary measures, especially if he was left with no choice. Devance only agreed to meet the girl because his father had frozen most of his assets when he argued with him again a few days after they arrived in Nepal. He tried to push his luck, but it seemed his fate was already sealed.Now he came to the Philippines to see his fiancée-to-be, though he ensured the wedding would never happen. Devance never asked his parents about the girl. More on, he was not interested. Every time the arranged marriage came to mind, his stress level soared.Devance studied the surroundings around. He stood near the doorway of a modern two-story house with a roof deck. Beside the building was a garden. No wonder this place looked familiar. He finally remembered he was here sometime three years ago. Slowly, things we