CHAPTER ONE

‘Kate? There’s a man at the bar who has been staring at you for almost an hour now. Do you know him?’ ‘Where?’ As Kate turned her head, she felt a little dizzy having drunk three shots of the vodka she had ordered for herself. When she followed Claire’s glance across the crowded room, her blue eyes became wider to see a very handsome man intently watching her. But she was used to them staring at her. She was graced with a beautiful slim face and a perfect small, pointed nose. Her pouty lips were red and inviting. Her rosy cheeks added attraction to the fine bone structure. Her ginger wavy hair reached her back captivated attention that men would not hesitate to take a second glance at her. Her slim body was outlined in a floral mini dress she had worn today. Her creamy skin gleamed in the dimly lighted room.

'Don't mind him, okay?' She told her friend Claire. 'Alright.' said Claire but still looking at the man. It's her first time to see such a handsome man. She was pretty sure he was new here.

'Come on Kate, you would be attracted to him, he looked astonishing.' Claire was teasing her friend now.

Over the years, Kate had been courted by men of her age even in college. But she had not shown interest in them. She was deeply affected by what happened to her family in the past. Her dad who had been her idol had found another woman. Her mom was left devastated by a teenage daughter who was also confused about what was happening in her world. She resorted to giving her attention to her studies that resulted in her focusing her time on her studies and getting a scholarship in college. She’s always on top of her class.

Her family was rich because her grandparents owned a huge business in their province. Her mom was an only daughter, so she inherited her parents’ properties and business when they were gone. She lived abundantly sharing it all with her only daughter. Even though she lost her dad, they had never experienced financial difficulty. She and her mom lived well-off. Financial freedom was bestowed on them by her generous grandparents. But then she was not spoiled by her parents. She was always competitive in school. Her parents were always proud of her school achievements.

Kate had enjoyed the private resort with a neat house that was given to her on her eighteenth birthday. She used to come here when life in the city bored her. It’s her abode and sometimes she would invite her friend Claire to come and stay during the weekend with her just like now. She had driven her Sedan smoothly for four long hours to reach her second home near the beachline owned by her family. They stopped in fast food on their way just to grab a bite of chicken and burger and some fries. They were back on the road after an hour and were speeding fast on the highway.

Beautiful sceneries could be seen on the way. After a couple of hours, they were turning right to an orchard. In the distance, stood a lovely house. There were flowers on the roadside going to the house. They drove slowly a few meters until they reached a lovely front yard. The well-manicured lawn was very attractive. Riots of colors from the different flowers made the place look like paradise.

A middle-aged woman came running to meet them.

'Good morning, Ms. Kate and Ms. Claire. I am happy you are here now. We have been waiting for you.' She was the caretaker of the place whom Kate trusted. Martha had been with her family even when she was a teenager and was treated like a family member. She was like a second mother to her.

'Where is Ana? I have not seen her around.' 'She went to the city with our gardener to buy some supplies.' Replied Martha. Her husband and their daughter Ana had lived in a small house beside this house. The husband had been managing the orchard surrounding the house. Upfront was a private resort with fantastic white sand. The beach looked magnificent, and the water was very clear. The place was a paradise for Kate. The home of her late grandparents was just a stone's throw from here. She grew up with them doting on her, she enjoyed their love and care. Her own parents were too busy running the family’s business, so she spent more time with her grandparents in the province. She was very happy to be here, an escape from the busy life in the city.

'I really miss this kind of food you always prepare when we are here, Martha.' She told the older woman as she looked around pleased with what she saw.

'I always prepare your favorite food, Ms. Kate, I am happy to do that,' she said as she cleared the table and brought them something to drink.

They enjoyed a scrumptious lunch she prepared for them. After the hearty meal, they had a nap while listening to the waves a few meters from the house. The birds were singing melodiously up in the branches of the fruit trees nearby. In the afternoon, they took a walk on the shore and enjoyed the fresh air. When they came back to the house, Kate opened her laptop to check her mail and told Claire to prepare because they will have dinner outside. She typed something in her laptop and was lost in her thought. But she made up her mind to go out with her friend tonight. They chose the new dine and wine in the area which was frequented by local tourists.

'Wow, this place looks fantastic.' Claire exclaimed when they entered the resto. The place was built a few months ago, and it was known to serve the best gourmet in the place.

'Can I take your order, Madam?' She summoned the waiter and ordered the house specialty baby back ribs and lobster ravioli. Her friend ordered a local dessert of mango tapioca and they both enjoyed a lovely dinner together.

'Kate, I was so busy at work these days. Something came up, we were all excited with the turn of events in the company. We closed the deal with our suppliers and they have given us a huge discount on the materials and it means huge profit for our company.' 'Nice to hear that.' Actually she was just half-listening as Claire chattered about her work. But something occupied her mind and was dictating her to be true to herself. She knew she had to deal with it, but nerves were attacking her system again and making her cringe in remorse. She decided to drink some wine knowing that her friend could drive them home if she got drank.

'Kate, look.' Claire nudged her on the arm when she saw the man trod lazily to where they were seated. She was half awake, a little tipsy because of the drink she swallowed in succession. Her friend was unaware of her predicament but sensed that something was wrong which made her friend act like she didn’t care about tomorrow. Her friend remained silent while driving earlier, she didn’t want to disturb her so she remained silent, was just listening to Taylor Swift’s new album from the car stereo, and enjoyed the ride.

The man stopped near them and his presence was really distracting. He exuded confidence, clearly, his stance paraded someone confident of who he was. He was the most handsome man in the room that the few ladies around were gawking at him, but his attention was with Kate whose face showed no emotion. She was pretending to look around and showed a nonchalant attitude towards the man. But deep inside, her heart made a somersault. Although her mind was telling her to calm down and brace herself for this extraordinary moment in her life.

Lloyd had spotted her in the room. He would recognize her even in a crowded room. Her presence was like a balm rubbed in an open wound. That was how he felt because of what she did to him. He vowed to let her taste a dose of her own medicine. But the woman had really enchanted him. He could not stop looking at her, as if he wanted to put his arms around her and crush her to his embrace. She was really stunning but it seemed she was not aware of how beautiful she looked in that floral dress.

‘Well, do you know him?’ Claire asked curiously but Kate had asked her to go and order for another drink.

“May I join you, ladies?’, he asked in a serious voice. Kate looked at him intently looking curious this time. His voice sounded familiar to her, but she could not remember where she heard it before. It rang something to her, the deep drawl registered something in the deep recesses of her brain. Her heart was beating too fast, thinking maybe she was just mesmerized by the aura of the man hovering over her. She can smell the expensive male cologne he was wearing. She tried to smile but it froze on her lips. She asked him to sit down and when he did that’s when she lost awareness of her senses. She had gone somewhere inside her thoughts.