Chapter 2 Uno

"Can I ask for a vacation for three months?" Rosette boldly asked her father for permission.

He automatically looked up at her. They were in the study room now. Her head hurt every time she saw the scattered books and papers on the floor and the boxes stacked in one corner. Their family business was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Gabriele closed his laptop. His haggard face wrinkled as he removed his glasses. He was only in his fifties, but he aged quickly. Some strands of his hair were already white, and he was almost bald.

"Why three months?" he asked.

"I'm exhausted, Pa. I want to take a rest," she whined in a childish tone. She acted like a kid in front of him.

She twirled a few strands of her caramel-colored, waist-length wavy hair. They had Italian blood, and she got her hair color from her father.

"Where exactly are you going? And why does it have to be for three months?" he asked firmly.

She looked around. "I want to go to the province, to Mom's maternal house in Bukidnon," she lied.

She hoped her plan would work. Luckily, their house was in Batangas, so it wouldn't be obvious that she was going to Manila. She planned to book a plane ticket as part of her cover to convince him.

Her father went quiet.

"I'll leave the company with Cristina. She'll manage it for now. I'll just monitor things every now and then while I take my break," she explained cheerfully.

Cristina Vera, the company's VP. Her best friend. She trusted her completely. Besides, she had already told Cristina the truth. Cristina was on board with her plan.

Her father just sighed.

"Whatever your decision is, I respect it. But your fiancé, does he know about this plan?" he asked in agreement.

It felt like a thorn was removed from her heart. A smile lit up her face.

"I'll tell Ranier soon. I'll also ask him not to follow me. I want total peace of mind," she said dramatically, even touching her forehead.

Her head hurt. This wasn't the right time to talk about Ranier. That millionaire CEO didn't even care about her. They only became a couple because their families had arranged their marriage. She wouldn't have agreed if it weren't for her desire not to hurt her father or jeopardize the family business. His family was one of their investors. She didn't like Ranier. He was arrogant, cold, and nonchalant. They didn't get along at all - their ideas and strategies in business always clashed. They had no shared interests. She liked tennis; he hated sports.

"This is all my fault, Anak. I've been stressing you out too much, especially now that we're close to bankruptcy," he said, filled with disappointment and sadness.

She quickly approached her father. "Pa," she said and hugged him around the neck.

"Don't worry. I already brought in the money, and we've invested it in Mallary Group. We're now under the protection of a powerful family, and we won't go bankrupt anymore," she whispered in a sweet voice as she massaged his shoulders.

"Thank you, darling. You've already done so much for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you. Ever since your mother passed, you and Rosario have been my strength," he said with emotion.

Her heart swelled. After her mother died of a brain tumor two years ago, her father poured his time into the company and into raising them. She, too, poured all her love into him so he wouldn't feel the deep loss of her mother.

They were two siblings. She was the eldest at 25, and Rosario, her younger brother, was 24. The Valentino family lived a simple, normal life. They weren't very rich, but they had enough to survive in this chaotic world.

Each of them had a small business. Her father ran a food chain, she had a clothing retail business, and Rosario owned several restaurants and cafés. She loved one of Rosario's cafés in Manila and visited it every weekend. She was crazy about bubble tea and would go there even if it was far.

Rosè took a deep breath before leaving her father. She headed to her room to finish packing her medications for tomorrow. She would temporarily stay at the house of Tia Razon - one of their former housemaids. She would make up an excuse that she'd hang out in Manila to do undercover work for an important business mission. She knew Tia well - she was always quick to believe her nonsense.

She gasped. She wiped the sweat on her forehead. It was scorching hot in Manila. The humidity was intense, and the air was polluted. She was currently walking along the sidewalk, dragging her large luggage behind her. She was looking for a taxi to take her to Tia's house in Quezon City. She just came from the airport. She waited for her father to leave before sneaking away because she wasn't really going to Bukidnon.

Suddenly, her favorite ringtone - "Polaroid Love" by her favorite K-pop group Enhypen - rang. She stopped walking. She fumbled to answer the call, nearly dropping her phone.

"Rosè!" a woman shouted from the other end, her tone irritated after Rosè answered. "What the heck are you doing? You're disappearing for three months? Is this a prank? Are you sick? Tell me the truth, Rosè."

She covered one ear and pulled the phone slightly away. Cristina was ranting like a chicken again. Her best friend, who lectured more than her mother ever did.

"What's with the drama, Cristina? I'm not sick. I just want to rest," she said, trying to calm her down.

"Did we do something wrong? Are we making things hard for you?" Cristina asked in a teary voice, clearly worried.

"Don't worry. I'll monitor things from time to time. And no, you didn't do anything wrong, and you're not a burden. I just really want to rest for a while. Please bear with me. I know you can handle everything," she said while glancing around and walking again.

"Rosè, I'm just worried about you. But whatever your decision is, I respect it."

She sighed.

"Where are you now, Rosè?" Cristina asked when she didn't respond.

"In Bukidnon. Oh no! My battery's dying, Cris. I'll call you later, okay?" she lied and quickly hung up.

But the truth is something had caught her attention. She stopped in front of a pastry shop. She loved sweets - especially strawberry shortcake. She couldn't take her eyes off the desserts on display. She started drooling. She swallowed hard before entering the shop. She went straight to the cake display.

Oh, my strawberry shortcake! she whispered to herself, hugging her face with her hands. The cake sparkled in her eyes.

"Miss, I'll take this strawberry shortcake and-" she began, when someone interrupted.

"Miss, give me that strawberry shortcake, please," said a man behind her in an authoritative but attractive voice.

Her joy vanished. Her brows furrowed. She was annoyed - he was trying to take the cake she wanted.

"Hey you, lady! Get out of my way!" he snapped.

She turned and glared at him.

"Hey, you mister! That's my cake-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw his angelic, handsome face. She stared at him for a few seconds.

"You're drooling, Miss," he said coldly, with a hint of annoyance and a grimace.

She covered her mouth. There was no drool. What the hell... he's an evil angel in disguise, she grumbled internally. And so rude.

"Excuse me, okay! I ordered that cake first, so you have no right to take it!" she snapped.

"Really? Well, I paid for it first, so there's nothing you can do. How long do you plan to stand there? Don't block my way, Miss. I'm not done ordering," he retorted.

Her blood boiled. People these days loved throwing their weight around just because they had money - so quick to oppress others.

"I'm a customer too, you know," she muttered as she looked him up and down, then returned her attention to the cakes.

"Miss, can you give me that Black Forest cake instead?" she said to the salesgirl. The girl nodded and took the cake from the display.

She tried to ignore the man behind her. She felt him move, heading to the counter to pick up the cake. Her eyes instinctively followed him. He turned to give her a sharp look before leaving.

She swallowed hard.

And then she realized that bastard was Elliot Jon Mallary.