《Billionaire鈥檚 Side Attraction》


 Chapter One

    L Lopez


    I stood calmly by the window, looking out at the scenery around me. The weather was quite refreshing at this time of day, I noted to myself as I gulped down a bottle of water. My day had been progressively getting worse with the increasing workload from different sources. I could honestly use a break right now. I sighed, taking a long look out the window. I wished I could stay here a little while longer, basking in that calm; but I was ready to leave, so I rounded up my work and packed my things.


    On a normal day, my assistant would have helped with this menial task, but today I needed some time alone, so I discharged her earlier than normal. She was happy to leave early; I could see her grinning from ear to ear. I wondered why though, cos I didn¡¯t think I overworked her. I let out another sigh. Who knows what anymore these days? You might think you¡¯re being nice and others don¡¯t. At least I had one person who I was sure thought the world of me, my fianc¨¦. I was going to see him today¨C We hadn¡¯t seen each other in two weeks now and it felt like forever. Being a celebrity sure has its perks, but one of the drawbacks is not having enough time for personal stuff, such as seeing your fianc¨¦. I let out a sigh as I drove down the busy streets of Mexico. My fianc¨¦¡¯s house was a 3-hour drive from my workce but I didn¡¯t mind, so long as I ended up seeing him. I turned on the car stereo and it immediately started sting out histest single. I sang along as I drove to his ce, excitement rising. A beautiful smile graced my lips as I imagined his handsome face and the feel of his cheeks on my fingers; it had been too long since west saw each other. Honestly, I was a tad bit sad that he also hadn¡¯t made much effort to see me also, but I was more excited than I was sad. Besides, he was as busy as I was, so I could understand.


    It was a smooth ride as, thankfully, there was no traffic. The weather had turned a bit chilly though, so I increased the temperature of the car¡¯s heater. The sudden sound of my phone ringing startled me and caused me to lose concentration for a second. I quickly turned down the radio as I answered the call.


    ¡°L, there you are; I¡¯ve been calling you all day.¡± I moved the phone away from my ear to check the caller ID, only to see an unknown number on my screen.


    ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± I asked after putting the phone back to my ears.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Pardon? You don¡¯t know me? Ah, yes, I changed my number. It¡¯s me, Reba Steam; it¡¯s been a minute. How are you doing?¡± I was quiet for a while, trying to recall the name while staying focused on the road.


    No one with that name came to mind, so I decided I would tell whoever Reba was to call me at another time. I would hate to lose concentration while driving because I was trying to remember and ce the face and name of the person calling. Besides, it could be the wrong number or a scammer.


    ¡°Ah, I see. I¡¯ll call you back. Hmm, I¡¯m driving at the moment.¡± I responded, not giving her the chance to respond before hanging up.


    It wasn¡¯t long after the call ended that I approached his veranda. I barely managed to contain my excitement; so much so that I almost forgot to lock the car after parking it! Since I had been here before, I pretty much knew my way around the house. I inputted the passcode to his penthouse, took the elevator, and went on my merry way to his apartment. I attempted to open the door with my fingerprint, but it wasn¡¯t responding. I tried it a couple of times, but it still wasn¡¯t working.


    I heaved a sigh of frustration as I ced my ear close to the door to listen for any sound from within. I refused to be frustrated by that minor setback. There must have been something wrong with the machine; that was the only eptable exnation for this. Or could it be that he had erased my security details from the machine? No! That was impossible. How would Carlos Martinez, the popr singer, erase the fingerprint of his soon-to-be wife from the machine? I tried hard to remember if we¡¯d had a misunderstanding thest time we met, but I could only remember how much we had enjoyed each other¡¯spany. There was just no way he could have done such a thing. While I stayed there trying to listen for any sign of movement from within, my phone vibrated, indicating a text from my assistant.


    Just as I was about to read the text, I heard a voice. I paused for a moment as I realized that the voice was familiar. That sounded like¡­ Celia?!!! I wasn¡¯t expecting that. What could she be doing here, without my knowledge? Yes, she was my best friend but she wasn¡¯t close friends with Carlos. Were they meeting to n a surprise for me? I thought excitedly as I leaned even closer to hear what they were saying. The next sentence I heard caused my heart to skip a beat, ¡°Baby, how was it for you?¡± I heard it loud and clear. How was what? Baby?! What the hell is going on here? Okay, I think I need to calm down, take a deep breath, and listen carefully; I probably didn¡¯t hear her. I encouraged myself with this thought even as I pressed my ears even harder against the door. Now Carlos was speaking, ¡°Ah, you fuck me so good. Way better even,¡± he replied, and my heart went numb.


    Moments after hearing that, I still couldn¡¯t move away from the door; I had no idea that my nightmare had just begun. Nothing could have prepared me for the loud sounds of moaning I began to hear from within. ¡°Mmm, it looks like someone is getting wet all over again,¡± Carlosmented. I heard her panting loudly; she was probably throwing her head back in euphoria as Carlos used his tongue on her pussy. This made her scream in pleasure one more time. At this point, my numbness had begun to morph into smoldering hot anger. I hissed at how loud she was. I could just imagine the smug look of pleasure on her face at that moment because I had had that look on my face not too long ago¨C Carlos was that good.


    My skin flushed red with anger. Now that exined why I couldn¡¯t gain ess to the apartment. He had tampered with it so I wouldn¡¯t be able to walk in on them unannounced. I sighed heavily in frustration, as I fought the tears back. I still struggled toprehend what was happening right across from me. Where had I gone wrong? Why Celia? Was she simply better than me in bed? And that Celia¡­. Such a hoe! How dare shee onto my man? My fiance!


    I am never going to forgive her for this, no matter how much she begs for mercy. I whipped out my phone, ready to record their conversation. It might not be able to pick every word they say, but at least it could pick a word or two. I had seen this on TV once, which was why I immediately choose that course of action. Carlos would most likely deny it once I confronted him about it if I didn¡¯t have evidence. It was painful to keep listening, but if I wanted him to pay then I needed my evidence to be solid.


    I wanted to know how far they were willing to go, and at that moment I heard it loud and clear when Celia asked who Carlos preferred between the two of us. He was quick to say, ¡°L is better, but you, my darling Celia, are more seductive. I can¡¯t seem to get enough of your ent.¡± I heard a spanking sound, followed by Celia¡¯s giggles in response. Shortly after, I heard them have another passionate make-out session, their huffs, and moans echoing through the door as they trashed around, apparently not able to get enough of each other.


    So they were going to get down and dirty, while I stood right there on the other side of the door? I couldn¡¯t believe my ears.


    ¡°Spread those legs for me, baby!¡± I heard Carlos say and I shut my eyes tightly, shaking in anger. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine Celia¡¯s naked body spread across the bed. It was too painful to imagine, and I just wished I didn¡¯t have to listen to this. ¡°Aww, your thrusts are so good! I want it all,¡± Celia moaned as she spoke. I just wish I could stop and turn back now, but I needed to get this recorded. ¡°Fuck me. Your pussy is so tight; you make me want to cum.¡± He said, and I groaned in pain from the other side.


    Their endless, loud moans of passionate lovemaking continued. I could hear Celia moan so loudly that if Carlos had had neighbors, they would have been disturbed by the noise. ¡°Fuck! You want it?¡± Carlos asked as he worked his magic on her, ¡°Yes, baby, give it to me!¡± Celia cried out in pure bliss, moaning for more.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m cumming for you, baby!¡± I heard Carlos say and it was at that moment I knew I had had enough. I could no longer bear to listen to them. They were having an affair, and I had caught them right in the act with the evidence of recorded audio on my phone- that was enough. With that in mind, I left and headed home immediately.


    I had left my car with so much excitement earlier on and I was now returning with so much anger and hurt. Who could have expected such a turn of events? I sure didn¡¯t. Once I got home, I decided to take things one step at a time: first, take a shower and next go to sleep. I seeded at the first task but when I hit the bed, I couldn¡¯t find sleep. It was only 9 p. m., and because I was usually awake and on my phone at this time ying video games or talking to Carlos, I was finding it difficult to sleep.


    My mind kept racing with thoughts, wondering why he and my best friend decided to treat me like this. Had I wronged them in the past so much that they were choosing to take revenge on me like this? Ugh, this was so infuriating! I got out of bed, changed out of my nightgown into a pair of jeans and a hoodie, and picked up my phone and car keys.


    Since I couldn¡¯t get any sleep, I could as well go for a spin to clear my head. Once I was properly seated in the car, I went to my recorded audio. I listened to the most recent audio, one of the two of them having sex, Celia, and Carlos, and then sent it to Carlos. After sending it, I informed him that it was over between us and that the wedding had been called off. I blocked him immediately after the message was sent. There was no need for me to have to deal with his false apologies or exnations. I sat in the car all night. I didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep at all.


    By 5 a. m. I knew I needed a break; I had spent the whole night in the car listening to sad songs. I picked up my phone and sent a version of the message I had sent to Carlos to my family members, telling them all that transpired. I also put in a call to my agent asking for permission to be away from work for a while; I needed to take time off work starting now. With that concluded, I put my phone back into the charging port in my car, and without a second thought, I got started on a road trip to Texas to clear my head.

 Chapter Two

    Javier Lorenzo


    I was getting increasingly tired, and my grip on the steering wheel was getting stronger. I was driving at 20 miles per hour because the road was very free but also because I just wanted this trip to end as quickly as it had started. I know you might be wondering why I¡¯d start a trip in the first ce if I wanted it toe to an end so quickly. Well, let me introduce you to the source of my misery, Rosa Santiago, my girlfriend and the supposed love of my life who has been nothing but a pain in my neck. I was so lost in thought that I didn¡¯t look at where I was driving, and then, bam! Something punctured the tires of the car and they burst.


    I had to quickly swerve to the side of the road as I maneuvered the car to a stop in the middle of nowhere. All we saw were trees and a long lonely stretch of road ahead of us. I let out a frustrated sigh, Not now, not now! I muttered.


    ¡°What? Why are we stopping?¡± Jenny asked, and Mateo, the quiet one among us, finally looked at me.


    ¡°Yeah, why are we stopping? We aren¡¯t there yet,¡± Rosa, my girlfriend, asked again, as though I had not already heard Jenny the first time. They had all been preupied and so they hadn¡¯t noticed when the tires got punctured.


    I just got out of the car without answering them. I can¡¯t believe I let Rosa get to me like that; she keeps getting on my nerves, and I sometimes let her get to me. I looked around the car and saw how badly damaged the tires were. Well, well, well, isn¡¯t this just great?


    How were we ever going to get to the West on time at this rate? That is where we were headed. Mateo walked up to me and said, ¡°You look stressed; is the car okay? Why did we stop?¡± He watched my face for any expression, and I¡¯m sure he immediately saw the frustration on my face. ¡°The car just broke down because the tires burst; please call a tow truck,¡± I said in response to his question.


    He immediately left my side to do as I said, even as at the same time, my girlfriend came over to confront me; she had heard what I said. ¡°What? So that¡¯s why we stopped! Gosh, Lorenzo! How could you be so irresponsible as to let this happen?¡± she scolded me, calling me by my surname as my homeroom teacher would. Did she think I was a child? ¡°You were supposed to check the carst night. Why didn¡¯t you do that? Hmm? And you knew we were taking it out today,¡± sheined.


    What the hell was she saying? How could my checking the car the night before have prevented what just happened? The best I could have done would be to take a spare tire and even that would not have been enough as more than one tire was affected. All I could do was stare ahead as I sat on the bo of the car. She didn¡¯t even care about how this whole thing was stressing me out too; she just kept yelling andining. ¡°When was thest time you took the car for maintenance?¡± I spared her a nce. ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face? You don¡¯t remember, ha! Haha! This one is on you, Lorenzo! How could you forget to take your car for maintenance?¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    I averted my gaze from her face and decided to just be calm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rosa,¡± I said calmly. This wasn¡¯t worth my energy. There was no point trying to exin anything to her. For every little thing that she didn¡¯t find to her liking, she wouldin and yell endlessly at me about it. What made it even more annoying at that moment was the fact that she was choosing to do this right in front of our friends Jenny and Mateo. Why? Why does she keep treating me like I am nothing to her like I am some B-grade constion prize? It made me sick just thinking about it.


    ¡°Really? Are you just going to sit there and do nothing? Have you even called the tow truck?¡± She asked, and for the first time gave me a chance to respond. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could do so, Mateo saved me from having to speak by responding instead, ¡°I did; I called them, and they said it¡¯s a littlete, but they are on their way,¡± Mateo said and I gave him a brief smile to thank him for answering.


    Rosa just scoffed in response before speaking. ¡°Whoa, you are just so unbelievable; since when did he be an assistant that makes calls on your behalf? Are you now so irresponsible that you can¡¯t make your calls anymore?¡± This was getting more tiring, and I was sure Mateo and Jenny were tired of it too. ¡°I am sorry, Rosa.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? Sorry? Really? Will sorry get us out of this mess? Will Sorry fix the car? No. So keep your sorry to yourself, Lorenzo; I am highly disappointed in you.¡± She said as she cut me short once again.


    I heaved a sigh as I hid my face in my palms. Was this the person I wanted to be married to? Could I be married to her for a long time? I began to question myself.


    ¡°Congrattions, Lorenzo; you¡¯ve officially ruined this trip for all of us. Are you happy now? Of course, you are; you never wanted to be on this trip in the first ce.¡±  It took a while but I eventually opened my mouth to speak and surprised even myself by what I said. ¡°You know what? I think I am done here; it¡¯s obvious you don¡¯t value me, and more importantly, I am done with you treating me like a B-grade constion prize!¡± I stood up from the bo to my full 6 feet 2 inches height and pinched the bridge of my nose so I wouldn¡¯t yell at her 5-foot frame.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s over, Rosa. This rtionship is over!¡± I said in conclusion. I was starting to yell a bit as I unburdened myself. I was tired to my bones of her maltreatment and her obviousck of value for me. If we got married it will only worsen. I think I¡¯d been holding out for a while in hopes that there would be an improvement but after such a long time, it was obvious that she had no such intentions.


    She was shocked. I could see it all over her face, and even her friend Jenny was shocked too. I¡¯ll bet they both didn¡¯t see iting, and I didn¡¯t see iting either. It¡¯s not like I had any previous ns of breaking up with her; I just happened to be thinking about it, and I did it. Rosa looked at me incredulously, as if I had just told her a joke.


    Of course, she would think that way. I mean, our rtionship had been on for 6 years now. Anyone would think I was joking. She asked me to repeat myself, and I dly said, ¡°It is over between us, Rosa; I want nothing to do with you or this rtionship anymore.¡± She saw the seriousness on my face, and she immediately knew I wasn¡¯t joking. Why would I joke about something like that?


    She huffed and puffed, and when she saw I wasn¡¯t changing my mind, she red up in anger and walked away from me. I didn¡¯t even spare her a thought much more than a nce, I wasn¡¯t trying to appease her either. I just went back to the driver¡¯s side of the car and sat down; it was getting pretty chilly out there. Mateo and Jenny, who were equally standing outside with us the whole time, rushed inside to sit in the back seat with me. I guess they realized how cold it was getting outside. I checked the temperature, and I saw it was below 23 degrees.


    Why was it so cold this early in the morning? I thought, but before I could continue my line of thought, Jenny interrupted me, saying, ¡°Are we just going to let her leave like that? She is going to be in danger, plus it¡¯s freaking cold out there.¡± I looked at her via the rearview mirror but chose to ignore her. I had made up my mind; I wasn¡¯t going to make any attempts to appease Rosa. If she got cold, she had every right to get into the car. And with that thought, I continued ying the game on my phone.


    Mateo cleared his throat, saying, ¡°I know you are upset, but please, can you go talk to her? Please beg her toe back; she is putting herself in danger.¡± I saw from the rearview mirror the eye contact Jenny and Mateo exchanged with each other, but I chose to ignore it and stayed quiet. Mateo spoke up again, saying, ¡°Javier, please, we are in a remote area with no other cars, and it would be difficult for Rosa to leave; please consider that and go bring her back.¡± I finally put my phone down and turned a little so I could look into his eye. Once we were seeing each other eye to eye, I said, ¡°I¡¯m not going after her; she has to take responsibility for her actions.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Jenny was trying to defend her friend, but I cut her short, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t but me; she is a 30-year-old woman. Just because she isn¡¯t so tall or she looks 16 doesn¡¯t mean anything. She should know what she is doing.¡± Not long after I said that we saw Rosa walking towards the car. Mateo and Jenny came down from the car to embrace her, but she only gave them a side pat as she quickly shoved them aside.


    I snickered; a little d that she hade back to her senses on her own because if she hadn¡¯t, there was no way I would have gone after her. She knocked on the car window, signaling for me toe out. I scoffed, wondering what she had to say to me. I got out and sat on the bo, ready to listen to what she had to say. She came to stand in front of me while Mateo and Jenny decided to stay beside the booth, which was farther away from us. ¡°Tell me, why do you want to end this rtionship?¡± She asked; she didn¡¯t ask me for an apology, and I was d she didn¡¯t because there was no way in hell I was apologizing to her. ¡°Answer me, Javier Lorenzo, why did you break up with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you decided to ask nicely, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±  I took a deep breath before giving her a long, cold, hard stare. ¡°It¡¯s because I was tired of being med like this, of constantly arguing and fighting with you over every little thing,¡± I concluded, and she just scoffed in response. I wasn¡¯t even fazed by her reaction. I saw iting because I had had to deal with it for six years. ¡°Seriously? What¡¯s your reason? You feel that way because you are truly at fault; if not, you have no right at all to feel that way and break up with me like that.¡± I sighed. Here we go again, starting another round of arguments over my feelings.


    ¡°It¡¯s best you tell me what you did wrong now that I am in the mood to forgive you. And you should be grateful for this; hmm, cos I¡¯m not always this forgiving.¡± Her arms were folded across her chest, pushing her boobs forward. I looked away; not even her body interested me right now. And I don¡¯t think it ever will again.


    ¡°Damn it, say something, Lorenzo! Don¡¯t you want me to forgive you after all your mistakes, including not taking the car for maintenance? Gosh, you are so stubborn!¡± she said. She continued to prove my point, leading to more and more arguments. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore at some point; it was over between us, and I wouldn¡¯t let her just talk me down like that. I snapped my face back to hers, interrupting her as I yelled in anger, ¡°Stop It! Okay! Just fucking stop it! Stop ming me for everything! ¡­ Look, you are free, okay. You are a free bird now, and I don¡¯t need you to prove anything to me. It¡¯s over between us; we have now broken up and that is the end of the story.¡± I made sure to keep my face hard, making sure all my pain and anger were visible in my eyes. She was staring right back at me, so I was sure she saw it. She looked flushed, but because of the cold wind, I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a result of the cold or my words.


    ¡°Fine then, no problem, if that¡¯s what you want. But let me warn you: don¡¯t ever think ofing back to me, or I would humiliate you so badly you will wish you were dead!¡± She yelled thatst part at me, wishing I would probably be fazed by the fact that she could humiliate me; like it was an achievement. I was more than determined to end things with her, and never in my wildest dreams would I ever want to reconcile with her. Not in this life, not in the next. Just when I was about to end this nightmare of a western road trip by calling a tow truck one more time, I noticed a red Jeep shing its light at us. It stoppedpletely when it got beside us, and secondster, we were all staring into the eyes of the driver. She wore an apologetic smile as she asked,


    ¡°Need help with that?¡±

 Chapter Three

    L Lopez


    It had been a long drive, and honestly, I didn¡¯t expect to meet anyone at all on my way. Imagine my surprise when I met not one but four people on the road. Wasn¡¯t that a pleasant surprise? I thought to myself. I wondered what they were out there in the cold as I lowered the car window and asked, ¡°Need help with that?¡± I nodded toward their car, and one of them gave me an apologetic smile. I immediately recognized the faces that belonged to Mateo and Rosa. Their features were so striking that it was easy for me to recognize them, especially because I had met them before. I only had one question for them, though: what were they both doing out here? I noticed the other two people who were with them too.


    I could not quite put a name to their faces, but the guy offered me a half smile as he kept staring at me. Either he thought I was dashingly beautiful or he thought I looked like someone he had seen before. Butst I checked, I hardly went out on my own so my best bet was that he had seen my face on a billboard or a flier.


    I just smiled at them and asked one more time. ¡°Need any help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, My car broke down, and I¡¯m just trying to get everyone back to the city.¡± I looked at their car again and noticed a couple of the tires were badly burst. I wondered what happened. ¡°Sure, get in; I was going to the city anyway,¡± I said with a smile still on my face, and they all smiled back and happily came in, with the guy whose name I didn¡¯t know, choosing to seat right in front, next to me.


    The only person who didn¡¯t enter the car was Rosa, and I was wondering why she was still standing there. Wait a minute! Was she expecting me to beg her to get in? No way, there was no way. I was already doing her and her friends a favor. Was she expecting special treatment right now? I shook my head in pity; this girl still hadn¡¯t learned her lesson. When will she realize that the world doesn¡¯t revolve around her? ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting in?¡± I asked. She only folded her arm and nodded towards the three of them. ¡°Tell them to get out. If you want me to get in, then tell them to get out.¡±  I scoffed at her statement. She never ceased to amaze me. Rosa had always been a crafty and selfish creature, and even in the middle of nowhere, stuck with no means of escape, she was still downright crafty and selfish.


    I couldn¡¯t help as a chuckle escaped my lips, and before I knew it, I was giggling. She noticed this, and out of annoyance at the thought that I was making fun of her, she kicked my tire, asking, ¡°What¡¯s so funny? You think I am joking, right? I¡¯m dead serious here; if you want me to get in, then you better tell these three to get out first.¡± That only made me burst intoughter because, if I understood her correctly, she wanted me to kick her three friends out.


    After I finally sobered up from theughter, I asked her again. ¡°You want me to kick these three out?¡± She nodded her head in response, saying, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said before. You heard me correctly.¡± I tilted my head to the side a bit as if thinking about what she said when in truth this was a no-brainer situation. There was no way I was risking the safety of others for ady like her.


    ¡°Well? What¡¯s your choice?¡± she asked, getting impatient from waiting for my answer.


    I simply smiled, throwing a nce at the handsome stranger, whose tempting abs were peeking out at me through his very tight shirt. I politely refused and said, ¡°Oh, darling, I am not your boyfriend, and so I have no obligations whatsoever to indulge your whims at the expense of others. If you are not going to get in, then you might as well freeze from the cold out there.¡± She looked at me, shocked by my statement, but I just kept a smile on my face. I bet she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes at the moment. ¡°Whoa, are you seriously not going to do what I said?¡± she asked in disbelief, testing my patience. I scoffed at her before saying, ¡°With all due respect, Rosa, I won¡¯t. If you have nothing better to say; I am rolling the windows up. It¡¯s getting a bit chilly in here.¡± I attempted to wind up, but she stopped me.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I looked at her in a questioning way. But she didn¡¯t say anything; she only bit her lips, showing that she was thinking about something else. ¡°Why can¡¯t you kick them out? Is it because of him? You and I have known each other for quite a while now; are you not going to do that for me?¡± I heaved a sigh. When will she get it into her thick skull? I am nothing like her; I am not an inconsiderate person who does stuff to inconvenience others. ¡°I already told you, no. I am not going to do that. And if you are not getting in, then suit yourself already.¡± She huffed and stepped away from the car.


    I gave her onest smile before rolling up the windows to zoom off. I was watching her from the rearview mirror as she threw tantrums; she was certainly acting like a child right now, and I couldn¡¯t care less. I simply could not believe how stubborn she was, tantly refusing to get into the car. I had no intentions of indulging her which is why I didn¡¯t think twice before I drove away, leaving her to think of the consequences of her actions all alone on the road.


    The ride was a quiet one, or rather, I wanted it to be a quiet one. But the girl, whose name I still didn¡¯t know, kept disturbing me and worrying about Rosa, who I was sure could handle herself out there. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for her to be out there all on her own in a deserted area like that.¡± I took a deep breath. I chose to ignore her, but she took it as an avenue to try and convince me.


    ¡°Look I know you don¡¯t know me, and I don¡¯t know you either, but I¡¯d appreciate it if we could go back and help her, please,¡± I said nothing but kept driving. She sighed, not epting defeat. ¡°Please, Rosa can be a handful, but we can¡¯t leave her like that, let¡¯s go back for her. What do you say, Mateo?¡± Mateo, who was on his phone, only looked up briefly. He must have noticed how tense the atmosphere was, so he just went back to his phone, making use of his earphones to listen to music.


    I would haveughed out loud if not for the situation I was in. Why was thisdy worrying so much while Mateo, and this guy, whose name I had not yet learned, weren¡¯t worried? They weren¡¯t, so why was she worrying so much? I let out a sigh when she opened her mouth to speak again. I cut her short by asking. ¡°What¡¯s your name, youngdy?¡±


    ¡°Jenny, my name is Jenny, and I¡¯m her best friend; please, will you help her?¡± She said all at once. I responded by saying, ¡°Why do you want me to help her anyway? I mean, you saw how stubborn she was, telling me I had to kick you all out before she coulde in.¡± Jenny sighed and bit her bottom lips as she was thinking about her response. After what seemed like forever she said ¡°I don¡¯t mind; let¡¯s just please go back for her. I¡¯ll force her into the car if I have to,¡± she said. I just shook my head in disagreement, saying, ¡°Nah, yeah, no, I¡¯m not doing that. Rosa is not stupid. She would call someone to pick her up.¡±


    It was then and only then that Jenny finally calmed down and stopped pestering me. Shish, I could finally concentrate on my driving. I felt so happy about the little freedom Jenny was giving me that she and Mateo almost caught me smiling, and I had to cover it up with a quick cough. There was no way we were turning back when we hadn¡¯t even gotten halfway to our destination yet, and Jenny wanted me to turn back for just one person who was being adamant and stubborn. Yeah, no, I was not doing that. The fact that she didn¡¯t enter while she had the chance was a no-no for me.


    .


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jenny. I¡¯ll give Alex, her driver a call. Just to be sure he is going to pick her up,¡± said the voice next to me. His voice was the sweetest thing I had ever heard. I was suddenly curious as to what his name was. He looked like a Thompson or Daniel. He looked too good to be true, and with the muscles I saw earlier, I couldn¡¯t stop the nasty thoughts that went through my head. Urgh I am such a pervert. I couldn¡¯t believe I was thinking of him in such a way when I had juste out of a rtionship.


    I stretched my hands out to turn on the radio, and at the same time, he stretched his hands out to do the same. My face immediately flushed red, especially because of what I was thinking about earlier. I withdrew my hand immediately as he apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I startled you. Do you still want to turn the radio on? I mean, it is your car.¡± I just pulled the hoodie over my head before saying, ¡°Err, no, no, it¡¯s okay, you go first; you can connect your phone to it and y something from your phone.¡± I concluded by clearing my throat.


    Minutester, the song came up, and I was lost in it. It was not English, that¡¯s for sure. I was going to quietly enjoy the song as it yed, but curiosity got the best of me, and I had to ask, ¡°What? Ummm, whatcha listening to?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Borracho y Bohemia. Pepe Guerrero. Do you like it?¡± He asked, and I just smiled in response. I hope he took my smile as a yes because I did not know it was a Mexican song. To be frank, I was not a fan of Mexican music that much. I just listened to it out of patriotism because I was born and raised there. It took a while because it was a very long drive, but we finally arrived back in the city at 1:00 p. m. The sun was high, making me regret wearing a hoodie.


    I only had a singlet underneath, so I didn¡¯t feelfortable pulling off the hoodie. ¡°Here we are, back into the city safe and sound,¡± I announced after parking my car at a random entrance. I got down from the driver¡¯s side and went to open the door for them since they were taking their time. ¡°Thank you so much for the ride; we appreciate it, miss.¡± I smiled, knowing he wanted to use my name, but he didn¡¯t know it. ¡°My name is L Lopez. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Javier Lorenzo¡­ You have a beautiful name, by the way.¡± I smiled in appreciation, heading back to the driver¡¯s side. I was about to open my door when he stopped me. I paused and looked at him. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked, and I replied, ¡°I¡¯m going West.¡± Jokingly, I added, ¡°You want toe along?¡± He looked at me as silence enveloped us. Jenny and Mateo were looking at us in silence, wondering what Javier would do. After a minute or two, he entered my car at the same time I did. I couldn¡¯t believe it; we were going to the West together.

 Chapter Four

    Javier Lorenzo


    As I expected, it was a long drive-a very long one at that. But I wasn¡¯t worried because I hadpany. I just needed to get to know thepany better. A smile was on her face throughout the entire drive, and this time we were listening to a song she liked, Blue Side of the Sky by Sofia Carson was ying from her ylist. Well, at least she looked happier listening to these kinds of songs.


    I, on the other hand, did not so much; I didn¡¯t even know what the song was talking about. I looked at her sitting next to me and saw no expression of worry on her face. If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, she looked like she was having the time of her life. I smiled briefly before sparing her a nce. It was then that it dawned on me-what if she never wanted me here in the first ce?


    My smile disappeared as regret filled my mind. This was a big mistake. I should never havee in the first ce. What came over me though? It felt like I had been hypnotized by her. Had I? Oh, maybe. But that couldn¡¯t be so bad now, could it? I thought to myself as a naughty thought crossed my mind.


    ¡°What genres of music do you vibe to?¡± she asked out of the blue. It got me so tongue-tied that I kept opening and closing my mouth for a full minute. ¡°Gosh, that was so embarrassing,¡± I whispered to myself, hoping she hadn¡¯t heard me.


    ¡°Umm, Mexican music? Err, yeah, Mexican music, whatever genre it falls under,¡± I responded with a slight chuckle. Gosh, what the hell was I saying? More importantly, why was I suddenly so nervous?


    ¡°Silly you. Mexican music isn¡¯t a genre,¡± shemented. Of course I knew that; everyone knew that. I am an entertainer, so even if not everyone, I should know that. In order to save myself from further embarrassment, I said the next thing that came to mind to cut her short. ¡°Yeah, of course, I knew that. I just wanted to be sure you knew it too.¡± Way to go Javier! Was that the really the best you could do? I wondered to myself.


    It took her a while to process what I¡¯d said, but when she finally did, she burst outughing. She kept looking between the road and me, and I just had to cover my face in embarrassment. Gosh, this was humiliating; I didn¡¯t even know what else to say other than to look out the window for a while till she sobered up. We had been driving for a while now, and each time I nced at her driving, I felt a pang of regret.


    I mean, I still couldn¡¯t believe it. I was still surprised that I had agreed to L¡¯s half-joking invitation, but sadly, I couldn¡¯t exin why. Why did I get into the car? Why was I still in the car? Why had I not told her to stop driving so I could walk back to the city? Okay, thest part was a little crazy, but you get the point. Up until this very moment, I still didn¡¯t know why I was in the same car with her, heading west. Just the way the thought of breaking up with Rosa had crossed my mind and I acted on it immediately, it was the same way I had just thought about going with her and I had done it. I guess I was giving in to spontaneity.


    It was our first time meeting, but for some strange, unknown reasons, I had some unusual feelings towards L. Maybe it was the way she called my name earlier. The way she spoke to me like she could see me- nothing like my girl, well, now ex-girlfriend, who just yelled at me every five seconds. Gosh, I was so d it was over between us. But still, we broke up less than 24 hours ago. Why would I be having these kinds of feelings towards her, and where were these thoughtsing from? I shouldn¡¯t be having them because I just broke up with my long-time girlfriend.


    I really shouldn¡¯t be trying to imagine getting into another rtionship right now. I mean, I just left one, and that one hadn¡¯t even gone cold yet. Aside from that, it would be disrespectful to both her and my ex-girlfriend to get into another rtionship so quickly.


    ¡°So what kind of food are you into?¡± She asked as she slowly pulled over to the curb. That was another question I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    broken up with her when you came along.¡± She justughed and said nothing. And I smiled. Even herughter was music to my ears. I just keep falling for her more and more without even wanting to.


    It took a while, but I finally figured out why she had pulled over to the side of the road and stopped her car. She was tired of driving and was probably just allowing her body to rest a bit. Since I figured out why we stopped, I decided to suggest something. We were still a long way from the west side so I said ¡°Can I drive?¡± I asked and she immediately said ¡°Yes please.¡± We switched seats before we continued the drive to the West as another song from her ylist came up. It was a Spanish song this time, titled Despacito. I sang along to it, making it lively, and she just keptughing at my terrible voice.


    That didn¡¯t stop me at all; it only encouraged me because I wanted to keep hearing herughter. After a whole lot of tone-deaf singing and driving, I eventually asked her a question, ¡°So you were traveling west but didn¡¯t bring your best friend along, why?¡± She was awfully quiet, and that kind of dampened the lively mood but didn¡¯t make me any less curious. I wanted to know why she didn¡¯te with her best friend; were they fighting or something? I hoped it was something they could settle among themselves.


    She scoffed and looked out the window before responding sarcastically, ¡°My best friend? Yeah, well, she was too busy having sex with my fianc¨¦. So, she had no time to go west with me.¡± I was silent for a moment, processing what she had just said. Was she being real, or did she just make that up so I would pity her?Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    Nah, she wouldn¡¯t do that. She didn¡¯t look to be that type of person. Besides I could see how upset she had be after making that statement; she couldn¡¯t have been making it up. Regardless, I was quiet for a moment and then decided to change the topic entirely, this one was obviously dicey. So instead, I asked her, ¡°Why did you invite me toe along with you?¡±


    She finally looked at me, and I did the same, sparing her a nce before keeping my eyes back on the road. She cleared her throat, ready to answer, but she was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She picked up the call, but after a while, she impatiently hung up, and the person kept calling. I asked her if she needed my help to answer the call.


    She was quiet for a while, probably thinking about it. I offered her an apologetic smile for even suggesting it. But immediately her phone started ringing again, she handed it over to me. Before I got the chance to pick it up, she instructed me on what to say: ¡°If the person ims to be my boyfriend, please just tell him that you are my new boyfriend. And tell him to stop calling me.¡±


    Her phone had stopped ringing by the time she told me what to say, but once it began to ring again, she urged me to do what she said, and I intended to do just that.

 Chapter Five

    Javier Lorenzo


    I answered the call, ready to follow her instructions, but without even thinking about it, I started saying something entirely different-something she hadn¡¯t expected me to say. And now that I think of it, I had not expected it either.


    ¡°I am sorry to say this, but look, man, if you have chosen another woman, then you shouldn¡¯t still be bothering your ex-girlfriend, you asshole!¡± The caller was quiet; I didn¡¯t know what I had been expecting, but it was definitely not silence. He had obviously expected to hear L¡¯s voice, and was probably wondering who the hell I was. He cleared his throat and though it took him a while, it finally urred to him who I might be.


    He had used another number to call hoping he¡¯d be able to apologize to L. Now that another man was in the picture, his n was no longer going to be easily executed and that infuriated him.


    I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I just put the phone on loudspeaker so she could hear what he had to say as well. He angrily asked where we were and whether we had been together all night and had sex. That took me by surprise, How? Why? Where was this question evening from? I inhaled sharply. One thing was sure though, I couldn¡¯t continue to drive while still having this conversation. I didn¡¯t want to have an ident for any reason whatsoever. ¡°Yo! Answer me, will you? Or you are silent now because it¡¯s true?¡±


    Before I got the chance to speak or respond with something to calm him down, L spoke up, saying, ¡°Yes, we did, Carlos; we have been together all night, and don¡¯t even think of guilt-tripping me because you and I know you¡¯ve been with my best friend, so it¡¯s only fair that I spend the night with someone new.¡± I was shocked by her outburst. Why did she do that without my permission? I was flushed.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    She just admitted that we had sex when we didn¡¯t. Gosh, I didn¡¯t know if I should be happy or upset because yes, I was developing feelings for her but iming we had spent the night together having sex was just wrong. Why would you go around telling people something so intimate? I kept my opinion to myself, deciding to tell her about it once the call ended. But then again, I couldn¡¯t me her; this was her ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her with her best friend. I expected that she must still have been very hurt about it. That must be why she looked very upset, but still, that doesn¡¯t give her the right to just tell her ex we had sex when we didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh my goodness L, you fucking hoe! How could you?! And here I was beating myself up because you weren¡¯t picking up my calls. Not knowing you were out there being a total bitch! Where are you, L? Tell me where the fuck you are!¡± I closed my eyes and hung up on him. That was too much and a little frightening, even for me.


    It took a while, but the tension finally died down, and the ride was quiet. Well, for now it was quiet, but it wasn¡¯t going to remain quiet for long. I had so many questions I wanted to ask and so many answers I needed to hear, and the foremost one on my mind was the one I immediately asked her. ¡°Why did you lie to your ex-boyfriend?¡± She didn¡¯t respond; she didn¡¯t even look at me; she just kept quiet, looking out the window.


    ¡°I am sure if you both speak calmly to each other, you might be able to reconcile with each other.¡± I said. She heaved a sigh before looking at me and saying, ¡°I hear you, but I will never forgive the two of them. They both betrayed me, Javier. You should at least know what that feels like,¡± she said. I smiled at her, feeling sorry for her. I had been there twice, actually, and I had handled it terribly on both asions.


    After a while, she began chuckling. And I looked at her, wondering what was going on. One minute she was upset; the next she wasughing. This woman is a mystery, I thought to myself. What could be her reason for chuckling now? ¡°Pray tell me, what¡¯s with the chuckle?¡± She looked at me and smiled before looking away. ¡°Your face,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°What? What is wrong with my face?¡± I asked, and she justughed out loud some more. When she had sobered up a bit, she responded, ¡°It¡¯s your face, actually your facial expression throughout the conversation; it¡¯s something.¡± I raised a brown eyebrow at her, and she just cleared her throat. I leaned in and calmly reminded her, ¡°You know that we didn¡¯t spend the night together; we weren¡¯t intimatest night.¡±


    She smiled deviously at that, making me lean back a little and keep my eyes on the road. ¡°Maybe we didn¡¯t but we could tonight.¡± We had already entered the western region, and it was still just the two of us in the car. I spoke up again, reminding her, ¡°Well we hadn¡¯t done it when your ex-boyfriend assumed we had but your response only confirmed his false assumption.¡±


    She looked at me suggestively, her eyes fluttering at me, as she said, ¡°Maybe we could do it in the future since we are both single and there is unlimited potential.¡± I began choking on air. Gosh, this woman hadn¡¯t even touched me-well, not in the way that I wanted to be touched-and she was already driving me crazy. After I had cleared my throat, she also said


    ¡°You know now that we are on the topic. I also want to do something, something that most couples do, and perhaps it would make a sweet revenge against my ex.¡± My breathing becamebored at this point because things were starting to take a dramatic turn. I stole a nce at her and immediately fell for her all over again. Her eyes showed jealousy and a hidden desire I couldn¡¯t put my finger on.


    I was sure L didn¡¯t think her charm was inferior to her best friend¡¯s, but she felt disgusted that her best friend had stolen her ex away from her. I could see it all beneath the jealousy and desire in her eyes. I knew she needed a man who was better than her ex to prove to her that she still had some charm. Ad though I hadn¡¯t seen her ex, I figured I was better than him.


    It was dark already, and suddenly L turned to me and suggested, ¡°You know, we could have a one-night stand or sleep together for the rest of the journey.¡± As she spoke, the atmosphere in the car suddenly became heated. Throughout this trip I had seen L as a very beautiful woman and had felt her strong sexual presence, but her question now-a one-night stand for the rest of the trip- was threatening to tip me over the edge. Now I was in a pickle.

 Chapter Six

    Javier Lorenzo


    My head was in a haze for a moment there¡­ A girl I had just met was offering herself to me on a silver tter, and all I could do was just stand there with my eyes wide open. I bet she is wondering if I¡¯m crazy or something. I may have been the one driving the car, but she was driving me crazy.


    I won¡¯t deny that I haven¡¯t stopped myself from staring at her ass. Her blue jeans held on tightly to her bum, bringing out her gorgeous figure. It would be smart to say ¡®Yes¡¯ and grab the offer while it stands; an entire journey of fucking this sex goddess beside me.


    I brought the car to a brief stop and turned to her in my seat. ¡°No¡±


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at me incredulously. ¡°Are you kidding me right now?¡±


    ¡°L, listen to me¡­¡± I took deep, calcted breaths. ¡°I know you want to have revenge on your ex for what he did, but when you result to doing something you don¡¯t really wanna do, you¡¯re only hurting yourself. This is your body and even if he decided to sleep around, you don¡¯t have to do that if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Her eyes shone with astonishment, the buds of sweat on her forehead rolled down her cheeks, and a few brown curly hair strands stuck to her face. She looked like the most perfect celestial creature and as I watched her, a part of me started regretting my answer. How could I let this getaway? Fuck! You¡¯re so stupid, Javier.


    While I was stuck in my internal turmoil, her pink lips stretched into a smile, a sweet, innocent smile. This confused me even more. How can one woman cause me so much confusion in less than twenty-four hours?


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I asked to clear my curiosity.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a gentleman. I can¡¯t believe guys like you still exist.¡± She returned her gaze to the road. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s get this show on the road¡±


    ¡°Fine¡±. I started the car and continued the drive.


    The next few minutes were silent except for the mariachi music ying in the car. I wondered what she was thinking to herself. Does she think I¡¯m an idiot for throwing away such an offer, or does she think I¡¯m the greatest guy that ever lived?


    After a while, our eyes were droopy, and we needed a ce to sleep, so I drove up to a motel a few miles off the road. We got out of the vehicle after L took what she needed.


    We walked into the establishment and found ady standing behind the counter. She was on her phone, giggling like a high school teenager. As soon as she saw us, her expression switched to annoyance, then to boredom. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked in a snappy tone.


    ¡°A room, duh¡±. L snapped back, I could feel that her mood wasn¡¯t what it used to be.


    Thedy rolled her eyes. ¡°A hundred dors a night.¡±


    ¡°For one room in a dump like that this? That¡¯s a fucking rip-off!¡± L yelled.


    I held her shoulder and said in a low voice. ¡°Hey, Calm down, let me handle this, okay?¡± I turned to thedy. ¡°We need two rooms, Miss¡±


    Thedy shook her head and popped a gum that I hadn¡¯t noticed her chewing. ¡°We¡¯re full, just one room.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡± L threw her hands in the air in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m sure that this hell hole is always on demand.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, L,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Sorry¡±. She whispered back. This surprised me cause when I was with Rosa, whenever I told her to calm down, it made her more aggravated. Rosa and L are like the north and south poles, opposites of each other.


    I brought out my debit card and handed it to thedy, she snatched it and ran it across the machine. After the process of paying waspleted, she handed us our key and directed us to a room upstairs. Room 305. I let L enter first before I followed. Thedy had disappeared down the stairs, I bet she couldn¡¯t wait to return to her texting. I essed the room we were in. It had one medium-sized bed in the middle, white drapes hung at the window. A nightstand was beside the bed with amp on it. A small wardrobe took the left corner of the wall.


    L walked into the toilet and came back out. ¡°There¡¯s no toilet paper.¡± She scrunched her nose.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let them know at the front desk.¡± I headed towards the door but she stopped me.


    ¡°No need, I have one in my bag. This ce ain¡¯t worth that money, I assure you that.¡± She returned to the bathroom.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll be out of here.¡± I sat on the springy mattress and took out my phone. ¡°Fuck¡± Low battery. I had forgotten my charger in the car. ¡°Hey L, I¡¯ll be back, okay?¡± I yelled at the bathroom door as I heard her taking a shower.


    ¡°Sure!¡± She yelled back.


    I got out and went downstairs to the car. I picked up my charger and returned to the room. ¡°Hey, L, are you hungry?¡± I yelled again but no answer. ¡°L?¡± I called again. I went closer to the door, the sound of the shower was the only noiseing from there.


    Suddenly, I heard a scream from that side. ¡°Javier! Help!¡±


    My heart pumped faster and louder in my ears. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll save you!¡± I pushed the door and surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t locked. I entered the shower and found her with her back pressed against the wall and her face buried in her palms.


    ¡°What is it, L?¡± I asked her,pletely ignoring her naked body. She sniffled, making me suspicious of the fact that she had been crying. She looked up at me¡­ those shiny brown eyes of hers glistened in the light as she watched me. ¡°What is the matter, L? What do you want help with?¡± I asked again.


    She stood upright, removing her hands from her face and keeping them at her sides. Her body was on full disy, her round breasts and generous curves. I kept my gaze on her face, fighting the urge to look down.


    She brought her hand to the back of my neck and slowly pulled me in for a kiss. I had no exnation as to why I didn¡¯t stop her then, maybe I was curious to know where it would lead.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    When our lips were a few inches apart, she said in a seductive voice: ¡°My pussy is wet for you, Javier, just fuck me already.¡±

 Chapter Seven

    L Lopez


    When I proposed a one-night stand to Javier, I was super confident that he would say yes. I meane on, the way he stared at me when he thought I wasn¡¯t looking, please. I thought he would jump at the idea so soon and be my fuck buddy for as long as this car ride takes. But he shocked me when he said no. Men like him are rare, that I know for sure. The things he said about me respecting my body-made me feel embarrassed with myself for suggesting such vulgar things to him. He seemed like a nice guy and I could only imagine why that dumb Rosa would treat him like trash.


    Little did he know that I was checking him out while he was driving. The way his biceps flexed when he changed gears or when he turned the steering wheel. Gosh! This guy is a walking sex object, but he didn¡¯t want me. This made me feel moody, I couldn¡¯t exin why. I never just throw myself at a guy, but with him, I was ready to be the fool. Maybe Carlos was right, I am a hoe. A horny one.


    When I was in the shower, I thought of the best way to lure him into my trap like a siren. He stared at me with confusion as I stood before him, showing him all that he would be missing if he didn¡¯t say yes. I smiled triumphantly at myself when his eyes ran down to my boobs, but I was disappointed when he looked back up at my face, purposely avoiding looking down.


    ¡°My pussy is wet for you, Javier, fuck me already.¡± I rubbed the back of his hair as I invited him for a needy kiss. My n was working¡­ our lips brushed against each other, sending sparkles throughout my body. I wanted more of this hunk. I gripped his soft brown hair trapped between my fingers as he licked my lips. I deepened the kiss and pushed my tongue into his mouth. Oh fuck, he tastes sweet. He sucked on my tongue and I moaned in his mouth. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. His clothes were in the way, but I didn¡¯t care. Soon, they would be ancient history.


    I moaned in his mouth again as he bit my lips lightly and rubbed his hands all over my back. His lips and hands worked wonders on me within a few minutes, I was going crazy. I wanted more! I needed more!! My clit was pulsating and I craved for a release.


    I broke the kiss but still held him close. ¡°Fuck me, I¡¯ve been a naughty girl¡±. After saying this, my lips reconnected with his and I groaned when the desire burned in between my legs.


    He broke the kiss amidst my protest. I went ahead to unbutton his shirt but he held my hands. ¡°L,¡± He said, breathing heavily. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, I won¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Ohe on, I know you want me!¡± I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s still ying hard to get.


    ¡°Of course I want you, but this isn¡¯t right. Let¡¯s just stop.¡± He turned towards the exit.


    I yelled at his retreating figure. ¡°We are both consenting adults, why are you thinking too much of this?¡±


    He paused in his tracks and snapped his head at me. ¡°I think you deserve better than just a quick motel bathroom fuck. If you don¡¯t value yourself, I value you.¡± Then he turned away and left the bathroom.


    I stood there, staring at the door he just walked out of. My mind was suddenly filled with images of my past. How I fell for Carlos¡¯s fake charade of love, how he was the most important thing in my life up until a couple of days ago. My heart was broken by him and I didn¡¯t even let it heal.


    Before I could catch myself, my back was against the wall, and my eyesight became blurred with tears. It felt like there was so much dirt in my heart, and the tears were washing them away, doing some kind of unpaid cleaning service. The tears were what I needed to feel lighter, and thanks to Javier, I realized it.


    I wrapped a towel around my chest and got out of the bathroom. He was sleeping soundly on the small couch in the corner. His back is going to hurt when he wakes up, that¡¯s for sure. I got dressed in my pjs and went to sleep too. I kept my eyes on him as my thoughts slowly devoid themselves, easing me into slumber. I watched his studded chin that pressed against his chest because of the messed-up position he was lying on.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ***


    ¡°L, wake up!¡± Javier¡¯s voice resounded from the outside world. ¡°L!¡± I felt a light shake.


    I finally opened my eyes. ¡°What?¡±. I sat up.


    ¡°Someone stole our stuff! We¡¯ve been robbed!¡±


    I jumped up from the bed and went to check my bags, except, there was no bag to check! It was all gone! My money, my clothes¡­ ¡°What the fuck!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down to the reception.¡± He went out and I followed him in my PJs.


    We found thedy fromst night sitting behind the counter. The reception area was empty likest night, not a single person was out and about except her. Javier faced her and calmly exined that we had been robbed. The only response she gave was ¡°I didn¡¯t see nobody¡±


    I banged my fist on the counter. ¡°Oh yeah? In a deserted motel such as this one, you¡¯re telling me you didn¡¯t see anyone go up these stairs sincest night?¡±


    She looked between the two of us and then shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡±


    Javier and I looked at each other, we both knew she was lying. His gentle demeanor was gradually fading away into the background and a different person wasing to the surface¡­ He returned his attention to thedy who had nonchntly returned to texting on her phone instead of calling the police.


    In a sh, he stretched his hands and grabbed her by the neck, and pulled her up across the counter. Her uncaring attitude switched to a mortified look in her eyes.


    Javier bared his teeth in fury. ¡°Now Listen here, you redheaded harpy, I¡¯m gonna give you onest chance to fix your mistake, or else my partner and I will make you our next victim!¡±

 Chapter Eight

    L Lopez


    Thedy¡¯s eyes flickered with horror as her gaze shifted between Javier and me: ¡°Victim?¡± She asked in a shaky voice, her bitchy persona long abandoned.


    Javier¡¯s nose red. ¡°Yes, our victim¡­ you don¡¯t know who we are, do you? ANSWER ME!!¡±


    She shuddered. ¡°No, no sir, who are you?¡± Fear was evident in her expression. Her hands were visibly shaking.


    He opened his eyes wide like a scary character in a horror movie, and he whispered. ¡°We are serial killers.¡±. ¡°If you don¡¯t get us our things, it will be your corpse that gets found in a ditch next, and your hideous photo will appear in the news. I can picture it now, ¡®local girl gets murdered and found naked in a ditch¡¯.¡±


    Her eyes widened as she looked into his eyes, searching for a hint of a bluff, but even I was scared of Javier¡¯s demeanor. I mean, I don¡¯t know the man. I was starting to call myself an idiot for asking a total stranger to hitch a ride with me. way to go, L; what a great way to keep yourself away from danger.


    Her lips shivered and gasps escaped them along with breaking words¡­ ¡°Uh, my boyfriend took ¡¯em.¡± She admitted as buds of tears threatened to roll down at her eyes.


    ¡°Where is he?!¡± Javier yelled.


    She pointed to the old, abandoned diner across the empty street. ¡°Y-Your things are in there, Sir, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Javier dragged her from over the counter down to the floor beside him. ¡°Now, you¡¯re gonna take us there and help us get our stuff back.¡±


    I followed suit as he dragged her to the diner across the street. She opened the door with a key and he followed her in, signaling me to stay outside.


    Minutes passed and I was starting to get impatient out here, Where the fuck had they gone?


    Suddenly, I felt something pressed against my head from behind. I froze where I stood. A male voice came from behind: ¡°One wrong move and I¡¯ll blow your brains out¡± I faltered on my words as my heart beat multiplied to a thousand beats per minute. He pulled open the door and shoved me inside. ¡°Go on!!¡± He ordered while pushing me further into the dark, dusty room with tables and chairs.


    We entered a separate room where I found Javier tied to a chair and thedy from the motel standing behind him. Two other guys stood a few feet away from her with guns in their hands. I looked to the right corner of the room and saw my stuff stacked up there. I wonder which one of them is her boyfriend.


    The guy who shoved me inside pulled out a chair and forced me to sit on it. Then, one of the other two guys tied my hands and feet to the chair. They gagged my mouth as well. I made eye contact with Javier, he was already staring at me¡­ I felt bad for him cause he had bruises on his face and arms.


    The guy who brought me in-pointed the gun in my face. ¡°I know you, I¡¯ve seen you on tv. You¡¯re that superstar¡¯s girlfriend, L or Lulu Lopez¡±. His eye glistened with mischief. ¡°You¡¯ll fetch us some good money when your big-shot Hollywood fianc¨¦ pays your ransom.¡±


    I shook my head, but because of the gag, he didn¡¯t hear what I had to say.


    ¡°Shut up your fucking mouth!!¡± He gripped my hair. ¡°Rich folks like you look down on struggling folks like us, don¡¯t you?!¡± He let go of my hair and pulled out his phone-wait, that¡¯s my phone. This asshole!


    He ced a call and put it on loudspeaker. After three consecutive rings, Carlos¡¯s groggy voice came from the other end: ¡°I knew you¡¯de around eventually.¡± Arrogant jerk!


    The guy had a star-struck expression written all over his face as he spoke to Carlos. ¡°First of all, I want to tell you, Sir Carlos Martinez, that you¡¯re my favorite singer. Secondly, I have kidnapped your fianc¨¦e, and you¡¯ve got till noon tomorrow to pay one million dors.¡±


    Carlosughed from the other end. ¡°She put you up for this, didn¡¯t she? When L realized that she¡¯s nothing without me, she decides to put her new boyfriend to the task of taking my fucking money.¡±


    The guy¡¯s face starstruck face turned to a confused expression. ¡°But-¡±


    Carlos cut him short. ¡°Listen to this, dude¡­ fuck you!¡± Then he hung up.


    I saw the light slowly vanish from the guy¡¯s eyes as he looked down at the screen. ¡°Proud motherfucker¡±. His head snapped back up at me. ¡°Bitch, why didn¡¯t you tell me he ain¡¯t your fianc¨¦ no more?!¡± He grabbed my hair and pulled on it, the pain shot through my body and caused me to let out a whimper.


    Javier shook in his seat as he shot daggers at the criminal. The guy removed the gag from Javier¡¯s mouth. ¡°What do you wanna say, tough guy?¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    Javier cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°Take the car and everything else, just let her go.¡±


    Is he being serious? I have never met a guy who cared more about my well-being than his own. I have never mattered to anyone that much, but here he is negotiating the freedom of a total stranger before his own.


    The guy hit Javier in the face with the butt of his pistol. ¡°You don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± replied Javier through gritted teeth. ¡°What do you wanna do?¡±


    The guy thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you both.¡±


    He pointed his gun at us.

 Chapter Nine

    L Lopez


    The moteldy snatched the gun from his hand. ¡°This wasn¡¯t part of the n!¡±


    The guy ignored her and forced the gun out of her hand. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that things aren¡¯t going ording to the n, baby?¡±


    She started pacing back and forth, running her hands through her hair. I could sense the tension in the room rising by twenty percent. She stopped in her tracks, her blue eyes were wide open. ¡°What if they¡¯re tracking us here?¡±


    The other two guys seemed unsteady at her assumption, although I knew that Carlos would not bother going through the trouble. His money and fame meant more to him than anyone else.


    Thedy¡¯s boyfriend pointed the gun back at us. ¡°Let¡¯s just kill these bastards!¡±


    ¡°No, Gerald!!¡± Thedy argued back, trying to snatch the gun from him but he swerved to avoid her getting a hold of the piece of metal.


    She reached for the gun again and he kept it from her arm¡¯s reach. She was resilient and reached for it again, but he pushed her away from her. This seemed to irk her as she pushed him back. ¡°Motherfucker!¡±


    He hit her face with the back of his hand and she fell to the dirty floor. He stood above her with a smirk on his face. ¡°What have I told you about arguing with me in front of others?¡±


    He turned to us and pointed the gun at Javier, his fingers went for the trigger. I closed my eyes, I didn¡¯t know why; was it because I was scared for him, or because I was praying for a miracle? Either answer seemed usible.


    As I opened my eyes, I saw the sudden movement from the moteldy. She yanked the gun from his grip, and instead of Javier¡¯s head getting shot, it was the ceiling that received the painful bullet wound.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± Gerald yelled and hit her in the nose with an elbow. She fell but still fought back. The next thing we heard was another gunshot. Gerald fell to the floor with his eyes wide open. We watched as he was slowly swamped in a pool of scarlet blood.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shit! Gerald!¡± Thedy shook his body, but no movement. He was dead as death itself. The other two guys ran off with their tails between their legs. Javier and I exchanged looks, wondering what would be our fate.


    Thedy sat beside her boyfriend¡¯s corpse, crying out her heart¡¯s content. Her face was all scrunched up as she forced tears out of her icy blue eyes. Then, after a torturous ten minutes of watching her cry a river, she looked up at us. The next words that came out of her mouth shocked me¡­ ¡°I¡¯m gonna untie you both and you can leave, but if you tell anyone about this, you¡¯re both dead! Understand?!¡±


    I nodded my head almost immediately. What an amazing offer! We waited impatiently as she untied us. She made me wait outside while Javier gathered the stuff.


    Shortly after, Javier returned with our things still intact. She showed us where my car had been hidden in in sight. I rushed over to my baby, I had bought my carst year as a birthday gift for myself and I would have been hurt if someone took it just like that.


    Javier left her in the motel and joined me in the car. I revved up the engine, and soon, we were in motion, away from that hell hole. I¡¯m sure the police would be able to find other stolen items from that abandoned diner. That girl is a real piece of work, she and her boyfriend. If Carlos ever asked me to steal with him, I¡¯d call the police on his ass. My heart wrenched just thinking about that bastard. I was still shaken by the near-death experience we just had, but I didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    I needed a distraction, so I focused my attention on the hot man sitting beside me. He had his eyes on the road, and a small smile on the side of his face.


    ¡°Serial killers, ei?¡± I couldn¡¯t help the grin that split my lips.


    He chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t we serial killers, L?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right¡­¡±. I paused and looked at him briefly before returning my gaze to the road. ¡°Are you?¡±


    He looked at me in incredulity. ¡°You¡¯re not being serious right now.¡±


    ¡°You looked so convincing back there, I just had to ask.¡± I was hell-bent on overtaking the truck ahead of us.


    He answered from beside me. ¡°That was the only way to get her to fear. Come on, you don¡¯t think I¡¯m a serial killer, that¡¯s heartbreaking.¡±


    Iughed heartily. ¡°I¡¯d be fascinated by a serial killer, you should consider yourself so lucky.¡±


    ¡°A serial killer is only fascinating when you¡¯re not the victim.¡± He shook his head grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°You mean like thatdy back there? Your next victim?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    We both chuckled remembering the event that happened an hour ago. I would like to believe he isn¡¯t a serial killer, but who knows, maybe he is. I have often heard that serial killers are charming, just like him. But he is right, we only find them fascinating because we ain¡¯t the victim.


    Just then, a police vehicle shed its light behind us, signaling for us to stop. I rolled my car to a halt by the side of the road, wondering what could have been the reason they stopped us. I don¡¯t think I was speeding.


    The police officer walked up to us, wearing a hat on a police uniform, and a gun resting in the holster on his waist. As he approached us, he took off his sunsses.


    I looked up and made eye contact with him. ¡°Good morning, officer¡±


    He looked into the car and noticed Javier, Javier greeted him also. The officer looked back at me, his mustache moved when he talked. ¡°Where are you both headed?¡±


    ¡°Houston,¡± I answered.


    He nodded. ¡°You have got some more miles left.¡± His hands slowly reach for his gun.


    I noticed his actions but maintained my cool. ¡°Yeah, we do.¡±


    He scrutinized Javier and me all over again. ¡°License and registration, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Sir.¡± I took out my license and all the necessary documents and handed them to him.


    He looked through them and asionally nced at my face, maybe he isparing my face to the photo on the document. ¡°You have anyone in Houston?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Aunty lives there with her family.¡± I smiled, although he didn¡¯t smile in return.


    ¡°I see.¡± He pulled out his gun from the holster and pointed it at us, ¡°Step out of the car, Now¡±.


    I raised my hands in the air and exchanged nces with Javier.


    ¡°What did we do, officer?¡± Javier asked, confusion evident on both our faces. We got down from the car with our hands over our heads.


    ¡°Turn around and face the car!¡± He started calling for backup.


    ¡°What did we do¡­ Ah!!¡± I yelped as he grabbed my hand from behind and cuffed my hands.


    Less than five minutester, backup arrived, and more policemen ran out and grabbed Javier. ¡°You are under arrest for kidnapping Miss L Lopez!¡± The officer stated.


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter Ten

    Javier Lorenzo


    I sat in the cell with one other dude. I had no idea where L was, no one said anything to me. Turns out that bastard Carlos did call the police after all, and told them that the guy traveling with her kidnapped her. I have never hated a dude as much as I hate the guy right now.


    The pale walls stared back at me, mocking me. I had only one word to describe the aura of this ce: Hopeless.


    When I was younger, I promised my mom that I would never return to a ce like this. Was my pasting back to haunt me?


    Being born on the dark side of life brought out the worst in me. My father never made it to my seventh birthday, it was always my mom and grandma. My younger siblings consisted of three boys and three girls, I was the oldest of them all. My mother went crazy raising us, but I wanted to ease her pain.


    I was introduced to a life of crime, and by the age of fifteen, I had dropped out of school just so my little ones would get a proper education. I worked for my boss just so I could help my mom to put food on the table. I was fortunate enough to escape from death and from that life. I ended up in jail at age eighteen. When I got released after five years, my mother made me promise to never soil my hands again. I never told Rosa about this part of my past, and I am d I did not. She would never let me hear thest of it, she would have taunted me about my past even though I don¡¯t live that life anymore.


    I may not be as famous as L¡¯s ex-boyfriend, but I am doing well for myself. I am a producer and have brought many talented Latino artists to the limelight. I am doing pretty well for myself and irrespective of what Rosa said, I am not a failure. Now, I am used of a crime I did notmit, fuck!


    The sound of metal nking against each other caught my attention and I looked up to see an officer unlocking the cell I was sitting in. He was a ck man with a strong physique, mine was no match for his.


    ¡°Lorenzo¡±. He called


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Get yo ass out of this cell.¡± He ordered and I obeyed without argument. I meane on, who needs to be told twice?


    I followed him to the inspector¡¯s desk, where I met with a shock. The one person I never thought I¡¯d see was sitting right there with a sorry-ass look on her face.


    ¡°Rosa?¡± Sitting beside her was Jenny and a man in a brown suit.


    ¡°S¨ª, mi amor¡±. She ran up to me and threw her arms around me. What the hell! I tried to peel her off of me but she whispered: ¡°Act like we¡¯re in love or else he won¡¯t believe me.¡± I didn¡¯t know what her n was, but it seemed this could save me right now.


    She finally pulled away and faced the inspector. ¡°He has nothing to do with L, they were just traveling together. I can assure you that he is no kidnapper.¡±


    The man in a brown suit continued. ¡°My client has no business with that awful life of kidnapping, you have no reason to keep him here.¡± He hands the inspector some documents.


    After going through the papers, the tired-looking inspector sighed. ¡°Alright, Mr. Powers, But if we find any new incriminating evidence, we¡¯reing after him.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, you will find nothing.¡± Mr. Powers replied with confidence.


    Just like that, I was a free man. I stepped out after my things had been returned. Mr. Powers shook my hand and bade us goodbye. Jenny and Rosa were ready to leave, but I looked around in search of my travel partner. ¡°Where¡¯s L?¡±


    Rosa¡¯s forehead creased in annoyance. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the one who got you into this mess in the first ce?¡±


    I looked at her incredulously. ¡°You didn¡¯t think that because you helped me, I¡¯ll be all over you.¡±


    She stared at me with hurt in her eyes. ¡°You just want to make me beg, don¡¯t you?¡± She groaned. ¡°Argh! Fine, I¡¯m sorry! Happy now?¡±


    I just couldn¡¯t believe this chick right here. What in the world is her problem? I can¡¯t believe I once went crazy about this thing in front of me. ¡°Listen to me Rosa, read my lips¡­ I AM DONE¡±. I let out the words one by one.


    Rosa pushed me but I didn¡¯t move back, rather, the force sent her a few inches backward. ¡°So, L is your new girlfriend?¡± I walked off, ignoring her.


    I finally found Ling out of a female officer¡¯s office. When she sighted me, her lips lifted into a smile. In the center of her cheeksy a pair of dimples that shed when she smiled orughed.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She jumped on me as we embraced in excitement. I almost kissed her on the lips, I wanted to taste her lips, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be appropriate in that situation, or how she would react to my kiss.


    L¡¯s eyes darted to someone behind me. ¡°Oh, Rosa.¡± She pulled away from my embrace, this hurt my heart. ¡°I heard you brought awyer, great quick thinking.¡±


    Rosa shook her hand in return. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, irrespective of how Javier treats me, I still care about him.¡± She smiled just as much but I could sense the ingenuity in her demeanor.


    ¡°Thanks, Rosa, but L and I need to continue our journey.¡± I took L¡¯s hand in mine, and we walked to L¡¯s car.


    ¡°Oh no no!¡± L eximed. She had two t tires! ¡°Why can¡¯t I just get to Houston without some drama?!¡± She kicked the tire.


    Rosa came to stand behind us. ¡°Do you guys need a ride?¡±

 Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Eleven


    L Lopez


    ¡°Do you guys need a ride?¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I was surprised to see Rosa Santiago offer help to someone. She rarely even helps herself! But I guess sometimes, break-ups bring out the best in people. I was d that she was starting to be a better person.


    Although her offer was tempting, I just couldn¡¯t bear to see my car abandoned here. I should get her fixed up nicely. ¡°Thanks for the offer, Rosa, But I need to fix it up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡± A look of disappointment washed over her face. ¡°Well in that case, I¡¯ll have my mechanice check out your car, he runs the only mechanic shop in town. We can have your car towed to his shop ASAP.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Thank you, Rosa¡±. I hugged her. Maybe she is not so bad like Javier described. I mean, I knew her some years back and I must admit that Rosa Santiago is rather obnoxious and full of herself. Sometimes, I doubt that she even sees anyone other than herself. But I guess she has changed.


    ¡°How do you know this town so well?¡± Javier asked her, her face went a little pale before she smiled brightly again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, Javier? I told you my dad lived in this town,e on. Or were you only interested in fucking my sweet pussy?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at her vulgarity. My line of sight glided over to Javier, the veins in his neck were popping out. The look he gave Rosa could kill if it wanted to.


    ¡°Um, thanks Rosa¡±. I inputted, hoping to cut the tension.


    Javier turned his attention back to me. ¡°Let¡¯s get a motel instead.¡±


    He and I shared a knowing look when he mention the word ¡®motel¡¯, and a grin appeared across his features, I must have burst outughing because I was in tears a minuteter. Rosa shifted her nces between us, perplexed by what was making usugh.


    ¡°Inside joke,¡± I stated honestly. This did not make the look on her face any less intense. I could swear I saw jealousy sh through her eyes, but just immediately, she masked it with a smile. I felt guilty for traveling with her ex when it isn¡¯t like she did me wrong. Not to mention the fact that I tried to seduce him. I only asked for sex and nothing else, but I guess that doesn¡¯t make it any better. If only Celia was this considerate about my feelings as I was being considerate of Rosa¡¯s.


    Does her being a mean girl make her deserve to be hurt?


    My thoughts grew more shallow as a wave of cold wind hit my skin. This was a contrast to the heat on this journey so far; At least, the summer heat will be a bit bearable now. But just as the cool breeze came, drizzles followed it quickly.


    Rosa went over to her car as Jenny walked right behind her. ¡°You guysing?¡±


    Javier¡¯s whispering voice met my ears. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her, let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±


    I looked into his eyes. ¡°Come on, Javier, just for one night I promise. It¡¯s gonna start raining heavily soon and there ain¡¯t no time to find a motel. Look at this almost deserted town, can we find a decent motel around here? I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    He sighed defeatedly. ¡°I¡¯ll get our stuff, you just go to the car.¡± He headed toward the car.


    ¡°Thank you, partner.¡± I went to join Rosa and Jenny. Since the back seat was the only one avable, I took a seat there, and soon, Javier came with my luggage. He put it in the truck and joined me in the back seat. He then handed me my phone, but the battery was dead!


    The drive was awkward. Except for the sound of Rosa¡¯s car¡¯s engine and Jenny¡¯s tapping sound on her phone, the ride was silent. Javier and I exchanged looks asionally, then I¡¯d catch Rosa¡¯s eyes watching me through the rearview mirror. Her sharp almond eyes had their way of making me feel more guilty for having an inside joke with her ex. I tried to put myself in her shoes, but I just could not. Our situations were entirely different, she acted like a total bitch to a good man, while I-I gave my all to Carlos, yet he did me dirty. If I wanted to be a bitch about everything, I would have still attempted to fuck Javier in her presence, but I will refrain myself¡­ or maybe not.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, guys,¡± Rosa announces as she rolled up into an estate. The gates opened and closed automatically, the road from the gate led up a path. A path in between forest trees.


    Greenery and all things nts fascinated me since I was a kid, which was why I had a passion for Botany. My mom thought it was stupid, and although she eventually let me follow my dreams, she practically forced me into show biz from a young age. Commercials, children¡¯s movies, you name it, she wanted me in all of them. It¡¯s not easy being the daughter of Luna Lopez, the famous singer and now CEO of an agency. She is partly the reason I ain¡¯t too fond of Mexican music.


    I pushed all the bitterness to the back of my mind while I admired some oak trees that lined up on the side of the path-as we approached the gigantic mansion in front.


    ¡°Is this your house, Rosa?¡± I asked the driver.


    She gave a half smile, ¡°After my dad¡¯s passing, he gave me this house in his will. You like?¡±


    ¡°I like? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. I love it!¡± I looked at Javier who didn¡¯t seem too happy.


    She rolled up on the porch of this ginormous house and parked the car. She then turned to us: ¡°Wee to my home, L and Javier,¡± her face changed to something strange and unreadable. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have so much fun here!¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Javier Lorenzo


    I was shown to the guest room I¡¯ll be staying in. It was bigger than average and had a queen-sized bed. I found clothes in the wardrobe, Male clothes that were just my size. I quickly took a shower and got dressed.


    Something about this didn¡¯t feel right. Rosa would never be this generous, she was only nice when she wanted something. No one changes overnight, especially Rosa Santiago, the girl I dated for so long. My mom warned me against Rosa after meeting her the first time, and even though I am ashamed to admit it, I didn¡¯t listen. I was blinded by my love for her from day one, but she only hung with me cause it made her look good, plus it helped boost her music career.


    In Hollywood, almost everyone wants to be famous, and more than half of those people are willing to pay the price of that fame no matter what it took. Rosa was one of those people who are willing to pay the price of that fame to get her desire. I see folks lose their lives every day just to attain that height. The reality will always be that not everyone will be the biggest thing in Hollywood.


    While I was lost in my train of thought, two small knocks came on the door. I twisted my body to the door. ¡°Come in¡±


    My heart fluttered when L entered in her floral yellow dress. She wore a pretty smile thatplemented her outfit. Her curly hair reached her elbow and her yellowfy shoes made zero sound as she walked. She is the real definition of elegance, I couldn¡¯t help falling for this beauty. Stop it, Javier! She¡¯s just your travel partner.


    She came to sit beside me on the mattress. ¡°Hey¡±. She said after a while.


    ¡°Hey¡±¡­ ¡°So, I think we should stay in the same room¡±. I stated.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ooh, someone¡¯s in the mood¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not that.¡±


    She dropped her shoulders. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I could see the disappointment in her eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, L, I¡¯m sorry¡±


    ¡°Whatever, so, why do you suggest we stay in the same room.¡±


    ¡°Cause I don¡¯t trust Rosa, if we¡¯re together, we can avoid whatever plot she has set.¡± I know I sounded paranoid, but my guts were going crazy.


    She furrowed her brows. ¡°Why are you being so paranoid, Javier? Stop this, the poor girl is trying to make things better.¡±


    ¡°She is my ex, and she is pretty much mad about me breaking up with her, don¡¯t you get it?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    She shot up from her sitting position. ¡°From the way I see it, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s stuck in the past, ¡¯cause she has moved on already. I think you¡¯re the one who has refused to move on.¡±


    I got up too. ¡°Why would you say that? I broke up with her, remember?!¡±


    ¡°So what? The one who breaks up can also get stuck in the past, it doesn¡¯t matter. Look, Javier, just forget all this. We¡¯ll soon be out of here, just let me enjoy this gorgeous mansion we¡¯re in. Can you do that for me?¡± She turned around and headed for the door without waiting for my response. She pulled it open and mmed it right behind her.


    Shit!


    It was hard to sleep, how could I? On one hand; I was staying in the house of the woman I broke up with, andst I checked: Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. On the other hand; L was mad at me. I couldn¡¯t deal with making her hate me just because of Rosa.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I jumped off my bed when I remembered that I hadn¡¯t charged my phone. What the hell was I thinking? I picked up the device from the table and noticed that the screen had been broken. What the heck?


    I tried to turn it on, but it didn¡¯t work. How am I supposed tomunicate with the outside world?


    Who the hell broke my phone?


    I got out of the room in search of L, I finally found her outside in the garden. The half moon illuminated the estate, striking light on the images within my view. L¡¯s yellow dress glowed under the moonlight, and beside her was someone else¡­ Rosa. They both stood facing each other, neither of them knew I was there. Rosa must have said something before my arrival because L replied saying: ¡°No, of course not, Javier and I have nothing inmon. He¡¯s just a travelpanion, I assure you of that.¡±


    Her words were like an ocean, drowning what was left of my heart. ¡®We have nothing inmon?¡¯ Is that how she sees me? I turned around and returned to my room. My heart just couldn¡¯t take any more of this madness. I was a fool before, sadly, I am still a fool¡­ falling t on my face when there is no one to catch me.


    ***


    After a couple of hours, I heard my door open and close. I looked back and saw L at the entrance, but I closed my eyes pretending to be fast asleep. I heard her footsteps approach me until one side of the bed deepened, letting me know she had sat on it.


    The next thing I felt was her slender fingers rubbing their way up my bicep and onto my face. She stroke my chin and the next thing I felt was her lips on mine. I opened my eyes immediately and our eyes connected.


    She smiled at me, but I was unfazed by her gesture. Her fingers continued to stroke my hair. ¡°I¡¯ll take your offer of sleeping together, Javier.¡± She grinned, biting her lower lip. She brought her lips closer for another kiss, but I pulled away.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.


    I heard her breathing heavily. ¡°Fine! Be an asshole, gosh! You¡¯re such a pain.¡± I ignored her, but she continued. ¡°If you have moved on from Rosa, then why are you rejecting me?!¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    L Lopez


    Having lived in the big city for so long, I forgot how to stop and enjoy nature. It was from one meeting to the next. I am grateful to this trip for helping me remember who I was.


    The half-moon hung majestically in the night sky, being a total badass up there. The breeze after the heavy rain of that evening-was more chilly than before, but not too chilly that I¡¯d wear a cardigan.


    As I was busy admiring the cheesy goodness of the moon, a ruffle of leaves behind me grabbed my attention. I turned and saw Rosa in her nightdress. She came to stand beside me, also admiring nature.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you get to wake up to this view every day.¡± I blurted.


    She giggled, ¡°I know right, it¡¯s heaven on earth for me. Hope you¡¯re enjoying your stay¡±. She lowered her voice, ¡°As you know, I¡¯m not very hospitable.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, this is the most hospitable anyone has been since I began this trip.¡± Iughed.


    We stayed silent a little more before she started again. ¡°I know Javier told you some things about me¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t talk about you.¡± I corrected.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say all that, I know he said I was mean to him. But believe me, I thought I was doing the right thing. Growing up, my parents only showed me, tough love, I thought this was the best way to encourage him to do better. I should have known when I went too far.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be exining all this to, Rosa.¡±


    ¡°I know, but there is no point. You are his new girlfriend now-¡±


    I cut her short. ¡°What? No, of course not, Javier and I have nothing inmon. He¡¯s just a travelpanion, I assure you of that.¡± I don¡¯t know why my heart pricked me when I said that to her. Maybe I was trying to avoid hurting her feelings, but how would Javier think when he hears this?


    Her sad expression switched to something different; is that a smirk I see on her face?


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny ?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. She answered almost immediately, she ced her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Have a great night, L. You can move on with him, I¡¯ve got a new man by my side.¡± After saying this, she went inside the house.


    I too walked into the house and went up to my room, but something was different with me; The thought of Javier filled my mind. Maybe I needed to hear that Rosa¡¯s feeling wasn¡¯t gonna be hurt. My body craved his touch. If only he would make tonight our lucky night, I¡¯ll be so happy.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I followed my tempting desire and headed for his room. I walked over to his bed and sat beside him, rubbing my finger on his face. The small beard on his face from not shaving formed a few stubbles.


    But just as it started, he deted my bubble by pushing me away yet again. I was upset by his hot and cold attitude, one minute, he was into it, the next minute, he wasn¡¯t. My eyes were burning with tears, I couldn¡¯t understand how his rejection made me feel this way. Even when Carlos cheated on me with my best friend, it didn¡¯t hurt this much.


    I blurted out before I could restrain myself: ¡°If you have moved on from Rosa, then why are you rejecting me?!¡±


    His eyes shot open and he frowned at me. ¡°Go to sleep, L.¡± His voice was firm but gentle.


    I straddled his waist. ¡°I want to know, please.¡±


    He essed my face, and his eyes softened on seeing me closely. ¡°Okay. L, I love you.¡±


    What? Does he love You , how did he fall in love with me? I was lost for words, ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± He nodded, ¡°You mean more to me than just a one-night stand, and I don¡¯t wanna get caught in that cycle. I loved Rosa, and the fact is, my heart is trying to forget her as well. It takes time. I think we both need to healpletely.¡±


    His words caused a ruckus in my chest. His feelings struck me as sincere and honest. His kind eyes told the same story that his lips expressed. These past few hours have brought out the best and the worst of us, but through it all, he had expressed his love for me even in his ex-girlfriend¡¯s house.


    His fingers pressed my skin in the most pleasant of ways, sending electrical currents through my body, down to my core. I don¡¯t know what I feel for him, lust or love, but it would be nice to explore. But knowing that he loves me, I can¡¯t give him mixed signals or mess with his heart. I may never forgive myself.


    I pressed my lips against his forehead and watched as his eyes fluttered shut. His fingers slid up my back as I pressed my nose against his. His orbs showed emotions I had not seen in a long time. The vulnerability in his actions and the way he touched my body- If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought that I was in love with him. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know any better, and maybe I never truly understand love from the beginning.


    Right in front of me is a man who is ready to show me what I had been missing, but something was holding me back. Javier is right, we both need time to heal from our pasts.


    ***


    I felt some kind of heat on my face, it forced me to open my droopy eyes. The first thing I saw was Javier¡¯s chin, I must have fallen asleep in his arms. I squinted when I caught sight of the sunlight entering through the window, the heat from the sun was on both our faces. Javier was snoring lightly as his chest heaved up and down. It felt good to be in his arms, having him wrap them around me like this. When did things get heated between us?


    I gently pulled out of his arms, earning a groan from him but he did not wake up. I rolled to the other side of the bed to check my phone.


    ¡°That fucking bastard!!!¡± I eximed when I saw Carlos¡¯s news in the tabloids.


    He had just announced his rtionship with Celia to the entire world!

 Chapter Fourteen

    Javier Lorenzo


    Rosa drove L and me in her car, down to the mechanic¡¯s shop after we chose to skip breakfast. The shop was located in the middle of a rather empty street except for the few small businesses along the way, and a gas station at the junction. This town gives me the chills, it¡¯s the kind of town where people act horror movies in. I can¡¯t believe Rosa has a house here and never told me about it. Well, I can¡¯t me her though, I too have kept some things from her.


    The owner of the shop walked up to us from his garage, with a spanner in hand. He was a gruff man with a thick beard on his chin and tattoos on his arms. He stopped in front of Rosa. ¡°Howdy, ma¡¯am Rosita¡±


    Rosa had both her hands in her jeans pocket and wore an open belly top tobat the hot sun. ¡°Hey, Johnson, What can you tell us about my friend¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it ain¡¯t just her tires that are ruined, her engine overheated. Will be needing a new carburetor .¡±


    L moaned frustrated and almost stumped her feet like an angry kid. ¡°Shit! How long will that take?¡±


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°A few days maybe.¡± He answered, eyeing her cleavage. I went to stand closer to her so he¡¯d stop ogling her body. Assholes like him are whydies don¡¯t feel safe anywhere.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    L heaved out a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s too long a time, man. Is there no way we can get it done sooner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, ma¡¯am¡± The man replied with a weird smirk. His eyes darted at me before he walked away.


    Rosa turned to us. ¡°I suggest you leave your car here, then when it¡¯s done, I shall have it towed over to your ce in Hollywood.¡±


    L shook her head. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Rosa, but there ain¡¯t no way we¡¯ll be getting to Texas without a car.¡±


    Rosa smiled sweetly, almost unrecognizable. ¡°I can drive you both there, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    L groaned. ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret this journey, I swear it.¡± She threw her hands in frustration and walked off to the ATM affixed to the wall facing the other side.


    I nced at Rosa only to see that she had already been staring at me. I then kept my gaze on her. I pointed a warning finger in her face. ¡°If you hurt L in any way, I¡¯m gonna ruin your fucking life.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°I have no interest in that dumb bitch, just you, baby.¡± She blew me a kiss in the air.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She ced her hand on my chest but I hit it away. She didn¡¯t back down, instead, she brought her lips to my ear. ¡°I know you still love me¡±


    I moved back. ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right¡±. She grinned. ¡°Then why is it taking you so long to fuck her?¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at her. ¡°And how do you know this?¡±


    Her grin widened. ¡°Last night, I was expecting some action from you too, but you were a disappointment as usual.¡± A wicked smile was stered on her face and in her eyes.


    My eyes widen in realization. ¡°You were using a camera to spy on us in the room, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°What were you expecting, baby, for me to let her have you? You must be joking. No one takes you from me, Lorenzo.¡± Her smile disappeared and a dangerous scowl soon reced it. ¡°I was going to post your sex video all over the inte, but once again, you proved to me that you love me too much to fuck another girl.¡±


    Before I could retort, L¡¯s sorrowful groan stole my attention. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, L?¡± I asked as I walked over to the ATM, leaving Rosa standing there.


    ¡°My card is not working! I can¡¯t make any withdrawals, I have been trying over and over again, declined each time! Argh! This is the worst day of my life!¡± She held her head in her hands and started massaging her temples.


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ll try mine.¡± I inputted my card into the slot and punched in the required numbers. Mine came out the same way, DECLINED. What the actual fuck?


    To my surprise, Rosa tried her card, and it worked. How is that even possible? I did not want to start thinking of how conniving she can be. I decided to take L¡¯s advice and give Rosa a chance.


    ¡°Is there anywhere else we can try?¡± I asked Rosa, but she shook her head in the negative as a sad look enveloped her face, but I knew her too well to know when she is faking an emotion.


    Rosa went to L. ¡°I suggest we continue in my car. You can use my card on the way, what do you think?¡±


    L thought for a moment and looked at me. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what to say to her. The car wasn¡¯t going to be fixed until dayster. I don¡¯t know which one is worse, traveling in the same car with the enemy, OR staying in the same town with her. Well, at least with the former, we would be moving and not stranded. I nodded in response to her unasked question and she turned to Rosa, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go¡±


    Rosa grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Perfect!¡±


    We got back on the road, except this time, it was in Rosa¡¯s car. I drove the car while L sat in the passenger¡¯s seat. Rosa took the back seat. Jenny was nowhere to be found but no one asked about her whereabouts. I didn¡¯t feelfortable having Rosa with us, but it was the only way to get moving.


    I have a n to ditch her when we get to the next town, but first, I need to find out what happened with mine and L¡¯s ATM cards.

 Chapter Fifteen

    L Lopez


    The journey started with me wanting to get away from Carlos; my ex-boyfriend, and Celia; his hoe and my best friend. But along the way, I have made some good friends. I know Javier hates Rosa, but she¡¯s not so bad¡­ I think. The drive to Houston shouldn¡¯t have taken this long, but as my dad used to say; Everything happens for a reason.


    The music yer switched to Unbreak my heart by Toni Braxton. The lyrics hit me in the most unexpected ces. It was awkward because Javier and his ex were in the car, and, I had also just broken up with Carlos. As if he could read my mind, Javier changed the song to another which was Mexican music. I groaned aloud, but deep down, I was starting to like these songs. They made me feel closer to my dad and Javier.


    ¡°Why did you change that?!¡± Rosa¡¯s whiny voice came from the back seat. ¡°I love Toni Braxton.¡±


    Javier hummed in annoyance. ¡°I know this is your car, Rosa but I¡¯ll be paying you for the rental. I love Toni Braxton too, but this isn¡¯t the time for a song like that.¡±


    ¡°Paying me? You can¡¯t be serious¡±. I could sense the shock in Rosa¡¯s voice.


    Javier nodded while keeping his eyes on the road. ¡°I am darn serious, when I can ess my money, I¡¯ll make the transfer. But for now, let us enjoy a different kind of music.¡± He swerved past another car on the highway.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your money, Lorenzo.¡± Rosa folded her hands on her chest. I guess I was wrong, maybe she isn¡¯t mature enough yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, guys, we¡¯ll deal with thister.¡± I jumped in to dete the situation.


    ¡°No, L, it¡¯s not fine. I¡¯m done with Lorenzo treating me like shit because of my past.¡±


    Javier threw his back in frustration. ¡°Uh, here we go again. Please stop your drama, Rosa. I knew it was a mistake bringing your ass along.¡±


    I argued back. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a mistake, Javier. Maybe we all need this trip to heal. Rosa has been of help to us, the least we can do is be kind to her. Let it slide, okay? Can you do that?¡±


    He took his eyes off the road for a second. ¡°Alright.¡± Then he returned to concentrating on driving.


    I looked back to Rosa. ¡°Let¡¯s be cool from here on out, can you do that?¡± She nodded and I smiled. ¡°Better.¡±


    ¡°What in the actual fuck!¡± Javier eximed all of a sudden, scaring the shit out of me.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°What?!¡± Rosa and I asked him.


    He pointed ahead, where cars were stopped and unable to move along. There were policemen and some other men in a different uniform upfront.


    ¡°What¡¯s that all about?¡± I asked no one in particr.


    One of the men in a different uniform walked up to our car. ¡°Hey,¡± He greeted with a tired smile. ¡°you can¡¯t get by here until after.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Sir?¡± Rosa asked the question on our minds.


    The man said apologetically. ¡°A bolder has blocked the road. But there¡¯s a small inn on the other side of the road, maybe you all can go stay there tonight, or if you have loved ones in the city, you can go stay at their ce.¡± After saying this, he walked away, making his way down to the vehicle behind us.


    ¡°What now?¡± Asked Rosa.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll stay at the inn,¡± Javier replied nastily. Then, he swerved and turned the car around until he was driving to the inn that was off the road.


    We dropped at the inn and made our way inside. We asked for three rooms, but they only had two. Javier insisted on sleeping in the car but Rosa and I weren¡¯t having it. Eventually, it was decided that Rosa and I shared one room, out of respect for each other. Javier tried to argue this, but it was two against one.


    It was hard to sleep that night. I was starting to regret leaving and was tempted to call someone toe pick me up. No, I am not a quitter, Houston, TX it is.


    The bed shook as Rosa rolled on her side, seeming fast asleep but I could tell it wasn¡¯t legit. I was a light sleeper and having dealt with a lot of heavy sleepers, I havee to master the art of knowing when someone was faking sleep.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re awake, Rosa¡±. I stated matter of factly.


    Her eyelids fluttered open. ¡°Smart ass.¡± I chuckled and so did she. We both sat up, facing each other. ¡°Since we are awake, I might as well check my page.¡± She chimed as she reached for her cell phone.


    I hummed. ¡°I won¡¯t be doing that for a while, can¡¯t deal with seeing another post about Carlos and Celia¡¯s love story.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    Sheughed. ¡°They¡¯ll phase out.¡± Herughter falters as she turned on her phone and stared down at her screen. The blue light from the phone glowed on her face, working with the bulb to illuminate her striking features.


    I adjusted myself on my side of the bed and picked up my phone. A game of sudoku won¡¯t hurt. I closed the notification bars of fifty missed calls and a hundred messages-and went to open my game of Sudoku. Just as I was about to rack my brain for this hard level, I heard a gasp from beside me. I looked up and saw a shocked look on Rosa¡¯s face.


    ¡°What is it, Rosa?¡±


    She looked up at me with eyes wide open, then she handed me the phone. I looked at the post on social media. It was a post made by Javier¡¯s Instagram ount. It had photos of me sleeping on the drive, as well as pictures of the two of us. These photos were taken without my knowledge, and under these photos was the caption: ¡°Traveling to Texas with Carlos Martinez¡¯s hot ex-fianc¨¦e.¡±


    My heart sunk in; Was Javier using me this entire time?

 Chapter Sixteen

    Javier Lorenzo


    Just as I was about to get some sleep after the long day, a loud bang came on my door. I thought to ignore it at first but the banging went on and on. I got up in anger and forced open the door. ¡°What?!¡± I paused my words when I saw L, standing behind her was Rosa.


    L¡¯s nostrils were ring like an angry bull. She pushed her way into the room and I locked the door after Rosa got in. L looked at me with rage in her eyes. ¡°Why did you do it?¡±


    I turned confused. ¡°Do what?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! Why did you do it, Javier?!¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me what I did at least?¡± I lifted my shoulders, showing how confused I was.


    She paced down to the other side of the room, and back to where I was standing. Her face was red and her eyes screamed fire. ¡°You posted pictures of the two of us on social media! Now, everyone is saying mean things about me! They are calling me a bitch for cheating on Carlos with you!¡±


    Her words were like French to me. ¡°How the hell did I do that?¡±


    She snatched the phone from Rosa¡¯s hand and showed it to me. ¡°Go on, look at it! Isn¡¯t that your page? It¡¯s verified and shit¡±


    I grew more perplexed. ¡°Yes, this is my page but I didn¡¯t post this-¡±


    ¡°Stop lying! Stop fucking lying! I¡¯ve had it with you and your fake persona, pretending to be a nice guy when all you are is just an opportunistic piece of shit!¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think of me, L? Didn¡¯t I tell you my phone ain¡¯t working? Didn¡¯t I tell you someone broke my phone? How then did I post all this?¡±


    She folded her hands on her chest. ¡°Well, maybe you posted it before you broke your phone so that no one will suspect you.¡±


    Is she being serious right now? For a second, I was in a haze of incredulity. ¡°Are you insane? Why would you think I¡¯d do such a thing? Listen to me, L, I didn¡¯t do this, I swear.¡± I tried to calm my voice down cause this was just ridiculous.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    How could she think so little of me? Post her photo on Instagram? Never! I would never dream of such, I have a social media manager for my pages and barely go online. The only person I knew really well who was a social media freak was Rosa. Wait a minute¡­


    ¡°It was you, Rosa.¡± I focused on her face. Her eyes went wide open for a minute, I bet this came as a surprise to her that I¡¯d figure her out. ¡°This is why you came on this trip, isn¡¯t it? So you can ruin the rtionship between L and me.¡±


    Rosa had that annoying sorry look on her face. ¡°What are you saying, Javier?¡± Her voice had gone an octave lower.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you did this, speak up now! Enough of your schemes-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± She argued back.


    ¡°Stop using Rosa for your actions, Javier!¡± L butted in.


    I was gradually losing my patience with these twodies. ¡°I¡¯ve had it with the both of you, this new friendship pact you got going on, keep me out of it.¡± I turned out around and headed for the exit, but the next words L said broke me into pieces¡­


    She scoffed. ¡°You better take that post down, don¡¯t try to use me to revive your dying career!¡±


    My feet came to a stop and I twisted to look at her. Her eyes showed that she had immediately regretted her words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. She covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.


    I looked down, once again, my words mean nothing to no one. The same way I felt a few days ago, this time, it¡¯s even worse. I came on this trip to feel better, but I am feeling much worse. I looked back up into her wet eyes: ¡°If you can¡¯t believe me when I say that I didn¡¯t do it, then you¡¯re better off without me.¡± I walked out the door despite her silent pleas.


    Once again, Rosa, you won and I have lost. My career has been called a lot of things: beginning, growing, thriving, plunging, etc¡­ but never ¡®dying¡¯. And to think this was said by the woman I am in love with.


    I made it out of the inn and walked down the almost empty street. I remember seeing a bar down the road as I was driving here earlier, hopefully, I wasn¡¯t hallucinating.


    ***


    ¡°Another shot!¡± I screamed at the bartender as I mmed the bottom of the ss on the bar yet again. He was starting to feel sorry for me and was asking me if I had anyone around. Of course, I don¡¯t, duh.


    I felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked up to see who it was. An old buddy of a man was standing there behind me. His face lit up. ¡°Javi?¡±


    ¡°Chris?¡±


    His smile stretched into a grin. ¡°Yeah, dude. So nice to see you after so long!¡± We shook hands and did a side hug. ¡°Hey, drinks on me tonight.¡± He sat on the stool beside mine. ¡°Where you headed, man?¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± I stated.


    ¡°California or Mexico?¡±


    I closed my eyes for a second and forced back the tears fighting toe out. I opened them and turned to Chris. ¡°I wanna go see my family in Nebraska.¡±


    ¡°Now that sounds like a n, the boys and I are getting together for a bachelor¡¯s party ins vegas, you cane to join us!¡±


    I thought long and hard. Should I leave L alone with Rosa, oh well, she can obviously take care of herself. Besides, Rosa has said she wants nothing with L. She¡¯ll be fine without me.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah Chris, I¡¯ming with you.¡±

 Chapter Seventeen

    L Lopez


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Javier,¡± These were thest words I said to him before he walked out, jamming the door behind him. Waves of guilt hit me over and over again. Yet I continue to ask myself: How could I have overreacted like that?


    Once again, I have ruined a good thing with my own hands. I must be cursed. My mom¡¯s words suddenly made more sense to me. My daddy¡¯s death happened because of me because I was being such a stupid kid; I know this because my mom never lets me forget it. Sometimes I feel as though she hates me for something I could not control.


    I dropped onto Javier¡¯s bed as the events of some minutes ago shed before my eyes. The words I said to him, how I didn¡¯t let him exin himself. I cannot begin to imagine how hurt he must be. So what if he posts a picture about us, what¡¯s so wrong with that? Carlos is living his life with Celia as if he never existed in it. It is only fair for me to live my life and share it with the world, just as he is doing. Maybe Javier did it to taunt Carlos on my behalf, either way, it¡¯s a genius n. But he said he didn¡¯t do it.


    I shouldn¡¯t have said thatst sentence, Javier Lorenzo is a brilliant producer, his studio has produced some of the best voices in America. A few hours after I met him, I read about him. I came across an interview with one of his musicians who talked about how Javier works with his singers; He lets them be themselves and continues to encourage them. He doesn¡¯t try to cheat them. Maybe that¡¯s why he is hated by many because he keeps it real and hates pretenders. Now, I have hurt the feelings of such a nobleman like him. How do I make it to him?


    Rosa was more freaked out about Javier¡¯s disappearance than I was. I watched as she panicked and ran out of the room in an attempt to catch up with him. I think Javier is right about her, she is bad news, and I¡¯m stuck with her. And it¡¯s all my fault.


    I shot up from the bed and went to the other room I shared with Rosa. I packed up all my stuff then I went to my nightstand to get my phone, but it wasn¡¯t there! ¡°Where the fuck is my phone?¡± I asked no one in particr as I ransacked through my things. I couldn¡¯t find the damn device. I was going crazy looking for it until I grew suspicious of Rosa, that she may have taken it. I dragged my luggage down to the reception area of the inn. Rosa was nowhere to be found.


    I walked up to the receptionist who seemed nicer than thest moteldy. I smile at her even though I was boiling inside. ¡°Hi, did you see the other girl I came with?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± was her response. That was when I started to realize how stupid I was. I did not listen to Javier, now he is nowhere to be seen. And Rosa seemed to have disappeared from the surface of the earth. Where in the world is she?!


    I tried to stop myself from thinking negatively or concluding too soon, so I went outside to look for her car but couldn¡¯t find her car there. Thankfully, it seemed the boulder had been removed from the highway because vehicles were driving by smoothly. That was when it hit me that I needed to get outta there! Javier or no Javier.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I returned to the reception area and met with a nicedy in a pink shirt and an ID card with the name Hilda. ¡°Excuse me, Hilda, is there any way I can rent a car?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am but that wouldn¡¯t be possible, especially at this time of night. Maybe you can wait till tomorrow?¡± she said apologetically.


    Shucks! I don¡¯t have a choice, there¡¯s nowhere to go. I was hoping Javier would forgive me and return to me. Good God, if I saw Javier right now, I¡¯d apologize for the words I said to him.


    I went up the stairs and entered the room he upied. I locked the door and blocked it with all kinds of stuff to keep Rosa or anyone else from entering. The only password to get in would be Javier¡¯s voice.


    I spread across the soft mattress, waiting for either Javier or Rosa to knock on the door. Sadly, none of them showed up, and before I could stop myself, my eyelids grew heavy and I slowly drifted off into thend of sleep¡­


    ***


    I opened my eyes as soon as I heard a jerking sound. I jumped to my feet and looked at the door but saw no one. The door was still locked¡­ thank God, I¡¯m still safe. I heaved a sigh of relief, but something caught my eye. A shadow, and reflection in the tv. I froze, my body was alerted of the possible danger.


    I turned around and found three masked men behind me! I gasped in rm but stood my ground. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    One of the men brought out a gun from his back pocket and pointed it at my face. ¡°Get on your knees, now!¡± His thick voice scared me to the bones.


    I did as he said, and he approached me slowly. His face was covered like the other two. My hands shuddered as he got too close and gripped my arm. I yelped in pain but it only made matters worse. His grip around my arm tightened even more. ¡°Please let me go.¡± I cried, my voice had turned throaty because of how exhausted I was. But without warning, the butt of his gunnded on my head and everything went nk from there.


    *Javier, where are you, please save me*

 Chapter Eighteen

    L Lopez


    My skin shivered as a pinching cold engulfed my body. It was nowhere near winter, but I already felt like I was in the Arctic Circle. The pores on my skin seemed to be infested by bytes of ice heading straight for my heart.


    My eyes were unable to absorb light, causing the darkness around me to only grow. My limps had grown numb with no sensation. I was tied to the ground and my hands and feet were bound by what felt like ropes. From the feel of it, my eyes had been tied up that even my tears could not escape. Javier¡¯s face was the only thing I could see, the way he looked at me before he walked out that door. The hurt in his eyes when I spewed those hurtful degrading words. My mom was right, I am unloveable. No wonder Carlos chose Celia over me.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I loved Celia, but she was nothing but a big ass and a pretty face, there was nothing in between. There wasn¡¯t much to pass off as active brain cells in her head, yet Carlos chose her over me. My mom repeatedly told me that I always find a way to ruin a good thing, just like she did with my dad. She said it is a curse that followed women of our family for generations. I hated her for those words, but it was hitting me little by little how I have yet again lost something. But this time, it was something worth staying for; Javier was the first man to recognize my value even without me having to do much. Now, I may never get the chance to apologize for my wrongs and make it up to him.


    My line of thought was interrupted when the nking sound of rusting metals scratching against each other came from somewhere far in front of me. I could see nothing, but I knew a presence had entered. Heavy footsteps menacingly drew nearer, yet I could not see them because my eyes were covered. The footsteps came to a stop right in front of me. I stayed silent, wondering whose they were and what they intend to do. Slowly, my heartbeat elevated, and my breathing hitched a few times as I anticipated this person.


    ¡°Ah!!¡± I shrieked when my body became doused with freezing water. ¡°What the fuck!¡± I shivered some more as the buds of water made their into my body, worsening my state.


    A hand ced itself under my chin and lifted my face. I still could not see anyone, but I could smell the liquor. I heard the continuous grunting sounds being released from their nostrils and the back of their throats for some reason. Not even a bear could sound this way. A hand caressed my cheeks and forced my mouth open.


    The grunt became louder and a husky voice followed: ¡°Fuck! Your mouth looks like it can work magic on a man¡¯s dick¡±. He acknowledged.


    Eww


    I tried to remove my face from his grip but he tightened it, and the next thing I felt was a heavy p on the left side of my face, throwing my head backward and unfortunately, hitting the wall behind me. From there, it went nk again.


    I cried out again when someone doused me with cold water. ¡°You gotta stop doing that! It¡¯s freezing out here!¡± I yelled at whoever did this nonsense.


    ¡°Really?¡± The personughed.


    Wait, I recognized that voice¡­ ¡°Rosa?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    A series of maniacal chuckles ensued, sending chills down my spine. This girl is a fucking psycho! Javier was right about her. I should have listened when he warned me.


    ¡°Please Rosa, let me go.¡± I pleaded amidst the shivering of my skin and lips.


    She snapped her finger and someone else pulled off the blindfold, I could recognize those filthy hands anytime. They must belong to the man from earlier¡­ disgusting pig!


    My eyes took time to adjust to the bright light. ¡°Rosa¡­ what did I do to deserve this, I never did anything to hurt you.¡±


    She yanked my hair and I yelped. ¡°You were just at the wrong ce at the wrong time, Javier should have never fallen in love with you!¡±


    ¡°But-But you said you have moved on.¡±


    She pulled away her hand, as her shoulders shook withughter. ¡°You are so fucking innocent, didn¡¯t you Mama and Papa tell you not to believe everything a stranger tells you?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Please, Rosa, Javier is gone. You saw how mad at me he was, he ain¡¯ting back.¡±


    She knelt beside me. ¡°Nah Nah, Uh-uh, you don¡¯t know Javier like I do. He rarely leaves. I know this because he and I were together for six years. He always found his way back to me even after a big fight. I know he wille for you.¡±


    I digested her words. ¡°What then? What do you want me for?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. But for now, be a good little girl and my henchman may let you taste his meat.¡± She giggled sarcastically and disappeared into the exit, and I focused on the sunlight entering through the window.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Out of curiosity, I looked up to see the man standing there. He was just as I imagined: unkempt beards that had grown down to his chest, long untidy hair, giantlike height, body inching towards the fat side-and eyes stoned as fuck.


    He looked down at me with a hint of excitement in his hazel eyes. Then out of nowhere, he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. He dug his hand into the space between his unfastened zip and pulled out an enormous anaconda of a dick. Now, I see why Rosa used the word ¡®meat¡¯


    I moved my head backward. ¡°What is wrong with you?!¡±


    He gripped my hair and forced me to look at his endowment. ¡°If you don¡¯t suck my dick, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

 Chapter Nineteen

    Javier Lorenzo


    I pulled out my drawer filled with old pieces of paper, thank God my mom didn¡¯t throw them away. I took out some of the papers and stared at the first lyrics I ever wrote as a ten-year-old. My mom tells me I have always been a music lover. Even in tough times, my music saw me through. I cannot imagine myself without these lyrics written in bad handwriting and on frailly browning papers.


    True to his word, my friend Chris dropped me off in La Vista Nebraska where my family lives. It had been long since Iid my eyes on them in five years. Being swamped up in my job, and realizing that I had to work twice as hard to keep my recordbel barely afloat. My only joy is that I managed to put my younger siblings through school on time, although ourst two borns have got schrships. My mom is living a better life, and my Abu refused to leave Mexico, but she is doing well back there as well. Sometimes, when you¡¯re too busy filling up other people¡¯s lives, you eventually realize that you have almost nothing remaining in yours. With nothing but a high school degree, I¡¯m proud of the things I have achieved so far in my life.


    I bought another phone and got in touch with my social media manager. She informed me that my ount was hacked a few days ago and the post was made, but they had retrieved it back. The weird thing was thest bit of what she said¡­ ¡°The post went viral and millions of people have been streaming our songs in thest few days. Javier, we¡¯re back on top!¡±


    I bet when Rosa hacked my ount and made that post, she didn¡¯t see thising. Remembering Rosa brought back bitter memories with L. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and ignored it.


    Carlos Martinez had been saying all kinds of trash about me on social media. My team told me he has been trying to contact me, but I wasn¡¯t ready to listen to his nonsense. The only person I was worried about was L. I hope she made it to Houston safe and sound despite traveling with that snake. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have left her there alone. I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to her.


    I picked up the phone and dialed her number. Switched off for the thousandth time. Something is wrong, I can feel it. I dialed Rosa¡¯s number and she picked up almost immediately. ¡°I see you¡¯re back home.¡± She mocked.


    ¡°Where is L?¡±


    She burst into a peel ofughter. ¡°Really? You call your girlfriend after so long and you wanna talk about another girl?¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t my girlfriend, Rosa! Get that into your thick skull. Now, where is L?!¡±


    She humphed. ¡°First, you get our engagement back on¡­ or else you will never find her!¡±


    I was in total disbelief, is this the girl I had spent so much time with and was nning to marry? ¡°Are you crazy, Rosa? All this because of our darn engagement?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve stated my price. And don¡¯t you dare call the police or you¡¯ll have yourself to me for her death! Tell all our friends that you were wrong about breaking up with me, tell them you regret it, and that you want to get back together with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, but okay, I¡¯ll do that. Where are you, Rosa, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere in ska, now, get it done!¡± She hung up.


    I did as she asked and called everyone. People like Rosa care more about their image than the reality of things, and that made it hard to rte with her. Little did she know that whilst we were on call, I had traced her number down to Das, Texas.


    I dashed out of the house, hopped into my truck, and drove straight to the airport. You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with, Rosa.


    I arrived in Das and rented a car. I drove down to the ce where I traced her number, praying in my heart that she is still there. Knowing Rosa, she will never be satisfied with her threats. Today she wants me to tell everyone how sorry I am, tomorrow, she¡¯ll want me to take her to the altar and get married to her. Next, she¡¯ll want me to impregnate her first. It will never stop if I don¡¯t put a stop to it, for L¡¯s sake. I owe her that much for bringing Rosa¡¯s problems with me into her life. She is caught in the crossfire between me and my psychotic ex-girlfriend.


    I parked some distance away from the building Rosa called me from. For some weird reason, Das was super cold today, there must be some kinda glitch in the matrix or something.


    I looked down at my hand and pulled out the magazine to confirm that my gun is fully loaded, then I pushed it back in, satisfied with my finding. If Rosa refuses to understand normal humannguage, then maybe she will understand thenguage of this pistol¡­


    I got out of the car and snuck into the abandoned warehouse from behind. The air inside the warehouse was misty with dust. Cobwebs hung at every nook and cranny like some haunted house saga. I tiptoed down the single hallway leading to the main area. A noise caught my notice, a noise from upstairs. I continued in stealth mode until I made it to the bottom of the stairs. From the sound of it, there isn¡¯t just one person inside.


    I continued up the stairs until I came to the top floor. Heavy footsteps echoed from the distance, I avoided that area and went to hide behind a pile of old cartons. I waited patiently as the footsteps proceeded down the stairs. When the sound was now distant, I got out of my hiding spot and continued.


    Suddenly, my sight was blocked when a pair of hands wrapped itself around my head, trying its hardest to press my nerve points to make me unconscious. I never wanted to make a sound, but it may be a little toote for that!


    I pointed the gun at the person behind me and pulled the trigger. The suppressor muffled the sound of the gunshot, but as the man dropped dead on the floor, it caused a loud thump.


    Just then, I heard footsteps approaching¡­


    I am so fucked!

 Chapter Twenty

    Javier Lorenzo


    I ran to hide behind a pir, making sure to keep my head low. I needed to see first how many of them are there.


    A secondter, two hefty dudes appeared at the top of the stairs and rushed to check on their friend lying lifeless on the floor. Why would three men need to keep one girl hostage?


    Once I was sure that they are the only people, I aimed my gun at the one who seemed more alert. I pulled the trigger and he fell t on the floor. Before the second one could reach for his gun, I took him out too.


    I got out of my hiding ce and ran down to the other end until I came upon a slightly opened door. I went inside and found ropes attached to a wall. This much be where Rosa kept L, but L wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    I ran out of the room, unsure of where to go. But when I heard the sound of a car¡¯s engine, I rushed down the stairs and went outside. I caught a glimpse of Rosa in the driver¡¯s seat before the car zoomed off into the sunset. I sprinted to my car parked down the street and got in, then turned on the ignition and started chasing Rosa¡¯s vehicle. Although I had lost sight of her, I could recognize her car, I¡¯m sure.


    I took out my phone and called 911. I am certain that I am gonna get into trouble for taking thew into my own hands, but L¡¯s safety matters more to me than anything at the moment.


    I caught up with Rosa¡¯s car going down a dirt road. The twilight was drawing near and I knew that I needed to get her before it gets dark, but she was fast as hell. I never knew Rosa to be this kind of person.


    I saw her stop the car right in front of a cliff and dragged L out. L¡¯s hands were tied to her back, I felt so sorry for her. I parked behind Rosa¡¯s car and got out too.


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, Javier, or I swear to god, I will throw L into this ditch!¡± Rosa threatened, her eyes were bloodshot.


    ¡°Rosa, Calm down-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down, Javier! You leave me for another woman and you want me to calm down?!¡± She sniffled as tears flooded her face. ¡°All my life, everyone I love has abandoned me. They just left me without a word; my mom ran off to another country and my dad died when I needed him the most. I can¡¯t lose you too, Javier, don¡¯t you get it?¡±


    ¡°I understand, Rosa, but this isn¡¯t the right way. Kidnapping is a serious crime-¡±


    She grinned maniacally. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you both with me.¡± She pointed the gun at me and I closed my eyes. I heard a gunshot and opened my eyes, thinking I had been shot.


    I saw L dragging the gun out of Rosa¡¯s hands as they both fought. Rosa pushed L and L lost her bnce and leaned towards the edge of the cliff.


    ¡°L!!!¡± I ran over there and grabbed her hand before she could fall off the cliff. My gun fell from my pocket and over the cliff-into the water at the bottom.


    Rosaughed heartily as she shot the tires of my car. ¡°Now you can¡¯t escape me.¡±


    I ignored her since I had my hands full will L. ¡°Hold on¡±. I yelled to L as I pulled her up.


    Another gunshot was fired which knocked me off bnce¡­ I looked back and saw that Rosa had put a hole in her tires as well. What is wrong with this girl?!Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I am gonna give you both to the count of ten to run before I blow both your brains out!¡± She started counting. ¡°One-Two-¡±


    I seeded in pulling L up and we both started running towards the forest before the maniac behind us starts shooting.


    ¡°Three-four-five-¡±


    The darn woods were still a bit far, so I increased my speed, hoping L had a little more strength to do the same.


    ¡°Six-seven-eight-¡±


    ¡°Just a little more, Lu.¡± I encouraged L as we both kept running.


    ¡°Nine-Ten!¡±


    We barely made it into the woods and hid behind a tree before Rosa started shooting at us. It was a close call because my head was almost blown off if not that I was quick.


    After a couple more shooting, she stopped. I peeped from behind the tree and saw Rosa loading her gun¡¯s magazine. This was our chance!


    I grabbed L¡¯s hand and we ran deeper into the forest, far from Rosa and her gun. Darkness had finally taken over as the twilight gave way to the night sky. I took out my phone from my back pocket, thanking God that it didn¡¯t fall over the cliff with my gun.


    ¡°No signal¡± I groaned.


    ¡°We need to make a fire, Javier or we¡¯ll be wolf¡¯s food¡±. L said through gritted teeth, the cold was doing a number on her. I covered her with my jacket.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I used my phone¡¯s torch to find some firewood. For the first time, my carrying around a lighter came in handy. I made a fire for us in the middle of the woods.


    Lord knows we were lost, I couldn¡¯t remember how we got to this part of the woods, just that we were running for our lives. I didn¡¯t know which fate would be worse, getting attacked by a wolf or getting caught by Rosa. From the look of things, we would have a bigger shot at escaping from a pack of wolves than escaping from Rosa.


    Lid her head on my shoulder as we stared into the mes. Crackling sounds filled the air as the fire wavered against the night wind. Her breathing had be steady after a while, but I knew she wasn¡¯t asleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her voice cracked as she said these words. The walls around my heart came crashing down with just two words from her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Lu, I already forgave you.¡± I don¡¯t know if my words came out right, but I wanted to make her feel better.


    She lifted her head off my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes. Her orbs reflected the fire in front of us and probably, the fire within. I felt her fingers caress my hair and my chin, leaving traces of heat in its path. My eyes fluttered shut as her fingers caressed my forehead; she must have magic in her hands. There is something about her touch that can bring me to my knees.


    I looked down at her luscious lips and back up at her orbs. There was something about the way she stared at me that made me feel different. My breathing hastened as she inched her face closer, aiming her lips toward mine. My impatience got the best of me and I smashed my lips against hers, tasting her so earnestly. The cold of the night was long forgotten as our tongues danced in our mouths. She broke the kiss before I could savor her sweetness, and she said in a shaky voice:


    ¡°Please, Javier, make love to me under the moonlight.¡±

 Chapter Twenty One

    L Lopez


    My body and soul craved his touch. Those firm hands of his rubbed my back, down to every curve. The fire burning before us was no match for the one raging inside of me. I groaned with frustration as I felt the wetness in my panties. I rubbed my legs together to control the hunger I felt for this man. Oh, fuck! I bit my lips when I felt myself seeping with more wetness.


    I broke the kiss against my lips¡¯ protest and I looked into his eyes filled with desire for me. I bit my lower lips just watching him want me. My heart beat faster as the words formed in my mind, afraid of rejection from him. Afraid that he would refuse to fuck me, I garnered the courage to ask him earnestly: ¡°Please, Javier, make love to me under the moonlight.¡±


    His eyes darkened with desire, I rubbed my legs together just picturing him inside of me. I knew he wanted this, but was he willing to go through with it? I hope the answer is yes.


    While I let him digest my words, my eager lips covered his own and we resumed our kiss. I moaned when he shoved his tongue in my mouth, giving me a chance to suck it to my fill¡­ so tasty. Slowly, his hands found their way underneath my top and pulled the fabric off of me. He buried his face in between cleavages, nuzzling the valley of my breasts. I grew impatient as my pussy begged for him. His hands went up my back and unhooked my bra, giving freedom to my boobs. He kissed my neck down to my breasts where his tongue ran across my nipples, licking them as I cried out.


    He took off his shirt and ced it on the ground, then made me rest my back on it while he yanked off my jeans. With his teeth, he pulled off my panties, leaving mepletely exposed before him. Just seeing him admire my naked body increased the drenching between my legs¡­ ¡°You are so wet for me!¡± He growled as his eyes made contact with mine.


    I threw my head backward when his finger slid across my folds. I opened my legs wide open so he can get a better view of my pussy. ¡°She is ready for you, baby,¡± I purred.


    He unfastened his jeans and pulled out his length. I saw the pride on his face as he let me look at it. I sucked in a deep breath as I admired the beauty of his dick, from his tip to the shaft, and down to the base. I gaped in amazement.


    I pushed off the ground and grabbed his shaft, earning a moan from him. I wrapped my tongue around his tip, letting my mouth give him the experience of a lifetime. I pushed his length inside my mouth until his tip hit the back of my throat. I could hear him groaning from over me, which motivated me. Gradually, I pulled him out of my throat and shoved him back in. I continued the rhythmic movement of pushing his dick in and out of my mouth until he was a groaning mess.


    He didn¡¯t let me finish pleasing him, rather, he pulled himself out of my mouth and made mey back down. I watched him lower his head into the center of my legs, my body tensed and an electric wave ran through my body when his tongue worked on my pussy. He held both my legs apart while his lips wrecked a different kind of havoc on my core.


    I held myself from crying out when he tongue-fucked my core. I wanted more, I pleaded for more as I caressed his hair. He kissed my body up through the valley of my breasts and up to my neck.


    I cried out when he thrust himself into my core without warning. My pussy finally got what she had been begging for, we were finally doing it! I held the back of his neck as he fucked me silly. We looked into each other¡¯s eyes while he thrust in and out of me. He knew what I needed, so he didn¡¯t go easy on me. I liked it rough, and he was giving me just that, and much more.


    ¡°Fuck me!!¡± I yelled, forgetting the world around us. He fucked me so good, I was shedding tears. ¡°Don¡¯t stop¡± I begged as he continued. My toes curled senselessly as he went much faster. My mind had turned hazy, there was nothing in there anymore. Just a big buildup that needed to be released.


    I mmed my lips against his and kissed his mouth so hard. My brain went in override as my body vibrated under him. Something was happening now, I bit my lower lips as my climax approached and I saw that he too was on the verge. Just the thought of having his warm cum inside me propelled me forward and our bodies shook when we finally reached our peak of ecstasy. I kissed him as he closed his eyes, releasing thest drop of his creaminess inside of me. He thrust inside of me a few more times before he pulled away, breathing heavily.


    He joined me on the floor and I rested my head on his chest. He caressed my hair down to my back repeatedly. Our eyes stayed on the full moon in the starry night sky. I felt his heartbeat stabilize after a few minutes. We were still bare, pressed against each other¡¯s naked bodies.


    I ced light kisses on his chest and looked into his eyes. He got up and picked up his clothes, then he dressed up and sat where we sat before. I caught him staring at my nakedness but I didn¡¯t mind, I liked the way he looked at me.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    His phone buzzed and he dug it out of his pocket, he looked down at the screen and smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve got reception.¡± I got dressed as I watched him call the cops and inform them about our location. When he was done with the call, he looked up at me with a glint of hope in his eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here soon.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Two

    Javier Lorenzo


    To love and be loved is the best feeling in the world; I never truly understood this statement until I met L Lopez. I often hear of people finding love in the weirdest of ces and times, but I never thought it¡¯d happen to me. L took me by storm and just like a bulldozer, she brought down the walls I had set up to keep me from getting hurt.


    Images of her naked body shed through my mind, causing me to have a hard-on just for her. How her pink nipples be harder when I suck on them, or how the paradise between her legs is the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. L Lopez was a drug I was gradually getting addicted to. This time, unlike other drugs, I never want to stop.


    The cops couldn¡¯t find Rosa, but they found the abandoned warehouse with those men inside; one of the men was still alive, and he confessed to kidnapping L. The database showed that they are ex-convicts. And it turns out that Rosa¡¯s family deals in illegal merchandise. I never knew this about her, but I can understand why she never told me. It just bugs me that ady I would have spent forever with was keeping such horrible truth from me. If I had not ended the engagement, things would have taken a different turn and I would have been the fool.


    L wanted to cut the trip short and return to her home, I on the other hand suggested that we finish what we started just like my Abu always says. I got L¡¯s car sent down to Das fully fixed, and of course, I got us new phones. There was never anything wrong with our cards, Rosa yed her game well but unfortunately for her, it backfired.


    After finishing at the Das police station, L and I marched out of the building like heroes in movies. I can picture the slow-motion thing going on in the background as we got into her car. I sat in the passenger seat while she took her ce in the driver¡¯s seat. We locked lips for a minute or two, hungrily sucking each other¡¯s tongues. Then, she turned on the ignition, revved up the engine, and before you can say ¡®Jack¡¯, we were back on the highway heading to Houston. Less than four hourster, we were there¡­ finally! L drove through a beautiful street and parked her car in front of a house that looked like an ancestral home.


    After two knocks on the door, someone opened it and a girl appeared. She looked to be in herte twenties and from the aura, it didn¡¯t seem like she and L were fond of each other. The girl essed L from head to toe, then her eyes turned to me, and she adjusted her hair. ¡°What do you both want?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Where is Aunty?¡± L asked, peeping inside the house.


    ¡°She is gone.¡± The girl answered nonchntly.


    ¡°Gone as in¡­?¡±


    The girl creased her forehead. ¡°Gone as in dead, Lulu!¡±


    L¡¯s shoulders dropped at the news, I could tell that she and her aunt were close. ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    The girl rolled her eyes. ¡°She wanted it so. Now, if you don¡¯t have anything else to say, I¡¯ll be inside-¡±


    L held her hand, ¡°What is wrong with you, Paulita?!¡±


    The girl yanked her arm out of L¡¯s hold. ¡°Let go of me, bitch!¡± She shoved L and that was when I intervened.


    ¡°Fuck you, Pa! You¡¯re a selfish asshole!¡±


    Pa smirked, ¡°My mother didn¡¯t think so when she left me this house. So, as the legal owner, I¡¯ll tell you this again¡­¡± She came face to face with L, ¡°GET OUT or I¡¯ll call the cops. And take your new boyfriend with you.¡±


    I held L by her hand and urged her back to the car, but she was refusing to move. She wanted to go face-to-face with Pa but I stopped her.


    Pa continued: ¡°I saw your photos on the inte, I¡¯m d Carlos finally got rid of you, he deserves better than your ugly face!¡±


    L pulled out of my hold and returned to the porch. ¡°Say that again, say it one more time! Tell me how you have always been jealous of me¡­ who¡¯s the one with an ugly face, huh?!¡± She grasped Pa by her top while Pa gripped her neck. They got into a catfight and all I could do was stand by, making sure they didn¡¯t do damage to each other. I¡¯m sure one of Pa¡¯s neighbors had started calling the police. gosh! Why does trouble follow us wherever we fucking go?


    L threw her cousin on the ground several times until thetter begged for mercy. I had never pictured L as a fighter, but that experience changed my perspective-don¡¯t judge a book by its freaking cover.


    ¡°Enough, Lu¡­¡± I dragged her out of thebat before she¡¯d go to jail for murdering her bloody cousin. We got back in the car; this time, I drove. I checked google maps for a restaurant and found one close by. I took us there and led her inside. She was a raging mess. Her breathing was hitched with the anger in her chest. We sat opposite each other at a table and I ordered coffee for a start, hopefully, she¡¯ll want to eat something after venting out.


    Just as we were busy sipping our coffee, someone approached our table. I was the first to see her. She had blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her hair flowed down in wavy curls and her teal dress clung to her figure. She looked at L with recognition in her eyes.


    ¡°L?¡± The girl called.


    L looked up and noticed the girl. Her demeanor switched from angry to enraged: ¡°Why are you here, what do you want from me?¡±


    The girl¡¯s expression turned sad. ¡°Oh,e on L, don¡¯t be like this¡±


    L stood up. ¡°What do you mean by that, Celia?!¡±

 Chapter Twenty Three

    L Lopez


    ¡°Oh,e on L, don¡¯t be like this¡±. As these words left Celia¡¯s mouth, I felt like punching that sorry-ass look off of her botoxed face.


    I tried to control myself before now, but her words infuriated me. I tried to be as calm as possible when I asked. ¡°What do you mean by that, Celia?!¡±


    She rolled her eyes, shrugging off my question. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in private, please.¡±


    I was taken aback, but slowly, a smile crept up on my face: ¡°You¡¯re worried that everyone will find out the truth, aren¡¯t you?¡± I cackled. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to say to me. Youing to Houston was a waste of time, enjoy the sceneries and go home.¡± I snatched my things from the table whilst Javier dropped the check-and we headed for the exit. I ignored the bystanders who were enjoying the scene, some of them had whipped out their phones and started recording. This annoyed me because drawing attention myself was never my intention.


    Celia ran up behind me and stopped in front of me. ¡°Please, Lulu, let me talk to you.¡±


    I sighed and gave Javier a knowing look which he understood. Then, I followed her to the back room. It was the only way to stop the useless drama she was putting on in public. She shut the door, making sure we were out of everyone else¡¯s hearing before she sighed and focused on me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lulu.¡±


    I scoffed. I could not understand how I felt hearing her say sorry to me, ¡°I don¡¯t care how sorry you are. Why do you care how I feel anyway? You did what you did without considering my feelings for one day. For goodness sake, Celia, you were my best friend.¡±


    At this point, her eyes had turned wet and buds of tears rolled down her face. ¡°Please, Lulu, I know what I did was messed up, I never wanted to betray you like that. I tried to fight it for months, I tried to resist his advances. He was being so nice to me, he took care of my mama. he was-he was everything. He makes me feel special.¡±


    I listened without any emotions on my face. Carlos had his way around people, giving you the feeling of not being alone. He could make any woman fall for him by his charms and of course, his handsome features. ¡°Congrattions on your engagement.¡± I headed for the exit in an attempt to leave the room but she was in my way again.


    She shook her head in the negative. ¡°He only announced the engagement as a counterattack for your having moved on so quickly. I promise you, He has no intention of marrying me.¡± I don¡¯t understand this broad, how does her belittling herself make me ¡®feel any better¡¯?


    This has always been Celia¡¯s way of attaching herself to the big clicks. She suffers from an extreme case of low self-esteem and often tried to make up for it by hanging around people she thought were better than her. Despite my efforts at sending her to therapy to get help, she never got better, and this was another example of her attaching herself to someone famous just to boost her confidence among many other things.


    I folded my arms against my rack. ¡°Girl, I don¡¯t care what you do with your life or with Carlos, just keep me out of it. I don¡¯t want to hear from you ever again. For your information, I am not mad about you fucking my ex-fianc¨¦ behind my back, I am only mad that you would be so sneaky about it. You acted like my best friend, but the entire time, you were busy stabbing me in the back. So, you mean to tell me that if I didn¡¯t find out about you both -or If I had gotten married to Carlos, you¡¯d still be messing around with him behind my back?¡±


    She dropped her head low. The guilty act wasn¡¯t going to work on me. It only worked before but not now. If she truly felt sorry, she would have left Carlos. So, I know how sorry she is. She is only sorry she got caught.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I continued. ¡°I thought as much. It¡¯s just pathetic how you degrade yourself in this manner. Nheless, life goes on. I wish you good luck with your life. Excuse me.¡± I made my way to the door when I heard her frail voice behind me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate me, L, please.¡±


    I paused in my tracks but I didn¡¯t turn to her. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, I only feel sorry for you.¡± Then, I walked out. I joined Javier on the drive to the airport. Enough road trips for now. The ride to the airport was silent as I needed to process my thoughts.


    Betrayal hurts just as bad as heartbreak, but betrayal mixed with heartbreak is deadly. I was dealing with betrayal, but deep down, I don¡¯t think I was feeling heartbroken. I loved Carlos, but maybe the love was never as strong as I thought. Maybe.


    We flew to Hollywood where we both worked. I had no n of returning to Mexico anytime soon. My goal is to make Carlos Martinez a distant memory and I n to do that soon. With a certain man candy beside me, I am going to fuck him so much until Carlos flows out of my system through cum¡­ so much cum. My mouth watered just at the thought of tasting Javier again in my mouth.


    My sight got misty with mischief as thoughts of Javier on top of me made me blush like a new bride. I looked over at him sitting beside me on the ne. He leaned into me and I whispered into his ear: ¡°I¡¯ve never had sex on a ne before.¡±


    The side of his lips raised into a smirk. ¡°Then, let¡¯s try it right now.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Four

    Javier Lorenzo


    I covered L¡¯s mouth to keep her from screaming so loud in the toilet in the airne, the flight attendants already stared at us funny when they saw us getting up to get to the toilet at the same time. I buried my head in the hollow of her neck as I continued my thrusts in and out of her sweet pussy. She bit my palm and I peeled my hand from her mouth, only for her to continue filling the air with her soft moans. She is such a nut and I love her.


    She pulled my face out from her neck and entwined her lips in mine. Her moans sounded muffled against my lips as we kissed passionately. Her legs tightened around my torso while I dug deeper into her warm pussy, fucking her ever so sweetly. At this point, my neck was filled with scratches from her fingers and hickies from her teeth, but I didn¡¯t care. I would proudly wear them for the entire world to see.


    Her walls tightened around my dick and I went mad with excitement, this girl will be my undoing. I thrust harder and harder into her as I felt my release getting closer. She wrapped her arms around my neck as we made it towards the finish line.


    Someone knocked on the door, interrupting our thought process. ¡°Uh, other people need to use the bathroom, sir.¡± It was one of the flight attendants.


    ¡°Just one more minute!¡± I pleaded, but there was a hint of warning in my tone.


    L kissed me again and I increased my speed inside her core. We reached the highest point and I released my load into her warmth. My head went crazy with ecstasy, and then slowly, the feeling lessened. I pulled out of her and set her feet on the floor. Her legs were wobbly so I caught her and held onto her while we both adjusted our bottoms.


    By the time we exited the toilet, there were a few eyes on us. Some were res, some were stares, and others were of admiration. I ignored them and went to sit back down with L. She was even less concerned about their judgmental nces than I was. When we finally made it back to our seats, she whispered to my hearing. ¡°Thanks for giving me the experience of having sex on a ne.¡± A sincere smile graced her lips.


    ¡°Anytime.¡± I returned with a smile of my own. I kissed her cheek and rested my head.


    ***


    The ne echoed with an announcement as the flight finallynded in Hollywood. L and I got her things and we made for the exit. I took her hand in mine as we walked through the airport, passing by some people who probably recognized us.


    Just as we got to the exit of the airport, I was shocked to see the ce buzzing with the paparazzi. They shed their cameras at L and me, and some even pointed their recording devices in our faces. The audacity of these people!


    One of them pushed through her colleagues to get to the front line. She shoved her device in L¡¯s face: ¡°Miss L Lopez, is it true that you and Carlos Martinez are broken up?¡±


    L was silent at first, but then she replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself, oh wait, you already did and he already gave you an answer. Now to make it clear to all of you, Yes. Carlos and I are over.¡±


    It seemed her answering the question encouraged the rest to push forward with other questions. Another guy targeted me. ¡°Javier Lorenzo, Is it true you¡¯ll be working with Carlos Martinez on his next album?¡±


    I ignored him and tried to clear the way for L to get through. Anotherdy asked: ¡°Javier Lorenzo! Have you broken up with your longtime sweetheart, Rosa?¡±


    ¡°No questions,¡± I answered while gently shoving them out of our way.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Anotherdy came forward through the group of reporters disrespecting our personal space. ¡°Miss Lopez, is Javier Lorenzo your new boyfriend?¡± L stopped in her tracks, making it hard for me to get her farther out of their reach. The girl pressed on: ¡°What do you think your mother, Luna Lopez will think about your new rtionship?¡±


    I looked back and saw the look of fright in L¡¯s eyes as this bold reporter bombarded her with questions. Her mouth started moving in her attempt to respond to the girl¡¯s question. ¡°Javier is not my boyfriend!¡±


    My eyes grew wide for a moment, and I couldn¡¯t think straight. Did she just say that to a reporter? Maybe I am mistaken.


    Her next words cleared all doubt¡­ ¡°Get your facts straight, all of you! Javier Lorenzo and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less. Now, get out of here before I press charges!¡±


    The swarm of paparazzo dispersed one by one until it was just the two of us-and other normal people going about their business.


    L drag me along until we reached the car that was waiting for us. She grinned as the saw the ck limo and waved at the driver. ¡°Come on Javi, let¡¯s beat the traffic.¡± She was about to jump in but paused when I didn¡¯te with her. She looked at me with concern in her eyes: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Javi?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d ask me that after the speech you gave those people.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Ohe on, Javi, haven¡¯t you heard about a little concept called a lie? I just said that to shut them up, it doesn¡¯t make me love you any less. Come on baby-¡±


    I removed my hand from hers. ¡°I have no intention of being your little secret, Lu. What are you afraid of? I am a music producer, I may not be a big shot but I make a good living and am well known. Why are you afraid of being with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s just that it won¡¯t help my career to be involved with a Latino-¡± She stopped herself from finishing the sentence.


    I nodded my head. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re this American sweetheart, god forbid that you embrace your Mexican roots.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Javi-¡± She tried toe closer.


    I moved back. ¡°Don¡¯t bother! It¡¯s fine. Stay in Your American ways while I stay in my local ways. Have a nice life.¡± I walked off, leaving her to take the limo to wherever she was going. I thought she loved me for me, but once again, I am wrong.

 Chapter Twenty Five

    L LopezContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    These past few days have been my happiest in a long time. I needed that trip to be away from Carlos, social media, and my mom. From the moment Javier and I stepped off the ne, my joy knew no bounds; I had butterflies in my stomach just watching him flex his muscles. The way he held my hand in his, protecting me.


    The Hollywood summer air carried a misty vibe to it, but if there is anyone who is used to it, it should be me. Having originated from a Latino family, my mom made it clear that to get ahead in life, we needed to avoid home as much as possible. I did love my roots all thanks to my papa, but after his death, I was subjected to my mom¡¯s harsh ¡®truths¡¯ about everything else but herself. It was hard to get too far away from her, since she is my manager.


    As I said, from the moment Javier and I stepped off the ne, my joy was sky high. But getting ambushed by the paparazzi wasn¡¯t something I was expecting. I mean, not even the big celebrities get ambushed like this. Although I am doing well as both a model and an actress, but I am not as popr as Carlos. Someone must have sent them, I thought.


    When that girl mentioned my mom finding out about Javier, it forced me into a state of total shutdown of my brain. My mom let me date Carlos because of how popr he is in the entire world, he was the exception to her rule. Without thinking, I rambled on and on about Javier not being more than a friend. I can only imagine how he must have felt, but he should have understood me! Isn¡¯t that what he had been doing the entire journey?


    How can he just walk away from me just like that after everything we¡¯ve been through together?


    The ride to my house was mixed with emotions, from annoyance-to feeling sorry for myself-to hating my own guts-to hating Javier¡¯s guts. I hate him for walking away when I wanted him to stay. Why can¡¯t we just keep our rtionship a secret? Why can¡¯t everything just go back to how it was on the trip, when we were both just normal people and not food for the media to feast on.


    My phone rang and the number shing on the scream irked me to the bone. It was Carlos¡¯s number, I knew it like the back of my hand because I had memorized it, like the idiot that I am. I grew madder at myself for ever loving him in the first ce. I snatched the phone from the seat and turned off his call. I guess this new phone hasn¡¯t gotten a hang of the fact that I already blocked his ass, so I blocked his number again.


    I stopped in front of my house and got down with the help of the driver. He also brought out my luggage and I thank him. I went upstairs, Lord knows I need a shower.


    As Iy in the bath tub, rubbing the leather smoothly on my skin, I couldn¡¯t help but remember Javier¡¯s naked body. The way he looked at me when we made love, the way he fucked me so gently yet roughly. His muscles and his chiseled chin. And most importantly, the taste of his dick in my mouth. My mouth watered just thinking about him and my pussy turned wet with desire.


    I got out of the tub and rinsed myself before returning to my bedroom. The white walls were my mom¡¯s decision, she said it screamed the word ¡®superstar¡¯¡­ I wanted simple pink.


    I sat at my dresser, swept my hair to my front shoulder and startedbing through it with my fingers. I looked down at the towel wrapped around my chest. My thoughts lingered for a few minutes, then I brought my hands to the edge of the towel and pushed the heavy material off my body. My breasts came into view in my reflection in the mirror.


    I gazed upon my nipples as shes of Javier sucking on them reyed in my head. I closed my eyes and bit my lips, my legs rubbed together, craving for him. I let out a soft moan as I remembered how he thrusted inside of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re still thinking of me.¡± I heard a masculine voice from behind and I quickly gripped my towel and covered myself.


    ¡°You fucking idiot! What are you doing here?¡±


    Carlos stood at the door, his eyes darkened with lust as he looked at my body despite me having covered myself with a towel. ¡°We dated for so long, baby, I know yourbination just as you knew mine.¡± A look of pride in his eyes mixed with a smile on his devilishly handsome face.


    ¡°Get the fuck out of my house, Carlos! Get your fucking things and leave, fuck you!¡±


    ¡°Tsk Tsk Tsk¡± He walked further into the room inspite of my protests. ¡°I know you really love me, that¡¯s why you are still so hurt. But I assure you, you are the woman I want to marry, not that dumb Celia. Just cause I gave her a little attention, she dropped her panties. She is shameless! But as for you and I, we are meant to be together. Let¡¯s get engaged again, I promise things will be much different.¡±


    ¡°You must think I¡¯m like Celia, but I don¡¯t me you for being a piece of shit. I me myself for not see what you were much sooner. I¡¯m gonna say this onest time, get out of my house, Carlos Martinez.¡±


    His gentle eyes turned stormy and his brows turned angry. ¡°You have forgotten who I am in the industry, I have the power to ruin your growing career by the snap of my fingers.¡±


    ¡°I dare you, Carlos Martinez, do you worse.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Six

    L Lopez


    It¡¯s been a week since I dared Carlos and he had just walked out without another word. The Carlos I know is quite vindictive but I could match his energy any day, any time.


    Memories from the trip with Javier were still fresh in my mind, so I did what I always did, I drowned myself in my work. Since I had taken too long away, some things had piled up over the week. Since my manager is on sabbatical, I did not want to call her. To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to hear from her about her strong opinions. So, I let my assistant, Charity handle everything for me. Some modeling gigs andmercials.


    After I had returned, I learned that apparently, some fans are taking my side and bashing Carlos, while others have taken Carlos¡¯s side; Team L vs Team Carlos. I found it hrious cause this was thest thing I needed to heal. Fans try to convince themselves that they care about the celebrity when in actuality, they only make things worse. Carlos¡¯s new album was a flop just because some fans hated Celia around him and preferred me. I know he must be devastated, and poor little Celia must be taking the heat. There was a time when I would y his songs in my car all the time because that¡¯s how much I want to support him, but now, I avoid situations where I have to listen to his voice whether on the radio or the tv. Especially not in person.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into two months, and Thanksgiving rolled by. I never thought much about the holiday but this year, I wanna spoil myself silly. I had just finished with phoPhotoshopen my sister¡¯s number shed on my phone screen. I picked up. ¡°Hey, Adriana¡±


    Her motherly voice resonated from the other end of the line. ¡°Lulu, how are you?¡±


    I held back the urge to reveal my entire depressing life to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± She sounded unbelieving but continued: ¡°I¡¯d like to invite you for Thanksgiving dinner. Please promise you¡¯lle.¡± Why did she have to ruin my ns for the day?


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, baby.¡± She hung up shortly after.


    I got thinking as I walked down to my car. Growing up, Adriana was never considered by our mom for anything because my mom felt she isn¡¯t pretty enough. Our mom rejected Adriana while she spoiled me with good things. Looking back, our mom did us dirty. Cause now, the rtionship between Adriana and I is so fucking strained. She got married right after college and never looked back to check on me, and I don¡¯t me her one bit.


    After freshening up at home, I bought my sister¡¯s favorite wine at a nice shop on the street after mine, then got into my car and drove for 45 minutes down to my sister¡¯s house. As I approached the door, the aroma hit my nostrils.


    I knocked and she answered, wearing an apron with some grease stained on it. ¡°Come on in, you.¡± She opened her door wide open and I entered.


    The walls of her home had photos of her and her family hanging on them. The house may not be as big as mine, but it is cozy and warm; the two things my lifecked. In the living room area was her husband, Patrick with his brother, Lucas; they were watching a game on tv. He nced at me for a moment and acknowledged me, and so did his brother. Her children were busy designing something at the dining table, I went to them and handed them the gift I had gotten for them. They were twin boys named Henshaw and Henry. Both kids looked at me like I was some weird stranger they met in an alley. I sighed, maybe I should visit more often.


    I went to meet Adriana in the kitchen where she was preparing some kind of sauce. ¡°Need help with that?¡±


    She twisted and saw me. ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± I stood beside her. Sheughed at me when she saw how badly I was handling the tools. ¡°Momma didn¡¯t teach you this bit, huh?¡±


    I swallowed. ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t teach me a lot of things.¡±


    She continued as she kept her focus on the turkey. ¡°She must have said that you¡¯re too pretty to ve away in the kitchen like me.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything, sis.¡± I have been meaning to say these words for a long time but I never mustered the courage to say it.


    She smiled as her hazel eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡±


    I hugged her even though her hands were busy. She giggled as I hugged her, then gave me another job to do in the kitchen. Dinner got ready and I helped her serve the meal.


    Patrick said a little prayer and everyone said how grateful they were. Then we dug in. There was silence until Adriana spoke up. ¡°L¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±. I sipped some water to bnce the spicy taste on my tongue.


    Her orbs glided across the table and her face was showing a hint of scheming. ¡°Do you know that Lucas is also into modeling?¡±


    I looked over at Lucas, his eyes moved between his sister-inw and me. He must have felt as awkward as I did. I indulged my sister nheless: ¡°Really? What kind of modeling?¡±


    Lucas smiled as he was about to give me the answer to my question. ¡°Men¡¯s underwear¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± I went back to my food. If it was one of my chatty days, I would have engaged him in more convos, but it just wasn¡¯t.


    The doorbell rang and Adriana rushed to answer it. I saw her return almost immediately with someone behind her. Someone I didn¡¯t think I¡¯ll be seeing too soon.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    I shot up from my seat, ¡°Mom?¡±

 Chapter Twenty Seven

    L Lopez


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    Everyone else stood up to greet her and she greeted back, acknowledging everyone except me of course. She came to the other end of the table across Patrick¡¯s chair.


    Adriana served her food and waited beside my mom as she tasted the food. I saw the worried look on Adriana¡¯s face, buds of tears threatened at her temples. ¡°Do you like it, momma?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Too spicy.¡± My mom dismissed her without trying to sugarcoat it anyway. Adriana¡¯s face fell as she returned to her seat. I felt so bad for my sister.


    ¡°Well, I liked it, Addie.¡± I smiled at her and she smiled weakly at me. Everyone else had started eating, ignoring usdies.


    My mom¡¯s scoff ensued and it angered me but I stayed quiet. But this woman had no intention of keeping the silence as she continued. ¡°Of course, you¡¯d like it, taste had never been your strongest suit.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean, Mom?¡±


    Adriana called my name, trying to calm the situation, but Mom wasn¡¯t letting anything go. The sound of my mom¡¯s cutleries nking against her ceramic te reverberated in the air as she folds her hands under her chin. ¡°All your life, I have coached you, trained you on how to be a smart woman, but you always followed your stupid heart and brought home useless bastards. But for the first in your life, you were lucky to snag the best kind of man in the world, but you let him slip through your fingers.¡±


    I gripped my cutleries as her words sunk in, causing a ripple effect of anger inside of me. I said in a low voice so I don¡¯t ruin the moment. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re referring to Carlos Martinez.¡±


    She snapped. ¡°Who else?! Everyone is calling you a fool behind your back when you least expect it. Carlos would¡¯ve made you big, but you walked-¡±


    ¡°Mom, he cheated on me with Celia-¡±


    She shrugged: ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean anything. When you have a goal in mind, you endure certain things to achieve it, that¡¯s wisdom.¡±


    My eyes became blurry with tears. ¡°Just like you endured Dad, right?¡±


    Adriana snapped. ¡°Enough, both of you. I thought that inviting you would make our family whole again, but I was wrong. L!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to leave.¡±


    I stared wide-eyed as she said such words. ¡°Everything was fine until Mom came, why do I have to go?¡±


    ¡°Just go, L. Maybe another time.¡± She avoided my gaze.


    I pushed off the table and got up. Then I grabbed my bag and walked out of the door. Adriana followed me to the door as I exited.


    I said to her hearing. ¡°I hope she treats you right this time around.¡± Then I walked off and took my car. I drove off, but I didn¡¯t head home. There was a stop I needed to make, but first I needed to be sure. I dialed a number on my phone and waited for it to ring.


    ¡°Hello?¡± A woman¡¯s voice came from the other side.


    ¡°Is he in?¡±


    There was silence for a second before she returned. ¡°Yes, But please don¡¯t tell anyone-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I hung up and turned in a different direction. My mom¡¯s words burned down my throat like a fucking spoilt wine. Nothing I ever did was good enough. She¡¯d praised everyone else¡¯s effort except mine. Now, Carlos is her new golden child. To hell with all of them.


    Just as Carlos¡¯s Christmas song began ying on the radio, I punched the device and turned off that excuse of a song. I can¡¯t believe I once loved this! My mom¡¯s words were slowly getting into my system and it irked me to the bones. She had a way of doing things like this to get what she wants. I promised myself that her words wouldn¡¯t affect me, but now I see that I was just deceiving myself.


    I pulled up in the parking lot of a recording studio. I killed the engine and got out of the car. I walked straight into the building, ignoring the receptionist. I got to the second floor and walked down the hallway, passing beautiful paintings of old Mexican culture. It fascinated me but this wasn¡¯t the time. I stepped into a room; the recording studio itself. the producer¡¯s area was a little dark but the booth up ahead was brightly lit, a pretty girl was in there singing in Spanish. Her voice was angelic and somewhat hypnotic, but no amount of hypnosis is gonna make me forget the reason I came here.


    I walked up to the producer who was listening to the girl sing. I wrapped my arms around him from behind. He was startled, I could tell, but I whispered in his ear. ¡°Just fuck me, Javier¡±. I began kissing his neck and he lost focus. My hands ran down to his crotch where I felt a growing bulge, my hands rubbed him more and I felt the bulge increase. He groaned.


    ¡°Shhh¡± l licked the side of his ear and brought my lips to his earlobe.


    Suddenly, the light came on. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Someone yelled from the door and I looked up to see who was¡­ Fuck! It was Javier!?


    I looked down to see the person I had been kissing all along. It was another guy! I got off immediately, shit. I wiped my mouth as I stared at Javier. This was followed by an awkward moment between the three of us as we shifted our nces among one another.


    The guy got up from his seat and offered his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Francisco, Javier¡¯s brother¡±


    I stood frozen and epted his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Franc-¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Francisco,¡± Javier said through gritted teeth and with his hands folded. I could sense the angering from him and I knew it was directed at me. ¡°You too, Mona¡±. He said to the girl in the booth. She walked out of the booth and headed for the exit, her blue eyes scrutinized me in such a short moment, judging me with just one look.


    When they had all left, Javier shut the door and locked it. ¡°Are you now interested in my baby brother?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I came here for you, how is it my fault that you don¡¯t sit where you should?¡± I avoided his gaze. I still felt a wash of embarrassment from what happened earlier, this is no way to be introduced to someone your brother is dating.


    He took slow strides toward me and I stiffened watching his features. He had kept a little beard and his hair had grown longer since thest time I saw him. He is even more handsome than I remembered. I don¡¯t care if he wants to reprimand me, I came here for a mission and I¡¯ll see it through. I jumped on his body and trapped his lips in my mouth. I kissed his mouth so hard while my hands dug into his pants and rubbed his dick.


    ¡°Fuck me in this studio, Javier¡±

 Chapter Twenty Eight

    L Lopez


    I didn¡¯t care what excuses he was giving, I only knew I wanted something and only he can give it to me. I had no idea I¡¯d get drunk from a few sses at my sister¡¯s ce. It was my guilty pleasure, to drink before family gatherings.


    The end of fall seemed only like the beginning. This year ain¡¯t right, Everything about it isn¡¯t like the previous years. Before this year, I was aw-abiding citizen who obeyed her mother and have never seen someone shot. I had been shielded all my life but on that trip, I was introduced to a whole new world. I had been kidnapped twice, lied about being a serial killer, and argued with my mom. You see what I said; this year ain¡¯t right, but it is the most liberating year of my life.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°L, please leave the building¡­¡± Javier tried to keep himself together. Iughed at him so hard and he observed me. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah¡± I moved back until I hit my back against the wall opposite where he was standing. I brought my hands to my chest and slowly rubbed my breast while he watched me.


    He sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°L, stop this¡±


    ¡°Shh¡±. I gripped the edge of my green dress and pulled it down from the shoulders. I kicked it off my feet, leaving me in my ck lingerie. I watched as his eyes drank in the sight of my body. I just stood there, no fighting, just stood there. ¡°Fuck me, Javier, or I¡¯m gonna fuck myself.¡±


    I unhooked my bra and pushed off the piece of clothing, letting my girls get free. His eyes were fixated on my boobs and the bulge in his pants was peeping at me behind restrictions. I pushed my panties down from the waist and saw his gaze shift down there. I walked closer to him and caressed his chest. I unbuttoned his shirt down and then, went on my knees.


    My eyes were on his orbs as I unbuckled his belt, somehow I was daring him to push me away. The sound of his pants unzipping made me so wet and my clit begged to be touched. I pulled down his boxer briefs and his dick pped against his stomach. My heart fluttered when I saw it up close, how did I survive without him for two months?


    To satisfy the hunger in the pit of my stomach, I covered his tip with my mouth and I heard him groan. I pushed as much of his length into my mouth as it hit the back of my throat. I looked up and saw him watching, I smiled with his dick fully inside my mouth but he didn¡¯t smile back. I fucked his dick with my mouth, earning more groans from him. He touched my face with his fingers, they pushed off a few strands from my face. Then, he held the back of my head and guided my mouth around his dick. He shut his eyes and threw his head back. ¡°I¡¯m gonna cum¡±. He warned.


    I pulled him out of my mouth and stood up. He stared at me confused and a bit frustrated. Iy against the wall and started touching myself, he marched down to me and gripped my hand. ¡°You don¡¯t do that in front of me!¡± He growled.


    ¡°Then do it yourself¡±. I grinned. He furrowed his brows and before I knew it, he took the grin off my face. He flipped me around and brought me to my knees then positioned me on all fours. I whimpered when he pushed in from behind and gripped my waist, then he started thrusting into my core. He growled at the first few thrusts and increased his speed. One of his hands gripped my chin as he fucked me. ¡°You¡¯ve be too naughty¡±. He pped my ass and I moaned. I felt my ass hitting his stomach as he fucked my pussy. I grew wet just seeing him wrap his hand around my waist like that.


    Getting drunk on alcohol had no meaning to me anymore. Javier Lorenzo has be my new kind of alcohol, except with him, I¡¯ll never get tired. Our hands interlocked as he increased his thrust inside of me, fucking my pussy into oblivion. I wanted him so badly, at every moment of every day. I whimpered when he pped my ass again, bringing me to my release. I felt his body grow stiff and he reached his climax. I fell to the floor shaken by the massive release I just had.


    I turned toward him and wrapped my hands around his waist. ¡°I missed you Javier¡± The warmth of his body made me forget everything from my mom earlier today. ¡°Happy Thanksgiving by the way.¡±


    He pulled me away, got up, and fastened his pants. ¡°Get dressed and leave so I can continue my work.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be fucking serious, Javier. I came to you on Thanksgiving day, I was hoping we¡¯d go for dinner or something.¡±


    ¡°L Lopez¡±.


    I was taken aback, he had never called me by my full name before. ¡°Javier, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna act as if you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on? How delusional can you be, L? Do you think that a few great fucks will make up for how you treated me by denying our rtionship?¡±


    ¡°Javier, I¡¯m sorry okay? Please, juste back to me¡±. I grabbed his arm. ¡°I love you, don¡¯t let what we have to die, I beg you. I only told the paparazzi that we aren¡¯t together just so they could leave us alone. I don¡¯t want them to ruin what we have.¡±


    He essed my face. How can I tell him that I don¡¯t want my mom toe between us? I have found happiness after so long, but my mom hates to see me genuinely happy. I wish I can just flip the switch and not care what she says but I¡¯m in too deep, I don¡¯t know how to not take her word seriously. She has infested me like a parasite. My face became flooded with tears I had been withholding, I brought my fingers to my face to wipe off my tears but Javier beat me to it. He cleaned my face with his thumbs. His eyes held so many emotions as he looked at me.


    ¡°Okay, L.¡± He sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Nine

    Javier Lorenzo


    ¡°Good morning, baby¡±. L said groggily as she kissed me.


    ¡°Good morning, mi amor¡±. I replied, returning her kisses. I ran my fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss. She tastes so good. She put her hands under the white covers and massaged my early morning boner. Her hands worked wonders, but there was something else I wanted wrapped around it.


    The drapes in my room let in a little sunlight as Sunday morning made itself known. L was probably right, keeping our rtionship away from the press is great. We don¡¯t get to have people following us around like little puppies.


    She does really cute gestures for me like cooking, or she tries to cook. If almost burning the house down is our lovenguage, then I¡¯ll let her speak it to me anytime.


    Just as she was about to get down on me, her phone rang. She checked the screen and her body tensed up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯ll just need to get this.¡± She ran into the bathroom and answered her call. I closed my eyes and continued trying to sleep. Her call must have taken forever because, by the time she got back, I had fallen into a deep sleep. She shook my shoulder. ¡°Baby, I need to go see my mom¡±


    I opened my eyes halfway. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± A worried look in her eyes.


    I sat up. ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just-I just need to see her¡±


    ¡°Should I take youth-?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She answered before I could finish my question. ¡°I mean, maybe another time.¡± She excused herself and went into the bathroom and I went back to sleep. I felt her kiss on my forehead when she was leaving but I was too sleepy to acknowledge her.


    ***


    I groaned when a pair of soft hands rubbed me. ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡± I asked in a husky voice. There was no answer and I felt as though something was wrong. L¡¯s hands felt different.


    I snapped my eyes open and looked to see the intruder, just as I thought. ¡°Rosa¡±


    She smiled down at me, ¡°Yes baby, it¡¯s me¡±.


    I shoved her off and I got down from the bed. ¡°What the fuck are you doing in my house?¡±


    She stood in her body-hugging red dress. ¡°Ohe on, Lorenzo, don¡¯t be like this. You poor thing¡±. She attempted toe closer but I raised a warning finger.


    ¡°You should be in jail¡±.


    She grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t know how powerful my family is, Lorenzo. They found no reason to arrest me, so here I am. I promise you, we¡¯ll make such a great team, with your talent and my money, you and I can be unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°Get away from me, Rosa. Out of my house¡±


    Her eyes started watering. ¡°Why? So she cane back and enjoy everything I worked for?¡±


    I grew perplexed. ¡°Everything you work for? Are you crazy? You worked for nothing, you only stood idly by while I did all the work. Don¡¯t delude yourself.¡±


    ¡°Lorenzo, don¡¯t be so stubborn, please. Remember your mother, she is such a nice woman.¡±


    I could only see red at this juncture. I grabbed her by the neck. ¡°If anything happens to my mom, I¡¯ll kill you. Do you hear me?¡±


    Her eyes held so much fear as she stared into my eyes, so I let her go. I opened the door and forced her out. ¡°Please, Lorenzo, don¡¯t send me away.¡± She cried as I dragged her down the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did. I truly love you! Please give me one more chance!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to ever see you again, Rosa! Get yourself and disappear from my life!¡±


    Her eyes darkened. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make L disappear too! I¡¯ll kill her if you reject me, Lorenzo.¡± She went on her knees. ¡°I just want your love, is that too much to ask? Why does my mistake have to require such a grave punishment? L made a mistake too but you forgave her¡±


    ¡°What mistake is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You and I know how she rejected you in front of the entire world. She doesn¡¯t love you, Lorenzo. She only wants Carlos so she can boost her career. You are her ything.¡± She got to her feet and wiped off her tears. ¡°Remember when we started dating, I told everyone about us immediately. I am not ashamed of you, my darling, but she is.¡±


    ¡°Rosa, please leave.¡± I tried to ignore everything that came out of her mouth, even though it broke my heart. I refuse to believe any of them. L will never hurt me like that. Never.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then go to her office right now¡±. She insisted.


    ¡°Gosh, Rosa! Enough! She is at her mother¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°Is that what she told you? Well then, there¡¯s nothing to lose if you go there just to be sure. I suggest you hurry, Lorenzo. That way, you will know that I am the only one in the world with your best interest at heart. She walked out of my house.


    I was left in an internal turmoil, should I go to L¡¯s office just to prove that she is innocent of Rosa¡¯s usations? I trust L and this would ruin that trust between us. I can¡¯t do it.


    I picked up the call and dialed L¡¯s number. She picked up. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m kinda busy¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I asked.


    There was a silence on the other line, followed by some shuffling. ¡°Um, I told you I was going to see my momma, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Where are you, L?¡±


    She paused. ¡°With my mom. I have to go¡±. She hung up quickly.


    Very well then, since you¡¯re in your momma¡¯s house, it won¡¯t hurt for me to check out your office, right L?C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I got dressed up and took my car heading straight for L¡¯s office building¡­

 Chapter Thirty

    Javier Lorenzo


    I hated myself for what I was doing. This was not like me going about spying on people, but the phone call with L put me in a confused state. Why did it sound like she was hiding something from me? I hate being the fool, why doesn¡¯t she juste out with it and let me know how she truly feels?


    For the sake of the love I have for you, L, do not break my heart, please. I cannot bear to be heartbroken, it hurts so bad.


    I parked in the parking lot and got out. I walked straight into the main building and took the elevator to her floor. Since it was a Sunday, the ce was scanty. Workers dressed in casual clothes instead of uptight suits. I got on the floor of L¡¯s office and was about to head to her office when I heard noisesing from the conference room. Since the entire floor was empty, I thought to check it out. I walked down the direction of the conference room and looked through the ss window.


    Along with other gray-haired members of the board, L was standing there with her mother. I heaved out a sigh of relief, knowing that it is nothing out of the ordinary. She may not be at her mom¡¯s home but at least, she is with her mom. I turned to leave when I heard a familiar voice, I looked back and saw him; Carlos Martinez standing closest to L. He had his hand around her arms and they were all smiles. I stood there watching them, one would think I had been nailed to the floor.


    I couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but from the looks of it, it must be good news. What was the point of our rtionship if things like this are kept from me?


    I don¡¯t know how L¡¯s eyes went up and she saw me. She froze, looking just as shocked as I was. Her mouth opened and closed as she watched me. If not that I was mad at her, I would have found that sexy. I turned around and made my way downstairs. Not ready to hear any exnation from her.


    I got to the parking lot and was about to get into my car when I heard the sound of heels approaching from behind me. ¡°Javi, please I can exin¡±. She begged.


    I turned to her, my eyes were almost blinded by the tears I was holding back with all my strength. ¡°Get this straight L, I don¡¯t ever want to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Javi, por favor-¡± She broke down in tears.


    I took deep breaths to calm my nerves. ¡°I am giving you one minute to exin yourself. Go¡±


    She opened her mouth as inherent sounds escaped between her shivering lips.


    ¡°You have Forty seconds¡± I was running low on patience with her.


    She finally pulled herself together. ¡°I am only doing this for my mom, I swear. She made Carlos a member of the board by selling him some stocks. I¡¯m sorry for not telling you, it came as a surprise to me too.¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    She furrowed her brows in confusion. ¡°Uh, Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we go our separate ways. You are not truthful to me and you know how much I value honesty. You told me you were going to your momma¡¯s house but instead, you came here. How do you expect me to trust you?¡±


    She was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Javi.¡± Her face was flooded with heavy tears but unlike before, I didn¡¯t wipe it off.


    ¡°¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ is all you have been saying to me from the time we met. I¡¯m tired of hearing your lies! Go back to your office and continue working with your ex¡± I got into my car and drove off, leaving her standing there in her ck dress.


    I stopped a few blocks away from my house. The pre-winter cold seeped through my coat, prating my skin, causing a bit of shiver. I hated the cold, it reminded me of how alone I am. I looked across the street as a couple walked by, holding hands and smiling at each other. It vexed me just watching their exchange. Like the Grinch on Christmas, seeing people in love makes me bitter as fuck.


    What am I turning into?


    My phone buzzed in my pocket; I pulled it out and checked the screen. L¡¯s name shed on the screen. I swiped to ignore the call and then I turned off my phone. I love her so much, but she is too stuck up in her world to see anything else. Changing herself just to please her fans, giving up her happiness to make her mom happy¡­ that¡¯s not the life I want for her.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I sucked in a deep breath and turned on the ignition. Then, I drove down to my house. I looked up to see someone at my doorstep. She still had her red dress from earlier. She smiled brightly when she saw me. I can¡¯t believe she had been waiting in this cold. I got down and walked to the door. ¡°I thought you left here, Rosa. Why are you back?¡±


    She stood in front of me with her bright smile still unwavering. ¡°I have never lied to you, you know that. You know I love you so much. I am sorry for not believing in you, maybe it is because no one believed in me.¡± She looked down as tears flooded her face.


    ¡°Just stop it, Rosa.¡± I walked past her and headed for the door.


    She stood beside me. ¡°Just give me one more chance and if I disappoint you again, you can never talk to me again. But it¡¯s only fair that you let me change myself. Please.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rosa. I can¡¯t do it.¡± Her eyes turned sadder.


    ¡°You know I won¡¯t give up on your Lorenzo, right?¡±

 Chapter Thirty One

    L Lopez


    My feet felt too heavy to carry my body weight as I returned to my office. My lips shivered because of the cold outside, I wrapped my hands around my body to cover myself from the freezing chills but it did me no good. I dropped myself in my swivel chair and let my mind wander. A faint scent ofvender mixed with alcohol and vinegar lingered in the air, the sound of my thumping heart filled my hearing. My eyes stayed on the white ceiling and slowly, it went down the floor-to-ceiling window. Everything I own is because I bent over for someone else to have their wish: my mom, Carlos, my fans, and even my friends. When other people saw me as an easy target, Javier saw more than just a pretty face. He truly loved me and yet again, I hurt him.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    That morning, I got a call from my mom and I rushed to the bathroom to take the call. ¡°Hi, momma¡±.


    Her strong voice responded. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    My heart rate multiplied. ¡°I¡¯m home, ma¡±


    ¡°Lies. I¡¯m in your house and you¡¯re not home.¡±


    I closed my eyes and covered my mouth. Just the fear of my mom being in my house made me want to empty my gastric contents. ¡°I¡¯ll be there, ma¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I wouldn¡¯t want us to sit in this filthy house anyway. How long has it been since you were here? it¡¯s dusty.¡± I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have started seeing that loser again?¡±


    ¡°Mom please¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I know I taught you to be smart, but I¡¯m still appalled by how dumb your decisions can be.¡±


    I heaved out a sad sigh. She always knew what to say to ruin a happy mood. ¡°Mom, why have you called me?¡±


    ¡°Carlos called me¡±. I knew where this conversation and I didn¡¯t want to have it. She continued: ¡°He wants to meet with you.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I-¡±


    ¡°Hush now, you foolish child! What have I told you about being smart? I made a mistake with your loser of a father, I will not let you make that mistake or follow in that stupid Adriana¡¯s footsteps. Love is just a facade, don¡¯t let it stop you from achieving your goal. Am I clear¡±


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now meet me at the office.¡±


    ¡°Okay, mom-¡±


    ¡°And wear something beautiful. Not those sad excuses for dinner dresses you got in Paris in January. I have my designer on standby in case you disappoint me with your outfit.¡± She hung up before getting a response from me.


    I had a shower and wore a in T-shirt with jeans, just my little way of rebellion. I am so tired of her pushing me around. I got to the room and found Javier fast asleep.


    I wanted to tell him about my call to my mom, but I didn¡¯t want to worry him. Plus, he is fast asleep. since he sometimes deals with insomnia, I thought to let him get as much sleep as possible. I kissed his forehead and told him how much I love him, then I went out of the house.


    Just as expected, my mom gave me shit for dressing the way I did. I knew that even if I picked the best clothes in the world, she would have something toin about. Her fashion designer made me wear a ck dress with some glitter on it, and silver shoes to match. He did my hair and my makeup. It beat me how I have to dress so much just to meet some old men.


    When the meeting started, I was escorted by Charity to the meeting. I sat down silently while my mom did all the talking, informing the board about their newest member. I had no idea who it was, I thought it would be one of these big-time movie directors. But when Carlos walked in through that door, I felt like I was going to die. He had a smile stered on his face as he made his way to my side of the table. My mom got up and greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, then she introduced him to the board. She offered her seat to him which was nearest me. But before she walked off, she slipped me a note that only I saw. It read: ¡°Smile¡±


    She stood in front of the board and started talking again. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I just received word that my beautiful L and Carlos have rekindled their engagement.¡±


    I gaped at her because of the lie she just told. How could she expect me to be okay with this? I got up to leave the conference room when she grabbed my hand without anyone noticing. Then she whispered in my ear: ¡°If you walk out of here, you can forget about me.¡± I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Now, smile,¡± She said as she grinned at members of the board.


    I forced out a smile even as tears threatened to leave my eyes. I hated feeling weak because I know I have so much strength in me, except when it mattered, I barely show it. I love my mom so much and the fear of losing her love and ending up like Adriana cuts me to the bone. My mom is the kind of woman who can give you the entire world, but she is also the type of woman who can snatch away everything in a heartbeat. In her youth, she rose to fame and has stayed there ever since now she wants me in her footsteps.


    Charity signaled me to something at the window and I looked up to see Javier watching me from the outside. The look in his eyes made me realize that I have lost him forever. I pushed out of my mom¡¯s hold and ran downstairs just in time before he got into his car, but I was right, I have lost him. Now, I don¡¯t know what to do with myself.


    ***


    As I was mourning the loss of my rtionship, I heard footsteps enter my office and looked in the direction of the entrance. I frowned when I saw who was standing there. It was Celia looking different from thest time I saw her. She had gained a few more pounds and her belly wasn¡¯t as t as it used to be. She wore a short A-line gown and a pair of slippers on her feet. I pushed off my backrest: ¡°I thought I told you to stay far away from me?¡±


    She angrily marched down to my desk and hit her hand on the table: ¡°That was before I realized you are a whore who wants to steal Carlos from me!¡±

 Thirty Two

    L Lopez


    ¡°Are you insane? Have you finally lost it, Celia?¡± I shot up from my seat to match her stupid energy.


    She grabbed everything on my desk and threw them on the floor; from my picture frame to some unsigned contracts, and even myptop¡­ ¡°I will warn you right now, L Lopez, stay away from my man.¡±


    ¡°YOU listen to me clearly, Celia Johnson I don¡¯t have anything to do with your man!¡± I smirked: ¡°Oh I see, you¡¯re upset that he¡¯s treating you the way you both treated me. You can dish it but you can¡¯t take it, can you, Celia?¡± Iughed so hard in her face it made her red with fury.


    ¡°I always admired you, L, I thought you were a nice girl, but you have shown me how vindictive you can be. How can you announce to the board that you and Carlos are engaged when you know I am pregnant with his baby?!¡±


    I was taken aback: ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡± My gaze shifted down to her belly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb, I know Carlos told you! You¡¯re just a sad bitch who is upset that a good-for-nothing girl like Celia could take your man from right under your nose and you¡¯re trying to get back at me. But you listen¡­¡±. She pointed a finger in my face. ¡°I won¡¯t rest until I get back my Carlos! I am not you, I don¡¯t give up easily.¡±


    My surprised expression changed to amusement. Iughed all over again. ¡°You better rest because of your condition, Carlos will never stop being Carlos. Focus on your baby and live to take care of him.¡± I returned to my seat. ¡°And by the way, I never thought of you as a good-for-nothing, it¡¯s unfortunate that your low self-image will always make you run after other people¡¯s scraps for the rest of your life. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I need to get back to my work.¡±


    She stood there watching me with anger in her eyes. ¡°I will kill you, L. I swear it!¡± Then she stomped out of my office, jamming the door behind her. Stupid bitch.


    Charity showed up and saw the state of my office. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Celia did this?¡±


    ¡°Why did you let that lunatic into my office?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, L but I didn¡¯t know. E, the new secretary told me.¡± She came and started picking up the things on the floor.


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry forshing out. She upset me.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not worth it, trust me.¡±


    A different voice reverberated from the doorway. ¡°Leave us¡±. Carlos ordered Charity.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to order my assistant around, never do that again!¡± I barked.


    He sauntered in with his hands in his pocket. ¡°In case your brain hasn¡¯t figured anything out, I am one of the owners now, and I get to boss people like her around. If you don¡¯t like it, speak to your mom.¡± He sat down in the chair in front of me.


    ¡°Charity, please excuse us,¡± I told my assistant.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± She walked out, leaving the door slightly ajar on her way out. Smart girl.


    Carlos crossed his legs on my desk, this irked my soul. ¡°So, tell me, what were you and Celia fighting about this time?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Is there any useful topic between her and me except the cockroach of a man?¡± I retorted.


    The median edges of his eyebrows furrowed and his nose red. ¡°If you talk to me like that, I¡¯ll pull my shares away.¡±


    ¡°Please do. At least, I can be free from looking you in the face every day.¡± I folded my hands under my breasts.


    The frown on his forehead dissipated when his eyesnded on my boobs. The hunger in his eyes disgusted me, I removed my hands from under my boobs and his gaze returned to my face. ¡°You and I know that if I pull my shares out of your mother¡¯spany, she will be very very mad at you my dear.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯re using my mom against me.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You have always been a piece of shit. Now, your true colors have be more clear.¡±


    He chucked heartily. ¡°I love it when you insult me, it makes me want you more. That was what attracted me to you in the first ce.¡± He glistened with nostalgic happiness.


    Tired of indulging his nonsense, I cut to the chase. ¡°Celia is pregnant?¡±


    He rolled his eyes and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. ¡°Want one?¡± He offered.


    ¡°No, and don¡¯t smoke in here, Carlos¡±


    ¡°Oh please¡±. He scoffed and lit one cigarette. He took one long whiff of it, then expelled it through his mouth into the atmosphere.


    I avoided inhaling the smoke. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Carlos, stop smoking here¡±


    He ignored me and continued smoking. ¡°That idiot thinks getting pregnant will keep me attached to her stupid ass. I¡¯m so done.¡± He took another whiff and pushed it out, the smoke forming a ring in the air.


    ¡°You are scum, you know that,¡± I stated matter of fact.


    ¡°We are all scum, baby. I am scum, you are scum¡­ no one is safe from the scum business¡±. Heughed at his dumb joke.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your n with the baby?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting an abortion or it¡¯s gonna get ugly.¡± He answered without a care in the world.


    ¡°Just make sure she never tries the rubbish she did today, I won¡¯t take it lightly next time,¡± I stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He lit another cigar and took a long ass whiff and expelled it into the air. ¡°Her fat butt won¡¯te here again, I assure you.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good.¡± I watched him, waiting patiently for him to walk out of this ce.


    His eyes fixated on mine and a smile stretched across his face. ¡°You on the other are different.¡±


    What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    He took another whiff of his cigar and threw it on the floor then stepped on it. ¡°I¡¯ll be the happiest man if you will give birth to my child.¡±

 Chapter Thirty Three

    Javier Lorenzo


    I watched over the balcony as the club went crazy Mona got on the stage and started performing her hit single. Francisco discovered her in a pub and brought her to me. I must admit that he has an ear for good voices and can spot talent like I can. Her voice is fire and she can carry an entire room with her energy. Her songs are written by her, with a few suggestions from me and my associates. She is the next big thing, and I¡¯m d we found her first.


    All her fans sang along as she vocalized her song and moved her hips to the beats. For a moment, she looked up at me and smiled in my direction before she returned her focus to her fans. She started making moves just because she knew I was watching.


    ¡°You know she likes you, right?¡± Francisco yelled over the music from beside me. A bottle of beer in his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I stated, cing my attention elsewhere. For a moment there, I thought I saw L but maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.


    ¡°Ohe on, what¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s time to move on, my man.¡± Francisco said as he took a swig of the beer in his hand. As if it were that easy.


    I took a sip of the champagne in my hand. ¡°Not with one of my singers, you know how these things get messy. We should always be professional in our dealings.¡±


    ¡°So, you have thought about it¡±. Heughed, earning an annoyed growl from me. I clenched my jaw.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with this conversation.¡± I got up and walked out of the balcony which was only meant for a certain kind of people. It had the best view in the entire club. I made my way into the inner room where there was a different kind of party taking ce. The light was red, the air smelled of really expensive cigars, and a stripper was busy dancing at the pole in the middle of the room, taking off her clothes for the amusement of the few bastards watching. Those bastards were my friends¡­


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the man of the hour.¡± Mark greeted with a ss in the air. I shook his hand. The other two raised their sses at me as well and paid them respect.


    I bowed mockingly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then I snapped my finger at the girl, she gathered her things and walked off. When we had attained solitude, I continued. ¡°So, what are your thoughts, do you think the investors will like Mona?¡±


    Jerry, the second friend joined in. ¡°She is gifted, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    I felt a bit relieved. ¡°I just don¡¯t want her to get disappointed is all.¡±


    Mark patted me on my shoulder. ¡°You always care about your singers, and that makes you a great leader. I promise you that Mona will be the biggest star in the world of music.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, man¡±. I shook his hand. Just then, I noticed the bouncer signal to me from the hallway and I went to him. ¡°What¡¯s up, Ken¡±


    ¡°Rosa¡¯s here to see you, G.¡± He stated.


    Why the hell would Rosae here when I¡¯m busy with my promotion? That girl doesn¡¯t know when to quit, does she? ¡°Okay, Thanks man¡±


    ¡°Anytime.¡± He responded.


    I walked out to the lobby and found her standing at the bar. The dress she wore was really short and her boobs were almost popping out from the upper part. If she thinks I will get jealous like I used to do in the past, then she¡¯s highly mistaken. I don¡¯t care what she chooses to wear. ¡°Hey¡±. She greeted as she took a sip of her drink with a straw.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Rosa?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I came to congratte you on your new singer, Mona, is it? She is really pretty.¡± She took another sip. Her eyes sparkled with Trouble.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, congrattions.¡± She smiled. ¡°And don¡¯t forget that I love you.¡±


    ¡°Enough of your foolishness. Don¡¯t disturb me again.¡± I walked off and returned to the balcony but couldn¡¯t find Francisco; where had he disappeared to? I brushed it off and continued watching Mona do her thing. She grinned when she saw me watching her, and increased the sway of her hips, moving her body seductively to the Spanish guitar being yed in the background. I was hypnotized by her performance, there was something about how she moved that was so breathtaking.


    After the show, we announced her tour and got people excited. I was in one of the rooms, organizing my thoughts when the door creaked open. I saw Mona standing there.


    ¡°I just came to thank you for believing in me, Javier.¡± She walked in.


    I stood up facing here. ¡°No problem at all. I am the one who should be grateful to you for choosing my recordbel.¡± I nced at the door. ¡°I thought you had gone home with the girls.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She stated coyly. ¡°I just wanted to show you my gratitude.¡± Her hands snaked up my chest but I held them away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Just go, please.¡±


    Her face dulled. ¡°Is it because of L? I thought it was over between the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Mona, you want us to work together, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked firmly.


    She stuttered. ¡°Y-Yes Sir¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Good. Then, respect yourself and keep the rtionship between us strictly professional. Do you understand?¡±


    She looked at me as if I were a ghost. ¡°Producers like you are rare, Javier. I¡¯m d I was lucky enough to find you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the lucky one.¡± I smiled halfheartedly as she turned around and left the room. I went to shut the door behind her when someone else appeared at the doorway. I recognized her from the day L and I arrived in Houston. I think she was the girl who L referred to as Celia. ¡°However  may I help you, miss?¡±


    She folded her hands on her chest. ¡°I want to talk to you about L.¡±

 Chapter Thirty Four

    Javier Lorenzo


    I was nonplussed by her words, so I asked¡­ ¡°Why are you here to talk about L?¡±


    She darted her eyes into the room. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡±. I gave way for her toe in. Her appearance was different from thest time I saw her, and she looked pregnant but I couldn¡¯t tell for sure. I closed the door to give us a bit of privacy. ¡°How may I help you!¡±


    She sat down on the chair in the corner and started massaging her feet. I could tell that she was quite exhausted. She pushed some strands of blonde hair to the back of her ear as she looked up at me. Her once bright eyes did not seem as bright as they used to be, and they had bags under them. Her light pink blushed cheeks were dull and puffier thanst time. Her skin was not as glossy anymore. Overall, she did not look too good. She spoke faintly. ¡°I need your help, Mr. Javier Lorenzo.¡±


    I went closer with concern. ¡°What do you need help with, ma¡¯am?¡±


    She ced a hand on her chest. ¡°My name is Celia Johnson and you may not know this, but I was L¡¯s best friend before she-¡°. Her words got hooked in her throat, but she continued. ¡°I was the girl who cheated with her ex-boyfriend, Carlos.¡±


    The sound of that name, Carlos pisses me off. ¡°Why is this important to me?¡± I asked with my hands in my pockets as I watched her.


    ¡°I know you are the man in L¡¯s life now even if it does not seem that way. I know you both are in a rtionship.¡±


    ¡°You heard wrong. L and I are not together.¡±


    She chuckled with her hand covering her mouth. She looked so frail that I felt bad letting herugh. ¡°You are so funny if you think I have not been watching the two of you. You and L belong to each other¡±.


    ¡°I appreciate your enthusiasm, Miss Celia but I find it rather hard to believe that you came all the way here to preach about love to me.¡±


    She brought out a tissue wiped her face with it, and even blew her nose. Then she looked for where to throw it, I held up the waste bin for her to throw it in. She continued to speak: ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that L and Carlos have reconciled and their engagement still stands.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know that but I didn¡¯t say. I still did not understand the reason for her visit. Yet again, L lied to me through her teeth. ¡°Go on¡±


    She shifted in the chair. ¡°I am pregnant with Carlos¡¯s baby and I do not want to be a single mom. I want Carlos to ept responsibility and take care of me and the child.¡±


    I shook my head in bewilderment, still trying to figure out how this was my business. ¡°I do not think that I¡¯m the best person to speak to Carlos Martinez about taking responsibility for his actions, Miss Celia.¡±


    ¡°I know-I know. I just need you to get L out of my way. Make her be with you so that Carlos can focus on me. I do not want to lose him. He still loves her very much and as much as I hate to admit it, they look good together.¡± Her words pricked my heart. Do they look good together? She sniffed: ¡°You understand where I¡¯ming from, don¡¯t you? You more than anyone understand the pain of unrequited love.¡±


    ¡°Miss Celia, I can¡¯t force an adult to do what they don¡¯t want to do. If L and Carlos like each other, then I¡¯ll be of no use.¡± I shrugged, although deep down, I hated the wordsing out of my mouth, but in this case, they were most appropriate. No matter how much I love L, she is still an adult and has the right to decide who she wants for herself.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She shot up from her seat with her brows furrowed and her forehead creased. ¡°I will never ept that! Carlos is the father of my child, I can¡¯t let L have him.¡± Tears had started gathering at the edge of her eyes and before I knew it, she had turned into a crying mess. She shed so many tears as mucus seeped down her nostrils.


    I went closer tofort her. ¡°Calm down, Miss Celia-¡± Her cries grew louder and more annoying. I was tempted to kick her out of my room but I maintained self-control because this concerned L.


    After crying for ages, her expression turned stoic as she looked me dead in the eyes. ¡°I am warning you, Mr. Javier, get L out of there, or else, I will murder her.¡± There was no hint of a bluff on her face. ¡°A word is enough for the wise.¡± She walked out of the room, leaving me standing there in shock.


    I have no idea who this Celia chick is, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be joking in any way. I grew worried for L. I know we ain¡¯t together anymore but I care so much about her. Carlos and Celia are a problem to L. I must get rid of the problem¡­


    I checked my watch only to realize that the time was inching toward 11:30 pm. m. I quickly got packed up and went to search for Francisco so we could go home. The waiter directed me to the gallerypartment and I went there.


    I stopped when I saw Francisco with L together; I was right, I did see her earlier that night.


    The two of them wereughing and having fun, but as soon as she saw me, she gaped at me as if she saw the ghost. My chest thundered with rage, not because I saw her, but because I saw her with Francisco. I had already caught them in apromising position the other time but I ruled that out as a mistake even though the image tortured me from time to time. But Francisco¡¯s next actions pushed me over the top; How dare he kiss her?!

 Chapter Thirty Five

    L Lopez


    I hid my hands inside my jacket pocket as I walked toward my car in a desperate attempt to find warmth. Bits of snowkes littered the path to my car. We barely get snow here in this part of America, but like I said earlier, this year is different in so many ways.


    I struggled to find my keys in my purse because of how blue my fingers had gotten. Thankfully, I found them and pressed the button. Once I was secure inside my car, I started the engine and headed to the club. Still contemting if taking a ride to the club was the best thing for me tonight or just going straight home, but as soon as I took thene opposite the direction of my house, I got my answer. My mom had organized a small party for me, Carlos, and some of our business partners¡¯ kids -and that was the venue. It beats me how I¡¯m still stuck in this maze, blindly following my mom¡¯s orders.


    Streetlights twinkled along every street that I drove through, leading me to my current destination. Not long after, I parked in front of the lounge/club. I removed my seatbelt and got out with my phone and purse in hand. I approached the entrance, walking past the long queue of people trying to get in. When I shed my card at the guy there, he let me walk in.


    Neon lights almost blinded my eyes as I stepped in. I adjusted my sight as I walked further, doing my best to meander through the crowd of dancers; some were stoned, drunk, or both, while a rare few were sober.


    I finally made it through the maze of dancing clubbers and found myself at the bar. My eyes darted through the floor until theynded on a table where Carlos and two girls were sitting. I recognized those girls as the daughters of my mom¡¯s investors, there was another guy whom I also recognized. The way Carlos put his hands all over the girl¡¯s bodies didn¡¯t surprise me. Yet another unsuspecting bimbos like me.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    I walked over there after getting my drink. As soon as Carlos saw me, he shoved them off of him, not knowing that I had seen him. I acknowledged everyone at the table and they acknowledged me too. I sat next to the guy and joined in the convo. I checked my phone to time myself: the time was 9 pm and I nned on leaving at 10. My bed was calling me and I wanted to answer her majesty. I sipped my drink as the conversation was bing too boring for me. I avoided Carlos¡¯s hands from touching me.


    Just then, that girl walked past us. I had seen her that day I visited Javier¡¯s studio. I remember he called her Mona, she has a great voice. As she walked by, everyone chanted her name as if she was this big superstar. She is quite pretty and I honestly didn¡¯t like the way she red at me that day. I decided to shove those thoughts to the back of my mind.


    She got on the stage at the far end of the hall and grabbed a mic. She started singing and everyone danced. Carlos offered me his hand but I refused it. He pulled the other two girls along and they made it down to the dance floor. He wasn¡¯t standing upright anymore due to the number of drinks he had consumed. I shook my head as he made a fool of himself under the neon light.


    I noticed the girl, Mona¡¯s eyes go up to the balcony that overlooked the dance floor. I followed her gaze and saw him. Javier. He was watching her as she performed. She moved her hips seductively as her body swayed to the song she sang. My breathing became unstable as I watched him admire her like that.


    I got up and walked out of the club hoping he doesn¡¯t see me. As I made it toward the exit, someone bumped into me and I almost fell back, but he caught me. I know him! Unfortunately, an embarrassing feeling washed over me as I remembered how we met. He smiled my way: ¡°Hi, L, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°Francisco, right?¡±


    He grinned, shing his dimples. There was so much of Javier in his features, ¡°Yeah, you remembered.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±. I blushed with embarrassment as I remembered the other thing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally fine. I¡¯m cool.¡± He smiled. ¡°Can I buy you a drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, I want to go home,¡± I responded honestly.


    ¡°Ohe on, the night is still young, let¡¯s go on some adventure, shall we?¡± He held my hand and led me to another side of the building. I never pictured the club to have a gallery, but here I was enjoying the sight of a fine piece of art hanging on the wall. The gallery wasn¡¯t overfilled; just a few men in suits anddies in elegant dresses. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t feel out of ce in my flute-end magenta dress with an off-shoulder and matching shoes.


    We sat at the bar there and ordered champagne. Once the bartender brought our orders, I picked up the flute and took a sip before cing it on the small table between us. Francisco cleared his throat: ¡°So tell me about you and my brother.¡±


    ¡°Well, we met on a road trip-¡±


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°I know that I¡¯m just curious about what¡¯s going on between you two. All this will he-won¡¯t she thing, where is it headed?¡±


    I swallowed the knot in my throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly.¡± I looked down at my drink.


    He adjusted in his seat and took a full swig of his champagne, leaving nothing in the ss. ¡°I think you love each other, but you¡¯re letting the world hope you back.¡±


    I hummed. ¡°I just wish he would understand me sometimes.¡±


    ¡°If you want him to understand you, then have an earnest conversation with him, that¡¯s the solution to this entire problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as difficult as you think¡± He answered back.


    I finished off my drink and focused my attention on him. ¡°So, tell me, what was your first impression of me?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, you gave me a hard boner on our first meeting so that was good.¡± I threw my head back as a rumble ofughter erupted from my chest. He continued: ¡°But aside from that, I think you¡¯re good for Javier, he just doesn¡¯t know it yet.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say so?¡±


    He thought for a moment before answering. ¡°You make him lively, happy¡­ Javier is the eldest of my siblings, his life has been filled with a lot of sadness and it affected him in life in general. He is always so serious, but with you, he can be crazy and clumsy.¡±


    I digested his words, my eyes water with just the thought of being apart from him for so long. I barely made it past thest few weeks without going into a nervous breakdown. I want to make him smile andugh, I want to be his happy ce.


    In the haze of my mind, I nced up at the wall clock. ¡°Would you look at the time, 11:30!¡±


    Heughed, ¡°Admit it, you lost track of time because I¡¯m fun to hang with.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Maybe. Come on, let¡¯s go¡±. We paid for the drinks and made our way towards the exit of the gallery, but I stopped in my steps when I caught sight of Javier. His eyes were fixated on me and Francisco. The smile on my face vanished when I noticed how mad he was. What did he think was going on between Francisco and me?


    I felt a need to exin the situation so I took a step toward him, but Francisco grabbed my hand-and right in front of Javier, he ced a kiss on my forehead.


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