The Villain

"Wh--" The words haven't even left her mouth when she was assaulted by a spicy fragrance and she closed her eyes as if she was in euphoria. 

Santiago placed his head on the wall behind her, she was now enveloped in his scent.

"What are you thinking?" His voice vibrated against his chest and she opened her eyes to glare at him. 

"None of your business," She answered him. At such a wrong time, she found the cure for her killing-morning-sickness. Whenever she would be assaulted by a bout of morning sickness, she would always crave a certain smell but was never able to point it out, until recently. 

Clearing her throat, she asked him, "What kind of cologne do you use?" 

"I don't use Cologne," Santiago looked at her weirdly and answered. 

"No one can smell this good," Persephone retorted. 

"You are one weird woman," Santiago sighed out and pulled out a small box from his pocket before stuffing it in her hand. "Here, this is for you." 

"What's this?" She asked him with furrowed brows. 

"Open it once you are in your room," Santiago murmured, his eyes settled on her dry lips. 

Persephone eyed him but didn't say anything in the end. She bent down to pick the torch and left the room, silently and sneakingly in the same way she came. 

Santiago just sighed when he saw her leaving him once again, without turning back. 

Well, he brought it on himself…

…. 

When Persephone reached her room, she switched on her bedroom light before sighing. But that sigh changed into a gasp when she opened the box that Santiago had initially stuffed into her hand. 

It was the pearl bracelet for her baby that she saw in the mall later. 

When she returned home after the mall, she wanted to slap herself. How could she believe those stupid superstitious words of the shop attendant and not buy the gift for her baby? 

Even her baby liked the bracelet. Don't ask how she knew it, but she just did. 

She didn't know why Santiago purchased the jewellery for her. She was sure that he had no idea about her pregnancy. 

And the question was that...if she should accept the gift from Santiago or not… 

… 

Santiago was studying Persephone as usual in the shopping mall. When he was selecting the wedding ring for his to-be wife, he saw his Red eyeing something so longingly. He saw her putting on the bracelet-like thing on her fingers and then leaving it with a sad sigh…

He couldn't understand why she didn't take it when she liked--no--loved it in the first place. 

And why did she leave it on the box after eying her sister? 

When he dropped the woman home, he drove his car at double speed and ran back to the jewellery store. 

"Excuse me?" He said while gasping for a breath.

"How can I help you?" The shop attendant who was attending them previously asked. 

"There was jewellery placed here in a blue-coloured box...bracelet kind of thing…" Santiago said, calming down his sprinting heart. 

"The one that the woman with red hair was checking out?" It was another woman who asked him. 

Santiago smiled at her. "The same. Can you pack it for me?"

"The pearl bracelet is a part of our luxury collection--" The shop attendant began speaking with a wide smile but she heard a faint voice cutting him off. 

"Would you pack it now or not?" He once again asked him. 

"Sure sir," her polite smile didn't falter as she left to bring out the pearl bracelet. 

A couple of moments later, the same lady came with a bag and he handed his card to her. He dropped the bag there and shoved the box in his pocket without checking it out. 

She had never asked him for anything. He didn't know why it affected him that she wanted something but didn't get it for her when she had all means to attain it… 

A smile spread on his cold and stoic face as he remembered how the Sapphire necklace that he gave her as a souvenir is still dangling on her neck. 

Touching the box in his pocket, he smiled. 'Another present for my girl.' 

Imagine Santiago's surprise when he would know that the bracelet was for someone else... Someone still his..but not who he was thinking… 

... 

The NEXT DAY!

"You are looking extremely happy, Mr V, what is the occasion? Who is going to die?" Emmanuel's gruff voice was heard as soon as Santiago exited his bedroom. 

Santiago squinted his eyes and turned to look at the grumpy shirtless young man, who was stirring something inside the pot. Since he was in a good mood, he let the young boy, a tone slide. He took a step ahead to head to the gym, but since he remembered something, he stepped back to glance at Emmanuel only to say," I have a question, Emmanuel." 

Emmanuel paused in his movement and turned his head to look at Santiago who was seemingly asking him a very serious question. Even Romeo who was quietly sitting at the table, enjoying the fruits and reading the newspaper veered around to look at Santiago. 

"Umm, Yes, Mr V?" Emmanuel was racking his brains as to what kind of difficult question his boss was going to ask. 

"What would you do if the hot contents of the pot ended up splashing on your very naked chest?"Santiago asked him with a very kind smile. 

As if on cue, Emmanuel stirred the soup a bit hard and its splashes ended up falling on his chest. 

He shouted like a madman. Well, it hurts like an S.O.B. 

Romeo ran inside their bedroom and came at the same speed with a first aid box in his hand. With gentle fingertips, he applied for medicine on his boyfriend's smooth and lickable chest. 

"No, naked running from tomorrow onwards, "Santiago ordered them. Pointing his finger at Romeo, he continued, "Especially you. Make sure you are decently dressed and make your relationship clear to everyone. Again, no flirting with the opposite gender."

Romeo just nodded his head at him. 

Wait a moment, why Mr Vitello was scolding him when it was not his fault, to begin with. 

"Mr V, can you not be harsh with my boyfriend? He doesn't understand you as I do," Emmanuel begged him. He couldn't see his baby hurt at all. 

"And you, stay away from me. I don't want my wife to misunderstand me," Santiago narrowed his eyes at him. 

Emmanuel pointed at himself before crying in pain. He saw Santiago leaving the living room while whistling. 

At times like this, Emmanuel was boiling with rage. Again, his boss was thinking of that woman. He happily came all the way from the Masean Empire only to find that he was lied to. Santiago wasn't getting married to Persephone, the sweet and beautiful woman he met two months ago, but some other witch named Sophia Marino. He even heard from Romeo yesterday that Mr Vitello was getting married tomorrow and he even selected the ring for that woman. 

He was not going to accept any woman as his lady boss! She had to be his kind and sweet Percy! 

"I know what you are thinking but you know and understand Mr V better than me," Romeo said, patting his shoulder. "Even if you express your dissatisfaction with his decision, it will not change anything. Just learn to accept that sometimes some things aren't meant to be what they should be. Perhaps, Mr V and Juliet weren't meant to be together." 

"Call her Persephone," Emmanuel said. "If Mr Vitello heard you calling her Juliet, he will be real mad once again."

"Who cares about him?" Romeo scoffed before pulling his boyfriend for an intense kiss. 

...

"Mr Marino?" The doctor came with a distressed look. "How long should we wait before discussing the case before Mrs Costas?

Don Marino was standing outside the ICU. He was still standing tall and proud. No one could guess that he was the same man who had almost killed his wife in a rage. This cool, handsome and mysterious middle-aged man was troubled more than anyone could guess. 

Although the doctor was afraid to ask questions to Don Marino, he still had to ask the necessary ones, even at the cost of his life. They couldn't pretend to treat the person who died last night because of a stroke any longer. However, who was brave enough to say this to him? 

No one… apparently… 

"My daughter is getting married tomorrow, " Don Marino spoke. He paused for a minute before throwing him a warning look. "I don't want to hear about his death until she is married… As for what to tell his wife… it is completely up to you… I just know that Richard Costas will die the day after tomorrow." 

....

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