Sick

"Hmm..."

Davian started to wake up, his head was throbbing with a headache. His eyes adjusted to the lights and he discovered that Silvia's head was leaned on his. He raised his head slowly as she was still asleep but she woke up anyway, few seconds after he balanced her head on his shoulder.

Her face and nose were so unusually pink, he held her cheeks. His eyes closed as his forehead landed on hers gently.

"You're burning up," he said, she held his hands on her cheeks.

"You too," she replied shutting her eyes too to the headache she was feeling.

He chuckled; " Remind me next time not to let us stay too long under the rain," he said and she chuckled as well.

"I don't easily get a cold," he continued.

"Me too," she seconded.

"I guess it was really cold yesterday and we stayed out too long," she added.

"No, it's because it's close to winter season," he objected, she nodded not having the strength to argue.

"Who will take care of the other when we're both sick?" he snickered.

"Can you stand up?" he added.

"I'll try," she replied. He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up as well with his support.

He held her arms as she almost swayed;

"Let me brew up my mom's special tea for cold and fever. The pending sickness will be gone in just a few minutes," he said.

"Really?" she responded and he nodded.

They walked to the kitchen and Davian started to prepare the tea using the electric cooker. In just a few minutes it was ready. They both drank from it, it was quite bitter but refreshing.

"I think I feel better now," she said sincerely.

"I should call up my driver to come pick me up," she added.

"Why don't you just stay and I'll drive you home later," he suggested.

"No, I've bothered you enough. He should come pick me up, it's what I'm paying him for, isn't it?" she replied.

She called her driver and in just a few minutes, he was at the apartment door.

"He's here, I've to go, Mr. Randell. Are...are you sure you don't want me to fix your kitchen and phone. I caused it anyway," she said.

"No, it's okay. I'll handle it," he replied.

"If you say so. I'll have someone return the dress later," she stated.

"It's okay, you can keep it, really," he responded.

"oh...are, you sure?" she asked. She do like the dress.

"Yes," he replied.

"Thank you. Bye," she said as she walks out of his apartment, her driver carrying her stuffs which are her designers handbag and her previous clothes which had been dried and kept in a shopping bag.

"Bye..." he said once she and her driver were out of sight.

Meanwhile, at the Reyes' mansion, Mr. Reyes sat on a chair in front of a table and another couch in his study room. Mr. Randolph stood opposite him.

"Were these all you found?" Alan asked.

"Yes, boss. The guy's clean, he really lost his father at an infant age, his mother is truly sick diagnosed of brain tumor. At some point he did leave the country to Ashville but I couldn't find the specific year he left and years he stayed there. I couldn't also find any useful information about his firm-"

"How are all of these useful to me?!" Alan yelled throwing his glass of whiskey on the floor, which smashed into pieces.

"I'm sorry, boss," Randolph apologized.

"Don't apologize to me, you moron. Go out there and find me something useful, you incompetent fool. I don't care if you have to tear down the whole of Asteria or Asheville or even Navarro, find me something on that guy, you idiot!" Alan thundered.

"Yes, boss," Randolph replied and walked out of the study room.

...

Olivia's eyes were focused outside the window of the car, she can't just believe her life could get any sadder. She was on her way to Silvia's.

Her father and brother could kill her if they knew she was still seeing Silvia, but her driver will never tell on her. He has known her since she was a kid and he loved her like his own child, he pities the way Axel and Phillip treats the poor girl.

She usually tells them she was just going to see Sentencia and Cia always has her back when asked, these were the only times she was allowed to leave the mansion, to see Cia.

The car parked at the parking lot, she got out of the car. Her eyes acknowledged Cia's car, she must be here already, she thought.

She walked into the house, which was a one-floored duplex villa. She found Cia and Silvia chatting happily at the bar section of the house.

"Hey girls," she greeted.

"Hey," Silvia said observing her friend closely.

"Hey sweetie, come give me a kiss," Cia responded and Olivia pecked her on the cheek also giving her a side hug. She sat on the bar stool with Cia while Silvia was over the bar counter.

"Here," Silvia offered her a cocktail which she had already prepared.

"What happened to your hands?" Olivia asked concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing serious. She almost burnt down her boyfriend's apartment," Cia jeered.

"He's not my boyfriend. Barely my friend if not for the contract," Silvia remarked.

"How?" Olivia asked.

"Well, classic disaster. Silvia Reyes tried to cook," Cia answered and Silvia hit her arm a little.

"Let me answer the questions, will you?" Silvia said and Cia just laughed. Olivia sighed;

"I'm glad it's nothing serious," she said.

"Hey, what's up girl?" Silvia asked.

"You look blue. We never even got to see each other and ask about...that night. What happened?" Cia asked. Olivia didn't answer them for some while. Tears began walking down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Cia asked.

"Did that fool hurt you?!" Silvia shouted.

"No," Olivia replied, wiping off some tears.

"He was actually so gentle," she added.

"So our baby has finally gotten her cherry popped," Cia tried to joke in the situation and Olivia actually snickered.

"If he didn't treat you bad, then what's wrong? What happened?" Silvia asked.

"Well... it's funny and stupid of me. I actually like what we did and I'd do it again with him if it was on different circumstances. The way he treated me, the way he had made love to me led me on to thinking that what we had was special. But..." Olivia trailed off.

"But what?" Both Cia and Silvia responded.

"He just left, without a goodbye, without even thinking of seeing me. Just yesterday, I found out he also left the country on that same day," Olivia replied.

"And what did you expect from a man who doesn't respect women and changes and wears them like clothes?-"

"Silvia!" Cia reprimanded.

"What Sentencia?! It's the truth. Don't tell me you fell for that dog because he f**ked you well-"

"Enough Silvia! Let me handle this," Cia cut her off. She turned to Olivia and brought the girl's head to her bosoms as she comforted her.

"It's not your fault, sweetie. If your dumb brother and father hadn't forced you, that man doesn't even deserve a woman like you at all, he doesn't deserve that gift you gave to him," Cia said as Olivia hugged her back.

Silvia sighed, the girl must be going through a lot of emotional trauma right now, who was her to add more words to her burden. She walked out of the bar counter and hugged her as well.

"I'm so sorry, Olivia. For what I said earlier," Silvia apologized.

"It's okay, it was the truth anyway. But you don't have to worry, I didn't fall for him and I never will," she assured.

She was ready for anything that was to come from now on. She was tired of crying, it was time to face life heads on. If this was her inevitable fate, then she doesn't actually have to be the loser, to be the instrument, the weak vessel. She has to be steadfast now more than ever-She motivated herself as she shared that hug with her friends, that were like big sisters to her.