CHAPTER:3

"It's Marshall Wyatts."

"All well? It's pretty late?"

"I have an offer for you."

"And that is?"

"I'll pay you two million,

Date me."

The text exchange happening left Elara in shock, is this guy for real? After staring at the text for who knows how long, Elara finally types back;

"Mr. Wyatts, is this some kind of joke?"

Not even a minute passes, when she hears a *ding*, Marshall replied, quite too soon, as she's still left trying to collect her brain cells and slap them into working again.

"It's 3 of midnight, do you think I have time to pull silly jokes?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but this is a pretty silly joke. I do not have the energy to deal with anything like this right now, goodnight Mr. Wyatts."

As she hits 'send', she clicks her phone off, and makes her way upstairs next door to her home. Today has been quite hectic, and this guy hasn't made it any easier on her.

She takes a quick shower and jumps onto her bed, her shoulders ultimately slumping into relaxation. She inclines her head back to the wall, closing her eyes to finally get some peace.

Elara feels as if she's been teleported to somewhere else, she sees she's not in her bed anymore. She feels as if she's been teleported to somewhere sinister, evil. Elara looks around, trying to find a way out, but the entire place looks so dark, smells horrid, and just a dirty, frightening maze. She resists the urge to throw up, and starts to run...

Screaming, when a voice starts taunting her.

"You can't run from me, my love. I'm gonna make you squeal. You're mine."

Elara turns to face the man, whose face cannot be seen, even under the naked moonlight. She squints her eyes to get a better view of him, but that doesn't work either. She turns to smack the man behind her, when he grabs her wrists, getting ahold of her.

His strength, hurting her. Elara cries for help, as she continues trying to push him away, punching him with all her might, but in vain.

It takes him only one try to whisk her across the street, throwing her off. Leaving her, wincing in pain, as she hits a hard wall. He continues smiling, devilishly, as he slowly approaches her.

As he closes in, he kneels down to face her, grabbing her hair, pulling her even closer to him and at last whispering;

"You cannot escape me."

Elara forces her eyes open, huffing for air. Frantically looking around for any weapon she can find to protect herself. As she begins to calm down, she finally looks around her surroundings, she's back home. It was another nightmare.

She feels her eyes starting to swell up, as she looks down her palm, she wonders to herself; 'What did I do so wrong to deserve this?'

Elara starts tearing up, she doesn't stop the tears from flowing. She wails as loud as she can. Hoping somebody, anybody will come to her rescue.

No one does...

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It's the next day already. Elara couldn't sleep after that, so she decided to go downstairs and start preparing for the day. As she begins setting up the café for the day, a knock on the glass door makes her turn her head around. It's the new part-timer.

As she opens the door to let him in, he smiles gleefully.

"I got you coffee, boss!" He hands her a cup and moves towards the kitchen counter.

"Thank you, I needed this." -She says taking in the fresh coffee smell.

He continues smiling in response.

"Your shift doesn't begin until afternoon, what're you doing here so early?" She inquires.

"I didn't have anything else to do today, so I thought why not check-in early. I might as well as earn some extra cash!"

"Ah, so you're here because you need to earn the money, not to help me." -Elara teases.

As the two continue chatting the main door flings open, revealing Hana.

"Hana? What are you doing here, so early?"

"You will not believe this! I've gotta tell you something." -Hana says, taking Elara by her arm, leading her towards a corner, to speak more privately.

"Oh, and Tom, can I please have a cappuccino? Thanks." -She continues.

"Ms. Hana, my name is Timothy." -he replies suddenly cold.

"Yea, sorry about that." -paying no heed. Elara mouths a sorry, and turns to speak to Hana. "What's going on?"

"Did you find a sponsor?" -Hana asks.

"Sponsor, for the café? Not yet, why?"

"I have a friend, they inquired about cafes nearby, they want to enlarge their restaurant business. They want to sign into partnership. If you want, I can talk to them, and set up a meeting." -Hana explains.

"Hana, that sounds amazing! I'm so grateful to you, for finding this opportunity for me. Yes, please set up a meeting and I'll be there." -Elara smiles, so grateful.

"But listen, let me just warn you. This guy isn't going to be easy to deal with, he puts a lot of importance to his timings. If the meeting is at 8:03, be there by 8:03. Not a minute late or early. You have only this chance to prove yourself, don't mess it up." Hana warns.

Elara nods fiercely, willing to put anything in stake.

Running a café on your own, at a young age and with no money, is quite tough. Elara cleared off her parents debts only to go into debt herself. She took in small, big loans from banks and money sharks to open her café, and she did it all on her own. And even though at times, running it on your own takes a toll, she loves what she does. But to keep business afloat, she's been looking for partners to share the responsibilities with. It's not easy to find sponsors, especially when you're new in field. A lot of people doubt your capabilities a newbie, and it is hard to prove yourself. But Elara is determined. She's somehow managed to keep the café up on the run, all alone, since last year. But with great work, comes great responsibilities too. She's been busy with the café, none of her debts have been paid in full and the debt collectors are now up on her neck, soon presumably with a knife.

And now, she's finally got a chance, and she doesn't want to waste it.

Hana takes her leave, with a cappuccino in her hands. Reminding Era that she can do it, and not to mess it up.

Later, in the evening, Hana texts her the address of a local café, and the meeting time. 7:24. Elara turns to look at the clock, the time is currently 5:59. She has around one hour, and roughly thirty minutes. She can close up the café early, and reach the address by 6:50. As she continues doing some mental math in her head, she feels her phone buzz. She looks down to see a text from Marshall.

"Meet me. Now."

She sighs to herself, not wanting to deal with him today.

"I'm sorry, I cannot. I'm afraid I have other important works to do." -she replies.

"Either you come meet me willingly, or I create a scene at your office workspace."

"YOU WOULDN'T!"

"Oh, trust me, I would. And it seems, I've pulled up to your office, I'm entering."

Elara feels her blood run cold. He's at Naia's office. If her uncle sees him there, he'll know the entire story. Elara begins to panic, she looks at the time; it's 6:08. She can make it back in time if she leaves now.

"Tim, you're on closing duty today. I have somewhere to be." Elara shouts as she rushes out of the café. Without listening to what Tim has to say, if he has anything to say at all. She hails for a cab, and tells the driver of Naia's office address.

She calls Marshall, and he receives on the second ring.

"DON'T GO UP! I'M COMING, I SWEAR I'M COMING. STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" -She roars into the phone. Marshall can be heard chuckling lightly and replies; "You have fifteen minutes. If you're not here by then, I'm coming upstairs."

_____________________

Elara pays for the ride, and sprints towards the office. As she comes to a clearer view, she sees Marshall sitting in his car, typing away in his laptop. She fixes her hair, and starts walking gracefully. She knocks on his car window, he turns to look at her, and nods at the driver. She hear the lock shutter open and lets herself in.

As soon as she is seated, the car starts.

Marshall leans in close to her, almost too close, Elara's heart skips a beat as his breath on her, and he pulls the seatbelt from her side, buckling her in. She studies his face for the little time he was close. He's got pretty eyes, too pretty. Beautiful eyelashes, thick eyebrows furrowed. His pink crystal clear cheeks, all too pretty. What would it feel like, his cheeks? Would they be squishy and soft, unlike him? Elara admires.

"Ahem." -A voice breaking her out of her thoughts. She faces him sternly.

"Mr. Wyatts. Do you realize how highly inappropriate this is? Threatening me in front of office. Why are you doing this?" -Elara questions him.

"Doesn't matter to me. I asked for a meeting and you didn't agree." -Marshall replies.

"You weren't asking, you were demanding. And I will not give in to your demands."

"And why is that? I'm willing to pay you way more than what Naia Valdivia offered. And I know you need the money."

"Mr. Wyatts. No matter how much money I need, I will not be pulling off this stunt. I already have a lot of things at stake, I will not be putting my life on it too. I suggest you find somebody else to do this work for you." -She replies, calmly.

Marshall sighs, massaging his temples. "You are unbelievably stubborn."

"Ms. Jane. I don't think you understand. I don't have a choice, I just need you to act for the next couple of weeks, just a few events to show up at. Just until my family sees I'm capable of 'relationship drama'. Otherwise, I'll be married off, without asking about my choice this time, And you'll be rewarded handsomely, you have my word in it."

"Mr. Wyatts, my heart goes out for you. But I simply cannot do it. It is beyond my capability. I hope you understand. I'll get off here." -Elara declares.

As the car comes to a halt, she slowly lets herself out and starts walking the other direction. With no idea how far the car drove her to, she wishes to find a cab and get back as soon as she can.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, she finally hails a cab and makes her way to the address, Hana sent her.

Elara picks on her finger out of stress, picking on the skin again and again, until she sees red blood forming. She shakes her head to think clearly. She takes in deep breaths to relax. She knows she'll ace the meeting, if she gets there in time that is.

As she's focused on thinking of what things to say at the meeting, the cab abruptly comes to stop. She looks at the driver; who in return turns to her and starts speaking;

"Sorry miss. The car's out of fuel. It's not going to go any further."

"What do you mean by that? Please, you don't understand. I have to get there right now. I've already lost a lot of time. Please."

"I'm sorry miss, there's nothing I can do to help you right now. I can call for another cab but I'm not sure when it'll get here." -he exclaims.

Elara sighs, feeling defeated. This is not happening.

Elara steps out of the car, paying half of the promised amount. And starting off by foot. She can get there within the next thirty minutes, if she runs.

She takes off her shoes, revealing her bare feet, and she starts running, slowly and steadily. fastening her pace with every step she takes. Halfway through, she hears light thunder rumbling, and prays to herself that this is just her imagination.

Even when the small drops of rain starts trickling down face, she prays this is just her imagination. But when the rain comes down at its best and full speed, she stops running. She looks up at the sky, unable to keep her eyes open due to the rain, she sighs. She sits down, in the middle of the road. Contemplating everything.

Her best friend got her this chance, and she screwed it up. And now, Elara doesn't know what to do. She feels lost, she feels like giving up.

She wishes, someone were here to support her, to shield her.

Not feeling the rain on her anymore, she quirks her neck to look up, finding Marshall. Shielding her with an umbrella.

But he's not standing underneath the umbrella, he's using it for her only. His suit, completely drenched in the rain, but he doesn't seem fazed at all. She looks at him, and even though her eyes are full of tears, he still cannot tell.

"You are one silly human being. You could've told me, I would've dropped you off. Come on, you're going to catch a cold." He says, reaching his hand out to her.

And even though she feels helpless, she takes his hand, tightly grasping it and standing up. Marshall pulls her close to him, looks her in the eye and whispers, his voice coming out hoarse; "You're going to be the death of me, woman."

_________________________

As soon as the car comes to a stop in front of the local café, Elara runs in. She doesn't care about her soaked dress, she looks around for the man she was supposed to meet here. She faces a clock in front of her, the time reads; 7:40

She turns to leave the café, when a waitress calls out to her. "Are you Ms. Elara?" as she approaches her, sheepishly. Elara nods.

"Ah, Mr. Kim left you a note. This is for you." -as she hands Elara a note. The waitress excuses herself, and Elara opens the note to start reading;

'Ms. Valadez. I was told very highly of you from your friend. But I cannot express how disappointed I am on how you didn't show up on time. You had a chance, and you blew it. I do not think I can go forward to working with you as a partner, if you're late to our first meeting like this. I hope you understand, and a word of advice, please make sure that in the future, you're not late to other important events you might have.' As she's done reading the note, she scoffs to herself, not out of anger, but out of pain. She crumbles the paper and throws it away.

And starts walking back home, forgetting of Marshall's existence, completely.

_____________________________

As Elara enters the neighborhood, and is within reach of her café, she hears frantic yelling from nearby distance. She turns to look back and finds an elderly man stumbling, unable to stop as he continues jogging down the hill, against his will. Elara looks around her surroundings, and rushes to gather all the trash bags nearby, and positioning herself in front, to catch him. Closing her eyes as she braces for impact. The elderly man comes to a stop as he plunges near Elara and falls on the garbage bags. He huffs for air, clearly out of it, as he slowly pats his own body, realizing that he's still alive, thankfully. He looks at Elara and she extends her hand, helping him sit.

"Quick thinking young lass. Thank you." -He says.

"Are you okay? Do I have to call a doctor or anything?" Elara asks, worried.

"Ah no. Nothing this old man cannot handle." -he smiles.

"This is my café, please come and have a seat. Until someone arrives to pick you up. I insist." -Elara gestures, showing him the café in front of them.

As they enter the café together, Elara hurries to the kitchen and gets the elderly man a glass of water, and a few cupcakes they made today, from the fridge.

The elderly chugs down the glass of water and begins munching on the cupcake. He eyes Elara and comments; "Have you been crying lass?"

"Huh? No, it must've been the rain. I didn't have an umbrella." -Elara replies, avoiding eye contact, which is something she does when she lies.

The elderly chuckles, "You're not fooling anyone here. I'm an experienced old one my dear. Do tell, what's bothering you. Let me see if I can help." -He says, smiling softly. Elara looks at him with tears in her eyes, she feels as if her father was speaking to her. How much she craved telling her dad about her days. And today, after another hectic day, when she feels like she cannot take it anymore, this man, surely an angel, is asking her about her problems.

Elara breaks down into tears, and begins pouring her heart out;

"I had one chance today. One chance to finally make everything right. If today had went well, I would've easily paid all my debts off, one by one, they just keep piling! And I messed up! Just like how I always mess up! I messed up this opportunity, I got it as a favor from my best friend. How am I supposed to face her now? What do I tell her? I cannot believe how I wasted my time in fear and ran after some dude." -Elara continues crying, her face buried in her hands.

"Hey-ho lass, let me tell you this. There is a Tagalog saying, and it goes something like this; 'Bilog ang mundo kaya kahit talikuran mo ang problema mo, sa huli haharapin mo rin yan sa ayaw at sa gusto mo.'"

Elara looks at him, puzzled. While he continues;

"Meaning; 'The world is round, so even if you turn your back on your problems, in the end you will eventually have to face it. With what you want and don't want.'

If today you decide to give up, tomorrow the same problem will come and cause disturbance. Facing it now is saving you from a lot of troubles you don't know would exist. Who knows, maybe whoever you were meant to meet wasn't able to meet you, because something better will come. Or maybe that meeting would've caused you more problems? Life doesn't always go our way lass, but that doesn't mean we can turn our back at life. You turn your back at it, who knows ,maybe it'll bring a bigger problem. Better to face it full on, don't you think?" -he smiles, kindly.

Elara begins to feel at ease, she perceives that the better is yet to come. His words give her a glimmer of hope and she thinks to herself; 'Is this what it would've been like with dad? If he was still here, would he have given me the same advice?'

Seeing Elara's saddened expression, the elderly man inquires; "You still seem upset, my dear. If it is of any help, I can speak to my grandson and he can sponsor your beautiful café, I'd hate to see it shut down, especially knowing how hard the owner has worked for it, and how delicious these cupcakes are!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to disturb you. I'm more than grateful that you sat here and listened to me. I was just.. I was just wondering what it would've been like.. to have a father." -She speaks, her voice smaller with each word she says.

His face falls this time, and Era continues; "My parents passed away in a car accident, when I was 8. I grew up with my father's brother and his family. Though, they were not unkind, they weren't family either." -she reveals.

"My dear." he looks at her, his face asking something;

"Elara." -she replies.

"My dear Elara, I know your parents are proud of how far you've come in life. You're standing on your own two feet, at this young age, if I were your family, I would be so proud of you too." -his kind words touching Elara's heart. She feels as though, all hope is not yet lost. She smiles back at him, a true, sincere one.

"Let me help you get back on your feet, I'll tell my grandson about you. I owe you my life, child. This is the least I can do."

Arguing back and forth and seeing no end to it, Elara finally agrees to his help, giving him her business card. The elderly smiles, rejoicing his victory.

"And you don't have to worry about being late, I'll make sure he comes here himself. Not the other way around."

The duo continue chatting until a Rolls-Royce pulls up in front. Bidding adieu to each other, Elara smiles as the elderly leaves. She closes up the café and makes her way back home.

As she enters her home, she finds herself getting a call from Naia.

Upon receiving it, Naia screams out;

"What the fuck did you do?!"

Surprised by the sudden agitation Elara questions, "What do you mean?"

after a small breath, Naia yells;

"MARSHALL HAS AGREED FOR THIS MARRIAGE PROPOSAL!"