27. Be mine

At the Star City Five Star Hotel.

Samuel placed the drunk girl on her bed. Her make-up had been terribly smudged from her non-stop crying. Samuel looked at her and felt his heart ache. He tucked her in the duvet and sat down next to her. She was drunk, again. He wondered how a pretty woman such as her could waste her life with a man who did not seem to care about her in the slightest. He remembered meeting Julie for the first time in one of the family functions.

It was Five years ago, the DoHard Real Estates and his family's chain of hotels got to into business together. It was a family dinner to celebrate the partnership. The Benson's, Samuel's family, who were the host of the dinner had over The Owen's, Julie's family. Back then, they were both still in their early years of university abroad, and since both of them were the only kids, they were flown in to be prepared to take over their family's businesses. Then, she was a still a girl, with waist- long braids, a knee-length dark blue long sleeved dressed and matching dark blue six-inch heels. She looked like a goddess who emerged from the deep blue waters. At that moment, Samuel knew that he had fallen irrevocably, irreversibly in love. Back then, he knew her as Cecilia Owen, only daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Moses and Isabella Owen. As soon as they stepped in to the Benson mansion, Cecilia was the one to welcome them with her beautiful smile which went well with her dimples. Both families were bent on having their only children take over. As the meeting went on and the night got deeper, the only thing Samuel paid attention to was the girl sitting opposite him. After the meeting, the juniors excused the seniors to catch up. The juniors went for a walk outside as the girl showed her guest round the mansion.

"Do you wish to take over from your parents?" Samuel shot the question after they had walked for a while. Cecilia did not answer but smiled at him and stopped. "I mean, is that what you want to do in life?"

"Is that not what I have been prepared to do all my life?" Cecilia shot back the question at him.

"But is it what you would rather do?" Samuel stopped upon realizing Cecilia was not walking with him anymore. He looked back at her and saw the swimming pool water reflect the light to her delicate face. He fell deeper. Cecilia smiled at him and took a step forward.

"No. I'd rather travel the world and meet new people and dolphins."

"Dolphins?" Samuel repeated and let out a light laugh.

"Yes. I find them a curious species. Do you know that they can tell when a woman is pregnant?" Cecilia asked, her voice full of admiration. She squatted down and touched the water in the pool.

"Really?" Samuel asked.

"That is what I have to confirm. Ask me that in a few years, I'll tell you." She said proudly and smiled broadly. Samuel smiled back. "Is that what you want to do? Take over?"

"Yes. I have always admired my parents' business all my life. I have no other interests." Samuel replied and took a seat on one of the pool seats.

"None?" Cecilia asked as she stood up and wiped her fingers on her thighs.

"None." Samuel confirmed.

"Not even girls?" Cecilia asked and moved on to seat next to him. She could tell that the question had caught Samuel by surprise by the way his eyes widened. She laughed out lightly. "I am just teasing you. Don't get all tensed up." She laughed some more. He looked at her and watched her laugh. His heart held on to the beat. Her laughter made him laugh too. "I admire you. Your parents will not be disappointed by mine."

"So you have made up your mind?" Samuel enquired. She hesitated. "Do not tell them yet if you have not made up your mind." He advised. "A lot of things may happen within the next few years before we finish our graduate programs. And besides, you can visit now that you have free time as a student then by the time you take over, you will have already done what you wanted to do in life." Cecilia looked at him and nodded.

"Do you really think that things will have changed and be different?"

"I can't answer that. But I do believe that time changes thoughts and experience changes beliefs. By that time, you will be mature enough to know what path in your life you want to use to get to where you want to go."

"That is true. You are very wise, Sam." She said heartily.

"I know I am." Samuel jested and looked at her. "See you in a few years, partner."

"Indeed, partner."

Julie turned on the bed and Samuel rushed to hand over an empty bucket. She vomited in to the bucket for a while. By the time she was done, she was already half sober. She looked at the man who rushed to hand her a bottle of water. He helped her sit up and slowly opened the cap and helped her take a few sips. Her eyes were already swollen and their reddening had intensified from before. After she had had enough sips, Samuel helped her in to the quilt again and tucked her in. His heart ached every time he looked at her, so he avoided looking at her. But she looked at his every move and noticed the disappointment in his eyes. As soon as he was done tucking her in, he turned to leave and headed for the door.

"You must think I am very pathetic." She said weakly. He stopped a few steps from the door. "I know you think that. Because I think that too. Look at me, I fell in love with a man who has never even liked me. I dated him for almost two years and the most romantic thing he did for me was hold my hand and that was because the photographers suggested that it would help boost our business scores. He has never even kissed me." She laughed pathetically. Samuel did not turn to look at her. He struggled to hold back his tears from falling. "Do you know, we met in one of my vacation trips. I was going to Europe for my yearly vacation and he was busy doing business and we happened to meet in one of the five star hotels. If it was not for my desire to please him and meet with him often, I would not have joined in my family business. But he had already caught my attention and the only way I could catch his, is by offering a business deal, which he accepted. And thus began my heart ache." She said pitifully and felt the tears flow freely from my eyes. She looked at Samuel's back. "Samuel…"

"Do you know the one thing I have ever wanted most?" Samuel interrupted. Cecilia thought hard. She could not figure out the answer. Samuel was disappointed. He shook his head and took a step forward.

"For me to let go of my obsession with Brandon." Cecilia panicked and let out the first thing that came to her head. Samuel chuckled in disappointment. He angrily turned around and took a few angry steps forward and paused before he got closer to her.

"For you to be mine." He said and felt the first drop of tear ran down his cheek. "I have been in love with you since I met you. Are you so blinded with your obsession that you can't see that?" He was almost shouting. Cecilia avoided his angry eyes and looked at the floor.

"Sam, I am sorry…"

"You are sorry? That is all you can say?" He retorted.

"What else can I say?" She replied with her voice low. She was right. Samuel knew she was. There was nothing she could say to make him calm down or to make the situation better. They were in the same situation more or else. Both of them were in love with a person who could not love them back and none of them had any power over their hearts. If there was any other girl who was out there who loved him, she would be in the same situation he was in with Julie. He clenched his fists. He looked at Julie for a while and turned around to leave.

"Get some rest." He said at the door as he went out.

Julie heard the door shut loudly behind the man who just left. He thought of his words. It was true. She had nothing to say to comfort him. She had always known he had some affection for her but she thought it was purely platonic. She never thought it was more than that. All these years they had been close he was in love with her and she did not know. 'He must think I am very selfish!' She thought to herself. But there was nothing she could do. Her heart belonged to the one man who had never found her attractive enough to have her by his side. She could not allow him to be with anyone else if not her. "I am sorry Sam, but I have to fight for the love of my life. Brandon must be mine!" She said in determination.