CHAPTER 1
Antonio Madras stared at his reflection on the window louvers, at 30 he was good looking most women will say" he is as handsome as sin" with black hair which he often tie to the back with a black band.
He is about 6ft2inches tall with high cheek bone, kissable lips with a gym fitted body to die for and look good in everything he wears.
It has been two months since he came back to Lovelorn where he had stayed growing up, he has his own company here.
He was damn rich now a far cry from the poor orphan boy who couldn't afford a car or good clothes even sometimes starved cos he couldn't afford groceries.
Lovelorn helds a lot of memories for him, there were happy times and sad times but the sad time outweighs the happy ones because of his later experience which made him leave town.
He remembered when he left years ago, a poor and heartbroken man not just simply because he was accused of a crime which he didn't commit that had then landed him in jail till he was suddenly free but the shock of how the love of his life betrayed and married the man who was responsible for the crime being pinned on him and who also happens to be his worst enemy all because of money.
Those moments had been the darkest time of his life and his lover betrayal had hurt more deeply than the shame and pain he had to bear in jail.
One minute she had been there for him, coming over everyday tears streaming down her eyes, her face red rimmed because of crying too much and her looking pale and awful...
" T please don't give up I know you are innocent and I know Andre is just doing this to come between us but he can't because our love is strong", she had said while grabbing his chained hands and peppering them with kisses.
God!
How he had believed her thinking truly nothing would come between them and these had been his strength but he was so wrong, damn wrong about her and how she truly feels about him.
After spending few weeks in prison and the state lawyer given to him couldn't get any evidence that prove he was innocent of the charges he was accused of, he had resign himself to the fact that when he would be charge to court that he was going to be jailed and that had got him pacing in the cell wondering what would happen to his woman not even worried about himself or how going to jail will affect his future till a police had informed him that he had visitors....
"Mr Antonio", the maid called which had brought him back to the present.
"Yes Martha", he replied as he turned to face her.
"Mister bucho is here to see you", she announced and he went to the sitting room and met bucho sitting down.
Bucho stood up immediately he noticed Antonio his boss in the room.
"Good morning boss", he greeted with a smile.
"Bucho I have told you to stop saying boss. for Christ 's sake! You are my best friend and my brother too", he told him irritated by the way bucho treats him and this made bucho smile.
He considered him as his best friend and brother because not only did they grow up together but during the darkest time of his life when noone had believed or stood by him ,his best friend had and when he needed money to leave town he had came through.
He wasn't the ungrateful type after what had happened he considers his best friend family.
When he started making money and wanted to setup a company in Lovelorn, he made Bucho to head and manage it. The owner of the company had remain a mystery to people for years till he showed up giving all of them a shocker.
"Boss,we are best friends I know but it is working time, I need to respect that ", Bucho replied him.
Bucho believes in respecting work ethics and wanted them to always maintain a boundary of employee and employer at work but önce off work they are back to being best buddies.
"okay, okay", Antonio consented shrugging his shoulder.
He understood him perfectly well, he knows Bucho don't want anyone to think he is being treated different because they were friends.
After a brief discussion, they decided to head over to the company.
They went riding their different cars and when they got there Antonio was satisfied with the workers way of working.
He got off the elevator and decided to walk around a bit to view the company.
As he did,he was shocked by what he saw...
The golden hair and the petite figure made him pause and inhaled sharply cos he knew who owns that body anytime any day even in the dark he could identify that body.
As if they were communicating with each other telepathically, she slowly turned to face him and their eyes met.
"Bettina", he thoughts as he stares at the face which has remained ageless despite it being nine years since he last saw her.
"Antonio", she thoughts
He barely held his own emotions under control as he watched the play of emotions on her face ranging from surprise, to shock then fear.
To him, she has always been an open book or so he thought until the betrayal.
He got back into his car and drove back to the house.
Bucho was surprised when he passed by him with a Stony face not even pausing to say any word to him until he looked ahead and discovered Bettina's presence.
He didn't need a soothsayer to tell him the kind of mood his best friend was in right now after seeing her.
"he needed to go and comfort him", he thoughts as he also got into his car and headed back to the Antonio's house.