EPISODE 5: The Painful Hit

Annoyed or everything that you can name to compare over the sudden mood a lady would feel whenever a persistent man came. Veronica Santiniez was just resting on her table when businessmen started flooding there because of her. She's indeed a beautiful and mysterious enchantress who caught any single man's attention in the event. But she was not looking for it. She tried to get away from them but couldn't until she decided to do something and pulled anyone that her hand could reach.

Veronica felt a familiar strong hand that made her recall an incident the other day when she was in a rush. She knew already whoever this person was would help her like he did once when they bumped into each other. "He's my fiance." 

The man that she suddenly pulled leaned a little closer and whispered. "What do you mean fiance?"

Upon hearing it, Veronica shivered as it tickled something in her heart making her look back at him and whisper. "Play along and help me out here." Feeling familiar, she showed her lovely smile at him.

Both heartbeats started to race as their eyes met once again. Silver grey meets dark hazel eyes. Both felt something familiar yet could not put a name on it. But as the man that she pulled released a sigh, he stood up straight to compose himself before he sternly looked over the men who were disturbing her night.

Veronica was caught off guard when the familiar man pulled her closer to his body possessively. "Who are they?" the familiar man asked.

Their closeness reminded Veronica of something from a blurry distant past. "I don't know." She managed to answer.

"Hm, I'm just with my old peers and now you're being surrounded by nasty flies." He gave his cold stern look at those men again. "I better tie you up around me so they won't lurk around you." he kissed Veronica's forehead causing her to blush.

Something familiar in the man which Veronica feel safe, causing her to snuggle into his arms. "That's so sweet, hubby." but internally, she was cursing herself for what she was acting at the moment. 'What the fuck, Vero! You're not a sweet woman but you are acting like one now around a stranger.'

But those persistent men were annoyed when the man beside her compared them to a fly. "What did you say?" one of the men glared.

"That she called me Hubby?" the man flatly responded.

"NO!" they all reacted in anger.

He looked at them confusedly as he had no idea what bad he mentioned for them to be mad until Veronica realized what it was. "Ah, I think when you called them flies, Hubby." 

"Oh, that one." He scoffed. "Well, they indeed fly more than bees around a lovely flower." and those men fumed up.

"YOU BASTARD!" they exclaimed and charged at him.

Veronica sighed internally since she didn't like to start any commotion or even involve the man she pulled into her mess. But the man suddenly pulled her to his back to protect causing some warmness around her chest but ignored it. She doesn't need protection, especially, when dealing with simple petty matters like what was happening at the moment. 

Veronica stood beside the man. "Don't level me with other ladies there." She caught the incoming punch to the man's side with her bare hand.

"Woah, you're strong." The man smirked when he noticed what she did since both of them twisted their hands causing them to whine.

She smirked back. "I know right." then she flipped her hand with her free hand making the man smile in amusement.

But his amusement turned grim when pulled the persistent man closer to him. "Don't cause a ruckus at my hotel." 

Veronica slightly looked confused at the man beside him when he said those words. She knew that the S.Lux Hotel belonged to the Salazar Empire and now that she heard him, she finally understood why this man was being approached by the other businessmen or women in the event. 

"Sebastian Salazar," Veronica muttered upon realization.

"LIAR!" one of the persistent men shouted snapping Veronica from her thought. "This is not your hotel," he smirked.

"Oh, is that so..." Sebastian let them go making Veronica do the same thing and stood firmly at them. "Then since you don't believe me..." he trailed off and waved his hand.

Four men in black suits came to their spot and respectfully bowed at him. Veronica sighed since it was starting to get the big issue and it was not turning good.

"...security, you know my rules whenever somebody is causing a ruckus in my hotel." Sebastian continued what he was saying. "Make sure that they're banned from coming here."

The security guards of the hotel began holding them. "WHAT?! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" they exclaimed as they tried to free themselves from the guards. "We're from a wealthy family like you." one of them added.

"I know." Sebastian turned his back on them. "But your family weren't acting like what you do, they were well-mannered." he went closer to Veronica's side and held her hand. "And never annoyed anyone in whatever event they were being attended to."

Veronica knew what Sebastian was talking about and decided to play it cool to escape from it. "Hubby, leave them be." 

"WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" they shouted causing alarm to the others.

Something began to click inside Veronica and glared at them. "Enough is enough." Sebastian might jolted from the stern voice that Veronica released but he was amused. "The host of this event will be dealing with you since it was theirs anyway." She informed as the lady host of the event came to their spot.

"What's going on here?" Mrs. Everlyn Pendelton quickly asked while her husband was elsewhere.

"Nothing much but these men were acting like a persistent bug and almost hurt us. You better choose whose you're going to invite to your party." She smiled at the lady host in a friendly way. "We're leaving now." She excused themselves and let the host handle what just happened there.

Like a couple, Veronica just dragged Sebastian with her and escaped from the commotion before it got worse. She was not sure why she had to drag him out there but now that they were a bit far from the event hall, she stopped.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian's cold voice softened when Veronica stopped in her tracks.

Veronica was stunned by the beautiful garden of the hotel. "Beautiful." She felt at ease when she saw serene it was making her giggle. "It's serene here."

Sebastian, on the other hand, likes the view of Veronica's smiling lips. "Like it?" he asked.

"Yeah. Enchanting." Veronica smiled more as they both went further inside the garden that was filled with different types of flowers.

Sebastian watched their entwined hands as they further and went to the gazebo that had a grand piano at the center. He was feeling nostalgic while they held hands as if he was thrown back to his younger years with the person he's engaged with.

"Oh!" Veronica noticed their hands and quickly let them go. "Sorry." She immediately apologized. But she quickly missed its contact and just tried to ignore it.

Sebastian shook his head. "It's okay. I love holding your hands." he smiled at her. "I mean, you are the second woman out of my family who managed to hold me like that."

Veronica gave him a confused look. "For real? who's the first one then?" she sounded like teasing him.

"Someone I lost." He sadly smiled and Veronica felt a pang in her chest as she didn't like to see those smiles on him.

She just nodded and didn't say anything else. "Ahm, thanks for helping me back there. It was very thoughtful of you." She was grateful.

"It was nothing." He smiled.

"Then I have to go now." She said. "Thank you again. Bye." she turned her heels but she was halted when a pair of hands pulled her back.

Veronica slightly yelped at the sudden pull that Sebastian had made. She almost loses her balance and lands in Sebastian's strong arms. She felt safe in them but she could not melt in the arms of a stranger. She pulled away but Sebastian held her closer.

"Mr. Salazar?" Veronica was confused.

"Sebastian." He insisted as their eyes were locked onto each other. "Call me Sebastian from now on, Ms. Enchantress."

Veronica blushed slightly. "I'm not enchantress. I'm Veronica Santiniez." She out of the blue introduced herself.

Sebastian was about to say something when everything suddenly went black and the commotion started again. Everyone started to panic while the hosts of the event tried to keep everyone calm. But on Veronica's side, she had another thing in mind. She began to move carefully since some shadows began to invade their event.

"Who are these men?" she wondered to herself when she heard her AI system's voice through the earpiece that she was wearing.

'They were working for them, my lady.'

Veronica's left eyebrow arched from hearing it before smirking. "I see, then I better get one souvenir."

She didn't need any protection, especially when dealing with some petty ruckus like what's happening in the event. Veronica began fighting some men that were near her even though it was dark. She seriously can fight in the dark since it was her domain.

'In a few seconds, things will clear up, my lady. In five, four…'

Veronica heard her AI system warning as it started doing some countdown which made her movement fast. She moved like a wind on taking one man down as she made sure that it was out for a while.

'...three, two..'

"Take him to our custody and make sure nobody finds out," Veronica commanded her butler-bodyguard who respectfully bowed and took the unconscious man with him.

'...one.'

But before the lights could even light up again, Veronica felt a presence behind her and she began punching it on his face before its crotch. It was seriously a hard hit causing whoever she hit to groan in pain then the lights opened.

"You hit like a man…" Sebastian was in pain while holding his crotch. "You have to pay for this…"

Veronica's eyes widened. "Fuck. Sorry, I thought you a molester."

"WHAT THE?!" he exclaimed. "You're the one who pulled me closer and you hit me. Now, you call me a molester? So grateful for you." he scoffed but was still in pain.

"I said I thought." Veronica cleared. "Sorry." then sincerely apologized since Sebastian was indeed in pain.