CHAPTER 2

Adela's Point of View:

I'm at the mall right now with Olivia. She invited me, and since it's just the two of us, I decided to go along. I'm wearing an oversized white t-shirt and black wool twill shorts, tucking in the shirt to make myself look presentable. I also have white rubber shoes on, with my hair simply tied in a ponytail. I brought a sling bag containing just my phone and wallet.

When we arrived at the mall, she immediately headed to a boutique to pick out an outfit for a friend's birthday. She asked me to come along, and since I had nothing else to do, I agreed.

"So, which one looks nice?" she asked, showing me two dresses she had chosen.

Both were spaghetti strap satin dresses, the only difference being one had a fitted bottom part, and the other had a wrap design for the skirt.

"Try to fit both," I commented, and she nodded right away.

She tried on both dresses but couldn't decide, so she ended up buying both.

"Aren't you going to buy anything?" she asked me as I looked at the available dresses.

"Uh, no. I already have plenty of dresses, and I rarely wear them, so I guess I won't buy one," I replied.

She nodded at my answer and then pulled me along. We ate at Greenwich because she said she loves their lasagna. I enjoyed being with Olivia because I feel comfortable around her, she's so talkative.

While we were eating, she looked at me and rested her chin on the back of her hand.

"You know what, you have such a beautiful face," she commented, causing my cheeks to instantly flush.

"Thank you."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend back in your hometown, in Baguio?"

"Ah, no, none."

"Because when I was still at school I became too busy with sports and school work, that's why I never got into a romantic relationship," I added, and she chuckled softly, making me furrow my brow.

Was there something funny about what I said?

"What's funny about that?" I innocently asked because I couldn't understand her reaction.

"Well, I just thought that with your beauty, you might have had at least one boyfriend before. And I confirmed that no matter how attractive you are, if you're not interested in love, you won't have any experience," she said and took a sip of juice.

"How many suitors did you have in your hometown? Surely, with your looks, there must have been some," she continued.

"Uhm, I don't know. I don't remember anymore. But there's one I recall, he was my childhood friend."

"You haven't experienced love yet?" she asked, causing my cheeks to heat up again.

"I did, two years ago. When they visited our farm in our province. I saw that he loved farming and plants just like me. He was kind and always helped me take care of the horses and cows."

"I don't know how it happened, but when they left, I felt frustrated and couldn't understand why. I couldn't get him out of my mind, and it reached a point where I found myself reading about love on the internet, even reading romance novels, which I used to dislike and not care about. But through that, I confirmed that I really loved him."

"Well, I don't know if what you felt was true love for that person, but if you've done some research and read those novels, I won't doubt you. But who is this person? Why didn't you tell your family about him, and why did you agree to this engagement if you have feelings for someone else?" Olivia asked seriously, staring at me, waiting for my answer.

"It's Archer."

Her eyes widened upon hearing my answer.

"What? He's your first love?!"

I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I can't handle this kind of topic for much longer. I'm not used to it. I feel so awkward!

"Oh my gosh, that's not really good," she said, taking a sip of juice and then grabbing a slice of pizza before speaking again.

"Okay, I get it now. That's why you agreed to the engagement so quickly; I thought you were just forced into it. But I was worried that Archer might not be able to reciprocate your feelings because, from what I see now, he really loves Margareth."

"Those words are meant to help you, not to hurt you. But the truth hurts, so I can't do anything if it hurts you," she added.

"How long have they been together?" I asked and swallowed hard at my own question.

What the heck, Adela? What kind of question is that? When did you become interested in the love life of the person you love?

"Well, one year. I'm not sure about the exact number of months, but I know they're close to reaching two years," she replied.

Only one year? Maybe I still have a chance— Wait, why am I being so arrogant about it? I'm the one who didn't like him, and now I'm acting all confident about one year.

Forget it, I might get bad karma from this kind of thinking. I don't want that! It's scary to think that it might be the reason for my unrequited love.

"So what's your plan? Are you going to tell your parents about this?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'll tell them when they arrive. They're too busy abroad right now, so I'll wait. I'll just wait for them to come so we can plan for the engagement party together."

"So you're letting him go? That's pretty brave," she said, admiringly.

"Well, I was actually planning to introduce you to my brother, Ares, but he seems to be pursuing a doctor right now," she added.

"But Adela, you should know that not all first loves end up together, so don't be afraid to explore. Maybe the right person for you is just around the corner," she said, pouring hot sauce on her pizza.

I winced at the amount of sauce she put on a single slice, which I knew was meant for her.

"I was thinking of introducing you to Primo, but never mind. He probably won't like you for the long term. Maybe he'll like you for today and the next six days, but after that, it's over. He changes women quickly, so better not," she said, shaking her head.

"I also don't like him because I'm not into younger guys," I said, laughing, and she chuckled too.

"Yeah, that guy is such a flirt."

"So, what do you do at Archer's mansion?" she asked.

"Actually, nothing much, that's why I often get bored."

"What are your interests?" she inquired.

"Huh? Plants."

"Well, I know a place, but it's far, so you can't go there every day. How about cooking? Baking?" she suggested, and my eyes sparkled upon hearing that.

I forgot that my brother's wife taught me how to bake, so I already know how.

"Oh, I can bake. I enjoy making chocolate and mocha cakes. Those are my two favorites that I often make. But I know how to bake other things too," I replied.

"Wow, that's nice. Why don't you try baking here? There's an oven at Archer's place, and I know it's rarely used. Maybe it'll help with your boredom," she said, and I nodded in agreement.

"So, let's buy ingredients?" she asked me.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe we can buy ingredients for a week, in case I decide to bake every day."

"You'll gain diabetes if you do that every day," she teased.

"Oh, how about I give the baked goods to the staff?"

"Well, that could work as long as they have free time, but still don't do it every time or they're the ones you'll be endangering to diabetes," she said, and I nodded. After we finished eating, we headed straight to the department store inside the mall.

It was already late afternoon when Olivia and I returned home from our mall trip.

Upon arriving at the house, I immediately asked permission to use the oven, and I was granted permission right away.

I took a nap and woke up past five o'clock, so I went to a part of the house filled with baking materials.

I didn't know they had all of this here, but I haven't been exploring the house because it's so big, and I'd get tired doing so.

I started preparing. I decided to make a chocolate cake with chocolate toppings for dinner.

I followed all the procedures and was confident that I did it successfully.

After more than an hour, I finished, including the cake design. I checked the time, and it was 7:23 in the evening, perfectly timed for dinner.

I went to the dining table, carrying the cake, and saw the household staff preparing our dinner.

"Oh, Miss Adela, you really baked!" one of the housekeepers exclaimed in amazement.

"Yes, I didn't have anything to do, so I decided to do this," I said, handing over the cake to them, and they placed it on the table.

I was surprised to see Primo heading to the dinner table, so I let him sit first. He sat on the left side, so I took the seat on the right. If possible, I didn't want him to get too close to my seat.

"Wow, cake! Whose birthday is it?" he asked.

I didn't answer because I didn't want to acknowledge him.

"Is it your birthday?" he asked me when his attention was drawn to me.

"I just baked it," I said, and I saw him immediately take a piece.

"Aren't you going to eat rice?" I asked since I was surprised that was the first thing he grabbed.

"Appetizer," he replied shortly, and he smiled, so I gave him a questioning look.

Who considers cake as an appetizer? Duh, it's dessert, meant to be eaten after the meal.

"Whatever!" I said, and after saying a quick prayer, I started taking my food to eat.

"This is delicious," he commented.

"Thank you!"

"This is my favorite flavor of cake. You should make something like this often," he said with a grin, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, I didn't make that just for you to eat, so I'll bake what I want," I said in a sassy tone, but he just laughed.

I saw Archer arrive, and I immediately felt nervous. A mix of nervousness and the normal fast heartbeat I always feel when Archer is close to me. Every time he's near, my heart beats like this.

"Archer, cake?" I said, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that supposed to be after the meal?" he calmly asked with his very manly voice, so I fell silent.

I heard Primo chuckle softly, so I shot him a glare.

I ate quietly, sometimes glancing at Archer, who ate silently as well.

"I will be gone for two to three days for work, so I assume you'll be on your best behavior here," Archer said and then looked at me.

"Ah, yes, of course!" I answered without meeting his eyes.

"How about you, Primo?" Archer asked him.

"Can't promise, bro."

"Oh please, if I'm left with this person, please let it be otherwise. But I have no choice because this is their house, and I'll keep seeing them. I hope they won't add more tricks on me.

"Primo, behave. We have a visitor," Archer said, looking at me, but Primo just shrugged.

Tss. He won't follow his brother's wishes. He'll do something stupid, I know. Just from his eyes, it seems he has a plan.

I was surprised when I heard a sound coming from the phone.

I saw that it was Archer's phone, and he excused himself and went out.

I finished eating rice and moved on to the cake.

"Looks like my brother isn't interested in your cake. I'll have it all," he said, and I just let him have what he wants.

"This is really delicious. Did you put a love potion in it? It seems like I'm falling for you even more," he said, moving to the seat in front of me, and I gave him a stern look.

"Love potion, my foot. Do I look like someone who would use a love potion?"

"Well, I don't know. But there's no need to use that potion for me because just one 'I love you' from you, and I might not be able to recover," he said, annoying me even more, but I didn't show it as it would draw attention from others around.

"Stop your antics, Primo. It's not amusing," I calmly said, though I was getting annoyed with what he's doing.

He just laughed and changed the topic.

"Well, he'll be away for two to three days, so I wish there will be some development between us."

"Development, my foot! If you want someone to mess with, find someone else because I won't entertain that!" I said firmly.

"Oh, baby, this isn't what you think it is. I'm not messing with you," he said, resting his chin on his hand placed on the table.

I couldn't help but laugh at the term "baby" he used.

If what he's doing isn't messing with me and he's being genuine, then what does he call 'that' thing he did with Catherine? If you like someone, you will be loyal to him or her and not look at others, so what he's saying to me is impossible, totally impossible!

"Baby, my foot! Stop this, Primo, because even if what you're saying is true, I won't entertain you. First and foremost, I have someone else I love."

"Then I'll make you fall in love with me to make you forget your feelings for Kuya (older brother)."

"Oh, honey, that's not the only reason why!" I said with a chuckle because he's too confident.

"I don't fall for someone younger than me," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"So that's your principle, huh? You don't like falling for someone younger than you. Then I am going to change it because, like I said, I will make you fall in love with me. You can't stop me, Adela!" he said, appearing serious, but I won't be fooled because I'm sure he's just playing with me.

"I won't ride along with it. And it's too impossible for me to break my principles in life. Whatever is the strongest thing I have is my principles. So give up, Primo. You'll just waste your time."

"You're worth my time. And say what you want to say because I won't give you up that easily. So what if you call me a kid now? It doesn't matter because if I get you, everything I've worked for will be worth it."

"Fine. It's your life. Just don't be mad at me if I ignore you because I've already told you, there's no way I'd fall for a kid," I said, wiping my mouth and leaving the food area.

Damn, it was just supposed to be dinner, but why did Primo have to do something like that again?

Aren't the other girls around him enough, and now he's adding me to his collection? I shook my head at that thought.

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