Chapter 18

CHLOE’s POV

Mateo stepped out of the car as we arrived at the square. He didn’t even open the door for us, so I took a long breath to calm myself before getting out of the car with my son. People stared at us, so I grinned back.

“OMG! Sir Mateo and Ma’am Chloe!”

“They’re such a lovely couple!”

I just waved at them and ran after Mateo to grab his arm. He shows we got problems. I’ll take a deep breath and continue.

“Mr. and Mrs. Villalobos!”

We came to a halt in front of the person who had blocked our path. I smiled at him, but it vanished as Mateo took my hand off his arm as he approached the old guy.

Damn! Mateo, you really want to shame me!

Even though I felt frustrated by what Mateo was doing, I forced myself to raise my brow at the people who were chattering about me so that I didn’t seem to be a loser. Mateo has been acting like this since we married.

Mateo smiled as he said, “Mr. Zamora, you're here.”

Mr. Zamora nodded and put Mateo on the shoulder.

“Of course, your family invited me, and the lands here in San Alfonso is interesting,”

I rolled my eyes since they were discussing business. I just groaned as I looked about, since I couldn’t stand the people in San Alfonso. Likewise, I’d like to return to Manila. TSK.

“Do you plan to buy more land here, Mr. Zamora?” asked Mateo. I just crossed my arms because it seemed their conversation will last longer.

“Hmm, I think so; I intend to build for gambling.”

They both chuckled, and I just smiled, although I had no idea what they were talking about. So I’m not like the others, yet we all came to a halt when someone spoke from behind us.

My hair rose, and I grabbed my nape.

“Oh, do you think so?”

When I recognized his voice, my eyes widened. I turned away and clenched my hands because I expected him to be there, as he was from there. I also had an odd feeling about Martin, as something seemed off about him..

When he saw Martin behind us, the old man was surprised and said, “Don Martin…” while stammering.

I stood aside to allow Martin to pass, since I became uneasy when he arrived.

Martin asked, “Who told you I was going to sell my land?”

We all swallowed because his aura had changed.

It’s as though I didn’t recognize him. Damn it.

“We’re just kidding!” said Mr. Zamora as he reached out to touch Martin's shoulder while Martin shook his hand, drawing attention from other people.

When I turned around, there was murmuring because of the tension. Martin caught me off guard by grinning at me when I looked at him, so I only bowed and gulped. Damn it.

“Hmm… The Villalobos’ land is small compared to the Monticello's land. So, it does not entitle you to purchase more property for gambling,” Martin stated with authority. Martin’s deep voice causes the girls to scream.

I gave the women a sneer, but they didn’t notice, which irritated me even more because their asses were on fire because of Martin stepping inside. They're drooling. F-ck!

“Also, make sure your small business doesn't lose money,” Martin added with a grin to Mr. Zamora. The old man bowed, but you could tell he was only suppressing his rage.

Martin gave us one more look before leaving, followed by his colleagues, who only smirked and waved as if they were mocking us. They’ve destroyed our night!

People were whispering to us, I noticed as I looked around. We also observed people, particularly the women who admire Martin. TCH.

“Let's go; it’s embarrassing here,” Mateo said quietly.

I blinked and nodded to him before continuing on our way to Mom and Dad’s place.

“What are you doing, huh?”

We came to a halt when we noticed Mama Caridad’s anger. They appear to have seen the scene earlier.

“Mom.”

Mama Caridad glared at Mateo.

“Why do you trust Mr. Zamora? Don Martin was not happy with that!” she yelled angrily to us. I averted my gaze and tightened my hands because it was all Martin's fault.

He makes everything a massive deal. Annoying!

“We’re just kidding, Mom.”

“Don’t say that again. We need Don Martin,” mama Caridad stated, pointing to Mateo before going to papa Levy.

Martin is annoying! Why did he have to disgrace us here?

When the San Alfonso festival event was about to begin, I crossed my arms. We are visitors because Papa Levy is also the mayor of the town.

Tonight’s host has taken the mini-stage. I sat back in my chair and asked the passing servers for some wine because I was about to get drunk.

“Good evening to all! Good evening to the handsome young men and beautiful ladies here in our town and to those who came from other towns to attend the feast of San Alfonso." said the event’s host.

We clapped because others did.

“I hope you enjoy our festival because I will introduce you to our honored guests and the mayor of this town; are you ready?”

People screamed, and I cringed because they looked like escaped beasts.

“Please welcome our mayor of San Alfonso, Don Levy Villalobos!”

They applauded, as were papa Levy’s supporters. Everyone in the area smiled as Dad stood up and walked to the stage.

“Good evening, my people,” papa said with a smile, and those who supported him cheered. “Thank you very much for making this town peaceful; you are also assisting me in developing the town; I promise I will not let you down!”

“Long live San Alfonso! Happy Fiesta of San Alfonso!”

He looked around at everyone who was here today.

“It’s been a few years since I sat in office, starting as the vice mayor and progressing to become the mayor of the town. Don Martinez Monticello left the town to me, so I will not leave you. Long live us all!” Said papa Levy, raising his wineglass as more people applauded.

“Long live Don Levy!”

“Don Levy!”

“Don Levy!”

Papa bowed to everyone, smiled and waved to everyone, and his followers cheered louder.

“Thank you very much, Don Levy,” said the host, bowing as papa passed in front of him. Dad smiled and returned to our house.

“It’s not over yet because I’m introducing the youngest in the business field, who is also the most handsome and muscular, and all the women want him as a boyfriend!”

People laughed, and I winced from the shouts. Annoying!

“Welcome back, Don Martin Gustavo Monticello!”

We were all looking at Martin, who was in the spotlight, so he rose and walked up to the stage. Because of Martin’s stance, the women began drooling even more. I gulped hard and turned away from Martin, distracting myself because the moment I saw him, I remembered what had happened that night.

F-ck! Chloe, calm down.

“Good evening, Don Martin!”

“Good evening.”

Martin’s powerful voice caused the females to make noise. I shut my eyes because his deep voice was playing in my head… F-ck! Stop doing that, Chloe. Mateo sits right next to you.

“What can you say about our festival here in San Alfonso today? We heard you just got back from abroad last week; how was it?”

Martin grinned as he put his hand in his pocket. I blushed when I looked at his lips. Damn!

“It was a lot of fun, and Happy Fiesta.”

I frowned because he spoke sparsely; is there a cost for every word he says? TSK.

“TCH.”

I turned to Mateo, who was leaning on the chair with his arms crossed, watching Martin, and realized I had forgotten I had a spouse. F–ck!

“Thank you, Don Martin, but I wondered if you have a girlfriend?”

I came to a halt and became interested in the host's question. I'm also interested in what Martin has to say. There are rumors he has a girlfriend.

Martin remained silent for a few seconds before taking a breath to respond to the questions.

“Perhaps it's not the right time, but I have someone I need to look after.”

It stunned me, but I noticed the girls felt helpless by Martin’s response. I clenched my fist because he seemed to have forgotten what happened to us at the hotel. Damn! What else can I expect from him? He just took advantage of me.

Fuck you, Martin.

“She’s very lucky!”

Martin smiled.

“No, I’m lucky to have her.”

As the girls giggled again, I rolled my eyes, wondering what the big deal was.. TSK!

“Thank you, Don Martin, for accepting our invitation, although we know you are very busy with your businesses.”

Martin shook his head and looked around.

"I want to stay in town for a while because I grew up here with my father. I don't want to disappoint our people, and I don't want to lose the memories my father left behind," he said. “As a result, I will never forget where I learned everything; let us cooperate to make our town a better place.”

I was just surprised by him because, like everyone else here, he awed me. Oh, I just hit my forehead because I was thinking about something. Mateo is even better.

The host smiled and returned his attention to Martin.

“Do you plan to run in the next election, Don Martin, like your father? We also heard you're a candidate for an influential position in town.”

The host’s question surprised everyone, including papa Levy and mama Caridad, who were unaware Martin was a candidate for a higher position. I’ve also noticed that they seem nervous.

People were surprised because Martin had just laughed, and therefore they were even more stunned.

“I have no plans to run for governor of the town; I do not want to get involved in politics; my father has set enough goals for the town,” he sighed. “I don’t want to be a politician; I’m also fulfilling a promise I made to my father before he died: I’ll help people, especially our family’s constituents.”

Martin turned to look at Mayor Levy, and everyone turned to look at our mayor.

“I am withdrawing my candidacy for the important position to support Don Levy in the upcoming election since he is completing his term as the leader of San Alfonso”

Martin grinned, but I saw something was off about his smile.

Dad was surprised, but he stood up and went up to the stage to join Martin.

“I promise I will never let you down, Don Martin.”

They both shook hands, but I spotted Martin’s smirk as he exited the stage to return to his seat.

“He’s smart! We love you, Don Martin!”

“What the?”

The audience chuckled, and the band resumed playing to keep the party going. But then someone approached the host, and I noticed the look of surprise on his face.

“E-Everyone! We have another guest of honor!”

As if shocked, I frowned, and the host gave instructions to fix the stage..

“She’s from another country, and she’s a powerful young businesswoman; she’s new to the business, but she’s built a lot in different countries, and she was one of the fiesta attendees.”

People murmured, wondering who he was referring to. We exchanged glances as we tried to figure out who the woman he was referring to was.

“Oh, my gosh! She’s here!”

The band came to a halt and all we could hear was the sound of heels; it was as if everything around us was in slow motion, so we turned to the red carpet that she was going to walk on.

I’m uncertain why, but seeing the woman the host was referring to made my heart race quicker.

“Welcome, Ms. Mystic!”

No one noticed the host since we were all staring at her as she went through the middle wearing a black robe and mask. I clutched my gown because I was very nervous.

Who is she?