Kapitel 34: Chapter 28 Part 2
"I see…" The corners of her lips twitch as if she just heard something good. "... Caiden asked for me." Her words that are supposed to be expressed with surprise just can't help but sound like a statement that is not very unknown to her. Her golden eyes, seeming to glint from the sunlight's effect; Ember currently sips on her mango shake while she has her diamond encrusted phone attached to her right ear. While she is somehow on a business-related call with her manager Keina-jie, she is having some good time herself lying down on the beach chair.
The sudden news brought to her of course brings a tiny smile to her lips as she was almost close to giving up on that A-list actor. While she did greatly assume that this would happen in the future, her anticipations faltered a little into a couple days of waiting. It had been like a week since she offered him a deal, but he was taking so long to seal off the deal that it almost caused her to believe maybe he is really serious and crazy enough to let that bitch and Alessio have a good ending together just because he loves her.
'Fortunately—'
Ember laughs under her breath— fortunately, his love for that bitch is also the reason that he finally asked for her from her manager. She knew that it wouldn't take so long for the man to submit and accept her proposition.
"Ah, yes. He came to inquire about the schedule of your return flight… which is quite surprising for him really to just visit me personally for that. Speaking of that, do you have any idea why he's seeking your presence?"
Keina's voice rings out from the other line. The signal is a bit choppy by the end of her sentence, but nevertheless still clear enough in conveying her message and her curiosity for Caiden's intentions to speak with her ward. The middle-aged woman of course knows that they are working on the same project, but somehow she doesn't see that as sufficient for him to ask about Ember's whereabouts. There just has to be something more deeper…
"Nothing really serious for you to worry about. I'm sure that he just wants to ask me when I'll be available since he did mention that it would be good for the production if we're all friends or something," Ember casually lies as she takes another sip from her mango drink. A satisfied smile still gracing her lips; her beautiful face, bright with delight, upon seeing how her plans are slowly working.
From the distance, she can see Alessio staring at her with a suspicious expression as if he somehow has an idea of the schemes that she is secretly plotting against him. But since that's too likely impossible to happen, she isn't really that worried. Allowing that smile she has on her face to be delivered to him as a means of acknowledgement; it's not sincerely for him but for the uninvited guests or, you can say, stalkers that their parents have sent to watch over them. Frustrating it may be to smile at the one who hurt her; but it was a show that she is determined to accomplish. It was part of the plans that she had devised to hurt him like he had hurt her.
Alessio narrows his jade eyes at her as if to sense that behind her nonchalant smile is the mix of superficiality and coldness. He looks away, brushing a couple of black hair strands away his handsome face. His white shirt slightly drenched for staying in the waters quite a while; the abs he has diligently worked for throughout the years is seen underneath. A few people near him cannot help but gawk at him, but Alessio doesn't care since they're not— no one.
*Flashback — 4 years ago*
[ 4: 44 P.M. ]
A sight that was almost rare to never seen; the beautiful and famous idol Ember Wang was perceived waiting in the lobby of one of the few renowned fitness centers of the country.
Her back was slightly bent forward. Both her hands were resting on her pouting face as her elbows comfortably lay on her knees. Every now and then she would also be observed to shiver; the fashionable-like pale pink colored trench coat seeming not enough protection from the cold that is being emitted by the air conditioners of the room.
What was she even doing there; with her attire not being clearly suitable as a gym outfit. Well, that— she was not planning to spend her day today working herself out; but in fact, she was merely just waiting for her young man to come out. With the expression and position she currently maintained though, she most likely appeared to be waiting for her daddy to fetch her from school.
Impatient did she look right now, but it hadn't been ten minutes since she arrived at the gym. Though she couldn't really help it because aside from the cold that was torturing her, there were also a couple of men who didn't seem to understand the body signals of a distressed and uncomfortable lady. Fidgeting under their predatory gazes, she tried to glare at them who only annoyingly returned it back with their disgusting flirtatious smirks and winks.
While she had been in the idol industry for two years now, that didn't mean she would be comfortable being treated like that in the public. As an attempt to avoid seeing their distasteful behavior further on, she lowered the white beanie to her eyes. She then took out her phone before messaging Alessio and demanding him to come out right now from wherever he was. God; she didn't even understand why such a renowned fitness center would even still have clients like them; guess there's no escaping from lecherous men.
Thankfully— thankfully— Right as soon as she sent that, her phone rang in her hands. Her gold-like eyes brightened upon seeing the contact info; a smile forming on her face. But as soon as she answered it, her face automatically switched into a pout; the childishness within her unconsciously flowing out upon finally interacting with a person she is dearly close with.
"Princess, you're outside right now?! Are we not supposed to meet later at five?" his breathy, masculine voice carrying the tone of surprise. With the tone and volume he accidentally used on her, Ember just could not help but assume that he didn't like her here. That presumption then made her mood drop further.
"Are you annoyed?! I just wanted to surprise you," she intentionally loudly explained, jumping up from her seat with a frown on her face, as she began to pace back and forth. Her ponytail gracefully swayed in the air in every step she took herself in her fit of temper. Noticing the unwanted attention again on her, her attempts of disregard eventually faltered as she again began to blatantly show her hostility towards the men who tried to flirt with her or what.
"N— no, of course not. I just didn't expect you to be so early." Immediately taking note of the hostility he didn't mean to cause to her, Alessio was annoyed with himself for even letting her come to such a conclusion. He tried to repair the atmosphere between them with several words of denial, and that only managed to give his fiancée a little bit of ease.
"Of course not. This is supposed to be a surprise," Ember softly huffed out, taking a seat once again in one of the benches, after regaining the composure she lost for a moment there.
A small smile dawned on his face, hearing those words. Alessio felt touched by her simple yet sweet gesture, as he then proceeded to assure her that he was indeed caught surprised by the information he discovered earlier. "And delighted," he also added, not wanting to further cause another miscommunication between the two of them again.
Of course, he's genuinely surprised and delighted at her very much unforeseen early arrival and not annoyed. He would never be. The man stepped off the treadmill as he accepted an unlidded water bottle from one of his gym instructors. Thirsty he was after a long while of burning some calories, he decided to have a drink. Not minding the call he was currently taking, Alessio lifted the bottle to his lips and chugged the water down to his throat that is in dire need of water.
The heavy gulping could be distinctly heard from the other line of the communication. It caused the amber haired teenager to stiffen for a moment by the unexpected sound. Instead of disconnecting the call, she pursed her lips and waited, listening to how his throat would deeply rumble in every gulp of water it intakes. Somehow, as she kept on listening to his asmr drinking business, her face started to involuntarily feel a little bit warmer than usual.
Why in the world does she even feel embarrassed? Ember bit her lips as she fought back the urge to fan her flustered face right now. He's just drinking! She mentally chided for whatsoever thoughts that suddenly began to invade her mind.
She gave out quite a forceful exhale; an attempt to breath out those thoughts. Collecting her calm, she then compelled herself to finally give a word of response to her fiancé as soon as he's done quenching his thirst. "W— well, whatever." Tripping a bit in her first word, she flinched at her mistake. "Just come out now." She eventually managed to speak her mind properly after that small stutter.
"Now? As in now?" he questioned, handing the empty bottle to his gym instructor, before proceeding to seize the clean towel from the man this time in order to wipe his very drenched face and hair.
"Yes, now!" she insisted without even any hesitation, pulling out a fit of chuckle from the man's lips. His laughter soon faded in the background. He looked down at his current state. A smile on his lips as he shook his head with a soft sigh. "Well…" He paused as if to think for a second. "Well… if that's what you truly want, then so be it, Princess."
— — — — —
'What the hell is this?!' What the hell is she seeing right now?! Her lower jaw instantly dropped as she took in the appearance of her long time fiancé. She then stumbled a little backwards; the excitement that she should have been feeling right now upon seeing him became shockness and bashfulness as she hastily looked away from his delici— sweaty bare body. She bit her lips, feeling slightly frustrated. And just when she thought that she had calmed down from the earlier incident, her face felt like on fire again.
"Z— zio-ge, what the hell! Wear something!" she stuttered, still looking away from his buff figure. "Don't you know that this is already the lobby area?! You of all people should know that you can't just go walk around with no shirt."
Her reprimandings didn't seem to work, however, as Alessio only laughed under his breath, extremely pleased of the flustered reaction that her fiancée was showing right now. Just how cute she was right now; shying her gaze away when she obviously liked the sight she had perceived a few seconds ago. His body might be shivering right now, but he didn't really mind the cold since he was able to see one of her rare expressions.
"You told me to come that instant. I couldn't dare to disobey the order of Princess," he tenderly whispered as he went towards her. He placed his hands on her arms, waiting for her to look at him.
And she did look at him. Specifically, at his face. Experiencing the cold herself, she knew that Alessio had it worse right now. A fool. Why would he come out here shirtless. She couldn't allow herself to look at his hard work and take delight in it while he was suffering alone. "Even so, it's common sense! Unlike the actual gym area, it's freaking cold out here. You are just making yourself sick."
He softly smiled. "Are you worried about me?"
"Yes! How could I not be?!" She scowled at him, giving him a slight pinch in the nose. "Now you'd better go back there inside and clothe yourself. I don't want my fiancé being gawked over by strangers!" She sent a glare towards the female staff standing by the reception table.
Alessio chuckled at her jealousy; but he didn't want her to have the idea that he allowed this to happen just for the sake of showing off his body to everyone. After all, he did this for the delight of her eyes alone. "You're not a stranger, so why won't you look at me?" He questioned; the tone in his deep voice so low and casual as if it wasn't intended to tease her. Her cheeks were instantly dusted red. She turned to look at his face; a serious expression over her face.
"I am looking at you," she remarked.
Alessio shook his head. "But…" He took a hand of hers and placed it on his hard abdomen. "Not at this." Ember dropped her gaze to what he was pertaining on, and her mind instantly went blank from the sudden flirty conduct of the usual serious man. What even is going on?! He's not the type to flaunt nor flirt in this kind of outrageous manner?!
She blinked her eyes, staring at his well-defined muscles for a very long time. Almost greedily in a way. But then it later dawned on her what's happening. Calming down, she quickly retrieved her hand and stepped backwards. She looked at him and saw him smiling. 'Shameless. He's shameless!'
"Tsk. I would prefer staring at it alone with no one else around." She gritted her teeth before feigning a smile over her face to hide the embarrassment she felt from what the actions he pulled earlier. "How about—" She patted him on the arm. "How about you go and wear some clothes now, so we finally can leave this place and have our date? Time is ticking, you know," she reminded him, but this is mostly said to avoid that awkward conversation.
Alessio nodded; his eyes reflecting gentle affections in its gaze as he stares down at her. "Understood, Princess. I'll stop now since it seems you don't like sharing me with others."
Shocked with his statement, Ember was just about to refute his words when the black haired gentleman, out of nowhere, placed a kiss on her temple. His lips pressing her skin; she quickly went stiff. An assurance full of sincerity then left his lips, causing a flutter to her heart without a beat.
"Don't worry though… this is all yours. I am all yours," he sweetly whispered to her red-tipped ears. He then slightly distanced his face away from hers, staring at his princess hard for a while, before eventually proceeding to leave an astounded amber-haired girl to herself.
'What…'
'What was that all about?'
*End of Flashback*
[ 10: 40 P.M. ]
The night sky is nearly pitch black, with only the full moon and the stars illuminating the darkness. Those lights of natural occurrences currently shine down on a modern private boat. It slowly and gently rocks alongside the peaceful waves of the sea, never disturbing the guests it currently has within. Beach chairs located outside for the purpose of sightseeing; we have the beautiful couple resting in those side-by-side. Albeit smiling so happily, Ember resists the temptation of rolling her peach blossom eyes for the nth time as she continues to put on a display with her picture perfect smile. The smile, intended to be beautiful enough to fool all the people who are sent by their parents for their endeavor.
The man beside her, of course, is not fooled by that bewitching smile. Instead, that smile— that beautiful smile— gets on his nerves. Disliking the superficial smile so much that he can't help himself from ordering her to halt.
"You should stop doing that," he breaks the long period of silence that has been settling between them for awhile. Ember's smile twitches so slightly as she stares at him with disdain hidden in her shining golden eyes; the smile never ceases on her face, however.
He sighs, shaking his head. Retracting his eyes from the woman as he fixates his sight instead towards the stars of the sky, it suddenly reminds him of a certain someone.
That someone is a kid.
A little kid who made it the personal goal to follow him wherever he goes. A star, easily lighting up the darkest moments of his life. But then again, kids grow and people change. No matter how much you want time to stop, it won't do so for anyone, even for a successful businessman like him.
"Doing what?" Ember asks after a moment of silence from her fiancé's side. It was said in a nonchalant manner with the slight tilt of her head and the perfect smile still shining brightly. The vexation within her heart grows though; but she tries to impede those feelings with the reminders that they are still in the middle of the show.
"Smiling," he replies, not taking away his gaze from the night sky. The reminiscences of his past were interrupted, but he still did not dare to return his eyes to her.
'Smiling? Smiling?!!'
The smile on her face twitches yet again before it widens. She then leans her lips closer to his ears; her whispers only meant for him to be heard. "And what, my dear fiancé, is wrong with smiling? Just because you have an ice block of a face, that doesn't mean everyone should follow your lead." Retreating her beautiful face from his after saying those words, she just dearly wishes for the young man to stop being a prick that he obviously is.
"I never said that it was wrong to smile." He glances at her, taking note of her obvious discomfort. "But by doing it a bit too much, you're only exhausting your already exhausted self." When Ember just looks at him with a raised brow, Alessio suddenly decides to take those words back with a murmur-toned "forget it." She wouldn't understand it anyways; she would just disregard his concern.
Her smile slowly drops upon hearing those words. 'Forget it? What?' For him to even say those words, he was the biggest cause of her exhaustion. Averting her gaze to the sky, she transfixes it on the moon that was shining brighter than all the stars in the sky at that moment. It was the very same moon that had always kept her company in the loneliest of her days. She quietly appreciates its ghastly beauty.
The silence engulfing the couple once more. It doesn't last too long when a sound of explosion rips out, shocking the two people in their seats, with the darkness being suddenly covered by different shades of colors.
Beautiful fireworks of different colors and forms continuously paint the sky. Ember, who has been watching the unanticipated exhibition, moves her gaze towards the man beside her. Only for her mouth to slightly open in surprise upon perceiving the man looking at her earlier on. She blinks at him, who just doesn't seem fazed by being caught staring. Confused, she opts to not question him though.
Their gazes still meet one another; she sighs and decides to slowly and cautiously start her words, "Uh… Happy—" But thanks to the sound of a phone ringing, the phrase never finishes.
The confidence she has instantly vanishes. While Alessio seems to urge her to go on as he doesn't bother to answer his ringing phone for a long time, her silence and her avoidance of his gaze gives her the answer he needed. She wasn't going to continue. And so, he shakes his head. Taking the phone from the small table, he stands up and slowly strides towards the border of the boat. His one hand on the railing, and his other on the phone that is close to his ear.
Ember watches him softly smile.
And just like that, the well-planned out vacation of the pair ended. Nothing special, ever happening; it's just them spending their days, pretending happiness in the arms of each other.
---------
Inside a large, monochromatic-toned master bedroom, the famed Alessio gradually opens his business suitcase with the intention of taking his much needed documents. Staring at the phone in his hand while doing so, an unfamiliar box felt inside immediately made his hand stop from searching even further.
He looks away from the gadget; leaking curiosity, encouraging him to explore the strange object that was discovered. He the pulls out the small box from its containment.The gift wrap containing cartoonic drawings of cakes and confetti. The sloppy way the box was wrapped is horrendously done.
His movement halts in an instant at the sight. As if thrown into a contemplating state, he just stays there. He almost resembles a statue with his unmoving state. But after a while he finally snaps out.
He blinks his jade green eyes.
With the object in hand, the black haired man eventually walks away from the bed and to the bedside table full of random papers scattered on its surface. He then settles it down there, careful and slow in his movement, before looking down at it again with his expression just being stoic and silent.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
chierrysky
chierrysky With Alessio and Ember departing from Bora Bora in the recent chapter, we can happily finally conclude our Arc One. Arc One is just an introduction of the story and characters; It is from Arc 2 that the main plot begins.
Anyways, thank you to those who are still here reading this story. With our busy schedule and everything, we just can't update as fast as we want to, but still we'll do our best to finish this.
And that's all we have to say.
See you in the next arc ❤️
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