Danika’s little discovery about Sia made her mind spiral in thought and her heart reel with rage, jealousy, and fear. Danika fears losing Lucas to Sia. She had loved Lucas all her life and can’t stand losing him to his ex-girlfriend.
She’s so jealous that Sia a cheap slum girl turned out to be the most powerful and wealthy person in the states. Shit!
How come she never thought about that before? Why didn’t she put the scattered pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together before after all the hints Estrella gave her?
Danika recollected the confidence, smug even that pasted on Sia’s face when she bumped into them at the cave restaurant. Sia was so confident with the way she spoke, the way she walk, and even eat. Everything about her screams of class and wealth but Danika never thought the person she was taunting was far more powerful than she is.
Well, Danika still decided to uphold her pride. She won’t let what she just found out about Sia deter her from being the prideful lady she already is. She finalized inside her that Sia used her body to crawl her way to the top, so she’s still a bitch she knows her as.
However, those emotions reeling inside her never withered. When she returned back to the villa and headed to Lucas’s room, she figured he wasn’t home yet.
10:30 p. m.
She wheezed under her breath when she took a sneak peek at the clock. Danika dropped her bag on Lucas’s bed, pared her clothes, and moved to the small bar in his room where she picked up a bottle of scotch.
She plodded to the balcony wearing only her lingerie as she gazed outside, downing her scotch directly from the bottle.
Danika’s mind brimmed with thoughts.
‘If Lucas finds out about her I’m sure he’d crawl his way back into her life and I’m so not going to let it happen.’ She spouted inwardly.
As she poured the scotch into her gaped mouth, some of it drizzled from the corners of her mouth down to the column of her neck but she careless about that. What’s more important now is Lucas.
Time wore on but Lucas never returned home yet. Danika was starting to feel drowsy, her eyes felt heavy and her legs faltered. She strolled back into the room and slumped on Lucas’s bed, the bottle of scotch dangled from her hand that hung on the edge of the bed.
She dozed off while trying to be wild awake. When Lucas returned and spotted Danika in his room with only lingerie, a sight he wouldn’t want to behold, he scooted closer to her and woke her up.
Danika forced her eyes open, ogled at Lucas, and curled her lips up. He looked tired and smelled of whiskey.
“You’ve been drinking.” She whispered, giggling.
Lucas pranced into the bathroom to wash his hands and splash some water on his face.
“Hmm.” He crooned when he walked back into the room. “And so are you.” He spouted.
Danika sprang up from the bed and rifled through his nightstand, dresser, and cabinet, searching for something unknown to Lucas.
His curiosity welled up at Danika’s sudden act. With his arms folded across his chest and exhaustion creeping into his eyes, Lucas asked, “What is it you’re searching for?”
Danika didn’t stop nor respond. She fluttered open every drawer until she found what she was looking for.
“Aha! Gotcha!” She murmured and turned to Lucas flickering what she found on his face.
“That’s a calendar,” Lucas said, trying to understand what she was up to. But he knows Danika was up to no good.
“Yes, hun. A calendar.” She purred. Her stride toward Lucas held a strong intention and the look on her face anticipated victory.
Lucas glazed over the calendar on her hand, pondering what Danika wanted to do with a calendar. Their eyes locked and their breath stuttered.
When Danika squelched her stride in front of him, she exhaled and clasped the calendar into Lucas’s hand.
“Time to pick a date.” She spouted.
Lucas gaped, pushing his brows together in confusion. “Why now? We need to give it time.” He said, walking toward his bed.
His bow tie already loosed and sat on either side of his neck, the sleeve of his shirt hitched up and the hem sprang up from his pants. Lucas found himself breathing so heavily as if he has asthma.
Danika spun around, facing his back. “No, we don’t. For over six years we’ve given it time. So now is the perfect time to pick a date and I’m so damn serious about this.” She hurled.
Lucas ran his hands on his face, thinking of what next to do but all ideas were furthest from his mind this minute. All that reeled in his head was how his life will be doomed if Danika eventually becomes his wife, an Evangelista.
“Danika I need…Time.” He vocalized but Danika has already made up her mind. She clamped on her phone and speed-dialed her mother.
“Mummy Hera, I want Lucas to pick a date for our wedding tonight.” She voiced into the phone which was on speaker mode.
“You want?” Lucas heard Hera’s voice and Danika hummed a ‘yes’.
“Very well then. I hope he can hear me?” She asked Danika and she hummed a ‘yes’ the second time.
“Good.” Hera crooned into the phone. The authority in her voice is unmistakable. “Lucas Evangelista.” She called but Lucas couldn’t will himself to speak. He was reticent.
*
“If you decide to marry her. Then don’t ever call me. I’ll sever ties with you and never accept you as my grandson. And I’ll never attend your wedding.”
*
These words roved through his mind again and again. Lucas’s grandma hasn’t spoken to him since the moment she vocalized this. Even when Lucas plodded into her room to explain his intentions of wanting to make Danika his wife, she didn’t move her lips. She faced her back to him.
When he crawled closer to touch her she slapped his hand away. When he informed her he was flying back to Florida she didn’t utter a goodbye to him. When he called she didn’t pick up his call.
Lucas doesn’t know what to choose or who to choose. Should he choose his granny over Danika who he’ll derive benefits from?
Should he choose his company over his granny who had cherished, loved, and raised him?
Lucas hunkered his head and scratched his hair.
“Since you’ve agreed to marry Danika, I believe it’s time to choose a date and everything will be planned.” Hera spouted. “Now pick a date.”
Lucas held his chin high, looking into the wall ahead of him. Silence hung in the air as they waited for him to speak.
By the time he budged his limbs minutes have passed. He reared his head and uttered with a dark voice.
“The wedding will take place a month from today.”
Hearing that a victorious grin splayed across Danika’s cheeks. She tucked her lower lip between her teeth to not let Lucas see the complacent look on her face.
“A month from today. Good. Prepare for your matrimony.” Was all Hera wheezed into the phone before hanging up.
Danika expelled a long sigh, her smile broadened. She turned to leave but Lucas halted her with his words of regret.
“I bet you’re happy now, Danika. I bet you’re.” He sputtered through gritted teeth.
“Yes, I’m more than happy. This is every girl’s dream.” She murmured and dashed off the room.
*
“Loving you makes me whole and knowing you’ve the same amount of love for me is a trophy. Marrying you is my dream, Lucas. I want to spend the rest of my days with you.” Sia whispered into his ears as he rolled himself inside her, claiming every inch of her body, releasing his weight atop her. Her words were music to his ears and he wishes to sing it for the rest of his life.
When these words slipped from her lips, he halted thrusting into her. They knitted their gaze and he whispered, his hot breath fanned her face.
“Say it again, baby.” He murmured, a faint smile creeping into his lips.
“Your love makes me whole and knowing you love me back is a trophy.” She whispered and creased her cheeks in a smile. She hoisted her finger and grazed it across his humid lower lip, feeling the soft texture.
“Marrying you is my dream, Lucas. I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”
That last part sparked a fire inside him. Lucas swooped his lips down on hers in frenzy and eased deep into her, she moaned his name and it deafened his ears.
*
A tear slipped from the crevice of Lucas’s eye remembering one of the sweetest days of his life. The day he promised her himself forever. They made love and branded their names on each other’s bodies, deep into each other’s soul.
But today, he couldn’t keep his promise. He’s going to marry Danika, someone he never loved.