Ann’s POV
Shaking my head, I let out a bitter laugh. “You did this?”
I shove the card in his face. I can’t believe he registered for a cooking competition in my name, did the whole process of cooking and submission, and even won on my behalf without letting me know.
Until now.
“This is insane.” I walk past him to the door.
“Ann?” Tessa calls, and I expect her to follow me, but she doesn’t, and I am grateful for that.
I need to be alone.
What Vicente just did makes me feel more incapable. It was a lot of ache knowing I couldn’t finish up with the academy and become certified. I was already making efforts towards starting another, and now this?
Who does he think he is to do that for me?
Tears spring to my eyes, but I force them back. I’m not going to cry.
I’m going to become certified, get my own restaurant, and achieve my dreams. I’m going to get an award on my own, without anybody’s help.
I’m hurt. Emotionally.
When I rush out, I realize I don’t know anywhere around here and I didn’t pick up the car keys either.
I sigh and look back at the penthouse when Vicente suddenly dashes out, his eyes glancing around before settling on me.
He is breathless.
When I see the car key dangling in his hand, I walk to the car door in silence.
He goes over to the passenger’s door and opens it. I get it quickly, hugging my body to myself.
Tessa told me they had a surprise for me. I expected a small birthday party, but not with Vince involved, and I definitely did not expect it to end this way.
The fact that Tessa and Fernando were there made me more hurt.
If I accept the award and pretend to be the one who did it all, what would Tessa and Fernando think of me? They both know the award belongs to Vince and not me.
It’s not something I can boast of, so why should I accept it?
Vicente drives out, the silence lingering between us becoming so uncomfortable and awkward.
Eventually, I sigh and break the silence. “I’m not going to apologize for ruining your small party.”
He doesn’t reply.
His face is expressionless as he drives slowly.
Finally, the car comes to a halt, and I glance around. There is a beautiful building in front of the car and a playground opposite it.
Thinking he wants us to talk somewhere quiet, I step down from the car and move to a swing.
I’m trying to get rid of my anger, but nothing is working. The more I think about how absurd everything is, the more upset I am.
Vicente steps down when I am already on the swing. He takes four long strides towards me. “I don’t expect you to apologize to me.”
I look up at him. “What’s the meaning of what you did, Vince? Am I a pitiable woman that you had to do that behind my back?”
“No, you are the bravest woman I have ever come across.” His comments stop me from rambling further.
It takes me back, and I blink.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped but I only did what I did because I love you and I wanted to give you a gift you would never forget…”
“A book will do. Two books is fine. Ten books will be highly appreciated. You didn’t need to go this far,” I can no longer control myself as I burst out.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, you are not. I saw the guilt on your face, Vince. You knew what you did but you did it anyway.”
“I’m sorry, Ann. I just wanted the best for you. You had a lot on your plate, I knew you wouldn’t consider doing it if I told you about it…”
“Why will you assume I wouldn’t?”
“Because you were still grieving!” He suddenly blurts out, making my hand stop in the air. “You were grieving. You weren’t even talking to me. You shut me out. You cut me off just like everyone else. I tried to break through your wall but nothing was working. Talking to you about a silly cooking competition that I didn’t even considered important would have made you so mad. Imagine if I brought something like that up less than a week that you lost your mom, how would you feel? Wouldn’t you considered me insensitive?”
His chest is heaving up and down as he speaks, and a tear rolls down my eyes.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped which I know I did but I didn’t consider it important. I just wanted to do it for you so we could talk about it after and laugh. It turned out to be real when the results came out and you came out second.”
I step back, looking down, another tear rolling.
“I’m sorry, Ann. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”
I shake my head. “You came second?”
“No, you did. Your name is the one on the portal and on the award, not mine. Just consider this a ghost work.”
Despite the tears flowing down my face, I chuckle. “Ghost work? What the hell is that?”
“Let’s assume you were down and couldn’t do the task so you employed me as a ghost to do it on your behalf. Ghost workers do jobs on behalf of other people and get paid for the job done without necessarily taking credit for the job done since the payment has been made.”
I laugh, more tears flowing.
I can’t believe this.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t mind being your ghost worker forever. I don’t mind if you wish to punish me either, just don’t stay mad at me for too long and please accept this as my birthday gift to you. I did it out of pure intentions.”
I nod in understanding.
I was still grieving my mother’s death when it happened. And now the result is our end, and my name came second.
It doesn’t matter to the world if I did the job or if someone else did it. My name is what matters.
I whimper.
“What have I done to deserve this, Vince?” I find myself asking, slouching back on the swing. “I haven’t even bought you a single good thing before. I haven’t done any good…”
“You have.” He interrupts me from going further.
“I have?” He nods gingerly. “How? When?”
“The moment you came into my life, turned it around and the moment you agreed to spend forever with me.”
Everything coming out of this man’s mouth makes me want to kiss the hell out of him. It makes me want to punish him with my teeth digging into his lips.
I shake my head. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve any of this.
“My gifts aren’t finished, Ann and now I am scared you will be so mad at the last and you will never forgive me for not telling you about it.”
“I don’t deserve anything but your love, Vince,” I touch his chest as he wraps his arms around me and squats before me.
“This is my love. This is evidence of my love, then. Will you please accept it?”
“I…”
“Shhh!” He cuts me shut with his finger on my lips. “If you feel indebted to me, then you can pay me back. I don’t mind taking it back in installments.”
“Really?” Relief washes through me. If he is a ghost worker, so be it. I just have to pay him for the work he has done for me.
“Yes and the way to pay me back is in two ways,” he adds, mischief crawling to his face.
“What ways?”
“First, pay me back with your immeasurable and infinite love,” he states with a smile, and I hit his shoulder playfully.
“What’s the second?”
He doesn’t reply. Instead, he tucks a pleat of hair behind my ear and continues to stare at me like I am the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
“I love you, Ann and your acceptance will mean a lot to me.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s the second, Vince?”
If I can do the first, then it means I can do the second. That way, I won’t feel so indebted to him for everything.
“A kiss,” he blurts out, to my surprise.
My jaws drop and he burst out laughing. He steps back and runs around the swing. I follow, desperate to catch him and teach him a lesson for keeping me in suspense.
When I catch him, I jump on his back. “A kiss, uhn? Not a thousand kisses?”
“I think a thousand will be insufficient. Let’s settle for a million.”
We both laugh, and he drops me down and wipes my face clean before kissing my lips briefly.
“There is one more thing, Ann,” he announces, and my heart skips a beat.
“What?!” It takes me a lot of courage to ask what it is.
Instead of replying, he grabs my hand and leads me towards the car. When we walk past the car, I raise a brow until we get to the building I noticed the moment we first got here.
“This is it,” he reveals, sending a wave of more confusion.
“Whose building is this? Are we trespassing?”
“No. This is the last gift for tonight. For the birthday of my queen. The Mafia queen of the Di’Alberto ‘s family.”
I look from him back to the building, not getting what he means by my building until my eyes catch the tag at the top of the building.
Annette’s Diner is written in bold capital.
Shock submerges me thoroughly until it finally sinks in.
Annette’s Diner is mine.