“What do you mean?” Ismael inquired when I informed him that I wanted to return to my home.
“I’ll take the promise ring you gave me, because I left it there, as well as Mael, our cat.”
I heard him exhale as he finished applying ointment to my butthole. “But you should not go there because it is risky. Have you forgotten what almost occurred the last time?”
Before I spoke with him, I sat up straight and folded the blanket over my body. “I’ll be fast. I promise. I only need to get my belongings before returning to the penthouse. Right, I don’t have my clothes with me when you took me.”
“But I can buy you new ones.”
“Why buy when I have my old ones.” I approached and took his hand.
“When are you planning to go there?” he inquired.
“When do we go home? Is it tomorrow? Then I’ll go tomorrow.”
He exhaled again. “I will just take it. I merely have a meeting tomorrow, but after that, I’ll go straight to your house and grab your belongings.”
“No, it’s fine. I took off the ring you gave me, and I know where I hide it; I should have gotten it on my own.”
“Then just wait for me to finish my meetings, and I’ll join you. We will go to your house together.”
I gave him a gentle look. His eyes were filled with anxiety and worry. Perhaps this is the only way for him to be cautious, especially after witnessing Raviel’s guy nearly stab me. But I’m curious: why didn’t Ismael call the police to arrest the man? Why did he take care of that with his secretary, Mr. Tory?
Perhaps he doesn’t want the public to know? After all, he is a wealthy individual, and his family is well-known throughout the country. Perhaps he simply does not want his name associated with any scandal.
“Okay,” I simply replied, because it would be preferable for the two of us to travel to my place together.
Ismael prepared lunch for me because I was unable to stand. Ismael really did a lot to me last night, and I can’t stand normally. And I couldn’t remember when I fell asleep.
We ate breakfast together before heading for another walk. We visited both the Botanical Garden and the Northern Blossom Flower Farm. I like the flowers and plants, especially the floral scents, but the snapdragon stood out to me the most.
I am overjoyed that Ismael brought me here because all I smell in the city is pollution. Ismael is the only one that smells decent, except me!
“For you,” Ismael said, passing something across. I almost laughed since I expected a flower, but he gave me a plant instead.
“What is that?” I inquired, glancing at what he was holding.
“Blue Pine. It’s an air purifier. Actually, all plants are air filters. Also, this one’s for you.” He also showed me another species of plant. He handed me earlier was color blue, and the second one was green. “This is a lemon pine, a mosquito repellent, so you don’t get bitten, and another thing, this smells good.”
I gasped as he pulled a short stem from the plant, smelled it, and handed it to me. I can’t help but smile. “Oh, it smells nice!”
I grabbed a small bit of lemon pine leaf from his hand and sniffed it. “It smells like air conditioning.”
“This smells like an air conditioner because it’s an air purifier,” he explained, pointing to the blue pine.
“Eh, you said all plants are air purifiers!”
He rubbed my shoulder. “Wow, you learned so quickly. That is very nice, babygirl.” before ruffling my hair.
“Wait, there are no mosquitoes in the penthouse; why would you give me something like this?”
He laughed at me. Our visit concluded in the two-hectare floral garden. It was not really tiring. It’s better that I moved around because it helped my body adjust to the exercise as opposed to reclining down, which hurt my back more. Also, it’s excellent that Ismael and I are making the most of our time in Baguio, especially because we’ll be returning to the city tomorrow.
“Ismael, let’s take a picture over there!” I pointed to a platform with a stunning mountain view in the distance. The clouds are making the scenerey even more gorgeous.
“Of course.”
We persuaded several of the people there to snap pictures of us. I was clutching Ismael’s hand. Right, this is our first formal picture together. I’ll save it and print it later so I can carry it in my wallet. I’m going to make this my phone background, too!
“One, two, three, smile!”
I was astonished when Ismael placed his hand on my head, which is why I stared at him evilly. He transformed me into a child!
I continued to snort as I walked out of the property, looking at the photo of the two of us together. Okay, we were both smiling earlier, but when he put his hand on my head, I looked much more childlike. Doesn’t he realize how many times I’ve wished we were closer in age so our brains could be closer together? Because, honestly, it’s difficult to understand him because he was raised in a different generation than us. However, he is the one who is having the most difficulties out of the two of us because of my attitude and way of thinking.
“Hold on, I’ll just get our complimentary coffee,” he said, saying farewell. He went inside the rest house to get coffee, while I waited outside and looked down at the scene from above. When it comes to coffee, an Ismael will never lose.
“Excuse me, miss.” I looked at the speaker to make sure he was referring to me. “Yes, you attracted my eye, so I took some photos of you earlier with your partner. Would you like to inspect it?”
I smiled of amusement. “Sure! Let me see!” I responded lovely. The individual who approached me appeared to be a photographer due to his standing position.
“Here,” he pointed to his phone before showing me photos of Ismael and myself. I was astounded by the amazing photographs he took of us. I’d love to have a copy. “Would you like a copy? I can send it to you.”
When he suggested it, my smile grew. It’s a shame to not accept his fantastic offer. I still want to acquire that photograph of Ismael inserting a flower into my ear, as well as photos of me smiling while Ismael looks at me. Just in those images, I can see how much that man adores me.
“Give me your phone, Miss.”
I instantly gave him my phone so he could send me the photos he had taken. It’s a good thing there’s someone like him because I only saw a glimpse of Ismael and me. It still differs if the individual capturing the photograph has a different point of view.
“The mountains are beautiful, yes?” He asked, which is why I stared at the mountains in the distance.
“Yes, you’re correct. They are quite gorgeous. I have recently arrived in Baguio, so I barely had the opportunity to see this stunning location. I was amazed that there is something like this in the Philippines.” I returned my eyes to the man who was still tinkering with my phone, but it appears that he is also an iOS user, so it is easy to AirDrop images.
I smiled at Ismael as he came out of the rest house with his coffee and looked at us. “Ismael! This gentleman has several photos of us! Look, he is sending them to me!” I called Ismael.
“Actually, it is over. I appreciate your time. I need to leave. Here’s your phone,” the man replied swiftly.
“W-wait! I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend!”
The man stepped away from Ismael and me, who had just arrived, as our brows touched. “Who’s that?” he inquired before handing me the bottle of fresh milk, which I took. His impulse is to buy me some milk. Am I pregnant, or do I simply appear like a baby?
“Just a random person taking pictures of us. He sent me photos of us.” I took out my phone before going to the gallery and glanced at them. I was immediately upset when I saw no photos of Ismael and me.
“Where?”
I stared at him and shook my head. “He didn’t send it,” I admitted as my shoulders slumped. “I guess he doesn’t know how to send it.”
“Oh,” he responded, drinking coffee. “That’s weird.”
“Wasteful. Our photos of him look even better.”
“Really?” he inquired before taking another sip of coffee. “Why would he even take pictures of us?”
I shrugged. “He said I caught his eyes; that’s why he took pictures of me with you.”
I watched Ismael’s brow furrow, and he frowned even more. “He told you that?” I nodded. I am ready to open the bottle of fresh milk that I am unable to open. He instantly took the bottle from me and opened it. “Okay, I could agree. You’ve always attracted my eye, even before.”
I grinned at what he said. I drank the milk he had bought me.
“Come here, Jothea.” When he called my name, I gave him a quick glance. I had no idea that the way he addressed me would make me appreciate my name even more. “Sit with me. Let’s shoot some nice photos so you don’t feel horrible about it.”
I followed him. I can’t help but tremble as I realize he has not changed. He still gives me what I desire, even when I don’t ask for it. Even this small act offers joy to my heart. I never imagined that my professor would do something like this for me, only to accompany my journey through life. “Thank you, Ismael, for spoiling me.”
“As I should.” He kissed my cheek.
We are delighted to return to the city and cherish the good memories we had in Baguio. We were only there for a short time, but I felt like I got to know him better because we had spent so much time together and missed each other. We returned to his penthouse since he did not want me to go back to my place alone. As for me, I’ll admit that I’d rather live where he is so that I can constantly be with him.
Ismael promised to see me at my place only after completing his scheduled meetings with their clients and business partners. I am currently attending a meeting at LMC with the marketing team, which includes Mr. Roize and Miss Levanier. They are discussing their plans for collaborating with Safira. They stated that they would host a press conference about the collaboration and the official signing of the contracts. I still couldn’t believe Ismael would do this because of me. He takes his jokes so seriously.
“We will launch a limited set of perfumes under the names LMC and Safira,” Miss Levanier announced as her presentation appeared on the display. I, on the other hand, am simply listening intently because I am Miss Sapphire’s proxy and she is too preoccupied with other matters. All I have to do is report to her on the status of the LMC’s planning and marketing strategies. “As of now, we’re still trying to come up with the name of the set and also the main ingredient of the said perfumes,” she said.
“How many perfumes are there in a set? “Do we have an estimated count yet?” asked a member of LMC’s marketing staff. I, on the other hand, am simply listening intently because I am Miss Sapphire’s proxy and she is too preoccupied with other matters. All I have to do is report everything to her, including the LMC’s planning and marketing initiatives. “As of now, we’re still trying to come up with the name of the set and also the main ingredient of the said perfumes,” she explained.
“How many perfumes are there in a set? Do we have an estimated count yet?” questioned a member of LMC’s marketing team.
“We will go for twelve perfumes per set,” said Mr. Roize, making me breathe. For real? Are we planning to launch that many? I’m not sure what’s going on in Ismael’s mind that causes him to go crazy, but I have a feeling this will take a long time to complete. It is more difficult to produce twelve scents than one, two, or three. As members of a marketing team, it is our responsibility to see that through testing, manufacture, packaging, advertising, and promotion. I can see this is no longer a joke; perhaps I’m the only one who doesn’t take it seriously because I’m the one who began it in the first place. I believe I should set aside the thought of it. We are here, and there is no turning back.
“Is there anything else you wanted to raise before we end this meeting?” Miss Levanier asked, turning off her laptop. “Miss Alvandra, any thoughts or violent reaction?”
I sensed others around me looking. Even Mr. Roize glanced at me. “Oh, I just wanted to see if we might make perfume balms rather than sprays. I investigated it and discovered that balms can last longer than sprays. Also, there aren’t many scent balms on the market yet, so maybe we can attempt that, especially if we release twelve in a set; it may be better if there weren’t so many competitors.”
I noticed other members of the marketing team nodding. I was afraid to express my issue, but I believe it is not awful if I do. Besides, I’m not winding around them. Miss Sapphire told me to help, not stare. I want this project to succeed.
“Mmm, I like your idea. I’ll discuss that with our CEO.”