That day, Helena had to fly back to New York for her job. And just minutes being away with her made me miss her already.
As soon as she arrived in NY, she called. I jolted when my phone rang. "Hi," I answered gleefully. Helena giggled at my excitement.
"How are you coping?" she teased.
"Terrible! Why can't you just stay? Or can I just follow you there?" I replied. Her giggle turned into laughter.
"Missing me that much, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah... your fault," I sighed.
"No way. I absolutely did nothing," she said.
I grunted. "When will you come back here?" I asked. I didn't care whether I sounded like a lovestruck teenager. I heard her chuckle.
"As soon as possible...," she answered. "Hold on." She turned on her video cam so we could talk as she unpacked her things. After a while, we ended our conversation when she took a shower.
When she called me again, she was wearing a silk robe, emphasizing her sylphlike body.
"What are you doing now?" she asked while searching her fridge for food to cook. I groaned when she bent to get a pack of bacon. It's plain to see what she was up to.
"Do that again and I'll be flying to New York," I warned. She just laughed it off.
"Dunno what you're talking about," she replied. "Anyway, have you eaten?"
"Yes, ma'am if you call that eating. I hardly tasted my food," I replied. "Mom would kill me if I don't finish my food so I ate like a zombie."
She laughed as she brewed her coffee and prepared the bacon to fry. It's already morning in NY--- around 6 am.
We talked for hours like teenage lovebirds before saying goodbye. She had to prepare for work and I had to sleep.
Separation became a little difficult for me to handle since that incident. That's one of the reasons why I hardly mingled with my family and friends. I was afraid of saying goodbye to people so dear to me.
But, I had to get on with my life. Life must go on as they say. I kept myself busy at work, especially this time that I was planning to expand my company. And on weekends, I met with the boys to discuss about the causes of our foundation just as this Saturday.
"Kuya Brad!" I turned to my sister, dashing towards me. "Wait!"
"Why?" I asked, creasing my brows.
She was panting from the run so she paused to breathe. "Uhm... are you going to kuya Luke's house?" she asked. I nodded. "Can I join?"
I looked at her. Probably, she already knew the questions in my head because she smiled.
"I wanna see Saraknib," she said, answering my question. I thought for a moment then said yes. Her eyes sparkled with excitement which made me smile.
When we arrived at Luke's house, Shane was already there. Owen came with Saraknib in his arms. Saraknib was growing so fast and we all giggled as we cooed him. Sheryl was a little nervous to touch him but her face lit up as soon as she held Saraknib's tiny feet with her trembling hand. She held back her tears.
It's already difficult for me as a brother to lose a nephew or niece. How much more for a mother who lost her child. It's difficult to see my sister's longing. She must have been a good and cool mom hadn't that cruel fate happened. I sighed at the thought.
"You're here, too," Shane told Sheryl who immediately frowned at him.
"Let's go before this two starts arguing," I said, dragging them inside.
We were welcomed by Luke and Arabella who finished preparing our food.
"How are you?" I asked Arabella. Luke instantly gave a tacit warning for me to shut up. But knowing his wife, she has already sensed something going on.
"Anyway, Rose called earlier, asking for our go signal about the beneficiaries of the charity gala," Shane said, cutting the awkwardness that filled the air.
"When is the gala?" Sheryl asked.
"Six months later," I answered.
"Ah... we have a foundation called FABs," Luke explained, seeing his wife's confused look.
"FABs? Like fabulous?" Arabella asked with amusement on her face.
"Sort of. But FAB stands for Four Asian Bachelors," I said. Arabella and Sheryl couldn't help laughing out loud, even Saraknib smiled.
"What?" Owen asked. "Is it too cheesy?"
Sheryl nodded.
"It wasn't our idea. It was Grace's," Luke explained.
"And you liked it?" Arabella asked.
"What's not to like?" Shane replied. Both women shrugged. "There was even an H in the original acronym....,"
"And I'm guessing H means handsome," Sheryl teased. We nodded. She shook her head.
"Anyway, who will be our beneficiaries?" I asked.
"I will show the list later," Shane replied. After eating, we all decided to go to the messy living room to talked about the upcoming charity gala and Regina and her revenge antics. We all looked at Owen who shrugged at the mess.
"I could be a better babysitter," Sheryl blurted. Owen just messed her hair. Sheryl grimaced.
Shane showed the list. We discussed and did some research about the five charities.
"I will send this to the organizers," Shane said. Then, we talked about Regina.
Arabella was clearly upset by it but she tried to remain calm until we told her about Regina's plan on locating her ex-boyfriend and use him against her.
"That's insane! He left us in a vulnerable state," Arabella exclaimed. "No one would believe him."
"I am not sure about that. Regina is famous and certainly influential. She knows how to appeal to the public. The truth can be twisted on her favor," Owen said.
Arabella sighed. "So should I just sit back and watch her ruin our lives?" she asked.
"Nope. We'll try to come up with a good strategy," I replied.
But, days passed and Arabella came up with a brilliant idea. We would be launching a Mental Health campaign. At first, we were all skeptical but when she explained why mental health was relevant, we eventually agreed.
Most importantly, Helena agreed to work as Arabella's PI and bodyguard. I was so excited at the thought of it and I couldn't wait to see her again.
For the succeeding days, our schedule was packed. Added to our already busy day were interviews and visits. I was tasked to talk to everyone in the corporate sphere and I already have a list of all the companies in the city.
I was more than happy to do this because it was a good chance for me to seek a good company for the global empire that I was planning to establish. Shooting two birds with one stone.