Briggs Pharmaceutical industry (BPI)
"Sir! The Lavigne girls are back," a man in his late forties came rushing in.
"Oh really?" Mr Briggs, a man in his early fifties smirked.
"Yes, they arrived yesterday. According to my sources, the introduction is tomorrow," the first man, Mr Harris replied.
"Armando Lavigne, that fool! Ximena is supposed to marry my son," Mr Briggs said through clenched teeth.
"Do you want me to send the men now, sir?" Mr Harris asked.
"Are you stupid? Don't you know we need to make plans first? You'd better not act stupidly otherwise what I've been trying to achieve for the past twenty two years will flop. Got it?" Mr Briggs yelled.
" Yes sir! I'm sorry sir." Mr Harris flinched.
" You won't know what hit you, Mr Armando Lavigne. Slowly but surely, I'll take everything away from you including your precious daughter, Ximena," Mr Briggs laughed.
Just then, the door swung open. A young man of twenty seven years walked in. He was tall with blonde curly hair, green eyes and pink lips He had a chiseled squared jaw and a cute smile.
"Dad, I heard Ximena is back," the man said walking into the office. His name was Walter.
"Yes, son. Soon, Ximena will be yours." Mr Briggs laughed again.
Walter smirked.
********
Pickett Shopping Mall
"Let's stop here. I wanna get a new pair of headphones," Ximena said.Carlos parked the bike and they both got off and went into the mall. The mall was neatly organized and arranged. Ximena searched for the headphones section. Just then, Carlos' phone rang.
"I'll just take this call. Wait here," he said and walked a few distances away from her.
'I wonder who it was that he couldn't answer it in front of me,' Ximena thought .
She shrugged and continued walking, searching for the headphones section.
As she walked, she felt some pairs of eyes gawking and gaping at her. She ignored them and kept on walking. Just then, three guys walked up to her.
"Hey beautiful," one of them said flirtatiously.
"Mind grabbing lunch with us?" Another said and winked.
"No thanks," Ximena replied blatantly and made to leave when the third guy grabbed her wrist. She looked at her hand then at the guy.
"Leaving so soon?" He asked.
"Leave me while I'm asking nicely," she said calmly with a scowl.
The guy leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, "I'm really good in bed. Can't wait to get inside you."
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than Ximena landed a thunderous slap on his cheek and yanked her hand away from him. The other two guys left their mouths agape and the people around them looked at them. The guy was mortified. He clenched his teeth and fists in anger. He grabbed her shoulders violently.
"How dare you?" He said through gritted teeth.
"Hey dude, leave her. Don't tell me you're gonna hit a girl," the first guy said.
"You started it. You know, right?" The second guy said.
"Let go of me!" Ximena snarled.
"I'm only leaving you because you're a girl," the guy said and shoved her violently.
Luckily, she fell into someone's arms. She looked up at the person.
"Carl?" She said.
"Are you okay?" He asked with a worried and angry look on his face.
Ximena nodded while Carlos turned to the guy that pushed her.
"Is this how you treat a woman?" He growled. "How dare you touch her?"
"You should have just said you have a boyfriend instead if slapping me," the guy said.
Carlos' eyes glinted angrily. He grabbed the guy's collar.
"You still have the nerves to talk, right? Apologize to her now," he growled.
Carlos had this murderous look on his face that sent shivers down the guy's spine. He swallowed nervously. By now people were watching them.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"Did you say something?" Carlos asked maintaining his murderous glare.
"I'm sorry," the guy said, audibly.
"The next time I see you disrespecting any lady, I'll break your bones. Got it?" Carlos said and left hold of his collar. "Let's go, Ciara."
He held her hand and they left together.
"Wow!"
"That guy is so cool."
"Are you alright miss..."
"Hey! You called me Ciara a while ago," Ximena said.
"Why didn't you listen to me? I told you to wait. What if you got hurt? If I hadn't come on time, you would have been injured." Carlos stopped walking and let go of her hand.
"Why does it sound like you're scolding me?" Ximena folded her arms looking at him.
Carlos sighed. "It's just that I'm worried about you."
"Awwnn... Since when do you worry about me?"
"You know I do..."
"Of course I know. By the way, you were cool back there. You acted like you were my boyfriend," Ximena chuckled and resumed walking.
Carlos smiled and followed behind her. Ximena frowned and grabbed his hand.
"Stay by my side, will you? Do you want to make it obvious that you're my bodyguard? Today we're on a date okay?" Ximena said.
"Date? Okay," Carlos said and locked his fingers in hers.
Ximena looked at him with a quizzical expression.
"What? You said we're on a date," Carlos said when he saw the look on her face.
"Yes I did but that doesn't mean... Forget it," she said and looked straight.
Carlos unlocked his fingers from hers and put his hands in his pockets instead. Ximena looked at him and smiled.
"Oh! There's the headphones section!" She said and rushed there.
"Careful miss... I mean be careful, Ciara! You'll fall," Carlos called after her. "She behaves like a kid sometimes," he muttered and smiled before going after her.
"Hmm.. Which one should I take?" Ximena muttered as she scanned through the headphones. "Oh, I'll take that one."
Just as she was about to take it, someone else took it.
"Hey! I was just about to take that," she said and turned to look at the person.
"Too bad. It's mine now, Cruel Beauty."
"You again?" She scoffed. "You can have it. I'll just take another one."
"Hey, you don't have to be upset. Here, have it instead," the guy beamed.
"Thanks," she said as she collected it from him.
"Wow. This is the first time I've heard you say that."
"And this is the second time we've met," she scoffed.
"True," the guy said. "Just... People find it difficult to say that word."
"I see, you've taken the one of your choice," Carlos said as he got to them.
"Yeah. Let's go," Ximena said and turned to leave.
"Wait. At least tell me your name before you leave."
Ximena turned back to him.
"I'll tell you if we meet again," she said.
"Why?"
"Haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"If two people meet each other for the first time, it's by accident. It's a coincidence if they meet again. If they meet the third time, then it's fate. I'll tell you my name if we meet the third time," Ximena said and left with Carlos.
"He's the same guy I saw with you yesterday," Carlos said.
"Yeah. He's the one who hit me," Ximena said.
Carlos was about to say something when Ximena cut in.
"I haven't eaten since morning. I'm famished. Let's go to a restaurant," Ximena beamed.
After paying for the headphones, they headed to a restaurant.
********
A waiter walked over to Carlos and Ximena and handed them the menu.
"I'll eat whatever you eat," Carlos said.
"Alright," Ximena said and turned to the waiter. "I want salmon en papillote. And for the drink, I think crème de cassis will be better."
"Okay, beauty." The waiter turned to go.
"Oh! And I want quiche Lorraine," Ximena added.
Minutes later, the waiter returned with their orders.
"Get me a bottle of whiskey, please," Carlos said.
"Don't get drunk," Ximena said as she ate.
"I won't."
The waiter brought the whiskey and a glass cup.
"So what's going on?" Carlos asked after the waiter left.
"Excusez-moi?" Ximena arched her brows.
"I mean, what happened yesterday? You ran away again and that only happens whenever you have an argument with your parents. Also, you refused to come out of your room all morning. I don't mean to pry but I'm worried," Carlos said.
Ximena sighed heavily.
"I'm getting married," she said.
"What?" Carlos almost choked.
"It turned out that I was betrothed to one Hugo De León and tomorrow, a masked ball is being held for our introduction," Ximena sighed.
"Betrothed? I didn't know it still happens."" I don't want to get married now especially not to someone I don't love. My parents always make decisions for me but I never thought they'd decide this."
Carlos was speechless. He opened the bottle of whiskey, poured himself a glass and gulped it down in one go.
" That's why they were against my having friends."
He poured himself another glass and drank it.
" The wedding is two months after the engagement. Two months is not enough to know the person you're gonna spend the rest of your life with," Ximena said and drank her crème de cassis.
"A day is enough," Carlos chipped in.
"What?"
"A day is enough to know someone. There are people who live together but still don't know each other," Carlos said drinking another glass.
"I disagree with you. You can't know someone's character in a day. Who knows, the person might be pretending to be good... Wait a minute, are you in support of my marriage?" Ximena furrowed her brows.
"Of course not. If there's one thing I want, it's for you not to get married... Now," Carlos said and drank the fourth glass.
"If you keep drinking at this rate, you'd get drunk. Don't forget we came on a motorbike and not a car," Ximena said.
"Nah. I won't get drunk," Carlos said.
"Speaking of marriage, aren't you gonna get married?" Ximena asked.
"Is this your way of telling me that you no longer need me?" Carlos frowned and drank the fifth glass.
By now, he was getting tipsy.
"Of course not. It's just that, I'll get married soon and I don't think you'll be able to come with me to my husband's house," Ximena said.
"It seems like you're happy that you're getting married."
"Qu'en penses-tu?" Ximena asked looking at him.
"I mean, you're in a hurry to get rid of me."
"No. I think you're drunk," Ximena said.
"I'm not drunk," Carlos said and made to drink the sixth glass but Ximena stopped him.
"If you get drunk, how will we get home?"
"I told you I'm not gonna get drunk," Carlos said and drank the sixth glass.
"By the way, have you ever been in love?" Ximena asked.
Carlos took a glance at her and chuckled.
"Yes. I've loved someone before and I'm still in love," he replied and took the seventh glass.
"Really? Why didn't you tell me about it? Who's the lucky girl? Is she in Paris?" Ximena asked excitedly.
Carlos chuckled again.
"I'm in love with her but she doesn't know," he said.
"So it's a one sided love then. Why didn't you tell her how you feel?"
"Even if I did, it's not gonna work. She doesn't love," he said and drank the remaining content.
He was drunk already.
"You can't be so sure. You should have told her at least. Who knows, she might feel the same way."
"You think so?"
Yes, of course."
"So, should I tell her right now? Should I tell her that I'm in love with her?" Carlos said.
Ximena studied her for a while. "You're drunk, Carl."
"I'm not. Answer my question. Should I tell her?"
"I don't think you're in your right state of mind right now."
Carlos looked into her eyes affectionately and smiled. He reached for her hands and held them tightly. Ximena looked at him in surprise.
"I love you, Ciara. I love you a lot. The moment I set my eyes on you, I fell in love. At first, I thought it was just an infatuation but as the years passed by, I became more and more deeply in love with you. I managed to cage it in all these years but..."
"Carl," she called softly. "You're drunk. Let's go home."
"No I'm not. I'm in love with you," Carlos said drunkenly. "I love you. I love you so much."
"Come on let's go," Ximena said and gently pulled her hands away from his, her cheeks heating heating up. "Wait let me pay the bill."
As soon as she paid, she went back to Carlos.
"Come on," she said and helped him up.
She placed one of his hands around her beck while her hand was around his waist. They got to where the bike was parked. She helped him get on the bike and also got on it. She didn't know how to ride a bike well but she could try. She started it and rode away slowly.
"Hang on, Carl. You'd better not fall," Ximena said.
"I won't fall as long as you're here," Carlos said and wrapped his hands around her waist. Then he placed his head on her back.
Ximena inhaled deeply. 'I warned him.'
"I love your scent. It's... It's driving me crazy," Carlos said tightening his grip around her waist.
"You're drunk, Carl. Stop talking."
"But I'm just saying the truth. Okay let me sing for you then," he chuckled.
"Carl..."
"No, don't try to stop me."
🎤 I love you, you love me🎤
🎤 We are happy family, with a great big hug🎤 He hugged her tightly.
"At this rate Carl, you'll squeeze life outta me," Ximena groaned.
" Wait. I'm not done yet," he hushed.
🎤 And a kiss from me to you🎤
"Muahh!" He said and planted a soft kiss on her neck. Ximena gasped.
'Oh Carl, you're sure gonna regret this when you're sober,' she thought.
🎤 Won't... You say... You love... Me too?🎤
"I love you, Ciara," he said and rubbed his cheek on her shoulder. "Tell me you love me too."
"Stop it, Carl," she said.
"Stop what? Say you love me."
"Carl, stop talking. It's enough. Because of you, we won't get home on time. You know I don't know how to ride this bike. We should have taken a car instead."
"I can't believe you're getting married soon. That means we only have two months to spend together," Carlos said softly. "It breaks my heart. It's sad to know that the one you love doesn't love you too."
"Carl," Ximena called, concern etched on her face.
"It hurts... It hurts a lot," Carlos said. "It really hurts... I wish you could love me too but it's only gonna remain a wish."
********
3:59PM
The Lavigne Mansion
Ximena finally got home. Luckily, her parents were not back from work yet. She got down from the bike and helped Carlos down. She beckoned to one of the guards to help her. Carlos had passed out already."Take him to his room," she said.
"Yes, miss," the guard said and took Carlos from her.
As the guard took him, she noticed the tears in his eyes.
'He... He was crying?' She thought, feeling concerned.
"He must be really heart broken," she muttered and went in.
"Mena!" Zuri squealed happily and hugged her sister.
"You are early," Ximena said breaking away.
"Yeah. We closed early today. Anyway, I have a lot of things to tell you. Come on, let's go to my room," Zuri beamed and pulled Ximena along.
Once they got to her room, Zuri shut the door and turned to Ximena.
"You look really happy today. Tell me about it. How was school?"
"I made two friends today, Raya and Wendy. They seemed pretty cool and super friendly especially Raya. She acts like a cute kid," Zuri chuckled.
"You're really good at making friends," Ximena said.
"Oh Mena, you need to see the way they all swarmed around me like I'm some celebrity. It's all Mr Webb's fault though. He's my class teacher. He told them that I was Armando Lavigne's daughter. He shouldn't have said it," Zuri scoffed.
"Now they'd want to be your friend because you're from a super wealthy home," Ximena said. "I mean, who wouldn't want to befriend Armando's daughter?"
"Oh right! I didn't tell you the most important part," Zuri said and her cheeks heated up.
"Is it about a guy?"
"You got it. He's super cute. He was the first person I talked to when I got to the school. I had no idea we'd be classmates. And guess what, his name is Romeo. Now I wish my name was Juliet then we'd make a perfect pair, Romeo and Juliet," Zuri said dreamily.
"You're unbelievable, Zuri. Your first day in school and you already have a crush."
"Of course. But he's really quiet. It seemed to me that he doesn't associate with people very well especially girls. I wonder why though. But it's not gonna stop me from getting close to him. Luckily he's my seatmate," Zuri squealed.
"You know what, Zuri? You've really got some nerves," Ximena said.
"We're very different from each other, Mena," Zuri smirked.
"I'm sure you know what would happen if mom and dad found out," Ximena said, worriedly.
"That's if they find out. They're never going to find out. I mean, they didn't even know I had a boyfriend back in Paris. They won't find out unless... you tell them and I'm sure you're not gonna do that," Zuri smiled.
" I'm really worried about you, Zuri. I don't want you to get on Mom's bad side."
"You're so sweet, Mena," Zuri cooed. "They won't find out. They always give you more attention that they give me anyway. I think that's the reason they never found out I had a boyfriend," Zuri added with a sad sigh.
"Come on, Zuri. Don't be like that. They they also care about you. The reason you think like that is because I'm the heiress to the Lavigne empire."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better. You see, sometimes I feel like I'm not important to them. I feel like I'm a burden to them and that I wasn't meant to be born. Maybe giving birth to me was a mistake," Zuri said with quivering voice.
"That's not true, Zuri and you know it. They care so much about you. Don't say such words ever again, okay?" Ximena said soothingly.
"You're the best sister ever, Mena. I love you," Zuri sniffed.
Ximena wiped the tears away from her sister's eyes and hugged her.
"I love you too."
"Lest I forget," Zuri said pulling away from the hug. "You said you were gonna tell me about your accident."
"Oh, that's right," Ximena said. "I got hit by a guy last night while crossing the road."
"A guy?" Zuri seemed interested. "Tell me, is he handsome? Is he cute, tall or..."
"Hey. Calm down, Zuri. Well, I think he's handsome... Maybe," Ximena shrugged.
"Oh Mena, you always say that about every guy. How do I know how handsome he is?" Zuri pouted.
"He's different from the other guys. He gave me a nickname the first time we met."
"First time? Does that mean you met him again, today?" Zuri asked getting more interested.
"Yeah, we met again."
"Wow. What's his name?"
"I don't know his name."
"What do you mean by that? Didn't he ask for your name?"
"He did but I didn't tell him."
"Gosh! When are you gonna change, Mena? Hmm... From the way you're talking, it seems the guy is good looking," Zuri winked. "Is he more handsome than Carl?"
"Even if he is, it doesn't matter now."
"That's right. You're betrothed already. Tomorrow's the introduction party. Can't wait to see your betrothed. I hope he's dashing," Zuri smiled.
Ximena exhaled deeply.