• Arsenio •

Months Later...

"This madness fucking ends today." Zenith slammed the files I asked him to bring me on my desk.

I fixed him with a cold stare. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes. Would you stop being an asshole and contact Ezlyn? It's been nine months! You didn't even bother to check if she was even alive or not!"

I masked my face with a bored expression and focused back on my work. "She is."

"How do you know that, huh?" He challenged, leaning forwards and placing his palms on my desk.

"Because you have been talking with her and if she was dead, you would have gone insane, that's how I know. Now, let me work." Giving him a deadly glare, I looked back to my laptop.

I could feel him glaring at me and after a minute, he declared, "You are not my best friend anymore, I am leaving, bye."

I gritted my teeth when he actually turned around to leave. God dammit, I am not losing another bestfriend.

"Zenith, get back here!" I shouted.

He showed me his middle finger over his shoulder and continued to leave.

"As your boss, I order you to stay." I don't usually go on using my CEO status, but he forced me to.

That made his pause and he looked over his shoulder, a brow raised in amusement. "Boss? Not anymore, I quit."

"Get your ass back here! Stop with this attitude. I miss her too, okay?"

When I mentioned her, he finally turned around and walked closer. "Then talk to her! Don't fucking think with your ego! What is wrong with you? You claimed to love and protect her, what happened to that?"

"Things aren't platonic between us anymore."

"So what? So what? That doesn't mean you don't care about her, I know you do. Just bring her back. I don't know how you deal with her then but just bring her back."

He continued when I remained silent. "Did you try to think of the possibility that you could try dating her? And I am fucking sure it would have worked, you two together. But no, you had to be an asshole. I mean, she is fucking adorable and feisty and beautiful and I could go on like this."

Out of nowhere, jealousy flared inside me and I snapped, "Then why don't you date her yourself if she has so many qualities?"

If he noticed the jealousy in my tone, he didn't mention that. "You are right. I can date her and I would treat her like a fucking princess."

"I did treat her like a princess! I always did, she was my princess."

Fuck. I was missing her so badly, these months have been so difficult without her. I have been unusually snapping at people at work for stupid reasons to the point they try to stay away from me.

I wasn't like that. I wasn't a scary boss but Ezlyn's absence from my life fucked everything.

I fucking needed her back. Zen was right.

Zen sighed deeply. "She's in Belmont. Are you going alone or I should I come along?"

What? I did miss her but at the same time I wasn't ready to face her. I needed time.

Ugh. I have been telling myself that for months.

"I'll go when I am done with my work. Now, leave me alone."

"Give me a specific time."

"Geez, why do you have to be so fucking stubborn today?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Someone had to make up for Ezlyn's absence."

I pursed my lips. "Get out, Zen. I am busy."

"I am letting it go right now but if you don't get her back by tomorrow, I am fucking quitting and then maybe I'll go and date her." He threatened.

My jaw clenched, irritation like never before swirled inside me. "You fucking think of her in that way and I will strangle you, now get out!"

With a roll of his eyes, he left.

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• Ezlyn •

A week before:

With my huge, nine months old baby bump, I walked over to the door of my apartment and pulled opened the door knowing it would be no one else but Marcelo as usual.

He has made it a routine to visit me once a month and then threaten me for the money and whenever I question him and shout at him for kissing me like that months back, he just ignores it or simply leaves.

In an extremely weird way, Marcelo, the man I should fear, became the only source of 'friend' in my life. Friend would be a huge thing but an acquaintance at least.

As expected, he didn't waste anytime in inviting himself inside.

"Seriously, Marcelo, I don't have any money, I swear. You already are rich, I don't know what you will do with so much money." I groaned.

He was watching me with a neutral expression and I blinked my eyes at him innocently and pouted. "Can't you forgive my debt?"

His features softened and he looked away and when he glanced at me again, his cold face was back. "I don't just go on and forgive people, I am a fucking gangleader for a reason."

"Then keep waiting, I don't have any money. I am poor. And will you tell me why you kissed me that day?"

His jaw ticked and he cocked his head. "I might if you tell me who's baby is that?" He pointed to my belly.

He is hell bent on knowing about the father of the baby and I am hell bent upon not telling him that. I just don't want to disclose it to anyone.

"If you promise to leave me alone, I might." I shot back with a tight smile.

"Not happening."

"Then keep guessing."

He gritted his teeth and cupping my elbow, pulled me closer to him and I gasped as our faces came close to each other. "You fucking test my patience, Ezlyn." With his other hand, he traced my lower lip with his thumb.

I tried to put some distance between us but he leaned even closer. "Give me one last taste." His voice almost  sounded...pleading?

"No! Move back." Honestly, it could be so damn easy to forget about everything and lose myself in him cause I am damn sure that this man likes me but how could I when Arsenio holds a piece of my heart? He was my best friend, yes but after that night, he took away a lot more than my virginity and I hate him for that.

I thought Marcelo might kiss me like last time again but he stepped back and for a second I caught a glimmer of sadness in his eyes before it was gone.

Before I could say anything else, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen and I clutched my belly, whimpering.

His eyes widened slightly. "What's wrong?"

I felt wetness trickling down my legs, my eyes met his frantic ones. "My water...broke."

"Fuck." He cursed and grabbed me by my shoulders and started to guide me towards the door but I resisted.

His grip tightened around my shoulders. "Dammit, Ezlyn, I am taking you to the hospital, trust me."

When another pain shot through me, I groaned and I let him take me outside where his car was parked and he buckled me inside.

Everything was hazy as he drove me to the hospital, glancing at me whenever I groaned loudly in pain.

Reaching the hospital, he took me inside and shouted something at someone, I was in too much pain to notice and soon I was being pushed down into a wheelchair and carried away and that was the last time I saw him.

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Hours later, I was handed a small fragile body as tears rushed out of my eyes, as I held my baby boy in my arms for the first time.

Crying, I hugged him to myself, my heart aching and wishing Arsenio was here. I never felt so lonely before.

"It's going to be okay." I said softly, assuring myself as I kissed my baby's head.

Sometime later, while I was breastfeeding him, I asked one of the nurses in a hushed whisper, "About the bill..."

"The man who brought you here, he paid all the bills." She answered.

I bit back a gasp. Marcelo paid off my bills, really? "Where's he?"

"Oh..." She looked slightly confused. "He left hours back."

"Oh...okay. Thank you."

My heart warmed at his gesture and at the same time I felt bad for him. He cared for me and I couldn't give him what he wanted. My heart refused to because apparently assholes are whom we always find worth wasting our time on.

I tried my best not to think about Arsenio or my life back in Boston but I couldn't help it. I missed him more than I missed anyone else and he deserved to know that he now has a kid. A boy.

Deep down, I know I am not capable of raising this kid financially and without Arsenio, I can't do this.

So, even though my heart pained to come to that decision, I still decided that this kid was better off with his father.

Chapter completion on: 6/12/22
Published on: 25/1/23