Thirty Eight

Darius drew me outside while Gianna approached her aunt. He spoke to me.

"Are you all right? You seem problematic; is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked me.

"Nothing, I'm fine, don't worry about me," I said.

"Are you certain?"

He looked at me as if he was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. In response, I nodded.

"We're not always together, Marcus, but I know you," he said to me.


Is this too obvious?

"Try to tell me so I know what your life problems are," he said to me.

I remained silent.

"Is it about your ex-wife Natasha?" he ask.

I burst out laughing. It's been a long time, and he still being asked about.

"It's been a long time, Darius, but you just asked me that now? "I feel like a fool by chance if I haven't been able to move on with that woman until now." I stated. 

"So it's because of Gianna, since I noticed you had a thing for her." He said this to me while staring at me intently.

Why do I get the impression that this was just an excuse for my ex-wife to avoid saying what he needed to say right away? My head shook.

"How do you know?" I ask.

"Are you still going to keep it a secret from me? I already know about your actions," he joked.

"So, what's the catch?" he ask once more.


My head shook. This man will not stop me if I do not speak. I inhaled deeply.

""I'm sideways. I haven't even started flirting yet, and I've been rejected," I grinned, and he laughed.

"Why do you intend to continue courting her? You should have been subjected to violence, "he claims.

"Bastard. I know she wouldn't like it; perhaps it was a time when she avoided me for the rest of her life."

Why do I have the impression that this man just made an excuse for my ex-wife so that he could say what he wanted to say right away? My head shook.

"How do you know?" I inquired.


"Are you still going to keep it from me?" I'm already aware of your actions, "he said to me, laughing.

"So, what's the snag?

"He asked me again, and I shook my head. This man won't stop me if I don't say anything, so I took a deep breath.

"I'm slanted. I haven't even begun courting. I've been rejected," I said, frowning, and he laughed.


"Why do you still intend to court her?" It would have been preferable if you had gone through violence just to have her "he claims.

"Bastard. I'm sure she wouldn't like it. Maybe it was a one-time thing where she avoided me for the rest of her life." I respond.

He abruptly fell silent, as if considering a suggestion.

"Why don't you invite her to drink and get her pregnant?" he suggested slyly.

"You idiot, it's as if we're discussing another woman.  Maybe you forgot it's your wife's niece we're talking about. If Bettina hears you, she will divorce you because I know she will choose Aurora over you," I threatened.


"No way! I'm just joking," he responds. I'm cracking up.

"Because your stupidity with women has worked yet again," I explained.


"My outlook on life has shifted, Gianna, because I can't take it any longer, and I'm not getting any younger; I needed someone in my life who would stick with me until our hair grayed."

Who would have guessed that we'd both fall in love with women who were related to each other? "The only difference is that you are not loved by her," it laughed to me.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know your charm was rotten because it didn't work for just one woman," he said to me. I remained silent. As a result, it leaned against the wall, staring at me.

"What's your plan now?" he ask.


"I'd like to return to the Philippines.  Bianca is fine now, so don't worry too much," was my response.

"Don't you think you can stay here long enough for a vacation?" "Just give yourself a break," he advised.

"Darius, you're too much!  I'm still having issues with the company."

"Is everything okay?"

 I shook my head.

"The company lost money; 50 million dollars in cash went missing," I explained.

"What? But why is that? "

"I'm not sure; I've already asked the finance department." They have no idea what happened. I'm not sure what happened. The company is only now losing money for the time being. "my response

"Have you reviewed all of the CCTV footage? Perhaps thieves have entered, or perhaps you are allowing a thief into your own company." "he claims.

I exclaimed.

"I'm not sure, but I'll take care of everything when I get home.  And I'll make sure whoever it is doesn't get away.  He made mistake of crashing," I explained.

50 million dollars is a large sum of money. When the economy is weak, it is difficult to make money.


"Please excuse me for a moment, Marcus. I  assume Bianca is awake," he said as he bid me farewell.

"Sure, go ahead," I said.
I called Thompson after Darius had left. He responded after three rings.

"What is it, Marcus?" he inquired over the phone.

"I have something to do with you, Thompson; I want you to investigate all of my company's employees," I told him.

"However, why?"



"The company had  a cash loss of $50 million. I'm sure it was taken. I'm not sure how because my finance department staff is clueless," I explained.

"Why didn't they know? They had all the access in finance, so they had the ones who knew better. I felt that something wasn't right," he says on the other line.

"We can't immediately accuse Thompson because we don't have any evidence right now," I explained.

"I'm not in the Philippines right now, Thompson; I'm here in Los Angeles because Darius requested it," I explained.

"What's the deal with that guy? It's been a long time since I've seen his face," he said.

"The bastard was already a father; his wife was giving birth to a baby boy right now," I explained.

"Seriously? Send my regards to him."

"Sure. By the way, Thompson, since I'm not yet returning there, just investigate, or better yet, take care of the company first so they don't become suspicious," I said.


"Sure, it's a better idea," he said.

I noticed Gianna leave the room. She appears to be tired because she closes her eyes while walking. I made a remark to her,

"I had no idea you liked to sleep while walking."

"I really need to sleep," she told me.

"Darius' house is far from here, so check in at the hotel and sleep." I suggested.


"Come with me, Marcus, I don't know this place," she said.

Why am I so weak when it comes to this woman? But she didn't seem to like or care about me in the least. But I have no choice but to accompany her because, aside from Darius and Bianca, I am the only person she knows here.

"Wait, we'll notify them first," I said.

"I'm done telling them," she said as she dragged me out of the hospital.

"Let's go to the city first and have some fun because it's still too early to sleep," I suggested.
We started by paying a visit to the Verve Coffee Roaster in Los Angeles. We went inside and placed our order.

"This place is nice, Marcus." Gianna told me.

"This is a must-visit for people who want to sleep," I said.

Gianna sipped her coffee with a frown.

"What can you expect given the length of the flight and my first time boarding a plane?  It's a good thing I slept because I wasn't too scared. Don't make fun of me, because it's not easy for me to come here," she says.

I burst out laughing.

"At least you made it to L.A." I remarked.
 
In response to what I said, she nodded.

And I noticed that the majority of the other customers in the coffee shop were women who were staring at us. I rolled my eyes because I knew they were looking at Marcus.

Will this man's beauty be available in other countries?

Then a woman  approached our table. I frowned, disgusted by the woman's attire. a pencil-cut skirt and a black tube.  She said something to Marcus ear, but I could hear it.

"Babe, let's hang out tonight. It's my pleasure. " Marcus laughs at what the woman said to him, and I know she's pure-blooded American because of her complexion.

When I saw Gianna's reactions to the woman, I couldn't help but laugh. I would have assumed she was jealous now if she hadn't openly rejected me.

"Just ask my wife, Miss, and if she says yes, I'll go," I told the woman who widened Gianna's eyes.

I noticed the woman smirking at Gianna while Gianna was giving me the death stare, then staring at the woman like she was a jealous kitten. I was afraid they were going to pull each other's hair out.

I was taken aback when I realized I was a little jealous of the woman in front of us. Marcus and I had previously had a one-night stand, so we didn't have a relationship. But it's a strange feeling that I feels something strange in myself. Is this an indication that I had feelings for him as well? Not at all! In contrast to what I believes. Because the woman had returned to her table, I abruptly pulled Marcus two ears.

"You're a jerk, bastard. I believe you want me to be harmed by that woman. "

"Enough, Gianna; we're here in public," he said, but I didn't move, so I squeezed his ear once more.

"Ouch, Aurora, What! Let me go!" he exclaims.

"I won't release it until your ear is removed," I told him.

"I apologize, Gianna. That was not my intention when I said those words. When I don't think of a way to get that woman to leave, I know what she's up to. She's not going away," he says.


Aurora stopped squeezing my ear and blew hard on it, hoping to relieve the pain. I looked around and noticed that all of the women who were watching us seemed to be in awe, except for the woman who had approached earlier, who was staring at our directions as if she was angry.

" Gianna, let's go. "It's as if my vision has turned into a pillow," I explained.

I did notice, however, that she rolled her eyes.

“Seriously? Why am I of a different mind? It's almost as if you're avoiding her because she still looks at you with disdain. And I think she's not used to being rejected, so she'll choke you to death. "Gianna burst out laughing.

My head shook.

"You're talking a lot. Gianna, if you're the one who eats me, I'll let you swallow me "I'll say it again.

"Stop talking!

We left the coffee shop because it was getting late, she said, her eyebrows raised.

"Should we go for a walk or look for a place to stay for the night?" 

"No, I want to sleep; I feel like I'm about to drown in bed," she replied.

We hailed a taxi and drove to a hotel. We have arrived in front of the Sonesta Hotel. She was taken aback by the appearance of the hotel from the outside. She could tell it was lovely.

"How much will a night here cost?" Gianna asked abruptly.