CHAPTER 33

AIVAN'S POV

I was sitting on my swivel chair as my back was turned to the table when I heard one of my staff enter.

"Is it the usual?" I immediately asked. He clear his throat first before speaking.

"No, boss. She left earlier with her mother." My jaw suddenly clenched as I heard that.

"Her? Sounds disrespectful," I said as I waved my gun.

"I-I mean Ms. Amethyst, boss. Ms. Amethyst left earlier with her mom," he replied immediately in a fearful voice.

I command one of my men to look after Amethyst--- it's not Rex nor Toby. I don't know why I am doing this. I don't really want to set Amethyst free. Even our deal ended, I still want to know what she is currently doing.

"Where did they go?" I asked as this one is interesting and unusual. Because, I always just heard that she is just staying home and watching their workers while doing their store.


"They went to two different hospitals today." I didn't reply for a moment.

"Okay, just keep watching them and keep me updated," I said.

"Yes, boss." I just heard footsteps and the opening and closing of the door.

I sighed as Greg left.

Why did she go to the hospital? Is she sick or has a disease or something? Or maybe his mom is the one with the problem?

I should know it.

--------

AMETHYST'S POV


We did my plan.
I applied to a fast food restaurant and luckily I was accepted. I only worked there for two months because my pregnancy was already noticeable in my stomach.


"ALWAYS BE CAREFUL there, huh?" mom said as I zipped my bag.

I'm about to leave and I will go now to Batangas because my stomach is quite obvious, especially when the t-shirt I'm wearing is small or a little fitted.

So for the past few weeks I've been wearing dusters or big clothes to hide my stomach.

"Yes, mom. You guys here, too," I said and mom held my hand.

"When our school is over then we're already on a vacation, sister, I'll come see you," Crystal said. She was next to me so I turned to her.

"Okay, thank you," I said with a smile.

"Do you have something to do there?" mom asked.

"Ah, yes, ma. I asked grandma what business I could do there and she said that no one sells burgers there anymore, so yes, I'll just sell something like that. So, that I will still have income from there somehow." Mom nodded at what I said.

After a while we heard a knock from the door. Because we are here now in our room of my sister.

"The van is ready," uncle said immediately after peeking into the room. We justed rented a van since we can't use the bus that uncle was operating.

We immediately took action and they loaded my things into the van.

Mom already told Allen and uncle what happened to me.

I'll be fine. I know I can handle this. I know I can surpass this.

We got to Batangas safely and they stayed there for almost two hours before leaving me here. Fortunately, our store is finished.

-------


"Amethyst, grandchild, I will just leave you for now. I'll go to my Amiga Tess and we'll just play bingo," Mama Lele said while still adjusting her earrings.

Mother Lele is our grandmother.

"Okay, mama Lele. Be careful," I said.

"Okay, okay, you two here, too. Hey, Ging-ging, don't leave your cousin," grandma reminded Ging-ging, who was now sitting next to me.

"Of course, mama Lele. Where am I going if ever?" Ging-ging replied with a laugh.

"Well, it's good that it's clear. Alright, I'm leaving." Then Mama Lele walked in a bit of a hurry.


"Be careful, Mama Lele," Ging-ging and I said together.

Ging-ging is the one I'm with here.
She is also a granddaughter of Mama Lele. She's a daughter of one of mom's sisters, aunt Wilma.
Our grandfather is gone, he passed away five years ago. Ging-ging is here so grandma will have someone with her.
As far as I know, Ging-ging is sixteen years old and has a real Filipina beauty.


What serves as our store is a tent and we have a table in the middle and chairs for customers and also for us who is vendors. We were in good condition under the tent because we made sure we didn't get too hot and yet we were surrounded by trees and plants. So, it's cool here.


We just built it in front of grandma's house and it's still inside our gate so it doesn't get in the way.

I have been here in Batangas for two weeks and everything is okay so far.

Everything is going according to my plan.

After a while, someone walked towards us.

"Hi! I want to buy,," he said as he approached us.
I looked at him first.
He also has a bit of a looks, but not my type.

"What is it, Brother Alex?" Ging-ging wad the one who asked him.

"Uhmmm, two foot long and then three burgers," he replied.

"Regular burgers?" Ging-ging asked.

"No, egg burger, so your foot long has a partner." I just shook my head at what the man said.

"Oh wow, are you treating some, brother Lex?" Ging-ging said as she opened the stove.

"A little?" The man even laughed after answering.

I then here prepare the ingredients.

"It turns out it's true what they say. The seller here is said to be beautiful." I slowed down a bit and I barely looked at him.
The fool grinned.

"Just 'seller'? It should be 'sellers' so it means it's my cousin sister and I that you are referring to. It's unfair to hear, you know?" Ging-ging answered this and waved her hair.

"All right, give in," the man said, causing Ging-ging to hit the spatula she was holding on the table.

"Hey be careful! it might break," this man saud then he adjusted his seat.

His gaze returned to me and I knew that because I could see him in my peripheral vision.

"Are you pregnant?" he asked suddenly.

"No, I'm just full. Because I ate ten foot long and twenty burgers at the same time." They both laughed at my answer.

"You're okay, huh?" he said while still laughing.

"I didn't know that you're already married. By chance, I might get mess here. He might think that I have some kind of intention towards you." I just shut my mouth at what he said.


"I'll just invite your husband to drink sometime." I looked at Ging-ging and she did the same to me.
Ging-ging immediately took her eyes off of me because it seemed that she was already feeling awkward because of what Alex was saying.

"H-hey, Brother Alexander, just shut up there. You're feeling that you're close here," Ging-ging simply said.

"I'm sorry, are you--"

"My child's father is already dead. He had an accident. He was hit by a car."

Silence and awkwardness enveloped us when I said that.
When I turned to Ging-ging, her mouth was slightly agape.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I don't know," Alex said while not knowing where to look.

Ging-ging and I continued to cook.

"Oh, brother, it's already cooked," Ging-ging said after removing the patties and hotdogs from the oven.

"It's not wrapped yet," Alex said as he stood up from the chair.

"I said it's cooked, I didn't say it's done," Ging-ging emphatically said that makes me laugh a little.

When I turned to Alex, he was smiling at me.

Maybe he felt that I was already fine and that he shouldn't be bothered anymore.

"Oh, this is it, brother. One hundred and twenty pesos in all," Ging-ging said when we were finished putting in a paper bag what Alex's bought.

"When are you free?" he asked while handing over the payment.

"Why?" I asked here because he looked at me.

"I just wanted to take you guys for a walk. Especially you. So you can see the beauty of Batangas," he said to me with big smiles.

"I'll see," I said.

After two weeks, I decided to wander here in Batangas and Alex and Ging-ging served as my tour guides.

The places here are super beautiful and the ones I liked the most were the Montemaria Shrine and Mt. Gulugod Baboy.


----


"Don't you have any job?" I asked Alex here because it's been almost a month since I met him and he's been at our store everyday.

"This is my job." My forehead furrowed at what he said.

"It's just a joke. I expect something every month because I'm the landlord of an apartment here." I turned to Ging-ging and she raised her eyebrows once so I just nodded.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" I still ask here.

"Nothing. Why? Do you not like me here?"

"Hey, it's not that," I immediately answered.

Because he is always here and as in everyday. I also don't know and he even helps us shop at the market. Even here, he often helps us in selling. Sometimes he even lend me money when I lack in change and then he doesn't take it back anymore. Then sometimes I will just be surprised because he is giving me a cash.

Even if I don't want to accept it, he still insists. If I don't take it, he hands it to Ging-ging or to Mama Lele.
So the ending, I can't give them back to him.


"Aren't you afraid of what others will say?" I asked directly here.

"Where?" His eyebrows meet me as if he doesn't really know what I want to say.

"What might people say about you, me or us, like that. You know?" I asked here while scratching my nose.

"Huh? I'm known here to be friendly," he said innocently.

"Yes, sister. Besides, peoples here don't think like that. As long as we have guests, it's our nature to treat them kindly." I nodded at what Ging-ging said.

I do notice that the people who buy from us are always smiling.

"But even so. Because this Alex is here every day," I said to them.

I don't know if it's just me that has something different or I'm just traumatized by the attitudes of the people in my hometown.


"People know that Brother Alex doesn't really do anything, sister. That's why people probably just think that Brother Alex is just passing his time when he is here," Ging-ging explained then smiled that's why I just felt relieved.
Looks like I'm just really traumatized.

"Why did you ask? Maybe you want something from me?" Alex asked excitedly and Ging-ging laughed when Alex even poked my side causing me to startle.

"Have you ever been hit with a hot spatula? The one with the oil that still boiling?" I asked here while raising my eyebrows.

"Not yet,"

"You want me to spank you?"

"I don't want it, it might be a different hand that will slap me." He even laughed more causing my forehead to furrow.

"What do you mean?" I know what he said meant something.

"The truth is that I actually have a child, he is on a vacation in grandparents--- his mother side. Then my wife is in abroad. Later, my wife's suddenly will be long and slapped me from Australia." He laughed again so I nodded.

I'm the only one who gets an issue here.

Is it weird if I say I feel embarrassed?

Why is he so kind to me, tho?

I thought he liked me.

He gives me genuine and sweet gestures. And that's what I'm still looking for in a man. I'm not saying that I like him. I really thought that he liked me. I'm just ready to try him--- if ever.

But it's an auto pass for me because he's already married. Destroying a relationship is not in my vocabulary.


"But it's harder because a gun might hit me, instead." I furrowed my forehead again when Alex said that.

"Why?" I asked here even though the truth is that I am already feeling something wrong here.


"My wife's father was used to be a soldier. I might get shot." I just then laughed because of the way he laughed.

I tend to overthink a lot.

What I'm thinking is also impossible because Ging-ging knows Alex.


/W.W/