Chapter 30

Minerva’s POV




 “How can she be so sure that Darwin’s the father?”

            That is one of the reasons why Mariella is my bestfriend. She agrees to almost anything I say; anything I express.

            “I don’t know…” I said. “One minute, she was just climbing down from the stairs. Then in a blink of an eye, she’s already on his lips along with the words ‘I’m pregnant, Darwin, and you’re the father’.”

            Mariella laughed at my way of copying Gyzell’s annoying high-pitched voice. “That’s also the reason I immediately walked out like what he did to me when he saw me and Lushan talking, and quickly grabbed a cab on my way here.”

            “I never knew you were an impersonator,” she said, wiping the froth from the coffee on her lips.

            I sighed in dismay. Perhaps I was just meant to be a payment. Perhaps if I just agree that I’ll serve him in just a hundred days or so, I’ll now be freed of our debts—from Derrick’s debts.

            “You know, Mariella…” She looked at me, straight in the eyes. “I think I should never agree to be his wife in the first place. In that way, I’ll never be included in the chaos of rich people when it comes to their skeletons in the closet.”

            “What do you mean?” Mariella’s brows hoisted, eager to hear my answer.

            “I think I should deal with this debt-payment thing more professionally.” I paused for a breath, eyes beyond the terrace. We are sitting outside, on the second floor of the coffee shop (that also serves as a bookshop) that was owned by Mariella’s sister-in-law.

            It’s like a paradise. The weather is cool and serene. Thank heavens we weren’t poured down by a heavy rain. The place is definitely a must for Instagram enthusiasts, as well as for people who make a living out of taking pictures. The blend of greens and warm colors, as well as the chemistry of the lush garden and coffee and books make my burden less heavy.

            I was still wearing that dress that I’ve worn since early morning. I was the one that bought this, immediately paying first on the mall’s counter before Darwin could hand them his credit card. As much as I would want to let him pay for my apparel, I am an independent woman who’s used to buying my own clothes—from underwear and sneakers and lipsticks to shoes—with my own goddamn money. And if I ever made him pay for my personal belongings, I bet that the stack of debt that Derrick owed him will be much higher and bigger—and more difficult to be paid with just my sweet words and kisses. Darwin would probably demand a full-body payment, and it’s hard for me as I am in a delicate condition.

            “I’ll pay him through my own hard work. I will work and save up all I can, rather than be in ties with the Gray family.”

            “Where will you work?” I shot her a look that she immediately knew where I would be earning for a living.

            “Here,” I breathed.

***

Mariella’s POV




I just recently arrived at the coffee shop after finishing my night shift as a nurse, then she came. She was looking wholly down and not the usual cheerful Minerva I often meet.

            I’ve been busy lately. Of course, as an individual who works as a medical practitioner, it is indeed stressful. But with her, the sun shone in my face despite the incoming rain. The flowers bloom in my surroundings despite winter’s arrival.

            She was magnificent, and I loved her for that. More than just a friend.

            The first time the windows of my soul beheld her, she opened a door to my heart that had long been locked and closed. With her, she made it easier to live. And to love.

            I just let her talk. About her being a debt payment to a billionaire and the new villains that entered her life, I just let her voice it all out.

            I always wanted to tell her that…why not just me? I have a couple of money. I was born with a silver spoon and ten million dollars is just equivalent to cents for me. Being rich is a part of my name, of being me. Although she knew that, she only sees me as a person that is always to be approached during difficult times and to be approached if she’s feeling happy and needs someone to have a coffee with—I am just a friend.

            I tried so damn hard to express what I feel, what I truly am. That I am not just a beautiful woman, but also a woman who seeks to be with a gorgeous young lady as well.

            I’m dying to tell her that…that we can just settle down. First, I will pay Darwin with all those Derrick’s debts. Second, I’ll take her under my wing until she gives birth. Then third…we can now be under one roof, where two people become one, bound by the holiness of marriage and the blessing of matrimony. It may sound queer to others, but love is neither just a man nor a woman. It is a universal feeling where anyone who has a heart is free to be encaged in its gloriousness.

            That was my original plan. Before she told me that she had fallen for him, and him to her. I know Minerva, ever since we met while seeking a canopy under a heavy rain five or six years ago, whatever she felt is always unfeigned. True. Real. Unchangeable.

            But I wonder…I wonder if Darwin also felt the same. Or is he just confusing lust with love…

            I don’t want my Minerva to be hurt by a mere billionaire. Well, okay, not a mere billionaire but a one hell of a freaking billionaire. But, if he really loved her, would he allow her to just run away to me in broad daylight? And the fact that he had been with that Gyzell is already suspicious and questionable. That is if that man could really feel love at all.

            She wanted to work in the coffee shop where we mostly hang out, where we had spent several hours just chit-chatting and sometimes even gossiping.

            I will let her. If she wants to work in my sister-in-law’s coffee shop, I will let her. I’ll talk to my sister-in-law.

            “Fine…” I said, my gaze not taking off at her eyes that was the color of my birthstone. “Just one rule, don’t meet with him again. I’ll be the one to hand him your ten million dollars’ worth of debt.” That was a firm command from my own lips.

            And it was just the beginning.