Chapter 100

"What"s going on here? I thought this is mother"s birthday party?" Auntie Carmela said while she was looking at Drake and Harmony. "I cannot believe this!" She added and in her face was the disappointment.
"E--- Elisa," Harmony uttered while looking to the woman who was standing next to Auntie Carla.
"So, you know her?" Auntie Carmela said and then she smirked. "That"s make everything easy for me then.
Harmony"s eyebrows were drawn together as she was confused on what Auntie Carmela said. What did she make easy for her?
She couldn"t help but wonder what the woman was talking about.
"Auntie Carmella, please not tonight," Harmony heard Drake"s voice which brought her back to her senses.
She was looking at Elisa. She couldn"t help but think what was the woman doing here and why she was with Auntie Carmela? She really had no idea because she was not close to Elisa at all.
"Don"t act like you are innocent, Harmony. I am sure that you know what I am talking about," Auntie Carmela continued and then she glanced at Harmony and then to Drake. She looked at Drake for a couple of seconds and then spoke again. "Right, Drake?"
Drake"s eyebrows were knitted together while he was looking at Auntie Carmella.
"I am sorry, Auntie. But what are you talking about? I don"t get it," he said while he was shaking his head.
"Really? Are you sure?" Auntie Carmela said while she was still looking to each one of them.
"Auntie, if you have to say something then say it. Do not beat around the bush," Drake impatiently said to his Auntie Carmela.
Harmony was just looking and listening to their conversation while looking at Elisa. Why did she have a feeling that Elisa had something to do with this? She was looking intently at the woman, and she could see the confidence in her. It was as if Elisa was acting like she had someone on her back.
She heard Auntie Carmela scoffed.
"Seriously? Do you really want this to come out from me?" Auntie Carmela said in a threatening voice.
"I couldn"t understand you, Auntie Carmela. This isn"t the right time for whatever you are saying. This is grandmother"s party. Please do not ruin it," Drake said in a firm voice.
Auntie Carmela smiled sarcastically at Drake.
"Coming from you? I couldn"t imagine that you have the audacity to talk to me like that after what you and this woman did," she said as she looked at them sharply.
"Why don"t you say what you know?" Drake challenged his Auntie. Harmony could see how Drake was trying to hold himself as he rolled his fist into a ball. "I can"t really believe that you can do this. I cannot really believe, Auntie Carmela. You are willing to take risk with grandma"s life just to get whatever you want. So, selfish," Drake added as Harmony could feel the tension in his voice.
She knew that Drake was just trying to control himself.
"Drake," Harmony said as if she wanted to stop the man from speaking. She looked at Drake"s grandmother. "Please, just think about your grandmother."
"I know but Auntie Carmela is the one who started this," he said in a low voice. "I am sorry, grandma."
"It"s okay, grandson. I know that your Auntie Carmela just wanted to say something, and she should make sure that it is worth to hear," the old woman said calmly. "So, what is it you wanted to say?"
"Harmony and Drake are not into a romantic relationship. They are just pretending so Drake can get his shares in the company. They are fooling you, mom," Auntie Carmela exclaimed and then she smiled victoriously at him and Drake.
Harmony felt like a bucket of ice was poured onto her. She felt like her face turned to white because of what the woman said but she quickly recovered. She looked at Drake who was also shocked.
"How could you say that? Do you have any proof with your accusation?" Drake"s grandmother said.
Harmony could here the people whispering as they heard what Auntie Carmela said. She couldn"t believe that Auntie Carmela found out their secret but how?
Harmony shifted her gaze to Elisa. But how? How did the woman know about the agreement she had with Drake?
"Well, Elisa, this is your chance to tell my mother the truth. Tell them everything that you know and everything that you heard from Drake and Harmony"s lips," Auntie Carmela said very confident.
Elisa looked at her. Harmony met her directly in the eyes.
She knew that everything that Auntie Carmela said was true but she wanted to know how Elisa learned everything. She could feel that she was the one who told Auntie Carmela. But how did she know Auntie Carmela? These were the questions that pop up inside her head after she heard what Auntie Carmela said.
"I was there, Drake and Harmony," Elisa started. They were just looking at her. Drake"s jaws clenched while he was waiting for the other things that Elisa would be saying. "I was there when Paul left Harmony. I was sitting two tables away from Harmony. I heard everything that Paul said since the café is just small. I heard when he said that he woke up one day and he didn"t love Harmony anymore. Then he left Harmony all alone in her table. Harmony was in a great shocked and Drake, I could still clearly remember everything. You were the first one who approached Harmony and talked to her. You told her that you can help her get back to Paul and she have to help you to. But when she learned that you are a heir and you are after your inheritance, she wanted a part of your inheritance. That"s when you both ended up having a contract. An agreement. It means that your relationship is just because of the contract you both made and will expire once he gets his inheritance," Elisa narrated everything that she saw and heard.
Harmony could see the shocked in the guests" faces. She looked at Drake"s grandmother.
But she couldn"t see any reaction from her.
She was silent as if she was trying to absorb and understand everything that Elisa said.
"Is that true?" Drake"s grandmother asked. She was looking at her grandson. There was no anger or hatred in her voice. The old woman was just simply asking Drake if everything that Elisa said was true. She felt relieved because it seemed like the woman would understand them.
Harmony was silently praying. She knew that she should be ashamed because of this but she couldn"t feel that.
She knew that"s how they started but everything had changed as time passed by. She couldn"t deny that because every time that Drake was around, she couldn"t describe how her heart was beating so fast. She was starting to feel uneasy and to feel conscious and whether she would be admitting it or not, Harmony knew to herself that she loved Drake.
She was so scared to put it in words because she didn"t want people to think that she was just taking advantage of Drake"s kindness especially with the kind of attitude that his Auntie Carmela had.
She let out a deep sigh. She was just hoping that Drake could fix it because once her parents learned about this especially her dad who was still recovering, she didn"t know if he would be able to take it. She was afraid that something might happen to him and she would never forgive herself.
"Yes and no, grandma," Drake said and then he looked at Auntie Carmella directly in the eyes.
"What do you mean, Drake? Seriously? Are you going to lie?" Auntie Carmela said one after the another.
"No, I am not lying and I am not saying that what this woman said was not true. In fact, it was the truth and not the truth about my relationship with Harmony. So, if you will listen to me, I will appreciate it," Drake said and then he even took the microphone to Avery who was still in great shock.
He coughed to clear his throat.
Drake looked at everyone in the reception and then his grandmother.
"First, I want to apologise to my grandmother. This is supposedly a night that you should enjoy and I am sorry for having this kind of scene. To my dad, I am sorry. To the guests, I am sorry but I am here standing in front of you so you can hear the side of my story," he said and then he looked at Harmony.
"This woman with my Auntie Carmela is right. Everything that you heard from her is actually true. That is the way how me and Harmony met each other. I wouldn"t deny that I offered an indecent proposal to Harmony because I am so desperate that time. Who wouldn"t if they wanted me to marry a woman I don"t even know? A total stranger whom I will be spending my life with. Just thinking about it already makes my tiny hair rise up. So, what I did was, I went to the café and from there I met the broken hearted Harmony who is so brave and never allowed me to take control of the situation. She made me feel that I needed her more than she needed me," he said and then shook his head while smiling.
Harmony couldn"t understand because what was funny? Why Drake was not even bothered by what Elisa just expose?
"So, yeah, we had that agreement and to cut the long story short, we had the contract for our relationship. But you know what? Whether you believe it or not, that"s how we started and for some reason that I don"t know and I couldn"t even explain myself, I found myself being in love to this woman in front of you. The proposal and all, those are the truth. The relationship we have isn"t the contract relationship anymore. Because it is already real," he said.
"So, am I supposed to believe you, Drake?"
"It"s up to you, Auntie Carmela. But like what I said, I don"t care if you will disinherit me because of what you found out about my relationship with Harmony. I told you my side and it is up to you how to judge it. If I am pretending and so as Harmony, I don"t think that Harmony would cry that hard when I propose to her. You know why she cried so hard? Because she never thought that I will fall in love with her. I always tell her that we are not allowed to fall in love with each other," Drake continued speaking.
"Again, I am sorry, grandmother and dad. I am willing to face whatever consequences you want to give me. But one thing I am sure, I love Harmony and no one could change that. She is my strength and she is the first person who believed on what I can do. She trusted my capabilities," he said and then he held her hands. "I love you so much."
"Is it important how we started? Isn"t it more important how we ended?" Drake asked Auntie Carmela.
Harmony was just listening to everything. She didn"t know what she should be saying.
Her heart was filled with joy because of how Drake declared his love for her in front of many people.
She never thought that Drake would be doing this. She never asked him to.
Though, Harmony couldn"t deny that she felt relieved because she could see the face of the guests, Drake"s grandmother and father stayed calmed. Their eyes weren"t questioning them why they have done that thing. She was thankful that Drake was there for her and stood up to the mistake they made.
"How about you Harmony? What is the side of your story? I want to hear it before I make any decision," Drake"s grandmother asked which surprised her.