Chapter 8

• Elyana's POV
• It was a scorching morning when I woke up the next day—still surprised by the new atmosphere and weather. I still thought about the delicious dinner I had that night that I first thought was just a dream. I ate a lot, though. I even forgot the proper table etiquette because I ate giant oysters and lobsters with my bare hands. Filipino food has a unique taste. Even some kinds of seafood I missed the taste. I hope Mom’s newly hired maids won’t spread the word about what happened last night because it was embarrassing. For sure, they had been thinking I looked like I didn’t eat for days.
• It was 10:00 am when I woke up, that was why it was already hot. I didn’t turn on the air conditioner when I went to bed because I was already tired. My whole body was dripping with sweat with the humidity. I was awake, but my spirit was still asleep. I stayed lying down even though I was already sweating, but when I suddenly remembered my plan for the day, I got up.
• I almost forgot where I planned to go and when I remembered, I hurried to take a bath with high hopes I would see him in his office that day. I searched for the most comfortable clothes in my luggage, and there I realized I needed to go shopping for summer dresses while rummaging around. I found one dress that was not too revealing. I was about to meet a friend and not go on a date, so a simple peach maxi dress was okay. I paired it with wedge heels that were skin tone in color and let my long hair down.
• After getting dressed, I put on red lipstick when I saw my pale face in the mirror and wiped a matte-pressed powder to hide the tiny freckles all over my face after applying a cream. It was a 3 in 1 cream with a concealer effect and sunblock. I almost forgot my lotion. It was hot outside, so I had to put some on my arms, neck, and legs. When I was done, I couldn’t remove the smile from my lips. There were butterflies inside my stomach. After making sure I looked great, I went out to look for the driver. I couldn’t just take the car because I needed a license.
• ‘Even if I have money to pay when I get caught, still best to obey the law.’
• From Greenhills San Juan, we traveled to Sampaloc, Manila, where the Engineering Firm owned by Martincu was located. The current Chairman, CEO, or President was Felix himself, while the COO was his older sister’s husband, who happened to be an Architect. Their eldest, Lea, owned a coffee shop. Aunt Eugene’s recipes were those bread and pastries they sold there, and the bestseller had always been the cheesecake I missed. Only Felicity’s career was far different. He started his company with his blood and sweat. The company was nearer, so Felix was the first I visited. The trip took more than half an hour, and it was already noon when we arrived. I asked the driver to wait because Felix might have already left.
• ‘I was making sure because I didn’t want to take a taxi alone.’
• The employees were on their lunch break, so I met many of them on their way out. I grabbed people’s attention as soon as I entered the entrance. The guard checked my bag while one of them asked what my agenda was. I told them I would like to visit Felix, their boss, and they gave me a meaningful look. They made me write my name in their logbook, and then I signed it.
• When I was done signing, they made me walk through a scanner to ensure I wasn’t carrying a weapon under my clothes. While walking, I heard the two women talking about an actress one of them had seen in a show. They were talking in Filipino, but I understood very well. Maybe they thought I didn’t understand because I looked like a tourist. After all, Dad looks like me. From the shape of his face to the sharpness of his nose. Even the color of his eyes seemed grayish with one look. I was often mistaken for someone in Turkey, so it wasn’t new. I got from the guard what floor their boss’s office was. According to the two, their boss hadn’t come out yet. That might be my lucky day.
• A smile on my lips was glued as the elevator I ride goes up. I noticed nothing had changed in the place aside from the lobby, which seemed a little bigger than before. It made me wonder what Felicity’s office looks like. His office was in Paco, Manila. Felicity didn’t have his whole building yet, just renting a room in one colossal establishment he used as his office.
• When I asked him why he wanted to become a matchmaker rather than pursue the career he studied for, Felicity told me he wanted to help people who were having a hard time finding their matches. He even called himself Modern Cupid, and she has helped many people. I wonder why he didn’t try helping his twin, but I guess he tried, and knowing that man, I don’t know.
• Felix is already 37 years old, but from what I heard, he is still single. He never tried introducing a lady to his family, even once. I’m concerned about that because you know Felicity’s heart. He has a heart of a woman. The elevator door opened on the floor where I was going. Felix’s office was on the eighth floor.
• “Excuse me, is Felix still here?” I asked the woman at the front desk in Filipino. It seemed she was about to get ready to leave to have lunch. She seemed surprised when she looked at me. Maybe she couldn’t believe that I knew how to speak her language.
• “Uhmm—m-do you have an appointment with sir?” she asked politely.
• “Oh, sorry—actually, I don’t. Can you inform Felix instead that I’m here? Tell him it’s me, Elyana Begum. I’m his friend,” I answered and begged.
• She asked me to wait. She left and entered a room. While waiting, I looked around, and to my surprise, the guy I came to that building suddenly went out of the other room and walked towards me. I couldn’t control my emotions at that moment. I immediately ran as fast as I could to come closer to Felix. I almost jumped on him and hugged him tightly.
• “I miss you!” I shouted with great joy while hugging him tightly. I felt he was trying to push me away, so I released him. I looked at his face and saw his extreme shock when he realized who the blasphemer was and immediately hugged him.
• “E-Elyana?” he asked in apparent disbelief.
• “Yes, it’s me! I miss you, Felix!” I answered and hugged him again, and this time even tighter. I no longer felt he was pushing me. Even so, he also didn’t hug me back. I was a bit disappointed, but it’s okay. I was used to that kind of treatment from him.
• “When did you come home? I can’t believe you’re here,” he said when I pulled away from the hug.
• “Just yesterday —Oh my God! You look good. You don’t look like the nerd that you used to be before! How about we grab lunch somewhere nearby? So we can talk properly.” I looked around. People were looking at us, and some even stopped walking to watch us, and one of them was the woman I talked to earlier.
• “I promised Mom I’ll be home for lunch today—why don’t you just come with me? I’m sure they will be happy to see you,” he refused my offer, but his idea made me happy.
• “Sure! I was planning to go straight to Aunt Eugene if I hadn’t caught up with you here,” I replied.
• “Then cool! Do you have a car with you?” he asked, and even though there was and the driver was still outside, I lied and said no, I didn’t bring a car. I only texted the driver to tell him to go home. They still lived in the same place, from what I heard. More extensive than before and looked like it had just been remodeled.
• ‘What could we expect from people with their engineering firm and construction company?’ If only they could remodel every year, they could if they want. In Lucas’s case, they are buying houses, renovating them, and selling them at a higher price.
• It was quite a long trip. Even though I wanted to ask Felix about certain things and tease him while we were on the road, he gave me a vibe that I better not. Just sit and shut up. Something that made me curious and, at the same time, scared. It had been more than five years since I’d seen him, but he still had that awkward environment when he wasn’t in the mood and didn’t like the person around him. I knew I was one of those people he didn’t like.
• ‘I thought that already changed.’ When we arrived, he took me straight to their dining area. Lea saw me, and she suddenly screamed out of her excitement.
• “Oh my God, Elyana! Oh my God! Super Oh-em-gee!” I laughed internally at her reaction. She approached me right away to hug me. Aunt Eugene heard Lea screaming, and she came out from her favorite place, the cooking area, with a concerned look on her face, but when she saw me, her expression shifted.
• “E-Elyana?” I could see on her face that she couldn’t believe I was there.
• “Hi, aunt!” I greeted her, and when she was already close, I hugged her tightly after Lea let me go. It was a great feeling to see them again and hug them. I was so glad I went with Felix because I missed them so much.
• “How are you, sweetheart? You look dazzling!” she asked me and praised me.
• “Oh, thank you, Auntie! I’m fine. I’m so glad to see all of you guys,” I replied, and Aunt Eugene hugged me again.
• “We’re happy to see you too! Where did you and Felix meet? When did you arrive, huh? You didn’t even tell us you were coming! You’re so unfair!” Lea couldn’t stop herself from asking me tons of questions. One question after another.
• I was still determining which one I would answer first when Aunt Eugene interrupted that interrogation. She told us to sit so we could eat lunch first.