Chapter 1

• "I'm sorry, Miss -"
• "Ella. And you're?" Ella cuts me, and I realize we have been sitting across from each other in this coffee shop for several minutes already, but we have not introduced ourselves to each other.
• "Zed. Zed Ramos."
• She smiles, stares at her cutleries for a while, then looks at me. "Sir, it's too expensive if you'll get me a room in a hotel. And so are the food. If you don't mind, can I just go home with you?"
• What?! I gape at her for a second, and my lips curve to a smirk. Never.
• "I can explain it to your wife. I can help her with the household chores, take care of the kids, anything- "
• I understand. There's no malice in her expression. This woman looks up to me as her savior, and I know she's grateful for it. But I can't.
• "I'm sorry, Ella. I'm single, but I don't like to have any women in my house. Nor, in my workplace."
• Her brows furrow into frown and confusion. It's perhaps the way I say it. Or, probably because I make it sound like I'm allergic to women. If I am opportunistic, this is already my moment to take advantage of her. Yen may be the most beautiful woman in my eyes, but that changed when I saw this girl at the airport. I got mesmerized.
• Or, maybe, just maybe, it's already a sign that I have moved on because I'm beginning to appreciate other women's beauty.
• Yet, I distance myself away from any woman. I don't want to go through the pain anymore. I even dismiss my female attendants in my coffee shops when I decide to come back, and I no longer mingle with groups that include women. I may sound weird, but it's my way of protecting myself.
• However, I couldn't ignore Ella at the airport. My conscience will be killing me if I shut my eyes to her needs. Of course, I'm just avoiding women, but I can't ignore somebody who needs my help.
• As I observe her reaction, which I anticipate already, my mind goes back to how I met her an hour ago.
• _____
• I stepped down from the airport with just a single piece of luggage in my hand. All my other things, including the fixtures I ordered for my new house, would be shipped to me in a few days. The surroundings seemed eerily quiet, and I remembered our flight was delayed for a few hours.
• I raised my arm and glanced at my watch. It's past midnight already. So, I head directly to the taxi stand. But seeing that the queue was still long, I decided to sit on a bench and waited until everyone was catered. I didn't have to hurry; no one was waiting for me. But while I ran the tips of my thumbs on my phone's screen, I heard sniffs coming from the end corner of the bench.
• I looked in the direction of the sound. And my brows furrowed when I saw a woman in her mid-twenties, brushing her tears away. She sat with one long leg over the other; her eyes were on her lap.
• Even without knowing her yet, I could tell she comes from a prominent family. Her skin is creamy; her movements were graceful and refined – even if she's crying. Her tucked-in, off-shoulder cream top matched the color of her wedges, and her old-rose, high-waist pants matched the shade of her luggage.
• I hadn't seen her right away because a huge pillar obstructed her from my view. And judging from the swelling of her eyebags and the redness of her face, it looked like she's been crying for hours already.
• My heart melted. If her crying was about her love life, I could relate. I'd been there. And even if I am slowly healing now, there are still times that I cry for her. The loneliness is just too overwhelming sometimes.
• A guard walked over to me and whispered in my ear.
• "Sir, the lady has been sitting and crying there since morning, according to the morning shift guard. When I came here this afternoon, she was already like that. I never see her eating," whispered the guard who perhaps followed my eyes.
• "Really?"
• "Yes, sir. I'm already worrying about her. It's already past midnight."
• "Maybe she's waiting for someone," I said, keeping my voice a little louder than a whisper.
• "Maybe, boyfriend? And that he doesn't show up. Or, he showed up but took her money away." The guard chuckled, then left.
• I scoffed and shook my head. What kind of a boyfriend is he that ditches a lady as beautiful as she?
• I looked around. And I noticed that the taxi stand had already cleared from the queuing passengers. I rose from my seat and reached for my luggage, but my attention was drawn again by the lady's stifled sobs.
• I put down my luggage again and walked towards the lady. I stepped back when I was a foot away from her. I might be intruding on her privacy.
• But what I learned from the guard bothers me. She wouldn't be staying this long if she had money. If she's waiting for a boyfriend, then perhaps, she needs help in finding the address.
• I cleared my throat to let her know my presence. "Miss?"
• She looked up right away, her face smeared by her tears.
• "The guard told me you were here since morning. Do you need any help?"
• She answered me with a cry escaping from her lips. She covered her mouth right away but continued sobbing silently.
• "I'm sorry," she said, forcing out her apology in between sobs.
• I guessed she needed more time, so I sat down beside her. "It's okay."
• "I don't know where to go," she finally opened her mouth to speak after a few minutes of battling against her urge to cry louder.
• I pulled my brows. "I don't get it."
• "I made a call this morning, leaving my things on this bench. I was not far away. I just need a little distance from the crowd. But when I came back, my bags weren't there anymore."
• "You didn't ask help?" If it's her bag, it means her important things were in there. It could be money, cards, passport, or important documents.
• "I did, but I knew It's useless."
• "But there are CCTVs all around."
• "It won't be easy to track them down. I'm not new to this incident."
• I nodded. She's right. It will take forever to solve this case. Pickpocketers, snatchers, and thieves are common in this country.
• "I can give you money so that you can go home."
• "I don't have a home."
• "What?"
• "It's a long story, sir. But it wouldn't have been an issue if I didn't lose my bag."
• I sighed. She indeed had a reason to cry her heart out. "I'll book you a hotel until you can figure out what to do."
• "Thank you so much," she said, flashing a beautiful but sad smile.
• I blinked and stared at her for a few seconds. She has the most beautiful smile I have seen ever since I started refusing to set my eyes on other women aside from Yen.
• "Let's go," I said, picking up her luggage.
• She stood to her full height, and I was stunned at how tall and beautiful she was. Although I'm already taller than most of the men I come across with, but she's still at my shoulder's level.
• "Hungry?" I shouldn't have asked. I knew she was.
• She pursed a smile and nodded.
• "Let's get you food on the way."