Chapter 9

'Will everything be okay?" Myra said as Hart unlocked a decent-looking black Atoz hatchback. She breathed a sigh of relief to notice that there were no signs of the men chasing them earlier. The bustling crowds of shoppers and vendors fended them off from the rest of the bazaar, giving her a confirmation that they were safe, for now. 'I'm the king of the bazaar," Hart announced with a smile. 'They wouldn't be able to find us easily through the crowd. Particularly when they are not from the area." He started the car, and they were on their way. Compared to his usual casual speed, he was driving fast. The car whizzed off into the distance, passing down the highway into the streets. Hart almost didn't stop, until he finally reached a red light. Myra found her stress lifting as the bazaar was slowly disappearing from view. 'Pardon if I may ask, but who are these men? Why are they continuously chasing us?" Her heart was still beating very fast, thrilled by the perils that awaited them. While she was afraid, she knew that Hart would keep her safe. 'If it's Angelo's doing, it can only be my father and his wife," Hart said in a deep voice. 'I refused to take over the family business and be involved in my dad's shady dealings. But because I am my father's only biological son and he and his wife have no children, they have been harassing me into doing what I don't want to do." 'Hart, it will be okay," she pinched herself, faking a smile. 'You've spoken to Sierra. She's my sister. She will help us." Hart looked hopeful. 'But one thing I don't understand, Hart. I was sure I tossed my cellphone into the roads outside the hotel that night. But what was it doing in my handbag the next morning? And though it rained hard that night, it was still in good condition." Hart paused. 'What if I told you that I have my ways?" He began manoeuvring the hatchback once more through the busy roads. If Teos had got it right, the hatchback was neither registered under Hart's name nor Teos'. It was a private vehicle belonging to some unpopular individual. This way, his father would not know his whereabouts. Hart could only hope that Teos was fine and had escaped danger. After they left the area, he would need to change sim cards again. 'I don't understand." 'I have a friend who runs a shop selling phones and accessories," Hart revealed solemnly. 'Have you noticed anything different about the phone?" 'You switched it?" Myra gulped. 'But the photos…." 'NFC technology," he said with a broad smile. 'That time, the screen was already cracked. I knew you had broken it for a reason, yet you still needed it to contact your friends before they started getting suspicious." 'You never cease to amaze me, Hart," Myra muttered, putting her hands on her lap. 'But now that we're in this mess, what are you going to do? Are we going to run from them forever?" Hart chuckled. 'You'll know soon, Myra. I've already made plans. I will be with you no matter what." He squeezed her hands tightly to reassure her. 'Myra, don't worry." Her tension diminished. So far, Hart had been doing well in his plans, and she believed he was one to keep his word. With her overtrusting ways, she knew she could not suspect him. But she and Hart had good communication, and he wasn't Jake. Hart would not keep anything from her. Hart made a turn into the fuel station to refill the car's petrol tank. As he opened his duffel bag to retrieve his wallet, Myra couldn't help but observe that the stack of millions of notes he had previously packed was missing. 'The money…" 'I paid it to Teos. It's in the motorcycle compartment," he explained. She was mystified. 'That's… a lot of money…." 'He will need more, Myra," he whispered, receiving the change for the petrol refill before driving off. 'Trust me, Teos is not someone who is a threat to us. We need his help to escape unscathed." Myra nodded. It was her first time going through this dramatic scenario. She only hoped that once they left, they would never encounter such problems in the future. Sensing Hart's warm arm on her shoulder, she reclined in her seat and pondered. She had only come to the island to pursue the man she thought to be the one she loved, Jake. But it had led to her meeting an even more handsome man. And this handsome man had been one who made her feel like a princess and cared for her, despite having known him for only a few days. Furthermore, he had not asked for any money from her at all. To her, age was a number. Perhaps her father would not accept Hart or his social status, but her father would no longer control her. When she graduated, she would move out and live life independently like Hart. She would be free. 'Hart, is what you have enough for us? I do have some money with me, which you can use first." 'I saved up some cash," he replied. 'We won't need too much for now." 'If you say so," she said with a sigh. 'Let me call Sierra. Are we arriving soon?" 'In five minutes." 'Okay," she smiled and started dialling Sierra's number. Her stepsister-to-be answered on the third ring. 'Myra, where are you, and where have you been? It's so long; I was freaking out!" 'I'm about to arrive at the hotel," Myra told the girl who she regarded as her sister. 'But be mentally prepared." 'For what?" 'You'll know later. Bye!" she ended the call with a wink. Hart shrugged. Perhaps, he would never understand women. Milla had been very talkative over the phone too, but she had never revealed to him who was the owner of the female voice she would call every day. Maybe she had a best friend, a cousin, a former co-worker or some distant relative she didn't find necessary to tell him about. At times, he felt he didn't know Milla very well. He parked the hatchback at the hotel visitor car park and grabbed their bags. Myra linked her arm in his as they headed towards the lobby, where Sierra was waiting. Snickering, Myra pictured Sierra's surprised look when she saw the hunk of a man she was bringing with her. 'Myra!" Sierra called out excitedly, jumping up from the sofa. Hart saw a childish woman with confidence written all over her face. Her curly tresses rode down her back, and she appeared to be of European blood. She had some freckles on her face, making her adorable, but she was not his type. Myra was his type as she was a pure-blooded Chinese woman. Teos' taste, however, would differ as the man liked different cuisines. 'Whoaaa... Who's the guy?" she queried with a questionable look on her face. 'Don't tell me… he is the rebound guy?" 'Sierra! That's rude!" she reprimanded her stepsister. 'Hart has been helping me all this while!" 'I can see why you're not willing to come home," Sierra teased, poking Myra playfully. 'Shouldn't you introduce your cute friend?" Hart glanced at Myra. Sierra looked downwards to see how they had linked arms. How sweet they were! She was a bit envious since her last endeavour during the party hadn't ended up satisfactorily. Of all people she had unintentionally hooked up, due to the impact of alcohol, with the man she saw as a brother all her life, Lesley. Ewww! 'Sierra, my sister," Myra looked at Hart jealously. She didn't like to hear Hart calling her stepsister cute, especially when she wanted to be the only woman in his life now. But it was factual that Hart had looks that could steal a woman's breath away, and Sierra would have been attracted to him too. 'Hart is my…" she stammered, realising no matter how she put it, it just didn't sound believable that she had become Hart's lover in just a night of being abandoned by Jake and had been unwilling to leave his side. On the other hand, she wanted to give Sierra the signal that Hart was hers and that she should keep her distance. But the last thing she wanted was a judgement from her stepsister. 'We met randomly," Hart cut in quickly before Myra could say anything. 'Myra needed help getting around, and she doesn't speak good Bahasa." He presented Sierra with his name card, which stated ‘Hatta Baderan, owner of Hart Souvenir and Local Merchandise'. 'I'm sure you must be curious why I am here now," he explained further. 'It happened that my house is under renovation. And the other thing," he gestured for Sierra to talk to him in private before whispering into her ear, 'I wish to pursue Myra. She has helped me a lot while showing her around, and her innocent and sweet personality attracts me." Myra shrugged, not knowing what their interchange had been when Sierra walked towards her, beaming. 'Tonight, you take the other room in the suite with Hart," she winked at Myra weirdly as the trio entered the elevator. 'I'll be busy with something else." 'And one thing…." Myra positioned her ear close to Sierra's mouth. 'Jake Yu returned to City V." Myra's face looked startled but then followed with relief. Hart seemed to have heard what Sierra had said, as the lass had not bothered to whisper. Pretending he had not heard anything, he guarded her back with a casual smile. 'I'll show you to your room," Sierra offered. Something about the way Hart smiled made Myra feel something was not what it seemed.