Chapter 5

ACE He is now looking for a parking space not far from Gina's boarding house. He wants to surprise her and also he wants to find out if what she says is true that she already has a date who is tall, dark and handsome. But from what he could see with his eyes, what she was saying seemed to be the opposite. She was riding in an SUV with two men, so that's why he suspected. When Gina's sister Janice called him to invite him to their house to celebrate Valentines day, he refused. He thought that maybe there's no need to watch over Gina because he didn't have anything to worry about yet. He knew that Brando was out of town. But when he saw an SUV parked in front of Gina's boarding house, he was suddenly alarmed. And he was just surprised when he saw Gina riding in the SUV with the two men. Now, he jumps into the conclusion that the tall and handsome she's referring to is none other than, Brando Nicolas. He just wondered why there was no trace of fear on Gina's face even though the men were carrying guns and from what he could see, it looked like she was just calm inside the SUV. He was shocked by what he saw and immediately followed the speeding vehicle. When they stopped at a traffic light, he immediately looked at his mini GPS tracker and activated it. While checking at the digital numbers through his in-dash car monitor, he was alarmed again when he discovered that Gina was not wearing the necklace he gave her. He immediately took his cell phone and dialed a number from his contacts. The person he called answered immediately. "Yes." said the gentle voice on the other line. "Do you know me?" He asked. "Of course! Why did you ask me handsome? And what can I do for you?" "I need a favor." GINA The SUV they were riding in entered the underground parking garage of a high-rise building. After it was parked, she was immediately lowered by the two men with her. They took her to an elevator where only those with special keys could access it. She thought that if the elevator system in this area was like that, she really wouldn't be able to escape. One of the two men pressed the B *** mark, and in a few seconds the door opened wide and they entered. The other man pushed the 25th floor button until they got there. Another pressed the B *** mark and the elevator door opened again. When they came out of the elevator, a large living room opened up to her with a glass wall and from where she was standing, she could see the view of Manila Bay. She turned to the side and saw Brando there, standing near the glass wall, dressed in a tuxedo while talking on his cell phone. "Make sure you continue the deal because if you don't -" Brando said angrily and turned his attention to her direction, but when he saw her, he immediately put down his cell phone. The fierce voice she had heard earlier suddenly became gentle while Brando smiled at her. "I guess you just got here fast," his smile widened and walked towards her. "Miss Suarez. How nice of you to join me." "Stop it, Mr. Nicolas, it's more nice that you just called me, not that you forced me to come here." Gina noticed that Brando gave a fiery look to his two men, blocking her at any attempt to escape. Then, he smiled meaningfully at her. "I know how intimidating the look of my two bodyguards, Gina, but I assure you that they mean no harm." Brando said, extending a hand to her in greeting. She didn't accept Brando's handshake with her, and she also didn't care if his bodyguards were harmless or not. "Then, why did they force me to come here even though I told them I had an important matter to attend to. They gave me no choice and that's kidnapping. " Brandon nodded to his two bodyguards, signaling them to depart. "Do you have an important matter to attend?" Brando asked her again and touched her elbow, guiding her into the room where the full view of the boulevard could be seen. "Honestly, Mr. Nicolas, I even turned down someone who asked me for a date because I really have an important matter to attend. While you are forcing me to come here. Who do you think you are?" "I'm the only man who likes you the most, Gina. Wait, I'll get you something to drink first, do you want some wine?" he asked her. She had to calm down, she also had to think of a valid reason so that she could elude Brandon. Even though she didn't answer, he still gave her a champagne glass with wine. "Where are you going? Will you meet your sister, Janice? If you're wondering why I know Janice, well I'm sorry, I just want to know about you and your family, Gina." Brando said while drinking his wine. "Have a taste of this wine. It's a delightful California zinfandel I just discovered." She drank some of the wine and liked the taste. "Shall we sit?" Brando asked her. "I'll stand. Thank you." "As you wish." Brando replied and moved a little away from her. "Where do you plan to celebrate Valentines?" "I have no plans to celebrate Valentines, and I will give you back the gifts you sent me. As I told you, I'm engaged with someone else." "But that's not what I found out." "We just hid our relationship right now." "And why? Is he a married guy?" "Of course not." "My dear Gina, I don't think you're honest with me." "I'm not playing games with you, Mr. Nicolas." "But you are." She flinched as he touched her hair. "I already told you that you are so challenging when you're like that, right? I like you Gina, I really like you, and since you're here, why don't we do what should I intend to happen?" said Brando to her. "It can't be what you want to happen, because I'm on my period." She answered quickly. But Brando just laughed at her. "I'm not that rude Gina, if that's what you think. All I want to happen is to invite you to a dinner date tonight." "And what if I don't agree?" "Yeah, you can't leave if you don't agree to be my date this Valentines day." "Sir Brando, please, I have really an important matter to attend today. Besides, I'm not interested in your invitation." Brando just laughed and suddenly pulled her and made her sit on the couch. "Then I must regretfully insist. I invited you in a nice way Gina, so don't blame me for anything I can do to you." In the tone of Brando's voice, he was really angry with her. She knew Brando would get what he wanted, if he really wanted to. She could already see the anger in his eyes. She was trembling with fear of Brando's reaction to her. But she thought that no matter what happened she would really defend herself against the wicked man in front of her. "I'm not afraid of you, Mr. Nicolas." Brando's face calmed down at what she was saying. "I'm sorry, Gina, for what I told you, I just want to be with you today." "In that case, let me call my sister and mother because I know at this time they are worried about me." "My secretary will be the one to inform them. Now, shall we go?" "Where are we going?" Brando grabbed her elbow again, guided her toward the elevator. Suddenly, his two bodyguards appeared and she could not determine where they came from. "To the rooftop of this hotel. Don't worry I'll take you to a restaurant. We'll have lunch there." A public place meant safety, she thought. She sighed as a sign of relief. At least now, she could manage this, she could manage him. All she had to think about was how to elude Brandon and the tightness of his bodyguards. *****