Esztar Is Falling

C H A P T E R 43

"Travis! Come here immediately and get few more men with you. Stay with Allegra and make sure she's safe- What! Oh, okay." He hung up with a funny face as if confused.

"What now?"

"Grandpa beat me to it."

"So worried about his girl, huh?" I grinned. "Let's go and collectively tease them." I pumped my fist in the air.

"Are you on an overdose of viagra?" He let out a hearty chuckle. "About grandpa, he isn't here. He's got a meeting, you forget?"

Oh! That was today?

"Rafael! Open the door!" A voice yelled from outside, rigorously knocking on the door of his office.

We exchanged confused glances.

"Oliver?" Rafael whispered to himself, opened the door, slightly stumbling back as Oliver shouldered his way inside, gripping a magazines in his hand. His overwrought face clearly conveyed an upcoming catastrophe.

But first things first.

"Are you guys official, now?" I hugged him excitedly. It was only then did he notice me.

"Is it about Allegra?" Rafael asked cautiously, knowing better than to mess with him when he's like that.

"Yeah, that too." He closed the door back. "I asked her move in with us after the stunt she pulled but she just won't listen."

"Why don't you calm down first, Oliver." Rafael tried to reason.

"I've pushed the meeting to next week."

"That's fine." He studied him carefully, his eyes squinting in suspicion. "What is it, Oliver? There's something else."

He suddenly tensed.

And then looked at me instinctively.

That gaze wasn't good. Something was very, very wrong.

"This is a very bad day." His head dropped in his hands.

"Hey, it's okay." I sat next to him, wrapping my arms around him. I let him catch a breath for a while, allowing him to cool off. "Tell us what's bothering you."

His eyes, harboring a familiar agony looked at me with a utter helplessness. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to speak but set his lips back into a thin line as his gaze zeroed at my heels.

Oh no!

"Why are your heels lying around like this? Why was the door locked? Rafael!"

"Oh my god! No! It's not like that, really." I gushed. "See? It's all your fault. You and your stupid games." I scowled at the CEO.

"You were saying something, Oliver. Cut this suspense." Rafael was losing his patience now.

Oliver let out a tired sigh, the magazine in his hand crumpling with the pressure of his fingers. "I'm sorry, muffin." He looked at me with pitiful eyes. Flipping a few pages of the magazine, he displayed us the story printed on the pages.

I couldn't breathe.

My nails dug deeper into their soft leather of the couch. I struggled for air. My vision blurred. Don't know what was causing the effect— tears or fear?

It was yet another article. About me.

Homewrecker or Gold Digger? — That was the title.

And the article, well, it was our entire story, adjusted with some plastered facts. The story had two protagonist— Rafael and um..no, not me. Camila. I was the villain.