CHAPTER 17 – THE STOWAWAY
"I'M VERY sorry sir, but we still couldn't find her."
"THEN YOU'RE FIRED!" He hangs up the phone and slammed it on his office table. He blew a loud breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he lays his head on his swivel chair and blankly stared on the ceiling of his office.
"Another PI fired? That's the tenth one this month."
Mateo glared at the man who shamelessly entered his office without his permission. "What the hell are you doing here?" He sternly said not looking at the visitor.
"To annoy you of course... And to deliver a package." Tsukishima said.
"Just leave it there..." He groaned and went back to sit properly and opened his list of the available private investigator he hasn't hired yet, to hire. "Lock the door when you leave." He added.
Tsukishima smirked. "Were not in your house, you idiot. And I'm not leaving, I'm curious to the package your mother sent you. She rarely gives you one since you always hated them."
He didn't argue since he's been having a headache and he doesn't want to intensify it. He needs to focus on the important matter right in front of him.
"Still couldn't find her?" Tsuki said. He was now in front of his office table, crossing his legs in his visitor's chair.
His fingers paused from typing. "No. But I will definitely find her." He said with determination.
"You've always been saying that since three months ago. What if she doesn't want to be found? I thought you didn't want to take the responsibility, that you don't believe it's yours."
He gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger like what he's been doing for the past months.
He doesn't understand hi self either. Isn't this what he wanted? For her to stop annoying the hell out of him regarding the baby?
But why?
Why is he so keen in finding her?
The day after the party, when they were leaving Barcelona, she told him that she is not coming with him. She said that she wanted to explore Barcelona first which was immediately agreed upon by his mother. And he can never win with his mother so he was not able to take her back with him.
Up until now he still has no clue why his mother really adore Mia. He feels like she loves her more than him. It doesn't bother him a bit though.
But when he came back to his office the next morning, he was completely surprised when all he found on his table was a letter. A letter he never knew, would make his head spinning...
A resignation letter from Mia.
'She lied'. She lied at the party when she said that she was going to stay with him as his secretary.
As he stared in the letter, he didn't realize that tears have already escaped from his eyes. And again, he doesn't even know why?!
'You're making me crazy Mia...' He thought to himself. 'You said that you love me. That you'll always stay with me.' He crumpled the resignation letter in his hand as he gritted his teeth.
His mind reminisced back on that night she confessed her feelings for him.
The night where he finally realized just how important Mia is to him.
***
HE WAS getting really bored after smiling for hours to his parents' visitors that he decided to take a walk. It's been a long time since he's been in the mansion.
He was strolling along the crowd when he heard a sweet humming of a familiar voice from the balcony... and that humming is making his heart beat rapidly.
He went inside and saw the back of a woman in a peach coloured dress. The beautiful tune was coming from her.
He slowly walked towards her and then he stood just a few feet beside her, leaning against the balcony with a glass of champagne in his hand.
He caught a glimpse of the woman staring into the dark night sky filled with beautiful stars that was rarely seen in the skies of New York. But instead of being astonished by the beautiful night skies, he seemed to have lost his breath on the sight beside of him.
The beautiful angel humming the beautiful tune was none other than the woman who's been annoying him for months. The woman giving her those notes and baby stuffs. The woman who keeps insisting that he is the father of her baby. And the woman making him slowly lose his sanity...
"I didn't know you can sing..." He can't help but compliment her angelic voice.
"N-no... I wasn't singing...I was just humming." He could already imagine her face turning red. She gets easily embarrassed when praised for the unexpected things she could do. "It was a song I learned from the orphanage when I was little." She said with her attention still focused on the stars.
He paused for a second...
"It was still a beautiful tune..." He said while staring at the stars too. He swirled the wine glass he was holding and took a sip.
"Thanks..."
"You look beautiful tonight." He said as he still stares to the stars. It was a genuine compliment. She really looked amazing, even with her bulging tummy. He can't seem to fathom but her tummy made her even more beautiful. Her mother must have arranged the design for her.
There was a complete silence between them for a while... but it was a comfortable silence... Until she broke it.
"Sir Mateo...can I ask you something?" She said out of nowhere.
"Sure..." He said and took a sip of his champagne again.
"Do you still love her?"
He shot her a glance, confused on what was she was asking.
"Her?" He asked with a confused look.
"Sydney."
'Oh...'
He is not sure on what to answer her. It is definitely clear to him that his feelings for Sydney were already dissolved a long time ago. Besides, he wasn't even sure if he did actually loved her... It was just love between bestfriends...
But... this might be an opportunity to finally end her long-time façade of chasing him with this fatherhood.
"Sir?"
He sighed..."Yes..."
He has no idea on what her expression is right now. Maybe she'll finally does stop pestering him about the child.
He was about to say something when...
"Sir... I'm sorry..." she apologized out of the blue.
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?"
"I'm sorry for always annoying you and for pushing this parenthood to you, even if you told me to stop so many times."
He sighed mentally. 'It's a good thing that she finally understood.'
"I realized that it was really wrong of me. It was wrong to push someone to do something that you really want even if they don't want to. I'm so sorry for being so pushy this past few months... Must be my hormones." She chuckled. "But I was having so much fun doing it."
He chuckled... It was surely annoying... but he did actually came around and got used to it that it was actually turning into something...fun.
"I was probably that desperate to have my own family that I forgot about what you really want. I did also forget that you hated commitment. Oh... Now that I have thought about, I did forget a lot of things."
'Yeah right.' He chuckled mentally.
Suddenly, a slow music started playing. He looked back to the ball and saw figures of couples slowly dancing with their partners.
Let me take your hand,
Allow me to stand by your side,
Let me take the lead,
To the journey of our love, my darling.
He wanted to ask Mia if she wanted to dance...But when he faced her...he was stunned to see her eyes on the brink of tears.
"But there is something that I will never forget Sir Mateo..." She spoke in a breath.
I know it's not easy,
To love someone like me,
But I will always do everything,
To let you stay by me.
He was caught off guard when she slowly held his face with her left palm.
And he can't help but stare into her dazzling brown chocolate eyes.
He has forgotten how he was hypnotized by those eyes... especially during the special nights they spent together. He could drown on those eyes...forever.
Chorus:
I know that happy ever after,
Is not so far away,
As long as you are with me,
Guiding my way.
I will always be there for you,
And you'll always be there for me,
I know it's lame to say but,
Baby, Te amare por siempre.
"Te amo, Sir Mateo..." She suddenly confessed making him completely dumbfounded.
He was absolutely lost for words.
He didn't notice that he was actually been holding his breathe all this time.
But... why is she crying?...
He mentally sighed... There he goes again... making her cry. Why does he always have to be the one to make her cry?
And why do these tears sting his heart whenever he sees them?
'She's saying that she loves me... But... what do I really feel about her?'
He can't even have an answer for himself... because all he could hear is the deafening beat coming from his chest.
Let me take you with me,
To our never ending story,
Let me take you with me,
To our never ending fairy tale.
"Mia--..." He trailed.
After hearing everything she had just said, he couldn't help but stand there still, completely immobilized... with no single clue of what to do...he was just there standing still.
Then, she immediately wiped her tears away with both of her hands...
He badly wanted to be the one to wipe them for her...
"Oh shoot my make-up." She chuckled as she wiped her tears. "I know you don't love me... Like hello... we only had sex...and that was it... Nothing more... But it was everything to me..."
'No...It wasn't just a simple sex...Mia... It has always been more than that...' He wanted to tell her. But his lips won't open.
He saw her took a deep breath and exhaled. "That felt great..." She smiled to him. A smile that clearly shows all her pain. "I was finally able to confess to you after all these years..."
'Years?... What the hell did she mean by that?'
"Finally... I can start moving on." She sighed again.
'Move on...'
"But I'll still be your secretary... I will always be..."
She leaned to the balcony to look in the stars again, careful enough to make sure not to squeeze her baby.
"Beautiful aren't they?" She asked. "One day, I will go find a place where it is just me and the stars... just me and the galaxy..."
"Mia... I---"
He wanted to say a lot of things to her. To tell her not to move on... whatever she meant by that... He doesn't understand why... but the idea of her moving on is making his chest clench.
Then a voice suddenly interrupted them...
"Mateo there you are!" Sydney suddenly bursts into the balcony.
'How did she find them?'
"Mateo... I've been looking for you everywhere... Don't you want to dance?"
He looked at Mia in the eyes. He was searching for something... until he found it... He tried to reach for her when Sydney started pulling him by his arm and drag him out of the balcony.
He pried his arm off of her, but she also doesn't want to hurt Sydney, so he gave up and allowed himself to be dragged by her back inside the party as Mia's eyes slowly leaves his.
Sydney was already pulling Mateo by his arm. He was hesitant at first, but he slowly gave in and allowed her to drag him out of the balcony and back inside the ballroom.
When he was back at the party... the music changed into another song and the couples continued to dance with their partners.
"Mateo, aren't you gonna ask me to dance?" Sydney asked as she clings into his arm which is starting to irritate him.
"No, I'm sorry... but I want to take the rest of the night off." He pried her arm from his and hurriedly went back to the balcony.
He pried the doors open but there was no one there.
Mia already left.
He brushed his palm to his face. He still has a lot of questions in his mind to ask her. He is still confused to a lot of things.
Guess he's just gonna have to ask her tomorrow.
***
But when tomorrow came, he was called from the office saying that he needs go back to New York immediately for an emergency meeting that it slipped his mind to ask Mia about last night.
And when Mia said that she was not coming back with him, he was completely stunned and was not able to object since the butlers were already dragging him to the car sending him fast to the airport.
"SO...? What do you intend to do now?" Tsuki asked.
"I'm gonna find her of course...no matter what." He said full of determination.