“JEREMY, let’s get inside. It’s foggy in here,” Esmeralda implored when she checked her brother at the balcony. “The doctor said you should rest and avoid staying outdoors, especially when it’s cold.”

“Sister, I’m just watching the castle from here.” Aiden had a huge telescope on the balcony. “Can we go there with my friends? I know they’ll be happy.”

From Aiden’s villa in Tagaytay, they could see Fantasy World, a theme park that was not fully constructed. It was supposed to be the Disneyland of the Philippines. They went there when they transferred to Aiden’s resthouse in Tagaytay. He lived in Manila, but he said it would be best for Jeremy’s health to be exposed to fresh air.

They used to stay at Childhaus that served as a home for children with cancer and their families while undergoing treatment in Manila. He had become friends with the kids there. That was why he still went to see his friends even after leaving the facility. There were no other kids around the place. Maybe that’s why he was lonely.

“I’ll have to check first, okay? After the wedding maybe,” Esmeralda said and hugged him from behind.

He frowned. “Sister, that’s not going to happen sooner.”

“We’ll tell Miss Laly if you want to visit Fantasy Land with your friends.”

They both turned to the voice that came from behind. “Brother Aiden!” Jeremy ran and hugged him. “Are we really going to take my friends to Fantasy Land? I wanted to show them a castle.”

“Of course. Leave it up to me. For now, go shower so we can have dinner.”

She turned to face him. “You shouldn’t have made a promise to Jeremy. You might spend too much if you treat his friends. You already have spent a great amount of money for his treatment.” Instead of chemotherapy and radiology, she chose to use the alternative treatment where Jeremy drinks medicine from different herbs. She did not want to subject his brother to other therapies that would weaken his body. He was only ten. The said treatment was expensive, but it was already proven that it could improve the cells of the body. That was the reason why she had to endure such sacrifices for the better recovery of her brother.

“Let him enjoy his youth. Let him have fun with his friends. I’m sure that there are things in life that they could not enjoy much because of their illness. I’ll get him a private tutor so he could catch up with his lessons. He is bright. He can catch up.”

“You already gave us too much help. I don’t’ think I can take it…”

He shook his head. “I’m not helping you alone, remember? You’re helping me break away from my brother Amadeus, too. Lexie mentioned that he called you.”

Esmeralda closed the door of the balcony. She suddenly felt colder when she remembered the conversation with Aiden’s brother. “He called me a gold digger,” she said casually. As if it did not hurt her when Amadeus said it a while ago.

“I’m sorry for what my brother did,” he said meekly. “He always contradicts everything that I wanted to do. He meddles with the business that I dream of. Of course, he won’t agree to this wedding. He thinks I still have no right to manage my inheritance from Grandpa. I have to wait until I am thirty. Fuckin’ thirty. I can’t wait for three more years.”

Aiden was the younger dela Merced. His mother was Cerilio’s second wife. The widower Cerilio dela Merced married Aiden’s mother, Rosal Pontillas, when Amadeus was eight years old. Rosal and Cerilio died when Aiden was fifteen years old, and Amadeus was studying college abroad. The house helper mentioned that the brothers weren’t close. Aiden still had shares in the company and had no choice but to work under Amadeus. His brother had control over his money according to their deceased grandfather Armando’s will.

That’s why Aiden already wanted to be independent. He planned to make his piece of land in Tagaytay into a flower farm. That had been her deceased mother’s dream. But to make that happen, he needed money. He tried to get a loan, but investors wanted to make Amadeus the guarantor.

When he asked for his brother’s help, he only laughed at him. He told him that Aiden should just focus on managing their hotels rather than waste his time doing things he had no experience of. Since he failed to secure Amadeus’ support as a guarantor, it was hard for him to acquire loans from banks even though the project is viable. He had no one to turn to anymore because banks won’t make any move without Amadeus’ help.

His only hope was the trust fund his grandfather left him, which he will only be eligible to when he turns thirty or gets married. And because he was still focused on work, he had no time to date or got into a relationship.

She met him when Jeremy passed out while they were crossing the street on the way to the bus station. Nothing was left from the money she got from their pawned land in the province at that time. She was not earning enough as a seamstress to finance his treatment.

Aiden’s car happened to pass by, and he helped her bring Jeremy to the hospital. Because she had no enough money left, he also paid the hospital bill. When she told him she still did not know how to pay him back, he proposed to her. He would continue helping them if she agreed to marry him.

“Is our plan really right?” Esmeralda uttered as she stared blankly ahead.

She was aware that many women wanted to trade places with her—women from high status in life. But he chose to marry a stranger because he did not want the marriage to be forever. After a year, they will go their separate ways. If only he had a choice, he did not want to get married in that kind of situation. But he had something to prove to his brother.

“Let’s help each other. We may not be real husband and wife, but we’ll be good friends.”

She looked up at Aiden. “Thanks for your help. I don’t know what could have happened to us without you.”

She could not afford to let Jeremy’s illness worsened and cowered home to the province. They had nothing to return to if she failed to redeem their farmland and house. Aiden already took care of everything.

“Enough of the thank yous. We may not get done with that. Let’s have dinner.” He smiled and held her arm. His phone suddenly rang. “Yes, Lexie. What? Palawan for one week and another week in Bangkok. Why me?”

Aiden shut her eyes tight. It looked like he was just welcomed with bad news. Esmeralda strolled away to give him space. She went to the kitchen to brew his favorite coffee. It was all he needed to relax. He needed it badly.

“Yes. Of course. This is just a trick to get me.” He caught his head when she returned to the living room with his coffee. “Thanks for giving me a heads up, Lexie. Bye.”

“Have some coffee first. The dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” she said as she put the cup on the glass center table. “Is there a problem?”

Aiden turned to her with a weary look on his face. “I’ll have your things packed. You and Jeremy need to go home to San Luis tomorrow.”

“WHY? WHAT’S the matter?” Esmeralda asked, confused. Just a while ago, he had a lot of plans for her and Jeremy.

Aiden gently held her shoulders. “Amadeus is coming home to the Philippines.”

“Why do I have to go home to San Luis? Don’t you want me to meet your brother?” she asked and sat on the sofa.

He caught his forehead. “I won’t be around for two weeks. My brother asked me to go to Samui and Palawan. They’re huge projects. He wants me to check out the progress. According to his message to Lexie, this is his way of showing me that he trusts me. But I know better. He’ll take this opportunity to meet you without me to help you.”

“I’m not scared of him,” she said in a stern tone.

She wanted to show Amadeus dela Merced that she was not easily intimidated by someone like him. She had gone through a lot. If she showed weakness, he might think that he could easily bully her and Aiden. He might stop pressing Aiden if he realized she was defiant.

“I can’t just let you face him alone. You have no stand against him. You don’t know my brother. He would do everything to stop our wedding. You’ll stay in San Luis for the meantime, so he could not follow you.”

She was already aware that Amadeus dela Merced was a dominant man. He gets what he wants, and he does not stop until victory was his. She would not let it happen. The wedding will push through no matter what he does. Unless Aiden himself decided not to marry her anymore.

“What would happen to the wedding preparations if I leave?” she asked. Aiden had been preparing for it because he wanted to convince everyone that their wedding was real. He did not want Amadeus and other people to suspect them.

“That’s what a wedding coordinator is for. You can just supervise the house you are building there,” he said and paced in front of her like a restless tiger.

He insisted on expanding their simple hut in San Luis. He built a two-story concrete house. As his future wife, he did not want her to look miserable in the eyes of other people because she was marrying a dela Merced.

“After your appointment with the doctor tomorrow, Berto will take you to Aurora. You’ll stay there until I return and have you collected. Do we understand each other?” Aiden continued.

Esmeralda put her hands on her waist. “I’m not scared of your brother. I can face him alone. You don’t have to hide me from him,” she insisted.

She wanted to confront Amadeus. She was not a coward to hide and go back to where she came from. If he would become her brother-in-law, she must get used to his attitude. She would show him that she does not simply back away. She hated being challenged.

Aiden nodded. “I know you’re not scared of him. But I don’t want to give him the opportunity to ruin my plans. This wedding is important to us, remember?” he said, his tone asking for understanding. “Maybe Jeremy misses your home and his other friends.”

“WE ARE now flying over the Philippine Sea. In less than an hour, we will land at the Fort Magsaysay Airfield in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija,” the pilot announced, catching Amadeus’ attention from reading a report in his laptop. He was boarding his own private jet. He just got back from his meeting in Istanbul for an old building that he would transform into a hotel and spa.

He pressed the intercom that was connected to the pilot. “Why are we landing in Palayan City? That is a far cry from San Luis. I thought there are airstrips nearby where we can land.”

“The airports are closed due to the storm. The airfield in Palayan is the safest place for landing, Sir,” the pilot explained.

“Darn it!” He was not expecting it. He thought he would get closer to his destination that was an hour or two from the airport. He quickly instructed his temporary assistant, a fresh graduate from De La Salle University and a company scholar. “Bring my car there. I want it ready when I reach Fort Magsaysay, Marjayrie.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said and frantically dialed on her cellphone. “Sir, do you want me to find a hotel near the fort?”

“No. I want to reach Costa Aurora before nightfall. I have some important matters to attend to.”

“Sir, that would be a four-hour drive from the airbase. Maybe you could consider a hotel near the…”

“Did you hear what I said? I must get to Costa Aurora tonight. I can’t afford any more delays. Are we clear?”

She looked down. “Yes, Sir.”

Amadeus hated being opposed. And it was bad enough that the weather was against him. But nature was not enough to stop his plans. And his subordinates could not change his itinerary. He would be there by hook or by crook.

He used vacation as an excuse to come to the Philippines. He was checked in at Costa Aurora for a week. He was hoping his problem would be resolved before his break ended. The real reason why he came to Costa Aurora.

He opened his iPad and reviewed one of the files in his secret folder. A photo of a woman was on the file’s first page. The woman looked plain. There was no make-up on her face. Her long straight here was flowing freely. According to his file, the woman stood 5’3” and had a slim figure. She looked innocent. A countryside girl who could not even break a plate. Who would have thought that she was a money-siphoning whore?

Esmeralda Solomon. A barrio lass who got his younger brother wrapped around her finger. She had only known his brother for a month, yet she had convinced Aiden to redeem her pawned land, renovated her house, and paid for her sick brother’s treatment, and who knew what other things she asked his brother to do. In one month? What an expensive whore!

His soft-hearted brother had no experiencing dealing with women like her. Amadeus had seen them all—from virginal to foxy women; they were all manipulative. They would use their charms and feminity to get what they want. Esmeralda must have played the virginal damsel in distress card, and his brother fell right into her trap. He won’t let his brother suffer. As his brother, it was his responsibility to protect him.

He was not close with Aiden. His father married Aiden’s mother when he was only eight years old. His mother had just died when his father married his stepmother. And even before his mother’s first death anniversary, Aiden was born. No, he was not stupid. When he could not get along with his stepmother, his father sent him to a boarding school in the United Kingdom. Even his younger brother was a stranger to him because he rarely came home.

While he was trained to take over the family business, his brother never had the same training he had gone to. His brother was weak. He was just like his father, who a woman can easily manipulate. He was influenced by Aiden’s mother to separate from him and start his own business. Now, Aiden was being controlled by an opportunist woman to marry her. He won’t just stand and watch his brother marry a gold digger. He won’t let Esmeralda Solomon become a part of the family.

The old Mustang was ready when he arrived at the airbase. He used it whenever he was in the Philippines and traveling alone. He had it equipped with the latest GPS at programmed it for his trip to Costa Aurora. He took the keys from the driver. “See you in a week.” And he gave a salute to his people before driving off.

He had not got that far when his cellphone rang. His personal assistant was calling. “Hello, old lady,” he greeted teasingly to Florida, his secretary, who was passed on to him by his father. “I am off to a vacation. It’s my policy to avoid distracting me unless it’s an emergency.”

“This is an emergency. Don’t go to Costa Aurora. You are heading straight to a storm.”

He only smirked. He was not bothered by the gustiness of the wind outside. “It’s just a rain shower. It’s nothing compared to our storm race in the Atlantic before. Remember that I won that one.”

During his free time, he would sail on his own yacht. He also joined international competitions where the weather was harsher, and the waves were massive. What was there to fear for signal #1 in the Philipines? He could not be shaken off easily.

“Amadeus, don’t do what I think you’re going to do. You’re not going to confront your brother’s fiancée, are you? You will only make matters worse if you bother them,” Florida warned.

He sighed. The old woman really knew what’s on his mind. “This is a family matter, old woman.”

“Esmeralda is a kind lady, son. Aiden’s maid mentioned when I saw her at the grocery store that she was very caring of your brother. Why don’t you just let them be? Your brother is old enough.”

“I must concentrate on driving. I will call you once I reach Costa Aurora. Goodbye,” he said in a cold tone and removed the Bluetooth in his ear. He wanted no more distractions from now on. He wanted to focus on his trip and his mission. He was ready to face Esmeralda Solomon.

He was more determined to meet that woman. She had fooled not only his brother but also the person he trusted. How would he know if Esmeralda was going to manipulate more people?

The rain was getting stronger each time. He noticed that the water on the road was beginning to rise. But he went on despite seeing a few people walking away from the direction of his destination. The weather was getting worse and worse.

He kept driving. In other countries, if the roads were not passable, they were usually being blocked. The police or other officers stopped vehicles from coming. It meant he could continue driving.

The storm had gotten worse. The rain poured harder, his windshield almost drowning. The wiper was not working properly anymore. It was already zero visibility, yet it was only three in the afternoon.

“What the fuck! The news said it’s only signal number one.” The amount of rainfall was not normal.

He was still a couple of hours from Costa Aurora. He had to pass by the mountainside because it was on the side of Sierra Madre Mountain. The nearest inn was an hour away. But he was closed to San Luis, where Esmeralda lived. He wasn’t sure if he could confront her in that kind of weather. But he must continue. All he needed was to cross the bridge, and he was already in San Luis. It was short cut according to his GPS. Ten kilometers after crossing, he was already in the town where the inn was located, unlike the highway, which will take him an hour.

He will face Esmeralda. He could never take a break unless he confronted her. He wanted to make sure that before Aiden could return to the Philippines, that opportunist woman was out of his life.

The water level rose and reached the wooden bridge. He tried to cross until he heard a loud sound. His grew wide as he saw a massive wave rushing in his direction. He tried to speed up to leave the bridge, but it was too late. The storm surge had grown stronger and quicker. It shook the bridge like a toy until it was swept away. Amadeus could feel his car being shaken like a child’s plaything.

He tried to escape from the car and climbed on top as he fought against the strong current. He looked up at the sky to ask for help, but the answer he got was a stronger rainfall. He stood no chance against the current.

He held the necklace given to him by his deceased mother as he glanced at the sky. He was not scared to die. He was used to thriving in danger. He lived dangerously in and out of the boardroom. The sad part was he failed to save his brother Aiden before he died, and he will be left in the hands of the opportunist Esmeralda Solomon.