“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.

ESMERALDA hurriedly grabbed the blankets from the closet. Holding the lamp in her hand, she went out of the room. There was a blackout because of the strong wind caused by the typhoon. She was heading downstairs when she saw her neighbors evacuating.

They were temporarily staying in the living room and in the spaces below. The place was still not crowded because there was no other furniture except for the old bamboo couch. Her house stood on an elevated area where flood could not easily reach. It had been her family's practice to let their neighbors, who had no place to go in their home or in the barn.

“I’ll help you, Esmeralda,” Cynthia Lyn, her best friend, offered. She was with her family. They were deeply affected by the flood since they lived by the river.

“Thank you,” she said. “Do you think we’ll have enough food?”

She shook her head. “There’s more than enough for us. We have already prepared for the typhoon, so we brought our own food.”

Esmeralda sighed in relief. The people who took shelter in their home before starved, and she did not want it to happen again. Even though they survived the flood, people left with nothing to eat and got sick because they lack food and medicine. They learned their lesson now.

It was a huge thing that the house was built on time. It was not plastered yet, but the roofs were durable, the windows were fine, and since the house was spacious, it could accommodate more evacuees.

San Luis was a small and underprivileged town. Help from the government and NGOs could not reach them right away whenever there are calamities because bigger cities that were easy to reach were more prioritized. Esmeralda was not expecting from politicians who only served their allies during elections even though they all pay taxes just the same, either.

Kadyo appeared, panting, together with other men. Behind them was the last family who lived along the river. “We’re here,” he said and took off his raincoat.

“Cynthia Lyn, give them some hot soup,” Esmeralda said. “Please come in.”

“Help me!” Topher, her childhood friend, shouted frantically. “Nana Ising was left alone in her hut. She was sick and could not walk anymore. She needs to be evacuated before the river sweeps her away.”

She nodded at Kadyo. “Let’s get her,” she told him and the rest of the men. Nana Ising had no relatives left. She lived alone in her small hut. She was already weak, and they could not leave her just like that.

“You can just stay here,” Topher said.

“B-but you don’t have to go with us. Leave it up to us men.”

“I can’t just relax until I make sure that Nana Ising is safe.” Esmeralda grabbed her thick jacket and donned a hat. She walked past Tophe. “Let’s go,” she said and led the group.

She was close to Nana Ising because she used to take care of her when her parents were at the farm. She used to tell them scary stories. She wanted to make sure that she’ll be all right.

“Just leave it up to us,” Topher insisted.

"Hurry up. The rain is getting stronger. It might be difficult for us if we waste more time," she said without throwing a glance, completely ignoring what he said.

Kadyo and the rest of the men followed quietly. They were too tired to argue with her. They all knew that once she decided to do something, there’s no backing out.

Esmeralda was strong. She was not yet tired of taking care of the people because she was at her house the whole time. While the men had been busy helping the evacuees. If a problem occurred, she could be of help.

They walked along the river. The rain was pouring hard. Her eyes did not miss the logs from the mountain and the remains of houses that got swept by the flood. Just like the day her parents died.

"Look!" Topher shouted that pulled Esmeralda back from reminiscing that painful day. Her eyes reverted to the blue object that he was pointing. It was carried away by the water, but it was trying to move. "Is that a person?"

“Indeed,” Kadyo said as he watched the blue object that was coming toward them. “Where did that came from?”

She ignored their murmurs and quickly pulled the rope that was coiled in Topher’s arm. She was sure that the floating object was a person. She saw it moved. She was sure it was still alive. But it was not easy for the man to fight the strong current of the water to reach the bay. He needed help.

“What are you trying to do?” Topher asked who was shocked when she snatched the rope from him.

“I’ll save him,” Esmeralda replied and tightened the rope around her waist.

His eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You could die if you jump into the water. The current is strong, and…"

He paused when she threw the other end of the rope in his hand. “Tie it around the tree. I have no time to argue with you.”

Her company was left stunned when she ran. She calculated her distance from the person and hit upon a chance, then jumped into the river.

Right. It was a crazy idea to jump into the cold, flashing water. But she had no time to worry about her own safety. She needed to save the person. She could not just stand there and watch someone die when she could have done something.

Esmeralda stroked with her hands. She fought the strong current. She was a good swimming athlete from elementary to college. But her actual skill in swimming was tested at the moment.

She ignored the warnings of her company. All she could hear was the sound of flashing water and her loud heartbeat. A few moments later, she caught the arm of the person. She did not waste more time. She hooked her arm around his neck and swam back to the shore with all her might.