CHAPTER 2

/LEOX ACHERON SOLACE/

The colorful lights were dancing around, matching the loud music inside Haven's Bar. People were dancing everywhere, most of them holding glasses of alcohol. Since it was already late, some people were already drunk, especially in the center of the bar.

"Is this your first time here?" Isaac asked, raising his voice and leaning closer so I could hear him.

I nodded while drinking. We were sitting at the table Gerica reserved, along with the other cast and crew members. Some of them were dancing, while others joined the crowd in the middle.

"Leox, I’ll leave you here for a bit," Isaac said.

I turned to look at him, thinking he was heading to the restroom, but he went to the next table full of girls. I just shook my head.

Isaac is a womanizer. Everyone knows it. That’s one of the things I don’t like about him. That’s why he doesn’t involve me when he flirts—just like now, he left me alone. He always chooses girls over his friend.

But even with that, my name never gets involved in his issues. I don’t know why, but he seems to protect my reputation. He knows I’m careful about my image in the industry.

"Hey, why are you alone? Where’s Isaac?" whispered the woman I’d been trying to avoid all night. I didn’t even bother to look at her—she was already too close.

She was wearing a red halter dress that hugged her curves, with a slit on the right side showing off her leg. Her cleavage was right in front of me as she leaned down to see my face.

"You shouldn't be alone in a place like this, Leox. Have fun!" she said in a flirty tone, eyes locked on mine. She smirked and leaned in even more. We were almost face to face, like we were about to kiss.

I just stared at her blankly. Her looks didn’t impress me at all. I wasn’t turned on, not even a little. In fact, I felt disgusted. Sure, she’s sexy—but to me, she looked cheap. Like she was made of plastic.

"It's for me to decide," I said flatly.

She laughed softly, making her two fake assets bounce right in front of me. Ugh. I hated seeing them. So gross. Can’t she just wear something decent? Or maybe just get rid of them altogether? They didn’t suit her—she looked like Betty Boop.

"Come on, Leox! The whole reason I chose this bar was so you could enjoy. You need a breather," she said, waving her hands and going back to her seat.

I silently thanked the heavens that she moved away—just a few inches, but at least her annoying chest was out of my face. I thought she was going to stay there, but then she suddenly leaned her body close to mine again, dragging her chair closer so she was pressed against me.

"Gerica!" I snapped at her name as I pulled away from her.

I stood up and faced her, making sure there was distance between us. I brushed off the part of my body she touched. I saw her scoff in return.

"You're insulting me right now! What do you think I am, germs?" she shouted, clearly offended.

"No, a leech to be exact," I replied coldly.

She looked shocked by what I said, covering her mouth as her eyes widened in disbelief. Obviously hurt—but I wasn’t buying the act.

"W-what..." she stammered, still in shock.

She really knows how to act. Good thing no one saw us. I don’t want to wake up and see my name beside hers on social media.

I let out a harsh breath and walked away. I was totally out of the mood. While I was walking off, I could hear her calling my name, but I pretended not to hear. She's not worth my time.

Why do people like her keep clinging to me? Don’t they have anyone else?

Tsk. Am I really that handsome that they’re willing to throw themselves at me? Dang. I don’t want even a bit of their attention.

I took out my phone and sent a text to Isaac, telling him I had somewhere to go and not to look for me. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind—he’d be free to flirt all he wanted.

Paglabas ko sa bar, ay marahas akong napabuga ng hangin. Finally, nakalabas na rin ako sa maingay na lugar na 'yon! Sa totoo lang, wala naman talaga akong pupuntahan—gusto ko lang makawala kay Gerica. Kung nanatili kasi ako sa loob, malaki ang chance na landiin niya ako.

Dahil wala akong maisip na lugar na pwedeng tambayan, tinungo ko na lang ang kotse ko. Ayoko pang umuwi, pero saan naman ako pupunta?

As I was getting into the car, something suddenly came to mind. I haven’t talked to her in months—maybe she’s just been busy? I doubt she’d be mad if I suddenly showed up in her territory. She might even be happy to see my handsome face.

I smiled at the thought. I miss her too, so I decided to visit her tonight. Right. I started my car and drove towards a bar where I often hang out. I know the owner. There's a special room there just for me, so no one will see or recognize me. That's how much he cares for me!

Dang! Kumusta na kaya siya ngayon? Wala akong naging balita tungkol sa huling punta niya sa Lessburg.

Hindi malayo ang pagitan ng Haven's Bar sa bar kung saan ako pupunta. It only takes me fifteen minutes, at nandito na ako sa tapat ng bar. Pagkababa ko sa kotse, nagsuot ako ng sombrero at salamin upang walang makakakilala sa akin sa loob.

This place is one of my secrets. Walang sino man ang pwedeng makaalam na pumupunta ako rito. It will ruin my image for sure. Pero wala naman talaga akong pakialam, it's just ayokong mawalan ng trabaho ang mga taong nakapaligid sa akin.

When I walked in, I scanned the entire place. There weren’t many customers tonight. Has business slowed down? I also looked for the counter and saw a woman with long hair cleaning a bottle. She was wearing a pink blazer, and underneath, a cream-colored tube top that seemed a bit short, but it didn’t look bad since she didn’t have a bulge in that area. Her long hair was loose, but she had a hairpin shaped like a black top hat with a feather design. I couldn’t see what she was wearing below because it was covered, but I guessed she was wearing shorts again.

A smile appeared on my lips as she turned to face me. Her eyes were wide, like she couldn’t believe she saw me. She even looked like she was about to say something but just stood there in shock. I just shook my head and walked towards her.

“Damn! I thought you weren’t gonna visit me anymore!” she greeted as I got closer. “I’ve been suffering just looking at your standee at home. Haist!”

Pfft! So the standee she stole from the show I was a guest on is still around.

“You never visit me either,” I replied.

She placed a glass in front of me and filled it with a drink. I knew it wasn’t hard alcohol because she knew I had low tolerance for alcohol.

“You’re always out of San DeMartino, who would I visit at your place?” she said.

Ah... she's right.

“But you can visit me no matter where I am in the world.”

She gave me just a smile before turning away. But it's true, no matter where I am in Maharlika, she can still come visit me, even if it’s in the farthest place. She wouldn’t be able to build a bar in San DeMartino if she didn’t have that amount of money. She lives here, and only the elites live in this area.

When she came back, she was holding a slice of cake on a small plate.

“That’s free,” she said. “About what you said earlier, I really can’t reach you because my life’s been so busy lately. My mom decided to become the dictator of my life, so here I am, hiding. I can’t leave the city because she’ll find out.”

“But you went to Lessburg,” I raised an eyebrow after saying that. “What happened there? You didn’t even tell me why you went.”

She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned forward, her face looking a little down. It seemed like she wasn’t telling me something.

“It’s a guy, so I’m not gonna discuss it.”

Again, I raised an eyebrow. It’s unusual for her not to talk about a guy. I mean, she always overshares, so what’s new? Is this guy someone I should know about?

She must have seen the look on my face, waiting for her to say more. She sighed and bowed her head, like she was giving in.

“Fill me in.”

“No, I can’t!” she said stubbornly. But I’m persistent.

“Why?”

“Aishh!” She stood up and crossed her arms, glaring at me. I just smiled, waiting for her to spill the beans. I was curious.

“Come on, Vien.”

I saw her slowly open her mouth to speak. I was excited to learn about this guy. Is he her boyfriend? A friend? But why Lessburg? Is he from there? Dang, I really want to know.

"You have to te—"

"Tequila please!"

I groaned in frustration as I looked at the person who interrupted what I was about to say. He had just arrived and sat down in the seat next to me. Didn’t he hear that I was talking and having a conversation with Vien? Where the hell are his manners?

"Calm down!" Vien said to me, noticing the annoyed look on my face.

"Tsk!"

I downed the contents of the glass Vien gave me and turned my attention back to the person beside me. I scanned him from head to toe when he suddenly turned around and met my gaze. The suddenness of it made me blink. He just caught me checking him out. But I acted as if nothing happened. I raised one of my brows, still looking at him.

"Rude," he said in a low voice, but I could still hear it.

I couldn’t react immediately. I didn’t even understand what he said because I was caught off guard by his soft yet cold voice. The other reason I froze was because of his blue eyes, which looked like the sea contained within them.

"Now you're staring at me. The nerve."

Damn it! What did he just say? It felt like I was deafened by what I was seeing. I mean, it was like I was pulled into another dimension as I studied his features. I noticed how his lips moved in such a sensual way, and something inside me stirred as I watched them. His blue eyes were so striking, complementing his almond-shaped eyes, thick yet soft angled brows, perfect Greek nose, and his full, sensual lips that looked so tempting when he spoke. How would it feel to kiss that lower lip? I think it would feel amazing.

His looks were undeniably manly, even his messy brush-up haircut. But what was even more captivating were the deep blue of his eyes.

"Ahem... you're scaring my customer," Vien said with a sharp tone, and when I looked at her, she was already giving me a disapproving look. "Behave!" she reminded me before heading over to greet a few new arrivals.

I was left there with the guy, who had just sat down. In front of him was a bottle of tequila and a shot glass.

"Heavy drinker?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation. He turned to look at me again.

"Can you handle a whole bottle?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

He pointed to the bottle and smirked. "I can handle the whole bottle." As he spoke, his eyes never left my lips. I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress the sensual thoughts rushing through my mind. "Want to join me in finishing it?"

Wait, what? Did he just say that?

"Hmm..." was all I managed to say.

Without another word, he grabbed my shot glass, filled it with tequila, and brought it up to me. I followed his movements, and before I even knew it, I downed the shot. The burn crept down my throat, and I finally realized what I'd just drunk.

Shit! Tequila!

Oh, right... he ordered tequila earlier. My gaze returned to him, and I couldn’t help but admire the side profile of his perfect nose as he leaned against the counter, his hand supporting his chin.

Damn! What is he? A top? A bottom? I really hoped it was the latter.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" The words slipped out in a hushed tone, alcohol already doing its work on me. But I wasn’t hallucinating; he was gorgeous, and I wanted him. No, I needed to know his name... everything about him.

"Are you drunk already? What a shame, smooth talker," he said, shaking his head with a smile.

He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head. I was about to stop him, but I held back. I didn’t want anyone else seeing him. It was a good thing I’d gotten to him first.

"By the way, are you a regular here?" I moved a little closer to him, and when he didn’t pull back, I smiled to myself.

"No, I’m here for the first time. What about you?" he replied.

I didn’t quite catch his words, though, as I was distracted by his lips again. So instead of answering, I asked another question.

"Would you mind if I kissed you?"

His blue eyes met mine with a hint of surprise. Slowly, his lips parted slightly.

Seconds later, I heard something snap. Something I’d been holding back broke free. His slightly parted lips were too much for me to resist.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath as I let my urges take control. I gently grabbed his arms, placed one hand on the back of his neck, pulled him toward me, and pressed my lips against his.

- BM -

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