Beginning

"I'll see you later, Hon," I said to Jacobo as I tiptoed to give him a kiss on the lips. I pressed my lips against his and smiled, and he pressed his on my forehead in return.

"I love you," he said, holding my left cheek with his right hand. "I'll be waiting for you at dinner," he nodded and kissed the back of my hands. "I love you too, Babe. I'll see you later," I said, and he released my hands and walked towards his car.

Sigh, it's just another boring day without him around. I wish I could graduate so I could apply to his company as his secretary and be with him the whole day.

He can't sleep over at my house because he has his wife and child waiting for him. I should stop thinking about his wife and son. I should only think about him and us, our relationship.

"Is that Jacobo Smith?" I furrowed my brows and looked at the neighboring house where the voice came from, but quickly averted my gaze when I saw him.

He's smirking towards me. He's sweaty, topless, wearing red jersey shorts and matching basketball shoes. He looks like he just finished playing basketball. Anyway, he's Ero Martin, my handsome, sexy new neighbor. He moved in next to my house last week.

We're not close because he seems arrogant, and all he brings is trouble. In the past week since he moved in, I've seen different women going in and out of his house.

Well, what do you expect? He's a bachelor, handsome as hell, and of course, a filthy rich bastard. So it's not surprising that he's a playboy and has fooled around with many women due to his looks. If by rare chance we accidentally cross paths on the street, as neighbors, I just give a nod to acknowledge that I saw him, but that's it.

I didn't respond and gave him a dirty look to avoid him. I was about to enter my house when he spoke again, and I heard what he said. "He's a married man, right? And I heard his wife is almost the same age as him. That's why I'm wondering why a lady almost his daughter's age is kissing him on the lips and calling him 'Hon'."

My eyes widened, and I faced him again at his words. I looked around to make sure no one else heard him. He raised an eyebrow at me, and his grin widened. "Mind your own business," I told him. Without waiting for his response, I walked towards the main door and entered my house.

Ugh, it's so boring. It's the semestral break, and my two best friends, Kourtney and Sydney, are on their own getaways with their boyfriends. Sigh.

What about Jacobo and me? When will we have our own getaway, just the two of us or maybe with Kourtney and Sydney and their boyfriends? It's probably never going to happen.

They would probably be surprised if I told them that Jacobo is miles older than me. If I were to introduce him to them as my boyfriend, they might think I've gone crazy.

Everyone knows me as reserved and snobbish, especially when it comes to men. My two best friends know that I've never had a boyfriend since birth. For sure, they'll go crazy if I told them that I'm dating a married man, making me the other woman, which, even if I don't admit it to myself, is true.

What can I do? I fell in love, but it's the wrong timing being together with the wrong person. My thoughts were interrupted when my phone suddenly rang.

It's an iPhone 6 Plus, a present from Jacobo last Christmas. I looked at the lock screen, and it notified me of a message from an unknown number. I opened it, and my phone almost slipped from my hands when I saw the content of the message.

I-it's a picture of me and Jacobo kissing! And I am a hundred percent sure it was taken just now! Who sent this?! I was about to call the unknown sender when my phone rang again. This time, the sender of the picture was calling.

With trembling thumbs, I swiped the screen to answer the call. "H-hello," I answered on the other line. "Who is this?" I asked nervously. The person on the other end didn't respond immediately, but after a few seconds, I heard him chuckle, and it somehow seemed oddly familiar. I couldn't remember where I heard that laughter before.

"Ken, you sound too nervous." F*ck! His laughter is familiar because I actually know him! In fact, I just talked to him this morning! "How did you know my number?!" I asked him. I could sense that he's evilly smirking right now.

"Ken, you sound too nervous." F*ck! His laughter is familiar because I actually know him! In fact, I just talked to him this morning! "How did you know my number?!" I asked him. I could sense that he's evilly smirking right now.

"You know, Ero, I don't have time to play with you! And can you please stop calling me 'Ken'!" I spoke seriously. "Only Jacobo calls me that." I heard him sigh, and my soul almost left my body after I heard what he said.

"Alright, I'll back off, but don't get too surprised if Mrs. Smith suddenly shows up at your house. Bye." Then he ended the call. My whole body turned cold, and I couldn't calm down. I don't even know what to do!

Chapter 1

Should I call Jacobo and ask for help? Ero is blackmailing me! I can sense it, but Jacobo is too busy today. He mentioned that he would be tied up with back-to-back meetings.

And what if I tell Jacobo about this? What would he do? Will he help me silence Ero, or will he leave me and go back to his wife? God! That can't happen! I won't be able to survive without Jacobo by my side.

I am really into him, and I love him so much. He's the only one I have. My mom and dad left me because they have their own families to care about. Jacobo promised me that he will leave his wife and child someday and marry me, and we'll spend the rest of our lives together. So I am holding onto that.

I sighed and decided to call Ero again. After five rings, he finally answered. "Yes, Babe?" he said. I really wanted to tell him, "Yes, Babe, that's what your face looks like!" but he might get annoyed and show the picture to Mrs. Smith.

For sure, she would cause a scene, and the news of me being the other woman would spread throughout the entire subdivision! What would I face in front of my neighbors? What would Mommy and Daddy say when they find out about this? Not that they even check up on me, but they might ignore me even more once they find out. I took a deep breath and reluctantly spoke to Ero on the other line.

Ugh! He's so annoying and meddlesome! He has no connection to Jacobo and me, so I don't understand why he feels the need to interfere! I didn't do anything to him!

"Where are you? Let's meet," I said. I heard him say, "Woah, chill," but I could clearly hear the teasing tone in his voice. "Wow, babe, you missed me that fast? You just saw me earlier," he replied. I sighed and clenched my fist in anger. "Come on, Ero, I'm not playing games with you," I pleaded. "I'm serious! Where are you? I need to talk to you." He audibly sighed on the other line.

"You're head over heels for me, huh? Fine, since it sounds like you missed me that bad, I'm here at my house." I didn't respond and quickly walked out of my house towards his.

I saw him immediately at the main door of his house, leaning against the side, smirking with his arms crossed. Psh. It's already evening, and he's still topless? Doesn't he feel cold, this meddling demon? I flinched when I realized I had been staring at his defined chest and eight-pack abs for too long.

Did I just embarrass myself in front of him?! I ignored his annoying grin and approached him quickly. I glared at him to hide my embarrassment.

"What do you want?!" I asked him directly.

"I'll keep my mouth shut about your affair, but in exchange, I'll have you..." He paused and looked at me from head to toe, making me self-conscious and my face turn red. "...and your sexy little body."

"You're going to be my secretary slash girlfriend." My eyes widened at what he said. Okay, being his secretary would be fine, but a girlfriend?! Ew, that's gross!

I looked at him from head to toe, and when I returned my gaze to his face, he raised an eyebrow at my action. "Eww! I don't want to be the girlfriend of a filthy man like you! You're a dirty man!" He gave me a disdainful look, but I ignored it.

"Every day, different women come in and out of your house! For sure, you have AIDS, HIV, and STDs!" He smirked at me, and this time his gaze lingered on me from head to toe. I couldn't help but feel self-conscious, as if he had x-ray vision.

"You know," he said to me, "you're just wasting your bra." I noticed that he stared at my chest for a while, so I automatically crossed my arms to cover my chest. He laughed at my action.

"Wh-why did you bring up bras in our conversation?!" I angrily shouted at him while glaring. If my gaze could kill, he would have died by now.

"You're only an A cup. Why are you even wearing a bra? You can go without it since you look... flat-chested," he laughed. I immediately approached him and started hitting his arm.

"Pervert! You're a pervert!" I said to him. He didn't stop laughing, and it seemed like my hits didn't affect him. I stopped when I got tired, and it seemed like my hands hurt more than his arm did. His arm was so firm.

"But seriously, Ken, I really need a pretend girlfriend right now. Many girls are chasing after me since my dad passed the company to me. I'm the new CEO, and girls are coming to my office non-stop, claiming that I've impregnated them, which I haven't because I'm always prepared."

I squinted my eyes at his words. "That's still not enough reason for me to say yes, Mr. Bachelor!" I said sarcastically. This guy wants to use me to escape from the women he has disrespected and impregnated! What if they team up and hunt me down, and the next day my lifeless body is found floating in Burnham Lake?

He grabbed his phone and looked for something. "Maybe this photo..." I noticed he took a longer look at it and showed it to me. "...would be enough to convince you, no?"

Chapter 3

"Waaahhh! Pervert! Goddammit, you maniac!" He was holding his fully erect junior, and there was some white stuff on it. What was that? Sperm? Cum? Whatever! My innocent eyes are no longer innocent!

"Wait, why didn't you just let me go home? Why did you have to lock me in here? I don't want to be here! Let me out, you demon!" I complained to Ero as he suddenly pulled me into his mini-bedroom in his office, saying that I should stay here until his dad leaves.

"Do you really think Dad would believe me if I introduce you as my secretary?" he asked irritably, looking at me from head to toe. To hide my embarrassment, I glared at him and slapped his chest. It felt like I was the one who got hurt.

He's so hard! Wait, why am I even thinking that? I suddenly remembered what Ero said, and I nodded in agreement. That's exactly what I was thinking earlier. I sighed and sat down on the bed.

"It's your fault! You insisted on making me wear this! I look like I'm working at a club rather than being a secretary—" I couldn't continue what I was about to say when Ero suddenly covered my mouth and gave me a look that seemed to say, 'be quiet.'

"Ero, son, where are you?" Is that Ero's dad? Why does his voice sound so familiar to me? Ero whispered to me before he removed his fragrant hand from my mouth.

"Don't make any noise," he said, and I nodded in response. "Stay here, I'll be back when Dad leaves." I nodded again and was taken aback when he softly pressed his lips against mine. I realized they were Ero's lips. Along with that came a strange rush of heartbeat and butterflies in my stomach after he kissed me. I found myself staring at him for a moment, wishing the kiss had lasted longer.

The next thing I heard was the clicking sound of a door being locked from outside. Ugh! I won't be able to get out because he locked me in here.

I touched my chest and could still feel my heart racing. Slowly, I raised my hand to my lips without even realizing it. I had to hold back a scream when I remembered the scene I stumbled upon in his bathroom.

I remembered how he was holding himself, then he covered his hand with his mouth! Fuck! This is so stupidly gross! That Ero is disgusting! God knows what he was doing there before I walked in!

But his dad's voice sounds so familiar, just like Jacobo's. I sighed, maybe I just miss him so much that I mistake Ero's dad's voice for his.

Speaking of Jacobo, I looked at my phone to check if he had sent me a text, but there was still none. Last night, he told me that he would accompany his amazing wife to visit his in-laws' ranch because he missed them so much. His wife is such a drama queen. I wonder how he can tolerate her.

When Jacobo and I become husband and wife, I'll make sure our relationship won't be dramatic. I won't have to visit my parents in the province because they're already in another country with their new families.

My mom married a white guy, and they live in California with my stepbrother. As for my dad, he's in Canada with his new wife and their two stepbrothers. I am just a result of a one-night mistake. So it's no wonder I grew up with my grandparents, my mom's parents.

Ero's dad has already left, and that guy wasted no time dragging me towards his mini living room set. "Martha is on her way here," Ero said seriously. "Do something to shoo her away." I raised an eyebrow at him and glared. After locking me up for almost three hours, how dare he order me around without even offering me food?!

I ignored him and turned my back on him. It's already three o'clock! That means it's past lunchtime. Did he expect me to be thrown into the tiger's den right away? What a meddler! He deserves a good slap!

"Kendall, I am talking to you! Don't turn your back on me!" he yelled at me and then violently pushed me in front of him. I was also so annoyed with him that I pinched his hand that was holding me so that he would let go of me.

"Don't call me Kendall, Kendall, can you? Go to sleep! You're not in another country, so don't speak English to me! It's three o'clock in the afternoon, you locked me up for a long time and I still haven't- lunch! Instead of giving me my lunch break, if you can order me around you think who is the king!"

I didn't miss the shock that was registered on his face, probably because I yelled at him, but I don't care anymore. Annoying! Guess who, yes, he is super-hot and handsome, but he has the same attitude! He's a walking demon!

I stood up abruptly from my seat and walked out of his mini-bedroom, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw a woman. She was extremely fair-skinned and wearing a red dress shorter than the one I was wearing. She was also wearing stilettos, with her arms crossed in front of her ample chest. When our gazes met, she raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She may look beautiful because of her fair skin, and she may appear sexy because of her revealing outfit, but if she thinks she can scare me with her exposed flesh, she's wrong. "Who are you?" she asked me rudely, and because of my intense hunger and frustration, I blurted out whatever came to mind, taking the side of that annoying demon, Ero.

"Ero's girlfriend." I looked her up and down. "So, if you really fear God and don't want your skin and body to be completely ruined, leave now!" I shouted at her. She swallowed hard and quickly ran towards the exit.

I sighed when she was finally gone. When I turned around, I noticed a man clapping behind me, with an amused and almost admiring expression on his face. He was handsome, but he seemed foolish to find joy in what I just did.

"Wow! What a performance! You managed to chase away Martha so quickly," he said to me. I didn't respond and went out to find the canteen. I was starving.

--

When I returned to Ero's office around four thirty PM, Miss Curtis told me that Ero wasn't there, and despite my reluctance, I, as his secretary, still asked where he went. She said he was in a meeting.

I nodded and went straight to my working table. I furrowed my brow when I saw a large square red box on the table. It was a box of cake, based on the brand name written on it. There was also a note, sarcastically written, so I picked it up and read it.

'Job well done. I hope next time you can shoo away more girls who want to see me. I'll be out of town for two days. See you soonest.'

-EM

I immediately opened the cake box and smiled when I saw that it was an ube cake, my favorite! And here come those butterflies in my stomach again. What's with them suddenly appearing every time? Are they hungry too?

I sighed deeply. I have no idea why I'm feeling this way. It would be better for me to go home now and enjoy this ube cake. I suddenly had a strong craving for it!

"Where are we going?" I asked Ero when I noticed that we were taking a different route. "I thought you were going to drop me off at my house?" Now, we were heading towards the downtown area.

"We're going to eat dinner first," he said while keeping his eyes on the road. "I don't want to have dinner with you!" I glared at him. "I need to go home because Jacobo will be there!"

Finally, after the longest week of my life, Jacobo returned from his in-laws' ranch. He stayed there longer because they had a family reunion. Unfortunately, Ero had to blackmail me with a picture he took just so I would pick him up at the airport!

Instead of cooking pasta for Jacobo, which was my plan, I couldn't continue because I wasted all my time waiting for Ero at the airport. He texted me at 3 PM to go to the airport because he was already there, but he actually arrived at 6 PM.

Damn it! I made a fool of myself waiting for him at the airport for three hours! I even tried to go home first so I could cook the pasta, but the guards at the airport blocked me, saying that Ero instructed them not to let me leave. You can see how terrible this guy's attitude is!

"I still need to cook pasta for Jacobo, and it's already 7 PM!" I sighed deeply. "I should have been home before 8 PM because he's going to be there soon, and I don't want to ruin this dinner with him after a long time of waiting." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"If you're hungry, you can eat alone. Just park the car and I'll take a taxi home," and this time, I finally faced Ero. I was about to say something else, but he suddenly got out of the car. Thankfully, I had my seatbelt on, or else I might have kissed his windshield due to the force of his braking.

"Will you shut the fuck up?! And can you fucking stop talking about that guy!" he yelled at me. What's wrong with this guy? Why is he suddenly so angry and taking it all out on me? I didn't do anything to him!

"He's not just any other guy! He has a name, and that's Jacobo, so can you—" I couldn't finish my sentence as he abruptly got out of the car. He circled around and came to my side, opening the car door and removing my seatbelt himself.

He was breathing heavily. It meant that he was still extremely angry but was trying to control it. "Ero, where are you taking me?" I calmly asked him, but it seemed to make him even angrier. He didn't answer and dragged me into a lobby.

I didn't immediately notice where he was taking me; suddenly, we were in front of a large hotel. He tossed his car keys to the valet and we proceeded to the elevator.