: Mister Jade

“Hello,” Kate answered the call in her bedroom voice. Her eyes were still shut and puffed from all her crying last night. Her chest felt so heavy, and her heart seemed to be broken.

Kate was unwilling to get up that weekend. She had the craziest Friday, going to New York, hoping to speak to Carlos Ronaldo once and for all.

Sadly, her goal never materialized. She witnessed Carlos and Hailey Mckenzie briefly kissing on stage, and that was it for her. Her hopes were crushed altogether. Kate left without getting the answers she had longed to hear.

“Miss Wright, this is Frederick of JetSuite charter flights. Good noon. I am calling to make sure your flight went smoothly, and we were hoping that you could give us feedback on the service we provided you last night,” the man said on the other line. “We sent you a survey through the email.”

‘What? It’s noon already?’ Kate sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then, after clearing her throat, she weakly replied, “Yes, Frederick. All went well. Thank you very much for arranging the flight at the very last minute. And yes, I will give my feedback. You helped me so much last night.”

After fleeing The Four Seasons Hotel, New York, Kate remembered how she went straight to the airport, hoping to get a combined flight to Braeton, but there was none.

Luck would have it. Frederick, the ground manager for JetSuite, approached her, offering a charter flight. The more surprising thing was, he provided the service for half the price! She was fortunate. Regardless of how the elderly man found her and seemed to have understood her needs, she did not care. Last night, she badly wanted to get home, and fast. There was no safer place to cry it all out but in the four corners of her bedroom.

Frederick told her it was because her father, Ethan Wright, often availed their services, and that was how he quickly remembered her.

Truth be told, Kate recognized Frederick as well. She had recently traveled with her older brother on two business trips to New York. Kate was confident Frederick was the same man who received them on one occasion. Still, the warm welcome and the huge discount were unexpected.

“Thank you, Miss Wright,” said Frederick. “I will be expecting your email. And, of course, if you could put in a good word for us to your father and brother, that would be a great help for JetSuite.”

“Definitely, Frederick, and thank you for checking on me. It was very nice of you,” Kate admitted.

After the call, Kate groaned as she rested her back on the bed. She clenched her jaws at the picture of Carlos locking lips with Hailey. Then, she reminded herself, “Stop it, Kate. Stop it! You have already decided to give up.”

She took her bath and ate her late breakfast. When she was done, she opened her laptop and checked the charter flight company’s email survey. Before she went through the survey, she noticed an email from a company called CSK Apparel. The said email arrived in her inbox minutes before JetSuite’s survey request. Kate was curious about how the subject line suggested they had a job offer for her.

She read the email, “Dear Miss Wright. We saw your profile from Corporate.com, and your qualifications impressed us -”

“Oh, my god. I can’t believe I still had my profile on there,” Kate muttered, recalling how Corporate.com was an employment website The Wright Diamond Corporation had invested in. Everyone in the company was encouraged to enter their work profile just to bring traffic to the website, but Kate honestly thought she had already deleted her information.

Kate shrugged, saying, “Oh, well.”

She took her time reviewing the company. The more she read about it, the more she became interested. Kate loved fashion, and she especially liked how CSK Apparel was a start-up company. It will bring in challenges, but most of all, it was open to many new ideas that she has so many to offer.

To her surprise, the said company had a very substantial financial backup. It occurred to her that the company had big dreams with big investors. Thus, she went ahead and responded to the job offer.

***

For the rest of the day, Kate decided to do some online shopping. It was her best bet to getting Carlos out of her head. She searched for new pieces of jadeite jewelry on auction and found one to her liking.

Kate was the third child in their family. Her older brother, Kyle, was the CEO of The Wright Diamond Corporation, the company belonging to their family and that of her father’s forefathers. Her older sister, Kenzie, was in the UK. Kenzie married a London boy. Then, there was Kaleb, her twin brother.

Kenzie, her sister, was into diamonds. Kate, on the other hand, was into jades, both nephrites and jadeites. She was obsessed with collecting such pieces even when she was fifteen.

She was about to buy a pair of earrings when someone knocked on her door. “Kate, there is a delivery for you.”

“Um. Okay, have the guards checked it?” She asked whoever was the maid behind the door.

“Yes, they are checking the package, but the item is inside a velvet box. They think it’s jewelry,” the maid replied.

Kate did not particularly recall if she had ordered anything recently, but she went down to receive her package.

In the living room, Kate gawked at the velvet box with a note that said, “I’m sorry.” She wondered what that meant because, as far as she was concerned, no one had offended her in the last months.

She opened the box cautiously, and her eyes widened at the view of a pair of jadeite earrings, the same one that she bid for at an online auction site over a week ago. Kate’s lips could not help but form into a circle. She exclaimed, “Oh, my god!”

Being a jade collector, Kate had all the tools needed to test the authenticity of such jewelry. Thus, after putting the pair of earrings to the test, she wore them proudly, flaunting her new jadeite jewelry at dinner.

“Oh, is that new?” Samantha Wright, a woman with golden hair, said. She had the same pair of blue eyes as Kate.

Kate smiled, answering, “Yes, mom, and it is a real jadeite.”

“I’m happy for you, sweetie,” said her mother.

“Did that come from your Mister Jade again?” Kate’s father, Ethan Wright, walked in. He stood tall, authoritative as usual. His chin was up while his brown eyes were precisely studying the studs on her ears.

Kate smirked and replied, “There was no name on the card. It might be him.” As she replied, Kate silently reflected, ‘But then again, why would he say sorry?’

“Hmmm.” Ethan pulled a chair in front of the table and said, “Well, usually, Mister Jade sends you these gifts on your birthday. But today is not your birthday.”

Four years ago, Kate started receiving gifts from Mister Jade on birthdays. Mister Jade never missed greeting and gifting her a piece of valuable jade. May it be jewelry or a piece of handcraft. Unfortunately, her family never found out who Mister Jade was, nor did Kate’s father put much effort into knowing his name. In Ethan’s view, as long as the jades were harmless, he did not mind that his daughter was receiving admiration gifts.

It was expected. Kate was beautiful, after all. Even Kate’s older sister had lots of gifts during her birthdays. Heck, even his sons received admiration gifts.

“It’s a beautiful piece, Kate,” Samantha remarked.

Kate could not help but smile from ear to ear. While she was heartbroken again because of the same man, she at least had a new pair of her favorite gemstone dangling over her ears.

“Whoever gave you those earrings… seem to know you well, Kate,” her father suggested. “Do you want me to trace whoever this Jade Admirer is?”

“Why not?” Samantha suggested. “Who knows, he might actually be a nice person.”

Kate contemplated, but soon she nodded in agreement, saying, “Okay, dad. Why not? You would be able to find out who is… Mister Jade.”

***

Meanwhile, miles away, a man with striking features was walking onto the runway, ready to board his private jet. When he reached the foot of the aircraft’s boarding stairs, he turned to the ground manager and asked, “Did she get home safely?”

“I believe so, sir. She answered the email survey from her home,” the ground manager replied.

Getting on the plane, the same towering man received an update from his assistant, “She replied to the job offer, sir. She would like to know more.”

“And the kiss incident?” The man with grey eyes sought.

“All taken care of, sir,” his assistant said. “No word nor photo will leak to the public.”

“Good. The house?” The man asked.

“Paid for, sir. Renovations are on the way,” his assistant replied.

Looking distantly through the airport porthole, the same striking man faintly said, “Two more Grand Slam, Kate. Two more. It will all be over soon.”

: Carlos Ronaldo, The Devil

“After a two-hour finale at The Australian Open, The Devil on court, Carlos Ronaldo achieved his eighteenth Grand Slam win,” reported Roman, a news anchor of BNC Media.

“Exactly, Roman,” said the other news anchor, Denis, “And we could not be more proud, knowing that Carlos was born and raised in Braeton City!”

“Yes, that’s right.” Roman acknowledged. “Carlos Ronaldo is the son of the former veteran tennis player, Manuel Ronaldo. What happened to his father was a shock to everyone. His father died in a car accident, and his family lost everything. His mother, Agnes Ronaldo, became ill, and out of depression from Manuel’s death, she also passed away.”

“Despite how tough life was for him, that did not stop Carlos Ronaldo from rising into fame, giving his father the honor he deserves, and using tennis, a sport his father loved the most!” Announced Denis. “I’m sure his father would be proud.”

“For years, Carlos fought against odds, starting at the lowest ranks playing tennis. In his first year, he played feature tournaments to challenger tournaments. In his second year of playing, Carlos finally reached ATPs, the Association of Tennis Professionals, ranking at around two hundred. And it was six years ago that he entered the most prestigious tennis events in the world, the Grand Slam tournaments. Finally, after three years of playing the Grand Slam, he won the US Open and remained undefeated on his home court to this day! Then, he became widely known as The Devil on court.”

BNC Media aired a video of Carlos’ old matches in that program. It was Roman who reported, “He is one of the most fierce. He had such powerful, fastest serves -”

“And let’s not forget about the backhand, Roman. Carlos Ronaldo’s backhand stroke earned him the title; The Devil!” Denis pointed out. He shook his head and added, “They are unrelenting.”

“You know, Denis. It’s funny how it started when his opponent called his backhand as The Devil,” the news anchor revealed. “And since then, Carlos Ronaldo had been named The Devil on the tennis court!”

“And now, at twenty-eight, Carlos Ronaldo has achieved his first-ever number one rank in the world!”

Both Dennis and Roman, the news anchors, cheered for Carlos, proud of a Braeton local.

“Although, in the world of tennis, we don’t know for certain how long this ranking will last, but we will keep applauding Carlos for his achievements! Besides, there are three more Grand Slam tournaments this year, and so far, he had had his winning streak,” Roman added. “We are proud of you, Carlos Ronaldo!”

“On another news, still about The Devil on court, our favorite tennis superstar announced his separation from William Mckenzie’s management,” reported Dennis. “This came about after his birthday party.”

Kate was at her twin brother’s penthouse, watching the news. She agreed to watch over her nephew while Kaleb attended an evening meeting.

It wasn't long ago when Kate swore not to listen to anything about Carlos. She closed that part of her life and no longer wrote in her “Carlos” journal, but it was so hard to switch off the television when the news about him was so interesting.

She may still be hurting because Carlos was in a relationship with Hailey Mckenzie, but she was still proud of his accomplishments. Hearing how he would no longer be managed by William Mckenzie, Kate’s eyes widened. She could not believe her ears. ‘Why would he want to separate from Mister Mckenzie’s management?’

“Papapapa! Papapapa!”

Kate became distracted, following her nephew’s blabbing. She turned to Liam, hushing him, “Liam, baby. Be quiet. Auntie is going to listen to something important -”

“Papapapa - Hwah! Huuwah!” With her nephew crying, Kate sighed in surrender and took the baby in her arms. She called his nanny. It was only after giving his nephew to the nanny that she searched online about Carlos’ decision to separate from William Mckenzie.

She first found the press release coming from William Mckenzie. It read:

[I am saddened by Carlos’ decision to have control of his career, but it is understandable. He is someone who can already stand on his own two feet. Everyone, at some point, wants independence. Carlos is like a son to me. My family and I will always be grateful for sharing his success with us. He does not owe us anything. He has paid me back in waves unimaginable.

I managed Carlos for nine years, even at the start of his rigorous training. We had nine years of relationship, but sadly, all good things end, and I am also getting too old to travel with Carlos in his matches. I wish Carlos all the best, and he knows he can always come to me. He has a home in my family.]

Browsing through the internet, Kate read about the possibility that Hailey Mckenzie and Carlos were in a relationship. Still, she could not find any statement coming from Carlos confirming this. She found it strange that such an eventful public display of affection did not reach the internet. She speculated, 'Are they really a couple?'

Kate groaned, contradicting her thoughts, “Of course they are, Kate! They kissed!”

The following article Kate saw was about Carlos, expressing his thanks to William Mckenzie. In that article, it read:

[I cannot thank William enough for all the help. When my father and mother died, I lost everything. Our neighbor became my shelter and my second family, and while my second family supported me with my dreams, I pursued them with Mister Mckenzie.

William brought me to places I never thought were possible. He introduced me to the best tennis training facilities, further enhancing my skills. Without him, I would be nothing today. For that, he and his family will always have a special place in my heart. However, the time has come for me to move on with the next chapter in my life. I have ventured into business and have a new team to handle the more considerable pressure of my daily routine.]

Kate stopped reading at that point. All that lingered in her thoughts was how Carlos mentioned his second family. Her jaws clenched, thinking, ‘He could not even say our names.’

Kate's forehead creased at the thought of Carlos naming the Mckenzies as the family with a special place in his heart. She felt her chest congesting, just utterly upset. “Did he never think about us? About me? Was all that for nothing?"

She threw her head back, asking, “Why did you go to the Mckenzies, Carlos? Why?”

Filled with these questions, Kate left and merely called his brother, telling him that she could no longer wait for him. Then, Kate went home and sought her father.

Kate quickly found him having tea with her mother. When Kate's father turned to her, giving her his attention, she asked, “Dad, why did you never offer to sponsor Carlos’ training? Why did you let him go to the Mckenzies? He would still be with us and not with them. Why Dad? I don’t understand!”

Her parents, Ethan and Samantha, looked at each other. Then, urging her daughter to sit with them, Ethan suggested, “Kate, it’s not what you think.”

Kate remained standing there, waiting. When she could no longer contain the heaviness in her heart, she cried, asking again, “You are rich enough to give him what he needed. Why did you never give him that chance back then, dad? Why?”

“Kate, I did,” Ethan revealed. “I offered to send him to the best tennis schools.”

“What?” Kate asked, her brows knitting.

“Your father did, Kate. I was there when he offered Carlos,” Samantha reported.

“The first time I offered it to him, he was still sixteen. He said he would think about it. When he was seventeen, I asked him again,” Ethan divulged. “He said… he did not want to be away from you. He said he would rather work for me at the company and not pursue tennis if it meant being away from you, Kate.”

Somehow, that did not surprise Kate. The Carlos she knew in the past would do anything for her. However, learning of this further crushed her heart.

“So when he took that offer from William Mckenzie, trust me, Kate, I was equally hurt,” Ethan admitted. He paused briefly before asking, “I don’t mean to bring this up, Kate, but I think… the better question is… What did you and Carlos talk about that made him go to the Mckenzies?”

“Knowing Carlos, he would never leave you, Kate. What exactly happened?”

After listening to her father’s words, Kate sucked in a breath. She wiped the wetness on her face and replied, “I - I hurt him, dad. I hurt him.”

Kate’s mouth opened, ready to tell.

: Nine Years Ago

*** FLASHBACK: Around Nine Years Ago.***

"Kate, coach is taking me to a junior tennis tournament tomorrow. It's sponsored by the school. Do you want to come with me?" Carlos walked into Kate's room while she was trying on a new dress. He whistled at the sight of her, and he flushed, knowing what the dress was for. "Is that for the year-end dance?"

Kate and Carlos were still eighteen at the end of their high school days. They had always gone out together for the year-end school dance as friends throughout high school. Carlos was Kate's male best friend, and she also had a girl best friend named Lyla.

Carlos was sixteen years old when he became part of the Wright family. This happened after his father and mother died. Because of his father's debts, Manuel Ronaldo's house was sold to the highest bidder. Social service was supposed to take Carlos’ custody, but Kate's parents opened their home for him.

The Wright family was not a stranger to Carlos. After all, they were neighbors. Carlos' old home was three blocks away from the Wrights. Kate and her siblings had been friends with Carlos since they were kids.

Hearing Carlos ask about the dance, Kate bit her lip, and her eyes tightened. She awkwardly replied, "Carlos, about the dance -"

Before Kate could resume, Carlos' eyes landed on the new bracelet around her wrist. He asked, "You bought another jade?"

Kate gulped. She looked down at her beaded bracelet and reluctantly replied to Carlos, "This - this was a gift from Tyler."

Noticing how Carlos fell silent, Kate reminded him, "You know I like jades. I can never say no to Tyler!"

"By the way, he asked me to the year-end dance and." She pursed her lips before admitting, "I said yes." With a shrug, she added, "For a change? We will still go home together."

She tried her best to be careful with her words. When they were seventeen, Carlos had admitted to Kate how he liked her. However, to Kate, she saw him as her best friend and nothing more.

Kate saw how Carlos gulped. His chest heaved, and he folded his arms across his chest. Carlos looked down, appearing to be hurt by her decision. Stuttering, he said, "You've always liked Tyler… You like him because he ranked number two in junior tennis tournaments."

"Hey, you introduced me to him at your practices," Kate said, trying to put the blame on him. "And you would have won tournaments if you had gone to them."

"I don't have the money, Kate. It's not like they pay for the plane tickets or the hotel stay for the tournaments," Carlos reminded her. "The school only sponsored nearby matches."

"Dad can help you -"

"Uncle Ethan has done enough for me. He let me stay here, and he paid for my tuition. I don't want to bother him with my tennis," Carlos cut her off.

"I can talk to dad, and I'm sure -"

"No, don't, Kate. Don't," Carlos replied weakly. "I'll… I'll find my own way."

An awkward silence stretched between them, but soon Carlos asked, "Kate, will you ever… see me more than just a friend?"

Kate felt goosebumps all over. She earnestly cared for Carlos, but she did not know the answer to that. Kate loved being around Carlos. She loved him as a friend. He made her smile and was her constant companion from school to home. Kate felt attached to Carlos, but she did not feel that spark, that tingle in her stomach when their hands touched.

She found herself attracted to Tyler, Carlos' tennis rival at school. Tyler had the looks. He had a well-defined body. He was tall and with dirty-blond hair. Plus, he was really charming and confident.

To Kate, Carlos was just Carlos. He was not a charmer. Carlos did not talk to others the way he did with Kate. He did not dress to impress, and he followed a strict routine. He went to school, to tennis practice, and then he went home. Carlos rarely socialized, and this was because he would instead serve his uncle Ethan and aunt Samantha with whatever they needed at home.

To Kate, Carlos was one of her best friends, and she did not see anything more to it.

It was because Kate did not reply that Carlos answered for her. He said, "Your silence says it all - "

"Carlos-"

"It's okay, Kate. I understand." He turned away without saying more.

In the days that followed, Kate noticed how Carlos avoided her. Once, she saw him speaking with Hailey Mckenzie and her father at school, but when Kate asked about it, he suggested it was nothing.

On the day of the school dance, Kate was expecting him to come with her to school. They spoke in the living room when he snorted and replied, "I will not be your third wheel, Kate. Anyway, Kaleb will be there. Enjoy the dance."

Kate thought her best friend was still upset, but as soon as she turned her heel to the mansion's doorway, he felt Carlos embrace her. The hug was tight and warm. Something in his hold made Kate's heart skip a beat.

Carlos said, "Take care, Kate. I want you to be happy, always. Goodbye."

In the end, Kate attended the dance with Tyler but did not enjoy his company. His jokes weren't amusing, and just when she thought she could relate to Tyler more, he was so arrogant that she became irritated by his presence.

When Kate returned to the mansion, Carlos was gone. Since he was already eighteen, he was free to leave without the consent of Ethan and Samantha. He merely left a note, saying he wanted to pursue his career in tennis. He thanked the Wright family for their love and support. Carlos promised one day to return the favor.

Days later, Kate and her parents found out that Carlos left with the Mckenzies that same night at the dance. They fled to another state where he would train to be a professional tennis player.

At first, Kate was just angry, and her entire family was, but soon, Carlos' absence became so felt that Kate acknowledged how she missed him. The pain kicked in, and Kate went in and out of a state of woe. She regretted losing her best friend.

Over time, Kate conceded how much she felt for him and that perhaps her constant need for Carlos' presence was not merely because of friendship but love. Sadly, her realization arrived too late.

*** END OF FLASHBACK: Back To Present ***

After narrating it all to her parents, Kate sniffed her tears away. She softly said, "He loved me."

"We knew," her parents expressed in unison.

"We all knew, sweetie," Samantha stated while embracing Kate. "You also loved Carlos, but you were too young to recognize it."

"You thought so?" Kate asked, leaning back.

"Tell me, Kate. How can we correct this?" Kate's father spoke. He suggested, "I can rig his next match to catch his attention. I can have him kidnapped if you want to."

Kate's mouth fell open. She chuckled as she replied, "No, dad. Don't. That's terrible."

She took a deep breath and told them about her recent trip to the big apple. In the end, she said, "I think he is happy now." She rolled her eyes at the mention of the name. "With Hailey Mckenzie."

"After that trip to New York, I have decided to let it go," Kate said. "I'm done. After nine years, I am done."

Samantha embraced her tighter. Her mother suggested, "Don't worry, sweetie. There is a reason for everything. You'll find your one true love soon. When the time comes, we will just laugh about this part of your past."

At that moment, Kate told her father about her plans to leave the company. Ethan and Kate had a back-and-forth exchange, but she insisted on what she wanted in the end. Kate argued, "I need this. I need this change, and I really like fashion. The Wright Diamond Corporation had not invested in such a field, dad. This new job is more me."

“Then let’s start an apparel company,” Ethan suggested.

“But dad, I need experience.” Turning to her father, she pleaded, “Please, dad. Besides, we both know it takes time to start a new business. At least, through this company, I will gain the needed experience. And when I am ready, we can start a clothing company or maybe a jewelry company.”

With a sigh, Ethan surrendered. He responded, "I hope this will make you happy, Kate. You can give your brother your resignation. I'll tell him to approve it."

***

Continents away, a man was standing at the glass window of his hotel room, thinking of someone. He received word from his assistant, "Sir, she accepted the job offer. I shall draft the contract. For how long do you want the contract to be?"

The man smiled at the thought of this person. He answered, "The contract is forever."

"Eh, pardon, sir?"