Miguel and Gabriela walked out of the kitchen, carrying steaming dishes that filled the air with mouthwatering aromas. The twins, engrossed in their card game, suddenly perked up, their noses twitching like antennas. "FOOD!" they shouted in unison, abandoning their cards and racing to the dining table.
After devouring their lunch, the twins returned to their card game, with Gabriela reigning supreme as the queen of cards, much to their delight. The room was filled with laughter and cheers as they hyped her up.
Just as the fun was getting intense, Leslie's phone rang, breaking the spell. She answered, and a bubbly voice squealed from the other end. "Hey, Les! It's Sephora! We're having a sleepover at mine today, and you're and Lana coming!"
Leslie grinned. "Yessss! We'll be there by 6 pm sharp!"
Sephora squealed louder. "Yay! Can't wait! You said you got a surprise for me, right?"
Leslie giggled mischievously. "You have no idea! It'll be a blast! And don't worry, it's just gonna be us, no parents, so..."
Sephora's voice was practically bouncing. "OMG, can't wait! See you soon!"
Leslie hung up and turned to the group. "Gabriela, will you come along with us to my best friend's sleepover?"
Gabriela's eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden invite. "Uh..."
Miguel chimed in before she could decline. "It's okay, Gaby. I'll be good by myself."
Leslie added, "My friends are huge fans of yours, they'd love to meet you!"
Gabriela hesitated for a second, then shrugged. "Okay, sure!"
The girls squealed, and Lana exclaimed, "Pajama party! Gaby needs PJs! I'll order one for her!"
Gabriela laughed. "Thanks, Lana!"
~~~~
Lana hailed a cab, and they made their way to Sephora's house. As they rode, Lana turned to Gabriela and whispered, "Sephora's got an older sister, you'll get along great."
When they arrived, they were greeted by the sound of laughter and TV chatter coming from upstairs. Sephora's room was a pink paradise, filled with fluffy pillows and posters of their favorite celebrities. The girls were huddled on the bed, eyes glued to the screen, when Sephora jumped up to hug her friends.
As Gabriela stepped into the room, all eyes turned to her. The air was thick with shock and awe. Jamie's mouth hung open, Sue's eyes were wide, and Bridgette looked like she'd seen a ghost. The room fell silent, except for the sound of collective gasps.
Then, suddenly, they erupted into a chorus of squeals and hugs, surrounding Gabriela like she was a rockstar. "Is this the surprise?" Sephora exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement. "OMG, Gabriela, you're the biggest surprise!"
The questions started flying: How did you meet the twins? How did they convince you to come? "You're honestly the most beautiful girl ever!"
"I love your skin!"
"Can I touch your hair?"
"You're so flawless!"
"Can I touch your lips? They are so plump!"
"You have healthy lips! Did you get fillers!"
"I love you so much, Gabriela."
"You're really gorgeous Gaby!"
The girls were in awe, and Gabriela's smile only made them adore her more.
Lana chuckled, "Alright, alright, enough of the admiration fest. Get us some snacks, girls!"
Sephora's cook brought in a platter of delicious treats, and they dug in, abandoning the movie for the real show: Gabriela Flores. The chatter turned to laughter and gossip, and Gabriela was happy to join in, her earlier hesitation forgotten in the face of their infectious energy.
"Wait...girls, how did you hire...I mean, bring Gabriela here, I'm confused about the whole thing..is this the real Gabriela or a lookalike?" Jamie asked.
"Well, the thing is Gabriela here is our cousin's girlf - "
"No!" She yelled abruptly and felt like being swallowed by the ground right away.
"No?"
"Uhm...Their cousin and I are in the same department. We met in college." Gabriela faked a grin.
"Ooh..."
"That's all?" Lana's eyes widened.
"You and Miguel Jackson do have a lot of explaining to do. Your dating rumors are all over the internet." Bridgette spoke.
"That's a lie! We're not dating!" Gabriela replied.
Lana and Leslie exchanged confused looks.
"I don't believe you, Gabriela. How could a hottie like you be single?" Sue disagreed.
"It's just bad luck, sweetie." They all laughed heartily.
"Where's Dedra?" Jamie changed the topic.
"Dedra? I thought she wasn't coming." Sephora rolled her eyes.
"She can't miss out on something like this...of course, she'd come."
There was a knock on the room door and Sue ran to get it.
"Dedra...and Isabella! Oh my gosh, surprises all the way!" The other girls were stunned.
"Gabriela's best friend? We're so happy to see you!"
"Welcome to our sleepover!"
"How are you connected to these celebrities?"
"Damn, wish I were you, Dedra!"
"You and Dedra already met?" Gabriela was amazed.
"Hi, Gabriela!" Dedra greeted with an excited chuckle.
"Yeah. She's Sandra's little sister who had the quinceanera."
"Oh, hi!"
The rest of the night was electric with music, food and dance.
Sephora told fables and they played tricky games.
Gabriela was in Claire's room watching a reality show.
"I don't seem to understand reality shows, but this one's fun." Gabriela said.
"Sephora finds it annoying but thanks for watching with me." Claire grinned.
"I love your pajamas by the way." Claire commented.
"Oh, thanks!"
"Are you dating Miguel Jackson?" Gabriela's heart skipped.
"N..no. We're just friends."
"For now." Gabriela whispered and Claire giggled.
"Really? It'd be great if you date! You both make an amazing couple. It means you're taking things slow. Well, you deserve to be happy."
"Thank you. You sound like a caring person."
"Of course I am. Sephora says that all the time." Claire winked, praising herself.
"Have you ever cared to ask Miguel about the tattoo on his thigh?" Gabriela's smile disappeared immediately.
Her eyes flashed in anger.
"What the fuck, how did you know that? How did you know about the tattoo?" Gabriela questioned.
"Woah, woah, woah. Pretty girl, you need to get a hold of yourself. I'm not sleeping with your man."
"I didn't say that."
"But that was what you thought."
"Oh - I didn't. I was just asking you. How did you know about the tattoo? What tattoo though, I've never seen it."
"It's on his right thigh." Gabriela had to calm down now if she wanted to hear anything else.
"What does it mean?"
"It's a Morgan tattoo. His birth is traced to the water-world."
"What? H..how did you..how did you know all that?"
"Forget how I knew and just listen. Have you been having any marine dreams?"
"Yeah! Since forever!" Gabriela exclaimed.
"You both are related...."
"Darn, we're siblings, right?"
"That's not what I mean. You've been connected since birth."
"Since birth?"
"Yeah. You've both been made to be one. You're his destiny. You're his forever. You're the rest of his life. He can't spend this with any other girl. Before he met you, he was always snooping around fucking other girls, that wasn't because he wanted it. His soul was searching for you. He was unsure of who you were and how his curse would be broken. Both of you are existing for each other. If he gets hurt, you'll feel even more pain than he's feeling. Simply because you're not with him. You haven't sealed the fact that you're meant to be together. He's yours. Stop delaying things."
"S..so that's the curse? Is he even aware.."
"He doesn't know all these things. But he'll find out soon. This is it, Gabriela - you're not allowed to tell him anything you find out about his water-world birth."
"Is his mom a mermaid?"
"Hazel Jackson isn't his first mom. You'll get it all soon."
Gabriela didn't know if she was supposed to be shocked, scared or happy that she had heard Claire's words.
Miguel was hers.
The thought made her blush.
She was smiling the entire night.
~~~THE WHITE'S ACADEMY~~~
"What are you still doing here?" Diana saw Claudia.
"What do you mean? Ain't I allowed to write my final exams?"
"So you were allowed to write those exams. Bad news, you won't be writing them. I have as much right as my father to kick your butt out of this school." Diana pouted with folded arms.
"Hey, little thing. Don't get on my nerves. I'm trying to think."
"Think about how miserable your life is even in the midst of luxury? You suck. You should be ashamed of yourself. You don't even have a space in Flores Corp, not even a corner to mop." Diana mocked.
"Fuck off, Diana." Claudia yelled.
"Alright, I don't even wanna be around someone like you."
"What are you doing here, Diana?" It was Veronica and Carissa.
"Just asking why this girl is still in our school."
"She was allowed to write the exams. Poor Paula, she was expelled immediately for false information and assault of student."
"Can't believe she hired people to hit you, Carissa. She's horrible." Diana was irritated.
"Hey, Claudia. You won't be expelled so easily. I'll make sure the rest of your days in The White's Academy will be full of horror. Everyone will hate you. And your dirty secrets will be revealed. You'll wear your graduation cap straight into prison, you bitch!" Carissa cursed and the three sassily walked away.
"Moooom!! Those girls are planning something! We need to act fast!"
"Claudia, I'm busy, can you call me later?"
"You're always busy! I hate you, Mom! You don't care about me!" Claudia hung up and threw her phone at the bathroom mirror.
"Arrrgghhh!!! What do I do now?! This is all your fault, Gabriela! You're going to regret this!!!"
~~~~FLORES CORP~~~~
"What is this, Gabriela?"
"We're so disappointed in you!"
"We thought you were of high value."
"You're so shameless."
"So the greatest Mr Alejandro's daughter can't even hide her guilty pleasures properly."
"Eww!"
"We'll let this out to the media."
"No sir! Ma'am! Everyone, listen! I...I..I don't watch these... someone must have framed me!"
"Who could have added that picture to your presentation? I thought this place wasn't for just anyone to walk in. You're a liar! Nobody framed you!" Gabriela was under the verge of tears as she was trying to control the businesspeople who were already hurling words at her.
"This is a disgrace to Flores Corp!"
"Hello...everyone." Veronica Lander walked in and the room fell silent.
"This is all a misunderstanding, guys. Gabriela and I planned this to show you what we were up to."
"Up to?"
"C'mon, don't defend this girl."
"We found out something you all need to know."
"What's that?"
"You can zoom to see the picture closely. This is Claudia, Gabriela's stepsister who we all know got into the house with her golddigger mother for luxury reasons. There she is - having sex with a man in a cabin house! How shameless!" Veronica declared.
"What?"
"It's truly Claudia!"
"Oh my God..."
"Mr. Alejandro really needs to see this."
"This is terrible."
"She went for nothing but a man owning a cabin house!"
"She's stark n@ked!"
"Not only that, guys! She's planning to feature in an erotic thriller movie! A very steamy one at that! Look! Her clit was used as a photoshoot for the movie." The presentation slid and it showed Claudia on the poster of a film with her thighs wide open.
"Claudia deserves to be humiliated for promoting this. But we won't release any of this to the press, for the reputation of our dear Mr Alejandro Flores. Let's be hopeful that one day, Jennie Myers and her daughter will be out of the Flores family. Any of this information shouldn't spread, else, such person will be sued. That's what Gabriela here was trying to explain to you. Thanks for your time." Veronica concluded.
"We're so sorry, Miss. Flores."
"Forgive us for jumping into conclusions."
"All your insights are very great and will be helpful! In that case, the contract is signed!"
"Yayyy!!" Gabriela was overjoyed.
~~~
"Veronica!" Gabriela threw her arms around Veronica and hugged her tight.
"My life was just about to be ruined but you came so fast! I love you!!" She squealed and broke the hug.
"But..how..? I didn't even see it was Claudia. Did Claudia really..."
"Nope. Claudia didn't. But she added those pictures to your presentation just to frame you. She paid a worker to do it." Gabriela gasped.
"What? OMG."
"Claudia left her phone carelessly in the lecture room. We saw her text messages with the worker and how she sent the photos to her. Miguel and I downloaded those photos and he photoshopped it. Claudia wasn't the girl."
Gabriela was amused.
"Photoshop? I didn't know he had photoshopping skills." She giggled.
"He used Michelle, Damien and Isabella's help."
"Aww, they're so kind. Thanks for saving my life. I don't know what I'd do without you all."
~~~TWO DAYS LATER~~~
[Hey, sexy.]
[It's the exam day tomorrow]
[I thought you wanted us to study together]
[I feel uneasy. We'd have dinner too]
[Are you busy?]
Miguel was worried Gabriela wasn't replying any of his texts. He hadn't even seen her since the sleepover day.
"She's still not replying." Miguel told his cousins.
"Could she be planning to break up with you? Because she denied being your girlfriend to my friends." Leslie put on a confused expression.
"She - she doesn't want too many people to know. It's a secret."
"Oh..." The girls nodded understandingly.
"Maybe she's studying. Give her time."
"Or visit her. Check what's wrong. What if she's going through something she doesn't wanna tell? You should be there for her. When it feels like a girl's growing distant from you for a personal reason, that's exactly when she needs you most." Leslie suggested.
"You're right. I should."
~~~~GABRIELA'S APARTMENT~~~~
"Where's Gabriela?" Miguel asked Diana who was locking the door.
"She's in her room." He headed to her room and knocked impatiently.
"Come in, Miguel." He pushed open the door and smiled.
She was lying down face first on the bed.
"How did you know it's me?"
"I know how you knock."
"You sound...off. What's the matter? You weren't replying to any of my texts."
"I'm on my period... I'm sorry." She rolled on to her back and Miguel walked closer to her. His eyes widened a little at her face.
"I look terrible, right?"
"No...you look beautiful. But - you're still not yourself."
"I know. It really hurts." Her eyes were glistened too. She sat up, crying and touching the throbbing area.
"I'm going to..eh..prepare a pack using a hot water bottle. That'll help your muscles relax, okay?" She nodded.
"I'll be right back." He headed straight to the kitchen.
A text popped in on Gabriela's phone.
[See? I got your contact. It's Brune. Just one of your hot admirers from high school]
Gabriela smiled gracefully.
He had been dared to be the first guy to get Gabriela's digits in high school but Gabriela refused to exchange contacts with him.
[Hi, Brune! It's been a long time!]
She texted back.
She was chatting happily with Brune that she forgot her cramps.
Miguel walked in soon after.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It doesn't really hurt anymore. Thanks." Gabriela grinned at her phone screen.
"Oh..kay... You're not even looking at me, Gabriela. What's going on in that phone of yours?"
"An old...friend called Brune. He texted me." Miguel plopped on the bed next to her, gawking at her phone screen.
"How did he get your contact?"
"I don't know...somehow."
"You're suddenly lively again. Was this Brune your cramp remedy?"
"You're sounding jealous."
"I admit it, I'm jealous." He saw a text and completely lost it. He snatched the phone and tossed it aside.
"Hey!" Gabriela protested.
"Is he flirting with you? Ugh, disgusting!"
"He's not.. flirting. He's only kidding. He has a great sense of humor."
"That's none of my business. You need to stop talking to him." Miguel's voice was loud with command.
"Oh really? Why should I?"
"I don't feel comfortable with it." Gabriela laughed mockingly.
"Who cares about that? He's just a friend so chill." Another text from him.
Miguel took the phone.
"I'll tell this jerk off." He mumbled.
He was enraged to see the other texts.
[Let's go out]
[Bills on me]
[Tomorrow evening will do.]
[Wear something hot to drive me crazy]
"What the fuck?!" His fist was clenched.
"Let me see."
"This guy's asking you out."
"Oh really? I'm going. Can I? Why am I asking, of course I'm allowed to do whatever I want. You're not my..daddy." Gabriela rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I am, Gabriela. And your daddy says you're going nowhere."
"We'll see about that."