Hendrick kept his promise to drive Fiona home the next morning, and he returned to Alfonso. The first thing he thought of doing was calling Julian.
"J-Julian..." Fiona's voice trembled.
"Fiona?"
"Yes, Julian. It's me."
All she heard from the other end was a long sigh.
Wasn't he going to ask where she was? What had happened to her? Had she been hurt?
"J-Julian, I'm home now."
"The party got chaotic last night. There was a huge scandal. I don't know how to explain it to the guests, to Mama and Papa..."
Fiona bit her lip. She didn't sense any concern for her in his tone.
"I want to file charges against Hendrick for kidnapping," she stated.
"Kidnapping?"
"Y-yes." Why did Julian sound so sarcastic? What was he implying? That she had willingly gone with Hendrick?
"Come on, Fiona. Let's not kid ourselves. You went with that Hendrick. He didn't kidnap you."
Fiona was shocked by his words. Was he implying he liked what happened?
"Julian, I didn't go with him willingly."
"You just disappeared in the middle of the party. The maid said he called you and said you had a visitor. Why didn't you come back? If he forced you to go with him, why didn't you ask for help? Why did you look fine when you passed the guardhouse in the car you were in?"
Fiona was taken aback. She was speechless. She had expected Julian to worry about her and take action against Hendrick.
"J-Julian, believe me... I didn't want what happened. He kidnapped me. And I want to file charges."
"Kidnapping with rape?" Julian asked sarcastically.
"No. He didn't rape me."
"Because you gave yourself to him voluntarily?" he shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Nothing happened between us, Julian!" Fiona insisted.
A short, bitter laugh escaped him. She felt insulted by that kind of laughter.
"And you want me to believe that? You spent the whole night with him at a beach resort in Batangas, and then you say nothing happened? Don't make a fool out of me, Fiona."
"Damn you, Julian! Is that really how low you think of me?"
"You know what? You wasted the chance to be part of the Zaavedra family. I must admit, I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you. That's why I asked you to marry me. But it's a huge insult to my manhood to marry you after everything that happened."
Fiona was once again taken aback. She couldn't speak. She just dropped the phone and sat down, feeling defeated.
---
"You want to charge Hendrick with kidnapping?" Fiona's father repeated her plan in disbelief.
"It's only right, Dad."
"You'll just make things worse, daughter."
"Worse? He's the one who caused chaos in my life. Not just chaos, but scandal and humiliation."
Their conversation was interrupted when a car stopped in front of their gate.
"Hendrick is here, Fiona," Aunt Nona said while watering the plants on their balcony.
"What's that guy doing here?" Fiona felt anger rising again as she saw Hendrick walking through the gate.
A smiling Hendrick appeared, holding a stuffed toy.
"You have some nerve coming here!" Fiona spat as she faced him.
"I came to apologize for what I did." His voice was pleading as he stood at the entrance. He turned to her father, "Mang Teddy, I want to explain—"
"Just leave. I don't want to see you!" she shouted.
"I admit my mistake. But I want to say that I did that to save you from Julian."
"Get that guy out of here, Dad." After saying that, she quickly turned and walked back to her room.
---
Fiona didn't leave the house for a week. Besides the embarrassment she felt, she was hurt by Julian's withdrawal from their wedding.
She was so close to her dreams, but they were dashed because of Hendrick. Her chest burned with anger whenever she remembered that he had ruined everything.
After a week, Fiona decided to visit Vikki at her home in Villa Royale. Her friend had just returned from California with her husband and child.
As she left her house, a taxi stopped in front of her.
She didn't immediately recognize Hendrick since he was driving a taxi.
Before she could avoid him, he got out of the taxi and blocked her path.
"I need to talk to you." Though his tone was demanding, there was a plea in his eyes.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone? What do you want? You got what you wanted. You caused chaos in my life. My wedding with Julian is off. But don't worry, thanks to Dad and Aunt Nona, I won't be pressing charges against you. There's nothing to gain from that."
"I'll fix the mess I created. Marry me, Fiona." His determination was evident in both his expression and tone.
Fiona stared at him, conflicted. She often wanted to believe that Hendrick loved her deeply enough to go to such lengths to prevent her from marrying Julian.
But since childhood, she had vowed to marry only the man who could take her to where her mother was.
"Just because my wedding with Julian didn't happen doesn't mean I'll marry you."
"Is it because you think I can't provide the life Julian can give you?"
"To be frank with you, yes. If it weren't for you, I would have realized my dreams, which I know you can't provide."
She regretted saying that before she could take it back. She wasn't the type to insult others; her father raised her to respect everyone's feelings. But perhaps her anger at Hendrick made her lash out.
"You're basically admitting you'd marry for money and not for love."
"Love will follow, as long as you're compatible. Love can be learned, Hendrick."
Hendrick gritted his teeth. Little did Fiona know that in all the scenarios she was avoiding, she was looking at a man who was just as financially driven as the others.
He wanted to be angry with her. He wanted to replace his love for her with rage. But the power of love was still stronger.
And since he didn't like what he heard from Fiona, he turned away and returned to his taxi.
---
With so many women in the world, why did he have to feel this way about her? He didn't expect her to be like Lalaine, who would marry a man for a lavish life even without love.
Hendrick found himself at the beach. He thought of Fiona as he watched the sunset.
He wanted to replace his love for her with anger. In fact, it had been two weeks since he last visited the Guevarra household. He kept himself busy during those weeks to try to forget Fiona. He dated other women and even went to bed with them. But Fiona's face continued to haunt him. Even while with other women, he only saw her.
Shit! It felt like fate was playing a cruel joke on him. The very type of woman he tried to avoid was the one who made him feel such intense love. A woman just as shallow as Lalaine.
Hendrick threw the beer can he was holding, stood up from his spot, and walked toward the water. He'd rather jet ski than keep thinking about Fiona.
---
That guy still hadn't given up. Fiona smirked when she saw Hendrick's taxi pull up in front of their gate.
But why did her heart race at the sight of him talking to her father in the living room, wearing a black jacket and jeans that made him look even more strikingly handsome?
Could she admit that whenever she saw him, the memories of their kisses would come flooding back?
"Good evening, Fiona," Hendrick greeted her with a smile.
She managed a smile, though it was a bit forced.
"Hendrick brought lechon. We're just about to dig in," her father said.
Hendrick handed Fiona a bouquet of flowers, along with some imported chocolates.
Trying to impress me, she thought. It seemed like he was spending all his taxi earnings to win back her favor.
A short while later, her father left them alone to talk.
"You shouldn't have wasted money on gifts like this," she said.
"I just wanted to show you that my intentions are good for stopping your marriage to Julian. Why don't you marry me, Fiona?"
Marry me?
If she married Hendrick, she knew she wouldn't starve. But she might die without ever meeting her mother and confronting her about the pain she had long kept inside.
No! She wouldn't allow herself to fail.
So, she would only marry Hendrick if he could take her to Paris. But she knew that was impossible.
When their eyes met, a bright idea sparked in Fiona's mind.
"Marry me, Fiona... And I'll do everything to make you happy."
"You really want to marry me?"
He nodded.
"Okay. Since you're the one who caused this scandal and humiliation, it makes sense that you're the one who helps me recover. But keep this in mind: you won't be able to say I didn't warn you... You might regret marrying me."
"I don't think so, Fiona."
"Everything I lost when Julian backed out of our wedding, I'll ask of you."
Hendrick's jaw clenched at her words.
"I'll do my best to give you everything..." he said seriously after a moment.
"Well, if you can give me a diamond ring like the one Julian gave me, I'll marry you, Hendrick."