~~~ CHAPTER 48 - CONFESSIONS ~~~

"She told me that you couldn't accept me because I'm a servant's daughter. She said that it was you who told her that," I confessed.

I was still lying on top of him and I felt every rippling of his muscles every time he grappled my waist like he was afraid to release me... and the most beautiful thing for me was the feeling that every curve of my body perfectly fitted to his firm, solid bulk.

"Lie. A big lie," he piped up. "We neither talked about you nor talked about each other's lives. She became my bed buddy for a while but I made it sure that we were not to meddle our personal lives."

"I always feel bad every time I hear you say you sleep with other women," I murmured, sighing.

He never seemed to hear me anyway. He continued talking, "The Sarmientos never regarded your mama as a servant. Take note of this, Althea. I've always remembered her as mom's best friend or mom's sister... Yes, she was like a sister to mom, and she was like a second mother to me when I was still very little... Every time mom and dad went for a trip, your mama was always there to look after Annie and me... At least that's what I remember. I was very young back then when she was still with us."

Okay. So I was really mistaken all this time. I deserved to be punished for my stupidity.

Now, it was finally sinking in me that Maria Stella had been one manipulative bitch. I couldn't imagine what I was capable of doing to her if we'd happen to meet again...

"She also said mom blackmailed you into the announcement," I moved on to my next confession.

"What? And why would mom ever blackmail me? And in exchange of what?"

"In exchange of your position as CEO."

"Oh, God! That's a big fat lie," Nigel groaned and once again handgripped my butt.

I jolted as I tried to grab his head. What was with his butt gripping?

He continued to talk anyway, "Mom didn't have to blackmail me just for me to get the position because the CEO-ship would be turned over only and only to me no matter what. Haven't you forgotten that I am the sole heir to the family businesses? Whether everyone likes it or not, the Corporation would eventually become mine... and I could never allow anyone to steal it from the Sarmientos because it's my father's legacy."

Yeah, how could I forget? I was really stupid!

"And mom would never do such a dirty thing, Althea. She might be obssessed of making you her daughter-in-law but she would never do such thing."

Now, tears came streaming down my cheeks again as I brought my head to the crook of his neck.

I really deserved to be punished for thinking of mommy to be that kind of woman. I definitely deserved a punishment. How could I think of her that way?

"I told you the announcement had been my sole plan and decision. In fact, mom didn't know that I was going to do that. She was just as surprised as you."

There, bringing now my face to his chest, I just cried... and cried my heart out.

So everything was just a lie. All this time I had misjudged both Nigel and mom... and I had wasted my two years staying away from them when Nigel and I could have started to create beautiful memories together day by day.

I knew he was mad.

He was totally mad of the things that he just learned from me. Probably he was mad at me, too. I could feel the hard gripping of his arm around my waistline. Probably he was starting to hate me as well for being so, so stupid. So what should I do now to recompense all those lost times? Did I still have time?

How could I believe everything that the bitch told me and not even ask him a single question so he could explain his side?

Oh, yes! There was still one thing that I failed to ask about.

"Nigel..." I lifted up my face and stared at him.

He didn't make a reply. He was just gripping my waist.

"Before you made the announcement of our engagement during that night, you kissed Maria Stella in the lips. Weren't you supposed to do that before introducing to everyone the woman you love?"

He groaned like he was in great pain. "She wasn't invited that night," he said later.

"Are you telling me that she actually gate crashed at that time?"

"Yeah, sort of like that. When you started to become aloof, I had also started to let go of the women that I got hooked up with, including Maria Stella, because I want to be a good man for you. As I said, I want to be a reformed man for you because I deeply believe that you deserve a good man. I may not be great but I am definitely changed now."

"So why did she still attend?"

"I don't know..." he said, in deep thought.

"And the two of you even kissed... So why was there a kiss? You don't know how hurt I was at that time. You always hurt me, like a thousand times, that was why it was easy for me to believe all those lies, Nigel Joaquin!" I said, trying to defend my side.

"F-ck!" he muttered. Then, gripping my waist harder, he kissed my forehead. "Yeah, I think I remember that..."

So he did remember it!

"I'm really sorry, princess, but it wasn't a real kiss. Believe me, please. She just saw me at that time and she rushed to me and held my arm. She was pretty friendly to me that night and I thought everything between her and me was totally over. However, when I was caught unaware, she grabbed my neck and threw her face at me. Of course, I can recall that scene because I got so worried at that time that you saw it. I pushed her and looked at your direction and you were not looking my way," he said, meeting my eyes with his. "When I knew that you weren't looking, I got a bit relieved, but Maria Stella irritated me so much that I grabbed her and told her to stop doing it to me because I was about to do my announcement of our engagement. Then, she was gone after that. I couldn't really explain to myself why she appeared at that time when she wasn't even invited."

I just looked at him and processed everything in my brain.

"Maria Stella is a bubbly, entertaining woman. At first, I enjoyed her company and then we hit it in bed... and it was followed with many more... Of course, I stressed to her that she was just a bed buddy. She shouldn't expect something serious. But she became so obssessive to me that it was so irritating and tiring that I had to stop seeing her. It was Suzana whom she would always annoy by banging on my condo door and pestering the dear old lady where I could be seen. It was always like that. I should have stopped her seeing me but she always knew how to tempt me... especially those times when I was still too stupid to admit my real feelings... because you were so near to me yet I didn't even have enough courage to kiss you or hold you... and she was always available..."

"That's it!" I lifted my body up, sat on his abdomen, and hit his chest with my fist. "That's how cruel you are... to me and to her... and to all those girls!"

Nigel grabbed my waist as he rolled us together, pushed and pinned my back to the bed so that we were exchanging places. Now, I was the one under his dominating bulk.

"Now, you explain to me why you were kissing that Dylan Fernandez in the bar that same night after I announced our engagement!" There was authority in his tone this time. "Did you really enjoy it? You even hated me for interrupting that kiss. You also don't know how hurt I was that time. That's why, when you ran away, I thought you actually ran with him!"

Ran away with Dylan Fernandez? Was he serious?

Oh, gosh! It was definitely my turn to explain now.

"He kissed me without my consent. Yeah, probably, just like what Maria Stella did, he just threw his face at me and, boom, our lips met and you arrived," I said, almost sobbing again. "He actually took advantage of my weak state at that time. Oh, I needed someone to talk to that night and I thought Dylan was a real friend who was willing to listen to my sorrows. Instead, he took advantage of me by pushing himself to me. I really hated him!"

Now, I felt so stupid again for even going out with that Dylan Fernandez. It was so painful to know that some men on earth were really that horrible and all they wanted to do was to destroy people.

Without saying something in response, Nigel suddenly seized my arms to keep myself from moving and kissed my lips. It wasn't rough. It was done just very gently that I couldn't help but just close my eyes and respond. He always knew how to kiss and, as usual, I was lost into it.

When we were out of breath, he said, "Starting now, I don't want you to be kissing other men. You're all mine now."

With his heavy breathing, he claimed my lips again. For the second time, I just let myself be engrossed with it. Why not? It seemed really addicting and I was already a certified addict to his kisses.

Our mouths separated and, I thought, that was already it. But Nigel was into something more. His mouth travelled and trailed kisses slowly from my chin down to my neck. I closed my eyes and moaned so desperately and was thankful that he finally released my arms so that I was able to wrap them around his neck. For some minutes, Nigel just possessed me. His lips were heavenly and even wanting to travel down farther... Probably obstructed by the hem of my neckline, he groaned and diverted his attention to my belly instead. One of his hands lifted up my shirt and exposed my flat stomach. He caressed it first with his fingers and I gasped.

What was he doing now? "Nigel..." I said, opening my eyes.

I felt like I was in trance but I never objected because I didn't want to end it. How could I let it stop when it was giving me so many alien sensations that I never knew could be felt by a feminine body?

Finally, his lips were on my belly and I couldn't help myself but call out his name again, "Nigel..."

He cast me a dark, sexy, smiling gaze and went back to what he had started. Now, his tongue joined the scene as he began to work his way up...up... and a little higher... Raising my shirt more with his hands and exposing now my bra, he trailed wet kisses until he reached my cleavage.

The moment that his tongue touched the valley between my two mounds, I moaned like a dumb cat! I was quite surprised of my reaction.

Oh, God! Was he really to do this? Oh, why wouldn't I like it to end? I held his head tightly instead.

His palm cupped one of the mounds... and I jerked, wanting to arch my back. Though it was covered by my bra, I felt like his hot palm still reached the skin underneath the lacy cloth. I breathed in and out hard and, for sure, Nigel saw the heaving of my chest because he stared at it for quite some time.

"So beautiful..." he said with a guttural sound. Then, his fingers made the move. Without any warning, he tug the covering of one of my breasts and, when he became successful with it, he paused and stared at the bare rosy peak for seconds. He gulped his throat and seek for my eyes.

"Nigel..." I uttered his name, trembling.

Fortunately... or unfortunately... he didn't dive his mouth onto the peak. Instead, he slammed his mouth back to my lips and brought me to an ecstatic kiss. When it was over, he gently placed his left cheek in between my breasts as he managed to control his breathing. "You're very beautiful, Althea," he said huskily. "But I can't... we can't... do this yet... You've just recovered from fever... If I don't stop, I won't stop..."

I felt his hot, feverish body on top of me and, what else, his hardened member in between my thighs. I felt the heat in my whole body, too.

"Fever..." he repeated, reminding me.

And we were not married yet! How could he forget?

Breathing in and out deeply, he never moved for a minute or two... but seemed to be having an internal battle... Holding his head, I enveloped him into a tight embrace.

Finally, he spoke out, "For years, your presence has tortured me physically, emotionally, and sexually. No other woman could satisfy me on how my body craves for you... Yup, I admit I was wrong on having several girls in my sex life, but I already stopped being that kind of guy... and it tortures me to think that you were kissing others. I couldn't allow it. You're only mine. That's why I really fought with you that night when I saw you kissing Fernandez. I was so overpowered by my jealousy."

"I'm only yours, Nigel, ever since..." I said. Well, this was being truthful of my feelings now.

His body trembled on top of me.

The heat in our bodies took a long time to subside. I was embracing him as he was resting his head on my breasts.

By and by, there was a knock on the door.

That was only the time that Nigel lifted his body up from me and rolled down gently the hem of my shirt to cover my exposed area. He got out of bed and went to open the door.

Bringing a tray, Elena came in. It was time for my lunch.

"Sorry for interrupting," she said, blushing.

Oh, I knew what she was thinking. Still trying to fix my bra, I sat on the bed and blushed, too, because she was right with what she was thinking. Oh, Elena!

"Time for lunch, Thea," she said to me as she placed the tray in the bedside table beside the basket of roses.

"Just leave it there, Elena," Nigel said, looking recovered now. "I'll take care of her meal."

Still blushing, she nodded hesitatingly. She was supposed to look after me while I took my meal. "Ah, but señorito, you're supposed to take your lunch, too. Señora Carol is waiting for you at the comedor."

Rubbing his nape with a palm, Nigel stressed, "I'm not hungry yet. Just have mom take her lunch. Just please tell her that I'm locking myself in Althea's room today."

"What? You're not gonna eat lunch?" I queried.

"Not for today," he said. "After leaving me last time for some stupid reason, I don't think I can still let you out of my eyes this time."

After hearing what he said and sensing that Nigel and I had a very important discussion going on, Elena immediately made her way out of the room.

"I'm not going to leave you anymore," I told him when there was just the two of us.

"Of course, because I'm not letting you do that anymore," he said.

Nigel persuaded me to take my lunch even if I didn't feel like eating. All that we discussed today just made me forget everything. All that mattered to me now was him and me.

Of course, he insisted that I eat and even spooned the food for me. Yeah, he really did that and I felt like a pampered baby.

"So, why would Maria Stella do that?" I asked him when I was done eating.

He paused. "I don't think she's in love with me," he muttered. "She's obssessed with the sex but I don't think that woman is capable of loving someone. She's selfish and vain."

"What if she really fell in love with you? Perhaps, she was hurt that you left her, that was why she was able to do that... She might want revenge..."

"Revenge?" He furrowed his brows. "Revenge? I don't think so..." he uttered in deep thought. "But whatever is her motive in all of this, I swear she's gonna pay for this." He was back to being that angry man again. "Wait... it was her who told me that night that you were with Fernandez at the rooftop of a bar..."

Oh, that bitch!

"How did she know about it then?" Nigel tried to analyze the happenings. "Actually, I thought she already left after the announcement, but when you were gone, she appeared and told me you were with Fernandez..."

Did Dylan and Maria Stella have some sort of contact during that night? I wondered to myself.

Suddenly, he jolted in the bed like a scientist who just found out some important discovery. "Didn't you just say she's a friend of Fernandez?"

"Yeah..."

"I really want to get to the bottom of this. That Fernandez might be contriving with her," he said, clenching his jaw.

"Why, Nigel? What is it in between you and Dylan? He said you ruined him and his family? Is it true?"

"I didn't ruin any one's family, Althea."

"So why did he say that? Why did he say you are a spawn of the devil? What did you do to him to make him think of you that way?"

"It's a long story..." he stated, gulping something in his throat.

"Tell me. I want to know the truth," I begged, grabbing his arm.

"Dylan's father worked in the Corporation ever since dad's time as CEO."

"Really?"

"He was a trusted employee so he got access to all important information in the Corporation. When I took over the company, that was the time that I discovered about his illegal acts. He was earning millions while trading some insider information to some of the investors making it unfair to the other investors and to the whole Corporation itself. I had him investigated and indeed he was guilty of insider trading."

Oh, I wasn't so knowledgeable about business issues but I felt the weight of the case.

"I got him fired and had him pay for the damages he caused to the Corporation. You know how much I had to protect it. It was dad's legacy. I had to guard it with all my life. I even sacrificed my love of painting for the Corporation... so I had to do all the right things to protect it."

Yeah, Nigel, I understand you.

"That was the biggest challenge I had when I was still starting to run the business. It wasn't easy, Althea. I had to make everything fair and balance to all the investors. I have to do what is right. When everything came to the open, I thought that was the end of it. However, probably, due to shame to everyone, being dad's trustee, Dylan's father committed suicide."

"Oh... that's sad."

"Yeah, and when it happened, his family blamed me. They were blinded of the real thing. Instead of accepting that it was his father who ruined them, the family went on blaming me. When Dylan Fernandez entered the Corporation as an intern, I thought he was a different Fernandez. But when I learned that he had some interest on you, I started to have him investigated. That was how I learned that he was the son of the employee who betrayed the Corporation."

Oh, my God!

"I learned that Dylan Fernandez was scheming some strategies to avenge me. He was starting to befriend some of my employees and it looked like he was starting to work himself into copying his father's traitorous acts."

God, everything now was becoming clear in my head. So now I knew why Dylan hated Nigel that much.

"Now, based on your stories about Maria Stella and Dylan, I got a feeling that they were conniving. We have to know the truth, Althea. Probably, Dylan wanted to ruin me by making the most important girl of my life hate me."

Oh, yes! That seemed to have logic!

Maria Stella seemed to do a lot of research about me. If I remembered last time, she was so desperate to know who I was in Nigel's life. Then, there was also a time that Dylan also questioned me about my real connection with Nigel. They might have used me as a subject for avenging Nigel. Suddenly, I felt afraid.

"Are you still seeing Maria Stella?" I asked him.

"When you left, she still tried her best to make some advances on me... but I've determined not to entertain temptations anymore. Besides, when you were gone, I couldn't think of anything else but you apart from work. I've already made sure to cut any communication I had to any girl. It's been a long time since I last saw her."

So, what happened to her?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"I'd like you to investigate someone. Check the connection of the model, Maria Stella, to Dylan Fernandez! Make it ASAP! Send me immediately the results," Nigel, at this time, was calling someone in the phone. He was sitting on the side of my bed, his feet on the floor.

"Who are you talking with?" I asked him when he hang up.

He went to climb his feet again on the bed and faced me. "My private investigator."

"Oh, so you have a private investigator!"

"You don't know how much of a service he has done for me... Now," he said, cupping my left cheek, "the best thing for you to do is to believe that everything I said now is true. But, geez, I can't help it, princess. I felt so deceived. If indeed I'd learn that Maria Stella and Dylan Fernandez were an accomplice to put the both of us in this situation, I swear I'll have them pay for what they did to you and for parting us that way. I swear to you, princess. I swear to you."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Nigel didn't take his lunch that day. He never seemed to be bothered by his empty stomach though. He was much bothered by Dylan and Maria Stella.

We only came out of the room at dinner time. It was my first time to come out after I recovered from that fever.

We were holding hands as we walked from the bedroom to the dining room. All servants we passed by were smiling widely at us while greeting us Good evening. I could feel the genuine happiness they were feeling for Nigel and me.

When we reached the dining area, mom immediately hugged me and cried her heart out. Nigel and I became so worried about her.

"What's wrong, mom?" I asked, rubbing her back.

"No, I'm just happy," she said, in between her sobs. "That was a very long talk, right?"

As I looked at mom crying, something struck my head. Oh, I was just like her. Both of us loved to cry. When we were sad, we'd cry. When we were happy, we'd also cry. I was really her daughter.

"Yeah, mom, yeah," I said, putting my head in her shoulder.

Nigel came closer and pulled her to his left arm; his right arm reached out for me. "I will never again allow anyone to ruin this family, mom," he said as he hugged mom and me and kissed us both on our foreheads.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

A/N

A lot of issues to resolve, guys, but we are working on them one at a time. I hope you liked this chapter.

Again, this is the second update this week... You happy?

If you are, don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT, SHARE, FOLLOW.

By the way, I received just last night some news. My hubby and I passed some scholarship for our graduate studies. If we will pursue it, this would mean a new environment for the both of us and our two kids for the next three to four years. We are still in the process of weighing things and deciding whether to go for it or what... If we will, I am expecting much pressure in the next months... so I have to fast track this book so that before I venture into the new battle of my life, at least I leave this book finished... for all of you, guys.

If and when I pursue schooling and I get lucky to have still time for writing, I'll be starting another story... Would you like that?

Whatever it is, I know that everything is planned and laid out in God's perfect time.

To God be the glory!!!

Lovelotz,
(sapphiregirl22) ~_^