15: The Day I Found Conflict

Emil's POV

The next day, I was woken up by the loud ringing noise of my phone. I still didn't want to open my eyes but I searched my phone on my bed then I answered it with a groan.

"Hello."

"Emilio Carini!" A screeching woman made me groan again pulling the phone away from my ear. I opened my eyes and looked who the caller was. It's Gio's number but it was a woman who's calling me. I looked at the time and it was six in the morning. Damn it! I don't want to get up yet.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Don't you recognize me? This is Percyla!" Biya's sister was definitely angry at me. Why was angry at me, anyway?

"What's the problem? Are you okay? Where's Gio?" I was so confused.

"He's here and this is not about me or him. It's about you!" About me? I slowly sat up from my bed and leaned on the headboard.

"What is it about me?"

"Why did you come back to Biya again? If you are playing with her-"

"I am not playing with her, Percyla. I would never do that. I never played with her feelings when we were together." I defended my relationship with Biya. She's overprotective to her sister and I understood her.

"I don't want to see her have a broken heart again, Emil. When I learned about your relationship with her and she told me about it, I have never seen her broken. I never knew about your relationship or any relationship of hers until she told me. She's good at hiding but she didn't hide her feelings enough when I talked about your relationship with her. I don't want to see her get depressed again." Her voice became softer and softer as she spoke. Finally!

"I'm trying to fix everything, Percyla."

"Why now?" Yes, that's really the question everyone would ask because of my decision. Why now? After all this time, why would Emil Carini, the one who did a terrible thing Biya didn't ever want me to do, come back?

"I thought you have made your decision to leave her... permanently." I let out a huge breath before answering.

"I still love her, Percyla. Believe it or not, I still do." I heard her sigh. I hate this! I hate telling this to her. I wasn't comfortable telling what I feel to anyone.

"Thank you for telling me that but please do it slowly. She's busy reviewing." Yes, she needed focus to make her dream a possibility and I knew what she's trying to imply here.

"Yes. I know." I will be giving her space.

"So?" She asked waiting for my obvious answer.

"I will give her space until she finishes her review."

"No. You will give her space until she passes her licensure examination." Damn it. I planned on seeing her before the exam to wish her luck.

"You are a persuasive woman. No wonder Gio fell for you."

"Emil! Seriously!"

"Okay! Fine! I'll do that." I sighed in defeat. I hated this arrangement.

"But-"

"No buts right now," She cut my defense.

"If you really love her, you would give her what she wanted most. She wanted to be a doctor for so many years and you won't ruin it by seeing her after she finishes her review or before her examination. Who knows what's going to happen between the two of you? I want her to be focused." That's the big sister! She's acting like one right now and not the little sister. Biya always acted like she's older than her and would treat Percyla like a sister she never had. I guess her very caring attitude was drawn out when she was a homeless girl.

"I am not the man you think I am." I replied. I was hurt that she would think that I would want to ruin what Biya had always dreamt about. In fact, I was cheering on her. I wanted to meet her to give motivation but as I thought about what Percyla said, she was right. I don't know what will come between the two of us if we meet. What if we're going to talk about the past again, she would start crying and she won't be able to take her exam? I didn't want to risk that.

"And you are not the man I thought you were." Her voice was ice cold.

"Percyla..." I heard my best friend's voice on the other line. Gio might have sensed that her words were hurtful and they were. I heard her sigh.

"Hurting my sister hurt me so if you do what you have done again, you will deal with the both of us." Sometimes, Percyla's sweetness can turn into something more dangerous. I swear of it. Maybe that's why Gio married her. He's like her. He can be sweet and caring to his loved ones but he won't hesitate to flip off those who try to poke his bad side. I wanted that too. Biya and I were opposites but also have similarities. It made everything about us unique and she's a unique woman. She's the one that got away who had my ring. But she gave the ring back after we broke up. Pain attacked me again on the chest and my heart became so heavy.

"Okay. I understand."

"Good!"

"Anything else?"

"Oh yes. Don't be a stalker, Emil." I heard Gio chuckle. What did I just hear?

"Uhm... how can you say that?"

"Haven't you heard? You're all over the news!" Damn it! I quickly took the remote on the bedside table and switched the TV on.

"For what?"

"Just watch it. I think it's sweet though but creepy at the same time. I know what you are trying to do, Emil. You can't win with what you did." At least, I got one point last night with Biya.

"Okay."
"Okay. Gio wants to talk to you." I heard the phone being handed over while I flipped through the channels finding what Percyla was talking about. I landed on the national channel and waited for any news about me.

"Hello man."

"Please don't give your phone to Percyla again." I heard him laugh.

"I'll give it to her when she wants my phone, Emil." Argh! My best friend became so transparent now because of her.

"Got nothing to hide?"

"Of course. I'm faithful to my wife, Emil." That kind of hit me.

"Ha! And you're talking to a playboy! Ironic, isn't it?"

"Don't hide it up, Emil. I heard what you said to Percyla earlier. Everyone's talking about you and your actions." I sighed.

"There's no day that they don't talk about me." I heard a gush of wind rush through the receiver making a fast whooshing sound.

"Then be careful! You can't just barge in again to your ex-" I winced at his selection of word.

"And kneel before her apologizing. You can't expect that if you ask forgiveness, she'll give you that."

"I know that and please don't get mad at me. Your wife had already taken my ears off earlier." I heard him chuckle.

"You're lucky she didn't go there and tear your body in half herself."

"But seriously Emil, you have to slow it down. I heard Biya talking to Percyla last night." I jumped from my bed and got off.

"What did she tell her?"

"I shouldn't tell you this." But he would.

"Come on, man. Help me out here."

"Biya is confused right now. There's so much going on and you added up. She's still angry at you but she's getting better. Your actions, however, are making it worse. I heard her say she wanted to hate you but with what you're doing to her, she said she felt... hmmm... what's the word? Oh! Conflicted."

"Is that so?" I began to feel that I have hope for her.

"Yeah man so can you please cut your stalking thing? It's not like you to follow a woman around." But I did it, didn't I?

"You would go around the town and give food to those who needed food then give Biya food. You did what other people call 'charity' knowing Biya would just throw your food away or give it to somebody else. Giving food to people was your way so Biya would keep what you have given her." What. The. Fuck.

"How did you know?"

"Caralei guessed last night. The girls talked last night and their voices were loud enough for me and Gabriel to hear."

"What the hell? Is she a psychic or some sort like that?" He chuckled. Caralei really gives me goosebumps sometimes. She's a mysterious girl and would know how others feel just by looking at them. She can bring the feelings out. But I don't know if my guess about her are right though. Perhaps, she really is good at finding loopholes making them reveal what they feel.

"No. She's just very good at it."

"My life really is a one- of- a- kind story. Even the women are talking about me." I chuckled but deep inside, I don't want people talking about my personal life then invent stories. I really should separate my personal and private life now like the North Pole and the South Pole. Being a celebrity is hard for sometimes, I can't help but mix my personal life with my life on the spotlight.

"Yeah... So please stop forcing your way in. There will be time for everything."

"Okay. Fine." Why do I feel like I'm a kid who's being disciplined by my parents? I feel like I was the kid and Gio and Percyla were my parents. After the call, I went to the bathroom and took a bath. I was putting on my shirt when I heard my name from the speakers of my television. I got out of the walk- in closet and took a look at the TV. Sure enough my face was plastered on the screen with the name of Biya beside it.

"Beatrice Kairis"

I took a seat on the bed and watched a woman talk about me and Biya.

"It seems like love is still in the air for the couple! Mr. Emilio Carini was spotted last night waiting for Miss Beatrice Kairis at her reviewing center. The couple was spotted talking to each other and Mr. Carini giving a paper bag which we suspect was food."

"Wait a minute. How would you know that's food?" Another blonde woman asked looking at her co- host who was sitting beside her at the white couch. They had smiles on their faces as they talked about my life and Biya's life.

"Mr. Carini distributed food earlier that evening and those were packed in disposable plates covered with lids. These were placed in paper bags," The screen behind them showed an old man showing what I have given him last night. I rubbed my forehead thinking why the hell did they have to dig everything. I turned the TV off, threw the remote to the bed and covered my face with both of my hands. My actions always have consequences. What I did last night made me think of Biya. What if she's being mobbed again? I immediately grabbed my phone and called my secretary.

"Good morning sir!" She answered.

"Martina, did anyone call you?"

"A couple of people tried to ask questions about what you did last night sir but I didn't say a word."

"Good. See to it that Biya won't get mobbed by anyone."

"Of course, sir."

"Do it in secret. Make sure the men won't get caught or anything. I don't want her to know."

"Great idea, sir. That won't raise any suspicion." She agreed with me.

"Okay. Good. I'll see you later."

"Yes sir. I'll see you later." I ended the call. I stood up and got dressed.

Media was waiting for me when I arrived at my office. Good thing my security had done their job that's why I got in easily. I asked them how Biya was doing. Once I got my assurance that she was fine, I let out a breath of relief.

"How are you protecting her?" I asked once the chief security named Marcus and I were in the office.

"I didn't ask you earlier sir because we got no time. Miss Kairis got out of her apartment together with Elda earlier than we expected. She's got escorts, sir." Escorts?

"Whose?"

"Gio De Luca's security, sir. Since you know him, I reached him through cell and asked permission for the men to pose as his security team."

"Good job, Marcus."

"Thank you, sir." He stood up and left. I better call Gio and thank him.

"Hello my friend." He answered after two rings.

"Thank you, Gio." I expressed my gratitude to him.

"No problem. You could have told me earlier, you know."

"My guards took the initiative to do this. I only told them to keep their distance but journalists want to have a word with her."

"I understand."

"You're the best, Gio." I heard him laugh.

"I'm going to tell what you said to Gabriel." Oh shit.

"He's going to kill me."

"Yes, he will." Then I remembered his wife.

"Did you tell Percyla about this?"

"Yes. She let me." Thank God!

"This is what I am talking about, Emil. Give her space but still protect her."

"Like what you did to Percyla back then?"

"Yes. I did that to protect her from any attempt that can get her hurt." I still remembered the time when we almost got blown into bits because Percyla has someone so obsessed about her. That man threatened to blow himself up with a bomb attached on his body. That was one of the craziest things I have ever seen in my life.

"I get it. I'm going to be more discreet from now on and I will keep everything a secret."

"Don't hide too much, though."

"Yeah." I will go low- key from now on. Even if she's only near me, I'm going to watch from afar because I want the best of her. I get it now. I'm distracting her. My feelings were getting in the way to her happiness. I would still do my best to make her better but I would do it in a more careful and simpler way. I have done things to her and I did them impulsively. For God's sake! When we met, I went straight to the point that I want to see her again and make her mine. We have done things in a rush but we learned things about each other also.

"Okay. I have to go."

"Thank you again,"

"Anything for my friend." Then we ended the call.

"Sir?" Martina spoke as she opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Will the chefs cook again for the people? Would you cook for Miss Beatrice today? I have to put it on schedule in case you have some things planned, sir." She asked approaching me.

"No. I got a busy schedule today, yes?"

"Si sir and you will be going to Brazil the day after tomorrow." She informed me.

"Okay. I will just cook if I have time left. Form a 'charity day'."

"Charity day?"

"Yes. Go for Wednesday and Friday."

"In those days sir, we will do what we have done yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Okay sir."

"Inform the chefs about this and we'll have a meeting once I'm finished with my other appointments."

"Okay sir. By the way, you are needed in your main office sir. You will be conducting your teleconference there." Ah! I still don't want to go back in the main office! I sighed.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Your mother left you a message, sir." I haven't talked to my mom today because I got out of the house early again. We only talked last night and that was it.

"What did she tell you?" She bit her lip while a smile tried to escape her lips.

"She wants to tell you to stop hiding here in the restaurant and go to the main office." I chuckled.

"Tell my mom I'm going there now."

"Yes sir." I let out a breath as I stood up from my seat. I didn't want to go back to the main office yet because that's where I proposed to Biya. I have avoided that office ever since we broke up and I would only go there when I was really needed. I would also travel to the place where I was needed just to avoid having a conference in there but I have to go there right now because I have other things to do here in Italy and in France after my meeting.

"John is now waiting for you outside, sir." Martina said. Here we go again. Another day for another memory to come back.

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