"I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you."
-Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME By:MARTIN NIEVERA

Athena awoke on her still warm bed. She turned to her to look for the presence of the man that made her life uncertain since the day he came back.

At this moment, she doesn't know what will gonna happen to her. She sighed, feeling defeated, but she didn't regret on what was happened to them.

The remaining part of her were at lost and feared, on what would be the result of her impulsive attraction to Lucas.

"So nothing changed,he always being used to left me unnoticed." she sighed​.

Then she saw a white paper that laid on the  pillow.
She picked it up and silently read it.

"Hi! Cheeky Pie. Good Morning! Sorry if I didn't woke you up. I have an important meeting back in New York. I'm going to call you so soon. Take care and thanks for a wonderful time. Love Luke."

She shook her head and  folded the note then kept it inside the bedside table.

She took a bath for half an hour and left to meet Leendon to their lunch date.

Already late in work she decided to just go directly to their favorite Chinese restaurant inside the La Montero Mall.

She still have thirty minutes before she meet Leendon, so she walked around just to kill her time.

Then her attention caught on the live telecast of the entertainment and business news at the center of the pavilion.

Lucas spotted with his famous model girlfriend at the airport, kissing.

She felt like a sharp object deeply stabbed to the center of her heart.

She really hated herself to the thought of  giving their relationship a chance.

She taught that he would be true to his words.

But the truth she were just fooling herself again. As clearly as a blue sky, reality slapped her hard.

She felt so dumb to got caught on the trapped he set for her.

Now she was so sure that Lucas just came back to avenge on her.

A tears slowly flowed on her cheek while her eyes still glued on the wide screen.

Lucas and his rumored girlfriend kissed in front of the crowd and walked​ hand in hand at the airport while the paparazzi kept in towed.

"You're so cruel, I never thought you became a monster like this. I don't wantj to see you again." she painfully said then she turned​ away and left the pavilion instantly.

She wiped​ her tears before she walked inside Chinese Restaurant.

Leendon wave his hand as soon as he spotted her. She gathered her composure and smiled at him.

"Hi beautiful!" Leendon smiled at her and offered her a seat.

"Hello! Sorry if I keep you waiting. I just walked around." she gave him her warmest smile. "Thank you." she said and sat on the red velvet chair.

"It's okey. Anyway I already ordered our food. I hope you wouldn't mind." he said and picked an envelope then gave it to her.

"What's this?" she felt intrigued​ so she immediately opened the envelope and read it. Then she looked at him. "You'll be gone in four months?" she asked​ with sadness in her voice.

"Yep! It's a medical mission. I signed​ up to volunter my services." he said while comfortably leaning on the chair. "But it was only three days in a week that I need to report, so I have four free days to unwind. It's a medical mission slash vacation." he smiled sweetly at her." Care to join me? It would be great if you and Quien would go with me. I have already rented a house there, and since the school vacation start next week we can leave here right after the competition."

"Then, what about your clinic?" she asked​.

"I'll temporarily close it." he cheefully replied. "After all, I deserve a long vacation as well as you. Please come with me?" he charmingly pleaded.

"Okey! But let me first talk to Rina, because Liz will visit our parents for a month and she's leaving tonight." she said.

Then she thought, a very good timing that she needed.

"Okey, we're going to leave on Sunday." she agreed​.

"Yes! I promise this trip were going to be so much fun." Leend hugged and kissed her forehead.

BACK IN NEW YORK

Lucas immediately got inside his car after the airport marshals swayed the paparazzi.

Arienne his rumored girlfriend also got in to the passenger seat. He started his car, as soon as Ariene comfortably seated beside him.

This is why he hated when the paparazzi destroyed his original plan by keep stalking on him and that would cause a ruckus to the crowd and it got delayed his schedule.

He promised to ring Athena so soon as he arrived New York But now he needed to finished this important meeting so he could talked to her.

"How do you know that I'm arriving today? I never asked you to meet me there? And why do you need to kissed me in front of them." he asked with a stern voice.

"Hey! What's wrong with that? It doesn't matter to you before. And also you wouldn't mattered if I come to meet you. Why suddenly this made you a big deal?" she asked stubbornly while throwing him a deadly glare. "For your curiosity, I was there because I had a photo shot to one of the airline company. It happened that I just bumped your Chief Maintenance and he told me that you were arriving today so I wanted to surprise you." she angrily looked outside.

"In the future if you wanted to see me, ring me first or meet me at the office. And If I'd like to see you I'll come to your suite. Okey? And that's what I want you to do." he said with an authoritative voice.

"Okey, your highness." she mocked at him.

"Good, now buckle up coz I'm already late with my meeting to the board. I will drop you at your place . Don't be late at the party tonight, it is very important event so don't make us wait. If not I'm going to replace you with another model for our next project. You carry the image of my company so be punctual. I don't want you to ruined the image of my company. Got it?" he said seriously while driving his car furiously.

Arienne and him have a mutual understanding that they're just a friend with benefit.

Ever since he broke up with Athena, he doesn't have any interest to got involve in any serious relationship.

Athena were the only woman he wanted to got involve with. Being with her, his life became more meaningful.

In his life, she's his biggest inspiration to became more successful in business and to became a good role model to his daughter and to the young achiever who followed his track to the business world.

He wanted to finished this meeting so he can freely talked​ to her with unlimited time.

He wanted to tell her about his plan for their future. Hopefully she would agreed to marry him.

His life for the past years were just work and work and work. But everything had changed. Now, he have a beautiful daughter and the love of his life.

He smiled widely and rang his secretary.

"Good day Sir, the board room are already set for the meeting and a half of the directors are already in." Claire greeted​ him. Efficiently reporting her duties.

"Good, I'll be there in ten minutes. Oh, one more thing Claire, prepare all the necessary papers I need to review. I want to finish all our pending paper works before I got back home. Anyway, tell Alex to meet me in my office before the meeting start." he said in a hurry.

"Okey, that would be all Sir? Claire asked​.

"No, Clear the ruckus that was happened earlier at the airport. I don't want any single news about me at the front page tomorrow. I don't want Athena to knew about." he strictly ordered.

"Sir, I guess Miss Sandoval knew it already. They aired it live a while ago. Knowing how famous Miss Ariene, surely it's already circulated in the different news section." she said calmly.

"Maybe or maybe not. Do what we always do! Stop spreading it." he said while taking a glance on the passenger seat where Ariene comfortablely​ seated. She just smiled wickedly at him while playing her phone.

"Got it Sir..." his secretary replied confidently.

"Good..." he said and ended the call, hoping that Athena wouldn't watched it. If that's​ going to happened he got a very big problem.

By getting used with the company of Ariene for over a years, any intimate gesture were just a simple sexual pleasure to both of them.

Even they openly caught by the paparazzi intimately in a different gathering they been he wouldn't let their relationship go beyond friendship.

But to them it just only an act for a good show to the people around them. If he was  with her it became a habit for him to protect her from a paparazzi.

Even they're not in a relationship they remain a good friend. But for Athena, she wouldn't going to buy it for sure.

If she happened saw the airport scene today.  Surely, this would be his doomsday.

And the worst scenary would happened, she will totally cursed him.

Plan ABC-Void/Invalid