ESMERALDA'S whole body was trembling as she stepped out of the elevator. She walked hurriedly. She wanted to leave the hotel already. She felt like choking.
“Hija, where are you going?” Florida asked.
“I’m going home,” she replied without looking back.
“To Aiden?”
She nodded. "That is if he'll take me back." She swallowed, and she felt like crying just thinking about what awaited her at the condo.
“I’ll take you home.”
"You did not have to. But maybe you could help me get a taxi and money for the fare. I don't have anything with me right now." She also had no pride left. The only thing that mattered to her was to get away from Amadeus.
The old woman caught her shoulder. “Please. If you don’t want to talk to me, it’s all right. But for the sake of Aiden, to make sure you get home safe. Maybe I could do something about it. Aiden listens to me.”
She followed her when Florida led her to the car. She remained quiet as she fought back her tears. What had she done to herself? To her life? What's going to happen to her and Jeremy now?
Florida caught her hand. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
She shook her head. “You heard everything he said. But I did not know who he really was. I just found out tonight that he was Amadeus. It was not true that we are in a relationship or that I love him.”
“Do you mean he only made those things up?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Her eyes watered. "I-I became weak. But that does not mean that I'm a bad woman. I don't know how to explain this. I did not want to hurt Aiden. I thought I'll never see Richard again. That he was Amadeus." And she broke into tears. At that moment, she felt like she had no one on her side. She was the victim, but she was the bad one.
The woman squeezed her hand. “I am sorry. This must be a mess. You have nothing to explain to me. Amadeus is…”
“Are you aware of what Amadeus did to me?” she asked and wiped her tears. “Did you know that Amadeus would come after me in San Luis? Were you the one he was talking to back there?”
"No. I only found out about it when he called me for a rescue. I managed the sending of relief goods and collecting him from San Luis. When he came back to Manila, he did not tell me anything. He hadn't mentioned about you, too. I thought he had forgotten about stopping your wedding with Aiden. I have no idea what that party was for. I thought he just wanted to celebrate that he's still alive."
Esmeralda glanced outside the window. “I’m already ruined.”
She was also at fault, so she could not just blame Amadeus for everything. It was a battle, and her opponent was wiser. She ended up as the loser.
“I know Amadeus. H-he’s not as bad as he seems.”
She gritted her teeth. "I understand if you're going to defend him." It was only natural that Florida would side with her boss, who was like a son to her. Unlike her was just a low-class woman in their eyes.
“Let me apologize for what Amadeus did. I’ll talk to him. I won’t let him get away with this.”
She shook her head and turned to Florida. "You don't have to. This battle is between Amadeus and me." She had no one to rely on but herself, except that she did not know what to do.
When they finally arrived at the condo, they were welcomed by Mrs. Delia. “Ma’am, how was the party? Did you enjoy it?”
“Is Aiden already here?” she asked weakly.
“Weren’t you together?” the house helper asked.
Esmeralda glanced at Florida. She did not know how to respond.
"Ah! Esmeralda suddenly did not feel well. But he said he's coming after. We had to drop by at my house, so we arrived late."
“I’ll just make coffee for you, Ma’am,” Delia said.
Florida sat down while Esmeralda stood and paced back and forth. She tried to call Aiden, but it was turned off. Where had he gone? Something could have happened to him. Her conscience could not bear it if something terrible happened to him.
“You can’t reach Aiden?” Florida asked.
“I can’t. His phone was turned off.”
“Do you have any idea where he goes when he’s having a bad day?”
She slowly shook her head. “I-I don’t know. I-I never argued with Aiden before.” The truth was she did not know that much about him.
“Try calling Lexie. Maybe she knew where Aiden went.”
She called the secretary. She hoped Lexie would answer even though it's very late. She answered after a couple of rings. "Hello," she said in a raspy voice. She sounded like she had just woken up.
“Lexie, it’s Esmeralda. Um… Aiden just disappeared from the party…”
“And he left you alone?”
She bit her lower lip. "W-we had misunderstanding… just a little one." She could not tell her the real story because Lexie might not tell her at all where Aiden could be. "He was not answering his phone. I'm just worried about what happened to him. Maybe you knew where he went."
"I'll go check him in his hang-out."
“Where?” she asked.
“Leave it up to me. I will call the owner.” After a few minutes, Lexie confirmed that Aiden was in a bar somewhere in Makati. “I’ll fetch him. You should just rest.”
“But I want to personally collect him.” She should be the one to take Aiden home. Everything was her fault.
“He won’t talk to you if he’s mad. I did not know what conflicts you had with him, but I don’t think he wants to see you. Just let his anger pass. Let me talk to him.”
“A-all right. Thank you,” she said and eventually sat down. She noticed Florida yawned. “Do you want to go home now? I know you were tired from the party, too.” She was aged. She should not be staying up late.
She adjusted her glasses. “Don’t you want me to wait with you for Aiden? You might need someone with you to explain things to him.”
She shook her head. “Thank you for the concern, but I think I can handle this already. It was me who wronged Aiden, so it’s better that we should talk alone.”
“If that’s what you want. Hija, don’t ever think that I’m an enemy just like Amadeus. I think you were just caught in between the brother’s conflicts.” Florida squeezed her shoulder. “If you need anything, just tell me.”
After expressing her thanks, she walked Florida to the elevator of the penthouse. She returned to the living room and waited for Aiden. She had faced many trials before, but it was the first time she was left with no solution.
Esmeralda buried her face in her hands. What was she going to do now?