Runaway Fiancee – Episode 1

RUNAWAY FIANCÉE

 

Chapter 1

 

Xander’s POV

 

***L.A. California***

 

“Mr. Hayes is here to see you sir.” My

 

executive secretary said over the

 

intercom. “Can you see him for a few

 

moments now? He said it’s very

 

important.”

 

The mention of the name made my nerves tensed immediately. Mr. Hayes was the private investigator I hired a year ago to find my missing fiancée. Mia Stewart. “Mr. Valiente?”

 

I looked at my Rolex watch. I hesitated. I

 

have an important deal to close in fifteen

 

minutes. “Okay, show him in.”

 

I was not really interested in finding

 

 

fiancée anymore. I gave up looking for her a few months ago.

 

I did everything to find Mia. Hired a private investigator. Traveled in all countries she’d been in the past years. Asked her family and friends about her whereabouts. But they just said the same thing. They didn’t know where she was or who she was with.

 

That’s bullshit! I knew her family would die of worry if they never knew where she was, especially his brother, Tristan Latsis. But realization suddenly hit me. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t want to be found. And that made me stopped.

The office door opened and my secretary

 

came in together with Mr. Hayes.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Valiente.”

 

I stood up and shook Mr. Haye’s extended hand then invited him to a seat in front of my table.

 

“I have good news for you.”

 

My heart suddenly stopped beating.

 

“I found your fiancée.” Mr. Hayes

 

continued.

 

It was the news I expected. Hearing him

 

said it still brought a cold tension in my

 

body.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Mr. Hayes smiled and pushed a brown

 

envelope towards me. “Positive. See for

 

yourself.”

 

I opened the envelope and saw a picture of a sexy hot woman in gold bikini. She has long golden blond hair parted in the middle and its waves flowing over her shoulders. She was posing seductively on a

 

white sand beach.

 

The woman looked like Mia. But…

 

I studied her tanned legs and arms, her

 

skimpy bikini, then focused my eyes to

 

her breasts. “No. This is not Mia.” I put

 

down the picture on the table, feeling

 

disgusted.

 

“She is Mia Stewart. She disguises herself as Lily Rojas. A smokin’ hot Latina bikini model.”

 

I laughed to cover my annoyance. “Mia is very conservative, like a saint. She never wears skimpy bikinis. That girl is good as naked!”

 

“That’s what you think.” Mr. Hayes got another envelope from his attaché case. “I have recent photos of her. This will convince you that Lily Rojas and Mia Stewart are the same.”

 

I took the envelope and opened it.

 

There were two pictures. The first pic, the same blond woman was laughing – like she just heard a joke from the man sitting beside her.

 

I sat forward and looked at the picture

 

intently.

 

I studied the shape of her face. Her eyes,

 

nose and lips. Her hair was pulled up in a

 

bun.

 

I frowned and clenched my teeth. She

 

looks exactly like Mia here.

 

I blinked my eyes several times and every time I opened my eyes, I was more and more convinced that she was Mia.

 

I started sweating and became uneasy. My hands trembled as I turned to the second picture. The woman and the man were

 

 

kissing, lip locked. Her hand was touching his jaw. F*ckingsh*t!

 

I was paralyzed on my seat. I knew that

 

hand so well. The small wrist and slender

 

fingers… that I used to kiss and laced my

 

fingers with.

 

Dammit. There’s no doubt, she’s Mia!

 

I slammed a hand on my desk, then stood up abruptly. I was breathless with rage. “Where is she?” I ran my hand through my hair, then sat down on my chair again. I clenched and unclenched my hands several times, preventing myself from smashing anything within reach.

 

“In Colombia.” Mr. Hayes leaned back on

 

the chair, looking satisfied. “Are you going

 

to see her?”

 

Should I see her?

 

She left me without explanation. Not even a note, a text or an email. She was gone and hiding away from me.

 

I didn’t know what went wrong in our

 

relationship. Why she left me all of a

 

sudden. Why did she do this when I gave

 

her all my love and attention? Why she

 

was determined to keep her whereabouts

 

from me?

 

Too many questions playing in my head.

 

Where did I go wrong?

 

I need an explanation and she has to give

 

me a very good one or else…

 

My attention went back to Mr. Hayes

 

again.

 

“Yes.” I answered then picked the picture

 

I tossed on my table of Mia kissing

 

another man. How could she kiss another

 

man!

 

I felt betrayed. Jealousy. Deceived.

 

My eyes transferred on her ring finger.

 

Damn it! That was not the engagement

 

ring I gave to her. I was immediately

 

clouded with anger. My thoughts were

 

racing dangerously.

 

“Who the hell is this man?” I asked Mr.

 

Hayes.

 

“That’s Dylan Cooper. A famous telenovela

 

actor in Colombia. He is Miss Stewart’s

 

latest… fiancée.”

 

Fiancée?

 

I was stunned and my thoughts were

 

running wild.

 

Dammit! You have a lot of explaining to

 

do Mia Stewart.

 

Lily Rojas

 

***Cartagena, Colombia***

 

“Chest in Lily… good… your eyes… give

 

me a seductive look… more… more… that’s perfect!” Tim, the photographer said. I did what he told me to do and gave him my best seductive pose which I mastered already. For almost a year, I’ve been doing this for a living. Modeling swimwear, beachwear and active wear at Strings Swimwear Company exclusively. The sun was coming up and the heat started biting my arms. But the beach water below my thighs was still cold. “Just this angle and we’re done. Smize… show me your in-love look… think of

 

Dylan Cooper. Sonrìe con tus ojos (Smile

 

with your eyes. ) Tim continued taking

 

photos of me.

 

“You look tired already. You can’t achieve the look I’m looking. Just give me your

 

natural smile. Okayyy… that’s it.” He

 

snapped some more photos then turned to

 

the people sitting at the shore. “Pack up

 

everyone, we’re done!”

 

My personal assistant slash nanny, Carmen Vega, single and in her late fifties, walked towards me. Bringing my hat and white embroidered rope tunic with her. I loved Carmen. She was very patient and understanding with me. She even treated me like her daughter.

 

We were in a famous five star hotel and Beach Resort in Cartagena, Colombia. We arrived yesterday for the photo and video shoot of Strings new swimwear and beachwear summer collection. “Finally, you can take a rest now.”

 

“Yeah.” I replied and pulled on my tunic,

 

covering my black bikini.

 

Carmen helped me by pulling the hem of

 

my tunic down. “Dylan called. He said he’s

 

on his way now.”

 

“Oh! That’s great.”

 

“I’m sure you’re very excited to see him

 

tonight.”

 

“Of course. I can’t wait. I miss him

 

already.” It had been a week since I last

 

saw Dylan. He was in the United States

 

shooting for his new telenovela.

 

“That boy is so lucky. Lo amas tantu. (You love him so much. )” Carmen replied.

 

My fiancée, Dylan Cooper was a famous Colombian-American actor. A Telenovela hearthrob. He was tall, lean and very handsome – with a cute smile. He was funny, outspoken and a good listener. He had good taste in clothes and shoes. He

 

treated his mother with respect. He loved

 

music, a good dancer and singer. Many

 

loved him, men and women, young and

 

old. He was very dedicated to his work as

 

an actor and won many awards.

 

I met Dylan in a photoshoot. Strings Swimwear Company hired him to model their product six months ago. We did the swimwear photoshoot together. It was very awkward at first. It was the first time I partnered with a man – and to think that he was a sensational Telenovela star. But Dylan was a gentleman. He made me feel at ease with him.

 

The second time I met Dylan, it was in a veterinarian’s clinic. My dog, Bitsy got her rabies shot. Dylan was there to have his dog groomed.

 

“Are you stalking me?” His eyebrows shot up when he saw me inside the clinic. “Oh! I thought you’re the one stalking me.”

 

He laughed and we started talking about our dogs for a few minutes. I left ahead of him. Bitsy became irritable after her vaccine.

 

After a week, I met Dylan again in a

 

friend’s party.

 

“You know, if you’re stalking someone,

 

you should make it less obvious.” An easy

 

smile played at the corners of his mouth.

 

“Excuse me? Are you implying that I’m

 

stalking you?”

 

“Aren’t you?”

 

“Believe me. I’m not. I don’t even watch

 

telenovelas. I’m not your fan.”

 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to lie. I’m used

 

to it.” He chuckled.

 

What an arrogant and egoistic man! He

 

thought that all female species fell for his

 

charms and looks.

 

“Sorry to disappoint you. But I don’t find

 

you attractive.”

 

He frowned. “Not even a little?”

 

“Nope. Not all women find you irresistible. Excuse me.” I spun around and left him. The third time our path crossed was three days after, in the gym. I was so upset when I arrived at the gym and saw him there. And what was more upsetting was, he was talking to my personal trainer.

 

I totally ignored him and started working

 

on my work out program.

 

“Are you going to pretend that you don’t

 

see me?”

 

“There’s a difference between pretending and avoiding. I’m avoiding you. I don’t want you to accuse me of stalking you again. It seems like you established it in your mind already.” I pressed the cool down button of the treadmill machine and continued walking in lower speed. “I’m sorry if it upsets you…”

 

“It is very upsetting. And now, I have a

 

feeling that you’re going to accuse me

 

again of stalking you! For your

 

information, I’m a member of this gym

 

for months already. You can ask anyone

 

here…”

 

“I know.” He grinned.

 

“I don’t know why I keep on meeting you.

 

It’s just a coincidence.”

 

“It’s not.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I knew you’re going to the vet that day.

 

It was your dog’s schedule of vaccine. I

 

even borrowed my P.A.’s dog just to see

 

you. I was about to ask you for a cup of

 

coffee, but unfortunately, you left in a

 

hurry.”

 

I was shocked by his revelation, but

 

continued to listen to him.

 

“I invited myself to your friend’s party. I

 

was meaning to ask you for a date, but

 

my usual pick up line didn’t work on you.

 

I was so bothered and felt so bad that

 

night.”

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

“It’s the truth. Okay, I admit. I’m the one stalking you. My sources said that you don’t go out on a date. You don’t entertain men.” He inhaled deeply. “I just don’t know how to approach you.” “Then don’t approach me. Your sources are right. I don’t date and entertain men.” Dylan was pretty insistent. He courted me. He sent me flowers and wrote poems for me, everyday. He was a very romantic and wonderful man. Eventually i agreed to go out with him on a date… a date that led to many dates.

 

Last Saturday, Dylan proposed to me and I

 

accepted it.

 

.

 

.

 

TBC

 

.

 

 

 

 

RUNAWAY FIANCÉE