“Isn't there some other place you can go? Why go to that stupid man's apartment?”
“Look at your phone and see how many times I try to call you! You were busy with your work, and now you are mad at me?”
"You know I'm always busy with work. Then why are you protesting now?”
"Protest? Why would I be protesting a stubborn man like you? There's no point. You're just going to give me a lot of reasons and then make it look like I'm the guilty one, like I'm the selfish woman who never gets your damn busy work! I know that -"
"Enough, Veronica!" Mateo cut Veronica's sentence in a loud voice, "Right now, you're wrong, so don't try to change the subject so you can blame me for being busy."
Cheryl rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was sick of listening to Mateo and Veronica's endless fight.
For a moment, Cheryl recalled one incident after another that made her trapped in the helicopter with Mateo and Veronica.
The first is Mateo's stupidity who immediately beats Rafael without listen to Veronica's explanation. Mateo was only willing to let Rafael go after he saw Cheryl trying to pull him away from Rafael who had been sprawled on the floor. At first, Cheryl was worried about Rafael because his nose bled out. But instead, Rafael stood up casually and laughed at Mateo's crazy behavior.
Furthermore, after Mateo's ridiculous drama, he makes a fuss for a second time by bringing Veronica and Cheryl to come home with him. Mateo came by helicopter which parked on the helipad on the roof of the apartment building. Veronica kept nagging all the way because she was annoyed with Mateo's behavior. Veronica also tells the chronology of the incident that made them both end up at Rafael's apartment.
Cheryl is quite annoyed that Veronica tells Mateo about the attack they got, but she knows that Veronica has no choice but to explain the incident to avoid misunderstanding Mateo. And after knowing the true story, Mateo is angry not only with Veronica but also with Cheryl.
Then the last one, like it or not, Cheryl had to be trapped in the same helicopter as Veronica and Mateo. His older brother didn't let Cheryl use the car because he feared something bad would happen. Mateo, who has always tended to be possessive, gets even worse when he finds out that Cheryl and Veronica have just received a terrible terror.
“Tell me clearly about the chronology of the attack! I will ask—”
“Don't keep me cooped up with your stupid bodyguards! I don't like it!" Veronica shouted in annoyance.
“You have no other choice. After this, neither you nor Cheryl will be allowed out later than 10 pm. Bodyguards will always follow you, and your cell phone will be connected to—”
"Hey! What do you mean? Why do I have to obey all your strange orders?” Cheryl joined in protesting, “stay out of my business, Mateo. You can't limit my curfew. Who do you think you are?”
“Yeah, you can't limit my curfew either. I'm not going to be a 12-year-old girl who can't go out later than 10 pm. And I would never like it if you insisted on locking me up with the guards!” Veronica pointed her index finger at Mateo.
"Don't argue with me!" Mateo didn't want to lose, “this isn't an order, but an attempt I made to protect the two of you. You think, if something bad happened to you guys, who would be in trouble?”
Cheryl snorted softly. She knows that since childhood, Mateo has been possessive and excessively worried about people he considers weaker than him. Mateo is a possessive brother, but Cheryl knows that Mateo is doing everything for her own good. But, Cheryl can't stand it if this time Mateo goes overboard again by locking her up and limiting her activities for no apparent reason.
"Don't overdo it, Mateo. Cheryl and I are fine. Rafael came on time, and he helped us. Cheryl fainted for a while, but I think she fainted because the effects of the adrenaline rushing after she drove the car at high speed.”
Cheryl closed her eyes in frustration. Veronica's explanation just made things worse.
"You fainted?" Mateo turned quickly to look at Cheryl who was sitting in the front seat, right next to the helicopter driver who had been looking relaxed since he was driving without being distracted by Veronica and Mateo's bickering.
“I told you if she fainted—”
"I've decided," Mateo cut Veronica's sentence in a serious voice, "you won't be allowed to drive your own car and bodyguards will always follow you. There is no refusal, nor do I accept any protests from you.” Mateo said.
Cheryl snorted again in annoyance. If Mateo had already decided, then Cheryl could never argue. Even if she tries to resist, Mateo will do everything he can to make Cheryl obey orders, including involving her parents.
"Don't overdo it, Mateo. We are doing well, and Rafael has helped us." Veronica keeps trying to fight back.
“After helping you, he took you to his apartment. Are you sure the apartment has reliable security? What if you got—”
Mateo's sentence was cut short when the helicopter's engine warning blared. Some screens display a red light indicating a fault in the helicopter system. Then a few seconds later, there was a terrible shock.
"What happened?!" Mateo shouted frantically, he immediately hugged Veronica who was now hiding her face in his chest. Not only Veronica but Mateo also reached out to touch the shoulder of Cheryl who was sitting across from him, as if he wanted to ensure Cheryl's safety.
Cheryl also turned her head toward the helicopter driver who was still trying to find the problem with the helicopter. He pressed a few buttons, and then went through the helicopter's system, which kept flashing warning signs.
"Someone's trying to get into the helicopter system, sir. Looks like a tracking device, or maybe an explosive." The driver gave a brief explanation.
Explosive?!
"Damn it! What happened to your helicopter?! Why bring junk to pick me up?!” Cheryl turned her head and shouted angrily at Mateo.
First, she had a mysterious attack from three people in a black car, she almost had an accident while trying to avoid their pursuit, then they almost bore a bullet in her head, and now she is trapped in a wrecked helicopter her brother brought to pick her up.
“Get out of the way!” Mateo jumped forward and forced Cheryl to sit in the back along with Veronica.
Cheryl obeys Mateo's orders because she knows if her brother is trying to control the helicopter that starts to shake. The helicopter's main driver is constantly trying to find the source of the problem and make repairs as quickly as possible while Mateo takes over his driving duty. In the back seat, Cheryl and Veronica waited frantically.
"Why does your helicopter have such low security?" Cheryl grumbled in annoyance.
"Shut up, Cheryl! I don't need your scolding!" Mateo seemed to be focused on controlling the helicopter even though Cheryl could still see the man occasionally glancing at the back seat as if trying to ensure Cheryl and Veronica were seated safely.
"Helicopter crash won't get you killed. Why are you panicking so much?" Cheryl asked while crossing her arms over her chest.
In the past, maybe two or three years ago, Cheryl had dropped a Mateo helicopter into a lake near their house. At that time, Cheryl got seriously injured, but she did not die. But, Mateo's helicopter was shattered out of shape.
“If you just fall, maybe you won't die. But if this helicopter explodes, you'll surely die, Cheryl!” Mateo answered impatiently.
Cheryl rolled her eyes. Mateo put her in danger, but he got mad at her instead.
“Alejandro has no other heir besides the two of us. Make sure you land this helicopter safely or Daddy and Mommy will make your death uneasy!”
"Are you crazy?!" Mateo glanced in annoyance “we almost died, Cheryl!”
"Why not just land? We'll only get hurt—"
Cheryl's sentence was cut short again when the helicopter's warning sound grew louder.
Cheryl bit her lower lip, starting to panic when she saw the highway filled with vehicles. There was no helicopter pad, so they couldn't land. The highway was filled with cars, unlike when Rafael made an emergency landing in the middle of the highway. At that time, an accident caused traffic to stop, so Rafael could land easily. But now… where can they land?
“This helicopter has been hacked, sir. If we land, it will most likely endanger you and Miss Cheryl. We'd better get back to Mr Rafael's helipad so that Alejandro's bodyguards can prepare to make guard there." The helicopter driver explained.
Cheryl rolled her eyes. Was Mateo's helicopter security system hacked?
No one knew who was hacking and following them or who was waiting for them at the emergency landing site. If the security system has been hacked, chances are that someone is stalking and following them. Making an emergency landing in any place will only make their situation worse.
"Is there no other choice?" Mateo asked in an annoyed voice.
"For now, I will try to control and try to take over the helicopter system, but maybe we only have five minutes."
Cheryl widened her eyes. Damn! Will they be able to reach the helipad of Rafael's apartment in just five minutes?
However, before Cheryl could express her doubts, the helicopter alarm is back ringing loudly. This time it not only made a sound but also made the helicopter's blades move unstable. The helicopter control screen suddenly became unusable. The screen locked and displayed a black color, indicating that they could no longer attempt to recover the hacked helicopter system.
"How long will it take us to get to Rafael's apartment?" Mateo asked at last.
"Probably about 10 minutes considering we can't get the helicopter up to max speed, sir."
Cheryl growled in annoyance. They took 10 minutes, but they only had five minutes.
“Raise to max speed!” Mateo said.
"We might lose control if the helicopter's engines run into trouble, sir."
"No problem, we only have five minutes. You must increase the helicopter's speed to maximum speed!" Mateo started pressing a few buttons on the helicopter that was still controllable.
However, a few seconds later, the helicopter warning screen came back on. At first, Cheryl thought they had managed to get hold of the helicopter system that had just been hacked, but she was wrong. Because instead of showing the state of the helicopter system, the screen actually displays a mysterious red text that the hacker intentionally sent.
'Land! Or I'll blow you up.'
According to Mateo's instructions, Cheryl jumped down from the helicopter and immediately ran away, who had descended with Veronica first.The night wind blew hard against Cheryl's skin, blowing strands of her hair and making her shiver with cold. Cheryl had never felt scared like this before. It felt as if he was struck by misfortune repeatedly on the same night."Where did the helicopter driver go?" Cheryl asked as she continued to run after Mateo after she saw the helicopter driver leaving the helipad above Rafael's apartment building again.“Keep that useless vehicle away from this building,” Mateo replied calmly. His hand moved to reach Cheryl's arm. Then he brought Cheryl to go faster."The helicopter is going to explode?" Veronica asked."Possible,"Cheryl frowned. The helicopter was about to explode, but the driver didn't immediately get down to save himself.“Alejandro's bodyguards will arrive in 15 minutes. For now, we should stay at Rafael's apartment." Mateo pressed the bu
2 Years Later…Cheryl stood at the end of the ship's hilt, feeling the damp breeze caressing her skin, creating sparkling glints every time the sunlight shone on the jewels perfectly attached to her body.Her red lips moved slowly, sipping the wine in her right hand while her left was busy playing with her cell phone."No signal!" She mumbled softly.Behind her, a dance party was being held to enliven her brother—Mateo's reception with Veronica.Instead of holding a lavish reception with thousands of invited guests in a hotel building, Mateo prefers to bring out his best collection of cruise ships to have a family party in the middle of a calm sea. Enjoy time together without interruptions by cell phones and work.But of course, Cheryl couldn't be as relaxed as they were. She is almost crazy because she can't post anything on her social media."How can they live without a cell phone?" Cheryl looked far behind her, watching Mateo laugh out loud along with Veronica while occasionally st
Since realizing that she is part of the Alejandro family clan, Cheryl knows that her life will not be monotonous. Every day there must be new things that surprise and delight. Sometimes it's tense and scary too.An example of this was today when her father said he was allowed to return to work after their cruise ship pulled over two days after Mateo and Veronica's wedding reception was over. Because they were planning to do a cruise for three days and two nights on his father's luxury ship.It's been almost two year since her misterious accident, an odd accident that happened after she came home from Diamonique with Veronica, the diamond jewelry company that her mother left when Cheryl turned 21.Until now, Cheryl didn't know who was behind the mysterious attacks, nor did she know what the purpose of the attack was. All she knows is since that incident, his father has re-hired people to take care of Diamonique and made Cheryl unemployed who have many unimportant events.Then… now she'
Cheryl spent her whole life being the spoiled daughter of her father, and Cheryl had spent a dozen years getting to know Carlos before deciding to have a romantic relationship with him.Cheryl will never be able to choose between her father and her fiancé. She couldn't live without Carlos, but she couldn't have made it this far without her father either.In a difficult choice, just as she has often done before, Cheryl prefers to run away and isolate herself for a while. For a moment, she slipped away from the hustle and bustle of her life to enjoy a relaxing time at a suburban restaurant that was not very popular with visitors.A glass of cold wine is available on the table to accompany the dinner. One by one, a piece of steak she had managed to swallow. Every drop of steak sauce that touched her tongue managed to bring Cheryl to a memory of an incident two years ago, when she got a mysterious accident.Rafael.For some reason, the steak sauce that was still on her plate made Cheryl t
“Get out of my room, or I will kick your face!” Cheryl exclaimed as she saw Mateo walking from a distance.“Cheryl,” Carissa turned her head, noticing Cheryl, who looked antipathetic to Mateo's arrival.“Mom, he cracked my hand!” Cheryl was crying again, whining at her mother, so she immediately expelled her eldest son.Everyone panicked when they heard that Cheryl was hospitalized because of her wrist injury. "What? Why am I the one to blame?” Mateo shrugged guiltily. He glanced at Veronica, who was walking beside him—trying to explain to that woman about last night's incident.“You deserve to be blamed, Mateo.” Veronica sarcastically walked towards Cheryl who was lying on a hospital bed with her right hand wrapped in a bandage while her left hand was playing with her cellphone."Cheryl ran and hit me in my stomach. Why are you blaming me instead?" Mateo looked at Veronica, Carissa, and Jackson who were standing around Cheryl.“It all happened because you suddenly landed a helicopter
THE GUARDIAN: FREDERICH CORP'S BANKRUPTCY; The World Economy is Shaken!“Frederich Corp is reported to have experienced problems after hundreds of thousands of mining employees in the Southeast Asian region experienced unilateral layoffs. Reporting from Routers, the company engaged in technology, mining, and crude oil has continued to experience a decline in stock value since the last month. Earnings that have continued to decline in the previous two weeks indicate that Frederich Corp has experienced a decrease in revenue from 800 USD per second to less than 550 USD per second. Based on the data obtained, the bankruptcy of this company resulted in global economic instability, which was also affected by—"Cheryl snorted in annoyance. She threw her cellphone on the bed without caring if the object didn't land properly and instead hit the marble floor, causing the screen to crack.Mateo is such an asshole. How could her brother bring down Rafael's company just because of his personal pro
Cheryl's fingernail tapping filled the silence in the center of Diamonique's office. It's been an hour since she returned to the office, but there is not a single job that Cheryl can finish. She just sat quietly without doing anything, occasionally chuckling, annoyed, and snorting softly.A few moments ago, Cheryl was desperate to send a short message to Rafael after she got his personal contact number from Veronica. Still, until now, Rafael has not given any answer.Shit, shouldn't Cheryl not be this nervous? Because it's not her fiance's company that went bankrupt, nor is it a company that still has cooperative relations with her family company.Rafael is a stranger whom she accidentally knew from Veronica. Still, somehow Cheryl couldn't rule out the bad possibilities that might happen after he went bankrupt and fell into poverty.What if it was Mateo who deliberately destroyed Rafael's company?"What happened with you, Cheryl? I noticed you seemed unfocused at work. Is there any pr
Cheryl looked around. She looked at the hundreds of people who were gathered at the casino tables to play some gambling games while enjoying alcoholic drinks. Cheryl likes to drink wine. She is not a weak woman who gets drunk easily with just two or three glasses of wine. Let alone three, ten glasses were not able to overthrow Cheryl. However, the purpose of her arrival at the center of the largest casino in Las Vegas is not to drink and enjoy the time to relax but to find Rafael. And as if fate deliberately made it easier for her, Cheryl was currently standing with bulging eyes when she faced Rafael. “Now I believe that you actually followed me, Cheryl.” Rafael waved, and gave a relaxed smile. He looked like a person with no problems at all, and now they were like two people who accidentally bumped into each other in a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, that's just a supposition. Because many facts do not match this assumption. First the fact that Rafael was having problems. Second