Chapter 2

LAZEL’s POV

"Lazel! Over here!" I smiled as I saw my friend waiting for me in the arrival area of NAIA. He even held a placard with my name written in large letters.

He nearly jumped for joy upon seeing me, eager to approach, but it wasn't allowed. Carrying a large suitcase and a travel bag, I approached him, and he immediately hugged me tightly. We laughed as he embraced me. These fools acted as if we hadn't seen each other in ages.

"Welcome home, bro! You've been in the States for so long!" he shouted, tapping my shoulder vigorously, making me laugh again.

"How are you, Lethaniel?" I asked him. After hugging me, he took my suitcase to carry it. I walked beside him as we exited the airport. Lethaniel is one of my best buddies.

"Still breathing," he replied with a laugh, standing out as the one who loved teasing us among all my friends.

After 10 years, I finally returned to the country, and Lethaniel joined me in the States. He came back two years ago because his father suddenly got sick, and he took over their company.

I left this country at 18, and I admit I missed the atmosphere in the Philippines—the familiar sound of car horns outside, the hot weather that immediately welcomes you with the blazing sun.

"I thought you had no plans of coming back," he said.

We approached a parked BMW near the exit, and I helped him stow my bags in the compartment. After arranging everything, we got in and fastened our seatbelts.

"Is that okay?" I asked my friend while securing my seatbelt.

"It seems like your human form is still missing. That's why you're staying in the States," he teased.

"I'd only get lost if I stayed there longer. It feels like I have no direction or place to go except to come back here," I said, making him laugh.

"You survived ten years. You don't need to stay in the country for long. So, why did you come back?" he asked.

"This is my country. Why wouldn't I come back?" I fired back.

"Weren't you escaping, though?"

I just smiled because of what he said. Initially, I was content staying in that country, enjoying life with Hanemira. I adjusted quickly, but over time, I felt a sense of weakness, seeking only one person's presence there.

Back then, I wanted to escape reality; the world felt too small, and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move, and when I escaped that seeming confinement, I found temporary relief, but soon realized there was more I needed.

Leaving was a decision I regretted. I wish I had tried to express my feelings to him, not letting my impulsive decisions lead the way.

"Have you found a place to stay? Or should I just take you to your mansion? Your family has been waiting for you for a long time, Lazel," he said.

My family has been waiting? He meant my parents and siblings were waiting for me.

"How is the one I asked you to keep an eye on?" I diverted the topic, avoiding discussing my Dad for now.

"Just check on him yourself if he's okay," he replied. Updates came from him, but he provided limited information, not even showing me a photo.

I avoided looking at his social media; it might make me lose myself further.

I lowered the window slightly, looking outside. "This country hasn't changed at all," I said with a smile.

"People are the only ones changing," he retorted. "Seriously, Lazel? Where should I take you?"

"I'll stay at a hotel until I find a place," I replied.

Planning my next move, I considered buying a condo.

"You'll spend more if you stay in a hotel. Stay in my condo; I don't go there anymore. I stay with Mama since my fiancé and I are getting married soon." If I didn't know about his impending marriage, I might not have had the courage to go home.

I thought it was time to reclaim what was once mine.

"Okay," I replied, leaning back in my seat. I felt tired, probably due to jetlag.

Unable to sleep immediately, I distracted myself by looking outside until my gaze fixed on a large billboard.

My heart raced as I saw the little girl's face on the billboard.

"Bro, stop the car," I told him, tapping his shoulder to get his immediate attention. I wanted to look closely at her face.

"What? Lazel, what are you doing? Why are we stopping?" he asked, surprised, but I couldn't take my eyes off that thing. "Lazel?"

"Wait a minute, Lethaniel. Stop the car, bro," I said. He quickly pulled over to the side.

"L

"Hey! What are you going to do?!" he shouted at me as I got out of his car just to see the child's face more clearly.

This building has a billboard of a young girl. She was just looking at the camera, seriously, and there’s no emotion written on her angelic face. Her left hand is holding her cheek, and in her other hand is a children's perfume.

She’s wearing a violet strap dress, only half of her body is visible, and in the background is the name of the perfume. She’s so beautiful even though she’s so young, and I know she’ll be even more beautiful when she grows up. Her aura is so strong, and even if I only see her picture now, it’s like she’s right in front of me.

The strong pounding in my chest doesn't subside, and it doubles when I see her name.

Calystharia Divyne Carvantes. She's too young to be the endorser of a perfume named after her. There's something about the child that keeps me from looking away. It's like she has a magnetic pull.

"Are you staring at that billboard, bro?" Lethaniel asks me. The longer I gaze at it, the more I feel like crying, without understanding why.

"Wh-Who is she, Lethan?" I asked him.

"She's a rich kid. Her name's there, and our friends' kids envy her, even my nephew. She's beautiful, isn't she? Pregnant women like to hang out there just to catch a glimpse of that angel. They think that if they see her, their child might look like her," he explains, and I look around.

He's right. There's a waiting area with a tent, and many people. The child clearly exudes wealth. Her skin is like milk, so smooth.

She has a pointed nose, mesmerizing eyes, and pouty lips.

"Do you think... Whose child is she?" I ask.

"Don't ask me about that child's mother, Lazel. All I can say is, what you see in that child now is like seeing her mother. Come on, let's leave," he pulls me, forcing me back into his car. I still can't take my eyes off her.

Until I can't see her anymore, and something in my chest feels squeezed. Why is that? Why did I suddenly become so interested in that billboard? In that little girl?

I sigh and bury my head. Various thoughts cross my mind. I'm just getting more confused.

"That child..." I uttered.

"Oh, come on. Stop it, Lazel." There's something with Lethaniel, too. It's like he knows something he doesn't want to tell me. What could that be?

"She seems familiar to me... Like I've seen her before... I saw her before..." I say, trying to make him stop.

"You're wrong about that. She has traveled around the world, but there's one country she hasn't visited. And you've only just returned now. So where could you have possibly met?" I look at him because it seems like he knows a lot about it. I was right.

"Do you know her?" I ask with interest. He doesn't answer me and just shrugs. From his demeanor, it seems like he doesn't want to tell me what he knows.

Throughout the journey, I remained silent, unable to forget her face. It seems like I want to see her again. I don't know why I'm feeling this way. But there's only one thing I want... to get to know that young girl.

I was still lost in thought when we reached the condominium, and he just led me inside.

"Go grocery shopping if you want to cook your own meal. I ran out of stock last week," he said, but I ignored him. "Lazel, I can't leave you like this. Bro..."

"I'm fine. You can leave me here, Lethan," I told him, and he sighed.

"No, you can't. Why are you acting like a child? Don't tell me you're attracted to that goddess-like girl?!" he shouted at me. I glared at him and laughed loudly.

"It's not like that, Lethaniel... There's just something different about the girl... I can feel it..." I said, touching my chest.

"Oh, come on... You're only seeing a child. What if you meet her Mom? She's even more beautiful..."

"I don't know..." I just said.

"Lazel..."

"If you have somewhere to go, you can leave me here, Lethan. I saw a grocery store near the condominium. Go on, don't worry about me. I can handle myself," I said. He really had no intention of leaving me here.

"Okay. I'll come back later to check on you. Seriously, you almost faint. You only saw Calystharia. What if you see her in person? You might really fall for her." I just gave him a restrained smile as I took a deep breath.

After he left his condo, he showed me the vacant room where I could rest, and I quickly took a shower. Then, I lay down on the bed and slept.

When I woke up, the room was dark, and I felt the rumbling of my stomach.

Lethan had no stock, so, as I mentioned earlier, I went out.

I just wore a black hoodie and went out of the unit. I didn't really intend to go grocery shopping, so when I passed by a Pasta House, I entered.

I approached the counter to order pasta. "Good evening, Sir," the girl at the counter greeted me. I smiled at her.

"One pasta carbonara and iced coffee, please."

"We will serve your order right away, Sir, and write your name here," she said, handing me a pen. I wrote my name on the piece of red paper.

I was about to find a vacant table when the girl uttered the familiar name.

“Calystharia Divyne!” I stilled. Calystharia Divyne? Is that the name of the perfume endorser?

I just heard the footsteps of someone right beside me with her soft voice. “Miss, the correct pronunciation of my second name is Di-vin. Not Di-vayn. Please, always remember that.” Just like that, my heart beats fast again, and when I saw her face...

It's like I immediately wanted to hug her. I don’t know why...