SECRET OF THE AMULET

CHAPTER 24 - PRESENT TIME

Truthfully, she was hurt when Zachary chose Diana over her. However, she had no plans to cry for him. Temporarily, she set aside her feelings for Zac and let her parent micro-manage her life again. She was so heartbroken but she refused to cry. She chose to move on with her life!

She pressed the red button on the

headboard of her bed, and Cielo came running in a minute.

“Yes, Miss Sheena?” Cielo noticed

that Miss Sheena was dressed to kill, and she wondered where she was heading

this time.

“I want to go shopping,” she

answered as she picked up the black sling bag from her bed.

Cielo made a sign of the cross

when her boss mentioned shopping because she knew that the woman had other

plans…just like the last time. She said she would be shopping but she met with

Joshua Miller and they went somewhere…just the two of them. Although the man

was her fiancé, Lucas Rodriguez prohibited their private meeting. “You cannot!”

she objected in a powerful voice to scare Sheena.

“Oh really? I don’t think so,”

she answered and sashayed her shapely figure towards the door. “If you don’t

want to come with me, then I can go alone.” If she had known that being

rebellious would attract her father’s attention, she should have done it

before!

Cielo was aghast at Sheena’s

statement and concluded that Joshua was a bad influence on her behavior. Every

day, she had turned into someone rebellious and defiant, and Cielo believed

that it was because of Joshua Miller. Did that man coerce Sheena to defy her

father? “But Miss-”, her objections had fallen on deaf ears as the woman

continued to walk outside, and she had no choice but to follow.

Lucas Rodriguez had trusted Cielo

for her welfare and Sheena was lucky because her bodyguard had a kind heart.

“Thank you, Cielo. You know how my father is, so without your help, I would

just be bored at home.” She said as they were inside the car.

“But, Miss Sheena, I believe that

Mr. Miller has become a bad influence on you. Since you were engaged, you have

become a totally different person.” Cielo voiced out her suspicion. She was not

the same woman who was obedient and reserved. Sheena has become feisty,

rebellious, and spirited in a matter of two months!

“Nonsense, Joshua was just being

a friend and I like the new Sheena Rodriguez. Even when I was in London, I

wanted to be a fierce woman, but my fear of Daddy was stronger and more

powerful, so I couldn’t do anything, but it's different now, Cielo. Joshua

assured me that my father would not hurt me physically because he needed me for

the merger.” She expressed her gratefulness for Joshua’s encouragement.

“I don’t understand why you have

to befriend your fiancé when you don’t like getting married to him,” Cielo

stated a fact.

“Because we are on the same boat,

I mean, Joshua was also against this arranged marriage but we must do it.

Anyway, we are looking into it about how we can be free from this b*****e,” she

revealed to Cielo about their plan to cancel the wedding and the guard was

horrified. Joshua told her that he would look into the signed agreement between

their fathers. For sure, there would be loopholes that they could find.

“So, where are we going this

time?” Cielo inquired.

There’s a chic café in the

nearest mall on the lower ground floor that serves her favorite food. She liked

it because it was not crowded. "Cafe Elizabeth," she replied.

Cafe Elizabeth was quiet and

isolated, and at their first meeting, Joshua had a hard time finding the dainty

café. As he has a sweet tooth, their moist chocolate cake has become his

favorite. He was on his second slice of cake and second cup of coffee when

Sheena arrived with his bodyguard, Cielo. He ordered Sheena’s favorite, the red

velvet cake, and coffee, while Cielo was free to get anything she wanted.

Sheena and Joshua sat at a table

near the counter, while Cielo chose the vacant seat close to the door and front

of the corridor. It was the best spot where she could see any familiar faces

from afar that might endanger the three of them. Her vigilant eyes darted from

one corner to the other as she sipped her coffee.

“So, have you looked into it?”

Sheena asked first when both of them were ready to discuss their impending

marriage.

“Yes, and I was right. My

attorney found a loophole in the contract,” he announced. Since last night, he

wanted to spill the good news to Sheena but stopped himself, fearing that Lucas

Rodriguez would do something about the papers.

“Wow, tell me Joshua, what have

you found?” She whispered and tried to conceal her excitement by pinching her

skin.

“There was a clause, that if one

of us could find our true love before the wedding date, that person would be

free from honoring the agreement.” Joshua was glad that his father was a

believer in true love, otherwise, he wouldn’t add that certain clause.

“I see. But it will be impossible

to find our true love in the next few months…no, I can’t do it.” Sheena said.

She had read a lot of books about love and romance, and she knew that love

couldn’t be forced on a person. It would just come, unexpectedly. It

disheartened her that the only way of her escape was too impossible to achieve.

“Hey, don’t be depressed. You

know, I believe in destiny and fate. Somehow, I’m still positive that Erin will

show herself anytime soon,” Joshua declared. For ten long years, he had been

waiting for that woman to resurface in his life, and he had been counting on

her friends to locate her after a few detectives failed to find her location.

The last record he could find about her was at the hospital where she was

admitted.

“I hope she will be here soon,

Joshua. No offense meant, but you’re not the man I wanted to spend for the rest

of my life.” Sheena stated the truth.

“I understand because we feel the

same. You’re beautiful and elegant, but there’s just no spark between us,” he

added.

“I know right. So, after this,

where will you go?” She asked Joshua about his next destination.

“I have a meeting with the

project engineer,” he answered. They have a project and the construction is

ongoing. The said project was Sebastian’s brainchild but his brother had gone

somewhere that only his parents knew. It’s not the usual offering of five-star

accommodation by Miller Group but just an affordable place for everyone.

Sebastian argued that it was time to give back to the community, and his

priority was the workers who had to suffer long hours on the road caused by the

worsening traffic conditions in the city.

“I see. Anyway, I won’t take so

much of your time, as you still have a meeting to attend…thank you.” Sheena was

truly grateful for his friendship.

“I’ll keep you updated, Sheena.”

Joshua used her nickname as she insisted he call her that.

“Thanks, you can go ahead now.

I’ll pay this time.” She offered.

“If you insist,” Joshua replied,

and prepared to leave. As a gentleman, he should insist on paying for their

meal, but Sheena would be disappointed, so he allowed her to settle the bill.

As soon as Joshua left, Sheena

gave her platinum card to the cashier. Lucas Rodriguez provided her with a

credit card that she could use for shopping and dining. “Cielo, do you need

anything like clothes or shoes?” She could buy her anything if she wanted.

Cielo was taken aback by Sheena’s

kindness. Yes, she was aware that her boss was a kindhearted woman, but she

didn’t expect it. “I’m okay, Miss.” She answered. She would be fired from her

post if she accepted anything from Miss Sheena, as Lucas Rodriguez would take

it as a bribe.

“Are you sure? Hmm, let me know

if you need anything, okay?” She understood why Cielo was hesitant to accept

her offer. Even her nanny was like that- no gifts allowed.

As she walked out of the cafe,

Sheena was careful with her movements not to gain unwanted attention. Lucas

Rodriguez warned her not to expose herself to someone who worked in the media

industry to remain mysterious, as people didn’t know what the heiress of Royal

looked like. She even wore a baseball cap, but there was someone who was

arrogant enough to block her way and Cielo was immediately on the move to fend

off the unwanted person.

“I think I know you,” the

stranger said.

Upon hearing it, her heart almost

skipped a beat and panic, but her training saved her from giving herself

away to the stranger who could be bluffing. “Excuse me?”

“You look like someone I know,”

he said, and he nearly lost his footing when the woman smiled. Her deep-set

dimples on both cheeks looked captivating, and her lips were pouty and ripe for

a kiss.

“Thank you for your compliment,

sir.” She walked past ahead of the stranger who was clearly bluffing and Cielo

followed. It wasn’t the first time that she was mistaken as a model because of

her rounded face shape, subtly arched brows and a set of dimples that make her

attractive, as some would claim. But for Sheena, a beautiful face was nothing

compared with a beautiful heart.

“Hey!”

Sheena turned around and saw the

stranger running towards her. “Yes, what is it?”

“If you need a job, I’m the man

for you.” He said and gave her his business card.

Sheena accepted the business

card, and smiled at him after reading his details. “Thanks, Mr. Richard

Francisco. I’ll give you a call when I need one,” she lied.

“Great. See you around, then.”

Richard said before he left.

Sheena chuckled at the man’s

guts. While it could be true that he was in the field of advertising and may

need a model, that wasn’t the way to recruit a future model! If he wasn’t

handsome, then maybe she would ask Cielo to deal with him. “I like him,” she

said to Cielo.

“He’s a charmer,” Cielo agreed

with Sheena.

“Yes he is,” she nodded. Sheena

and Cielo were in the bookstore grabbing some books when Sheena received a call

from Joshua. “Yes, Mr. Miller?” she jested when she accepted the call.

“I got bad news for you, Sheena.

My attorney just called and informed me about an additional clause of the

contract,” he said.

“About what?” Sheena inquired and

when she heard the details, she paled and her body swayed so that Cielo came to

assist her.