MEANT FOR EACH OTHER

CHAPTER 7: Charity Gala

Bry wanted to kiss her lips, but he tried very hard to hold back . Instead, he kissed Iya on her forehead and then said, "I will not rush you, Iya. I am deeply attracted to you, but I cannot force myself into you until you are ready."

She opened her eyes and then said, "Thank you," and then stood up, "I am already very tired. I will go and sleep now."

He responded, "Yes, the first bedroom on the right side is yours. I have already asked our butler from the manor to arrange overnight luggage for you. It is there."

She replied, "Thank you again. Good night."

He smiled and said, "Good night."

On the following days, Bry and Iya were both very busy with their respective work. There had been no other threat to her life but their security team knew of suspicious men following them around.

Lacey really helped Iya a lot with her work and civic activities, especially regarding El Coco Company and the farm. Iya had really found it difficult to find a balance with all her schedules. She just opted to stay at the hospital and just sleep in the on-call room for the rest of the month so she would not have to travel back and forth to Angeles Manor.

After that night in his executive suite in ARC – Sourisse City, Iya had just been a bit uneasy around Bry.

Her thoughts were just like – Why did I say okay when he asked if I wanted him to teach me everything about intimacy? Am I already physically attracted to him? I even thought he would kiss me already. Good thing he did not. I am not ready yet. I felt so uneasy during that time. Even his kiss on my forehead sent shivers down my spine. Yes, once we are already married, then he will already have marital rights. So intimacy will just be natural. I am used to seeing patients' anatomy. But why do I seem to be uneasy with our nearness? I was not before. We had already danced together during my welcome party. He also held on to my back lightly whenever we were together. And then, during the bombing incident, we even held hands as we tried to flee from our perpetrators.

So, she opted to stay at the hospital to clear her mind and calm her heart about the thoughts of being intimate with him. That way, she could also spend more time with her mother, who was still recuperating. Also, she could also work on night shifts, considering that their night duty surgeons had to fill in with her mother’s day duty.

Iya was already in the process of hiring additional surgeons. She had already hired three (one trauma surgeon, one pediatric surgeon, and one general surgeon) but they still would be able to start by the start of August.

Dr. Aurora was discharged from the hospital after a few weeks. Iya's mother had decided not to stay at the mansion because the construction of the front gates was still ongoing, as well as the minor repairs on the damage brought about by the attack on Iya. Her mother spent some time in her private beach house in Quili, a town south of Ivoire City, before moving back to her newly-acquired three-bedroom condominium unit at Legacy Tower near their hospital. Bry's security team had already checked the unit and several security features had also been added for their safety.

Iya also moved in with her mother. They had so many fond memories with her father at the mansion, which often gave them a sense of deep sadness.

By the last week of the month, Iya's mother was already working again.

On the other hand, Leanna had succeeded in finding ways to be at almost every venue of Bry’s business meetings in Missi. Bry had no idea how Iya’s half-sister succeeded in finding out about his business meetings. So he asked Harry, his chief-of-staff, to find out who was leaking information. One of Harry’s staff was the culprit, a lady who was Leanna’s former college classmate who received a lot of money just for the information. Harry fired such staff immediately.

July 31, 2016. Sunday. Despite Lacey’s constant reminders of her regarding the charity gala, Iya still had forgotten about it on the day it was to be held. She and her mother had been called to the hospital that afternoon because there had been a freak accident involving a van and a bus. There had been a lot of injured victims that needed immediate attention as well as surgery.

Iya had just finished doing surgery when she passed by her mother’s office on her way to the next. Mommy Aurora stopped her, “Iya, we need to talk. Come here.”

Iya walked inside the office.

When they were already in the privacy of her mother’s office.

Iya told her mother, “Mom, I still have to help with another surgery. What will we talk about?”

“Bry had been contacting you regarding the charity gala…” her mother did not even finish.

So then and there, she finally recalled the charity gala. Hence, she panicked, “Oh no! That is in an hour. And I have not gotten ready yet.”

Mommy Aurora pacified her, “I already told Bry that you had been through a series of surgeries so you were not able to answer his calls. He knew this might happen so he had already arranged for your glam squad for the charity gala. All you need to do is ride his chopper on the rooftop. As for your next surgery, I have already asked another surgeon to assist instead of you. So go now and enjoy the night. I will follow in a short while.”

Aboard the helicopter, Iya was transported to ARC – Ivoire City. The glam squad led by Ken was already waiting for her in one of the bedrooms in Bry’s executive suite at ARC.

The glam squad worked wonders prepping her for that night’s event. Bry was nowhere to be found in the executive suite. She also had no chance to ask any of his employees. Iya had been guided into wearing an Ellie Saab grey off-the-shoulder couture gown, which showed her nice decolletage with its wide V-neck. She also got to wear a Piaget diamond jewelry set composed of earrings, a choker necklace and a wristwatch. Her clutch and high-heeled pumps were matching Manolo Blahniks.

When she was all glammed up, Bry entered the bedroom she was in, dressed in Michael Kor’s grey tuxedo and black dress shoes.

He looked so handsome that Iya was rendered speechless for a while. The glam squad left the executive suite to give them privacy.

He smiled and approached her, “You have been so busy, my dear. I thought you would not be able to come here anymore.”

She confided, “I almost did. Good thing you contacted Mommy. I was already on my way to another surgery when she stopped me and then reminded me about the gala.”

He acknowledged it, “Well, I know how you can be so focused on work that you tend to forget some things. So I called Ninang and I also arranged for your glam squad.”

She explained, “I had just finished my charity work when Mom and I were called to the hospital. There were a lot of injured victims in a freak accident involving a van and a bus this afternoon. The entire surgical team had to do the necessary emergency surgery to address their injuries.”

He teased her, “Guess my toughest rival at your time is your medical profession.”

She affirmed, “True!” She teased him back, “So will you still want to marry me?”

He answered, “I can deal with it.”

She reminded her, “Well, you are also travelling a lot, so that makes us even. You have also been very busy lately.”

He responded, “True. Well, I do hope we can find ways to sort out this issue regarding our busy work schedules once we are already married.”

She agreed, “Yeah,” then she reminded him, “Well, everyone might already be waiting for us. Let us go down now.”

As they reached the grand hall of ARC – Ivoire City, Bry introduced Iya as his girlfriend to the board of directors of ACI, his executives at ARC, his business colleagues, and to his friends at FEBC.

Berenice, Iya’s high school best friend and Bry’s maternal second cousin, was also there.

Berenice, who worked as an executive for a local TV station, asked her, “Are you really my cousin’s girlfriend, Iya?”

She confirmed it, “Yes, Bee.”

Berenice followed up with a question, “When did he start courting you?”

She said, “Since I returned here to Nidiria from all of my medical training in Missi.”

Berenice commented, “He seemed to be a changed-man already. How serious is he?”

She replied casually, “You should ask him.”

Berenice stated, “Well, I do hope that he is really a changed man. It seems like he has finally met the one who would stop his playfulness. I am still shocked that he finally got himself a girlfriend. Anyway, you are both at the right age to settle down. I wish you all the best, Iya.”

“Thanks a lot, Bee,” she acknowledged.

Surprisingly, Leanna was also there at the charity gala with Conrad Silva, a Missi business executive, who was a university fraternity brother of Bry.

Leanna had approached Bry when Iya was with Berenice.

She asked him, “I did not know you were interested in my half-sister. So how did a playboy like you win over a nerdy woman like her? Did you shower her with expensive gifts? Did you give her an unforgettable o****m just like what you did with all your previous conquests? How soon will you leave her for a new conquest?”

Bry casually answered, “What we have is none of your damn business, Miss Monreal. I also have no obligation to divulge all the details of my personal life to you. Know your place. Be thankful you came with Conrad because if not, I could have easily asked my men to throw you out.”

He left her and approached Iya, who was with Berenice. He put his arm on Iya's back and then kissed the side of the top of her head sending that unfamiliar shiver all over her body again.

Berenice told him, “We were just talking about you, Bry. It seems to me that you have finally meet your match with Iya. I can already hear wedding bells.”

Bry smiled and answered, “I just convinced her to be my girlfriend after months of pursuing her. She wants us to take things slowly. But if I have my way, I want us to be married as soon as possible. I am not getting any younger anyway. I am ready to settle down and have my own family.”

Berenice reacted, “Who would have thought that my playboy cousin would think of marriage and family? You really have changed him for the better, Iya.”

Iya responded in a light manner, “Well, he really needed to behave very well if he really wanted to be my husband. I would not want to share my man with other women.”

Bry had known such a fact from the duration of their courtship before she agreed on a merger. Such a conviction from her had even been strengthened with her discovery of her father’s other family. His playful past was making it difficult for Iya to fully trust him even if she had already agreed on the merger involving their eventual marriage.

When they opened up the dance floor, Bry and Iya had a serious talk.

She voiced out, “I saw my half-sister approach you when I was with Berenice. What did she say?”

He told her honestly, “She was questioning my relationship with you. Perhaps she did not expect it because, these past few weeks, she had succeeded in following me around at almost all the venues of my business meetings in Missi. One of our staff had leaked the information. So Harry had already fired the culprit, who was your half-sister's college classmate.”

She voiced out her misgivings, “You have been used to playing around with liberated women like her and I am definitely their opposite. I am very well aware of your physical needs as a man. How were you able to resist the temptation? My half-sister is a very attractive woman and it seems to me that she is throwing herself freely on you.”

He looked directly into her eyes, “I am way past my playful days, Iya. As I told Bee, I am really ready to settle down. My grandfather had opened my eyes to the most suitable lady to be my wife. Your father also entrusted you to me. I was so blind back then not to see that you were that lady I have been searching for. We grew up like brother and sister. I have done lots of pranks on you. Then we had to face college years. In my search for 'the one', I kind of enjoyed the journey playing around with the wrong ones. When I started courting you, I had not dated or bedded any other woman. I just lost interest in them. My physical needs can wait.”

She answered, “You are my first boyfriend, Bry. And this just had to happen because of the merger. I am not sure if I will be capable of returning your feelings for me. After discovering about Dad’s other family, I just do not know if I can put my heart out anymore.”

He gently touched her left cheek with his right hand, “You will be my only one, Iya.”

She asked, “How can you be sure?”

He reached for her left hand with his right hand and rested it on his chest. “Can you feel that?”

She felt an elevated heart rate.

He told her, “It always beats like that whenever you are around. And when you are not, I always have the urge to be with you. This feeling is also quite new to me, Iya. Because in the past, I just acted on physical attraction.”

She sensed his sincerity and her fears just seemed to lessen. She had been starting to have romantic feelings for him already, but she was afraid to put her heart out on him, knowing that he had played around with so many women in the past.

She said, “I really hope that your feelings are for real and lasting, Bry. We will eventually get married and it would really break my heart if I had to share you with somebody else.”

He smiled and teased her, “I only want to sire my children with you, Iya. I have already made it clear to you last time. So you should better be ready for the task.”

Her cheeks blushed. Just the thought of them being intimate was giving her a mixed feeling of happy anticipation and unexplainable fears.

He drew her body much closer, kissed her forehead, and whispered teasingly, “Do not worry, I will be very gentle and patient with you as promised, babe.”

While everyone was feeling so giddy with the sweetness Bry was bestowing on Iya, Leanna was feeling so furious and envious.

She even heard Conrad say, “I have never seen Bry this smitten with a lady until now. He has been with much prettier and sexier ladies in the past. Even Courtney had vied for his attention and affection, but she had never succeeded in taming him down,” and then asked her, “What is in your half-sister that Bry seems to be crazy about, Leanna?”

Leanna said, “I really had no idea, Conrad. We did not grow up together. I seldom saw her. She was not even that pretty before, as far as I can remember. She wore thick glasses. Her teeth were misaligned. She was a little chubby also back then. I heard they grew up together with their parents being the best of friends. Papa is Bry’s godfather.”

Conrad complimented her, “Well to me, you are way much prettier than her.”

She returned such a compliment with a smile. She was already aware that Conrad was attracted to her.

Conrad was a business client who was romantically interested in her. She used such leverage, knowing that Conrad was a close fraternity brother to Bry.

In Leanna's mind – Yes, I am way prettier and sexier than her. So I really wonder why Bryan Angeles got attracted to her. He had always dated liberated ones like me in the past. Is he serious for real already? This is not good. I have to think of ways to break them apart. You cannot also have the richest man in Nidiria as your husband, Airia Monreal. If I cannot have him, then another lady might as well have him except for you. You are getting way too lucky. How were you able to make Bry wrapped around your fingers? He is even a perfect gentleman around you. What has gotten into him pursuing you for months? The two of you have been so private about it. No wonder he has always frequented the Monreal Mansion since you returned to the city. Mama had already warned me about this. He has always been with you after the bombing occurred. She was right all along. This cannot be happening!