To The Top Of A Cliff (Girls of Chicago Series #1)

I’m drunk. I don’t know what is going on around me because everything is spinning. Everything is moving and I love this feeling. Being drunk is always a way for me to let go of my problems in life—problems I don’t know why I’m facing, problems I shouldn’t be facing if Mom only became a little less greedy. Everyone says I’m her copycat. I’m her younger version. Not only because we look alike—we are both beautiful Latinas because it is her decent—but also because we think alike. I beg to differ. I am in no way similar with my mother. She’s ruthless when it comes to business. She wants more for herself. She loves money. And that’s the main reason why she married my stepfather. She wanted endless money and she’ll only be able to do so when she marries a rich businessman. I may love money because spending it is my heaven but I will never be able to make myself marry a man for money. I will not marry a man for convenience. That’s the last thing I would do to survive. I have a dream I want to achieve. I am currently studying fashion design because I want to be a renowned fashion designer in the future. I want famous personalities to wear my brand. I want people to know me as the best designer in the whole world. I have big dreams and I want to achieve no matter what happens. Mom was never supportive of me being a fashion designer. She wanted me to take up business which I vehemently refused. I don’t want to waste my time studying for something I am not really fond of. I don’t want to waste my time studying a course I am not happy with. So I fought for it. And gladly, I have won it. But she had made me promise that I will be the best in the field so we could expand to the fashion industry as well. She has been on the talks with the Blacks and I think she’ll get it, given that she is friends with Sylvia Black. She can make it happen. I’ve never really cared about it until I knew that Heaven, my stepsister, is working for Sage Black, the son of Sylvia Black and the CEO of Black Realty. I hated Heaven. She’s sweet and kind. She’s got everything that I don’t. And above all, she has a father. I have never been introduced to my biological father. I have never known who he is. Mom would not tell me. She won’t even let me see his pictures. But I am curious. When I was a kid, I have always dreamed of having a father. I have always wished that I’d go home from school and I would finally see him—that he would be home, waiting for me. But it had never happened. Until Mom married Nelson Campbell, I thought I would stop longing for my real father. But it didn’t end. There was not a day that I wasn’t jealous of Heaven. She had a father who loved her. Her mother might have died when she was born but it was so obvious that her mother loved her more that she ever loved her own life. She chose to die for her. I never had anyone die for me. Not that I want Mom to do so. Since then, I have always wanted to take everything from her. I don’t want her to win over me. So, I did my best to get her father’s trust. I did whatever I could to put her under the rag. And I succeeded. Or so I think. Mom and I succeeded to kick her off the house without Nelson even knowing. Heaven left on her own term. She left and became the awful daughter. And I stepped in to be Nelson’s good daughter. I thought it was already victory for me. But I was wrong. When I saw Sage Black fight for her in front of his own mother, I was even angrier. Why does she always get someone’s sympathy? How come Sage Black fell for her? I can’t believe it. And, most of all, I cannot acknowledge it. So I did my hardest to tear them apart. And I succeeded once more. Heaven must have loved running away. She was good at it. She ran away and left Sage alone. She never showed herself to him again. But even then, I didn’t get to secure Sage. Just today, he raised his refusal for our engagement with conviction. He didn’t want to be with me. He didn’t want anything to do with me. And honestly, I didn’t want anything to do with him, either. I just hated seeing Heaven happy. But his refusal hurt…a little bit. And maybe that’s the reason why I am here, drowning myself in alcohol even when it’s a f*****g school night. I even have an exam tomorrow but I here I am, drunk and wasted—dancing with just anyone else, grinding over anyone else. I shut my eyes tightly as I felt my body slanting a little. I feel my body falling. I tried to walk but my vision is getting blurry. Maybe I drank too much. I was about to fall to the ground when someone held my waist, helping me stand. “You need to go home,” a low baritone said. Even with the blasting music in the speakers, I could hear sternness in his voice. I tried to turn to him and see his face but my eyes are already shut. I can no longer see anything. Mom would kill me when she knew I was stupid drunk. I never got stupid drunk. I party but I always go home sober. The worst thing I could do is go home tipsy. But tonight is an exception. My ego is bruised. That f*****g asshole of a Sage Black did it. He didn’t want to be with me? Well, I don’t want to be with him too! But I will see to it that he will never be happy. He will never have Heaven back! “Miss, you’ve had a lot to drink,” the man said again. He assisted me to a couch and handed me a glass. He placed it close to my mouth and I sipped on it. Water. Thank God, there’s water! I grabbed the glass from him and chugged down the remaining water. I let out a satisfied and relieved sound right after as I rested on the couch’s head rest. “Who are you with?” the man asked me again. I opened my right eye. I can only see a silhouette of a man. “I…am al-alone…” I replied in between hiccups. I heard him let out a heavy sigh before taking my bag from me. Wait, is he going to rob me? I want to scream but my body won’t let me. I could hear my keys clinking. “That’s my car…” I said in a slurred speech so I don’t know if he understood it. “Where is it?” he asked me. “Lot,” I replied. He let out another heavy breath before holding my hand and assisting me to get up. “My…feet…hurt,” I told him before giggling for no apparent reason. I sniffed on him and smiled. “You…smell…good.” He stopped and looked at me. “I may smell good according to you and you might look like a sophisticated princess, but I will never take advantage of you.” I laughed at him as we walked. I believe we’re headed out because the music was starting to fade…and I could feel the cold wind brush my skin. “Who are you?” I asked him. “Where do you live?” I chuckled. “Mom would see you. I don’t want to go home,” I replied. “Where do you want to go?” I sighed and stopped. I looked at him and this time, I could see the view of the side of his face. And even from a brief moment, I can’t help but notice his long lashes, tall nose and his sharp jawline. There were no stubbles in it. He was cleanly shaved. He suddenly turned to me with furrowed brows. My eyes widened when his dark brown eyes met mine. The light from the lamp post is gleaming from his eyes. “Where do you want to go?” he asked again. I blinked twice. In an instant, I feel like all the alcohol has been flushed out of my system. My lips parted, seemingly in awe of the beauty of the man in front of me. I have seen handsome men. But…I have never had a man affect me this way. My world seemed to stop spinning and sobriety is slowly embracing me. I swallowed hard and stepped out of his grip making his brows furrow even more. I looked away. “I’m fine,” I told him. I looked at my bag he’s holding and snatched it from him immediately. “I can go home alone.” I started to turn around to walk to the parking lot when I felt him holding my elbow. I looked at him and saw him staring at me with suspicious eyes. He must be wondering why I am suddenly acting this way and I totally understand. I was just stupid drunk a while ago but a glimpse of his face and I’m on my feet again. “You drank too much. You can’t drive,” he told me in a stern voice. I shook my head. “No, I can manage!” I immediately responded without any hint of alcohol in my system. He c****d his head to the side. “Don’t drive at least,” he told me. “I’ll get you a cab. You can get your car from here in the morning.” I pursed my lips in a thin line before nodding. “Okay,” I replied. That’s the safest solution, I guess. He shook his head in disbelief and walked towards the sidewalk. He must be thinking that I’m crazy. I just told him that I don’t want to go home but one glimpse on his face and I am f*****g sober. I want to smash my head on the lamp post this instant! I can’t believe I chickened out just because of a dangerously handsome man! I shut my eyes and tried to calm myself down. I shouldn’t worry about it. I might not see him in the future anymore. I won’t come in this club again. I will just drink at home or at chill restobars. “There you go,” he said and I opened my eyes only to see a cab right in front of me. He opened the backseat of the cab and motioned me to get in. I bit the inside of my cheek as I hopped inside the cab. He looked at me one last time before closing the door. I thought he was going to leave but he knocked on the shotgun seat, making the driver pull the window down. “Take care of my girlfriend,” he told the driver in an authoritative tone. He also handed him fifty bucks. He turned to me in the backseat before standing away. The driver nodded at him before pulling the window up and stepping on the gas. I gulped hard when I saw the man watching the cab as it drove away. I couldn’t fight the urge to look back at him and saw him standing by the sidewalk, watching the cab. I frowned at myself, unable to explain the overwhelming feeling in my chest. I have never been treated by a man like that. And he called me his girlfriend. He even paid for the cab fee. I sighed. Now, I wish to see him again. I hope I would see him again. I sighed harder. I should have gotten his name at least. “Where to, Ma’am?” the driver asked. I told him my address and he input it on his GPS application. I looked out the window. I wonder if I’ll see him again.