Chapter 5

Two months have passed and he didn’t hear anything from Aubrey Calderon. That day, he handed her a calling card where she could reach him in case she would need him again…or maybe if she would need a friend. However, he hasn’t heard anything from her since that day.

“What’s wrong, Collin?” Dean asked when Collin kept on pacing back and forth inside his office. “Hey, dude! I asked you a question, didn’t you hear me?”

“She didn’t get in touch with me, Dean,” he replied.

“One night stands would usually end up like that,” Dean stated a fact.

“I know, Dean. Still, she should send me a message,” Collin complained.

Dean sighed and said, “If you want to talk to her, then go and visit her place.”

Easier said than done! Aubrey Calderon turned out to be Dean’s distant cousin, whose family owned a group of shipping companies. Aubrey’s father was a business tycoon with interests in shipping and logistics companies. Not only that, her father also has a group of hotels that could rival The Salcedo’s!

“Wait, are you scared, Collin? Whoa, this isn’t like you!” Dean exclaimed his disbelief that the previous president of Club Adonis was scared to face a woman…for the first time!

“That was years ago, Dean! I was young and reckless back then,” he reasoned out.

“Well, you are still reckless,” Dean pointed out the obvious.  “You just stopped playing around with women, Collin, but you can’t change whoever you are. If you are that scared, should I call Aubrey right now? I can give her a head’s up that you are coming to her place,” Dean teased Collin.

“Fine! Give me her address,” he said.

“Do you think I will let you live if Aubrey’s really pregnant with your child, Collin? I may not be close to her but she’s still my relative, and you, young man, should be responsible for what you did.”

“It was all her idea, Dean! I didn’t force her to have sex with me,” he stated.

“Stop! I don’t want to listen to details,” Dean said before taking a post-it note to list down Aubrey’s address where Collin could see her again. “Her,” he said.

“Thank you, Dean. I should get going now,” he said, and as he read the address, he was surprised to know that she was just an hour away from the ranch. Actually, as soon as he learned that Aubrey was a distant cousin to Dean, he expected her to be living in a luxurious village. It was another example of expectation versus reality.

Cordova was a traditional trading hub in every sense of the word. The ever-clear sky that has helped form the city complemented the grandeur of the building. The skyline was peppered with magnificent buildings, and it seemed like a new one was built every other week or so. As he maneuvered his car towards Aubrey’s address, he was careful that no one would see him. For several years, he stayed out of Cordova, and he didn’t expect to be back again. Because of Aubrey, he had no choice but to come home. Still, he hoped that his father wouldn’t know about his homecoming because he was going straight to Aubrey’s home.

When he arrived at his destination, he stayed outside the gate for a long time, before he got the courage to press the doorbell. Fortunately, Aubrey’s house was on the west side of Cordova and his father’s estate was in the East. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be long before David Hendricks would know about his homecoming in Cordova.

When nobody seemed to notice that he was outside, he pressed the doorbell again, and this time, someone came. “Hello,” he greeted the middle-aged woman. “Is Aubrey home? I tried calling her number but she’s probably busy,” he said.

“May I know who is looking for Miss Aubrey?”

“Collin Hendricks, her boyfriend,” he lied, but he couldn’t let the woman send him away. “We had a misunderstanding earlier, and then she ended the call. I missed her terribly,” he said with so much conviction that the woman automatically believed him, and opened the gate. He started the car’s engine and entered the gate. The garage must have been underground or at the back, so he opted to park his vehicle near the fountain.

“Follow me, sir.”

Collin silently followed the woman towards the main door and waited until it was open. The foyer was kept simple but when he reached the living room, his eyes widened at the obvious display of luxurious pieces of furniture. Then, he stood frozen upon seeing her again after two months. The woman immediately frowned upon seeing him, but he just smiled in response.

”Hello Aubrey,” Collin said as he waved his hand at Aubrey. However, it was a middle-aged woman who stood up to meet him.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Collin Hendricks, Madame. Aubrey’s boyfriend,” he added.

“W-what?”

“You look pale, Aubrey. How’s your pregnancy?” He asked, and Aubrey’s eyes widened in surprise that he dared to ask such a question. When she stared daggers at him, was he supposed to cower? “Aubrey, wait-”

Everyone in the living room gasped for breath when Aubrey slapped both of his cheeks. She did it so fast that he was not able to dodge her attack. The least he could do was touch his face where she hit him and bit his lower lip out of embarrassment.

On the other hand, Aubrey was seething with anger towards Collin Hendricks for daring to show up in her residence. “You are not welcome here, Collin,” she informed him.

“Oh really, Aubrey? And what about your pregnancy?” He was about to ask for more when the middle-aged woman interrupted their conversation and joined in.

“Aubrey, who is this man?”

“Don’t be concerned about him, Ysabelle. He was just someone I had a one night stand with,” Aubrey explained, and everyone, including Ysabelle, furrowed their brows in confusion.

“A whole night stand,” Collin corrected her because they spent the entire night together as he helped her to conceive.

“Does it matter, Collin? Tell me, why you are here. Have you changed your mind? Do you want your payment now?” Aubrey fired several questions, and she didn’t care if he was insulted or not.