***
Dove broke the hug a few minutes later, and both smiled at each other.
“It’s definitely going to take days before you recover,” He said.
“Don’t worry Vinny, the bruises will be gone soon. I heal quickly and injuries don’t stay glued in my skin” She smiled, but Vinny looked at her with sad eyes.
“What’s wrong, Vinny? I’m fine”
“I wish… I wish I could take away the pains you’re feeling right now. Seeing these bruises all over your face and body is aching my heart. Maybe I should have left Niko on the street rather than sending ambulance to get him”
“You have done enough. In no time the pains will go away, trust me”
Vincent caressed her hair, and she smiled
“Have you been able to get another suppliers?” She asked.
“Not yet, but Candy is working on it”
“I am sorry I had to terminate my contract with your company”
“You don’t have to apologize to Dovey. You should focused more on your dreams”
“Dreams?”
“I am sorry, but I heard your conversation with your dad while standing at the door. You want to be a cartoonist, like a web-toon writer, right?”
Dove nodded her head and sat on the bed, Vinny sat down with her.
“It has always been my dream to become a web-toon writer. During my high school days, my classmates always praised me for having ski||s in drawing. Back then I used to make my own web-toon stories on papers, and I would share it with my classmates and they’d comment on it after reading the full story. There was a time I almost got beaten up, cuz I drew a scene where the male lead died. They were like you shouldn’t have done that, you’d have allowed him to have a happy ending after all his sufferings. It was so funny!” Dove said laughing.
Vincent smiled watching her little set of teeth. Everything about her was so small.
“Isn’t it too cruel to make a ML die?”
“I love sad endings”
“What? Are you a witch?”
Dove laughs
“It’s only a witch that loves sad endings. I might not be a lover of books, but I don’t like sad endings”
“I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s not every time the lead characters will have a happy ending”
“You’d be the worst web-toon writer, if you continued writing sad endings. Jayden has the best selling books cuz he always leaves a smile on the readers’ faces”
“I know”
“You read his web-toon books?”
“Yes, I am one of his fans. I also want to become a popular writer like him. He’s not just good with romantic lines, but suspense as well. His stories are top notch, and I was surprised when I found out that you both are friends”
“Why? What’s so wrong with me?”
“I use to think you’re a jerk, but not anymore”
“Of course you should. I stop drinking and smoking and even change my hairstyle because of you. I wonder why you’re still having doubts about my feelings for you”
Dove only smiled.
“I am going to help you,” Vincent said after a few silences.
“With what?”
“I’m going to talk to Jayden, he will make you a part of his company. He has lots of web- toon writers that are working under him. You’d get famous, cuz any books that comes out from his company does well, and some are even turned into movies”
“What if he doesn’t accept me? I heard he works with experts”
“Who won’t accept you? Jayden? A few knocks will just do the talking” Vincent said and they both laugh.
“Thank you so much, Vinny. This is a big time opportunity”
“Anything for you, Dovey” He winked at her and she smiled.
“My first web-toon will be a story about us”
“I love it, make sure I end up having you at the end of the story and we will have five kids together”
“Vinny!”
Both laughed.
***
Few minutes after chit chatting together, Dove slept off, and Vincent covered her properly before going downstairs.
“I thought you won’t come out from her room” Snow said.
Vincent smiled and took an apple from the fridge.
“When are you leaving?” Jovita asked, shoving a full spoon of oatmeal in her mouth.
The three of them were inside the kitchen.
“Are you driving me away from my aunt’s house?” He sat beside her.
“Can you blame me? Anytime you come here, you’re always in a hurry to leave, but not anymore cuz Dove is here”
“Leave my son alone, he is in love” Snow smiled at Vincent and gave him a plate of noodles.
“Thanks Auntie”
“Mom, are you sure you didn’t adopt me? Cuz you love Vincent more than me!”
“You didn’t know? Auntie adopted you and that’s why she loves me more” Vincent said, playfully.
“Who are my parents?”
“Stop joking around” Snow said and the three of them laughed.
“I got a call from my dad, earlier”
“Grandpa!” Vincent and Jovita said at the same time.
“Yes”
“Hope he doesn’t want me to visit. Tell him I have died” Jovita said, and Vincent hit her head lightly.
“It’s not funny”
“Well he wants Vincent to visit him”
“Why me? Tell him I have lots of work to do in my company”
“Thank God it’s not me” Jovita giggles happily.
“I already said yes to him, and he said you should come with your girlfriend”
“But I don’t have a girlfriend!”
“Figure it out yourself, cuz I told him you’re no longer a bad boy and you’re in a relationship” Snow leaves.
“Auntie! Why would you do that? I don’t have a girl talking about adding a friend to it!”
Jovita started laughing
“I am sure the reason why grandpa wants you to come with your girlfriend is to know if you’re still a bad boy. You know how grandpa is right, he’d give you an earful, talking about his good deeds from the 60s down to the current century without leaving any story behind” Jovita said, demonstrating.
“Shut up” He ruffled her hair.
“Mom! Vincent is bullying me!” Jovita faked a cry.
“Carton”
Both of them laugh.
******
•IZZY’S HOUSE, NEXT DAY•
Izzy sat on the small dining table with her mom. Her mom don’t often stay with them because she is working on the sea, so she comes back home from time to time.
“Why are you leaving the entire cooking for Angel, including the chores too?” Linda asked.
“She is a teenager, this is the perfect time to learn all of this” Izzy said.
“While you sit down acting like the boss, right?”
“It’s fine mom, I love doing chores” Angel said coming out from the kitchen with a tray containing their food, and she began serving them.
“She is not complaining mom, so let it slide” Izzy said.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Linda asked.
“Mom! Don’t tell me you came home just to ask me about my boyfriend”
“Why not? You’re twenty-four. You’re one year older than Dove, but she is in a relationship”
“I rather be single than be in the kind of relationship that Dove has with Niko”
“Meaning?”
“The food is getting cold, let’s eat” Angel said.
Angel knew what Niko did to Dove, cuz Joaquin told her.
“Why is no one talking? What did Niko do to Dove?”
“Let’s just eat mom, it’s so delicious”
“Very delicious,” Angel added.
******
•SNOW’S MANSION•
“Thanks for dropping by to see me” Dove said to Izzy.
“Don’t thank me. Today happens to be my day off, and my mom won’t stop nagging me about getting a boyfriend”
“She is back?”
“Yes, and she is giving me an earful”
“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” Jovita chipped in.
Izzy didn’t say a word for the first few seconds, cuz the reason why is refusing to date is because of her love for Charon, who happens to have a girlfriend.
“I don’t want to be in a relationship. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?” Izzy asked.
Jovita fakes a smile. “No, I don’t” She lied.
The door opened and Vincent came in with his friends. Izzy and Dove screamed on seeing Jayden.
“Jayden!!!!”
Jayden gave out a shocking smile.
“The both of you know me?”
“Of course we do, we’re a fan of your stories” Izzy said, and Dove nodded.
“Thanks for the compliment,” Jayden said with a smile. His eyes fell on Dove’s bruises, and he knew she was Dove.
“Nice meeting you Dove, I have heard so much about you from Vincent”
Dove smiled.
“I am Charon. I’m glad to finally see the lady that made our best friend’s heart beat” Charon said.
“Stop it already,” Vincent said.
Dove looked at him and smiled.
Charon and Izzy’s eyes met, but Izzy looked away, pretending she didn’t know him.
“Sorry for what Niko did to you. Should we add more beatings to the ones Vincent gave to him? I’m a fighter, you know” Jayden said.
Dove laughed.
“We got you lots of presents,” Charon said.
“Why?” Dove asked.
“Because you change this baddie standing over there” Jayden said pointing at Vincent.
In no time, some men started entering the house with lots of gifts that Charon and Jayden got for Dove.
Dove keeps gasping because of the gifts.
Vincent’s eyes on her beautiful boxy smile.
Charon and Izzy avoiding each other’s eyes
Jovita and Jayden secretly blow kisses at each other.
***
“So you know how to draw?” Jayden asked after Vincent told him he wanted Dove to be part of his company.
“Yes,” Dove answered.
“Well I will give you a chance to be part of my writing company, but as intern first”
“Why an intern? I thought you’d allow her to publish her stories right away?” Vincent asked.
“Web-toon is different from hand writing stories, Vincent. If it’s a writing story all you need to do is write, but web-toon is different. You need to draw the background, the characters, and every single thing you’re writing is being drawn, that’s why she needs to be an intern and learn how it’s done properly” Jayden said.
“Jayden is right, Vinny. I don’t know how to draw the backgrounds, so being an intern for a while will be fine with me. Thanks, Jayden”
“I will do anything for the lady that changed my best friend” Jayden winked at her.
“Do you want to die?!” Vincent asked.
“Relax, it’s just a wink. I’m not taking her from you” Jayden said, funnily.
Vincent throws his sneakers at him, and it hits Jayden’s forehead.
“How dare you hit my cute face? Dove he is lying, he doesn’t love you”
“Jayden!”
Vincent and Jayden ran in circles, cuz Vincent was chasing him.
Dove laughed so hard, forgetting her sadness.
******
•A WEEK LATER•
“Are you sure you want to go back home?” Vincent asked as he drove her home.
“Yes. My bruises aren’t not visible anymore. My dad has been calling me, so I need to be with them. Thanks so much”
“Thanks for what?”
“I know I am the reason why you spent a week at your Aunt’s house. You took care of me, and made me so happy. I even added weight cuz you kept cooking nonstop and forcing me to eat it all”
“Then marry me, you will add more weight and even add a little height,” Vincent said.
“Fine, I will marry you”
“Really?”
“Joking!” She said, laughing.
Vincent looked at her and smiled.
They arrived at her house, and just after they came down from the car, Niko approached him. He still has some of the wounds he got from Vincent’s punches.
“Dove” He tried touching her, but Vincent blocked him.
“You have no right to touch her”
“This is between me and my girlfriend, so get lost!” Niko shouted and punched Vincent.
Vincent fell to the ground with a busted lip.
“Vinny!” Dove went to Vincent, and seeing the blood on his lip, Dove went back to Niko and kicked him so hard on his Ďïčk.
Niko groaned in pain.
“You have no right to call me your girlfriend, not after you beat me up like an animal! Do you know how traumatized I was and the pains I went through?!”
“I am so sorry. It wasn’t intentional” Niko said, he was feeling pains down there, cuz Dove kicked him so hard.
“It wasn’t intentional? You almost ki||ed me, Niko! What if you had ki||ed me, would you have said it wasn’t intentional?!”
“Dove, I am so sorry. I love you so much” He said in tears, trying to touch her, but Dove jerked his hand off, and kicked his Ďïčk again.
Niko fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
“I should have done this when you beat up like an animal. I don’t want to see your face. You disgust me, Niko!!” Dove shouted at him.
She took Vincent’s hand and entered the house.
“Dove” Niko called her name, and he began crying like a baby.
……
TBC