Chapter 39

Ryo’s hand holding pen froze in mid-air when he heard the voice. “Did I miss Ellie so much I’m hearing things?” He shifted his gaze from the poster on the table to the person who stood before him. There she is, standing in front of him, all smiles, as usual. Her tiny dimples stressed her smile.

“Ellie?” He asked, still could not believe what he’s seeing.

“Hi!” she said, waving her hand. She bit her bottom lip and looked at him with a suppressed laugh. Ryo stilled himself from pulling her to sit on her lap and shower her with kisses. “Please sign it for Naya,” she said, pushing the poster closer to him.

It brought him out of his reverie. His hand moved in muscle memory as he signed his name without removing his gaze from her. When done, she took the poster, thanked him, and moved away. Ryo followed her movement. He felt a little nervous when she moved to the table next to him and had asked Sofia to sign the same poster. She even took her phone out to have a photo with her. He could not help but swallow the lump in his throat he did not know he had.

Before leaving the stage, Ellie gave him a quick look. Their eyes met, and she gave him a playful wink. Ryo’s heart thumped in his chest, partly from giddiness and from nervousness. Yes, he’s nervous. Although he told Ellie about his past relationships, he had not gone to details and inform him of Sofia. More so, he forgot to mention that they’re working on a project.

He felt a headache forming. He did not know how Ellie would take the whole situation. She’s understanding and broad minded but sometimes women’s minds were such an intricate maze. It’s difficult to guess what they’re thinking. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the worst. His eyes darted to the audience and connected with Sam’s. The other person got his message and had bowed his head.

When the fans’ day finished, he did not waste time and fished his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Ellie’s number, but it’s unattended. “Shit!” he muttered, feeling irritated and helpless with the situation.

Sofia sensed his agitation and found it as an excuse to approach him. She hugged Ryo from behind. “What’s wrong, baby? You’re so tensed,” she purred and rubbed the side of her face to his back.

Ryo stiffened from her actions. His eyes looked around for cameras. He spun around and pushed her away from him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he screamed at her. His voice was so loud it caught the attention of some people, but he did not give a damn. Ellie’s phone is still unattended. And he did not know what she’s thinking right now.

“You look agitated, baby, and I only liked to ease your tension. Was that so bad?” she said in an aggrieved tone. Her watery eyes looked up to him as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“The hell! Keep your BS to yourself. I don’t need it.” He shot her his signature dagger look before walking away.

“Miyagi, check all cameras make sure there’s no photo of Sofia hugging me from behind.” he instructed his secretary who nodded his understanding.

There was no need for Ryo to give the instruction. He and the rest of Ryo’s men already took care of the cameras and paparazzi the moment he saw Sofia follow Ryo. He never liked that girl, and he knew she’s up to no good. And she did not disappoint. She pounced on the opportunity as soon as she saw it. Her career dwindled after their breakup, and Ryo did not even need to do anything to make that happen. There were no new projects going her way. She’s surviving from the contracts she closed when she and Ryo were still an item. The woman had no talent at all. She got to where she was because of Ryo’s clout. It does not take a genius to guess what her next move would be.

She and Ellie were a league apart. When Ryo called him to help Ellie out in her business, he thought Ellie was like the other girls his master dated. They’re all after what he could give them. In the few times he spoke with her, their conversations revolved around Ryo. What he likes, his hobbies, and his schedule are. He had to remind her of the reason Ryo asked him to contact her, which was to help her with marketing her business.

“To be honest, Miyagi, I don’t need the help. I only said ‘yes’ to Ryo because I know he would not take any other answer. I liked my business the way it is. If it grew any bigger, the workload would kill me.”

It’s what Ellie said, which got her to his good side. He did not think twice to report to her about Ryo’s schedule and day-to-day life. She noticed the small things like if his diet or sleep. Small things that none of Ryo’s previous partners paid attention to. All they did was to ask him for things or to use his connections. One even went so far as using the Clan to deal with her family’s rival.

The only time Ellie asked him for a favor was to help her arrange a surprise visit for Ryo. She wanted him to clear his schedule for a week. She called it a favor, but it’s his master who benefited the most. This made him loyal to her. He rooted for her to be Ryo’s life partner. Her simplicity and good nature are a perfect balance to Ryo’s life.

Ryo had also changed since he met Ellie. He’s more considerate to others in language and in action. He did not throw as much tantrums as he did in the past. Ellie’s kindness rubbed off on him and everyone working for Ryo benefited from it. But then, they still did not make a mistake of thinking Ryo has softened a bit. The rage he had on Ellie’s assault was proof. He pummeled the man to a pulp with his hands. Had Ellie not intervened, he’s sure that he would either be a cripple or dead.

He dialed Sam’s number, which connected after two rings. “Where are you? Why did you bring her here?” he spat on his phone. It brought him headache when he saw Ellie earlier. He knew there would be trouble. He briefed everyone on Ryo’s team about Ellie being in the venue. They knew her by word of mouth and have grown a liking for her. They suppressed the paparazzi and manned all surveillance cameras.

Had Ellie been like the other women Ryo dated, it would have been easy to appease her. An expensive jewelry, a car, or a vacation would have done the trick. But this is Ellie. She did not want any of those. But he had to give it a shot.