Chapter One

HER eyes wandered around the moment she entered Kismet Café, looking for her friend Nicollete. When Avon learned that her co-writer was going to the office to get her paycheck, she immediately told Nicollete that she would tag along.

Nicollete was sitting on the couch near the entrance, so she found her quickly.

Avon kinda felt bad for her because she had to wait for hours. As usual, the traffic jam in Metro Manila was to blame. And if only it hadn’t taken so long for the bus to arrive, she would have been there earlier. Those were the reasons why she did not like going to Prestige. Usually, Avon would ask the accounting department to send her paycheck via mail. But that day was an exception. Aside from claiming her paycheck, her publisher ordered her to attend a meeting.

Sir Nate wanted her present in that meeting with the president of a certain company that he was collaborating with. He said it was a new business venture that would benefit her because the developer wanted to make a game out of the gothic series that she wrote. And when it comes to payments and royalties, Avon would not let it slide. Who would not want money?

Smiling, she sauntered towards Nicollete.

“You might suffer from a stiff neck very soon, dear,” she teased her, for she kept on looking at the counter. “Sorry for being late. Damn that traffic jam.” Avon sat on the chair across her.

“It’s okay. I keep myself well-entertained while waiting for you, dear.” Nicollete beamed.

“I can see that.” She nodded and turned in the direction Nicollete was looking at. A smile slowly curved on her lips when she saw the entertainment her friend was talking about.

Nicollete burst into soft laughter as if she was trying to hide it from someone.

“What? I’m talking about the videos that I’ve watched online,” said Nicollete.

“Ah, really?” But Avon knew better, so she chose not to believe in what she said.

“I thought you’re busy admiring God’s gift to women.” Nicollete narrowed her eyes. “Anyway, let me rest for a few minutes before we go up to the office, okay? It feels like my body is being divided into halves.” Her hands went to her lower back and patted it.

“What happened?” Nicollete asked worriedly.

Avon winced. “Well, I rode the bus standing from my city up to here.”

Nicollete shook her head. “I don’t get it why you use public transportation whenever you go here when you own a car.”

“I don’t drive this far when I’m alone. I have motion sickness. I don’t wanna get a ticket just because I pulled over in the expressway to puke.”

They both laughed at that.

“Why don’t you grab a cup of coffee first? The office is still on lunch break, so we still have time.”

Ah, Avon did not want coffee at the moment.

“Maybe later. I’m afraid it will make me even more nervous.”

“I’ll finish my coffee then,” Nicollete picked her cup, which was half-empty.

“Sure, take your time.”

Avon propped a hand on her chin and looked around the café as she waited for her friend to finish her coffee. Observing other people become one of her hobbies since she started writing. It really helped her a lot, especially in building her characters’ profiles.

Then, suddenly, just like that, she found herself recharging as if she had lost a tremendous amount of energy.

She had been feeling strange since she left home. Her heart kept on beating fast, and she found it hard to define the cause. Was she nervous or excited? Or could it be that the thought of meeting people scared her? Ah, when did she become an introvert?

But seriously, there was nothing to be scared of. Sir Nate was with her.

Avon’s mind was still far from reality when her gaze suddenly turned in the direction of the café’s infamous wall. And she did not know why the sight of it made her heart skip a beat.

“Nicollete…” she called her friend without taking her gaze away from the wall.

“Hmm?”

“Did you take a look at our sticky notes?” Avon turned to her friend.

“Yeah. They’re still intact. Why?” Nicollete turned off her netbook and put it inside her bag.

She let out a sigh of relief and looked at the wall again.

Last night, Avon had a bad dream. In her dream, the sticky note that she pasted on that wall fell off, and since then, misfortunes started happening, as if she was cursed. She knew it was just a dream. But still, she could not help but be afraid that it might happen for real. Sometimes, dreams do come true…

“I’m just… asking.”

“But what I’m about to tell you will shock you, Ara.” Nicollete smiled. She did not know why, but it gave her a swirling feeling inside her stomach. “I saw a folded sticky note inside the jar, which I suppose is one wish granted.”

Her eyes grew wider. “You gotta be kidding me…”

“No, I’m not.” The smile did not leave her friend’s face.

Avon stood up and headed to the counter to see the jar. Nicollete was not lying when she said that a wish on that wall came true.

“What the f—” she mouthed when she looked back at her.

She felt a roller coaster ride of emotions as she stared at her sticky note. What if her wish came true? Goodness gracious, she just wrote that wish out of fun!

Should she take it back now?

But what if that wish really turned into a curse because she took it back?

Ah, perhaps fate decided to play its tricks on her.

Avon prayed silently with her fingers crossed.

“PETER, come to my office. Now!” Roeden summoned his secretary through the intercom.

A few seconds later, his office door opened, and his secretary went in.

“Yes, Boss?” Peter asked politely with a smile on his face.

His naturally narrowed eyes got even narrower; they were almost slits now.

“How many times do I have to tell you to address me by my name?”

Peter scratched his head. “Ah… We’re in the office, so I thought it’s better to call you that.”

Roeden sighed. “Well, it sounds weird for me because we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Okay, bo—Roeden.” Peter scratched his head again. “Why did you summon me?”

“Look at this.” He turned the monitor in his direction so that he could see it.

Peter looked at the monitor and turned his gaze on him afterward.

“Do you still have issues with that?”

“Look at the villain’s face. Does it really have to be this cute? I mean, how can this face portray such a character?” Roeden leaned back on his seat. “Who’s the artist?”

“Eve. I already asked her why she made a cute-faced villain. She said that’s in nowadays—”

“Then tell Eve that she better follow my order or else she will lose her job,” he said in a stern tone.

Roeden was always open to his employees’ views and suggestions since he started the company. But there were times when he had to say no.

“Chill, Roeden. You don’t have to lose your cool over this matter,” Peter told him.

He propped a hand on his forehead and drew a breath. “How about the testing team?”

“They’re ready. Everyone’s schedule is cleared for the game testing, scheduled on the third Saturday of the month. And oh, they said they’re looking forward to the after-party.” Peter grinned.

The company’s testing team was composed of his high school friends who had the same hobby as his—playing computer games. Each of them has his own job, but whenever Roeden calls them, they will never let him down. Perhaps playing games became each and everyone’s stress reliever.

“Of course, I will never forget to treat them,” he shook his head and smiled. “What’s my schedule for this afternoon?”

“You have a meeting at two pm.”

“With whom?” Roeden turned off his computer.

“Mr. Nate Sandejas of Prestige Publishing Corp. We have a collaboration with them.”

“Ah, right. That gothic series we’re about to turn into a game.”

It was last year’s bookfair. Roeden went to the venue to look for a client for the platform his company was about to develop. But things changed when he met Nate Sandejas of Prestige Publishing. After knowing about Lionsoft, he immediately offered him a collaboration—to make a game out of his publishing’s best-selling gothic series. Nate pitched the series concept, and he really liked it so he said yes to that collaboration.

“How about the author? Will she join the meeting?”

“Yes. Mer. Sandejas confirmed that the author will be attending the meeting.

“Who is that author again?” Roeden absent-mindedly tapped his fingers on the table.

Peter lowered his gaze on his tablet and tapped a few times. “Ara Louise.”

The pen name rang a bell. And there goes that strange feeling on his chest.

“It sounds familiar, I think I’ve read or heard it somewhere. Ah, my memory is failing me.”

Peter just shrugged. “You better leave now if you don’t wanna be late for the meeting.”

“Ah, right.” He stood up and grabbed his coat and keys.

Leaving the office two hours before the set time of the meeting was indeed a good choice. As expected, Roeden got stuck in the traffic on his way to Prestige, but he still managed to arrive a few minutes early.

He got out of his car and called the publisher.

“Hello, Mr. Sandejas. This is Roeden of Lionsoft. I called to inform you that I’m here in your vicinity.”

“Oh, I see,” said Mr. Sandejas. “You see the café on the ground floor? I’ll see you there in a jiffy.”

“All right. Take your time, Sir.”

Roeden pushed the door open and went inside the café. A wall filled with sticky notes greeted him. He did not know why, but he found himself walking towards the wall as if his feet had a mind of their own.

His eyes scanned the notes. It seemed that it was a wishing wall because all he could read were wishes. And then, there was this sticky note that stood out among the others. The wish was written in red capital letters. The note says:

I WISH TO BE PREGNANT WITH ROEDEN’S CHILD—Ara Louise.

It made his head spin round. Roeden was sure that it was about him. Now he knew why the pen name Ara Louise rang a bell.

Ah, it has been five years since…

“Grande caramel macchiato for Ara Louise!”

Roeden immediately turned in the direction of the counter when the barista said that familiar name again. Then, he saw a woman saunter towards the counter with her hands on her waist. The moment her hand grabbed the cup of coffee, Roeden strode towards the woman. But he did not approach her instantly. He stopped just behind her and summoned the strength that seemed to be lost a while ago.

His hands clenched and unclenched on his sides.

“Avonlei!” he called her.