Dangerous Solace

ESTHER ROSALES smiled proudly as she received the plaque and certificate. She was awarded as one of the best patissiers in Asia together with her colleagues that she met in this international competition for pastry chefs.

"Congratulations!"

Esther smiled. "Thank you."

After receiving her award, she went back to her seat and took a picture of it. Then she sends it to her fiancé. For some reason, Nate didn't come. She understood because she knew that Nate had a lot of things to do in his company. She felt disappointed because this event was once in a lifetime. She wanted it to become memorable, to cherish it.

"Hi, Esther." Amarie, just like her, a pastry chef, greeted her with a hug.

"Congratulations," Esther greeted.

Amarie flipped her hair. "Congratulations to you too."

Esther smiled. "Thank you."

"So, what's your plan right now?" Amarie asked as she took a cupcake from the buffet table.

Esther sighed and shrugged. "Since the competition has ended. I have to go back and work or do business."

"Call me. I'll visit you."

Esther chuckled. "Forget it. Your husband wouldn't allow you to do that until you give birth."

Amarie pouted as she caressed her three-month-old belly. "Yeah, my husband was protective." She said with a shrug in her voice.

"Hey, I heard that tone, Honey." From behind, Amarie's husband, Peter, appeared. And he hugged Amarie from behind. Amarie's husband was one of the sponsors of this event.

"Done meeting with your co-sponsors?" Amarie asked her husband.

Peter smiled. "Yeah." He kissed his wife's lips.

Esther looked away. Though she had a fiancé, she never allowed Nate to touch her or even kiss her. She wanted to be pure before the wedding. With this kind of intimacy, she was embarrassed to watch someone kissing.

"Miss Esther Rosales, right?"

Esther looked at Peter. "Yes, it's me."

Peter lifted his hand. He was holding a blue paper bag with a chef's apron design. "Someone wants to give you this."

"Who is it?" Esther asked as she took the paper bag from Peter.

Peter shakes his head. "He doesn't want to tell his name. He just expressed his greetings to you as you were awarded one of the best pastry chefs in Asia." He had a mysterious smile on his lips.

Esther was confused. Who could it be? "Thank you."

Peter nodded his head. "You should thank him instead. This is his number." He handed a piece of paper to Esther.

Esther looked at the number. It was a code number from her country. So, that means the person who gave her the gift was from the Philippines. She put the paper in her pocket. Then she bid goodbye to Amarie and Peter. After the ceremony, and bid goodbye to her teachers, classmates, and colleagues, she went home.

She has already packed her clothes. She planned to go home after the awarding ceremony. For some reason, she's not excited about going home. Nate promised her that after she made a name for herself, they would get married. They are an arranged marriage by their parents. Nate had told her that they must fall in love. Yes, it did. She fell in love with Nate, but Nate isn't the kind of man who will support your dreams. She loved him because he was sweet, but later, that love faded.

Esther thought Nate could be the one who would lift her from the abyss of misery that she was experiencing from her family, but she was still disappointed when she learned the truth. The truth is... why does Nate agree to marry her? Nate didn't love her truly. He was using her to get something. For her, there's no love for Nate. Right now, she was just fulfilling her parents' wish, to marry the man they had chosen for her.

Esther remembered the gift she received. She sat on the edge of her bed and opened the paper bag. A smile crept to her lips when she saw it was a mug. There's also a congratulatory message. "Congratulations, Esther." She read the note.

She took out the mug and saw her last name written on the mug with the word 'Patissier' below her last name. Then a quote was written on the other side of the mug, 'A Symphony of flavors, crafted with love and precision'. At the bottom of the mug, she saw the initials written 'RZV'. Esther smiled because she already knew where the gift came from. It's from her sponsor who supports her studies in college and everything.

Without her sponsor who was willing to finance her studies, she wouldn't be able to go abroad and participate in such an event. She never met her sponsor, but her sponsor promised her that they would meet after she went back to their country.

After her studies in college, she was invited to Singapore by her teacher to study again for another two years ago, to work and make a name for herself. In Singapore, she learned a lot and was given the chance to participate in the international competition and finally made a name.

Now, she's going back.

Smiling, she put the mug inside her suitcase together with the awards she had received. She checked her bag to see if she was missing her travel documents. When she saw nothing was amiss, she closed her suitcase.

Then she wrote a "Thank You" letter to her benefactor. After Esther wrote the letter, she put it inside her bag, took her suitcase, and left, then went to the airport. She didn't tell Nate she was coming home because she wanted to surprise him.

Esther arrived at the airport earlier than her scheduled flight. She waited for her boarding schedule. She didn't realize that she had fallen asleep in the waiting area. She was awakened by the announcement of the boarding schedule. Esther was surprised when she saw a coat put on her. Where did this come from? Someone put it on her.

Esther readied her boarding pass and identification and waited for the regular boarding while wondering who might be the person who was putting the coat on her. She took the coat close to her nose and smelled it. A Calvin Klein fragrance entered her nostrils. Judging by the smell, the coat must belong to a man. But who?

For some reason, Esther didn't have the heart to leave the coat behind, so she took it with her when she got on the plane.

A MYSTERIOUS MAN was looking at Esther as she boarded the plane. "She really took the coat with her."

"Young Master, the private plane is ready."

"Good. Let's go."

The mysterious man glanced again at Esther before he went to the hangar of his private plane. "See you soon, Esther."

ESTHER ARRIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES four hours later. She was excited about going home to see her fiancé. The last time they saw each other was five months ago. She went back to visit Nate because her father had told her to.

Moreover, Nate had never taken the initiative to visit her. Nate had always told her that he was busy at the company. So, she took the initiative and tried her best to understand Nate, even though she was always disappointed. She only got along with Nate because of her parents.

Nate was sweet and a good man, maybe. But who knew if Nate was only good at coaxing women and not responsible enough? She wanted to love Nate again, but her heart didn't want to do it anymore. It's not beating for someone anymore. It was only a beating for her.

She was looking at her phone and trying to call Nate to pick her up when she bumped into someone. Esther immediately looked up and apologized. "I'm sorry."

The man smiled. "It's okay. Be careful next time, Miss."

Esther nodded, then she noticed the man was looking at the coat hanging on her right arm. There was a glint of amusement in the man's eyes, but she ignored it, bid farewell politely, and left.

Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Kyline, her best friend. Though they went to different schools when they were in college, they still communicated and remained best friends after all these years.

"Esther!!!"

Esther moved the phone away from her ear due to the loudness of Kyline's voice. She rolled her eyes. "Ky, I'm not deaf. I can hear you. No need to scream."

"Wahh! I miss you, Esther. Do you want to hang out?" Kyline asked excitedly.

Esther bit her lower lip. "Sorry, Ky. I have to meet Nate first."

Kyline sighed. "Fine. Later."

Esther smiled. "Alright. It's my treat."

"It should be. We haven't seen each other for almost five months. Anyway, I still have work to do. Bye-bye. See you.

"See you, Ky." And the call ended.

Esther felt guilty because she chose Nate over her best friend. But that should be done, right? After she and Nate got married, she would still choose her husband over anything else.

I will just treat Kyline next time to lessen my guilt. Esther said to herself.

Esther walked out of the airport and hailed a taxi. And goes to Nate's company. When she arrived at Nate's company, she hadn't even gotten out of the car when she saw a familiar figure of a man and a woman with him. Her eyes widened when she realized who the woman was clinging to Nate. It was her younger sister, Edelyn. She and Edelyn never get along for some reason. Edelyn was her younger sister and she was the eldest child.

Esther looked at her fiancé and her sister. They looked happy. She let out a bitter laugh and looked at the driver. "Let's go."

The driver nodded and drove the car.

Esther just went home. When she arrived at their house, she saw her parents in the living room.

"You're back? That's good. You and Nate must get married. His dowry is ten million. That money can help the company," her father, Edward, said. The first thing she heard as soon as she stepped inside the house. They didn't show that they missed her. Nothing. All her parents had in mind was the money they could get from the Aquino Family.

Esther tightened her grip on her suitcase handle. "I'm tired. I want to rest," she said in a tired voice, turned her back, and went to her room.

"Honey, call Nate's father and settle the marriage." Sophia, Esther's mother, urged her husband.

Edward immediately nodded and called the Aquino Family excitedly.

Esther could only sigh and went to her room. As soon as she closed the door, a tear fell from her eyes. Since she was a child, her parents have not cared about her. She doesn't know why. Her parents were so distant. She never felt the love of her parents. Their priority was always her younger sister, Edelyn.

Though she had already made a name for herself, her parents seemed not to care.

Yeah, who would care? She was known as the unloved child of the Rosales Family. Even if she died, no one would care. This is one of the reasons why she agreed to the arranged marriage, hoping that her parents would see her effort, but still nothing. She was like an insignificant person in their house.

Esther sighed. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. She immediately fell asleep, hoping that when she woke up, everything would get better. But she knew from the beginning that it was just her wishful thinking.