The Billionaire's Secret Wife

"Shit!" Carly ran as fast as she could when she saw the men in black chasing after her. "Leave me alone!" She shouted at them as she sprinted through the narrow streets of Thailand. Luckily, she was wearing sneakers and pants. It made it easier for her to run. "Är Altesse, ophalen!" one of the MIBs yelled at her. She grinned and raised her middle finger. "Never!" she shouted, running even faster. When she saw a smaller alley, she quickly squeezed into it, clutching her backpack. "Ugh, what is this?" she muttered in frustration when she reached a dead end. She quickly turned around and dashed into another street, shouting with joy when she saw the main road. But now, the MIBs were much closer. She was panicking when a black Subaru Impreza suddenly stopped in front of her. Without hesitation, she jumped into the car. Without looking at the driver, she pleaded, "Please step on the gas! I'm really in a hurry! Please!" she shouted frantically, and the car immediately started moving. She nervously watched the MIBs trying to chase the car. When they disappeared from view, she let out a deep breath. "Thank God!" she sighed in relief before turning to face the driver. "Thank you for—Chance?!" she exclaimed in surprise. The young man turned to look at her. She couldn’t see his eyes because of his sunglasses. "You’re Chance, right? Duke's friend?" she asked. Her heart raced—not because of running, but because of the man in front of her. "Yeah." He responded curtly before turning back to the road. They had met at Annisa and Duke's wedding. He had caught the garter, while she had caught the bouquet. Or, to be more accurate, she had practically begged Annisa to throw the flowers to her. She had a major crush on him, but he was so cold. "Uh, thank you for letting me ride in your car," she said. Chance glanced at her. "Why are they chasing you?" he asked in a serious tone, without any sign of concern, just plain curiosity. "I just broke some rule. They're guards. I sneaked out from one of the private places here to take a picture," she shrugged nonchalantly. He didn’t speak again. "Uhmm, where are you staying? Or do you have a house here?" she asked. "I have a house here. Why?" he answered. 'He’s not cold after all,' she whispered to herself. "Uhmm. Can I see it?" she asked. "No." He answered quickly. Shit! Even though he snapped at her, he was still handsome! Take note, he was just wearing a simple black fitted shirt and khaki pants, but he was smoking hot! She frowned at his answer. Okay, she admitted it. He really was cold. His twin, Chase, was more approachable, but he was a notorious womanizer. "Just one night! The MIBs might go to my hotel!" she insisted. She was 100 percent sure that they were already at the hotel where she was staying. "If you just sneaked into their property, they wouldn’t go to your house. But if you stole something..." he hinted. She gasped dramatically. "How dare you! No! I just sneaked out!" she protested. "Then you don’t have to be scared. I’ll just drop you off somewhere," he said indifferently. "You're so heartless! It’s just one night! Tomorrow, I promise, I’ll leave!" she pleaded. "I said no." "Please... Don’t you feel sorry for me? I’m homeless now, you know." She begged, even touching his biceps. She was subtly holding his muscle. He didn’t even flinch. "Stubborn," he commented. A few moments later, they stopped at a two-story house. She gasped at its beauty. It was a wooden house design next to a clean pond. Chance got out of the car while she stood there, staring at the house. When she noticed that he had entered the house, she followed him. She found him sitting on the sofa, taking off his shoes. "So, you’re okay with it?" she asked hopefully. He lazily looked at her. Now that his sunglasses were off, she could see his green eyes. "It’s because you're Annisa’s friend," he said. She frowned. "Why? Are you secretly in love with your best friend’s wife?" His eyes widened slightly before he glared at her. "Stupid," he said harshly. She just pouted and looked around the room. The house’s design was simple, with very few furnishings. "Where’s my room?" she asked. "None. You’ll sleep here." "What? But it’s cold here!" she complained. "Then suit yourself and leave." "How rude!" she shouted. But he had already gone upstairs. She had no choice but to sit on the sofa. It was long and big enough. She’d fit just fine. Then something occurred to her. She pulled out her phone from her bag and made a call. "Hey, cuz," her cousin Jared greeted her. "Hey, Red. The MIBs are chasing me," she said calmly. "What? Where are you?" he hissed. She closed her eyes. "I’m in Thailand." "Stubborn little brat!" Red hissed. "I’m sorry. I have work here!" she hissed back. "Iñes! You should stay in the Philippines! You’re safe there!" he lectured. She sighed heavily. "I know. Please just remove all my tracks here." "What else can I do? Fine! Just go back to the Philippines as soon as possible." "Great! You’re the best, Jared! Love you!" she said happily before hanging up the phone. "Who was that?" She turned around, startled by Chance's voice. She shrugged. "No one." Chance furrowed his brow. "No one? But you said 'love you'?" he mockingly asked, then headed to the kitchen. "What's with him?" she muttered, confused, before searching for her passport in her bag. She prayed it was still there. She didn’t care about the other stuff she left at the hotel. She just needed her passport, phone, and most importantly, her camera. Once she confirmed everything she needed was in her bag, she followed him to the kitchen. She found him making coffee. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. He just shook his head. "Diet?" she asked again, casually opening his refrigerator, but all she found were water, beer, and some preserved foods. She cringed. "How long have you been here? I mean, you live in the Philippines, right?" she asked. He sighed deeply, clearly annoyed, but answered anyway. "One week." "What have you been eating for a week?" she asked. "Fast food. Takeout. Delivery." "Wow. What a healthy lifestyle," she said sarcastically. He just rolled his eyes while sipping his coffee. "Is there a nearby market?" she asked. He furrowed his brow. "Why?" "I just want to cook for you. As a thank you for letting me stay here." His frown deepened. "You don’t have to." "Come on! I’m hungry too." He sighed. "Fine. Three blocks away from here, there’s a small market. It’s up to you." He shrugged. She nodded and grabbed her bag. She immediately left and headed to the market he mentioned. While walking, she couldn’t stop taking pictures. Photography was her passion. She loved capturing scenery and places because she felt free with every photo she took. After a few minutes of walking, she finally reached the small market. Though small, it was crowded with people buying things. She quickly searched for everything she needed for her cooking. Once she was done, she hurried back to Chance’s house. It was already 6 PM, so she had to move fast. When she entered the house, she found Chance busy with his laptop. She even stared for a moment when she saw him wearing eyeglasses. "I'm here!" she exclaimed. He didn’t even glance at her. Frowning, she just headed to the kitchen to start cooking. Green curry was very famous in Thailand, so that’s what she decided to make. It took her about an hour to cook. When she peeked at Chance, he was still in the same position. She slowly walked over, cleared her throat to get his attention, and when he finally looked up, her heart skipped a beat. "Uhmm. Are you ready to eat?" she asked hesitantly. He simply nodded and went to the kitchen. She followed him and found him looking at the food she had made. "What’s this?" he asked without looking at her. "That’s green curry. You eat chicken curry, right?" she asked as she approached him. She grabbed a plate and served him some rice. He ate in silence while she kept glancing at him. She couldn’t believe she was seeing him again. The last time they met was at Annisa and Duke’s wedding—Duke being Chance’s friend. "What are you looking at?" Chance asked, not glancing at her. She flinched slightly at his cold voice. She just smiled sweetly and shook her head. "Cold," she mumbled to herself. "I heard you." "I know. I meant for you to hear it." After they finished eating, he simply went upstairs without a word. No thank you or anything about the food being good. He just went upstairs, leaving her annoyed while she washed the dishes. She felt frustrated with him, but there was nothing she could do about it. Once she finished the dishes, she went to the living room. Just then, her phone rang. It was her cousin Jared calling her. "Jared—" "Where are you?!" he asked frantically. "I'm at my friend’s house. Why?" "Shit! Get the hell out of there now! Your father sent more MIBs after you. Leave before they find you! I’ve already booked a flight for you!" She panicked. Quickly, she packed her things. She couldn’t stay calm because if her father’s men caught her, she was in big trouble. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered Chance. It was rude to leave without saying anything, but she didn’t want to wake him either in case he started asking questions. So, she decided to leave a note instead. Once she finished, she hurried out of the house. A taxi just happened to pass by, so she quickly jumped in. She breathed heavily. She knew this wouldn’t be the last time she would see Chance. When she arrived at the airport, she quickly got in line. "Goddamn it!" she cursed loudly when she saw a few MIBs around. Passengers around her glanced in her direction. She quickly bowed her head, feeling embarrassed, especially since there were some Filipinos around. She moved cautiously, trying not to attract attention from the MIBs. She put on her cap and sunglasses to hide her face. It wasn’t until she was safely inside the plane bound for the Philippines that she finally relaxed. She knew it was the safest place for her, because her father, the president, wouldn’t be able to find her there. After all, she was the president’s secret niece.