01

"I'm sorry, Miss -"

"Ella. And you're?" Ella cuts me, and I realize we have been sitting across from each other in this coffee shop for several minutes already, but we have not introduced ourselves to each other.

"Zed. Zed Ramos."

She smiles, stares at her cutleries for a while, then looks at me. "Sir, it's too expensive if you'll get me a room in a hotel. And so are the food. If you don't mind, can I just go home with you?"

What?! I gape at her for a second, and my lips curve to a smirk. Never.

"I can explain it to your wife. I can help her with the household chores, take care of the kids, anything- "

I understand. There's no malice in her expression. This woman looks up to me as her savior, and I know she's grateful for it. But I can't.

"I'm sorry, Ella. I'm single, but I don't like to have any women in my house. Nor in my workplace."

Her brows furrow into frown and confusion. It's perhaps the way I say it. Or probably because I make it sound like I'm allergic to women. If I am opportunistic, this is already my moment to take advantage of her. Yen may be the most beautiful woman in my eyes, but that changed when I saw this girl at the airport. I got mesmerized.

Or, maybe, just maybe, it's a sign that I have moved on already because I'm beginning to appreciate other women's beauty.

Yet, I distance myself away from any woman. I don't want to go through the pain anymore. I even dismiss my female attendants in my coffee shops when I decide to come back, and I no longer mingle with groups that include women. I may sound weird, but it's my way of protecting myself.

However, I couldn't ignore Ella at the airport. My conscience will be killing me if I shut my eyes to her needs. Of course, I'm just avoiding women, but I can't ignore somebody who needs my help.

As I observe her reaction, which I anticipate already, my mind goes back to how I met her an hour ago.

_____

I stepped down from the airport with just a single piece of luggage in my hand. All my other things, including the fixtures I ordered for my new house, would be shipped to me in a few days. The surroundings seemed eerily quiet, and I remembered our flight was delayed for a few hours.

I raised my arm and glanced at my watch. It's past midnight already. So, I head directly to the taxi stand. But seeing that the queue was still long, I decided to sit on a bench and waited until everyone was catered. I didn't have to hurry; no one was waiting for me. But while I ran the tips of my thumbs on my phone's screen, I heard sniffs coming from the end corner of the bench.

I looked in the direction of the sound. And my brows furrowed when I saw a woman in her mid-twenties, brushing her tears away. She sat with one long leg over the other; her eyes were on her lap.

Even without knowing her yet, I could tell she comes from a prominent family. Her skin is creamy; her movements were graceful and refined – even if she's crying. Her tucked-in, off-shoulder cream top matched the color of her wedges, and her old-rose, high-waist pants matched the shade of her luggage.

I hadn't seen her right away because a huge pillar obstructed her from my view. And judging from the swelling of her eyebags and the redness of her face, it looked like she's been crying for hours already.

My heart melted. If her crying was about her love life, I could relate. I'd been there. And even if I am slowly healing now, I am still crying for her at times. The loneliness is just too overwhelming to overcome.

A guard walked over to me and whispered in my ear.

"Sir, the lady has been sitting and crying there since morning, according to the morning shift guard. When I came here this afternoon, she was already like that. I never see her eating," whispered the guard who perhaps followed my eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, sir. I'm already worrying about her. It's already past midnight."

"Maybe she's waiting for someone," I said, keeping my voice a little louder than a whisper.

"Maybe, a boyfriend? And that he doesn't show up? Or he had shown up but took her money away?" The guard chuckled, then left.

I scoffed and shook my head. What kind of a boyfriend is he that ditches a lady as beautiful as she is?

I looked around. And I noticed that the taxi stand had already cleared from the queuing passengers. I rose from my seat and reached for my luggage, but the lady's stifled sobs drew my attention again.

I put down my luggage and walked towards the lady. I stopped when I was a foot away from her. I might be intruding on her privacy.

What I learned from the guard bothered me. She wouldn't be staying this long if she had money. If she's waiting for a boyfriend, then perhaps, she needed help in finding the address.

I cleared my throat to let her know my presence. "Miss?"

She looked up right away, her face smeared by her tears.

"The guard told me you were here since morning. Need any help?"

She answered me with a cry escaping from her lips. She covered her mouth right away but continued sobbing silently.

"I'm sorry," she said, forcing out her apology in between sobs.

I guessed she needed more time, so I sat down beside her. "It's okay."

"No idea where to go," she finally opened her mouth to speak after a few minutes of battling against her urge to cry louder.

I pulled my brows. "I don't get it."

"I made a call this morning, leaving my things on this bench. I was not far away. I just need a little distance from the crowd. But when I came back, my bag wasn't there anymore."

"You didn't ask for help?" If it's her bag, it means her important things were in there. It could be money, cards, passports, or important documents.

"I did, but I knew it was useless."

"But there are CCTVs all around."

"Won't be easy to track them down. I'm not new to this incident."

I nodded. She's right. It will take forever to solve this case. Pickpocketers, snatchers, and thieves are common in this country.

"How about I give you money so that you can go home?"

"I don't have a home."

"What?"

"It's a long story, sir. But it wouldn't have been an issue if I didn't lose my bag."

I sighed. She indeed had a reason to cry her heart out. "I'll book you a hotel until you can figure out what to do."

"Thank you so much," she said, flashing a beautiful but sad smile.

I blinked and stared at her for a few seconds. She had the most attractive smile I have seen ever since I started refusing to set my eyes on other women aside from Yen.

"Let's go," I said, picking up her luggage.

She stood at her full height, and I was stunned at how tall and gorgeous she was. Although I'm already taller than most of the men I come across with, she's still at my shoulder's level.

"Hungry?" I shouldn't have asked. I knew she was.

She pursed a smile and nodded.

"Let's get you food on the way."