30 Race 30
I'm currently at a café with my friend Einah. She invited me to have coffee with her, and we're both feeling good now.
"So, how was your date with my brother?" she asked me.
I couldn't help but smile as I remembered the fun we had.
"I was surprised by what he did. Your brother really put in the effort," I replied, shaking my head in amazement.
As she looked at my hand, she noticed the ring I was wearing and her eyes widened.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I noticed that your ring looks familiar. My mom had a ring just like that, it was a promise ring that our dad gave her," she said, looking up at me. "Did my brother give you this ring?" I nodded without hesitation.
"He really won't let you go," she exclaimed.
"What do you mean he won't let me go?" I asked curiously.
"Come on, Red. You know what I mean," she giggled.
"Please tell me directly," I said, sipping my coffee.
"Have you checked the bottom of the ring you're wearing?" she whispered, leaning closer to me.
"Check it, sis," she said and looked at me. I took off the ring to see what was underneath it. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw something engraved there, but I couldn't recognize the language.
"What is written here?" she asked, noticing my confusion.
"I don't know what language it is," I replied.
She folded her arms and smiled. "The words engraved on the ring say, 'Ti ho sigillato con il mio amore e sarai mio per sempre.'"
I nodded, still unsure of the meaning.
"What does it mean?" I asked, curious to know the significance of those words.
"It means, 'I sealed you with my love, and you'll be mine forever,'" she explained.
I never forgot Einah's translation of the engraved words on the ring. Those were the words that her father promised to her mother. The phrase kept repeating in my mind, like a broken record.
I couldn't help but stare at the ring on my hand until I got home to my condo. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Easton sitting there and my hand on my chest.
"Finally, you're home," he said, smiling and standing up from his seat.
"Is it your talent to surprise me and not call first?" I asked him as he came over to hug me.
"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you that I was coming here. Einah called me earlier and said that you two were going out," he explained, kissing my forehead.
"So why did you come?" I asked.
"I just miss you, that's why I'm here," he replied, taking my hand and kissing it.
He looked deeply into my eyes and pinned a few strands of hair behind my ear.
"You're so beautiful. I can't stop thinking about how I want you to be mine and by my side every day," he whispered.
He held my hand, where I was wearing the ring he had given me.
"It suits you," he said softly.
"Einah told me it's from your mother," I said.
"Yes, I asked my mother to give me this ring because I'm getting married," he said directly.
"Getting married?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, with you," he said, looking into my eyes with a smile.
My cheeks grew hot, and my heart beat faster. I felt like I was going to lose my breath.
"I can't believe it," I thought to myself as I looked at the ring in my hand. I had just asked Easton if this was just a promise ring, but his response had surprised me.
"You're right, baby. This isn't just any promise ring. It's our family heirloom," he said with a smile.
My mind was racing. Did this mean that he was going to propose to me? I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions.
"You mean, you already..." I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence. If my suspicions were correct, I didn't know how I was going to tell my parents.
But before I could gather my thoughts, Easton spoke again.
"I want to marry you, Red," he said with conviction. "When I first saw you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to build a family with you, and grow old together."
His words were sweet, but they came so fast. I couldn't help but feel like everything was moving too quickly.
"Easton, I appreciate your love and devotion, but everything is happening too fast," I said, biting my lip. "We just started our relationship, and we haven't even met each other's parents. I need time to think this through."
He held both of my hands, and I could feel his gentle squeeze. I could see the concern in his eyes as he spoke.
"If you're worried that you haven't met my parents yet, don't worry. I will arrange a dinner so I can introduce you to them," he assured me.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the conversation that needed to happen. "Easton, isn't it too early for us to get married? Like I said earlier, we're going too fast, can we slow everything down?" I explained to him, trying to be as honest as I could.
As soon as the words left my lips, I could see the hurt in his eyes. "It feels like you are implying that you don't want to marry me. Is there something that's bothering you? Something that we need to discuss or work on together?" He said in despair.
I could feel the frustration building up inside me. "Nothing, and it's not like that," I replied, feeling more and more agitated as the conversation went on.
He let go of my hands and took a deep breath. I watched as his eyes turned cold, and I knew I had hurt him. "I wish you had just said you couldn't marry me yet. But I am always ready to marry you anytime and anywhere. I know it's too early for this, but I don't want to let you go," he said coldly, turning his back on me and leaving my condo.
"Easton," I called his name, feeling the need to explain myself more, but it was too late. He was already gone.
I just sat on the couch and stared at the ceiling, feeling the weight of our conversation and the possible consequences of my words.
Gad! What have I done?
Yesterday, I had an argument with Easton, and I couldn't help but feel worried about the status of our relationship. While I was getting ready for Mrs. Chua's birthday party, my mind was preoccupied with thoughts about Easton. I wondered why he hadn't sent me a text the whole night, and I started to regret what I had said to him during our argument.
I told him that I wasn't ready to get married yet, and I rejected his proposal. However, what I meant was that I wanted to enjoy our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend before we took the next step. I didn't want to rush into anything, and I didn't want to make any hasty decisions.
However, I couldn't help but feel guilty for hurting him and making him feel like I didn't love him enough to commit to him. I knew that he had proposed to me in the past and that it was a family heirloom. But, I thought it was just a promise he gave me, and I didn't expect him to take it so seriously.
Meanwhile, I was also dealing with some family problems. Our family company has been a rival in business for several years, and that's only because the marriage agreement was not fulfilled. However, I believe that there is a real root to that conflict, and it has something to do with the old records of the company that have not been found yet.
My brother only started to discover the problem with the company when our grandfather left after the incident happened to me. Despite the family feud, my mother called me last night and sent her glam team to fix me up for Mrs. Chua's birthday party, which we were attending together.
I was breathing heavily, my shoulders drooping, so the staff who were applying my make-up noticed my distress. One of them asked,
"Is there a problem, Miss Red?" I replied with a hesitant
"Uhm...nothing". But he could see that something was bothering me and said,
"It seems like there is. I can see in your eyes that you are sad now. Is there something bothering you?"
I shook my head and assured him that I was fine and that nothing was bothering me. But then, he noticed the heirloom ring on my hand and exclaimed,
"Oh my God! Is that the heirloom of Torres?"
I raised my eyebrows and asked,
"Have you seen this before?"
He replied, "Yes, once, but I'm sure that's the family heirloom of the Torres. I think I saw that at the engagement party of their eldest son."
I was even more surprised by what he said. Engagement with whom? Easton? It was impossible that he was referring to Einah. I confirmed,
"Eldest son of the Torres? You mean Easton Torres III?"
He nodded in response.
"As far as I recall, the eldest child of the Torres family was engaged to the daughter of a businesswoman. However, during the engagement party, the Torres' son abruptly called off the engagement, causing a scandal between the two families. Torres kept the issue private to avoid media attention. Unfortunately, the woman is now unable to wear the heirloom ring of the Torres family," he said, looking at me curiously.
"Let me ask you something. Is there someone mediating between your family and the Torres family now? Your companies have been rivals for a long time, and I saw Mrs. Torres showing her friends the ring that her son's future fiancée was supposed to wear, which looks just like the ring you are wearing now," he continued.
I held the ring and smiled awkwardly.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence that the Torres' heirloom ring looks the same as the one I'm wearing," I replied.
He shrugged and agreed.
"Well, it's not surprising that the ring's design is similar. Others may have imitated it," he concluded before finishing up with me.
I would be happy to help you improve the clarity of the text below. Here it is:
Afterward, my mother called me to let me know that they were waiting for me downstairs. The white limousine was already parked and they were seated inside. As soon as I got into the car, my mother showered me with compliments.
During our ride, we talked about her upcoming trip to fashion week. She even suggested that I try out for the runway. However, I declined, stating that I was too busy with my career.
Finally, we arrived at a well-known five-star hotel where a sophisticated older woman greeted us. The woman turned out to be Mrs. Chua, the host of the party. My mother and Mrs. Chua greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek.
"Mrs. Dominggo, I'm so glad you could make it," Mrs. Chua said.
"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Chua. I love your outfit," my mother complimented her.
"Thank you." Mrs. Chua then looked at me.
"Is this your daughter?" Mrs. Chua asked my mother, who was holding my waist.
"This is my youngest daughter, Raniyah," my mother introduced me.
"Oh, you're the one my son Justine is talking about," the woman said as I smiled and handed her my gift, wishing her a happy birthday.
"You inherited your beauty from your mother," she complimented me, to which my mother and she laughed.
Mrs. Chua escorted us to our table and left me alone as my mother mingled with other guests.
Unexpectedly, Einah appeared and sat across the table from me. She was wearing a baby pink gown and had her hair in a high ponytail.
"Red, you're here too," she said.
"Obviously, Einah," I replied sarcastically.
As I looked at her before me, I raised my eyebrows in surprise as she asked, "Where is Brother Easton?"
Confused, I replied, "I don't know. Why isn't he in his condo?"
She shook her head and said, "No, so I'm thinking maybe he's in your condo and you're together."
As if that wasn't enough, she added, "And now you are wearing the gown he bought for you."
I couldn't help but notice that the gown was left on the couch the previous night, with a note that I should wear it to the party. But we had an unfortunate conversation, given the miscommunication between us.
Just then, Einah announced that Easton had arrived, and she stood up to greet her brother. I turned to face Easton as he walked in, looking even more handsome than usual in his white tuxedo. Our eyes met for a moment, but he quickly avoided me and began greeting guests who were shaking hands with him.
"I feel like there's a problem between the two of you. My brother should greet you directly instead of the guests," Einah said as she returned to our table.
"Your brother and I have a little misunderstanding," I admitted.
"What kind of misunderstanding?" Einah asked curiously.
"About marriage," I replied, and Einah pouted.
"Is this your first disagreement?" she asked.
"Kinda."
"You should talk to him," Einah suggested.
"If he doesn't avoid me now," I responded while playing with my fingers.
The birthday party had started, and Einah and I were near the buffet where the drinks were served.
As Easton lifted his glass of wine, I couldn't help but admire his elegance. But as I looked into his eyes, I noticed that they were cold and distant, as if he wanted to remain isolated from everyone around him. I was eager to talk to him, to break down the walls he had built around himself, but before I could even take a step closer, a woman appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his arm, and kissed him on the lips. I was taken aback and could not believe what I was seeing. I stood frozen to the ground, feeling as though my heart had stopped beating. The glass of wine I was holding slipped out of my hand and shattered on the floor. As I watched Easton continue to kiss the woman, my heart ached, and I found it difficult to breathe. It was as if my entire world had come crashing down around me.
