Destined Hearts Ch. 10

"Praveen!"

"God!" Praveen took the phone from the floor, rising but Santiago's hand was still holding his. When he looked at the phone, he noticed that it was broken.

"I am so sorry, Santiago." He apologized, losing the smile on his face. "I bumped into you and I seem to have broken your phone and..."

"Shh..." Santiago blocked Praveen's lips with his finger. "Don't say anything anymore. You broke the phone. So what?"

"But it seems so expensive."

"I will replace it."

"You sure?"

"Sure!" Santiago was still holding Praveen's hand, sweetly rubbing on it. "Don't worry about it. A phone is nothing compared to you, Praveen."

Praveen blushed, looking down on the floor. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Santiago was truly different from any other guy he'd ever met.

"Thank you but..." He paused, looking at Santiago with a smile. "What are you doing here? Are you not working?"

"Work?" Santiago laughed. "No! I actually came to pick Andrea up. We still have some things to do plus your husband..." He got close to Praveen's ears. "...he wants to get to know me better, you know... Judge if he will allow me to marry his sister." He whispered, making Praveen chuckle.

"So why don't you come with us. It will be fun."

No way in this world was Praveen going to spend a day with Antonio and Andrea in the same place. Plus he still had a lot of things, important things to do.

"Oh, no..." He sighed, shaking his head. But he was still wearing that beautiful smile on his face that made Santiago's heart to melt. "I have a really big project coming up and I just thought of putting the almighty in it first." He breathed in audibly. "I would have come with you Santiago but guess what..." He took Santiago's hands, rubbing on them lovingly. "...I will make up for it. You and I will have our own time together. Get to know Antonio first, okay. I will see you."

Then he quickly leaned forward, giving Santiago a quick peck before he ran out of the house. To Praveen it was just a peck but he had no idea what it did to Santiago. He remained standing there, frozen like a statue. He couldn't believe Praveen had done that, for the first time.

"Thanks..." He slowly touched the area Praveen had kissed him. "I really appreciate that."

Santiago smiled brightly, staring at his broken phone. He wasn't mad but rather really happy. Ever since Praveen had come into his life, so many things had changed. With a brilliant smile, he went to the living room to wait for the siblings.

***

Praveen slowly bowed, touching the holy ground near the feet of the lord's idol. He touched his head first and then his chest before finally covering his head with a scarf. Then he put his hands together, connecting with the idol's face. The temple wasn't that full probably because people were busy during that time since it was a weekday.

He had returned to his village temple, brought some food for the poor and some clothes. He was really happy and now he just wanted to make prayers to the almighty for his wellbeing. He felt at peace in that place. His heart wasn't trouble at all.

"Dear Lord," He took a deep breath. "I came here today to ask for your blessings once again. I know that my life has changed a lot in ways that I didn't expect. You know what's going on in my life because you destined me for it. Only you knows my future and everything that will happen."

He slightly closed his eyes. "Today, I came here to ask for your blessing and for you guidance as I will be participating in Antonio's music video. Let everything be successful and let no evil befall me or succeed in their plans."

He closed his eyes and prayed hard about his husband's coming project. He really prayed though Antonio didn't actually deserve it. He had learned to care a lot about the guy. He prayed for his decision about Santiago...

"He's a really good man and deserves all the happiness in the world. Please, make him happy. You know very well what is happening in my life. Since my marriage, I have known nothing but sadness. Bless me even more to withstand all these tortures and make my new family happy. You know very well that I only live to serve you."

Praveen's eyes were already watering.

"I am ready to accept your guidance and instruction because I have never gone against it. What I don't understand is how long I am gonna have to endure this. It is too much for me Lord. Please help me, give me more strength to overcome it and give me more courage. Please, help me be the best son in law."

He prayed harder as a tear went down his cheeks. Then in just a few minutes, he was done. He bowed down, touching the ground again. He removed his scarf and then turned to leave. But he found the priest behind him, smiling brightly.

He was looking... priestly in a pure white robe and a trident. He had really long pure white hair that reached his back, long white beards and his eye rashes were also bushy. He was still just like he remembered him.

"Priest!" He quickly touched his feet, getting his blessings.

"My son, the almighty hears every prayer that you've made since you were born." He said, hitting the trident harder on the floor. Praveen could have sworn he felt a strong wind blow on his face. "And very soon, you will run into your destiny. You'll get to understand that he hasn't abandoned you. A miracle shall happen very soon in unexpected ways."

Praveen was really confused. "I still don't understand."

The priest chuckled, shaking his head. Then he got serious. "On this very temple, before you were born, your souls were connected and now, the almighty will do wonders. You'll get to understand everything and why the almighty did what he did."

Praveen was still confused.

"I have to begin my meditations now my son." He smiled. "May peace be upon you."

Praveen simply nodded as he slowly started going away down the long stairs. He was so confused because the priest's words were in his mind. He kept on remembering them, wondering what they meant. Was something about to happen?

"The almighty works in so many ways, Praveen." The priest said as he looked at the boy that was going down the stairs. "He gave you to your mother and you are a blessing to anyone that has you in their lives... Though..." He paused. "You'll pass through your most difficult test yet but the almighty is always with you. You're about to run into your destined place. You still have a lot of things that you do not know. Go in peace my son..."

The priest waved and just as he did, a strong wind started blowing at the temple. Praveen felt it and it blew his scarf away and his hair started blowing backwards, revealing his face. He quickly shielded his face with his hands, wondering what was going on.

"A storm?" He gasped, slowly trying to remove his hands from his face. His village was known to have storms since it was near the sea. "Not today. I need to go back."

He removed his hands from his face to see but something hit his face, a piece of paper. He slowly removed it from his face when suddenly, the strong wind started dying down. He looked at the paper and found that it was a piece of some magazine and it was...

"...Richard Marasigan, billionaire business tycoon returns to the country."

Praveen didn't know who the man was and he had never heard of him before but the name... it somehow brought a strange feeling to him. And who was the man, how did he look like? Praveen couldn't answer those questions because there was no picture on the piece he was holding.

"Richard... Marasigan..." Somehow, he got really curious as to who the man was.

He looked at the magazine closely, realizing that the man owned a lot of companies home and abroad, also a fashion house that made him smile since he had always wanted to be a designer.

"Almighty, what are you showing me?" He sighed, looking towards the heavens just as the wind completely died down. "Are you testing me again?"

He had always wanted to get into a fashion house and those dreams were still there. He just took a deep breath, threw the piece of magazine and went to his car. He had a lot of things to do back at home and as it was, it was already getting dark. He didn't want to make anyone worried.

***

Inside Marasigan Group of Companies...

A really beautiful blonde lady, dressed in the best clothes was walking inside the company, greeting every worker there with a smile on her face. She was really beautiful, in her late 40s but you could easily mistake her for a teen because her face was gorgeous as hell.

Her hair was curled and then made into a spoof which made her face to be revealed. She had beautiful makeup that made her face glow even more. She was dressed in really expensive designer's red dress with red high heels on her feet that made her look like a fashion goddess.

Everyone loved her so much and admired her. She wasn't married and didn't have any children either. But she was really happy and loved what she did. Her eyes were on the door at the far end which belonged to the boss of the company, a really rich man who she had been working with for as long as she could remember.

*

Inside the boss' office...

"Would you like anything else, sir?" A tall handsome man asked as he took the files from the table.

He was staring at the man who he couldn't even see. The man was seated in a really tall office chair, with his back to the handsome man, his secretary. He was looking at the window, admiring the beautiful view outside.

"Sir..."

He just raised his hand, gesturing for the secretary to leave without saying anything.

"Yes, sir..." The man bowed, taking the files. Just as he was leaving, the beautiful woman arrived and then leaned at his desk with one of her hands on her hips. Then she chuckled and smiled brightly, shaking her head happily.

"And how's the boss doing this morning?" She asked, her fingers hitting the desk slightly.

"As usual." The man answered in a deep manly voice. "Is there any news?"

The woman sighed, taking a deep breath. "As usual, there's nothing. I called the private investigator and he still hasn't been able to locate her. Maybe she... she's not in the country anymore."

The man was silent.

"Till when will you continue to look for her, Richard?" She had concern in her voice. "You know your condition and..."

"I don't care about my condition." He said without turning. "Even if it's the last thing I do, I must find her, at least... even if she's no longer here, I... I..."

"Do not..."

"You don't understand."

The man quickly turned, facing the beautiful woman. He was really, really handsome. Richard Marasigan was a really handsome man with a tan skin that made him look like a god. He had short dark hair with a few white. He was in his late 40s but he could easily pass for a thirty year old.

He was dressed in a deep grey designer's suit, black shirt inside and black shoes. He was muscular, really sexy and attracted a lot of women to him but he wasn't interested in any of them. It had been many years and he had been single.

"I have had to suffer ever since I lost her..." He said with tears building in his eyes. "...I have had to pay a really huge price. I am rich Vanessa, really rich. But what is all this wealth without an heir? I am a failure, Vanessa."

Vanessa was Richard's cousin, a really lovely woman. She had stayed with him, helped him a lot and had never left his side, not once. She had missed a lot of opportunities of getting married because of him but she didn't mind. She was happy that way.

"Richard, I know that but..."

"No, Vanessa." He shook his head. "I cannot depend on the investigators alone. Even if I have to give to the poor at the temple the entire day, I will do that. But I will start looking for her myself. I will find her and I will bring her to where she rightfully belongs."

"But Richie..." She started panicking. "...your heart. You just had a huge operation. I don't think it can stand anymore stress..."

"I don't care but my heart..." He touched his chest slowly, rubbing on it. "...will allow me to find her or our child. They've got to be alive somewhere, just waiting for me. I will never be at peace until I find either of them. It's been too long, Vanessa." He sat back on the chair. "I have been suffering without them. Maybe I made a really big mistake by leaving her."

Vanessa didn't know what to say to her cousin to make him feel better. His story was really sad.

19 years back, Richard had brought his girlfriend home after marrying her despite his mother's disapproval since she was from a really humble village and an orphan. He'd been in love with her since the very first time he had set his eyes. They'd been dating though his mother hadn't approved of her.

After running away together, they got married and he only came back after the death of his father. His mother had accepted him and his wife and they had started living together in the same house, so he had thought.

His mother had been treating her well and she had convinced him to go and study abroad. He had wanted to go with her but his mother had rejected saying she wanted to bond with her. Seeing it as a great opportunity, Richard had left her with his mother while he went to study abroad.

He had spent a year there and when he came back, he had found his wife gone with his mother giving him a story of how she had been cheating on him with all kinds of men and how she had caught her. But he hadn't believed her until she had showed him pictures of his wife with a man in bed.

He had been really hurt that he had cried...

"I told you she was an unfaithful woman and now she's gone." His mother had said. "You will find a woman that will love you truly and make you happy."

With pain, anger and regret, Richard's heart had been broken forever. He had become cold and closed his heart to love. He had buried his pain and anger through his work until he had expanded his business abroad because he didn't wanna do anything home.

It was eight years back when he had found out the truth from his mother on her death bed. She had confessed that his wife didn't have an affair. She had framed her up, given her a fake letter which showed that Richard had a girlfriend abroad whom he was intending to marry.

The worst and most painful of it was...

"...I am sorry, son..." She had pleaded. "...I made a mistake and she... she was pregnant for you."

That had been really painful. After so many years of pain, he had found out the truth. His wife had been pregnant with their first child. He had stormed out, leaving his mother and he had gone to look for her but no one knew where she had gone.

His mother had died and he hadn't even attended her funeral. Since that time, his problems with his heart had started. He had had three operations and still it still gave him problems. Richard was a sad man. He was never happy. Just about two months back, he had had another operation and just recently came back to the country for good.

"Even if Isabella died," He sighed, fighting off his tears. "My child should be alive somewhere, right?"

"But that makes it even more difficult, Richard." Vanessa, leaned on the table, towards him. "I just pray that Isabella is still alive. But don't worry," She smiled to make him feel better. "I will help you. We'll look for her and your child together. We'll find them. Now cheer up."

She lovingly pinched his cheeks, laughing softly.

"Hey!" Richard smiled, moving his head. "I am not a child anymore, Vanessa. Don't you have anything to do?"

Vanessa raised her hands as if she was surrendering. Then she just left, chuckling to herself. As soon as she left, Richard lost the smile on his face and sighed, placing his hands on his face. He was no longer a happy guy.

"Almighty please, help me." He said softly. "Guide my path. You're the only one that can help me."

Was his family still alive?

***

Praveen was slowly cutting some tomatoes, his mind elsewhere, wondering why he had been feeling really uneasy and nervous out of the blue. He was somehow scared and had no idea why he was that scared. Ever since the day he'd come back from the temple he had been feeling really uneasy, like something bad was going to happen. He was hoping that wasn't the case.

Praveen was putting on an old T shirt that his mother had bought for him, a dark blue trouser and brown sandals on his gorgeous feet. His hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing his gorgeous, lovely face and he had his spectacles on.

"Why have I been feeling this way?" Praveen thought, trying his best to be calm. "I don't understand. Almighty, are you trying to warn me about something? Is something about to happen, something really bad? Please, help me, please..."

He shook his head and continued cutting the tomatoes, putting them aside. Then he started with the dough, kneading softly and carefully. He was multi-tasking, cooking and baking. But before he went any further...

"What are you thinking about? Worried about the video?" Antonio chuckled, leaning on the table with a smile on his face. "You know it's not too late to back out. Just go and tell granny that you don't wanna embarrass yourself."

Praveen took a glance at his husband, eyeing him from head to toe. The guy was just in an ordinary T-shirt, a dark blue cargo short and green sandals on his feet. His hair was a mess as if he had just been from playing in the mud. He had a red apple in his hand which he was playing with.

Praveen decided to ignore him as if he didn't hear what he said. He continued with what he was doing.

"Even if you don't answer, you know I am talking to you..." He was teasing the boy.

Hearing him, Praveen quickly faced him, staring into his face. Then he wore a mocking smile on his face. "You know that's a great idea..." He slowly rubbed on his hairless chin. "...but where will I get all the fun of embarrassing you on set? I love seeing you looking shocked." He laughed, enjoying as the smile faded on Antonio's face.

"Don't you..."

"Let me help you with that." He grabbed the apple from Antonio's hands and accidentally left flour there.

"What the?" Antonio gasped, looking at his hands. "You did that on purpose? How dare you? You even got flour on my shirt."

"Well, that's a signal that you need to leave the kitchen, Mr. Antonio." He turned again and started kneading the dour, this time a little faster. He was still wearing that smile on his face. "Leave me to work if you don't wanna bath in all this flour and..."

"You little..."

"Granny!" He shouted at the top of his voice which definitely surprised his husband.

"What are you doing?" Antonio asked as his eyes widened and a shiver went down his spine.

"What do you think?" Praveen chuckled, smiling brightly as if he was teasing his husband. "I am calling granny and... Gra..."

Before he could even finish shouting, Antonio moved quickly and covered Praveen's mouth with his hands. Now all that he could hear were Praveen's muffled screams and he felt really happy.

Praveen tried to shout at the top of his voice but he couldn't. Antonio had covered his mouth and no words.

"Hey..." But no word came out. He wanted to tell Antonio to leave him alone. Leaving him with no choice, Praveen used whatever he could, his hands. He tried to hit Antonio but slipped on something and he found himself falling backwards. But Antonio's hands were so quick to grab his waist that he found himself being held closer to Antonio's body.

They were both looking into each other's eyes as soon as they did, everything else disappeared right there. Praveen had his hands on Antonio's chest while Antonio's powerful arm had found its way on Praveen's waist, holding him close. They could feel their breaths on each other's faces. Both of them were breathing like... Like they'd never breathed before. It was different, it was lovely.