Game of Love Ch. 13

The truss had collapsed on the stage horribly and they knew that something tragic had happened.

"Eric!" Sergio yelled as a tear rolled down his face. His breaths came in gasps and he felt like he was gonna black out.

He started rushing to the stage with Adrianna and Steve right behind him. His heart was hammering inside his chest like it belonged to a rabbit running for its skin. Reaching the stage, his heart almost gave out when he looked for any sign of his husband. But he wasn't there. There was no sign of him.

"Eric!" He cried, screaming like he was going insane. "Eric!"

Sergio felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plug in his abdomen. Tension grew in his face and limbs, his mind replaying the last attack. He gripped his hair, pulling on it like it wasn't his. He needed to wake up from that nightmare. His eyes were moving like that of a chameleon, glancing throughout the room to see where his husband was.

"Eri..."

But Sergio froze when he looked towards the entrance and saw Eric rushing inside, looking like he had seen a ghost. Tears flooded his face and he started running like he was mad. Reaching Eric, he wrapped his arms tightly around him, hugging him like he wanted to squeeze the air out of him. He was sobbing softly, thanking God for the safety of the love of his life.

Eric on the other hand just hugged his husband tightly, trying to come to terms with what had happened. His breaths were rapid, shallower and he had tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe he'd almost lost his husband.

"What happened, baby?" Sergio asked, kissing Eric's all over his face. "Why did you scare me like that? You shouldn't have done what you did?"

Everyone just watched, yet to recover from what they had observed. Giada was mad that Eric had escaped death and Trevor was scared. He had almost lost his darling husband to be and he didn't appreciate it.

"Are you two alright?" Laurel asked, her voice shaky. "What... what had happened?"

She rushed to the both of them and hugged them. She was just too emotional. "Do you know how scary that was? I thought I had lost the two of you."

"Mommy, I am okay."

"You know, this is the events company's fault." Adrianna was mad and she couldn't hide it. "I am gonna have a talk with the events manager right now? He assured me everything was okay. How could he be so careless? I don't want anything to happen to you. I am so sorry. It's my fault."

"No, Adrianna!" Eric gasped, shaking his head. "I don't think what happened here was the events management's fault or as a result of faulty equipment. Something fishy is going on here. When that lighting equipment collapsed and the lights went out, I saw a guy coming from behind the stage. He had a knife with him. He was the one I followed but I lost him."

"What?" Steve gasped, a frown appearing on his face. "Are you trying to say that what happened was planned?"

"Yes!" He nodded. "I think someone was trying to hurt me. A criminal could have easily come in here."

"A criminal?" Sergio felt his heart give a sharp pound. He held Eric's hand, kissing it. "Baby, what are you saying? I don't think someone would dare come here. It was just an accident. I think you are overthinking."

"No, Sergio!" He shook his head. "Believe me. I know what I saw and..."

"Wow!" Kim clapped, getting closer to her son and Eric. "A criminal come in here? Can you even hear yourself? This place has tight security and the only way someone would come in here is if they have a death wish. Before we know it, you'll start pointing at Giada and Trevor. But do you know what, you're right. Someone did try to kill my son today and that person was you."

"Mom!" Sergio snapped. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What do you want me to say?" Kim screamed. "Ever since that boy came to this house, he's been plotting and now he wants to put his plans into action. Open your eyes and see that what this boy wants is revenge. Till when will you wake up and..."

"Mom, please!" Adrianna gestured, shaking her head. "Do you think this is the time for this?"

"What time should I say it? When my son is dead?"

"Please, believe me." Eric sighed, combing his hair with his fingers. "Someone was trying to harm Sergio and me. I know what I saw and..."

"Baby..." Sergio wrapped his arms around Eric, bringing him closer to his chest. "Don't worry about anything. Nothing will happen to you as long as I am here. I promise. No one will ever harm you."

Eric felt safe in his husband's arms. His touch made the room warmer somehow but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was definitely wrong. He knew exactly what he had seen and he knew it was gonna be really difficult to forget about it.

"Sergio, I think you should take Eric inside." Steve suggested. "He needs to rest and relax."

Sergio nodded and started his baby towards the staircase, kissing his head from time to time. Everyone else watched as they left. Then Steve dismissed the guests, thanking them for their support and apologizing for the problems they had encountered.

"I knew this boy was gonna kill my Sergio, mommy?" Trevor said in a trembling voice. "I told you that he wasn't to be trusted."

"He's started showing off his evil." Giada sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Who knows what evil..."

"Enough, Giada!" Laurel snapped, furiously rushing towards her. She stood in front of her, staring at her like she wanted to kill her. "Not another word about my son. My son is not the devil here. We both know who the devils in this room are and I am sure that whatever happened you were the cause of it. You've always done whatever you can to hurt my son but this..."

"Mrs. Hernandez, I will not have you disrespect my guests." Kim warned, her voice rising. "Surely, I don't come to your house to disrespect your guests."

"Really?" Laurel laughed, shaking her head. "Why am I not surprised that you're rather worried about these two devils than your son that was almost killed? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you were part of this scheme."

"Excuse me!" Kim snapped, stomping her foot on the floor. Her breaths were like flaming deathly arrows. "How dare you accuse me of trying to kill my own son and his husband? Whom do you think you are, Laurel?"

"Eric's mother!" Her cold fury burnt with dangerous intensity. "And I'll not let anything happen to either Eric or Sergio. Got it!" She snapped her fingers three times. Laurel was surprised. "I know you hate my son so much that you would anything to separate the two of them. Even murder."

"How..."

"Aunt Laurel, Aunt Kim, please!" Steve went in between them. "This is all a misunderstanding. It was an accident. No one would dare come unless they have a death wish. You heard Sergio himself. We're all family here, aren't we? We can sort this out."

"Yes!" Adrianna nodded. "We're all family here. Except for two outsiders that should have left with the other guests. Honestly, I don't know what you both are still doing here." She yelled, staring at Giada and Trevor while gesturing towards the door. "The party is over so can you please get the hell out of here."

"Adrianna, the thing is..."

"Don't call my name!" Adrianna snarled, shaking her head. "Just get out of here. No one needs you here."

Trevor clenched his fist, a frown appearing on his face. Once again, he was at the edge of humiliation in front of everyone. He gave Adrianna a cold look, hissed and stormed out of there together with his shameless mother. They could hear Derrick's mocking laughs as they left.

"You know what, go ahead and humiliate your mother all you can." Kim snapped at her daughter. "But one day, you'll realize that I was right all along."

She hissed and stormed out of there.

The remaining members were so stressed and scared. They just stood there awkwardly quiet, trying to erase the scary experience.

***

Sergio knelt in front of Eric, taking his hand into his. He stared into his eyes but the boy was still looking worried. He was seated on the bed, his eyes glancing throughout the room. He was somehow scared and felt like something bad was gonna happen.

"Eric, please relax." He sighed, rubbing on his hands sweetly. "You need to calm down or you'll be sick. I know what had happened back there was scary but it was probably an accident."

"I know what I am saying, Sergio!" Eric shook his head. "I know what I saw. I had been feeling uneasy ever since I stepped into that party. I saw the man and I saw him again when that lighting equipment almost fell on us."

"I know it's scary, my love. But I am right here." He cupped his face, staring into those beautiful eyes. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I swear!"

"But what if something happens to you?"

Sergio smiled at Eric's question. "How can anything happen to me when you're around? I am safe because I have my guardian angel with me."

"Sergio..."

"Okay!" He took a glass of water from the table. "Take some water and you'll feel much better."

"Sergio, no! I..."

"Do it for me, my love!" Sergio pleaded, grinning at the boy. "Please!"

Eric sighed gloomily, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. He took a sip of the water and gave the glass back to his husband. His heart was still pounding deep in his chest and there was no way to mask the look on his face.

Sergio sat closer to him, wrapping an arm around him. He brought him closer and planted a soft kiss on his head.

"Sergio, I am really worried." He muttered, burying his head in Sergio's chest. "Something is wrong here. I don't wanna lose you."

"You won't lose me." Sergio chuckled happily. "Did you see what happened there? That was probably God's test so that he could show everyone how much we love each other. Our love is so strong that there is no force out there that can drive us away from each other. We're destined to be together forever, through thick and thin. My love for you will always be there to shield you and protect you from any harm. I swear. Always know that I love you so much!"

Those words, those words washed over Eric and he felt himself calming. Something not only stirred in him, but it took over his thinking. The rest of the world at that moment became an unimportant blur that was banished into the far recess of his mind.

He slowly raised his head and stared at his husband, getting lost in that handsome face of his.

"You'll forget about what had happened today. Won't you, my love?" He asked, caressing his cheek. "We cannot let what happened tonight disturb our beautiful moments together. Right now, I need my baby with me. The one who's wild and sexy."

Eric felt himself getting shy and he began blushing, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Oh, you're killing me with your beauty right now." Sergio teased, raising Eric's head with his chin. He moved closer, grasping the back of Eric's head. He brought him closer, their lips brushing on one each other. Both their eyes started closing on their own. "You have no idea what you do to me whenever I am close to you, Eric!"

"What?" Eric moaned, feeling like his lips had just been connected to a cable of electricity. "Tell me, my love."

"It's... it's not something that I can tell you." Sergio's body was on fire. He began sweating like a teenage near a camp fire on a hot summer. "But rather something that I can show you."

"Then..." Eric moaned as his lips began parting. "...what are you waiting for? Show me. I am dying to know what it is."

From that instant, Sergio closed the remaining space in between them with a slow, fiery and passionate kiss. From a simple kiss, all their troubles seemed to melt away and they were once again caught in a fire that couldn't be quenched. Before they realized it, they were lying on the bed, Sergio on top of Eric, kissing away all his troubles. In that simple moment, everything seemed to be fine. There was nothing that mattered than their love for each other.

***

Trevor stormed inside his room, throwing all his stuff to the floor. He standing moving about the room, breathing like a wounded animal. He felt as if his lungs were slowly filling with water, as if there was just less space in them for the air. He bit his nails severally, feeling like someone was forcing needles in his fingers.

"Come on, pudding, what are you worried about?" Giada asked as she entered the room, wearing that evil grin that she didn't wanna wipe out. "Relax! Whatever we experienced back there, all those insults from Andrea and laurel were nothing but a minor setback."

"Minor setback, mother?" He yelled, trying to fight his tears of anger. "I don't give an ass about that dumb girl. But do you know how scared I was today? I was at the verge of losing the love of my life. He almost died today. Do you know how hurt I was? I have never been so scared in my life before."

"Pudding..."

"No, mother!" Trevor shook his head. His voice kept on rising. "I agreed to all this majorly because I want to get back my husband. Right now, we're very rich and powerful as well. I have got my wish but the only thing remaining to complete my happiness is Sergio. And I almost lost him today."

"He wasn't harmed in any way." Giada reassured, holding her son's arms tightly. "Sergio is safe and sound."

"For now!" Trevor snarled. "I don't care what happens to that stupid whore, Eric, because he stole my husband. But I will not take it if anything happens to Sergio."

"My love, you know that this move was necessary. We may be rich again and we're on the ladder to power but Eric is the greatest obstacle in our way. He's richer, more powerful and influential. We need to eliminate him if our plans are to be successful."

"Fine!" He chuckled, giving a half shrug. "I agree with you totally. Eric needs to die but I don't want the life of my husband to be put at risk here. I don't wanna be a widower because I'll die if anything happens to my husband, mommy."

Giada couldn't understand her son. She cared about him but honestly, she didn't care whatever happened to Eric and whoever he took with him. She wasn't gonna let a simple man like Sergio to get in her way. She was gonna eliminate him if need be and she wasn't gonna have any regrets.

"My love, I understand you. Your father might not be with us anymore but I do understand you love him. Honestly, I never thought the attempt on Eric's life was gonna be when he was with Sergio." She was lying through her teeth. "I don't make these calls..."

"Tell him then!" Trevor snarled, balling his fist. "Unless I am assured of Sergio's safety, I am gonna back out. I don't care about what we do with Eric but I need to get back with Sergio."

"And it will happen. At the end of it all, we're gonna emerge victorious. Just give it..."

"As long as Sergio is safe!" Trevor pointed, shaking his head.

"He'll be safe." Giada reassured with her beautiful smile. "I promise! Now get some rest and prepare for your big victory. Because it's sooner than you think."

She kissed his head and patted on his shoulder before she left his room. Trevor clenched his fist, starting to breathe like he was in labor. He was filled with so much anger and pain. From going to that party, he'd only experienced nothing but pain.

"I am not backing down without a fight this time, Eric." He muttered, his fists clenching. "I shall have the last laugh. I swear."

It was now time to fight a war he should have fought long ago to get Sergio back.

***

"Now what?" Giada asked, pacing around her room. "What are we gonna do? That stupid boy dodged the attempt."

'I told you Eric is very smart and dangerous.' The man said in an evil voice on the other end. 'He knew that someone was watching him and he became suspicious. The whole time the party was going on, he was very alert. He had a slim chance of survival but he still did.'

"You need to do something." Giada hollered. "We need to get rid of that boy or else, he's gonna ruin our plans. You need to send back that man..."

'No!' The man gave a frustrated groan. 'It's too dangerous for my henchman to go back to that house. Eric is now even more alert and whatever mistake we make, he's gonna find us out. And then he's gonna ruin our plans. It was very risky to send him there in the first place. I can't risk it.'

"Then what do we do?"

'I am gonna put my plan into action.' The man laughed manically. 'Tomorrow, you're gonna watch as a storm hits the Alvarado mansion. I am gonna strike and whatever will be found in my way shall burn to ashes without a second thought.'

"Hmmm..." Giada moaned, biting her lip. "...I love the sound of that. But what about Eric?"

'I am gonna deal with him myself.' He groaned. 'That boy will never know what hit him.'

"I love it!" She laughed, taking in a harsh breath. "Now we're gonna see how he's gonna survive this. He's got no idea what's coming his way. Just tell me what I need to do."

'Nothing for now! I will tell you when I need you. For now, just concentrate on our work. It is much more important. And one more thing Giada...' He paused and it felt so quiet on the other end. '...I need you to be extra careful. If that boy starts suspecting you're up to something, it will expose us all. I need you to be careful in all you do.'

"With pleasure!" She grinned evilly. "I always have my tracks covered."

'Good! Wait for my instructions."

With that, the call was cut and Giada remained standing there like an evil fairytale queen.

'It's coming, Eric. I will hit two birds with one stone and this time, nothing is gonna prevent your downfall.'

She laughed at the top of her voice, enjoying the feel of power.

***

"Okay, listen, I want everything to be in order before the meeting starts." Sergio ordered. "This meeting has been on hold for almost a month now. I want the clients to be fully satisfied. We shouldn't give them any reason to complain."

'No, sir...' The woman on the other end sounded excited that he was back. '...I will not disappoint you.'

"I trust you." Sergio chuckled, taking in a deep breath. "I will be arriving in the next 30 minutes. Should the clients arrive before that, entertain them and make sure they're happy."

'I got you, super-boss.'

Sergio laughed at his assistant's words. He cut the call and continued downstairs, staring at his phone. He had a beautiful smile on his face. It was his first day at work after a whole month of not being seeing. He knew many people were expecting to see him and he couldn't wait to see them.

Sergio was dressed in a beautiful blood red designer's suit with a pink striped shirt inside, and a red necktie. He had red shoes on his feet and his hair was gelled to perfection. He looked amazing in the suit and he seemed happy. Married life seemed to be doing him good and he couldn't deny that. His husband had chosen the outfit for him.

Sergio came downstairs and was about to call Eric's name when he raised his head and froze. Shit, Eric was coming towards him with a smile on his face, looking like a sexy god. He was dressed in a blue t-shirt and black designer's skinny jean with sandals on his feet. He was wearing a red apron that just made him look out of this world.

His hair was loose and there was little wind blowing on his face. God, Sergio felt his heart drop into his stomach and his blood began racing. He bit his lip to suppress a moan, staring at the boy like he was seeing him for the first time.

"What's this? Are you trying to kill me?" He teased. "I don't think I am ready to die just yet."

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked, crossing his arms on his chest. But the man didn't even move. "Hey, can you stop staring at me?"

"How do I do that?" Sergio got closer and rested his hand on Eric's waist, pulling him closer. "And why should I? Praising and staring at you is my duty. I am your husband after all. Let me do my duty, my love."