Iron Rose Ch. 02

He's a legend.....

Some know him as "La Dona".... Others as the boy that devours his men.

Everyone admires him for his beauty and his roughness.

Vanalas presents, "Miguel Powers," in a story unlike before.

The story of a myth, a man who has it all but in the end will have to choose between love and power.

Beauty is his weapon.... Power is his revenge. Can love manage to keep the "Iron Rose" from his destructive revenge?? Or has his heart frozen within him? Find out as your favorite series returns to you...

Iron Rose, feel the passion...

***

"Welcome to our home, Miguel...." Jack opened his arms wider, giving Miguel the biggest smile he'd ever give anyone. "I really hope you like it."

"Like it." Miguel sighed, looking all around. "Are you kidding me? I loved this place the very day I came here."

After all, it was his precious house and he still loved it though there were still a lot of memories that haunted him even when he stood there. There were flashbacks going through him.... all the lies, the kisses, the lovemaking which he found irritating and the pain that he'd gone through before finally killing him.

"Wow!" Jack sighed, covering his mouth. "I never knew that the great La don would love my house like that." He looked at his husband and smiled. "I am really honored."

"Just one thing though...." Miguel chuckled as he raised his finger. "I don't want you to call me that. Friends call me Miguel and that's what you are Jack."

Jack looked at his husband and both smiled. "Really? You consider me to be that kind of friend? You barely know me."

"I know you more than you think, Jack." Miguel thought, a grin appearing on his cute face. "But you don't know that and I'll make you pay for everything."

"And yet you invited me here." Miguel raised his eyebrow. "That makes us friends and I hope that very soon, we'll become best friends."

"I hope so." Jack literally jumped. "I mean who wouldn't want you as their best friend? Anyway," He moved closer to him, resting his hand on his shoulder. Miguel felt some waves move through his entire body, making him feel a bit irritated. "I just wanna welcome you once again. And I want to tell you that anytime you come here, my office or any of our companies, you can have anything you want...." He extended his hand, smiling brighter than ever. "...for free."

Hearing what Jack had just said, Miguel just chuckled like it was nothing. "Are you sure?" He asked in a serious tone, literally warning him. "You might regret it."

Jack burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Not sure, I know what you mean but I won't regret it. We're great friends now and I promise you'll have the best time here.'

"Thanks." Miguel smiled, shaking Jack's hand. "I am sure I will."

They all laughed and hugged tightly.

"Alright, I know you are really tired after this journey." Jack shrieked, pulling away from the hug. "Why don't you come with me so that I can show you your room where you'll freshen up?'

Miguel simply nodded. "Why not?" He shrugged.

"Alright...."

The three men went to the elevator where they continued talking. While in the elevator, something strange started happening to Gabriel who simply became awfully quiet, staring at Miguel like he wanted to eat him.

The way he smiled, the color of his eyes, his body shape and his hair, they all reminded him of Angelo. Even the way he talked sounded like Angelo. Shit! Why was he thinking about Miguel that day, he thought as he tried to shake things off his mind but they wouldn't go?

"No!" He thought as he tried hard to take Angelo off his mind. "This isn't right. First it's the dreams and now, now I have started thinking about him? Why am I suddenly thinking about him when I thought I didn't even love him? I have to stop this."

The elevator opened and they all came out and headed to the room which was supposed to be Miguel's. As soon as they opened, they entered and Miguel noticed the wonderful decorations that were inside that room. There was a beautiful queen sized bed on the far right, beautiful art on the walls and flowers decorated all over the room. It was simply beautiful.

But there was something about that room that made Miguel's heart to melt and make him hurt. He could remember himself and Gabriel cuddling, kissing and making love in that room. "I love you."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to take control of himself. Those had been the most painful words ever uttered to him by Gabriel to date. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to experience such pain in his life. Now his anger was rising and he knew he had to control himself.

"Hey," He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked past his shoulder and saw Jack smiling at him. "I hope you like it. I made the room look like this myself so...."

"No, don't worry." Miguel gave a fake smile. "I love everything about it. You didn't have to go out of your way for me though. I would have been fine without all....." He moved his finger around. "....this. But thanks."

"You're welcome. And I made your room close to ours so that I came here anytime and you can come if you want to talk to me."

"What?" Miguel gasped, chuckling softly. "Why did you do that?"

"Why?" Gabriel asked, raising his eyebrow. "Is there anything wrong?"

"What do you mean by that? You guys are married and you need your privacy." He teased, folding his arms on his chest. "I being close to your room might...."

"You don't have to worry about that." Jack assured. "Of course, we need privacy but you're not invading our privacy. We just wanted you close to us so that we won't be far from each other. Gabriel and I talked about this."

Miguel smiled and raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "Alright. I was just saying."

"It's fine." Jack nodded. "Anyway, we are gonna leave you so that you can freshen up. When you're done, come downstairs so that we can have our dinner."

"Alright."

Jack and Gabriel smiled and then left arm in arm.

The moment they left, Miguel felt really sick. He sat on the bed, gripping his hair harder. He had a really sharp pain in his heart that made him hurt so badly. After all these years, he thought he was gonna be strong to face his ex and his ex-friend but he wasn't. The wound was slowly opening and it was bleeding again.

"I won't allow you to make me weak." He said as tears built in his eyes. "Not after all these years of building myself again. This time, I won't be the one to cry. Jack, your tears shall be a billion times more than mine and that's a promise. You made me cry, beg and took away everything I ever had. I will take away whatever you hold dear to yourself. You invited me here and I will make you regret it. I swear."

He rubbed his tears, got up from the bed and went straight to the bathroom. He needed to calm down and take things easy.

***

Jack took a spoonful of the delicious food on the table and he spat it out as soon as possible, surprising everyone at the table. Miguel was the most surprised and Gabriel knew exactly what was going on. Miguel looked at Jack in surprise, wondering why he was acting like that.

"Baby," Gabriel held his arm tighter, putting one of his arms around his waist. "What's wrong?"

"I can't believe this." Jack yelled angrily, furiously getting up the chair. "I told these idiots to prepare something delicious because I had someone very important over. How dare they disobey my orders?"

"But baby...."

"Alicia!" jack yelled his lungs out, surprising Miguel even more. "Alicia, bring your stupid self here, right now."

The moment he shouted, Alicia came rushing into the dining room with a puzzled look on her face. She was really surprised at the tone of the voice Jack had called her in. She was also wondering what had gotten into him.

"Yes, Jack...."

"Sir!" He yelled, stamping his foot on the floor. "But that has failed to get into that thick skull of yours right?"

Miguel felt really bad when he saw the way Jack treated Alicia, with so much disrespect. He couldn't believe Alicia still there when he had pleaded with her to go away the first time he had come to that place.

"But Jack, I...."

"Anyway, I understand you since you were not taught any manners. Anyway, what did I say about cooking something delicious?"

"Will you please let it go?" Gabriel whispered, trying to take Jack away from there. But he simply refused and got angrier. "Please...."

"No!" He yelled. "This stupid woman has been getting on my nerves since we got married. I wonder why we still keep her here."

"But I did what you instructed. I tasted the food myself and it was...."

"Look like you're not only stupid but also you have no taste buds. This food is tasteless just like your stupid self." He pointed angrily at her. "After all these years, do you want me to teach you how to cook?"

Miguel felt really angry at that moment. He wanted to say something but he couldn't do that. He just took a spoon, tasted the food and was simply blown away. The food was one of the most delicious he had ever tasted. It made his love for Alicia to grow even bigger. He was really proud of her.

"But Jack...."

"Shut and get this piece of shit out of the table." He barked, shaking angrily like a leaf. "Looks like I am gonna have to order something as usual because I have useless people working here."

Alicia sighed and then started going for the food on the table but before she did.....

"Wait!" Miguel spoke, stopping her before she did anything. "Please, don't take the food away. I really love it a lot and I haven't had such food in a really long time. Thank you for reminding me of the kind of food that my mother used to make for me a long time ago." He smiled brightly. "I really appreciate."

The moment Alicia heard that, she felt tears building in her eyes. Once again, she was saved from embarrassment. She was really happy and she felt like crying. There was something about Miguel that made her not believe anything that she heard about him.

"Thank you so much, sir." She slowly bowed.

"It's okay. You may leave."

Alicia bowed once again before she left smiling and rubbing her tears.

Meanwhile, Jack was left dumbstruck, wondering what had happened. He was so surprised, caught off guard because he hadn't expected Miguel to act like that. He had expected the woman to get the embarrassment of her life but it hadn't worked.

His heart was on fire as he stood there, feeling embarrassed. "Miguel, are you sure that food is okay?" Jack asked shyly, trying his best to smile. "If you were feeling pity for that woman then...."

"Jack," Miguel rested his chin on his hand and smiled. "One of the things I don't tolerate in my life is bad cooking. Trust me, that woman cooks better than any professional chef I had ever encountered. Do you think I'd have compared her food to my mother's if I pitied her?"

Jack felt really embarrassed. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it." He smiled, taking another spoonful of the curried rice and soup. "Why don't you sit down and enjoy it with me? Maybe the one you had tasted wasn't good but this one is amazing."

Jack sighed, took a deep breath and sat his butt down. He took the plate and served his husband before he served himself and started eating. The food had been delicious but he had just wanted to embarrass the woman and show Miguel that his servants were at his mercy. It was too bad that his plan had backfired.

"So," Miguel decided to break the silence. "Have you guys ever thought about starting a family, I mean, having kids??" He asked, wondering what answer he was gonna get.

"What?" Jack gasped, looking at his husband with the biggest smile ever. "Are you serious, Miguel? Kids?"

"Yes!" He rolled his eyes, raising his eyebrows. "Kids! You two should have thought of it by now. I mean, you told me that you two have been married for a few years now. What's stopping you, now?"

"Miguel, kids are just a burden." Jack said as he took a sip of the juice in his cup. "I don't think I am ready to be a parent yet. Our marriage is still new and I am still enjoying. We'll have kids later when.... I don't know.... When we feel like it."

Miguel laughed at Jack's answer, raising his hands as if he was surrendering. Then he looked at Gabriel and smiled brightly. "Do you also share the same view with him? I mean, you guys should have talked about this already."

Gabriel looked at Jack and nodded. "Well, I have thought about it. A kid in the house would be great. But..." He sighed. "Whatever decision Jack makes is fine with me. His happiness is also my happiness."

When Jack heard his husband's view on babies, his heart simply melted. "Oh...." He smiled brightly and kissed Gabriel right in front of Miguel. "I love you so much, babe. Thanks for having my best interest."

"I love you too."

Miguel looked at the scene and tried his best to stay calm. "Well, I believe that a child is a great gift to the couple." He said, looking at the plate with a smile. "It makes the couple to be complete, a more reason to spend even more time together to take care of the child. A child makes every home complete, I mean..." He laughed even harder. "...having the child in the house is one of the best things. It's like someone told me a long time ago...." He paused and took a deep breath. "...when a child comes into the house, it will change you and make you more happy. A child for more happiness equals a great home."

The moment Gabriel heard that, he felt his heart begin racing, pounding deep in his chest. He got scared as adrenaline started preying on him. He froze, looking at Miguel as if he had just said something threatening. He was really scared.

The words Miguel had used were the exact words Angelo had used back when they were talking about kids. According to him, he had been taught that by his mother before she had died. Shit! Gabriel felt cold and hot at the same time.

A clear image of Angelo came straight to his mind at that instance.... His smiles, his beautiful lips, his voice and his gorgeous body. Shit! Why was he even thinking about Angelo at a moment like that, he thought as he tried long and hard to stop staring at Miguel but he wouldn't? Something was wrong with him.

"Why does he keep reminding me of him?" He thought as a shiver went down his spine. "Why is everything he's doing reminding me of Angelo after so long? I need to stop this."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly opened his eyes and saw Jack looking at him with worry.

"Are you okay, my love?"

Gabriel chuckled nervously, nodding. "Yes, babe.... I just feel a bit tired, that's all. Don't worry."

"Oh!" He rubbed in his hair, smiling brightly. He looked at Miguel and smiled. "I am truly sorry, Miguel. My husband has been busy the whole day since we were expecting you and he's really tired. If you don't mind, I would like to take him to bed and then I'll come back, okay?"

"What? No!" He chuckled nervously. "Why don't you both go to sleep? We've all had a really long day and I think I'll be going to sleep as well."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "You're a guest and I don't think...."

"But you told me to feel welcome. Don't worry, go to sleep, please. I will be fine."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The two of them left happily and went to their bedroom. Immediately they disappeared, Miguel felt like he was running out of breath. His appetite went away and his anger started coming back. He needed to cool down and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He furiously got up from the chair and started heading outside. The instant he opened the door, he was welcomed by a really cool air that blew on his face. It was cold outside but he didn't really care about anything at all.

He closed the door and started going away from the house, heading towards the pool before he heard the phone ringing. It was from Mark. He took a deep breath, looked around and then took the call.

"Mark!"

"Don, I was just checking up on you." Mark sounded really worried and Miguel knew why. "You haven't called to update me and I was starting to get worried."

"Hmm...." Miguel moaned, taking a deep breath. "It doesn't matter Mark. All I know is that I have a mission here." He said in a really low voice. "It hurts because most of the time, I am reminded of my painful past and I thought I was strong but they keep on coming."

Mark took a deep breath. "I think you need to get out of...."

"No! Don't worry, just update me with the issue about Brandon. I need him out of there as soon as possible."

"Everything is going as planned. Brandon will be out in a few days. I talked to the man you asked for help." He sighed. "He's already signed his approval for release. You shouldn't worry."

"When he's out, update him about the issue I left you with. I need you two to work on it together. Keep an eye on Daniel and if anything at all pops up, let me know."

"Yes, mi don...."

"Talk to you later and take care of yourself, Mark. I will call again."

Miguel cut the call and slipped the phone in his pocket. He then started walking slowly towards the pool area, his eyes looking on the ground. He needed to get his head straight before going back inside and rest. He took a deep breath and then raised his face to get a really big surprise.

Miguel stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. He simply froze and just looked straight ahead, his heart pounding deep in his chest. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. After so many years, he still failed to understand why she would what she was doing.

Alicia was seated on the pool chair, looking at a picture with tears in her eyes. Miguel didn't need to be a genius to know that the picture she was looking at was of Angelo. What he had failed to understand was why she still took all those insults from Jack when Angelo hadn't even treated her right? Did she love him that much?

He got so emotional that he didn't even realize that a tear had gone down his cheek. He quickly rubbed it and then rushed to where Alicia was seated.

"I thought you had already left." Miguel said in a sweet voice.

Hearing his voice, Alicia almost jumped up from where she sat. She quickly rubbed her tears and looked into his beautiful face and just like the first time, she felt like he had eyes like Angelo. There was something about Miguel that made her feel really, she couldn't even say the word.

"What are you talking about, sir?" She stuttered, trying to hide the picture.

"Alicia, the first time I came here, I thought I told you to....."

"No!" Alicia slightly raised her voice. She felt hurt for what Miguel had told her. "Why would I leave a place which has been my home for as long as I can remember?"

Hearing her answer, Miguel simply laughed. "But of course, we both know that's not the real reason. I am smarter than you think, Alicia."

He took a deep breath, extending his hand towards her. "May I see that picture?"

Alicia tried to open her mouth to speak but....

"Please?"

Alicia slowly moved the picture from behind and extended it to Miguel who slowly took it. He looked at the picture and he chuckled softly, trying his best not to get emotional. He could remember that picture very well, like he had just taken it a few hours back.

He had been wearing a beautiful black skinny jean with a white shirt tucked in and his hair tied backwards with white snickers on his feet. He had been at the office and he had looked so cute. Looking at the picture brought him so much pain.

"Wow!" He said in false cheerfulness. "This is.... is Angelo? He's cute."

"Thank you." Alicia said, trying to put up a smile. "He used to be but... but...." A tear went down her cheek which she quickly rubbed. "....it's just a pity that he's not here."