"Henry?" Joan asked when she entered her dad's car.
She had been discharged after a few hours of monitoring, but Santiago was still being monitored after waking up a couple of hours after she was put to sleep.
Everyone was relieved that they both were fine.
"Yes, that's what she said," Camila rubbed her shoulder.
Her dad and mom were both sitting on the driver's and passenger's seats, respectively. She held Gary's gaze in the rear mirror.
"Are you sure about this, dad? I thought you were suspecting Darken and his family."
Her dad turned to face her. "Yes, we did; we had our doubts too. But this time we have a direct lead to someone and we know how Henri can be. You told us about how aggressive he was about to be towards you, but Santiago had to intervene," her dad reminded her.
Joan's gaze fell on her hands resting on her lap.
"I'm trying to believe he would go to that extent," she said, raising her eyes to meet her parents worried ones and her best friend's. "Aside from Lisa's confession, what other evidence is tied to him?"
Both parents look at each other.
"We have nothing now, dear. But I suggested that we carry out our investigations before concluding on something. I understand that we aren't on good terms with that family; that doesn't mean we should just accuse them without solid evidence."
Joan sighed. "I am just glad we are all fine."
Flora reached out to caress her daughter's cheek.
"Me too, my love, me too," she smiled, and Joan returned it. "Let's get you home."
"Thanks mum" Joan leans her head on the chair and turns to notice Camila is unusually quiet and looking out the window. "What's up with you?" She nudges Camila, who jumps a bit and turns to look at her.
"Uh? What happen?" Her brows were furrowed.
"I should be asking. Are you okay? You look like you're out of this world already; you're good?"
Camila managed a smile and sits properly.
"I guess. It's just a lot of things that have happened in the past few days and... I don't know."
"It's too much to handle," Joan completes for her. Camila sighed.
Joan took her friend's hand in hers and squeezed them comfortingly.
"We always come out stronger and better, right?"
Camila nods in response.
"I don't want us carrying long faces because of what happened. It already happened, and we can't change that. What we need to do now is look forward and figure out how we will survive any storm that will come our way," she entwined their fingers. "Doing this together as a team will make it easier even when it isn't, okay?"
"Thank you for always being there. I appreciate all that you do for me.
"Thank you too for being a great friend to me too."
Camila shifted her gaze from Joan's uncomfortably, trying to hide what she has been keeping to herself all this while. She can't imagine how enraged Joan and her parents will be when they learn of what she has been aware of for weeks.
"There's something I need to tell you guys," she starts, which caught their attention.
"Is everything okay? Are you fine?" Flora asked while looking at her from the rear mirror.
"I am so sorry it took so long to tell you guys, but I just can't keep it in anymore." Camila's eyes welled in tears.
Gary slowed down till he parked the car by the roadside. He and his wife turned, so they were looking at Camila now.
"You're scaring us; what's going on?" Flora persuaded.
"Your former PA, Robbie Harper. I came across him some weeks ago after spotting him secretly talking with Santiago and his dad. I wondered how they knew each other and somehow found out about how he was used to convince you to sell your company to the Reliso's and cause some problems for you guys."
An angry look etched on each of their faces as they glared at Camila.
"Son of a..." Joan raised her voice.
...
Joan knocked on the door and entered when she was prompted to come in.
"Joan dear, you didn't have to knock before coming in. You're here to see your husband." Francisca stood to her feet and walked over to Joan to usher her inside.
Joan's and Santiago's eyes met for a brief second before she looked away and let out a short breath of air.
Francisca looked at the small food bag Joan strapped over her shoulder.
"You got him food?"
"Yeah, thought he might need dinner," she pats the bag with a smile. The hair around her neck stood because she felt nervous and conscious of the eyes that watched her every move till she occupied the chair Francisca sat on seconds ago.
"I will leave you both to talk. I need to get home already," she yawned while she picked her purse from the sofa by the window.
Joan noticed the slight wrinkles on her face, which displayed how tired she truly was.
Francisca said her good-byes and left the couple, who sat there in silence. Santiago was observing every detail of Joan's clear skin that was slightly dented by a few scratches, and Joan looked everywhere but in his eyes.
"Am I that beat up that you can't look at me?" His deep, scratchy voice tore the silence and forced her gaze on him instantly.
"Oh, uh, um, n-no, I never said that."
"Why are you avoiding looking at me?" he inquired.
Joan looked away and sighed. She stood to her feet and brought out his favorite dish, placing them on the table made for the bed.
Santiago kept watching her, trying to figure out why she seemed distant from him.
"I didn't know I was drugged that night of the accident. The failed break contributed to it though," he managed a small chuckle.
Joan stopped what she was doing to look at him. A deep frown on her forehead.
"Drugged?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, it's in the doctor's report," he shrugged.
Joan cast her gaze from his smiling face to his torso, arms, and back to his face. She reached out her hand to touch his arm.
"Do you feel fine?" There was concern in her tone.
"Well, I'm no longer in a coma, so this is a better feeling," he grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
Joan put the food back in the bag and removed the table so she could sit close to him.
"I was scared something bad would happen to you," she said, looking into his eyes.
Santiago frowned a bit, and his feature softened when he saw the genuine concern written all over her face. He pulled her closer and brushed a strand of hair from her face. He softly caressed the scratches that had dried up to be a wound on her cheek.
His eyes descend on her lips, then back to her eyes.
"I'm glad you are better," he whispered, leaning closer to her.
Joan's heart rammed against her ribcage, thinking of how lovely it would be to feel those soft lips against hers. Last time was at their wedding, and she didn't mind. They were married and could be this close whenever they wanted.
Santiago looked into her eyes as if asking for permission, then leans closer again till his lips were almost brushing against hers. Joan closed her eyes, anticipating the feel of his lips against hers. She shifted closer so she could rest her palm against his chest.
He softly brushed his lips against the side of her mouth, giving his tongue the liberty of tasting her sweet banana-flavored lipstick.
"Hmmm, vanilla..." He leaned back to look at her expectant face, a grin on his lips, so he leaned till his lips were close to her ear. "I love vanilla," he brushed the tip of her ear with a light kiss, earning himself a satisfying sigh from her.
He could feel his muscles tense, so he pulled her closer and lifted her by the waist so she was straddling him. Joan's hands automatically went over his shoulder, and she leaned closer to him.
Santiago let out a low growl, letting his fingers press against her hips. They locked eyes, little distance between their slightly opened lips.
"You smell so good, Senorita," he drawled in a low tone, his Spanish accent hinting.
"Santi," she whispered softly.
Santiago whispered some incoherent words in Spanish, his warm breath dancing across her lips. Eyes locked as he brushed her skin softly with the tip of his finger, claiming a soft, satisfying sound from Joan.
Slowly, he slipped his hands behind her head, tracing the curve of her neck, watching her face etch with so much desire for his touch. A small grin plastered on his lips as he pulled her closer, brushing his lips softly against hers, sending shivers down her spine.
Joan's breath caught, her heart racing like it was the Olympics.
Santiago let his lips claim hers in a soft but passionate kiss. His hands grabbing a fistful of her hair, his other hand pulling her closer to himself as their lips moved in sync. Joan felt goosebumps on her skin with every touch from him; her skin burned with so much desire, and her face flushed from their close proximity. She wanted to feel more and didn't want this to stop.
Her fingers combed through his hair, her other hand flattened on his hard chest, and they pulled away to catch their breath.
"I will not do what you don't want me to do," he told her, still looking into her eyes. Joan felt ready to be intimate with him, but what Camila revealed to her earlier keeps fighting the desire she feels for him.
Santiago took Joan's silence as a go-ahead and started unbuttoning her shirt when she stopped him.
"I understand if you don't wan-"
"Why would you stoop so low as to convince my dad's PA to betray us and take our company from us?"
Santiago's eyes widened in shock, his body stiffened, and his breath hitched. There's no hiding now.