Three years later...
"Terebi gamen-goshi ni anata no sugata ga miemasu, Keiko. Nandeshou?" (I can see your reflection through the TV screen, Keiko. What do you want?)
Keiko got busted in attempting to hide behind KENZO to eavesdrop on his conversation on the phone.
"Sandi-san to hanashite imasu ka?" (Are you talking to Sandy?) she asked enthusiastically as she scurried over to sit beside his big brother on the couch. Keiko was Kenzo's half-sister from his father's side. She was a beauty at her sixteen-year-old age and was supposed to be the heir of the company if Kenzo refused the offer.
Kenzo chuckled as he stood up and slightly moved away from her. "Īe, watashi wa U~orutā to hanashite imasu." (No, I'm talking to Walter.)
She stood up, too, and followed Kenzo anywhere until he decided to go to his room. He was about to reach the knob but Keiko appeared in front of him and spread her arms, preventing him to enter.
"Nē, ani! Sandi-san wa itsu watashitachi o tazunete kuremasu ka? Kanojo wa issho ni kaimononiiku to yakusoku shita." (When will Sandy come to visit us? She promised me that we will go shopping together."
Kenzo shrugged and smiled. "Wakaranai. Sapuraizunara ī to omoimasen ka?" (I don't know. Don't you think it'll be better if it's a surprise?)
"Are you talking to your little sister?" asked Walter on the other line. Kenzo responded and hung up the phone after telling him that he'd just call later.
Meanwhile, Keiko answered Kenzo as she nodded and clapped her hands. "Subarashī aideadesu ne, ani!" (That's a brilliant idea, big brother!) And then, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Kyūka de Firipin ni ika sete kureru yō chichi ni tanomu tsumoridesu! Sandi-san o odoroka semasu!" (I'm going to ask dad to let me go on a vacation in the Philippines! I'll surprise Sandy!)
"Eh?" Kenzo reacted dramatically. He was dumbfounded at how his little sister misunderstood what he meant. Keiko ran off before he could even say anything else.
Kenzo wondered how his little sister became so close to Kassandra that they even agreed to go shopping together. Keiko also claimed they were best friends, even though they had not seen each other personally, they only talked through Instagram, video-calling almost every day. It may have all started, two years ago when Keiko caught Kenzo on a video call with Kassandra. Keiko was friendly and an extrovert like Kassandra, when she found out that Kassandra was an international model, Keiko became her fan. She was even copying how she dresses and it made Kenzo think of Kassandra every time he'd see Keiko. There was also a thought that would always cross his mind, the same as what he was thinking at this moment, "has she seen my letter?"
The next day, Walter video-called to share some news. Senthie and Jimhuesh were now engaged after a few years of being in a relationship and their wedding had been set already in the next two months.
"Are you all right, bro?" Walter asked, concerned.
Kenzo forced a laugh. "Huh? Of course! Sen has finally found someone she can fall in love with. I'm happy for her."
Walter made a face. "You look heartbroken for someone happy. Are you sure you're okay? It's been three years already. Tell me you have truly moved on."
This time, Kenzo genuinely let out a laugh. "I have moved on, bro. I was just..." He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe, I was just jealous of how lucky Jimhuesh is. He's marrying my first love, after all. But, I've moved on, and I'm happy for Sen."
Walter sighed. "Fine, I'll believe that. But if you tell me that you still love my little sis, I'll stop their wedding for you."
Kenzo chuckled as he shook his head. "That won't be necessary, bro. I have already let her go when I left the Philippines."
"Okay, then. I'm sure you're going to meet someone who can love you as much as how much you give love."
He only smiled at Walter, but, at the back of his mind, Kenzo knew, he'd found that someone already.
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The day of the wedding had finally come. Kenzo didn't expect the wedding to be this much simple yet very romantic. The wedding ceremony would take place at Anderson's residence in their spacious backyard garden in the evening. Candles and lanterns lightened up the venue and it almost looked like a place where a man would propose to his woman. There weren't much of flower displays like those in a usual wedding, only the twig arch decorated with flowers and vines, covered in LED strings. There were also pink petals sprinkled on the floor aisle bordering the bride's pathway to her groom who was already waiting.
Guests were all in their seats, only a few were invited, perhaps, around twenty guests. GMC's chairman, Jimhuesh's secretary, Liam, and also Senthie's family were present, as well as both groom's and bride's friends, Rychie was sitting beside Cecilia, Georgia was with Walter, and lastly, Kassandra and Kenzo. The rest were other relatives or perhaps, business partners of GMC.
The violinist began to play "Beautiful in White" as the bride appeared, walking slowly and gracefully with a mixed white and pink flower bouquet in her hands. Senthie, in a white wedding dress that she had designed herself, was the definition of perfection, a french satin A-line dress, with puff sleeves and a straight neckline. She made her gown exactly for her, no one could ever wear it better than her, Kenzo thought. Everyone had their gazes at the bride, while her eyes only went in one direction, and it was on her soon-to-be husband who was now teary-eyed.
"Jim must be in tears of joy seeing his very beautiful bride," Kassandra muttered.
"Yes, that's for sure, Sen is breathtakingly beautiful..." Kenzo smiled, then looked at her. "...and so are you."
She giggled. "I know."
The bride reached the wedding arch and took the groom's hand. After the processional, the officiant began with words of welcome and offered an introduction and some thoughts about marriage. Then next was the moment the guests were waiting for, it was often the most emotional part of the ceremony, the exchange of vows.
The groom went first. Jimhuesh cleared his throat. "Well, Ms. Salvador, Sensen..." He trailed off and let out an audible sigh into the microphone. "I'm so nervous right now, I don't know where to start. Do we really have to do this?" The last sentence was barely audible, but, the guests probably still heard it. They laughed, and so, did the bride.
Senthie politely took the microphone and sighed onto it heavily. "Me, too." She chuckled and then looked at the officiant. "Sir, I think we should skip this part."
A groan of disappointment was left by the audience. Senthie turned her gaze to them and laughed nervously. "We're very sorry. It's just that, we don't intend to make promises, we only do express how much love and respect we feel for each other through action." She cringed, Jimhuesh, too, which made the guests guffawed. "Did you see that? I should better stop saying cringy things." She looked at Jimhuesh. "Right?"
He nodded at her, a wide grin on his face as if he was thanking her for saving him from embarrassment. Now that they had escaped from it, the ceremony continued with the exchange of rings on each finger as they recited the standard wedding vows.
"I now solemnly declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," said the officiant.
Everyone seemed eagerly waiting for the seal of their marriage, perhaps, they were expecting a passionate kiss, but all they had watched was a kiss on the bride's forehead.
Kenzo was also disappointed at what he saw. If he was in Jimhuesh's shoes, he would definitely kiss Senthie or whoever would be his wife on the lips.
"Are they really going to be like this? It's not like they are father and daughter, why did he kiss her on the forehead?" Kassandra grumbled.
Cecilia who was sitting next to Kassandra agreed. "Ugh, tell me about it. They even skipped the most important part." She groaned and breathed in heavily, then she shouted, "kiss her on the lips!"
"Kiss her on the lips!" she repeated incessantly as if she was chanting until everyone joined in.
"Kiss her on the lips!"
"Kiss her on the lips!"
The couple was blushing as if kissing was a thing they never had done before. The cheering only ended when they decided to just go with the flow. Senthie was the one who initiated the kiss, she tipped her toes and gave him a peck on the lips. The demanding guests were not still satisfied.
"That wasn't a kiss!" Cecilia screamed as she stood up.
Senthie creased her forehead at Cecile as if signaling her to stop. Jimhuesh then stole her attention by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto his body. Senthie automatically placed her hands on his chest as he leaned on her slowly. The guests were as if out of control, seeing their favorite love team in flesh. Whistling and chanting, "kiss her!"
And then, they kissed. Passionately, like those in romantic movies where the two main leads were madly in love with each other, never wanting to let go and be apart from his/her lover.
The ceremony ended with the guests' applause, words of encouragement, and a prayer for prosperity, faithfulness, and a strong bond by the officiant.
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The weather was fine earlier until the rain suddenly pour. The wedding reception had ended sooner than it should be after throwing the bouquet that had been caught by Kassandra.
"Do you think the rain is a bad omen for me?" Kassandra asked Kenzo, but her eyes were on the bouquet she was holding.
"No, I think it's a good omen, they say rain is a blessing," he responded, trying to lighten up her mood. He looked at her when she didn't respond. "Look at me, Sandy. Don't think too much about it."
Kassandra smiled and nodded at him, but then suddenly, she yelled, "Kenzo!" as she turned her gaze to the road.
Kenzo hit the break instantly as he used his arm to protect Kassandra from the impact. They were crossing an intersection and nearly got into an accident when the red light turned on.
"Are you okay?" Kenzo asked worriedly, panting. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken my eyes off the road."
Kassandra breathed out and smiled widely at him. "I'm okay. Don't worry, that was quite fun, actually, though, it was nerve-wracking."
Kenzo just gave her a small smile and squeezed her trembling hands. She must have been pretending to be fine, he thought. The drive went smoothly after that and then they arrived at Taylor's residence. Kassandra's parents have attended the wedding and headed home shortly after they had eaten, so, Kenzo offered to take her home.
"Uh, did you, by any chance, have found a letter from me?" asked Kenzo reluctantly as he unbuckled his seatbelt, Kassandra did the same. He slipped his letter in her bag when she drove him to the airport three years ago.
She nodded. "Yes. Why?"
"Why? Uh, have you read it?"
"Yes."
"So...what can you say about it?" he inquired as he scratched the back of his neck. He felt embarrassed and nervous talking to Kassandra. He wondered why she responded in a way like it was in the past and that she never thought of an answer or anything to say to him. If she had truly read his letter, she would've at least mentioned it to him, Kenzo thought. Did she, perhaps, have a change of heart?
Kassandra smirked and then she searched for something in her bag. She finally took out a pink envelope and handed it to Kenzo. "Here is my response."
Kenzo reached for it and glanced at Kassandra before opening it. In the letter, there were only three words, and it said, "I'd love to."
She'd love to wait for him until he comes back. The plan was after five years, but it went sooner than it should be because of Senthie's wedding.
A smile appeared on Kenzo's lips after reading the letter. "Will you also say this to me if I ask you another question?"
She shrugged. "It depends on the question."
He chuckled. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Let me think about it." She raised a brow and sighed heavily.
Kenzo looked into her eyes intently, and sternly said, "I was a man who didn't know when to give up, I was too hung up with my ex, I was too afraid to be abandoned, I have many flaws, I can be too overwhelming, I am far from being perfect, and I may not be the deserving man for you, but...would you ever give me a chance to love you? I like you, Sandy."
Kassandra made him realize that he didn't have to go beyond lengths just to make someone love him. 
She reached for his hands. "You're not far from perfect, Kenny. Because for me..." She smiled, teary-eyed. "You are more than perfect." A tear left her eye. "And I know that you already know what will be my answer. I like you a lot, Kenny. I would kill a bear just to be your girlfriend."
Kenzo was on cloud nine, he didn't know what to do, but there was one thing he felt like doing. "Uh, can I hug you?"
She nodded and wrapped his arms around her. Suddenly, a thought crossed Kenzo's mind. "Are you really okay with being in a long-distance relationship?"
She giggled as she patted his back. "That's not a problem. I'll just visit often. And you should, too."
"Keiko will be ecstatic to hear that. She was throwing a tantrum when dad didn't let her come with me here." Kenzo pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on her arms instead. "Should I just resign and stay here?"
"No, don't do that." She laughed as she cupped his face. "A CEO husband is everyone's dream."
Kenzo's eyes went bigger as his heart beat louder. She already considered him as her potential husband. He placed his hand on her face. "You'll be a CEO, too, someday."
Her smile turned sour and looked away as she folded her arms, Kenzo's hands were left in the air, so he pulled them back. Kassandra then spoke, "that's right. Then both of us will be busy." She looked at him. "Can we really do this? Should I just tell mom that I don't wanna be the heir of Beau Cosmetics and go with you in Japan?"
Kenzo shushed her with his lips and then hugged her once again. "Let's not think about that. Let's just enjoy what we have for now."
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Hello, Noomiells!
Thank you for reading until the end! Hope you liked it. :D