CHAPTER 40: NAUSEOUS

"We're here!" Maxine shouted when they arrived at Sofia's private island. The staff busily unloaded the things they brought. They helped each other get off the yacht.

A few of Sofia's staff members greeted them. They brought leis or flowers that they made into necklaces as a token of welcome. After they wore them, they were immediately invited to tour Sofia's villa. It was small, but it was clear that the materials used to build this kind of villa were very expensive.

"Sof, how long has this villa been yours?" Maxine suddenly asked, amazed at what she saw. "It's still new, it's been almost two years. My dad had it built as a birthday gift for me," Sofia replied.

Maxine was stunned by what she heard, "So that means this private island belongs to you? Wow, you're really rich! Ask your parents if they want to adopt another child! I'm willing!" Maxine jokingly said.

Sofia laughed at what she said. "Yup, that's why we even named the island after me. Sofis Paradise, that's the name we gave it," Sofia said with a smile.

While they were talking, Chelsea continued to listen. It was undeniable that she was also amazed at what she saw. Sofis Paradise is really beautiful, you can really say that Sofia's family spent a lot of money on it.

"Are you guys hungry?" Sofia asked her companions. "Auntie, do you want to rest before we eat?" Sofia asked Red's mother when she noticed that she was quiet.

She nodded, "No, let's eat. It's already late and we might get hungry," she replied. They were quickly led to the back of the villa because the staff prepared the food there. The food was served outside so they could also see the beautiful view of the island and the fresh air offered by nature.

"Wow! There's so much food! Is all of this for us?" Maxine exclaimed in amazement. Sofia nodded and thanked the staff who prepared it. They sat down, and you really couldn't help but drool at the dishes on the table. There was Lechon, chicken and pork adobo, sisig, crispy pata, taba ng talangka, fish tinola, sinigang, barbeque, and many more. You really couldn't help but drool at the amount of food, and you could see that the staff really prepared it.

"Let's eat!" Sofia said as a sign for everyone to start eating. Maxine and Chelsea quickly scooped up food. Chelsea still felt awkward among them even though they weren't doing anything bad or saying anything bad about her. She felt that she wasn't welcome, especially with the way Madame Buenavista looked at her.

Everyone was busy eating while the staff began to perform in front of them. Someone sang and danced. They liked it and enjoyed the brief entertainment.

After they finished eating, Maxine and Sofia decided to take pictures. Chelsea couldn't do anything when they invited her, so she joined them and went along on their trips. They went inside the villa and went to their respective rooms to change into swimsuits. When they finished, they went to the beach together and took pictures of each other.

"Sof, fix your pose! I'll post it on my Instagram!" Maxine shouted to Sofia. Sofia followed and really made an effort to give Maxine good shots. When they finished, the two also took pictures of Chelsea.

"Chelsea, you stand over there. You decide on the pose you want, I'll handle the shots, okay?" Maxine gave a thumbs up, and Chelsea nodded back. Despite what happened between the siblings, Chelsea still appreciated everything that was happening. For her, this was a big step toward change in their lives. Although it didn't start well, at least there is progress now. What happened before wasn't important to her. She just wanted them to be okay and have a good relationship with each other. Although they can't restore their relationship to what it was before, all Chelsea wants is for the conflict to end.

"Omg! It's beautiful! This is awesome, Chelsea, you can post this on your Instagram!" Maxine exclaimed happily.

The three continued to take pictures while Madame Buenavista rested inside the villa and watched them from afar. Her gaze toward Chelsea was sticky and it was clear that she didn't like what was happening.

While the three were busy taking pictures, Chelsea's phone suddenly rang. Maxine and Sofia looked at him. When he saw who was calling, he was surprised to see that it was Red. "S-Red... Wait, I'll answer it. Just continue what you're doing there..." Chelsea said and excused himself to answer Red's call. The change in mood of the two was clearly visible on their faces. The cheerful and laughing faces were replaced with fake smiles that Chelsea didn't notice.

Chelsea walked away from the two before answering the call.

"Hello?"

[Why did it take you so long to answer? I've been calling you for a while but I can't contact you. Where are you?]

"Ahh... Well, Sofia invited me for an outing... They insisted that I come along so I went along with it. And you never know, right? Maybe this is the way for me and your mom to be okay..."

[Outing? Why didn't you tell me? Where are you?]

"I don't know either... You can ask your mom or Sofia since it's her private island... Sofia's Paradise, right?"

[Geez... They're not doing anything bad to you there, are they? Are you fine? Tell me if you're fine or not, I'll come and get you right away.]

"What are you talking about... They're not doing anything bad to me... Actually, they're being nice to me. Who knows, they might have really changed... There's nothing wrong with giving someone a second chance... And you have a business trip, right? Take care of that first, don't worry, I'm fine here..."

[Are you sure? If something happens, call me right away, do we understand each other?]

"You're being bossy... Yes, master, I understand."

[I'm just worried about you... Anyway, have you eaten your lunch yet?]

"Yep, I just finished."

[Good. How about your breakfast? Did you eat the food that manang prepared for you this morning?]

"Yes, why wouldn't I, it would be embarrassing for manang if I didn't eat that... The person went to a lot of trouble..."

[Good. Go ahead. Just call me if they do something bad to you there. Okay?]

"Yes, master, I understand... I'll go ahead, I might be disturbing you. We're going home soon anyway because we're not supposed to stay on the island for long, there's a storm coming..."

[Make sure to go home safely. Call me once you're on your way home, I want to make sure your trip home is safe.]

"Yes... Oh, bye now... Take care there... I love you, Red..."

"I love you too, Chelsea... Don't forget what I said."

"Yes... Okay bye baby--"

Chelsea smiled before ending the call. She looked at the end call button for a few minutes before returning it to the home screen of her phone. She focused on the time, 3:45 pm... It's only a few more hours, and we'll also be going home. I might as well go swimming so I can make the most of our trip here... Chelsea thought to herself as she quickly returned to Maxine and Sofia.

"Aren't you going swimming yet?" Chelsea asked when she returned.

"Ahh... Yeah, let's go swimming. What time is it? We might not be able to enjoy the sea. Do you have sunscreen?" Maxine asked the two.

"Yup, I have it in my bag." Sofia replied and accompanied Maxine to get it from their room. Chelsea was left on the shore. She saw the island staff arrive with Madame Buenavista, and they brought some drinks.

"Where are they?" Madame Buenavista asked Chelsea. Chelsea was surprised when she was suddenly spoken to, so she didn't immediately answer. Madame Buenavista raised an eyebrow, "Ahh-- I'm just getting sunscreen..." Chelsea gave a short answer.

Madame Buenavista nodded in response to Chelsea's answer. "Here, join me for a drink." Madame Buenavista handed Chelsea a glass of wine. Chelsea had no choice but to accept it. Madame Buenavista sat on a chair, so Chelsea had no choice but to sit down as well.

A few minutes of silence enveloped the two of them, and it was only broken when Madame Buenavista spoke. "How are you and my son?" She asked, surprising Chelsea.

Chelsea glanced at her but saw her looking far away while drinking her wine. "We're okay..." Chelsea answered nervously.

"Do you really have no plans to give up my son to Sofia? I mean don't get me wrong, I have no problem with you, but because you're preventing them from getting married, it's like this now if I get angry with you." Madame Buenavista added.

Chelsea didn't immediately answer the question. She didn't know how to answer because she didn't even know what her plans were. She just thought that she was happy with what she and Red had now.

"It depends on Red maybe... If he chooses Sofia... I'm ready to give up..." Chelsea answered weakly.

"When my son was still young, he always followed all of my wishes. Maybe I was wrong, that's why he's now like this, disobeying my wishes. I didn't allow him to make decisions for himself... But... I'm only doing this for his own good. No mother wants to see her child get hurt. I just want him to get the best woman for him, who will be with him in life and in old age, and I think Sofia is that woman... But... he has already made a decision and he chose you... Who am I to oppose his wishes if he has already done this... I just ask you now to take care of my son... He is my only treasure... I can't bear it if someone hurts him, especially if I find out that he is being played with and used by a woman..." Madame Buenavista closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head back against the chair.

Chelsea didn't say anything and just drank her drink. She didn't know it, but even though there were things that Madame Buenavista said to her that were not pleasant, she still understood what the mother of Red was trying to imply in her words. She may not be able to let go of Red now, but she is willing to fight until the end to prove her love for his son.

She felt a little nauseous from what she was drinking. I think I might have had too much to drink... She thought to herself. She looked around and still couldn't see where Sofia and Maxine were. She focused her gaze on Madame Buenavista, who was just closing her eyes and looked like she was resting. So she decided to close her eyes and lean her head back against the chair as well. She planned to rest her mind for a bit because she was feeling something different from just dizziness. It seemed like the wine was really strong that she had earlier. But she didn't realize it and gradually fell asleep.