Blackmail

Two days after Everest's scandal blown out of proportion, Noah is casually hanging out at Belen's house, sitting on the living room sofa, and Belen lying down, using his lap as a pillow.

"why are kdrama's so cliché?" Belen complains comfortably lying on his lap.

Noah can't help but laugh, "you say that, but you're still going to watch next week's episode."

She reveals a cheeky smile admitting, "…yeah, but that's only because I'm bored. I wish they'd make a kdrama that has a twist at the end or something. I want it to be a bit more realistic. It's obvious who the main character is going to end up with, and its always the bad boy!" she argues.

"Apparently, women find those kinds of guys attractive."

She strongly disagrees, "I don't like that! Why do the women always have to be helpless and somehow the man is the one who saves her…ugh! I can't!" looks away disgusted.

Noah laughs, "I think that's the whole point of a kdrama. This is exactly why I prefer thrillers compared to romance."

Belen shakes her head, "you know what they often say?"

Noah looks down, meeting her gaze, "what?"

She softens her expression revealing gentle eyes, "I love you…"

Saying this caught Noah off guard when he chokes, "w-what?" he asks in disbelief, along with a widened expression.

Belen breaks out in laughter, "see!" she excitedly points out his reaction, "That's the exact stupid expression the woman gives when the man confesses to her, nice acting Noah!" she winks.

His excited tingly heart dissipates after hearing her explanation when he turns away from her gaze, trying to hide his flushed face feeling slightly embarrassed. Did he get his hopes up?

Just then, he feels her quietly nuzzling her face into his stomach when she comments, "are you flexing your abs?" she stares at him with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

He happily smiles, "I'm not, I've," he nervously scratches his face, "umm been working out."

"mmmm," she glares at him. He cringes at her stare, striking an awkward smile when she says, "you're already muscular! What are you trying to be a bodybuilder?"

He timidly explains, "that's not it, you know better than anyone else that I care about my health."

She sighs grumpily, "yeah, I know! You won't even let me eat chocolate once in a while," she cutely pouts.

"that's because you have no self-control. You can go for a week of eating chocolate. It can deteriorate your health."

"Okay, whatever…" she says annoyingly.

After a bit of silence, Noah comments, "I loved the dress you were wearing on the night of the ball, it was beautiful."

She sits up, getting close to his face, but he awkwardly turns, avoiding her stare, "you really think so?" she asks excitedly like a puppy.

He turns, staring at her cheery smile, "mm, yes, you looked like a princess."

She crosses her legs, "did it remind you of Sleeping Beauty?"

Noah hesitates, glancing around the living room in search of a change in the topic when nodding, "mm, yes, you did."

Belen finds his hesitation suspicious, narrowing her eyes when asking, "you do know who Sleeping Beauty is, right?"

He hesitates again, "ah…umm, the princess with the Ummm."

Belen asks, "okay, okay, Noah, who is my favorite Disney princess?"

"Oh!" he excitedly claims, "I know this. Its that umm, princess with the white dress and blonde hair!"

Belen sighs disappointedly, hanging her head, "there are no princesses who wear white dresses other than their wedding dresses."

He cluelessly asks, "then who wears the white dress?"

"NONE!" she yells, scaring him, when she calmly explains, "my favorite princess is Cinderella, she has blonde hair and wears a blue dress."

"I thought she wore a pink dress?"

"NO! that's princess Aurora!" she exclaims.

"is that the sleeping princess?"

"Yes!" frustratedly yells.

"But I thought she wore a blue dress?"

Belen tries to tolerate his cluelessness, "she does…"

He asks, "but then, who wears the white dress?"

"ugh! Noah!!" she shouts angrily, losing her patience.

He grins, "sorry, I don't know the sequence of color each princess wears. Don't they wear a lot of dresses in the movies? How am I supposed to keep count when I haven't watched any!"

Belen gasps, amazed, "y-you've never watched a princess movie? WAIT! Don't tell me! Do you know what Disneyland is?"

He rolls his eyes, "I know Disneyland. It's just. I've never gone to the park."

"Wow!" Belen astonishingly sighs, "well then, I guess that means we're going to have to go so you can have the experience."

Noah groans, "you don't have to, I'm not a big fan, isn't it for children?"

Belen refuses, "come on! I haven't gone since I was young, and I barely remember too. Let's go together sometime next year!" she excitedly grabs his hand.

He can't find a reason to refuse her, nodding, "okay."

"Yes! But! You have to learn about princesses before we go!"

"why?" his shoulders slump as his excitement.

"because I want you to at least know them so you won't be confused."

He sighs with a smile, "okay, I'll do my best…"

"and! I'll test you! Before you say anything, let's make a bet!"

"What kind of bet?" he doubtfully stares at her.

"Hmm," she thinks, "what about, if you pass my test, then I'll grant you a wish. And if you fail the test, then you'll have to grant me a favor!" she grins mischievously.

He slightly chuckles, "okay, deal. But since we're on the topic, I want you to do something too."

"huh? Like what?" she asks intriguingly.

"I want you to watch Star Wars, all the films."

Her complexion darkens, wearing an unpleasant frown on her face, "why?" she whines.

"I think they have a section of Star Wars at Disneyland, don't they?"

"ugh, you damn nerd!" she playfully teases, "but I'm not into the franchise."

He does not give in to her excuses saying, "I can say the same about the princesses," he shrugs.

In the end, she gave in, promising him that she'll watch it but on one condition, "you have to watch them with me."

His eyes widen, "huh?"

She explains, "because aren't they a series? I'm going to have a lot of questions, and I need someone to answer them."

He agrees, "fine, but-"

She cuts him off with a smirk, "nuh-uh! You can't say the same with the princess movies cause the stories are a fairytale. You don't need my help to understand the movie, unlike Star Wars."

He sighs, disappointedly missing his chance to spend some time with her when he remembers, "that's right before I forget."

Belen turns to him, looking confused with puppy-like eyes, "hmm?" cocking her head.

He gently smiles, "can you put on the shoes you wore at the ball?"

"why?" she suspiciously looks at him.

"Please, just wear them and meet me outside at the basketball court," he says excitedly yet in a gentle tone when he gets up from the sofa walking out of the door, "I'll be waiting for you," he leaves.

Belen dumbfoundedly follows his order and goes upstairs to her bedroom to put on the heels she wore on the night of the ball and quickly walks out the door heading to the direction of the basketball court. On her way, she notices the night until the lights on the path brightly glow up, allowing her to see better in the dark.

"It's…chilly tonight," she caresses the shawl wrapped around her shoulders, glad that she brought it out or else she could've easily gotten sick.

She catches a glimpse of Noah, somehow tapping the sole of his shoes on the basketball court.

"What are you doing?" she shouts from a distance scaring Noah, but as he turned, a gush of wind envelops them, making Belen remember the dream from a few days ago.

He rushes to her, wearing a worried expression, "are you alright? I didn't know it'd be this cold tonight, umm maybe we should go back inside," he says unsurely.

Belen remembers the dream clearly when she blocks out everything focusing on his slender pink lips, "he can't be the man from my dream" she shakes her head, snapping back to reality. And answers Noah with a smile, "I'm fine, the wind can't hurt me," she giggles.

He sighs, relieved to hear that, when he warmly covers her bare shoulder with the shawl, "cover-up," he says in a warm tone, "I don't want to be the cause of your cold" he pats her shoulders.

She looks up at him with a sincere expression, "why did you want me to come here?" they walk closer to the center of the court.

He steps away, "let me put on some music."

She tilts her head, "for what?"

"To dance."

"Dance?" she asks, glancing around.

He sincerely smiles, "yeah, I felt bad for not learning the dance in time for the ball, but thanks to Lady Beth's mercy. I learned the routine, and so…." He walks over somewhat different, "Belen Astares, could you do me the honor of granting a lowly person like me the chance to dance?" he bows gentlemen-like, holding out his hand, waiting for hers.

She shockingly examines him from top to bottom, before revealing an honest smile on her face, "of course." She places her hand upon his when he starts leading her into a dance, carefully placing his hand on her waist while straightening his back as his chest slightly touched hers.

He didn't seem tense. Neither did she. If anything, they both seemed relaxed with the help of the music. They looked like a prince and princess that stepped right out of a fairytale book.

Something about their chemistry looked rather enchanting and dazzling compared to when she danced with Everest. Even Belen felt the difference, but she didn't say anything because she was impressed by every movement Noah made, leading her so gracefully.

Their eyes naturally met without a hint of shyness or tension, and a smile naturally formed on their faces while dancing. Belen finds it oddly pleasant because when she danced with Everest, she could tell he tried his best to make a smile out of her. But with Noah, why was she able to naturally smile?

The night was silent, with only the music Noah played on his phone. He quietly asks, "how am I doing?"

Belen tries hiding her smile, "not bad. I like it." Noah's heart flutters, seeing her sparkling eyes reflect the moon's light, making her eyes look like twinkling stars in the night sky.

That is until she says, "I don't know what I'm going to do with what Everest caused," she sighs as her smile dissipates.

Noah internally gets angry at the sound of Everest's name, "don't worry, everything will soon be over with him."

"How are you so sure?" she stares at him with wavering pupils.

He holds her closer to his chest, "I just know," he smiles, ensuring.

As they're dancing, a figure from afar captures this scene with their eyes, its Edilberto, Belen's father. How did he get into the estate when it's heavily guarded with security?

Well, Edilberto fought with security, using his title as "father" to enter the estate without warning Belen firsthand. When he found out the news about Everest's scandal circulation worldwide, he couldn't sit by and do nothing. No matter how many times he called Belen to check on her, she didn't answer him. He became worried and decided to visit her personally, thinking he could help her if she were having a hard time with Everest's scandal. He thought of visiting her to give a few words of wisdom.

But he heard the sound of music, trailing him to their direction, which from afar he notices Belen wearing such a heartwarming smile, but who was that dancing beside her? It was rare seeing her smile since each time she sees him, all she gives him is a frown. Edy thought perhaps she made up with Everest?

But as they twirled, Edy caught a closer look at the man, realizing it's her secretary, Noah. The man whom he spoke to on the phone one time and rudely hung upon him. Seeing him makes Edy's blood boil. If he could choose, Edy would've preferred Everest.

Though after seeing Noah's facial expression, he could tell at a glance, "it must be, there is no way a man could show such kind loving eyes to someone unless he loves that person…." He gasps, "he's in love, with my Belen?" he walks away, angrily stomping his feet back out the gate, into his car as the driver drove away.

Edy can't forget the image of Belen and Noah dancing, looking so intimate when he thinks, "Is this why she doesn't want to get married? Is she in love with that man? Her secretary?! No!" he clenches his fist, "I have to stop this! That man, Noah, is nothing but an orphan. I have to talk with Reuben about Everest. If he continues to ignore my calls, I'm going to have to cancel the marriage and make Belen marry into the Thompsons."

***

Belen and Noah are continuously dancing when the song changes and begins to play "So This Is Love" hearing this song seems familiar to Belen's ears when Noah asks, "Is something the matter?"

She brightly looks at him with sad eyes, "this song, it's…" she hesitates, "it's special."

Noah overhears the song while dancing, "does it have to do with your brother?" he asks cautiously.

She nods, trying to wear a fake smile on her eyes, "yes, this song is from Cinderella, her first dance with prince charming…and they fell in love."

Noah tries to comfort her, "should I change it?"

Belen shakes her head, "no. Please don't. It's nice" she wears a soft smile hiding her anguish behind it, "actually, I made a promise with my brother…"

He respectfully gives her his full attention, "mhm."

"I promised him I'd dance to this song with my future husband. And" her voice weakens, "he said he would be looking forward to seeing me dance," she loosens her grip on Noah's hand as if wanting to drift away.

But Noah quickly tightens his grip on her hand. Instead, he intertwines his fingers with hers, pulling her closer, "I'm sorry." He says, sincerely staring at her tearful eyes, "I wish I can take away the painful suffering you go through," he gently embraces her fragile shivering body.

Belen accepts his hug and softly wraps her arm around his waist, nuzzling her head like a kitten on his chest, "…thank you, Noah," a soft smile forms on her face, as her heart calmed.

On the other hand, Noah glares at the darkness of the night, internally making a promise to Belen, "I won't let you suffer anymore…that scandal will disappear," he says with a determined look on his face.

***

The next day, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Noah asks in a stern tone. Belen tiredly sighs, rubbing her forehead temples, "its the only choice I have. You know better than I do. I'm not usually swayed this easily."

He merely nods, glancing at Belen's exhausted face, "Then I'll bring him through the parking lot."

As he left, Belen finally breathed, letting out a long sigh, "I won't know until I get to hear the full story."

After a few minutes, someone knocks on the door. Noah confidently enters, as following behind him stands a short tan man looking oddly clean dressed in casual clothes. His tan skin makes his face look dirty.

Belen's eyes sharpened at the sight of the man. When Noah stepped away, showing the man where to sit, Belen walks over to sit across from him. She stares him down with all the force she can expel from her eyes, but this man remained untouched.

It only made Belen grin at the sight of his confidence, so she informally asks, "I assume you're the one who's been sending those childish blackmailing pictures to me?"

He speaks rashly, "what a lovely way to speak, Madam, that is what the employees call you, respectfully. Ahem, I never would've thought you'd give me the time of day, Miss Astares."

Belen's brow rises, "oh?" She stares boldly, "guess a rat-like yourself has a bit of manner, let's not waste time idly chatting," her expression shift coldly, "what do you want?"

The man replies with a grin, "What I'm after is simple, but it is surprising since I'm not your regular reporter."

"Ha!" She scoffs in disbelief, "money, that's the kind of language you rats seem to understand, do you not?"

The man calmly replies, "well, maybe some, but that's not my goal. You see, I'm a different kind of species of rats that you refer to."

Belen mockingly laughs, "yeah, right! No matter how I see them in my eyes, you'll always be pathetic rats!" She growls.

The man smirks, "hmmm, where did it all start?" Belen wrinkles in confusion, the man continues with a snarky grin, "the downfall of the Astares family."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmmm," he thinks, clicking his tongue, "ahh!" He gasps, "that's right! Once you claimed A Star Is oops, I mean A Star. Or does it go back to the day your eldest sister suddenly disappeared? She didn't make it to her graduation either..."

Belen grits her teeth, "are you threatening me more?"

He laughs, relaxing his posture, "not really, I wanna know if I'm getting the story straight, or am I wrong? Eh, it's shocking enough to see Mabel the eldest walking around with a daughter? And your mother, well, she became real quiet since her divorce, huh? And that Iris, ha! She sure sunk to the bare minimum of drug abuse. But my favorite one is seeing your father working with your rivals! Now THAT is a story worth reading!"

Belen holds back her impulsive behavior wishing she could choke this man, "what does their misery have to do with me?" She coldly glares.

"Woah there! I mean no harm. I was curious. I just have one goal, after all."

Belen asks in a low voice, "what's your price!" She hisses with fierce eyes like that of a wild snake.

The man nervously swallows his saliva before stuttering to speak, "I-I want to revive the Astares name!!!" His shouts echo.

Belen and Noah are startled by his sudden blunt words trying to find the meaning behind them. When Noah asks, "what exactly are you talking about? Reviving the Astares name? What kind of?"

Belen stops him with a gesture, "let him continue, you were saying?"

The man bravely explains his earlier statement's idea and thoughts when after 15 minutes of explanation, everything is clear. The office stayed silent when Belen breaks the ice, "so you don't care about gaining anything from this? How can I believe you? How do I know this isn't just a cheap setup to get me entangled in your reporter's web of lies? I cannot believe anything until I see it with my own eyes or better yet with a written contract."

"P-please!" The man desperately begs, "I want nothing more than to help you! Please!!"

"Ha," she sneers proudly, "and yet blackmailing was your only option? Well, what a surprise."

"I am a reporter first and foremost, but I promise you, I am the only person who has access to these pictures. No one else knows, I just want to revive your family to the grace period it used to hold in the media."

"My family isn't as entertaining or important."

"You're right! If I have to be honest, people nowadays care more about you and singer/actor celebrities. But! I just know your family can get back up there!"

After a few seconds, Belen sighs, calmly replying to the man, "leave. There is nothing for you to cover for...my family means nothing to me. Find another family if that's what you're looking for. I don't want anything to do with mine. Their all such disappointments that can't even, ugh. Anyways, you've chosen the wrong family. Leave now before I charge you, and your whole family will suffer!"

The man reveals his final triumph card on the center of the table. Belen narrows her eyes, "what is this? Another pic-!"

She stops mid-sentence when picking up the picture to see its Emiliano's smiling face.

She immediately turns to the man with mad eyes, "where did you get this!?" She shouts, catching Noah's attention when he noticed the picture triggering Belen.

Unable to control her temper, she violently grabs the man by the collar demanding, "How did you get this!? Answer me!!!"

Noah comes in between them, trying to calm Belen before she loses it. The man explains, "he's your brother, isn't he?"

They both stare at him in astonishment. How did he know that? Was he a stalker?

The man reveals, "I was there...during the day of the bombing. I was his driver."

Hearing this suddenly makes sense, he continues, "that's when I started my career, my job was to discover who he was and what relationship did he share with you...little did I find out he was your-"

"Shut up..." Belen scarcely says with a dark complexion, "shut up!" She yells while staring at the photo of her brother.

"I didn't want to do this, but please, let me revive your family, and everything with be yours. If you refuse then..." he hesitates, "I will reveal everything I know about your family to the world."

After calming down, Belen can't help but shake her right leg, anxiously, "I'll have to think about it."

He asks, "I cannot wait for long."

Belen anxiously replies, "a week. There are other things I must handle first."

***

Leena and Everest are talking in the cheap motel.

"This is the only place you can afford to stay in?" She says crudely while glancing around the small room.

And sighs in disgust, "why are you staying here?"

Everest, whose already gotten used to living there, shrugs it off, "better than living in a cage."

She mumbles underneath her breath, "better?"

She sighs, giving up on trying to convince him to see the bigger picture and instead says, "I can't believe it's only been three days since you quit and your living like a pig already!" She kicks the pizza boxes with the tip of her heel, trailing her like a maze to the bed.

Finally, she sits beside Everest, whose solemnly looking down with his shoulders slumped. Leena wonders, "just what have you been going through?" Her sad eyes comfort Everest, gently calling his name, "Everest. Everest. Everest."

He dumbly turns to Leena wearing a blank expression, his eyes looking like a lost child missing that spark of life. Leena can't help but feel an ache in her heart, seeing his malnutrition face lost its color. How could he become like this in a mere few days?

This was not the worse form she's seen him in because it can't compare to THAT day. All she can provide for Everest was a warm pat on the back. He speaks up, "how is dad?"

Leena's expression widens in surprise, "well, he's not the best right now. But that doesn't matter, how are you?"

Everest starts tearing up, meeting Leena's concerned expression, "why do I have to go through this, Leena. I hate this! EVERYTHING!"

She continuously pats his back, agreeing with him, "Yes, I know. I don't like it either."

"What did I do in the past to live this way? I'm so frustrated!" he clenches his fist so hard his arm veins pop out. "you know what hurts the most, Leena? Belen, she didn't even care, she didn't try to hear my side of the story, everyone is treating me like I'm some fucking sort of insect. Their faces, eyes, everything!" he covers his face, horrified, trembling at the illusion of everyone's eyes on him.

"I HATE THE SPOTLIGHT!" he yells in a deep full of dark hatred voice, almost scaring Leena when she stopped patting his back, rendering her speechless.