The CEO's Painted Skin 16 Infinity Jade Tower

His family's business was into a lot of things, mainly real state, shipping, coal mining, office rentals, pharmaceuticals and the last three years they were dabbling with hotels and resorts business all over the country. They already owned twenty prime '5-star' hotels all around the Philippines. Four hotels were situated in Mindanao, five in Visayas, and ten more hotels were scattered all around Metro Manila. Last two months ago they have recently inaugurated 'The Marigold Hotel' in Cavite City, it has 100 suites that cater to clients different needs and taste for comforts, there were family suites, single or double suites. It also has five function rooms that cater for weddings, baptismal, birthday parties and all kinds of events, this hotel was his latest creation.

The door to his office opened, bringing Romeo his right hand and best friend at the same time. His best friend was of a humble origin, so when John took over their family business, he took Romeo under his wing to work for him.

"Welcome back, bro!" said Romeo. "How's the vacation? Did you enjoy it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it very much. I meet someone there...," said John casually.

"What you mean-?" Romeo's brows knitted.

"I meet a girl!" John said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Romeo grinned. "Really? Where is she? How did you meet her?" He'd never seen John look this happy since the last seven years.

"Hmm, we have a short affair in the village. But..."

Johns voice suddenly faded and his eyes turned sad.

Romeo already got what John meant. "S-she left you?"

"Yeah." John choked on his own saliva. The pain of rejection was written all over his face.

"S-she had seen your face?" asked Romeo.

"She did," sighed John. "But that is not the issue..."

"Oh..."

"Bro, I know what you're thinking. She left because she doesn't like what I look like?"

"Probably yes. Some women like their men to be attractive...you know good looking guys are always a plus point, some ladies like their men to have fat wallets as well, the list goes on. If you're attractive and got fat wallet it's a perfect combination, then you are considered as a good catch," explained Romeo.

John absentmindedly touches the scars on his face.

"I been telling you to for the past few years to go abroad 'coz they have good surgeons there who can fix your face. Countries such as the US, UK or Switzerland, they can offer you advance face reconstruction surgery over there, you only have to choose. With your status and money, you can bring back your old face. Women will be lining on your feet to catch your attention again once your good looks will be restored," said Romeo.

"But I want a woman who can accept my face, who will love me for what I look right now," argued John.

"Okay, as you say so..." he said. Romeo dumped several important papers above John's office table ready for his inspection and signing.

"Bro, before you signed the documents, can you tell me how you and this girl meet?" he asked out of curiosity.

John eyed his best friend's face, hesitating to tell him the truth. After a few seconds of hesitation, he starts talking narrating their story...

"Catherine and her sister entered the ancestral house with an intention to rob the house of valuable things. It so happened that my bodyguards and I were inside the house so we caught them empty-handed. Then...in exchange for their freedom, Catherine offered me her body...I got tempted...so yeah...we had sex for two nights straight..."

Romeo's eyes almost protruded out of its socket in disbelief. "Oh man! Did you just r-aped that girl?"

John's face turned white. "Hell no! What do you think of me? Rapist? It's just sex with two consenting adults."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty years old," answered John.

"Adult enough, I see...but why? You could have just turned them over to the police and be done with it. Why do you have to touch her? I don't get it, unless..."

"Yeah. I think I'm attracted to her the first time I saw her. I am smitten with her. To the point of falling in love with her," John said, his face serious.

Romeo rolled his eyes. "Oh, this is crazy! You're crazy bro! Love at first sight is not true. It's just a cliche! Let me see her face! Common! Show me her face!"

John opened his cell phone and showed Romeo his photo with Catherine's smiling face close to his unmasked face.

Romeo looked at John's face and back to the photos on the cell phone. "She's beautiful. There is something unique about her beauty. I can't describe it in words. My God, you looked so happy and loved up together. You looked perfect for each other. And take note, she had seen your face with all the ugly scars and didn't run away! F*cking unbelievable!"

"Bro, she had kissed every single scar on my face without flinching and starting from that moment on, I'm sold out. I'm whipped!" mumbled John in a dreamy voice.

"Wow, this Catherine girl must be something else! How about the sex bro? How good it is?" he asked with a sly grin.

John smiled. "It was intense and mindblowing! We got good sexual chemistry together. I can't get enough of her!" he muses.

Romeo chuckled. "Yeah...yeah...keep the details to yourself bro!"

"Do you want me to call Madame Butterfly to set you an appointment?" he suggested, giving him a wink.

John smiled. "No need. I mean I stop using her services for the last eight months. There is no need for her right now. I want Catherine! I want her back and no one else," he said with a deep longing in his eyes.

"You're a hopeless romantic!" said Romeo.

He stood up, shaking his head, he was about to exit the room but John stopped him on his tracks.

"Please call Felix, and have him checked any Catherine Ramirez in Cavite City. If possible I want the report by tomorrow, it's not urgent though."

Felix is their friend and schoolmate way back in college who now works on NBI, he had access to national data and can search for specific people all over the country.

"Okay," Romeo turned around heading towards the door, then he remembered something. "Ah, I nearly have forgotten, let's have dinner tonight at my house. It's my wife's 26th birthday, wifey ordered foods from her favorite caterer for our dinner. No need to bring gifts, just yourself and your bodyguards, of course..."

"No problem. We will be there for sure," said John.

Romeo disappeared behind the door.

John swiped at his cell phone, he stared at Catherine's smiling face a hundred times, he needs to see her again to know if his heart will still beat wild for her. Will his heart still jump out of his ribcage if he sees her face and hears her voice again?

The only way to find out is to see her again!

Chapter end