Clashing Hearts

15

Carter's POV

She's beautiful. I can stay here all night staring at her. Like the times I stared at her images in the billboards -- but hating myself afterwards for fantasizing her, reminding myself that I hated her.

Hating her was my only defense to stop this foolishness of wanting her so badly. I told myself that it was just this crazy ego that unleashed my animalistic nature to crave for the forbidden.

She could never be mine.

Her mind was like an egg shell full by Zion. She admired Zion way too much and compared every guy to him. For her, he was the smartest, the handsomest, the coolest and the greatest-- no one could surpass him.

I loved Zion, he was my cousin but I treated him like my older brother. He was my mentor, my confidant and my best friend. But he had too many flaws too, not perfect as what Athena had imagined.

I prevented myself to indulge in jealousy. It was not my nature being jealous to anyone. I grew up being too confident of myself -- my strengths and capabilities. I lived life the way I wanted it and I was not the type who dwelt on someone who would not want me.

Life is not perfect. We can't have everything that we want. And for me, this is one of them. Athena is not the only woman in the planet. There are too many amazing women out there. Someday, I can find someone who will appreciate me for who I am.

But tonight...

All my logical thinking flew off. Suddenly, all I could think was spending more time with her. I did not want the night to end. I wished that the time would stop so we could talk and laugh more.

"Oh my God!" Athena exclaimed as we went inside the private art gallery of the hotel. "These paintings are so beautiful."

"Yeah, all original from famous artists."

She was like a kid who got excited easily. Her whole face spread into a smile. "I'm sure they're priceless."

I nodded. "That's why it's fully guarded and not available for public viewing. Some of these are more than hundred years old."

"Wow... how many paintings do you have in here?"

"Around fifty. But there's a lot more at the attic."

Her eyes grew bigger amazed at what she saw. "I can't believe your family has all of these."

"My great grandfather Enrique Monteiro collected them. At first he had it put inside the rooms of this hotel but later on decided not to when he lost two valuable paintings. A guest stole it and it's good that they were able to recover the paintings."

"Lucky that they were able to get it back. What's your favorite in here?" Her face shifted from left to right.

"Plenty. Like this one." I showed her a painting of a white bird that flew out of the window and heading to the bright sun. "It signifies freedom and overcoming our fears. The light of the sun indicates the future. Whatever decision you'll make today, you should think of it wisely so you'll never go wrong in the future."

"That's right." She nodded and kept on walking, admiring the paintings. She suddenly stopped and looked at the huge painting of a woman in peach-colour dress. "Who's this?"

"Ahh... that's my great grandmother, Sophia Castello Monteiro."

"She's very beautiful."

"Yeah, she is. My great grandfather Enrique Monteiro fell in love with her at first sight."

"Aww... that's so sweet." A smile of enchantment suddenly touched her lips.

"They were supposedly arranged to be married, but Sophia was very stubborn. She left her parents' house to avoid meeting Enrique, but he followed her. The moment they met, right there and then, he knew that she was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It took him awhile to win her heart... and when he did, he treasured her love and made her the happiest woman in the world."