by L. Marcelo
Secret for Vinhelm - Book Two
by
L. Marcelo
Acknowledgement
A NEVER-ENDING THANK YOU to all these people in no particular order
To God for making all of these possible. If it weren't for Him, I wouldn't even be here writing this acknowledgment.
To my family who has given me so much love and support that I couldn't ask for anything more.
To Marian Tee for being a very supportive, helpful and amazing friend! If it weren't for your non-stop convincing for me to release my stories and reminders for me to finish them, SFV would still be in the deepest part of my hard drive.
To Liliana Rhodes for always having my back. You're one of the people who had seen how I struggled and there you were, knowing the right words to say to put me back on my feet. Words can't express how grateful I am for your words, for listening to me rant, for being crazy with me, and for simply being there for me.
To Alicia who had been with me since day one. You're the very first person who knew that I was writing. I saw the very first story I wrote and read it again. After reading it, I regretted it. I wanted to die from embarrassment how much it sucks. I remembered how supportive you were. Honestly, you even had more faith in me than I had in myself. Believe me, I appreciate every little thing you've done. You've always been like my sister from another mother.
To Clarise of CT Cover Creations for not only being such a great cover artist but also a great friend. I'm lost for words how you made my dream cover come to life.
To Flirt Publishing for believing in me and my stories. This book won't be out there if it weren't for you girls! I'm very thankful to have found such amazing publishers. I'm never ever going to leave.
To you, the reader, for giving this book a chance. Just the mere fact my book got you curious is already more than enough for me. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do hope that you'll enjoy Meahri and Vhynce’s story and that it would put a smile on your face.
About Secret for Vinhelm - Book Two
It used to be perfect between rockstar-turned-CEO Vhyncent Vinhelm and successful graphic artist Meahri Lyfheld.
But then Vhyncent finds out about Meahri’s betrayal, and everything they have turns into a lie.
He hurts her and leaves her, never knowing that the day would come when he realizes that he has made the biggest mistake in his life in turning his back on the only woman he’s ever loved.
But now that the truth’s come out, will Vhyncent have a chance to get her back…or is it already too late?
Secret for Vinhelm - Book Two
Copyright © 2015 by L. Marcelo
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Chapter One
10 years ago.
Vhynce finished his first concert. It was a huge success that the whole stadium was filled with fans. He just had his debut months ago and yet he became very famous. He didn’t expect it.
Even the company he was under in was surprised with his fame that they told him he was a history. Most of their artists didn’t become as famous as Vhynce in such a short time. Not to mention, within the few months since their debut. Most of them only became a huge success after their first year.
After taking a break backstage and waiting for everyone to finish packing up. He along with Ryan, his manager, Peter, his assistant, and his staff headed to their cars.
When they got out of the venue, there were fans waiting for him. They weren’t as many as the ones that waited for him after his signing events. There were fewer. The concert ended 2 hours ago and it was almost midnight.
He was surprised that there were still fans waiting for him.
When he was about to get on his car, some fans insisted on getting close to him to give some gifts. His security stopped them but Vhynce being Vhynce told them it was fine so his security moved when the fans approached him.
Once they finished their business with him, another fan approached him.
“Hey Vinhelm… Hope you can take some time to look at this. It’s very important.” She was too serious that part of him doubted if she was a fan of his. She acted like she wasn’t affected by his presence. None of his fans can keep their composure whenever they’re around him.
“Thank you.” He smiled at her.
“I don’t think you’ll thank me once you see what’s inside.” The girl said. Her eyes were filled with seriousness that he started to be curious but there was a part of him that was worried.
The girl looked like she was in her late teens.
Vhynce knew that as a rockstar, he shouldn’t take everything seriously when it came from his fans. He didn’t know why but something in the girl’s eyes told him that she wasn’t pulling any prank, that she was for real.
He didn’t know what to tell her so he just smiled.
When he was on his way home, he decided to open the envelope that the girl gave him. His curiosity killed him.
Little did he know it was something that would change his life. Forever.
Inside the envelope were a number of photos. It was more than 5 but not any more than 10. The moment he saw the first photo, his world stopped.
It was his dad carrying a little girl in his arm while his other hand was holding a woman’s hand that seemed to be in her early 30s. He wished he was seeing things. He wished it wasn’t his dad but as he go through each photo, there was no mistaking that it was indeed Gabriel, his dad.
He could’ve lied to himself and believed that maybe it was his dad’s long lost twin but he couldn’t after seeing the tattoo on the man’s wrist. It was exactly the same as his dad’s. That was too much of a coincidence. He can be stupid at times but he wasn’t that stupid.
He spent forever going through each of the photos over and over again.
Peter drove the car and Ryan sat beside him. They were in the middle of a conversation that Vhynce had long forgotten what it was all about. The two were in their own world while he was in his own world that went crumbling down.
It took some time before Ryan realized that Vhynce fell quiet. He thought that he might’ve fallen asleep after his long day. He turned around to check on him but he wasn’t asleep. The tint of their car was dark but the lights outside were enough for Ryan to catch a glimpse of the kid’s face.
He looked like he just died.
He didn’t believe what he saw so he waited for another second or two for them to pass another street light to see Vhynce’s face again. When he did, he knew he wasn’t mistaken.
For some, Ryan may just be Vhynce’s manager but they weren’t just that. They’ve gotten very close after working together everyday. He was Vhynce’s first manager and for Vhynce, he didn’t only treat Ryan as a manager but also a very close friend.
Ever since Ryan met Vhynce, it was the first time he’d seen that face. Worry rushed through him.
“Vhynce.” Ryan called.
Vhynce didn’t reply. He was just staring down like a corpse.
“Vhynce!” He shouted. He was worried as hell now. Vhynce didn’t seem to hear any of his words. He opened the light inside their car and he was lost for words. He didn’t know what happened but he was sure as hell it was something serious.
“Peter, find somewhere to park. Now!” He barked.
/> Without looking at Ryan, Peter felt there was something wrong with just the way his voice sounded.
“Got it.” Peter replied and immediately took a turn as soon as he saw a gasoline station. The moment the car was parked, Ryan went down the car and went to the backseat to check on the kid.
“Vhynce, what’s wrong?” He asked in concern as he shook him.
It took Vhynce some time before he was able to snap back to reality. He saw Ryan and Peter looking at him with eyes filled with worry. He didn’t say a word. He only gave the photos to Ryan hoping it was enough for him to understand everything.
Ryan took it and he too was surprised.
He had been working with the kid for a while now that he knew Vhynce’s family. He wished he was mistaken… that maybe he just remembered the wrong person but what he most wished for was it wasn’t real. For his boy’s sake.
“Are you sure it’s Gabriel?” Ryan didn’t want to ask but he knew he had to.
“Yeah it’s him. It’s the tattoo on his wrist that made me believe it’s him.” Tears started to fall from his eyes. He didn’t saw it coming. He never thought he would cry over it but he did. He always had a happy family. It may not be perfect but he couldn’t ask for anything better than the one he have.
“Where did you get this?” Ryan asked as he gave the photos to Peter to take a look.
He was trying his best to stop the tears. He never cried. He was never the crybaby type. “It’s the girl a while ago.”
“The fan?” Ryan asked.
He only nodded.
“Vhynce, let’s not jump to conclusion. Maybe this isn’t true. Maybe –“ Ryan was cut off.
“I don’t want to be an ass here but I believe this is real. I don’t think this was photoshopped.” Peter sounded sorry and serious at the same time. He too wished it wasn’t true but he had his own experience with photoshop and with his experience, he can tell it was real.
“Peter.” Ryan warned.
“I’m only telling the truth. If it were not real why would I lie to him? It’s not like I’d gain anything from lying to him.” Peter had a point and Ryan knew it. He just fucking wished the man didn’t have to open his mouth now. It just wasn’t the right time. He wasn’t making things any better.
“Vhynce it doesn’t matter whether this is real or not. We shouldn’t jump into conclusion. Maybe there’s something we don’t know. Something you don’t know. Maybe this is just a big misunderstanding.”
Ryan didn’t know what else to say to convince the boy. He wanted to help him but he didn’t know how. He wanted to ask for proof but it was already right in front of him.
“Hey there’s a note inside.” Peter broke the silence.
“What does it say?” Ryan asked.
“I’m guessing it’s from the same girl too since the handwriting looks like it’s a girl’s. It says, ‘Vinhelm, I’m really sorry for this. I know I shouldn’t involve myself with your private life but I just have to show this to you. I came across them while I was having lunch with my family in the restaurant in front of the café they came from. I’m really sorry. I really respect your privacy Vinhelm. I always did but I just know I needed to show this to you. Again, I’m very very sorry.’” Peter said.
“Fuck!” Ryan cursed. He was so furious that it just came out.
Being the oldest between the 3 of them, he knew he shouldn’t have said that. Not because it was a curse but because Vhynce could take it as him saying it was true, that what those photos were saying was true.
Both Peter and Ryan didn’t know what to do or say anymore. Silence filled the car. There was nothing else besides Vhynce’s cries and the engines coming from the cars that passed by the gasoline station.
They stayed like that for half an hour.
When Vhynce have calmed down. “Do you want to go home now?” Ryan asked. His voice was still filled with worry.
“I don’t think I can face my dad and act like I didn’t see all these.” His voice sounded raw.
“You don’t have to go home if you don’t want to. You can stay at my place if you want.” Ryan offered.
“Okay.”
It was the last word from the three of them.
They left the gasoline station and went straight to Ryan’s place. It took them about an hour to get to his place and when they arrived, Vhynce went straight to Ryan’s fridge and took a bottle of beer. He drank it straight.
Peter was about to run to the kid to stop him but Ryan caught him.
“Just let him be… At least for now.” Ryan said.
He knew as the boy’s manager, he shouldn’t let him do this but he also knew that everything that happened was too much for the boy to handle.
He needed time and space.
Vhynce was only 21. He just started his career and even though his dad was opposed of it, he pursued it because music was what he wanted.
Despite the fact that his dad opposed, he thought of his family as a perfect family. They were happy. When he thought he could finally convince his dad, he found out that he was having an affair.
Now that this happened. Suddenly, everything in his life didn’t seem to make any fucking sense anymore.
He always looked up to his dad. He was his hero, the one he would like to be when he grew up but after what he just found out, there was no way he would look at him the same way he did before.
Gabriel didn’t only lied to him but also to Brandon and Natalie.
The fact that he didn’t know how long his dad had been lying to them was what angered him the most. Who knows, maybe Gabriel had the affair even before Vhynce and Brandon was born.
He just kept drinking like there was no tomorrow.
Peter decided to stay after he realized there was no way Vhynce would listen to anyone right now. They stayed with him throughout the night.
It was past 6 in the morning when his body gave up and fell asleep.
While he was asleep, Peter and Ryan was busy taking care of his schedule. They needed to fix his schedule after what just happened. They both knew the boy wouldn’t be able to get back to work just like that. They knew he needed at least a few days to figure himself out.
It took them about 4 hours to fix the schedule and inform the staff and company about it. They were lucky that their CEO agreed to it just because his first concert was a huge success but he reminded them that it would be the first and last time he’d agree to something like it.
The next day.
When they can finally have a real talk with Vhynce. They convinced him to think about it. They told him that maybe he should have a talk with his dad but in the end, they decided not to go with that plan. Vhynce knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself and he’d just explode.
After looking at different angles, he decided that he’d get his dad investigated. He wanted to know if the photos he saw were true. He wanted to prove to himself that it was real before he confronted his dad about it.
He respect and love the man but if he was having an affair, there was no way he could respect and love him anymore.
He hired a private investigator that was also a close friend of Peter. They needed someone close to them who could do the job. They needed to be sure that everything would remain confidential.
When everything was all set, Ryan and Peter convinced him that he needed to go home. If he kept on avoiding his dad, his family will definitely start to worry.
At first, he didn’t like the idea but as Ryan and Peter gave him the pros and cons of not going home, he gave up. He knew it would be hard but he also knew he needed to do it. He didn’t have any other choice.
Ever since the incident, he grew distant to his dad.
As days, weeks, and months passed by, the two started to argue a lot. There was never a time that they won’t argue whenever they meet.
When Vhynce had enough, he decided to talk to Natalie, his mom, about it.
Just last month, he was able to prove that his dad was indeed having an affair. Th
e little girl he carried in his arms was his child, which also means, his half sister. He talked to his mom about it and he was surprised to hear that his mom had a feeling that his dad was having an affair. She didn’t say anything about it because maybe she was only being paranoid.
He never hated his dad in his life but after he saw his mom cry, he hated him so much.
Watching his mom cried was so painful for him that he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to calm her, to share her pain but he didn’t know how. That day, his mom cried in his arms like there was no end to it. It was so painful for him but there was no way he’d sit still and not do anything anymore.
He knew he shouldn’t push Natalie but he had to tell her that whatever she wanted to do, she have his support. He even opened the topic of divorce to her but she didn’t approve of it.
Natalie didn’t want Vhynce and Brandon to grew up having a broken family and she loved Gabriel so much that she was willing to forgive him if he’d want them to start anew.
Vhynce being the eldest son, he talked to Gabriel and Natalie about it. It was a long discussion that it took them months before they came up with a decision. It was a decision that he was opposed to but for the sake of his mom, he accepted it.
They decided to start a new life in Los Angeles and his dad would live with them. He decided for it to be in New York because it was where Natalie was from. Her brothers and sisters all lived there.
He wanted them to stay somewhere far away from New York, far away from the place where all the bad memories happened. He wanted them to be somewhere new but at the same time, a place where they’re familiar with especially his mom.