The CEO's Painted Skin

John was taking a dip in the swimming pool just wearing his swimming trunks. He gets out of the pool and sat down on the lounge chair, beside the chair is a glass and a bottle of wine.

He swipes on his cell phone and called Allan, since the appearance of his two rivals in the scene, he had to send back Allan to Cavite City to spy on Catherine again.

"Hello...Sir"

"Allan, what happened last night?"

"I saw Catherine get out of her house, brought ice cream in the store near their house, then I saw that Jerome guy buying pork barbecue from the vendor in the street. They saw each other and went together to her house. A few hours later, Jerome got out of their house and went home."

"How many hours Jerome stays inside the house?"

"More or less three hours, Sir."

John sighed.

"Okay...I will call you later..."

He ended the call with Allan and set aside his mobile device in the empty lounge chair.

He poured himself a wine in the glass and gulped it in one go. He was already tired of getting jealous all the time.

He will set up a greet and meet with his future mother in law the next day. For now, he needs to do something to impress her mother in law.

He went to his home office, picked up a pen and paper. He brought it back with him into the swimming pool and began making a list of groceries and other stuff. If Jerome can give his mother in law a pork barbecue, he can also do the same and a lot more.

The items on his list were as follows:

Milk, coffee, creamer, noodles, pancit canton, sugar, milo, Ovaltine, quaker oats, slice bread, 1 tray egg, 5 bars laundry soap, 5 kilos of powder laundry soap, biscuits, bread, chocolates and biscuits for the kids, apples, oranges, cooking oil, soy sauce, vinegar, 2 kilos hot dogs, 3 kilos pork, 3 kilos beef, 3 kilos chicken, vegetables, and canned foods. He also includes 1 sack of rice in the list. He will also buy some dresses and toys for the kids.

Then he smiled while reviewing his list.

He called Ramon through his cell phone.

"Ramon, prepare the car. We will be going grocery shopping this afternoon."

"Copy Sir...We will bring Roger with us?" asked Ramon.

Roger is the name of the other bodyguard.

"Yes...," he then ended the call to Ramon.

He had realized just now that he was too busy making love to Catherine and chasing her all over, he had forgotten wooing her mother the most important person in her life. How stupid he became? Anyhow, it's not too late yet, he still can make amends 'coz there's still enough time to do just that.

Satisfied with his list. He stopped swimming, entered his bedroom and took a shower in the bathroom.

Three hours later...

John and his two bodyguards already arrived in the nearest mall.

"Roger and Ramon, you get one cart each and shop this list here. You split up so that we can finish early. I want this grocery to arrive in my mother in law's doorsteps before the day is over, got it?"

Yes Sir," both Roger and Ramon replied.

"I will go to the kids' toys section to look for some toys. Call me after you guys finished with the grocery shopping so that I can pay it in the counter."

The two men proceed to the grocery section to fulfill the task assigned to them.

John was busy perusing kids toys in the toys section. He brought some barbie dolls for Lily, and 2 battery operated minicomputer, police car and some robot for Jacob. Satisfied with his choices and purchases, he brought them to the counter and pay the cashier with his debit card. He got out of the toy store and in front was a women's boutique store, he entered it, he saw some display of ladies bag. He brought a classy leather old rose shoulder bag for his mother in law.

Along with his purchases, he sat down on one of the benches scattered around the mall, waiting for the boys call. Thirty minutes later, he received a call from the boys informing him that they were already done with their grocery shopping. John paid the groceries in the counter section.

Done with their business in the mall...

They walked towards one of the entrances of the mall located in the basement parking area. Inside the car, he instructed Ramon and Roger to bring the groceries into his mother in law's doorsteps. He told them to contact Allan 'coz he knows where Catherine's house was located.

Before Ramon started the engine. He took out his wallet and pick PHP15 thousand pesos and give them to Ramon.

"You will have P5k each from this, give Allan his share when you see him later. Give the money to your wives and have them buy what they wanted with it. My gifts for them."

Both Ramon and Roger smiled broadly upon receiving the money. "Thank you so much, Sir!" they said in unison.

"Drop me by in the Infinity Jade Tower and resumed to Cavite City to deliver the grocery. Let's go now Ramon," ordered John.

...

Cavite City.

One hour and thirty minutes later...

The Armored Range Rover car parked in front of the house where Catherine's family was staying.

Ramon knocked on the door and greeted the middle-aged woman who opened the door.

"Yes?" asked Thelma.

"Good afternoon Maam, we're here to deliver Mr. John Fuentes's gift to your family," said Ramon.

Thelma was puzzled, who is John Fuentes? Then she remembered the name of her daughter's soon to be husband. She hesitated a bit...but when she saw two men already got out of the car and brought out the shopping bags she has no choice but to open the door wide for them to enter the house.

Shocked! Thelma counted a total of fifteen shopping bags lined up one after another in the wooden bench by the men.

"Who are you guys?" she asked.

"We are his bodyguard, Maam," said Ramon.

Done with their delivery of the grocery, they bid goodbye to the older woman who was still in the estate of shock.

Thelma was still standing at the door, her eyes glued to the rear of the expensive car that started to fade away from her vision. When the car was nowhere to be seen, she closed the door and stared at the shopping bags, she took a peek at each of one of the bags, she saw groceries, some toys, and nice shoulder bag. So many groceries! She had never seen so many groceries in her whole life until now.

Thelma was pondering at the identity of her daughter's soon to be husband. Based on the expensive car, the 3 bodyguards, the groceries she had just received today, she can say that her daughter bagged a rich husband. She doesn't know if she will be glad or get worried about the identity of this mysterious guy.

She didn't touch the contents of the bags yet, she will wait for her daughter to come home first.

When Catherine went home that night she brought Grace along with her.

"Auntie, good evening!" Grace greeted her Aunty and kissed her on the cheek.

Catherine was dumbfounded when she saw the shopping bags lined up in the wooden bench.

"OMG! So many shopping bags! Auntie, did you go shopping today?" screamed Grace. She started inspecting all the bags. "Holy Goat! These are lots of groceries, I see pork, beef, and hotdog, chicken meat as well. You guys have no refrigerator, all these will eventually perish if not stored in a fridge ASAP!" said Grace.

"Mother, where did all these groceries come from?" asked Catherine.

"From your husband to be, John. Delivered by his 3 bodyguards just one hour ago," answered Thelma.

Grace took the initiative to sort out all the things from the bags and separate the meat and the dry goods and put them all into one bag, while the mother and daughter duo were still speechless while watching lots of groceries in the table.

"Wow, these are a pure blessing from heaven above! It's raining groceries here in your house!" blurted Grace. "I have a suggestion cousin since you don't have fridge here, I can bring all these meat into my house and put it in my fridge. Auntie Thelma, just go over there in my house and get the meat you want to cook for the day so as not to spoil the rest, okay?"

Catherine smiled at her cousin. "Good idea, cousin!"

"So I will go now? Bye Cath and bye Auntie, where are the kids?" Grace was looking for Lily and Jacob.

"They were buying something at the store, let me look for them, maybe they were still playing with their playmates in the street."

Both Grace and Thelma exited the door.

Catherine was left alone staring at the groceries. She took her iPhone from her shoulder bag and pressed call on John's number.

"John...."

"Catherine, you're home now?"

"Yes, thank you for the grocery. You shouldn't have bothered buying all these things..."

"It's okay. They are my gifts to your family. Get used to it from now on. By the way, am excited to meet them soon. Let's set up a schedule, okay?"

"Okay," she said.

"Oh, by the way, Jerome visited you last night? He brought pork barbecue for your entire family, right?"

Her brows puzzled, how did he know about Jerome's visit last night? Ahh, she almost has forgotten that he has a spy to watch over her.

She groaned.

"He brought pork barbecue to your family, so I decided I can do better. But anyway, am just kidding! It's just small gifts from me. Don't get mad at me, please!"

Catherine smiled. "Am not angry...John."

"Good. That sounds better. I love you, Catherine! Give my regards to your mother. Tell her am excited to meet her soon!"

"Okay..."

"Goodnight my love!"

"Goodnight John, I love you!" she replied.

Catherine started placing the groceries in the empty cupboards in the kitchen. When the kids are finally back, they squeal in delight and excitement upon seeing the robots, dolls, and the battery operated minicomputer. The tiny room was filled with shrieks of happiness from the kids.