I took in the sight of the expansive, two-story villa that sprawled across one hectare before me. I was utterly astonished by the sheer size and luxury of the house. It was hard to fathom that Lucas owned a villa in the city's most affluent neighborhood. While I was aware of Lucas's wealthy background and his investment in Mico's company, I had no idea that he was a billionaire.“Get in.” I was brought back from my deep thoughts when Lucas suddenly spoke behind me with my other things.“I never thought you had this kind of villa.” I found his house quite amusing, as I couldn't help but be impressed by its opulence. The lavish interior decor, adorned with exquisite paintings, stunning artwork, statues, and ornate vases, truly reflected the wealth and sophistication of its owner. “Ah… This? This is just a small house. I hope you’ll be comfortable here.” I looked at Lucas in disbelief.“You called this small house?” I scoffed. “Are you kidding me? This is too huge for me to stay alone h
“What were you thinking?” I was taken by surprise and felt a jolt of shock coursing through me when a sudden, unexpected voice spoke from directly behind me.“Gosh, Lucas! Don’t just pop out somewhere. You made my heart jump.” Lucas grinned.He kindly handed me a tall, frosty glass filled with creamy strawberry milkshake that he had just purchased. I expressed my gratitude silently, mouthing a heartfelt "thanks," before bringing the lip of the glass to my mouth and taking a slow, satisfying sip of the delicious milkshake.“What were you thinking? You seemed lost. Is there something wrong?” He asked.I shook my head as an answer to his question and smiled. “It’s nothing,” I replied.As I sat there, my mind kept drifting back to thoughts of my best friend. The ache of missing her was overwhelming, and I couldn't shake the desire to just wrap her in a comforting hug. Belle had been by my side since we were little, and we were practically inseparable when we were together. It tore me apa
Have you ever felt betrayed? Did someone dear to you betray you, or did something you’d never thought they would lose your trust? It’s painful, right? It feels like someone stabbed you behind your back. She was my best friend, always by my side. I never imagined she would deceive me. I believed she was looking out for him, and I had complete faith in her. However, she has significantly changed and is not the same person I once knew.It's distressing to recall the events that took place only three months ago when I lost my son. Shortly before that, I went to the hospital to obtain a fit-to-work letter from my doctor to return to work. While I was there, I witnessed Belle and another individual engaged in a cheerful conversation. Belle was gently caressing her slightly protruding stomach, leading me to the realization that she was pregnant. Lucas, another observer, confirmed that Belle was carrying Yvan's child. “I’m so sorry, Aurora. I never intended to keep secrets from you. But I d
Yvan’s POV“Mr. Reed, thank you for accompanying me. I know you are busy, and I’m sorry for taking your time to drive me here to the hospital.” Belle said, which made me smile.“Nah. I should be the one who should say sorry. I sent your husband out of the country to find your friend Aurora when he should accompany you for your prenatal checkup.”I am deeply troubled by the absence of Aurora, who departed months ago. To aid in her location, I tasked my reliable secretary, Alexander, with the important mission of identifying the most skilled investigator in the world. It is with great concern that I contemplate Aurora's well-being. I cannot help but sympathize with Belle, Alexander's wife, as I have repeatedly implored him to travel abroad to engage the services of elite investigators for our search efforts. Despite our exhaustive exploration of remote areas where she may have hidden, we have unfortunately been unable to pinpoint her whereabouts. We even tried to go through hospitals, s
It was early morning, and I had to prepare for work despite my body not being in good shape. I have a slight fever and I couldn’t do anything but drink medicine and go to work.I have been working as a janitor in a company for a year now. I did not go to college and started working when I was eighteen. I need to help my mother sell vegetables in the market, as I have an irresponsible father who does nothing but gamble. They’re still my parents, so all I could do was understand our situation and strive for our future. As I opened the door of my apartment, a group of five men came to approach me. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, as they visited me almost every day.“Good morning, Aurora,” one man greeted me.He has this long scar on his right eye. He looks scary, but I don’t mind as I’ve known them for a month since the day my father died.“What was good in the morning when I first saw your faces right in front of my apartment?” she murmured.“What are you saying?” Their leader looked li
“Aurora!” I can see the shock on their faces as our eyes met.Mico immediately stood up on his bed and covered his naked body with a white pillow, while Lucas made a poker face. I clenched as Lucas looked at me unbothered, with his brows raised. He even smirked. Hah! The nerve of this snake!Lucas and I made eye contact as I gave him a deathly glare. We looked like were in a staring contest. Who blinks, loses.“Aurora, let me explain.” My attention turned to Mico, who already had his pants and was still shirtless.I shook my head disappointedly. What else should we talk about? I already saw what I needed to see. It’s all been clear to me that he just used me. He lost our two years of being together. When did he start cheating on me?“When did it start?” I asked, trying to calm my insides, as I was shaking in madness.Lucas looked at me ridiculously, as if I had said something funny. While Mico approached me and tried to reach out my hand, but I shoved him.“Don’t hold me. You are disg
I woke up, and it felt like my head would break into pieces. Damn! I will never drink alcohol again. Damn this hangover. I looked around to find my phone, but my eyes widened in horror when I realized I was not in my house. This place is not my room! Where am I?! I searched the room with my eyes, only to realize I was in the hotel. Fear immediately rumbled in my chest, and it felt like I was splashed with cold water as soon as I discovered that this was not my room but a hotel room. And my body was naked under the white sheet!!! What had just happened?! Quickly, I picked up my clothes, even though it was difficult for me to walk because of the pain in the middle of my thighs. I stopped picking up my clothes when I heard the splash of water coming from the shower as if someone was taking a shower there. I did not remove my sight of the bathroom door. After a while, the water turned off, and I heard the door latch open. I suddenly held my breath while waiting for the bathroom door to
I wondered how he became his uncle when they had different last names. But whatever their story is, it’s their story, not mine.I have a lot on my plate right now, and I don’t have the time to find out the difference in their last names.“What were you thinking?”I jumped in shock when I didn’t realize he was already in front of me.“W-when did you get here?” I stuttered.My eyes leveled at his chest, so I needed to look at him as he was taller than me.“So you are my nephew’s girlfriend,” he stated.I gulped. I wanted to speak, but no words came out of my mouth.“Did he know about what happened to us? Did he know you cheated on him?” He whispered in my ears, which gave chills down my spine.I clenched my fist. Did I cheat on Mico? I scoffed at that thought. Isn’t he the one who cheated on me and not the other way around? But of course, this man didn’t know everything that had happened to us. And it was easy for them to judge people without knowing what happened.He turned to go back
Yvan’s POV“Mr. Reed, thank you for accompanying me. I know you are busy, and I’m sorry for taking your time to drive me here to the hospital.” Belle said, which made me smile.“Nah. I should be the one who should say sorry. I sent your husband out of the country to find your friend Aurora when he should accompany you for your prenatal checkup.”I am deeply troubled by the absence of Aurora, who departed months ago. To aid in her location, I tasked my reliable secretary, Alexander, with the important mission of identifying the most skilled investigator in the world. It is with great concern that I contemplate Aurora's well-being. I cannot help but sympathize with Belle, Alexander's wife, as I have repeatedly implored him to travel abroad to engage the services of elite investigators for our search efforts. Despite our exhaustive exploration of remote areas where she may have hidden, we have unfortunately been unable to pinpoint her whereabouts. We even tried to go through hospitals, s
Have you ever felt betrayed? Did someone dear to you betray you, or did something you’d never thought they would lose your trust? It’s painful, right? It feels like someone stabbed you behind your back. She was my best friend, always by my side. I never imagined she would deceive me. I believed she was looking out for him, and I had complete faith in her. However, she has significantly changed and is not the same person I once knew.It's distressing to recall the events that took place only three months ago when I lost my son. Shortly before that, I went to the hospital to obtain a fit-to-work letter from my doctor to return to work. While I was there, I witnessed Belle and another individual engaged in a cheerful conversation. Belle was gently caressing her slightly protruding stomach, leading me to the realization that she was pregnant. Lucas, another observer, confirmed that Belle was carrying Yvan's child. “I’m so sorry, Aurora. I never intended to keep secrets from you. But I d
“What were you thinking?” I was taken by surprise and felt a jolt of shock coursing through me when a sudden, unexpected voice spoke from directly behind me.“Gosh, Lucas! Don’t just pop out somewhere. You made my heart jump.” Lucas grinned.He kindly handed me a tall, frosty glass filled with creamy strawberry milkshake that he had just purchased. I expressed my gratitude silently, mouthing a heartfelt "thanks," before bringing the lip of the glass to my mouth and taking a slow, satisfying sip of the delicious milkshake.“What were you thinking? You seemed lost. Is there something wrong?” He asked.I shook my head as an answer to his question and smiled. “It’s nothing,” I replied.As I sat there, my mind kept drifting back to thoughts of my best friend. The ache of missing her was overwhelming, and I couldn't shake the desire to just wrap her in a comforting hug. Belle had been by my side since we were little, and we were practically inseparable when we were together. It tore me apa
I took in the sight of the expansive, two-story villa that sprawled across one hectare before me. I was utterly astonished by the sheer size and luxury of the house. It was hard to fathom that Lucas owned a villa in the city's most affluent neighborhood. While I was aware of Lucas's wealthy background and his investment in Mico's company, I had no idea that he was a billionaire.“Get in.” I was brought back from my deep thoughts when Lucas suddenly spoke behind me with my other things.“I never thought you had this kind of villa.” I found his house quite amusing, as I couldn't help but be impressed by its opulence. The lavish interior decor, adorned with exquisite paintings, stunning artwork, statues, and ornate vases, truly reflected the wealth and sophistication of its owner. “Ah… This? This is just a small house. I hope you’ll be comfortable here.” I looked at Lucas in disbelief.“You called this small house?” I scoffed. “Are you kidding me? This is too huge for me to stay alone h
People here in our province have so much free time that they interfere with someone else’s lives. They can even beat a twenty-four-hour CCTV for watching our lives.Whenever I walk on the road either going home or to work, I notice that my aunts and neighbors are also on the road. They were chatting here and there with the people that came across that road. They greeted them warmly, but they talked behind them when those people passed by. I just shook my head in disappointment. What if someone heard them and they keep talking about the shits of others not thinking theirs were the worst. That day I came home from my job as a cashier at a convenience store. And because my partner is on leave, I have to work overtime. But unexpectedly, because of exhaustion, and staying awake at work, I passed out on the way home. And since our village is small, the news about my pregnancy spread immediately like wildfire. My mother and I became a hot topic in our town. Another thing they talked about wa
“Aurora, how have you been? It’s good to see you here. Were you here for a vacation?”“You look great, dear. Are you still single? My son is single, you might both try to have a date. He’s handsome and my son graduated from law school.”“Hey, Marianne. How have you been? I heard you are sick. Is that true?”When Mom and I arrived at her hometown, the Agusan, some of our relatives who noticed our arrival, came to our grandfather’s house and asked about our lives back in the city. But I’m exhausted. So, I took a deep breath. I know they were curious about how our lives have been in the city. And they want to catch up with us. But I’m tired from the long travel, also I’m pregnant, so I really need some rest.“Hmm… Thank you all for your concerns and for welcoming us back here again. But Mom and I were exhausted from our long travel. I hope you all understand. I wanted to chat with you all, but maybe some other time. Let’s do a raincheck for now, I hope you won’t mind.”“Oh, right. Have s
“Thank you for keeping my friend safe.”After our delicious dinner, I helped Belle settle into one of the guest rooms where I used to stay. I made sure she got some rest early, and then I headed to Yvan's room. Despite having questions to ask her, I didn't want to disturb her. It must have been tough for her to face those unpleasant people. I wonder about the circumstances leading up to the situation.Knock… knock… knock…I gently rapped on the door three times before cautiously pushing it open and peering into his room. "Aurora?"I could hear his muffled voice coming from the darkened depths of the closet. After a few moments, he emerged from the closet and made his way to the bed. Gesturing with a tap of his hand, he silently invited me to join him. I hesitated for a moment before taking a seat beside him.“I just want to say thank you for saving my friend.”His warm hand enveloped mine, and a gentle smile graced his lips. "You don't have to thank me," he said reassuringly. "Your fr
I had a strange feeling that something wasn't right. It seemed like secrets were being kept from me. Suspiciously, I watched Mico cook in the kitchen at his uncle's house. It was only his second day here after Yvan asked him to stay and look after me while he was away. I couldn't understand why Yvan had chosen Mico to take care of me, especially when I had always been alone with the helpers here. It was hard to believe that Yvan trusted his nephew and my ex-boyfriend to always be with me. Perhaps, he was just testing the waters, if I still have feelings for his nephew. I shrugged my thoughts away when my phone beeped. I received a message from Yvan.‘I won’t be home tonight.’ he said in the message and I just replied ‘Okay.’ Was he that busy?Yvan still hasn't returned home after I asked him to go check on Belle. I'm starting to get a little worried. I even called Yvan and asked how’s Belle. But he’s not answering me directly.He would just say, “She’s fine. Don’t worry about her.”An
I asked my driver and Mico to send Aurora back to our house. I don’t want her to get anxious about what’s happening to her best friend, Belle. As her husband, I volunteered to look for her best friend in her apartment. After Aurora got a call from Belle, Aurora got worried. She wanted to come but I insisted that she needed to take a rest for our baby in her tummy.“But I don’t know what’s happening to Belle right now. I’m worried, Yvan. Please let me go with you.” She said, which made me groan in frustration.“Don’t you understand? Your health and the baby are more important than anyone else.”“But-”“Don’t worry, alright? I will go there to check on her. We will call you right away once we arrive.”“Mico, accompany Aurora to my house. Make sure she’s okay. And don’t leave her alone.” I ordered Mico.I knew the relationship between them was over ages ago. I also discovered Mico had a secret relationship with his best friend Lucas. So, I am not bothered if I let Mico accompany Aurora to