"Hey, Ally!"Allison abruptly stopped from her quick pace.Why wouldn’t she, when it was Ethan Montenegro calling her?"Ethan!" She acknowledged him with a huge smile on her face.The young man approached and immediately took her hand."Let’s walk together," he said with a smile."If I remember correctly, we don’t have the same class next period," she playfully frowned at him."Then I’ll just walk you to your class."Allison remembered Atty. Sandoval. Was she really a threat to Ethan, which is why they wanted her to stay away?If they had done their research on her, they should have realized that she couldn’t be bought. What they did only challenged her to fight even more for whatever she had with Ethan."Lunch later, okay?" Ethan said as they reached her classroom."Yes, sir!""Oh, one more thing," he put his hands behind his back and started to chant as if performing a magic trick. "For you," he suddenly handed her a rose."Wow..." she whispered, impressed by his magic trick. "How d
"Uncle Ramon, I know that Mom is here. Let me in!" He wanted to cause a scene because they wouldn't let him into his own mother's office."Ethan, your mother can't talk to you right now.""Bvllsht!" He cursed. "You do not expect me to believe that, do you? Tell my good mother that I want to talk to her!""She's inside with a client. If you want, you can sit and wait," the man said firmly."I can't believe this!" He looked past Ramon toward his mother's office. Surely if he decided to run, this old man in front of him wouldn't be able to stop him."If this is about your friend, I suggest that you stay away from her.""Who are you to tell me what to do, huh? Are you a part of my family?" He didn't want to be rude because the old lawyer had been serving his family for a long time. "Allison is a good person. If you want to help, tell my mother to leave her alone!""I can't do that," Ramon shook his head."Then stop acting like it's your business to tell me to stay away from Allison!" He b
"Are you ready, Allison? I'm on my way," Shanna asked her on the phone the next day."Yep," she answered."Good. I'll be there in ten.""Alright. Take care."When Shanna arrived, they left immediately after saying goodbye to Kyla and Amelia, since they had a long journey ahead of them.Next, they picked up Leio."So it won't be boring," Shanna offered. "And to have someone to alternate driving," she winked.But what she did was move with Allison to the backseat, leaving Leio to drive alone.Leio kept complaining, saying he regretted agreeing to join them."It should have been Zion!" he grumbled."What's with you? If it were Zion, he wouldn't complain, you know!" Shanna insisted."How do you know that?""Because he's a gentleman!""And I'm not?!""You're gay!""What?!" Leio suddenly hit the brakes, causing Shanna and Allison to lurch forward in the backseat."What the heck?!" Shanna snapped."I'm not gay!" Leio said angrily.The two started exchanging insults, so Allison stepped in."H
Ethan stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it as he helped her up."Am I handsome?""Huh?" Was he serious? He could ask her many things, even ask her to be his girlfriend, and she would say yes without a second thought. Why was he asking something so obvious? Or was she just expecting too much?"Am I handsome?" he repeated."Of course," she replied with a smile. "Why do you ask?""Because women always leave me," he started walking slowly along the part of the shore where the waves kissed the sand."Really?" she asked amusedly while taking off her sandals so she could feel the wet sand under her feet."You don't believe me?"“Well, as far as I know, many women want to be close to you,” she answered, thinking about the countless girls who were infatuated with him.“I don’t mean those I’m not interested in,” he clarified.Okay, she understood."Ethan Montenegro, those girls who left you are crazy.""You think so?" He glanced at her with a smile. It was clear he wasn't serious a
"You never listen," Andrea Montenegro told Ally angrily.Ethan's mother had come back to offer her money once again to stay away from her son. Apparently, the haughty woman had learned that she and her only son were officially in a relationship."Mrs. Montenegro, I'm not after your son's money. We may be poor, but my mother didn’t raise me to be greedy," she responded calmly. "Don't worry about your wealth. Besides, we're still young. We’re not getting married anytime soon."She didn’t know where she found the courage to speak to her boyfriend's mother like that. But Allison knew one thing: her love for Ethan was worth more than any amount Andrea Montenegro could offer her."That's what you all say. But your real intention is to get your hands on my son's wealth," Andrea stated, clearly unconvinced. She couldn’t really blame her, considering what had happened with Felicity before. After all, she was just a mother trying to protect her son from opportunists. But Ally wasn’t like that.
Time flies. Before Ally knew it, they had already graduated from college. She was now preparing for the board examination to become a Certified Public Accountant. She had big dreams—Ally was aiming to be one of the topnotchers. Even being in the top ten wouldn’t be bad.“Ally, are you sure you’re not going to enroll in a review center?” Kattie asked, unable to believe her decision to self-review.“Uh-huh,” Ally replied, nodding her head. She knew she had high aspirations, and reaching them wouldn’t be easy if she reviewed on her own.But the harsh reality was that she couldn’t afford a review school. She kept saying it was because she had too many jobs she couldn’t sacrifice, which was partly true, but the real reason was that she didn’t have the money.“You can let me borrow your notes, though,” she said to her friend. “And since Michael is in a different review school, I can borrow his notes as well and benefit from the tips that each of your review centers will give you.” She grinn
'Young Billionaire Ethan Montenegro is reportedly back together with his ex-girlfriend, Felicity Rivera. Are we hearing wedding bells soon?' 'The two are a match made in heaven. They deserved a second chance. We all hope it's for the best this time.' Allison stopped scrolling the news. She placed her phone beside her and stared into space. How long has it been since she last saw Ethan? Two years. But why does it feel like just yesterday? "Ally!" Yanah excitedly entered her room, pulling Allison away from her thoughts before she drowned in them. "Look at this!" Yanah showed her phone to Allison. On the screen was the latest survivor patient, Bea, and her boyfriend, Ashton. They were posed as if for a prenuptial photo shoot. "They're getting married!" "Really?" Allison's face immediately lit up when she confirmed her suspicion from the picture. "OMG, I'm so happy for Bea!" "Me too!" Yanah was almost in tears. Both of them were emotional. And why wouldn't they be? Bea was the l
"Allison, you agree to be my bridesmaid, right?" Bea asked, as she was at the shelter with her fiancé."Are you sure? I might look like a stick. I might scare your guests away," she joked as a way of indirectly declining.In reality, Ally didn't want to have any part in Bea's wedding. But she couldn't possibly deny her anything that would make her happy, right?"I don't have many guests, you know? We're only bringing ten people here, and it'll just be us family members at the shelter," Bea said. "Actually, Yanah mentioned that some sponsors are pulling out. So I wanted my wedding to be a way to find potential sponsors. Ashton has some rich friends.""You have such a good heart, Bea," Ally said sincerely. "God healed you because you are not a selfish person. Thank you for still thinking of us even though you have no real reason to come back here.""Ally, what are you saying?" Bea suddenly started crying. "How can it be that I won't come back here? You're still here. You're like a siste
"Sis, you have a visitor again," Kyla joked, rolling her eyes as she returned to where she had left her, with Ethan, who had just left for work an hour ago. "Let me clean up so you and your suitor can have some privacy," she continued, taking away the dishes."Thanks for the privacy, Ky! What do you want as a reward, in kind or cash?" Ethan chimed in, playfully."You've already paid enough, bro," Kyla said with a sincere smile before leaving them alone.The three of them knew what Kyla meant. With Ethan’s love for her, her mother, and sister alone was worth far more than any payment. He was family.Ethan smiled at her. The kind of smile that made her fall for him repeatedly. Even though he was already her husband, whenever he looked at her, Ally still felt butterflies in her stomach.She still felt giddy even though she knew his eyes were only for her, as if she was the most beautiful in his eyes."I’m not going to ask if you left anything behind," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I t
"Mr. E, here are the reports you asked me to prepare," Michael said as he followed him into his office right upon his arrival."Has Ms. Reyes called yet?" Ethan asked while opening his laptop."Yes, Sir. They’ve already found a match for Angel. Right now, they are determining the best time to perform the operation.""That's good. But what's taking them so long? Put Yanah on the phone," he said, slightly pleased but also a bit irritated by the delay."Yes, Mr. E." Michael immediately complied with his request.A few minutes later, Yanah was on the line."Mr. Montenegro, don't worry. Everything is fine," she said immediately."Ms. Reyes, you know that Angel’s case is very close to me. I want you to do everything you can to save her," he said gently.When he returned to the shelter, he looked for the child who introduced God to him. He found out that she was there by herself. Since she was an orphan and had fallen ill, she was left at the shelter by her mother's sibling.Since then, he h
He had so many plans for their future together. When Ethan met Ally, he knew she would play a significant part in his life. He tried to just be friends with her, but in the end, he couldn't help but deepen their relationship.He was happy. They were happy. They loved each other sincerely. So when Ally left him and said that it was only his wealth she was after and that she never truly loved him, he was deeply hurt.He couldn’t accept it because he thought Ally was the only true thing that had ever happened to him. So he felt betrayed and used. He believed that Ally had sold their love for twenty million.It was a mistake that Ethan regretted deeply. That was the turning point in their relationship. If he had fought and seen the truth behind Ally's lies, everything might have turned out differently.But what could he do now? Every doctor he spoke to advised him to let go of the woman he loved. That he should just let her rest.But every part of him couldn’t let her go. He wasn't ready.
"Look at you, you're so beautiful, Allison," Shanna said happily as they both looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had prepared Ally for her wedding to Ethan that day. Just a few days after his proposal, they were already getting married.Ally wore a simple white dress, comfortable yet presentable for a wedding. Even though the event was private, her groom was still the gorgeous billionaire, Ethan Montenegro. It would have been unfair to him if she didn’t make some effort to look nice, considering her condition.She was thankful to God for allowing her to live until this day. Just waking up that morning was enough for her. Despite feeling weak and aching everywhere, she kept it to herself.Today was supposed to be happy, and she was indeed very happy. She didn’t want to spoil the mood by revealing her discomfort. She was marrying Ethan Montenegro, which should be enough to overshadow her physical pains.“Thanks,” she managed to smile.“Ally, everyone’s waiting upstairs,” Kyla
Ally never expected Ethan to take his proposal seriously again, especially with a ring in hand. But this was Ethan Montenegro—whatever he says, he will do. The hardest part for her was receiving a marriage proposal when she was on the brink of death. She didn’t deserve it, especially when she felt so close to the end. Each day seemed dimmer; she knew it, she could feel it.Ethan didn’t deserve to marry someone who might die at any moment. He deserved someone who could grow old with him, not someone who felt like she was just waiting for the final signature to her departure. She couldn’t bring herself to hurt Ethan like that.‘Come on, Allison. Give him some credit. He’s not thinking about that. He just wants to marry you. And if you pass away before the marriage is registered, it’s not the end of the world,’ her mind argued.It wasn’t wrong to grant his request. It wasn’t wrong to let herself and Ethan be happy for whatever time was left. It wouldn’t be selfish to marry him, right? Ev
“Ally, did you know that this woman is already engaged? She didn’t even give us a heads-up! If Mr. Montenegro hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t have bothered inviting us to her wedding!”“Michael!” Kattie scolded, her eyes wide at their male friend.Allison laughed. Even though they were just on a video call, Kattie’s blush was clearly visible.“Is it true, Kattie?” Allison asked, genuinely excited.Kattie had always been known more for her love of books than for having a boyfriend. Who would have thought that just a few years after graduation, she’d already be engaged?“Well, it’s not exactly like that,” Kattie explained. “The situation is different. I’d be deported if I don’t marry my friend here.”“Hmm, illegal stay?” Allison guessed.Their friend was currently in America.“Not entirely—”“So, when’s the wedding?” Allison changed the subject. She didn’t want to embarrass her friend. “We need to watch it, okay? Even if it’s just online like this.”“Of course, Ally! Michael and I have alrea
“She was in and out of consciousness last night, Mr. Montenegro. And today, she’s not waking up yet. It’s almost past two PM.”Ethan nearly sped his car to the shelter.He was in the middle of an important meeting when Yanah called. Just seeing her name flash on his silent cellphone had sent his heart racing. He let his phone ring while abruptly wrapping up the meeting. He lost focus and fervently hoped nothing bad had happened to Allison while he wasn’t by her side.And now, Yanah’s words felt like a knife twisting in his heart.“Please, be well, Ally,” he whispered as his vision blurred while he drove well past the speed limit.He just hoped he wouldn’t get pulled over. Just this once. He needed to be beside Ally immediately.“Wait for me, please…”When he arrived, he almost ran to her room. The tightness in his chest was palpable as he saw her sitting on the bed while talking to Yanah. The inexplicable joy of seeing her like this made him tear up.He calmed himself and dried his te
“Mama,” he called to get his mother’s attention, who was standing near the glass wall of his office.Andrea Montenegro turned around and gave him a reserved, cold smile. Sometimes, he wondered if his mother even knew how to be a mother.She lacked any warmth.“What brought you here?” he asked.“Is that how you welcome your mother, son?”He felt like rolling his eyes. She was the one lacking emotion upon seeing him.“I’m just asking, Ma.” He approached Andrea and kissed her cheek.That simple gesture surprised his mother, though her expression only changed momentarily.“Well, I felt obliged to pay you a visit,” Andrea said as she took a seat, not breaking eye contact with him. “A Director raised a concern that you’re always unreachable. What’s going on, Ethan?”“Are you asking me, Mama, because you don’t know yet? Or do you need confirmation?” He knew her well enough to understand that she likely already knew why and who had been occupying his time.“Why are you not listening to your m
“Have those two not developed feelings for each other yet?” Ally asked, amused, as she watched Leio and Shanna joking around with other patients at the shelter.“Well, about that, I’m not sure I want to entrust my cousin to Leio,” Ethan said, affectionately adjusting the way her head rested on his shoulder.“Why not? Isn’t Leio your friend? One of your two best friends, actually.”“Yes. And so I know how he treats women. I don’t want my cousin to end up on his list. You know, Shanna is very dear to me. She’s like my sister,” he explained.“It’s not like there’s a zero possibility that Leio will change,” Ally said, chuckling a bit. “I still think they look good together.”“Ah, don’t encourage them!” The man laughed a little. “On a serious note, if those two do end up liking each other, I think it would be fine. Shanna is being picky. She doesn’t seem to like any of her admirers.”“Maybe Leio is actually the right one for her.”“If Shanna hears you, you’re in trouble,” Ethan joked.“I’v