ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY I hurriedly exited the car upon hearing Dachiel's information. We went to the location where my child was allegedly taken. To my surprise, it wasn't what I expected. There were police surrounding the area, and it seemed we were late. Someone misled us, pointing to the wrong location, causing a delay. A call redirected my attention to the correct place. It appeared we were intentionally set up to create confusion. I felt desperate and fell into the trap. I quickly approached a police officer and asked what happened. They said that the location was indeed the site of a kidnapping case, but it was too late because the house had exploded. I asked them if they saw a three-year-old boy, but they said they found no one there and the bodies they found were mostly around 25 years old-- probably the kidnapper's henchmen who were caught in the explosion. I was disheartened by what I heard, but a call woke me up again and I found out that a child was rushed to a nearby hos
"Stop here, sir!" I shouted to the driver, but it seemed he was deaf. The passengers seemed deaf too. I looked at the person next to me and tapped his shoulder. "Can you pass my fare?" I asked for a favor, but he just glared at me. What a rude guy. "Pass it or I'll kick you out? Your choice, you jerk!" I yelled irritably. As a result, the passengers turned to look at me. Even the driver glanced at us through the mirror. "There you go, if we don't shout and get angry, no one pays attention!" I complained to myself and forcefully placed the fifteen pesos in his hand. "Pass it!" The guy quickly handed over the fare. Maybe he got scared because of my fierce look. When I got off the jeep, I could still hear people whispering behind me. I ignored them and continued walking. I needed to get to the restaurant before I was late. "Wow, that woman shouts like a tiger," whispered a lady behind me. "Maybe she's just going through something," said another. "It wouldn't hurt if she calmed dow
I fell out of bed because of how much I was tossing and turning in my sleep. I ended up clutching my hip, nursing the pain. "Shit," I muttered softly as I struggled to stand, still holding my hip. When I looked up and saw the time, my eyes widened, and I immediately ran to the bathroom. "Fuck!" I cursed loudly and quickly showered, barely getting myself wet. I didn't even bother to grab a towel to wrap around my body. I ran back to my room naked to put on my uniform. There's no one else in my apartment but me. I'm sure there are no CCTV cameras either. I'm also sure no one is peeking through any holes in the walls since the apartment is made of cement. Sometimes, I even sleep in just my panties. It's really comfortable. In less than 20 minutes, I ran out of the building and sprinted to catch a jeepney that was just starting to move. Luckily, I wasn't late for the ride. It's really hard to catch a jeepney near my apartment sometimes. Why am I always late, anyway? I walked and ran u
THE loud sound of the alarm clock abruptly woke me up. Groggily, I reached out to turn it off and stretched my limbs to shake off the stiffness from sleep. I got up from the bed with messy hair, so I just combed it with my fingers. Sorry, too lazy to get a real comb. I stood with hands on my hips, looking at my friend, who was still fast asleep with her mouth wide open. She probably didn't sleep right away, and I didn’t want to wake her because she sleeps like a log. I was surprised to see my phone outside my bag, so I grabbed it and turned it on. I was greeted by the name of an app: Matchmaker: Dating with a Twist. I raised an eyebrow because I didn't remember downloading a dating app on my phone, and I’m not into such things. I clicked on the application and began to explore. It didn’t have a profile picture and seemed newly created, but when I checked the message area, there was something there. Phantompurse sent you a message ‘Hi! This is my first time to try this application.
It took only a few minutes before we arrived outside the venue. It was a multi-story hotel, one of the most expensive in the country. From what I know, the hotel's name frequently appeared on television and in articles. I looked out the window, scanning the area until I saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. Almost everyone was in formal attire, with a few paparazzi stationed outside. I wanted to know more details about the event I was attending—or rather, the one I was signed up for—but Shena didn’t provide much information. She just said it was a normal event. Even though I had my doubts, I still came because the event was well-known. Unfortunately, that was all I knew. There were no additional details to satisfy my curiosity. The driver opened the car door, and at that moment, I felt a rush of anxiety. I couldn’t keep calm until this event was over. Why did I even come? I've probably regretted my decision many times. Like, maybe a hundred times. “Thank you, sir,” I said to t
“Is it… is it against the rules of the event?” I asked Alexander, feeling nervous. Alexander stopped walking when we reached the pathway leading to the main hall. He turned to face me with a serious expression. “You have the right to decline it, but if he demands a payback, you don't have a choice but to fulfill your role,” he answered. “Payback?” “Yes. If you decline and he wants his money back, the refund will come from you, and the amount will be tripled.” I was stunned by Alexander's words. Even though I didn't know how much the man had paid, I knew it was substantial. The thought of such a large sum made my knees weak. “M-may paraan pa bang hindi ko mababayaran ang ganyan? I mean, hindi naman ako mismo ang sumali rito. It's not my intention to join,” I said, my worry evident as I started biting my nails. I didn't have the money; it might even be millions that the man paid. Alexander thought for a moment. “Hmm,” he put his finger on his chin, “I think there's a way to
I scratched my head as I stared at the reviewer I was holding after the exam. I still couldn't get over the answers I wrote earlier. "I feel like number 22 is really wrong," I insisted while carefully reading the highlighted part. I flipped the page and checked the other words indicated in the notebook. My pen brushed against my lips as I focused on it. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, but I ignored it. It might just be my male classmates playing a prank on me again. I was still sitting in my usual seat. It was probably around four in the afternoon because I could feel the heat outside. I could also hear the noise of students. Someone tapped me again, but this time, twice. I frowned and turned around. A guy was standing beside me. He was in uniform, but it was obvious he wasn't from my department because of the color of his ID string. He had glasses, messy hair, and was holding a sketchpad. "Oh? Who are you?" I asked. His cheeks turned red. He couldn't even look at me d
"Where are we going?" We were still inside the car, and we'd already driven some distance from the university, but I had no idea where we were headed. I just kept looking ahead, my gaze fixed on the road. "There's a café nearby. I told you I wanted to talk to you about some important matters." I immediately recalled the event and felt a surge of anxiety. What if Alexander was looking for me to collect payment? I covered my mouth, worried. When he saw my reaction, he looked at me with knitted brows. "What's going on? Why do you look so shocked?" I didn't answer him and quickly checked my bag. I opened my cell phone and went to my bank account. Balance: 1,500.00 I held my forehead. What would I pay if needed? Could I make a down payment? "What's wrong? You've been bothered for a while now. Did you leave something behind?" Alexander's eyes darted between my seat and the road. I shook my head like a child and frowned. "I'm just worried..." I looked at him. "Is what we nee