Watching Ruella and Tommy's back slowly dissipating, Oliver turned speechless whilst Sofia quickly fished out her mobile phone from purse and dialed a random number from her contacts. She ignored the fact that Oliver was still standing beside her. All she was concerned about was to talk to someone she knew without giving a damn to her surroundings. Sinagot na naman ang kanyang tawag after a few rings and now she was aiming her anger at the person she was calling."Miss Castillo, it's been a while." A man's voice cordially berated on the other end."I think you owe me an explanation" She spat coldly."About what?" The man sounds confused."Look into the goddamn news and you will see." She murmured, gritting her teeth before she dropped the call and shoved her phone back in her purse. She tilted her head and found Oliver's piercing gaze stabbed right in her face. She suddenly felt a cold shiver running down her spine. She felt nervous."Who were you talking to, huh?" He asked curiously,
Monday morning…Alas singko pa lamang ay gising na ang dalaga upang makapag handa sa panibagong tatahaking yugto ng kanyang buhay. Her birthday party celebration last friday night was just the start of how she accepted the entire ordeal which was specifically arranged by her father just for her. The news about her sudden existence as the Don's heiress spread like wildfire shocking the entire city overnight but the scenario at the garden never appeared on the news. It was like it never happened and just pushed aside.Now, she was ready to face what was coming on her way and this time she swore to enjoy and embrace whether it was pleasure or pain that comes with the consequences from all of it. She had tried her best to fulfill her mother's dying wish before but she only failed. She even lost her child in the process and that was her bottom line."Rue?" Tommy knocked on her door gently."Come in," she urged while sitting on her dresser facing the mirror. She was still wrapped in her bath
The meeting lasted for almost two hours.It was kind of grilling and drilling the young lady but she played cool and confident in front of them. Since she finished business administration before, she was able to express her insights whenever they asked for her opinions about the projects they were handling.During the process, nakikinig lamang ang dalaga at kalmadong sinagot ang mga katanungan ng mga nakakatanda sa kanya. Tommy was sitting beside her whispering his explanations from time to time to ease her curiosity and confusions. As he was appointed to be her assistant for the meantime by the Don, he tried to fulfill his task to make it easier for her to understand everything about the business ventures they were in. Numerous pairs of observing eyes were aiming at them from time to time but they both left them into oblivion. Tommy's gentleness towards Ruella didn't escape from those drilling gazes. They obviously looked like they had an ambiguous relationship in everyone's observa
Tumango na lamang si Emman sa kanyang narinig mula kay Tommy and thought to himself. 'Oliver, goodluck man! It seems that you got a dangerous opponent this time!'Tommy jerked on his seat when his mobile phone rang inside his pockets. He shoved his hand, fished it out and answered his caller right there and then. Ruella was calling…"Rue," He greeted gently as he aligned his phone in his ear. "Alright. I'll be there. Wait for me." He then dropped the call and stood up. "Mr. Velasco, thank you for the coffee and the chat but I have to go. Ruella needs me right now." He sounds somewhat anxious."Is there any problem?" Emman became anxious as well. He also stood up from his seat obviously getting concerned."Nothing. She just needs me right now." Pagkasabi ay nagmamadaling umalis na si Tommy sa kanyang office leaving him alone to analyze the situation but his mobile phone rang as well in his pockets. Oliver was also calling him…"Yes, Oliver." He groaned."Come to my office right now." H
Sa Kabilang banda, nagmamadaling bumaba si Tommy lulan ng elevator ngunit sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon, ito ay tumigil sa kalagitnaan. Nagtaka siya at napatingala sa floor button indicator and he found out that he was stuck on the 20th floor of the building. Buti na lamang at dala niya ang kanyang mobile phone and he started to scroll down Emman's number to call for some help.Emman was currently in the CEO'S office facing his boss's unnatural interrogations."Tell me what you got." Oliver demanded as his eyes cautiously darted at the door of his private lounge. Just a couple of minutes ago, he called him through the phone but Emman got an urgent call from his mother so he only said something about Ruella's sudden call which made Tommy looking anxious that is why Oliver also came into Ruella's office to have a look and he found her looking extremely pale and sweating profusely while her eyes were tightly shut. He suddenly became worried about her and immediately carried her to his
Oliver watched Ruella while sleeping soundly with different emotions swirling in his heart. He dragged a single seater sofa to her bedside at marahang naupo. He reached out for her hand and kissed her knuckles lovingly."I'm so sorry if I made a terrible mistake by turning my back on you. I swear to you that that wasn't my intention." He whispered while displaying a regretful expression on his face. Tinititigan niya maige ang mukha nito at bumuntong hininga. He genuinely felt worried about her."You seem to have lost a lot of weight. What happened to you?" He continued to talk as he lifted his other hand to touch her cheekbones, trailing his finger on them.Ruella suddenly flinched at his touch. She stirred into another position and doved her face on the pillows, leaving him speechless.Oliver loosened his hold on her hand and stood up from his seat silently. He felt like he was being stabbed in the chest by just a single flinch from her. Even in her slumber, she clearly shows how much
The moment Ruella arrived at the mansion, pumanhik kaagad siya sa kanyang silid at nagbilin na huwag siyang istorbohin. She locked her door and took a quick bath to get rid of the stickiness of her body. After a few minutes, she wrapped herself with her black bathrobe and went to the corner near the window with a goblet and a bottle of wine clutched between her fingers. She was staring at nothingness for a long time as she sipped the crimson red liquid from time to time until she fully consumed the entire bottle.There were lots of thoughts that kept on swirling in her mind but the constant thought of her daughter was the strongest to make her tears slowly streak down her face. It was pouring like rain. No matter how she tried to wipe them, it still continued to stream. She closed her eyes and recalled the days of her pregnancy.After her third trimester, she roamed around and went to a baby's boutique. She bought anything she desired. Pagkalabas niya sa store, she accidentally bumped
Tommy and Ruella went to one of their clubs to have some fun with a black van tailing behind them."Tommy, I want you to call Emman Velasco and ask him out for a drink." Marahang utos ng dalaga.Tommy evokes a boyish grin as he speaks. "Got it. I owed him this morning and now I can finally pay the gratitude.""Emman is a good person opposite to his boss. He used to be my client's son. They're actually nice." Ruella narrated nonchalantly.Tommy nodded in agreement but then he recalled the bodyguards tailing them. He was confused and couldn't help asking his lady boss. "What's with the bodyguards? I thought you despised being treated like a high profile individual?" He joked."Dad, give them to me for my safety. I couldn't say no and you know him very well that he won't take no for an answer." She sighed in defeat. Watching the street lights fading from her sights she suddenly babbled something that made Tommy go speechless. "Why didn't you tell me that you've been watching me for three
Two days later...Ruella woke up in a daze, looking as if she was floating somewhere in the clouds.She looked around and found herself lying in an unfamiliar bed under an unfamiliar ceiling. The chandeliers were quite familiar to her sight but she couldn't recall where she exactly had seen them. Her head swirled on the other side, the walls had paintings she was not familiar with.'Where am I exactly?' She thought.She had no recollection of whatever happened after she passed out.She made a quick rundown of herself, she was still wrapped in her silk robe which somehow put her guard down. Then she tried to recall the events bit by bit, and Oliver suddenly appeared in her mind.She jumped out of bed to look for him but the door tore open, revealing Oliver himself dressed in his famous pair of blue suit, white shirt and pants and a pair of black leather shoes which made him look like a Greek god who just descended from somewhere between heaven and hell. Not only that, but his beard was
Somewhere in the sky...Sierra's foxy-like eyes were twinkling. Her usually flawless face was now painted with scars and she looked creepier than anyone on board. 'Who would have thought that I could get the position I desired with someone's help?' She thought in amazement. 'Man, I thought my luck had left me but I'm wrong! I should thank that person as soon as I meet him or rather bring him to heaven for pulling me out of that hellhole.'She recalled the days when her father punished and abandoned her for his chosen heiress because she happened to shoot her in the chest.That day, as soon as he arrived from somewhere she lost count of, he ordered his men to bring her into one of the rooms in the mansion.She was terrified by that because that was her first time in that room. All the things inside made her skin crawl and made her sick to the stomach to the point that she puked everything she had eaten earlier that day.Then she heard from them that Ruella went there frequently after
Oliver was trying to figure out Don Antonio's thoughts when Ulysses stormed into Ruella's room."Mr. Mitchell," he called out in a whisper. "Mr. Ventura wants to talk to you."Oliver nodded. Soon he followed Ulysses downstairs.He handed him over the phone."How's everything going?" Don Antonio's voice sounded rough and impatient on the other end. "Which one of you is the child's match donor?"'How did he know?' Oliver thought but then again, for a guy as influential as him especially in the underworld, he surely has the source to the latest updates of their activities wherever they go. 'It must be his minions.' He thought.He cleared his throat about to speak but the latter beat him to it."There might be a rare possibility that neither of you matched as her donor."Oliver sighed helplessly. Of course, he knew about this.Before coming to the country, he had done a lot of research and it irked him to think that there could be such a possibility."There could be..." Oliver stated matt
Similar to the speed of lightning, Oliver swiftly entered the backseat."You! What are you doing here?" She asked with eyes widening in pure astonishment. "I'm coming with you!" He simply replied."Get out!" She demanded. Her voice blazed with anger as she added. "Take a taxi!"He shook his head stubbornly. "Not happening!"The foreign guy stared at the two back and forth, getting confused. He wondered where this man came from and how the hell did he manage to anger his Lady boss like this. Does he even have the slightest idea of who he was messing with?"Boss?" He chimed in. "Shall I get him off the car?"Ruella gave him a death stare. "Are you sick of talking? How about I cut that damned tongue for you?""S-sorry, Boss!" He grumbled apologetically. "I'll drive you to the airport as soon as possible."Hindi niya ito sinagot. Nakatitig lamang siya kay Oliver habang ito ay pikit matang nakasandal sa kanyang tabi."Do you really wish to see the real me, Oliver?" Tinanong niya ito.Mara
"Lucas!" Marella tried to stop her husband as she saw him getting ready to go. "You remember trying to hold her for 48 hours, right?"Saka lamang ito naalala ni Lucas. Tinignan niya ang asawa. Napansin nito ang pagkabalisa. "I don't even know how to face her!" Sambit ni Marella habang . "All this while, we've been nothing but cruel to her. We already took her daughter from her and are now about to ask for her help. I feel ashamed, Lucas!""It's a matter of life and death, Marella. We can't just stand and watch our little Louella die without doing anything!" Lucas' voice trembled with emotion. "If I have to lower my pride to gain her forgiveness, I'll do it to save her. I hope her father didn't turn her heart into stone otherwise...""No!" Marella interrupted her husband. "She's here because she loves her daughter and is willing to help!""Donating her bone marrow differs from bearing another child, Marella." Lucas reminded her. "It could change her life and Antonio would never allow
Pagdating ni Oliver sa hospital, nagtungo ito kaagad sa loob upang magpa-check.Since Ruella doesn't match, he expected that he must be Louella's match. They were father and daughter after all so It's impossible not to.He was brought into a private room and after a few hours, he was wheeled out.Tulad ng hiniling niya, dinala din siya sa ward kung saan naroon ang dalaga. He wished to stay with her until they both regained their strength para makapag-usap na rin.Habang mahimbing na natutulog ang dalawa sa magkahiwalay na kama, palihim na bumisita naman si Aurora. Marahan siyang pumasok sa loob at pinagmasadan ang dalawa. Hindi niya maipaliwanag ang sayang naramdaman at noon lamang niya naisip ang bagay na dapat matagal niya na ginawa.'Forgive me, Louella! I couldn't protect your daughter before but I promise not to cower anymore! I'll do everything to get her back into this family.'Tahimik itong umiyak habang inaalala ang kapatid ng ilang oras bago ito tuluyang umalis at bumalik sa
Panandaliang nawala si Oliver sa kanyang ulirat.Hindi niya lubos maisip na ito ang kanyang dadatnan sa loob ng isang malawak na kwarto. Bukod pa roon, naguguluhan din siya sa nakita."These..." Maiksing sambit niya habang marahang pinaikot ang kanyang paningin sa buong silid. "Why do you have all of these?"He was amazed to see a lot of Ruella's photos attached to the wall. They were taken from her childhood till now. They also have a shot at the airport where they hopped on the Royal family's private jet."Isn't it obvious?" Mrs. Salvatorre asked. "I thought you were smart? Don't tell me we're wrong about you, young man!"Oliver stared at the walls. "She believed that all of you had completely abandoned her since birth but in fact, you're looking after her secretly.""Of course," Mrs. Salvatore seemed pleased that Oliver finally understood the true meaning of what he saw. She continued, "The royal blood still runs in her veins and we can't deny that she still belongs to us. Antonio,
Ruella's mouth hung wide open. "Anong ibig mong sabihin, Ollie?"She suddenly felt uneasy.Ang buong akala niya ay nagkasundo na sila. Hiniling nito sa binata na magkanya-kanya na lamang sila. Kung ano man ang naging pinagsamahan nila, hiniling ni Ruella na ibaon na nila ito sa limot at magpatuloy na lamang sila sa buhay. Hindi niya akalain na magmamatigas pa ito."You can think whatever that is," Oliver replied curtly. "I won't let you throw me away from your life, Rue. I swore from seeing you again that I'm not letting you go.""Oliver!" Ruella hissed. "Huwag mo na 'to ipilit!""No Rue!" Oliver protested. "You listen to me. Kinailangan mo nang pumili! Time is ticking!"Ruella didn't know what to say. Mukhang hindi niya na ito kayang pigilan pa. Papayag na lang ba siya sa gusto nito? Paano kung ikapapahamak niya ito?Ruella's fingers trembled in fear. "I can't let you do that, Oliver. There's a lot of things that you don't know.""Then start telling me!" He urged impatiently. "This i
Makalipas ang sumunod na araw, Ruella woke up feeling better.Nakita niya si Arianna na nakabantay sa kanya at tulog pa itong nakayuko sa may gilid ng kama. Nahiya siyang gisingin ito kaya marahan siyang tumayo mula sa higaan upang magtungo sa banyo.Napansin nya na kaunti na lamang ang laman ng kanyang IV drip kaya, tinanggal nya na rin ito at nilapag ang karayom sa kanyang pinaghigaan. Masakit pa din ang kanyang sugat ngunit kumpara noong isang gabi, medyo na okay na ito. Sa pakiwari nya ay kaya niya na kumilos na dahan-dahan kung alang-alang sa sariling kapakanan.Pagkapasok nya ng banyo, nilinis nya kaagad ang sarili gamit ang mga basic necessities na nakita bago sya ulit lumabas."My God!" Bulalas ni Arianna. "I've been looking for you everywhere!""Did something happen?" Nabiglang tanong nya.Marahan namang kumalma si Arianna pagkakita sa kanya. "No. I just thought that you're gone!"Ruella shook her head in confusion. "Why would you think of that?""Ahm..." Arianna fidgeted he