Pagdating ni Ruella at Oliver sa ospital, dali- dali ang dalawa na ngtungo sa ward na kinaruruunan ni Arianna at Victor.Sa hindi maipaliwanag na dahilan, pagkakita niya sa bata na may nakakabit na swero sa maliit na braso nito ay bigla na lamang tumulo ang kanyang luha."Arianna!" Sambit niya.Lumingon ito sa kanya sabay tayo at yakap sa kanya."Ruella!" Humihikbi ito. "Thank God pumunta ka!"Gusto niya itong tanungin kung bakit siya naisipang tawagn nito ngunit hindi niya magawa sapagkat mahigpit itong nakayakap sa kanya na para bang nakahanap ito ng life saving straw at nasorpresa sya sa kanyang sarili dahil pakiramdam nya'y matagal na siya nitong kilala.Nagtataka din si Oliver habang pinagmamasdan ang dalawa ngunit sumenyas si Victor na lumabas muna sila at tumango na lamang siya.Paglabas ng dalawa, saka lamang tumahan si Arianna. Dahan-dahan itong kumawala sa pagkakayakap sa kanya."Rue," Nagsimula pa lamang siyang magsalita ng magtanong si Ruella."What are you guys doing here
Pagdating, nakita ni Ruella ang sasakyan ng kanyang ama sa garahe kaya naman ay nagtungo na ito sa loob pagkababa ng kanyang sasakyan.Mag-uumaga na ngunit nagtungo pa din siya sa opisina nito at hindi naman siya nabigo sapagkat nakita niyang nakaawang ang pinto nito. Ang ibig sabihin ay nandodoon pa ito sa loob.Sinasadya niyang hindi iparinig ang kanyang yabag upang hindi nito mamalayan ang kanyang presensya at nang makarating ito sa pinto, narinig niya itong may kausap sa telepono."What do you mean?! Did you just say that they're here to meet them again?"Napalakas ang boses nito na para bang nagulat sa sinabi ng kanyang kausap."You broke the deal between us and now you want me to spare them?" Nagbabantang tanong nito. "I can't put up with your arrangements any longer! I'm sorry but I can't respond to your request this time!" Imbes na pumasok siya, minabuti niya munang tumayo at makinig sapagkat kinabahan siya. Kabisado niya ang tono ng pananalita ng kanyang ama kapag galit ito
Makalipas ang tatlong araw, nagtungo si Ruella sa OLYMPUS.Pagpasok pa lamang nito sa opisina ng CEO, sinalubong na kaagad ito ng mahigpit na yakap ni Oliver."Pinag-alala mo ko, Rue." Bulong nito. "Thank God! You're safe!""We don't have much time left!" Pagmamadaling sambit ni Ruella. "Kailangan na nating umalis!""Of course!" Sagot naman ni Oliver. "Pinasundo ko na sila and we'll meet them at the airport."Tumango lamang si Ruella at hindi na nagsalita pa habang pinagmamasdan ang lalaki na nagligpit ng kanyang mga importanteng dokumento.Makalipas ang ilang sandali pa ay umalis na sila ng OLYMPUS at nagtungo sa airport.Habang nasa daan, panakaw na pinagmasdan ni Oliver si Ruella mula sa sulok ng kanyang mga mata. Hindi man lamang ito nag-abala na kasapin o tingnan siya.Sa tatlong araw na hindi niya ito nakita, walang naging ibang laman ang kanyang isip kundi siya. Hindi siya makatulog, makakain o makafocus sa opisina dahil sa matinding pag-alala. Marami siyang tanong ngunit hindi
There's only one thing that her father cares about her the most and Ruella despises it. Since she became aware of her surroundings and the dealing of matters around her, he wanted her to be nothing but to follow his path and achieve his desire. It pricked her that he now resulted in using the most wicked means to control her knowing that this was her only weakness. He was such a cruel man of a father, to begin with by letting her witness his true nature and he became the worst person she had ever known after knowing that he didn't hesitate to include his granddaughter's life to toy with her emotions and even managed to push her in the very edge where she was standing in a cliff of no return. 'This was so absurd!' She thought gloomily while staring at her father in a hollow gaze. She used to admire him amidst his cruelty to others but now, that admiration turned to pure disgust. Frustration rocks the bottom of her pits for bearing the same blood running in her veins. Indeed, a chil
Ruella couldn't hide the anger on her face whenever she thought about what her father said.She had asked him that day to clear The confusion in her mind."Why did you do it? Why did you betray me?"She meant only one thing. The separation between her and the baby and her father told her."They insist that I owed them a life." Her father explained. "They never believed that your mother and I conceived you out of affection. And since they couldn't get Louella and you back, they took the baby in exchange..."Ruella found it ridiculous.How could they take a life so easily that it doesn't belong to them in the first place? It was she who nurtured the baby in her tummy for seven months. Not to mention that the baby belongs to her and Oliver yet they took it away like a certain thing and even tried to hide its existence from her.Her heart crumbled in pain."And you... You allowed it just like that?" She asked shakily. "Don't you know how much the baby means to me, Dad? She means everythin
The soaked crimson-red dressing that used to be white greeted Oliver's sight and it made him even more furious.Ruella didn't like the words she heard from him.Though she knew why he was so angry, she still couldn't let him have that sort of idea in his mind.If there's someone who needs to stop her father's madness, it should be her and not him! Her father won't hesitate to take him down and her sacrifice would turn to nothing in the end. She wouldn't allow it! Not when she had already planned it all in mind!"I can't let you do that!" She successfully took his attention by saying so.In a snap, Oliver felt the veins in his forehead protruding. It was nearly exploding due to his immense anger but his hands remained cautious while tending her wound. "Of course," he scoffed mockingly. "You won't let me destroy your dearest father. He would always remain your priority over someone else, right? Neither I nor our daughter could steal that spot from him..."Ruella began to grimace in pai
While Oliver was focused on listening to Ruella's words, his jaws slowly clenched, and his expression darkened.By the time she was done talking, he had straightened up, stepped back, and stared at her grimly before he turned around and stormed out of the cabin without saying a single word. He seemed to have been so angry that he didn't even cast a final glance at her before leaving.Ruella felt something snap inside her thus she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.No matter how much her heart was aching, it had nothing to do with him. She has to deal with it to keep him away from her father's sinister thoughts until the end. He had used him once to control her and she's not allowing it to happen again!Hangga't pinapakita niya na may halaga pa sa kanya si Oliver, her father would always look for every opportunity to toy and keep her within control and hindi niya alam kung ano pa ang mga maaaring sumunod na maglalaro sa isipan nito. This time, she wanted to take a few steps ahead
It was as if Ruella was brought back to the time when she was still a little girl.Whenever she closed her little eyes, she felt someone hovering above her and when she opened her eyes, her mother's beautiful face would always greet her sight. The memory never faded throughout those years.Louella would smile down at her, kiss her forehead, and urge her to sleep. Sometimes, she would read her bedtime stories or sing her a lullaby until she felt drowsy.Her mother had loved and protected her back then and she yearned for nothing not even her father's love and presence. Unlike most children, desiring both, Ruella didn't wish for more.Tears welled up in Ruella's eyes as she mumbled in a daze. "I miss you so much, Mom..."Arianna, who was currently standing beside her gasped in surprise. Her eyes drifted from her cousin to the woman hovering above Ruella. She opened her mouth to speak but swallowed it back, fearing that she might offend her cousin. It seems to her that she mistook the wo