UPON ARRIVAL in the Philippines, Zekiel immediately took Claire to their house. “Welcome home, Tita-Mommy!” Zayne cheerfully greeted Claire, making her look around in surprise. Memories of the day she left her son, Zayne, five years ago flashed through her mind. “Our room is upstairs, next to Zayne’s,” Zekiel told her, making the young woman stare at him. “What do you mean ‘our’? We’re sharing the same room?!” Claire exclaimed in shock, causing Zekiel to frown before nodding. “Of course. What if something happens to you and I’m not there? I won’t allow that.” Claire fell silent at his words, while Zayne laughed and pulled her toward his room to show her. “Son, be gentle when pulling your Tita-Mommy.” “Yes, Daddy!” THE DAY PASSED, and Zayne did nothing but chatter away, much to Claire’s delight—she had missed her son’s liveliness. But when night fell and they were about to sleep, Claire received a call. “Claire, where are you?” Claire immediately sat up from lying dow
CLAIRE "Just a moment, sir. Stay here in the car." I've told Zekiel that multiple times, but he still refuses to listen. Louise has been waiting inside the restaurant while I’m stuck here in the car because of this man. "No," he replied coldly, making me run my hands through my hair in frustration. He’s so stubborn—it’s infuriating! He can’t come in, of course. There are things Louise and I need to discuss that he shouldn’t hear. "Sir, you don’t need to be inside," I repeated, but he just shook his head. "I won’t let you and my child be alone with that man," he said, making me sigh. See? He’s only worried about his child. I turned to look out the window, finally giving up on arguing with him. Maybe I should just reschedule my meeting with Louise—she’d understand. Just as I was about to grab my phone, it rang. Louise was calling. "Hello, Louise?" I answered, noticing Zekiel’s sharp gaze from the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. "Claire, where are you? I’m already he
“Huh? Why though?” He glared at me, making me gulp nervously before I quickly handed him my phone. “I told you, you’re so impatient,” I muttered as he took my phone and started fiddling with it. Good thing I had already changed my wallpaper—it used to be a photo of Zoey. “From now on, you won’t receive anything about Louise,” he said sharply, shoving my phone back at me, which only made me frown harder. It looked like he had deleted Louise’s number from my phone. “Where are we going?” I asked as he started driving. “Where else? To my office,” I nodded at his response, ignoring his sarcastic tone. “Wait, what about Zayne? He’s still at home!” I said, making him glance at me briefly before focusing back on the road. “I already asked Hero to pick him up.” I checked my watch—it was already nine in the morning. We must have stayed too long at the restaurant. I let him drive in silence, leaning back in my seat until, without realizing it, I fell asleep. “My life, wake up.”
“Hey,” I looked ahead to where Zekiel was, and many people were staring at us because of it. I could already feel myself blushing. Zekiel walked toward me, and I was even more shocked when he grabbed my hand—like, we were holding hands, intertwined and everything! “I said let’s go. Is the aircon too weak? You’re turning even redder. Come on,” he said to me and started walking, so I let him pull me along. “Good morning, sir. Good morning, Ma’am Venice,” they greeted as we passed by, and I was completely stunned. Before, they used to call me Ms. Venice, but not anymore! “Why did we have to pass through here, sir?!” I whispered to him while clutching his arm because my knees were weak. “It’s my routine to take the escalator up to my office. Besides, it’s good for you to walk around a bit—get some exercise and keep our baby healthy.” My eyes widened at what he said. Thank goodness no one heard that! “I told you, they already know,” he added. “Looks like it. But Ms. Venic
Claire went up to the rooftop to get some air and let her tears fall. What she saw was simple, and she knew she wasn’t usually the jealous type, but because she was pregnant, she found herself doing things she normally wouldn’t. She let out a heavy sigh, overwhelmed by her emotions. She wished she had just stayed home so she wouldn’t cause any trouble. Her hands instinctively went to her stomach, gently rubbing it. “Baby, why did we have to do that? Daddy was in a meeting, and now we got scolded,” she said to her unborn child, even though she knew it wasn’t fully developed yet. Realizing she needed to apologize to Zekeil for what she did, she stood up and was about to leave the rooftop when she suddenly saw Camille standing there, having just arrived. “Alone?” Camille smirked at her, making Claire step back. She always felt danger whenever Camille was near. “Were you crying? Aw… How pathetic!” Claire flinched when Camille suddenly shouted, her eyes burning with anger. “I w
Meanwhile, Claire hurriedly rushed down from the rooftop, crying as she searched for help. “H-help, my son,” Claire said weakly, clutching the painful part of her stomach. “H-Help Zayne!” She screamed again, and moments later, she was startled when someone came running toward her. “Venice! Venice!” Zekiel shouted as he immediately embraced the woman. “Z-Zekiel, it’s Zayne,” she whispered tearfully. “Venice, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to shout at you—please forgive me,” Zekiel pleaded with her. Ever since Claire left the meeting room, he had intended to follow her, but he couldn’t leave because of the meeting. --- “Venice!” Zekiel stood up to follow the young woman, but he froze when Camille spoke. “Where are you going, Kiel? The meeting isn’t over yet!” Camille shouted, and others nodded in agreement. “She’s right, Mr. Gray. Who even is that woman? She’s just disrupting this meeting! She could put the company at risk!” Camille’s father
Claire woke up from hunger and was greeted by the white ceiling. “Venice? Venice, you’re awake!” Claire turned to the voice and saw Zekiel beside her, a smile on his lips. “W-water,” she managed to say weakly, and the man immediately obliged, handing her a glass. “How are you feeling? I was so worried about you and our baby,” Claire paused mid-sip as she remembered her child—especially since her stomach had been hurting before she lost consciousness. “How’s my baby?! Is she okay?!” she asked, her voice trembling with tears. “Calm down, stress isn’t good for you. The baby’s fine, but the doctor said what happened earlier must never happen again, or she might not make it next time.” Claire breathed a sigh of relief at his words—until she remembered Zayne. “Zayne,” she murmured softly, but Zekiel heard her. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. Look, there he is,” Zekiel pointed to Zayne, who was sitting on the sofa wearing his headphones. Claire couldn’t shake off her confusion—how
“I thought what you were watching was sad, so why are you blushing?” Claire froze at Zekiel’s words and quickly took another spoonful of ice cream, but she was startled when Zekiel suddenly grabbed her hand and ate the spoonful meant for her. “Hmm… It is delicious,” Zekiel said with a grin, expecting her to get annoyed, but instead, she burst into tears. “M-My ice cream!” Zekiel panicked at her reaction. “I-It was just one spoon, why are you acting like it’s your whole life?!” he tried to calm her down, but Claire only cried harder. “You stole my ice cream! That was mine!” Zekiel immediately hugged Claire, making her stop because she could smell his cologne—and she loved it. “Stop it! I’ll buy you tons of ice cream, just don’t cry,” Zekiel coaxed, making Claire look up at him. “Really?” “Really, really! So stop crying, okay?” “Okay! I’m easy to talk to!” Claire said, wrapping her arms around Zekiel’s waist and sniffing him. “Ah, Venice, I haven’t even changed yet
They were already on their way home because after that encounter, they didn’t stay much longer, especially since the weather was getting hotter. They only had lunch at a restaurant, and now the twins were asleep in the back of the car. While on the road, Camille suddenly crossed Claire’s mind. “Zekiel, where is Camille, by the way?” Zekiel glanced at her briefly, his brow furrowing because she had brought it up so suddenly. “That girl? According to Hero, she’s in jail.” “Jail? Why? Is she locked up permanently?” Zekiel’s frown deepened at her question. “What do you mean ‘why’? Of course, she deserves to be there! She almost got you all in danger because of her, and I won’t let that slide.” Zekiel’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, while Claire fell silent, lost in thought. ’In danger…’ she whispered in her mind before her eyes suddenly widened. “Do you think Camille was the one who did that to Zoey?!” Zekiel looked at her briefly. “Impossible, my life. She had jus
“Z-Zekiel, fine. I’ll introduce you to Mama, and we’ll visit her grave. But I have one question,” Claire said nervously. She didn’t want to reject him—it would hurt him, even though she did want what he was offering. It just wasn’t the right time. “Go on,” Zekiel replied quickly, making Claire sigh. “The kids, Zekiel. We can’t just forget what happened to Zoey. What are we going to do about it?” Zekiel fell silent, then immediately felt anger rise within him. In the brief moment of happiness with his family, he had forgotten about the person who had tried to kill his child. “I’ll find him,” Zekiel said firmly. “I’ll go with you, Zekiel.” He turned to her, his expression softening. “No. I won’t let you put yourself in danger, Claire—especially not while you’re pregnant.” “Who said anything about fighting? I’ll just help you plan and search.” Zekiel was taken aback—how did she know they were going to fight? “How did you know we’d be fighting?” “Huh? O-Oh—“ Claire flinc
“Daddy, I’m so happy that we are complete now,” Zoey said with a smile as Zekiel adjusted the blanket for her, while Claire did the same on the other end. “Me too. We’ll never be separated again, okay?” “Your daddy is right. We won’t let anything tear us apart,” Claire said sweetly, making Zekiel glance at her and smile, which she returned. “Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy!” Zayne suddenly said, already lying down and yawning, making them laugh before they settled in as well. “Goodnight, twins,” Claire turned off the lampshade beside her and hugged Zayne, who snuggled into her. Her eyes met Zekiel’s from the other side of the bed, their children nestled between them. ‘I love you,’ Zekiel whispered into the air, and the woman understood, replying softly. ‘I love you too.’ --- THE NEXT MORNING, Claire woke up early and saw that her family was still fast asleep. She quietly walked to the veranda and opened it to breathe in the fresh air. She closed her eyes, savoring the p
Everyone had dinner together after arriving at Zekiel’s house. The noise around them never stopped, especially because of the kids—Bea and Dylan’s child was there. “What’s your baby’s name again, Bea?” Quinn asked with a smile, holding the baby’s tiny hands. “His name is Fritz.” “What a beautiful name, baby boy! And you’re so cute!” Quinn cooed happily. “Do you want one like him?” Bea teased, grinning as Quinn nodded while playing with the baby. “Then tell your boyfriend that,” Bea added, making Quinn widen her eyes in shock as she stared at her friend. “How did you two even happen?! I was only gone for a few months, and now you and Kuya are together?!” Claire pretended to scold her friend, making Bea burst into laughter at her reaction. “W-wait! I had nothing to do with that—“ ”Oh, Claire! Quinn here loves me so much—she’s absolutely obsessed with me,” Quinn’s eyes nearly popped out when Timothy suddenly appeared. “You’re so shameless! You twisted the whole story!”
“Y-You’re right, okay okay! Thank you, Louise! I wouldn’t know what to do if everything you said actually happens.” “Don’t forget, I’m always here, Claire. I’m your friend, and I’m ready to stand by you. Alright, bye now, Claire—my meeting starts in five minutes.” “Okay, Louise, thank you. Take care there!” After that call, she went straight to Zoey’s room and saw that the twins were already asleep, while Zekiel was waiting for her. “Why did you take so long?” the young man greeted her. “Louise called to check up on me.” Zekiel frowned at her words. “Louise? I blocked that guy—how was he still able to call you?” Claire’s ears perked up at what Zekiel said, remembering Louise mentioning he couldn’t reach her. “You! You’re the reason Louise couldn’t contact me right away!” Claire whispered sharply, almost shouting, making Zekiel freeze. “M-Me? What did I do?” he stammered, seeing the pain in her eyes. “Louise told me he couldn’t reach me, so he couldn’t tell me sooner
“WHY did you tell him?!” Claire said with wide eyes, whispering to her friends. “S-Sorry, Claire. We had no choice at that time,” Quinn replied. “Besides, it was your brother who came up with that plan, not me!” Claire could only sigh at Bea’s words, unable to look at Zekiel. “Wait, your brother? But isn’t that Timothy? He didn’t say anything back then.” Bea glanced at her friend, realizing that even she didn’t know the full truth about Claire’s past. “Why don’t you ask Timothy? I’m sure he knows something since he’s acquainted with Claire’s brother, Clark.” Quinn shot her boyfriend a sharp look. “A-Ahh, well… it’s a long story,” Timothy awkwardly laughed at his girlfriend. “Hey, my life,” Zekiel called out, causing Claire and her friends to freeze. “I think we should head out now. Let’s go, guys,” Bea said, pulling them away. “Wait, you all still have a lot of explaining to do!” Hero called after them, leaving the two standing by the door. Zekiel approached Claire
“Wait, Bea, I have a question,” Zekiel said, making everyone turn to him—even Claire waited for what he was about to say. “What is it?” “Did you have anything to do with why Mom and Dad showed up at my meeting with the board members back when Camille and I almost got married?” Suddenly, Claire remembered that incident—the very reason she had to go to Gray’s Company in the first place, because of the arranged marriage between Zekiel and Camille. “Ah, about that… Quinn was the one who made that decision, Claire, not me!” Claire frowned at the sudden shift in Bea’s expression, especially since she was looking at her when it was Zekiel who had asked the question, not her. “Why am I being dragged into this?” she asked, glancing between the two friends. “What do you mean you? It was Bea!” Claire only got more confused by what was happening—until the men approached them and Timothy spoke up. “They both said you were the owner of Cs Boutique.” (Flashback) “This is a huge mes
CLAIRE I couldn’t move from where I stood because of what I heard. Suddenly, the words of Kuya Clark and Timothy flashed through my mind. “How did that person get in here?! Don’t you have security?!” Zekiel’s voice rose, and I didn’t stop him because even I was furious about their negligence. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Gray, but this is a hospital. Anyone can enter, and we didn’t expect something like this to happen.” The doctor was right—we shouldn’t blame anyone because, first of all, no one wanted this. Who would’ve thought our daughter would be in danger? “Z-Zekiel, that’s enough. The doctor’s right. All we need to do now is find out who did this,” I said, tightening my grip on his hand, which made him sigh. He stared at me for a long moment before forcing a smile. This was one of the changes in him that I liked—he’d become humbler for me, unlike before when he was so prideful and quick to yell. “Okay, fine. Give me the footage, Doc. We’ll handle it.” The doctor nodd
“Wow! Zekiel said you’d all go out once Zoey recovers,” Bea suddenly said, saving them all and allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. “Is that so? I hope our daughter wakes up soon,” Claire said sadly, looking at Zekiel. “M-Mommy…” They were startled by the weak voice, but it was loud enough for them to hear. When they turned toward the source, they saw Zoey was awake. “Zoey!” Claire immediately approached the child and asked how she was feeling. “Z-Zoey! You’re awake! How do you feel? How are you, sweetheart?” Claire asked rapidly. “I-I’m okay, Mommy… I’m thirsty…” “She wants water! Call the doctor, hurry!” Claire said frantically. Zekiel moved quickly and handed Claire the water. “Hey, calm down, okay? You’re panicking too much,” the man said to the woman, holding her hand that was clutching the glass of water. Claire finally snapped back to reality and seemed to relax. “Our daughter is fine, take it easy,” Zekiel added with a smile, making her unable to re