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Chapter 13: New Life, New Problem?
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2025-04-18 18:08:01
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Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 14: Aaron Sandoval
"Dear..."I quickly turned around when I heard Aunt Rosa's voice. She had just arrived from the market. She left earlier with Vanessa, saying she was just going to buy something for us to cook.I immediately went to the door to meet her when I saw her carrying several large plastic bags filled with groceries and two paper bags. It was a bit strange, but I didnât ask right away."Thank you, dear. By the way, where's your son? I didnât see him playing at the neighborâs house," she said while looking around the entire house."He's in his room, organizing his school things. He already has classes tomorrow," I replied, placing the bags she brought on top of the table."That's right... that child is really diligent, not even relying on you to fix his school things.""Exactly, that's why I didn't help him anymoreâhe said he could handle it on his own, so I just left him in his room. I'll check on him later, but I'm sure he's already asleep by now. He got tired from playing at the park earlie
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-19Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 15: Strange
âSweetheart, your snacks are already in your bag, okay? And your tumblerâs here too. Drink lots of water and finish your food, alright?â I reminded my son. He nodded in response and smiled at me.He was putting on his shoes. I was about to help him, but he didnât want me toâhe said heâs a big boy now and can do it on his own. My son has learned to be independent.âThank you, mommy,â he said, then hugged me after putting his shoes on.âYouâre welcome, babyâĶ be a good boy, okay? Donât be naughty and listen well to your teacher.ââYes, mommy,â he replied with a smile, even giving me a little salute like a soldier. I just laughed and playfully pinched his cheek.After making sure we hadnât forgotten anything, Aaron and I left the house. Once I locked the door, we headed to the garage. Aunt Rosa was already there, waiting for us.That car was a gift for me on my birthday last year from Vanessaâs parents. It was secondhand, but it was nice and I really liked it. I didnât know how to drive t
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-19Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 16: New CEO
After Maurice and I logged in, we immediately entered the office and headed to our desks. As soon as I sat down, I did a quick retouch and took out some of my stuff including my laptop, notebook, and pen."Good morning, Thena," greeted Paula, one of my coworkers."Good morning, Pau, how was the commute?" I responded while brushing my long loose hair.She sat down right after placing her bag on top of the desk. She couldn't help but let out a sigh. Maybe she was tired from the commute and all the other things she had to do."Hays, it was super exhaustingâĶ I got stuck in traffic along EDSA, but thank goodness I still made it, otherwise I wouldâve been late," she said, frustration evident in her voice. "And I ended up sharing the elevator with our new boss. My gosh, I was so nervous just from his presence. The way he looked at me, it already gave off the impression that he's not nice," she added.I suddenly felt nervous too. What if itâs true? I really donât like being scolded or snapped
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 17: Worries
Before I could make a scene, I immediately decided to leave the room. Despite the crowd and the tight space, I managed to run and get out.Once I was outside the conference room, thatâs when I was able to breathe freely. I could feel my whole body trembling, and my chest felt tight. I couldn't stop the tears from falling.So this is why I was feeling this wayâbecause he was here, because he was close to me. I didn't expect him to be the one Mrs. Montero was referring to. I thought the man we rode the elevator with earlier would be the new CEO and our new boss. But I was wrong. It wasnât him; it was the man I never wanted to see again for the rest of my life.What am I going to do?Should I resign from my job?Should we return to Bukidnon?Oh my God, what am I going to do? I donât want to resign from my job just because of him.But what if he remembers me? What if he suddenly talks to me? What if he finds out we have a child?I feel like Iâm going to lose my mind. I wonât be able to ha
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 18: Zachariah Elliott Montero
Iâve been thinking about the favor Mrs. Montero asked from me. But even if I say no now, it wonât change anything because I already agreed earlier. Iâm starting to regret my decision. Iâll just pray that nothing goes wrong in his office so I wonât have to see him.âMommy.âI quickly turned to the door when I heard my sonâs voice. I saw him holding a piece of bond paper. I had a feeling I knew why he was here.âYes, sweetheart? Come here to mommy,â I said, and he immediately came closer. âWhat does mommyâs baby boy need?â I asked sweetly, which made him giggle.âMommy, Iâm not a baby anymore,â he replied with a pout. âIâm a big boy now,â he added, making me kiss him on the cheek.âI know, but youâll always be mommyâs baby boy, hmm? That will never change. So, what do you need from mommy?ââTeacher asked me to give this to you, and she said you need to sign it,â he said as he handed me the bond paper.I immediately read what was written on the paper. It was about an upcoming meeting thi
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 19: Ruthless CEO
I'm still here at the clinic, resting. I think I've been here for about an hour and a half, but I can't leave yet because the nurse said I should stay for a while.When I got here earlier with my boss's secretary, they immediately checked my blood pressure, and the nurse asked a lot of questions, but I only answered with yes or no. I don't really feel any pain in my body. It's just that I'm really tired and sleepy. But that guy, he's being too dramatic and brought me here.But Iâm still thankful because if I wasnât brought here, I wouldnât have known that my blood pressure suddenly dropped due to extreme exhaustion and lack of sleep. So, the nurse had me rest here and gave me some medicine to take."Miss Athena, I'll be stepping out for a bit. I just need to do something," she said."Okay, Nurse Anne. I'll be leaving soon anyway. Thanks for your help," I replied.""You're welcome, Miss Athena. If you feel dizzy, just call here right away and Iâll come to you.""Okay, thanks again."Sh
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 20: Important File
I'm already standing in front of the boss's office. But I donât have the courage to knock. Iâm nervousâwhat if he ends up yelling at me too? I really donât like that. I hate being yelled at.Before coming here, my supervisor talked to me. She told me to do everything I can to retrieve the file Paula deleted. I suddenly felt pressured when she said that. What if I canât do it? I might end up getting fired too."You can do this, Athena," I told myself as I knocked three times on the door before entering.I saw him standing while talking on the phone. His back was turned to me, so I couldnât see his expression. But I was sure he was still angry because of what my coworker did.I let out a deep sigh before approaching his table. I didnât want to call out to himâI might interrupt and make him angrier. But now, I started feeling anger toward him again."Athena, not now," I told myself and sighed once more.I need to set aside my personal feelings for now because I donât want him to notice t
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-22Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 21: Interactions
Wait! Iâm confused. I didnât expect her to say that.So that meansâĶ the file he asked me to find earlier wasnât the one Paula accidentally deleted?Then what about the file I found earlier? Was it just nothing? Did it not matter at all?Was he messing with me? Or was he just trying to test my patience and see how far Iâd go for this company of his?âMarriage Proposal?! Does that mean Sir Zach is getting married?â Maurice blurted out, clearly shocked.Paula quickly covered her mouth. She said it a little too loudâbut thankfully, none of our other coworkers heard, since most of them were already starting to head out for lunch."Shh! Keep your voice down, someone from the other department might hear us. But Iâm not even sure if that file was really for him,â Paula said.I stopped listening to their conversation after that. I was still stuck thinking about the file he had me look for earlier.I still couldnât wrap my head around it.Why would my boss do that? Why would he lie about a file
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-22
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Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 32: Drunk
"Did you say something, Athena?"I immediately looked at Paula, who was now looking at me with confusion. She was a little tipsy, and I wasnât sure if she also saw our boss."Sir Zach... I sawâ"But he was gone when I looked back."... there..."Where did he go?It was really him I saw. Iâm not hallucinating or imagining that he was here. And Iâm not even drunk yet."What did you say, Athena?" Paula asked while leaning her ear toward me.I just shook my head in response and took a shot of gin. They had ordered another round of drinks that I didnât notice. Our drinks were a mix of everything, but I just hope weâre not crawling home later."Another shot, Athena. Letâs make the most of it while we still can," Trixie said while handing me another shot of gin."Is this what you meant when you said we werenât going to get drunk, Paula?" I teased, looking at Paula, who was now quietly sitting on the side, holding her head.She was drunk."Itâs just this once, I swear it wonât happen again,"
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 31: Midnight Bar
I slammed into the chair after finishing what Miss Lina asked me to do. Thankfully, I finished it before lunch so I can rest later.Itâs Monday, but I can already feel the intense exhaustion. Yesterday, I didnât do anything except rest the whole day and take care of my child. But when I get to work, all the energy I saved up gets drained. And now, only ten percent is left."Thena, thereâs a girl's night out later, are you joining us?" Paula asked as she approached me, with Maurice following behind her, carrying his bag and ready to head down to the cafeteria for lunch."Girlâs night out? But itâs Monday today," I said as I put my scattered things into my bag on the table."Itâs just to relieve the tiredness. Donât worry, weâre not going to get drunk, and itâs just the girls from our department joining later. No boys, only girls," Paula replied, which made Maurice laugh."That's why it's a girl's night out, right? Because there are no boys, you're not thinking straight," Maurice said w
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 30: Lunch With Him
I thought that once I finished fixing his internet, Iâd be able to leave, but I was wrong. He still had me sort his files on his laptop by year. This wasnât part of my job; it was supposed to be the work of his secretary. But since heâs my boss and Iâm just his employee, I did what he asked.His friends were still here in the office. Theyâd been here for about an hour and a half already. They didnât do anything else but talk about business.I realized that Sir Zachâs friends were also wealthy and well-known figures. The three of them were CEOs and heirs to their familyâs companies. I couldnât believe the life they were living. I thought they were just ordinary citizens of the Philippines, but I was wrong."Sh*t! Whatâs that?" I muttered when I suddenly felt my stomach growl. "Tsk! I havenât eaten yet," I said as I realized that Sir Zach had given me tasks right when I was supposed to be eating.What should I do?Should I ask permission to eat?OrShould I ask to step out for a while?
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 29: Friends
I let out a deep sigh as I once again thought about what happened yesterday â my meeting with Sir Lim and the things we talked about that left me with so many questions.I'm still wondering, still confused about what he said. I still can't believe what he told me about Zachariah â that he suddenly stopped showing up to him.Why? Why did he suddenly disappear?I know I shouldnât be thinking about it anymore, but... I want to understand why it happened. But how could I find out when even now, I'm still too scared and unwilling to tell him about what happened between us in the past and about our child?"Tsk! Stop thinking about it, Athena. Just stop," I suddenly told myself as I threw myself back against the chair.I'm already here at the office, working on the task assigned to me by Miss Lina, my supervisor. It's not really that difficult since itâs just about the new software for our department. But I still havenât finished it because I kept thinking about the conversation I had with S
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 28: Encounter
"Didn't he find it strange when he saw Aaron?" Vanessa asked as she placed a glass of juice on the table."Thanks, Van. Umm, I donât know, but he seemed interested in getting to know Aaron," I replied.We had arrived at Vanessaâs house, and I had already told her about what happened earlier at the school. It was just the two of us in the living room now, while Aaron was in his room watching cartoons. Vanessa had asked him to stay there so we could talk freely without him overhearing."That's a bad omen, Athena. What if he became interested in getting to know Aaron because he noticed they look alike? He even noticed it about your son. So, itâs really possible he saw that. You know what they say about a blood connection? Maybe that's why your son is confused and questioning things."I fell silent and placed my hand on my head. Iâve been thinking and worrying about my sonâs situation for a while now. Now that the two of them have met, Aaron wonât be able to get Sir Zachâs face out of his
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 27: Father and Son Interaction
I suddenly faced Sir Zach, who was now looking at me, but I couldnât see any emotion on his face. My heart was gripped with anxiety when he glanced at Aaron, who was also looking at him now.I quickly grabbed Aaron by the arm and pulled him behind me before he could notice how much they looked alike.âS-Sir Zach, I didnât realize you were there,â I stammered nervously. âW-We wonât be staying long, I still have some things to take care of at home andâââBut your son still wants to play with his friends,â he cut me off. I fell silent and looked at Aaron, who was now frowning as he stared at Sir Zach.Dear God! Heâs starting to notice something, and Iâm sure later heâll have a lot to say or ask me."Mommy, who is he?" Aaron asked curiously as he walked over to my side and held onto my arm. But his eyes remained fixed on Sir Zach."Umm... sweetheart, heâs my bossâ""Your grumpy boss, Mommy?" he cut me off, turning his gaze away from Sir Zach.They really are father and sonâalways interrup
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 26: Unexpected Parent
Itâs Friday today, and the meeting at Aaronâs school is also happening today. Thatâs why I woke up early and got ready for it. Good thing itâs my day off, so I donât have to worry or think about the work I left behind at the office. And I wonât be seeing my boss the entire day.It feels so good. I just hope the Lord gives me this day without having to see him. I just want to avoid him and not think about himâjust for today.I need to focus on the meeting because this is for my sonâs happiness. And I donât want to ruin it just because I keep thinking about that guy.âMommy, is it okay if I play with my classmates while youâre in the meeting?â Aaron asked while we were walking toward his classroom.We had just arrived at the school, and it seems like weâre early. I think I might be the only parent here for now, but thatâs fine. Better that than having the teacher wait for us."Of course, sweetheart, just donât go too far and donât talk to strangers, okay?" I replied, and he nodded in re
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 25: Crush
Why did he suddenly ask that? And how did he know? I hadnât said anything to Dr. Matteo for him to ask me something like that.Could it be that Dr. Matteo noticed I was scared?"Sirâ""N-Nevermind, just go now and take some rest," he said, turning away. "I'll just tell my secretary to bring the food to your office," he added, walking back to his desk.I didnât answer, just turned around and left his office.Once I had escorted Dr. Matteo to the ground floor, I headed back to my department and resumed the work I had left behind. The food Sir Zach ordered had arrived in the office, and there was enough for all of us."What's going on? Why did Sir Zach send food to the office?" Maurice asked, confused. Paula just shrugged because she didnât know the answer."Maybe he's in a good mood, so he decided to give us food," Paula replied.We were all in the restroom, getting ourselves ready since it was almost time to go home. They didnât know about what happened earlier because I didnât tell th
Chasing Athena (ENGLISH)Â Â Â Chapter 24: Care
I'm not the only IT in his company, but I'm the one he keeps giving tasks to. Ugh. Oh right, Mrs. Montero asked me a favorâthat I'd be the one to help her son if he had any problems in her office. So I guess there's really no escape for me, and I can't avoid him.I really thought I wouldn't see him anymore, but turns out I still will and now I'm even walking with him toward his office. I'm behind him, silently following."What does Alexander do in your department?" he asked, catching me off guard.Why is he asking that? Even that, he needs to know?"Nothing, sir... he just stayed there and talked to us," I replied while watching his body.I donât know, I just suddenly found myself staring. Heâs changed so much now. Heâs gotten taller, and even his physique has changed. Just like what Maurice saidâheâs now got that âhot and daddy figureâ vibe. Thatâs exactly how he is now.Well-defined physique, broad shoulders that give him a strong aura and commanding presence. A chiseled jawline tha
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