Kaliya was at Caleb's villa, unpacking her things. For their convenience, she agreed to be with him in a house with the two of them in two years time. Caleb said that they might move out after their wedding but Kaliya liked the place. Caleb's workplace is only ten minutes away from the villa, so it was pretty convenient to him. As for her, she liked it because the villa was small and classy. It doesn't feel suffocating, rather, it feels like she was in a home. A proper home. Just then, her phone rang. Amanda was calling her. "Hello."["I've heard something from father and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."]"If it is about my marriage to Caleb Cruz, then yes. You've heard it right."["And they said that you two have been dating for some time."]"Sister," Kaliya snapped. "You don't believe me, do you? You've always thought that our parent's words are true and not mine. If you heard it from them, then just believe it. Why bother asking?"["It's your marriage for g*dd*mn's sak
“Like the ocean, my love for you is endless,” Kaliya sang with the beat, lights flashing around.“Kaliya!”“Kaliya!”She heard the crowd shouting her name. The music got louder as it neared the climax. A final melody was sung and the beat came into a halt.“Thank you for listening. Let’s get a round of applause to the Voyage Band.”Kaliya stood up from her seat and bowed, the other members followed her actions. Together, they exited the platform with cheers from the crowd hurting their ears.“That was dope,” the band guitarist, said with a wide smile. He was also the leader of the band. “Today is a big success so let’s all have a drink. My treat.”“YES!” the members chorused.There was a sudden ding that came from Kaliya’s phone and she frowned unknowingly when she saw a message.The group were then led to an extension room upstairs. Most of the guests in the bar were on the lower floor so it was quiet as there were only a few people allowed up on the second floor. As Kaliya was sneaki
Five months earlier…The earliest memory Kaliya remembered was her mother’s warm smile. She knew she lived by the beach because she has memories of waking up and hearing the sounds of waves along with the chopping sounds that came from the kitchen.Little Kaliya would then get down from the bed by herself and run towards the kitchen, where her mother is preparing breakfast. Her mother would scold her, saying running inside the house would make her stumble or fall.The next memory of her mother was seeing her in a coffin. The kind lady next door was carrying little Kaliya in her arms, shedding tears while mumbling ‘you’re gonna be fine, dear, it’s all gonna be fine.’Kaliya was too young to understand what’s going on. Why was her mom sleeping? When is she going to wake up?The memories of the five year old Kaliya resurfaced as she stood by the white coffin. Her grandmother lay inside it. Even in death, the past household mistress of the Reyes family still looked elegant.“Get some rest
Alexus Reyes sipped his cocktail. He was at a downtown bar where most of the customers are prominent and known people outside. It was a den for the rich and mighty. "'Sup, handsome," a woman in thick make-up and fit dress greeted him as she sat down on an empty seat beside him. "Are you alone tonight?"Alexus smirked at her. "I'm surprised that a beauty like you had time to greet me today. As for your question, I'm with the guys," he said, pointing to the group at a table near them.The woman looked back at him. "What a bummer. You're really my type but it seems that you're uninterested.""So you have morals?""Why would I force someone? It won't be fun if it's like that."She twirled her glass half-filled with a red drink. Her black v-shaped dress exposed her sexy collar. Alexus couldn't help but stare at this attractive woman."What if I said that I'm interested?"The woman's smile grew deeper and she leaned closer to him. Alexus could smell her cologne. A sw
The soft tick toks of the clock disrupted her thoughts. The longer she kept silent, the more she was being drowned in Caleb's blue eyes. "Alright. Take your time. I don't want to force a woman to marriage."He distanced himself away from her, then putting the tray on the bed where she was sitting, he said, "Help yourself. I'll be downstairs."After hearing the door closed, Kaliya quickly checked where her phone is. She found it under the pillows, inside her purse she brought last night. When things finally sunk in and confirming that this time she screwed up real bad, she muttered curses inside her head. 'I'm not going to drink alone anymore.'She stood up, inspecting the room. The t-shirt she was wearing felt loose, but the pajama pants quite fitted her. She then felt a surge of shame.Eyeing the window and then the door, she made a decision. Calling her sister's phone number, she nervously paced around the room. ["Who's this?"]She stopped and doubted her decision, and then st
The scandal blew up in one night. About Caleb and Kaliya's engagement rumors. Kaliya, who thought that she was finally free from the things that she kept on avoiding, found the news absurd. "Crazy," she muttered under her breath. She planned to escape tonight, now that's everything blown. She refused to be engaged to Jonas and probably, her father and stepmother are enraged. She didn't have many things to pack so it was only a few bags. She thought of staying low in the meanwhile so she never told anyone she was leaving out of the country. Her phone rang and immediately she reached for it. It was a call from overseas. "Penny." ["Kaliya, your plane ticket is secured. Your flight's an hour later."]"Thank you," she whispered in silent gratitude. ["Anything for you."]She hastened on packing her things and left the apartment she was staying in.Her phone rang again, but it was not Penny this time. Instead it was from Amanda."Haha," Kaliya could only laugh. Amanda probably has h
Kaliya stopped struggling. She knew the feeling and found it very familiar. In the state of helplessness, she stayed still as her hands are tied again. "A marriage certificate is just paper, Kaliya," Jonas laughed lightly. "The real gem is you."She clenched her fists and kept quiet. "Do you know why treasures are hidden?""...""Because it can be taken. And I am a very possessive person. I don't want anyone taking my property."She felt disgusted. The moment she first met Jonas, she was sure that they would never be acquaintances. "I'm not an object you can covet, Jonas."At the same time, bam, the door of the room slammed open. Caleb looked at the room with an indifferent face. He took notice of Kaliya tied in a chair and walked towards her."What the! Security! What kind of bullsh*t is this?!" Jonas screamed. The two men in suits behind Jonas reached for their guns but were startled by the people with guns pointing at them coming in the room. "What is this?!" Another shout cam
Kaliya stared at the mansion before her. It looked awfully familiar and a foreboding sense covered her whole system. The place Caleb brought her was the Reyes Mansion that she despised. Earlier, Caleb instructed her to make herself presentable and gave her a box. Inside it was a white dress and a pair of low-heeled sandals. Without questioning much, she put on the dress. She was amazed at how the dress fitted her, like it was made for her only.Together, Caleb and Kaliya left the villa in their formal wear. As to why Kaliya agreed on this, she felt that she needed to pay Caleb for saving her. However, to go to her parents residence without any knowledge confused her.Before going out of the car, Caleb reached out of her hand and put a ring on her fourth finger. It was a simple band which was to her liking. "Be prepared for a drama," he advised her. The butler ushered them inside, seemingly knowing that they were coming."The Master and the Madam are inside."Kaliya felt her heart s
Kaliya was at Caleb's villa, unpacking her things. For their convenience, she agreed to be with him in a house with the two of them in two years time. Caleb said that they might move out after their wedding but Kaliya liked the place. Caleb's workplace is only ten minutes away from the villa, so it was pretty convenient to him. As for her, she liked it because the villa was small and classy. It doesn't feel suffocating, rather, it feels like she was in a home. A proper home. Just then, her phone rang. Amanda was calling her. "Hello."["I've heard something from father and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."]"If it is about my marriage to Caleb Cruz, then yes. You've heard it right."["And they said that you two have been dating for some time."]"Sister," Kaliya snapped. "You don't believe me, do you? You've always thought that our parent's words are true and not mine. If you heard it from them, then just believe it. Why bother asking?"["It's your marriage for g*dd*mn's sak
"As you can see, I have three objectives with this engagement."They just came back and the first thing Caleb talked about is the issue at hand. "First, I need a wife because I don't want to hear anymore nags from my old man. Second, with our family connections, we will be of great benefits to each other. And lastly, I need someone to ward off marriage talks. I'm sure you were forced to marry someone out of your will thus, in this contract, you and I can be free of our problems temporarily."Caleb spoke like a businessman who only babbled about the benefits."What do I get?"Of course, she was also well versed with business talks. "A fee of 20 billion dollars after the contract ends two years later and some properties. I can also reserve you a place in our company as one of our top shareholders."Actually, it was more than enough. But Kaliya had no thoughts in owning such a big amount of money nor being a shareholder. It was again a shock that the man in front of her is a billionair
Kaliya stared at the mansion before her. It looked awfully familiar and a foreboding sense covered her whole system. The place Caleb brought her was the Reyes Mansion that she despised. Earlier, Caleb instructed her to make herself presentable and gave her a box. Inside it was a white dress and a pair of low-heeled sandals. Without questioning much, she put on the dress. She was amazed at how the dress fitted her, like it was made for her only.Together, Caleb and Kaliya left the villa in their formal wear. As to why Kaliya agreed on this, she felt that she needed to pay Caleb for saving her. However, to go to her parents residence without any knowledge confused her.Before going out of the car, Caleb reached out of her hand and put a ring on her fourth finger. It was a simple band which was to her liking. "Be prepared for a drama," he advised her. The butler ushered them inside, seemingly knowing that they were coming."The Master and the Madam are inside."Kaliya felt her heart s
Kaliya stopped struggling. She knew the feeling and found it very familiar. In the state of helplessness, she stayed still as her hands are tied again. "A marriage certificate is just paper, Kaliya," Jonas laughed lightly. "The real gem is you."She clenched her fists and kept quiet. "Do you know why treasures are hidden?""...""Because it can be taken. And I am a very possessive person. I don't want anyone taking my property."She felt disgusted. The moment she first met Jonas, she was sure that they would never be acquaintances. "I'm not an object you can covet, Jonas."At the same time, bam, the door of the room slammed open. Caleb looked at the room with an indifferent face. He took notice of Kaliya tied in a chair and walked towards her."What the! Security! What kind of bullsh*t is this?!" Jonas screamed. The two men in suits behind Jonas reached for their guns but were startled by the people with guns pointing at them coming in the room. "What is this?!" Another shout cam
The scandal blew up in one night. About Caleb and Kaliya's engagement rumors. Kaliya, who thought that she was finally free from the things that she kept on avoiding, found the news absurd. "Crazy," she muttered under her breath. She planned to escape tonight, now that's everything blown. She refused to be engaged to Jonas and probably, her father and stepmother are enraged. She didn't have many things to pack so it was only a few bags. She thought of staying low in the meanwhile so she never told anyone she was leaving out of the country. Her phone rang and immediately she reached for it. It was a call from overseas. "Penny." ["Kaliya, your plane ticket is secured. Your flight's an hour later."]"Thank you," she whispered in silent gratitude. ["Anything for you."]She hastened on packing her things and left the apartment she was staying in.Her phone rang again, but it was not Penny this time. Instead it was from Amanda."Haha," Kaliya could only laugh. Amanda probably has h
The soft tick toks of the clock disrupted her thoughts. The longer she kept silent, the more she was being drowned in Caleb's blue eyes. "Alright. Take your time. I don't want to force a woman to marriage."He distanced himself away from her, then putting the tray on the bed where she was sitting, he said, "Help yourself. I'll be downstairs."After hearing the door closed, Kaliya quickly checked where her phone is. She found it under the pillows, inside her purse she brought last night. When things finally sunk in and confirming that this time she screwed up real bad, she muttered curses inside her head. 'I'm not going to drink alone anymore.'She stood up, inspecting the room. The t-shirt she was wearing felt loose, but the pajama pants quite fitted her. She then felt a surge of shame.Eyeing the window and then the door, she made a decision. Calling her sister's phone number, she nervously paced around the room. ["Who's this?"]She stopped and doubted her decision, and then st
Alexus Reyes sipped his cocktail. He was at a downtown bar where most of the customers are prominent and known people outside. It was a den for the rich and mighty. "'Sup, handsome," a woman in thick make-up and fit dress greeted him as she sat down on an empty seat beside him. "Are you alone tonight?"Alexus smirked at her. "I'm surprised that a beauty like you had time to greet me today. As for your question, I'm with the guys," he said, pointing to the group at a table near them.The woman looked back at him. "What a bummer. You're really my type but it seems that you're uninterested.""So you have morals?""Why would I force someone? It won't be fun if it's like that."She twirled her glass half-filled with a red drink. Her black v-shaped dress exposed her sexy collar. Alexus couldn't help but stare at this attractive woman."What if I said that I'm interested?"The woman's smile grew deeper and she leaned closer to him. Alexus could smell her cologne. A sw
Five months earlier…The earliest memory Kaliya remembered was her mother’s warm smile. She knew she lived by the beach because she has memories of waking up and hearing the sounds of waves along with the chopping sounds that came from the kitchen.Little Kaliya would then get down from the bed by herself and run towards the kitchen, where her mother is preparing breakfast. Her mother would scold her, saying running inside the house would make her stumble or fall.The next memory of her mother was seeing her in a coffin. The kind lady next door was carrying little Kaliya in her arms, shedding tears while mumbling ‘you’re gonna be fine, dear, it’s all gonna be fine.’Kaliya was too young to understand what’s going on. Why was her mom sleeping? When is she going to wake up?The memories of the five year old Kaliya resurfaced as she stood by the white coffin. Her grandmother lay inside it. Even in death, the past household mistress of the Reyes family still looked elegant.“Get some rest
“Like the ocean, my love for you is endless,” Kaliya sang with the beat, lights flashing around.“Kaliya!”“Kaliya!”She heard the crowd shouting her name. The music got louder as it neared the climax. A final melody was sung and the beat came into a halt.“Thank you for listening. Let’s get a round of applause to the Voyage Band.”Kaliya stood up from her seat and bowed, the other members followed her actions. Together, they exited the platform with cheers from the crowd hurting their ears.“That was dope,” the band guitarist, said with a wide smile. He was also the leader of the band. “Today is a big success so let’s all have a drink. My treat.”“YES!” the members chorused.There was a sudden ding that came from Kaliya’s phone and she frowned unknowingly when she saw a message.The group were then led to an extension room upstairs. Most of the guests in the bar were on the lower floor so it was quiet as there were only a few people allowed up on the second floor. As Kaliya was sneaki