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18. Packing Up
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-07 13:16:51
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His Hired Lover 19. Underground Dealings
Rios stepped out of the elevator and into his underground office. The artificial cold from the massive air conditioners in every corner of the building, combined with the scent of leather and polished metal, greeted his senses. Unlike the chaotic, sweat-drenched backrooms of lesser crime syndicates, his empire operated with ruthless efficiency.The floors gleamed beneath the stark white lights. High-tech monitors lined the walls. Its screens flashed streams of numbers, surveillance footage, and millions of encrypted messages from operations across the globe. Imported state-of-the-art machines whirred softly in the background. They were silent witnesses to crimes so cleanly executed that even government agencies struggled to trace them. These systems that were imported from the U.S. were funded by the larger Mafia families operating in Italy and California. These powerful backers ensured their empire remained untouchable.Employees in tailored black suits moved without a hint of uncerta
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-08His Hired Lover 20. The Orphanage
For the third time that night, Amanda’s eyes blinked open.She stared at the ceiling, listening to the quiet. The only sounds were the soft creaks of the old house and the chirping of crickets outside. A strip of yellow light from the hallway glowed under the door. Nanay Tess had specifically left the door half open in case one of the six children sleeping in this room called for her in the middle of the night.Her stomach felt weird again. Not hurting, just… uncomfortable. And she knew what that meant. With a sigh, she pushed off her blanket and climbed out of bed. Her bare feet made soft pats against the wooden floor as she tiptoed across the room. The orphanage was silent. Everyone was asleep.She slipped into the bathroom, shivering when her feet touched the cold tiles. How many times had she gone tonight? Four? Five? It was getting annoying. It had to be the blue pill. Nanay Tess always made sure everyone took one with their meals. “These are the doctor’s orders,” she said. “There
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-09His Hired Lover 21. What Happened to the Children?
SOFIA’s POVThe car rolled smoothly along the bustling streets of Makati, Manila, weaving through the late afternoon traffic. I pressed my face against the window, watching as towering skyscrapers gleamed under the dying light of the sun. Indeed, Rios had chosen a place known as the financial and business district of the country and home to upscale condominiums, luxury hotels, and corporate offices.When Kyle turned onto Rockwell Drive, my stomach flipped. The sight of the upscale residential towers made me shrink into my seat. I’d seen these buildings in magazines, their units owned by celebrities, politicians, and tycoons. I never imagined stepping foot in one, let alone staying in one.Kyle drove past the security gate, where a uniformed guard in a pressed blue uniform signaled for him to stop. He lowered his window, handing over his ID and stating our purpose. The guard glanced at me briefly before nodding and waving us through. Beyond the entrance, the driveway was lined with mani
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10His Hired Lover 22. A New House
SOFIA’s POVThe car rolled smoothly along the bustling streets of Makati, Manila, weaving through the late afternoon traffic. I pressed my face against the window, watching as towering skyscrapers gleamed under the dying light of the sun. Indeed, Rios had chosen a place known as the financial and business district of the country and home to upscale condominiums, luxury hotels, and corporate offices.When Kyle turned onto Rockwell Drive, my stomach flipped. The sight of the upscale residential towers made me shrink into my seat. I’d seen these buildings in magazines, their units owned by celebrities, politicians, and tycoons. I never imagined stepping foot in one, let alone staying in one.Kyle drove past the security gate, where a uniformed guard in a pressed blue uniform signaled for him to stop. He lowered his window, handing over his ID and stating our purpose. The guard glanced at me briefly before nodding and waving us through. Beyond the entrance, the driveway was lined with mani
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11His Hired Lover 23. A Marriage Agreement and A Child?
SOFIA’s POVThe contract blurred before my eyes, my hands trembling as I gripped the pages. I knew the revisions would come strongly, but this? The words inked on this piece of paper were beyond ridiculous.Did Rios actually believe I would adhere to that one clause that made the ends of my hair stand on end? I ran my eyes over the words again: the objective of this marriage is to conceive and rear a child.A child! I had never pictured myself as a mother, nor wished to become one at 24. Most importantly, I never imagined that rewriting our agreement would lead to this. First, he only wanted me as a professional companion. Now, I was about to be his wife and the mother of his child? What the fuck was wrong with him?I dropped the contract onto the glass table, shaking my head. A bitter laugh pressed against my throat. Rios had a lot to answer for, but I had bigger things to deal with. I needed to get ready for my client. And if he thought he could force me into this contract, he was ab
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-12His Hired Lover 024. The Old Man of the Alcaraz Family
Rios maneuvered his car through the winding road of the Alcaraz estate. Its interior loomed ahead with its grand façade unchanged by time. And yet, something in Rios’s chest tightened as he neared the entrance. It had been a month since his last visit, and the weight of expectation pressed against his ribs.He pulled into the garage, shut off the engine, and sat for a moment, fingers tightening around the steering wheel. He took a deep breath, then another. Finally, he stepped out, the morning air doing little to ease the tightness in his throat.Gardeners in wide-brimmed hats knelt in the soil, hands deftly tending to the ornamental plants that spilled over ceramic pots. The scent of freshly turned earth and roses clung to the air. One of the workers looked up, meeting Rios' gaze for the briefest moment before he turned away. Rios considered nodding, offering even the smallest acknowledgment, but the pulse in his neck pounded too insistently. Instead, he strode forward, the familiar w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13His Hired Lover 025. A Night of Flamboyance
Hugo Valderrama snapped his phone shut and took a sip of his now-watery juice. The call had just ended with his towering, ever-intense boss at Star Channel Studios, and he felt as flamboyant as ever. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask much about the woman Rios wanted him to meet at the Peninsula Manila Hotel, but judging by his boss’s tone, she had to be important."I want you to manage her yourself."Hugo wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, not with the weight of Star Channel’s senior production already on his shoulders. But saying no to Rios Alcaraz was as good as tossing his career straight into the dumpster.Glancing at his wristwatch, Hugo wondered why the girl hadn’t arrived yet. The dining area of the Peninsula buzzed with quiet opulence due to the Art Deco-inspired geometric patterns in gray, cream, and black that adorned the space. It was complemented by large-scale photographs by Filipino-Spanish photographer Francisco Guerrero. The air carried subtle hints of internation
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-14His Hired Lover 026. Heated Moment
SOFIA’s POV“It’s been such a lovely evening, darling.”I flashed a smile, but before I could say more, Hugo leaned in, his lips brushing both my cheeks with practiced ease. The scent of his cologne and a hint of tobacco lingered between us. Outside, the city hummed softly, headlights streaking across the pavement as we sat in his sleek car, parked several feet from my building.“This is a nice compound,” he mused, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. “Mr. Rios really prioritizes your well-being. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ve seen your files so I know quite a bit about you already.”My smile faltered. “We talked about so many things tonight, and you never thought to mention that file?”Hugo exhaled a slow, indulgent breath, reaching into his coat pocket. A silver case flicked open in his hand, and he plucked out a cigar, rolling it between his fingers before lighting it. Smoke curled around his face as he spoke. “Darling, it’s nothing personal. It’s just me doing my job. Any
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-18
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His Hired Lover 49. Cold Cases
The rain came in sheets that afternoon, turning the dirt roads of Sta. Lucia into rivers of reddish-brown sludge. Eli Mendoza parked his beat-up motorbike beside the police outpost, water dripping from the brim of his cap. He shook off the rain, wiped his boots on the mat, and stepped on that same squeaky floorboard. Almost immediately, the familiar sour scent of instant coffee and old paperwork greeted his nose.In a town like this, things didn’t move unless you shoved them. And he had been a tired police officer for too long.He took a seat at his desk, which was a thin wooden table marked by cigarette burns and ink stains. His battered leather notebook was already open. Its pages were lined with observations, dates, and names that kept circling back to one: Dorothea Gatchalian.It had been four years, but the woman was still nowhere to be found. He still remembered that day. He could picture the way she sat there in the station, perfectly composed and not struck with grief for her
His Hired Lover 48. Dorothea Gatchalian
Thea had been in this police station for almost an hour. The plastic chair beneath her was starting to bite into her skin, and the white walls weren’t doing her any favors.Across the table, the police officer leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow ticking up as his fingers drummed a sharp, impatient rhythm against the clipboard. The silence between questions was starting to stretch too long.“So, again,” SPO2 Eli said in a calm but thinning voice, “when was the last time you saw your uncle alive?”Thea crossed her arms. “I already told you. I saw him last Monday. At dinner. He wanted fish, so I cooked fish. We didn’t talk much. It’s always like that between us.”Eli nodded slowly. “And you didn’t notice anything strange? Nobody was lurking around, no fights, or no weird calls?”“No.”He flipped a photo onto the table, making Thea flinch at the image before her. Her uncle’s face was barely recognizable. It was swollen, and the skin stretched and marbled with the early signs of decay. M
His Hired Lover 47. An Anonymous Sender
SOFIA’s POVRios had me rest for a week before I was allowed back into training with my acting coach. During those days, the wound in my arm began to heal gradually. My ribs still ached, but I could breathe again without flinching.Rios stayed busy. He would visit my house, but we wouldn’t really talk. He would only instruct Valeria and Kyle about some important tasks about me and also converse with the house helper he hired for me. We would catch him having meetings at odd hours, with his men coming and going. Then, one night, he’d explain things over dinner. He told me how the family built their empire, the layers behind their so-called businesses, the money, and, of course, the risks. It took me three days to say a full sentence to him. Even now, it felt like too much. So, I focused on training. It was Valeria who pitched the idea. “A Mafia wife must know how to defend herself,” she said. I figured she was right. We couldn’t take any chances anymore. I kept my head down and worke
His Hired Lover 46. Control and Punishment
(TRIGGER WARNING: torture)It took them a minute to speak after the father-and-daughter tandem exited the house. Now that the problem had been laid out, the cunning Rodulf Sandoval made it clear that Rios had to give up his marriage with Sofia and tie the knot with Beatrice instead.But Rios stood firm. It hadn’t been his plan to get serious with the aspiring actress, but she’d already cast her spell on him, pulling him in deeply. Now, he was stuck at the precipice, staring into a future that made sense only if she was in it. A few months ago, he wouldn’t have pegged himself as the hopeless romantic type. But here he was. Still, no matter how badly he wanted to escape this life, reality always came to push him to the edge of the cliff. He looked at his beloved family, the word beloved rolling through his head like a bitter joke. Their faces looked grim and defeated. But who could blame them? Twenty percent was twenty percent. And he was sure those greedy and manipulative Sandovals wou
His Hired Lover 45. Debts and Consequences
With Sofia in the hospital, Rios hadn’t planned on coming home so soon. But his last phone call with Sasha informed him that an emergency family meeting was happening at his grandfather’s mansion. He figured it was also the right time to break the news about marrying another woman.He exhaled sharply, then killed the engine and stepped onto the familiar gravel drive of the estate. The cloudy mid-afternoon sky hung low, mirroring the chaos spiraling through his head and his life in general. The doors creaked open as he entered. His mother stood stiff in the foyer, arms folded, and lips drawn into a tight line. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she didn’t move. He then turned to his father, lowering his head out of habit to kiss the man’s hand, but Demitre’s fist cracked across his jaw before he could touch it.“Who the fuck do you think you are?” his father roared.“Demitre, calm yourself, boy! This is a family meeting,” the old man growled from his place in the hallway.Rios pushed
His Hired Lover 44. Waking Up in a Hospital
SOFIA’s POVMy memory of being sick or having a brutal fever always brings back the feel of my mother’s gentle hands brushing my burning forehead, only to be replaced by a cold compress or a cloth soaked in water and vinegar. She would then gather wild leaves and plants only she knew the names of and boil them into a lukewarm natural medicine for me to drink. They always tasted bland, sometimes bitter, but my young heart never dared to complain. My mother had always been so good to me and lived her life wanting what was best for me.Today, instead of waking up to the warmth of her hands, my fluttering, hazy eyes caught two bodyguards, who were sitting in each corner of a room that smelled like rubbing alcohol and was painted white from floor to ceiling. I felt my head resting on a soft pillow while my back sunk into a firm cushion.Kyle was slouched in a chair, dozing with a hanky over his face and arms crossed over his chest. Valeria sat to my left, flipping through a pamphlet that r
His Hired Lover 43. Search and Rescue
The remnants of what had happened where Sofia and Valeria were last seen by Rios painted a grim picture: somehow, they could confirm both women had fallen into the darkness below.“We can’t go in there now, Boss Rios,” Jestone said, holding his phone above his head. Its small light cut through the dark landscape, but they could barely see anything. “We might need a chopper, but—”“Shut up! Shut up, I’m thinking!” Rios snapped, punching in a number on his phone. Jestone and Kyle traded glances at their usually composed boss’s attitude, his calm peeling away into a frantic frenzy.“Sasha,” he barked when the line connected. “What the hell is happening? I thought there’d be reinforcements? No one came! My wife and her bodyguard just fell off a fucking cliff!”His grip tightened around the phone as Sasha’s voice chattered on. He could feel himself trembling and falling into the pit of monstrosity. He realized all those trips he had taken for expensive therapy abroad weren’t helping.“I al
His Hired Lover 42. Deep Conversations
SOFIA’s POVI don’t know what to make of this unfortunate situation. What Rios and I shared in this city felt truly magical and unforgettable for a honeymoon. But now, I sat sobbing and desperately trying to ease the cold biting my skin and the wound in my arm.I was just crying the whole time we were huddled in this small cave. Valeria wasn’t saying anything, but her presence somehow proved comforting for my wretched soul. I wish I could take back what I said about not needing a bodyguard. Right now, this lady felt like heaven sent to me.I stifled a sob before heaving a deep sigh. Indeed, Valeria was right. We were in a misfortune, and I needed to get my shit together.“I’m sorry,” my words spilled, mingling with the sound of cackling from the small bonfire.“For what, Miss Sofia?” she replied. Her voice sounded gruff and already tired.“For dragging you into this mess. And for saying I didn’t need a bodyguard. Now, here we are.”A faint smile tugged at her lips. “No worries, Miss S
His Hired Lover 41. Losing Sofia
Without hesitation, Valeria fired at the man who was blindly spraying bullets their way.“Valeria! Get Sofia to safety now!” Rios shouted, crouched behind a crumbling wall with Sofia. They’d lost their tail after fleeing the packed market and ended up in a quiet part of Baguio. The road ahead was bare, lined with looming balete trees, but the silence was broken by fresh bursts of gunfire. The ex-marine realized more of those goons who were after them were coming.“Got it, Boss,” Valeria said, sprinting over. “Come on, Miss Sofia.” She said as she grabbed the woman’s wrist.“I’m not leaving you here, Rios!”Valeria didn’t wait, raising her gun and firing again while the other two argued behind her.“What the fuck is happening?” Sofia’s voice cracked.Valeria could see the panic settling in. The always-composed woman was gone, replaced by someone frantic and dragging them down with her endless questions. It was starting to piss her off. Prison taught her that every second counts, especia
