Shiela's POV
"Shiela, why don't you answer the call? It might be important."
I glanced at Papa when he spoke. My phone had been vibrating for a while, but I had been trying to ignore it. I didn't expect him to notice it. We were already at the restaurant where I would meet the owner of the TAC Group of Companies.
"Is that call important? Maybe they're already here," Mama said, sounding worried.
Knowing Mama, I knew she had also prepared for this evening. She had been insisting for a long time that Papa get acquainted with this prestigious family. Mama wants me to be matched with the eldest son of the family so that it would be easier for Papa to merge his company with theirs.
At first, I didn’t want to go along with Mama’s plan, but eventually, I agreed. Honestly, their family is much wealthier than James'. Plus, I couldn't see myself falling in love with that man. I just used him to hurt Lexi, the woman who might take everything I have. I can't let that happen. I’m the only daughter of Papa, and I should be the one to inherit all his wealth. I should also be the only one he loves.
"It's fine. They might be delayed because they're stuck in traffic. So go ahead. Answer the phone, Shiela," Papa said seriously.
I nodded. One of the rules I can't break— I must never disobey Papa. Mama always says that I should follow his lead as much as possible.
"Excuse me," I politely said to my parents.
I stood up and left the restaurant to answer the call.
"James, what is it? You know I’m in a business meeting, right?" I said irritably as soon as I answered the phone.
He had been calling me non-stop. I didn't know what he wanted. He told me earlier that he and Lexi were having dinner, and he felt she was about to accept his proposal. That b*tch! She really chose to go with James instead of accepting Papa’s invitation. But in a way, that’s also good for me. The more she rejects Papa, the more he'll lose interest in her. In the near future, I won’t have to struggle to destroy her image with Papa.
James and I had already agreed to just go with the flow tonight. I would think of a way to separate them later, along with ruining Lexi’s reputation with Papa.
"We have a problem. She already knows that you’re the one I truly love," James said, sounding troubled.
"What? How did that happen?" I asked in disbelief.
"I don't know either. What should I do? She might tell your father," James said, nervous.
I sighed. I really didn’t know if this man was helping me or just adding to my problems.
"I’ll handle Papa. Withdraw your investment from our company, then just follow my plan, okay?" I said. Thankfully, I can think quickly in situations like this.
"Are you sure? Don't you need our investment?" James asked, hesitantly.
I smiled faintly. "Of course. But there's a bigger investment coming in. The company will survive. So just follow my plan. And when Lexi talks to you again, don't say anything, okay?"
"Okay, got it. What time will your meeting be done? I’ll pick you up," he changed the subject.
I sighed again. I could feel he really loved me, but I couldn’t feel that I loved him.
"No need. I’m with Mama and Papa. Bye!"
I didn’t wait for James to speak and immediately hung up. I was about to go back into the restaurant when I bumped into a man. I almost lost my balance, but he quickly caught me.
"What the—"
I was about to snap, but when I saw the man, I froze. I stared at his face, which radiated so much handsomeness. It felt like the world stopped, and he was the only one I could see.
"Are you okay, Shiela?" he asked.
I blinked twice while still staring at him. "You know me?" was all I managed to say.
"Of course. The famous Shiela Castillon of Southwest National High School," he said, smiling.
My brow furrowed as I studied the man in front of me. Then, suddenly, my face lit up as I realized who he was.
"Chase! The basketball team captain!" I exclaimed.
He nodded gently, and I smiled. Chase was so handsome back then, and now he was even more handsome. I never expected to see him here because, as I remember, he suddenly dropped out of school back then.
"Chase, you’ve already met Castillon's daughter."
We both turned to the voice calling out to Chase— a man and a woman who looked to be around the same age as Papa. The man resembled Chase, so it was not surprising that they were his parents.
"Good evening," I politely greeted the couple.
"Good evening, Hija. Shall we go inside?" the woman asked with a smile.
I looked confusedly at Chase, and when he smiled at me, I suddenly realized everything. Chase was the heir of the prestigious TAC Group of Companies!
I silently followed the three of them with a smile on my lips. Now that I'd met the family behind the TAC Group of Companies, Mama’s wish for me to marry their heir, Chase, seemed much easier to fulfill.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Sandoval. It was nice meeting you again," Papa greeted Chase’s parents warmly.
OMG! How lucky I am!
"We’re very sorry for being late. By the way, this is our son, Chase Grey Sandoval," Mr. Sandoval introduced.
"Sadly, our daughter couldn’t join us because she had some errands to run."
"Good evening," Chase greeted my parents.
"This is my wife, Minda, and my daughter, Shiela."
I smiled gently at the Sandovals. Mrs. Sandoval smiled back at me, which I was very pleased about. It felt like they already liked me.
"I assume our children have already known each other since they were schoolmates in high school," Mrs. Sandoval said.
"Really?" Mama exclaimed, excited, and then looked at me.
I nodded slowly. "Yes, Mama. Grey was the basketball team captain back then," I replied.
I glanced at Chase again, but I suddenly became agitated when I noticed he wasn’t smiling. His expression was serious, and I could tell he was not happy with something I said. He turned serious, which made me slightly worried.
"Look at that, fate really likes to play games sometimes," Mama commented meaningfully.
Chase cleared his throat and looked away from me. "Shall we eat?" he changed the topic.
I secretly sighed. Now that I’ve met the family behind TAC Group of Companies, Mama’s desire for me to marry Chase, their heir, has become even stronger.
And I will do everything, just so you’ll be mine, Chase Grey. Only mine.
LEXI'S POVAfter I said everything I wanted to say to Chase, I just left him there in the restaurant. I let him pay for the food that he couldn’t even eat. That was my way of getting back at him for all the pain he caused me.Now, I’m just walking around the mall because I’m not ready to go home yet. I still can't face my very kind sister, Shiela. I’ll go home later when I know everyone is already asleep."Ma'am, your card is really declined."I glanced at the cashier of a well-known dress shop in the mall. I’m not the type of person who likes to eavesdrop, but I didn’t know why I was drawn to the woman wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. I couldn’t see her face because her back was to me, and she was facing the cashier."Could you try again, please?" the woman said, almost in tears."I'm sorry, Ma'am. But I've already tried several times," the cashier hesitated, replying.I took my card out of my wallet and walked over to the two of them. I quickly handed the cashier my card."Here.
LEXI'S POV"Hey, you haven't told me what happened yesterday! Give me an update!" Savina asked excitedly.As usual, she visited me at my office since it was already five in the afternoon. I had been avoiding her all day because I wasn't in the mood to share yet. I was sure she'd go after James if I told her, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet."Let’s talk about it tomorrow, Sav. Okay?" I asked her. I tried to sound cheerful, hoping she wouldn’t notice that I was feeling down. I’d rather like she thought everything was fine with James so she wouldn’t press me further."That’s unfair! We agreed you'd tell me everything. And don’t smile, Lexi. I know you too well," she said sternly.I sighed. No matter how much I tried to pretend, I couldn’t hide the truth from my best friend."Sorry. I’m just not ready to talk yet," I admitted.Savina gave a small smile. "I know. But when you’re ready, just text or call me, okay? Right now, I’m already furious with James. As for him, we're not frie
LEXI'S POVI was really looking forward to the night being over, so when Audrey said she’d drive me to the restaurant, I didn’t hesitate. I just wanted this date to end, so I could go home and get some sleep.“My brother is not here yet. But you can wait here, right?” Chelsea said with a smile when we reached the table she had reserved.“How are you going to get home? You don’t have a car,” I said, remembering that she didn’t have one with her.“I’m fine, Lexi. Don’t worry about me. Just sit down and enjoy the night. Bye!”I couldn’t say anything more because Chelsea had already left. Her reserved table was in a VIP section with its own privacy. It was in a closed space, so besides the lack of people seeing us, no one would be able to hear our conversation.I didn’t ask Chelsea if I’d be waiting long for her brother. It was a blind date after all, and I was already here first. But this worked out better. Now I had a reason if Chelsea ever tried to set me up for another date. I really
LEXI'S POV"Chase, we're not kids anymore. You can't fool me like you used to," I replied sharply.No matter how serious he looked, I wouldn't believe him. With how well he used to pretend before, he wouldn't be able to trick me now. Besides, the only reason he's acting this way is that he needs something from me. And no, I wouldn't give in.We both looked at my phone when it suddenly rang. I glanced at it, frowning slightly when I saw it was Savina calling."You can answer that. Maybe it’s important," Chase said seriously.I didn’t bother standing up to step outside to answer the call."Sav.""Lexi, where are you? It’s James," Savina answered, crying."Why? What happened?" I asked, now feeling nervous.I knew something was wrong. Savina wouldn't call just to pester me for a story. She was crying, which made me even more anxious."James got into an accident."Tears started falling immediately at what I heard. I didn’t even care about Chase anymore. I just stood up and rushed out of th
LEXI'S POVJames is in a coma. I asked Savina not to leave the hospital until the doctor came out of the emergency room. I waited in her car while she went back inside to get an update.After almost half an hour, she returned to tell me what happened. She was about to take me home, but I refused. And now, I am here, outside the hospital, alone and waiting. I really want to see James, but I haven't seen his parents come out yet, so I can't go inside. Knowing them, they wouldn't allow me to see their son. They were blaming me for what happened to their only son, so I quite understand them.I saw Papa leave, and I was sure they'd already gone home. He was trying to call me, but I turned off my phone. I don’t want to talk to Papa right now.I quietly cry here on the side of the hospital when someone suddenly hands me a clean handkerchief. When I looked up, I was momentarily stunned."Grey," I muttered softly.He sat next to me and gently wiped away my tears. I felt awkward about what he w
Third-Person POV"Has your daughter come home yet?"Ricky glanced at his wife, who had just entered the living room. She had come from their bedroom, and he assumed she was just checking on him since he was still in the living room."Not yet. And I can't contact her," Ricky replied seriously.It was already midnight, and his daughter, Lexi, still hadn’t returned. He had no idea where she had gone since she left the hospital earlier. He had thought she had gone home, but the maid told him that the young lady had yet to arrive."Your daughter is starting to be a troublemaker," his wife commented, sitting beside him."Minda.""What? Don’t you know that because of what happened to James, the Smith family might pull out their investment from our company?" she said seriously.Ricky sighed deeply. He had to admit that this was one of his concerns too. He had worked for years to court the Smith family to invest in their company. Now, all of that might be gone in an instant due to what happene
LEXI'S POVIt's the weekend, but I woke up early. Actually, I couldn't sleep properly because of what happened. I still can't believe the things Papa said to me last night. I didn't think Aunt Minda and Shiela could manipulate me so easily. But what's done is done. Right now, I don't know what to do."Lexi, hija."I looked toward the door of my room. It was Linda, knocking. So, I got up and opened the door for her."Linda.""Did I wake you? I heard about what happened to James. Your father and aunt are going there. I thought maybe you'd want to go with them," she said calmly.I gave a bitter smile. Linda knows that even though I'm angry at James, my concern for him still outweighs everything else."What about Shiela?" I asked, changing the subject."Shiela left early too. She's all dressed up. Maybe she has a date," Linda answered.I clenched my fists. I knew what my brilliant sister was working on—being the wife of the heir to the TAC Group of Companies."Wait, are you okay? Your eye
LEXI'S POVChase and his family are the owners of the TAC Group of Companies. Fate seems to be playing with me too much. The woman my ex mentioned to me a few days ago is actually my sister. I never imagined that we would need each other because of Shiela's schemes.My current problem is how to talk to Chase. I've been staring at my phone for a while now because I don't know how to approach him. I don't have his number yet, but I can easily ask Chelsea for it. I just don't know how to make the first move with Chase."Are you just going to stare at your phone? I thought you were sure about this," Savina suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts.I looked at her. She's with me because it's the weekend, and she doesn't want to leave me alone because I might do something impulsively."How do I start, Sav?" I asked her, confused."Hmm. That's tricky since you haven't seen each other in eight years, and your breakup wasn't exactly good. And what if he’s into your sister? That would make
LEXI'S POV"Where are you? You're not here at the hospital," Chase's voice greeted me the moment I answered his call.I let out a deep sigh. "I'm on my way back, but there's someone I need to talk to first. Do you have anything else scheduled?" I asked in return."I canceled my other appointments. Do you want me to go with you?" His voice carried a serious undertone."No, it's okay, Grey This won't take long. I'll be back soon.""Alright, be careful. Call me if you need anything. I love you, Baby.""I love you too, Grey."I ended the call and started driving. After my conversation with Gino, I received another call—this time from my father’s lawyer. He provided little detail, only emphasizing that our meeting was crucial and had to remain confidential. I had no clue what this was about, especially since this was the first time I would ever speak to him.The meeting place wasn’t far, and in less than thirty minutes, I arrived at an upscale restaurant with private VIP rooms. Attorney Ar
LEXI'S POVFor nearly two hours, I sat by my mother’s grave, lost in my thoughts. Eventually, my tears stopped falling on their own. I had also turned off my phone to keep anyone from disturbing me. I made sure to let Chase know that I was fine, so he wouldn’t worry. We both needed time and space to think. We had needed each other before, but for now, perhaps being apart was what we truly needed.I finally decided to stand up, brushing off the dirt from my clothes. I had to return to the hospital. My father needed me there.“I’ll visit again, Mama. I love you so much, and I miss you terribly.”I turned to leave, but in my absentmindedness, I failed to notice someone approaching. I only snapped back to reality when a firm, but gentle hand caught my arm.“Lexi.”I looked up and was momentarily startled. “Gino… It’s you.”Standing before me was Gino, Chase’s former teammate—the same man who had helped us when Shiela got drunk at the bar.“Yeah. I’ve been calling your name, but you seemed
LEXI'S POV"I don't know how to tell Papa and Chelsea about what I’ve discovered," Chase said in a low voice after recounting everything he had learned.I could no longer hold back my tears. Everything I had just found out was overwhelming, and I didn’t even know how to react. Papa had just woken up, but he still couldn't speak. He had no way of telling me what really caused his attack. I had no idea how much he knew about Aunt Minda.And now, I had learned that Chase’s stepmother was Aunt Minda’s lover and accomplice in the accident that killed my mother. If we could get the truck driver to testify, it would be enough to put Aunt Minda behind bars. But along with that would come the destruction of Chase’s family. And I didn’t know how Chelsea and Uncle Carlo would take it.I had no problem if my father’s family fell apart—he didn’t deserve someone like my stepmother. I wouldn’t hesitate to expose the whole truth to finally get justice for my mother. But Chase’s family was different.
FLASHBACK“Good morning, Sir Ricky.”Ricky merely nodded in response to the greeting of the man he had tasked with investigating his wife. The man had been tailing Minda for nearly two weeks and had only now come forward to report. Ricky despised what he was doing, but his unease had grown unbearable over the past weeks. He had caught his wife talking on the phone several times, her tone secretive, and she had been leaving the house more frequently—without telling him where she was going.“Any news?” he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.“Sir Ricky, your wife often visits an exclusive village. I couldn’t follow her inside because of the tight security, but every time she left that exclusive village, a tinted car always followed her. I couldn’t confirm if a man was driving it. I tried tailing the car, but whoever was inside must have noticed me because they managed to shake me off. Aside from that village, she doesn’t seem to go anywhere else.”Ricky clenched his fists tightly. His su
THIRD POVChase was so overwhelmed by the truth he had just uncovered that he couldn’t remember how he ended up standing in front of the TAC Group of Companies' building. He stood there, frozen at the entrance, staring blankly into space.“Good morning, Sir Chase.”The cheerful greetings of the employees snapped him out of his stupor. Forcing a polite smile, he nodded at them before taking a deep breath and walking inside. He was certain his father was in his office. He didn’t know exactly what he would do, but he couldn’t keep what he had learned from his father.“Papa, are you busy?” Chase asked as he entered the office.“No. Actually, I was just about to head to the hospital. I heard what happened to Ricky. Wait—why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with your wife?” Carlo asked, his expression filled with concern.“Papa, we need to talk,” he said firmly, his voice laced with tension.“Is it urgent, son? You know I canceled all my appointments today because of what happened to Ricky,”
THIRD POVWhen Savina arrived at the hospital, Chase excused himself from Lexi. He needed to confront his father about everything that had been happening. He had to confirm his suspicion: was his father involved with Emerald’s stepmother? But before he could reach his father’s office, his phone buzzed with a call from the investigator.“Mr. Sandoval, I found the driver of the truck that hit the taxi back then.”Instead of going to his father, Chase prioritized meeting the driver responsible for the accident that killed Lexi’s mother. The driver lived in a nearby province, and within an hour, Chase found himself in front of a small, shabby house.A frail, elderly man was sweeping the yard. Chase glanced at the photo in his hand and confirmed—it was the same man. The answers to his questions lay with him.“Mr. Dela Cruz,” he called out.The man froze. As soon as their eyes met, he turned and attempted to run, but he was quick to grab his arm.“Wait, please.”“Did they send you here to k
LEXI'S POV"I will call Grandma Mirasol to inform her about this," Chase said with a smile as we got back into his car."Grey, can we not? At least, not yet?" I asked hesitantly.My husband's smile faded instantly. "Why?"I placed a hand on my stomach and let out a deep sigh. "I didn’t want anyone to know yet. I’m scared that my sister might turn her anger towards our baby. I don’t want our child to get hurt," I said, my voice trembling as tears welled up in my eyes.Chase leaned closer, gently kissing my forehead. "I understand, Lexi. I know it’s selfish, but what if you leave for a while? Go with Grandma abroad. I will handle everything here."I shook my head quickly. "I won’t leave you, Chase. I don’t want to."He stared at me, and after a few moments, he sighed. "Alright, fine. But I think it’s best if you quit your job. I can’t always be there to watch over you, Lexi. And I think it’s safer if we move into the mansion. At least there, I know you’ll be protected," he said firmly.
LEXI'S POVAfter speaking with the investigator, Chase fell into a heavy silence. He drove without a word, heading to an unknown destination. I could feel his confusion and anger, so I chose to remain quiet as well. I was just as lost in my thoughts, unsure of how to process everything I had learned. Was the world really this small for Chase and me?An hour passed, and Chase finally stopped the car. I looked out the window and realized we were by the beach. So absorbed was I in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed how far we had gone.He got out without a word, and I followed him. He took off his shoes and let the seawater lap at his feet. Then, with all his might, he screamed into the open air.“Grey,” I called softly.He dropped to his knees, overwhelmed, and I quickly approached him.“I don’t know how to feel if I find out my father is truly behind all this,” he said, tears streaming down his face.I shook my head gently. “Grey, don’t think like that yet. Don’t doubt your father unles
LEXI'S POVI opened my eyes as I felt Chase getting up. He headed straight to the bathroom, while I slowly got out of bed. A grimace crossed my face as I felt the heaviness in my body. I lay back down, sensing that something wasn’t quite right. Thankfully, I still had one more day of leave, given that I had just gotten married. As for my husband, I wasn’t sure if he had plans because he seemed to be in a hurry.When he came out of the bathroom, our eyes met.“You’re awake,” he said, looking a bit surprised.I glanced at his outfit. “Are you going out?” I couldn’t help but ask.He gave a small smile and nodded lightly. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but I’m meeting James,” he said directly.“James? Why? I’m coming with you.”I sat up quickly. As I was about to head to the bathroom, Chase grabbed my arm.“Are you ready to hear what he has to say?” he asked seriously.“Ready or not, I need to do this, Grey. We can’t move forward if we don’t start somewhere,” I replied firmly.He si