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CHAPTER 2
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Vera's Point of View
"Mayor, uh, I mean Tito, does Madam Charlotte know about this?" I asked, referring to his wife.
"Just call her Tita too. Anyway, she doesn't know either. Only I and your colleagues at work, and now you, are aware of this," Tito Stan explained.
"Oh, I see. How did you tell Tita Charlotte about the fake wedding?" I asked curiously.
"At first, she was hesitant, but eventually agreed because she said Ares is getting older, and he needs to meet someone he can marry. So I told her that this day is when the woman I chose will come. I didn't mention a name because I thought it would be someone else. I only found out earlier that it was you, hija," Tito Stan said, nodding at me.
Tita Charlotte came out first, wearing casual home attire. As soon as she spotted me, she furrowed her brow, clearly wondering why she saw me here.
Well, she knows me too because we're friends with my parents, and her son Ares is also my friend.
"Verania? You're the one Stanley chose?" Tita Charlotte said, her eyes widening.
I forced a smile and quickly nodded. "Yes, Tita Charlotte," I replied, and she turned to her husband.
"Stanley, it's really Verania, huh?" I heard Tita Charlotte say.
"Why? Is there a problem?" Tito replied, and Tita Charlotte frowned, moving closer to him.
"There is, Stan. Verania is a soldier! Her life is in danger! What if Ares agrees to marry her? I thought you were trying to keep our son away from danger?" Tita said in a whisper, which I could barely hear.
As we waited, we moved to where the sofas were. We sat there to wait for their two children. Olivia, the youngest, and of course, the eldest, Ares, whom I would be guarding and taking care of due to his current condition.
While waiting, I suddenly remembered the last conversation I had with Ares before his accident. He mentioned he was courting a doctor! Do his parents know about it?
I hadn't thought about that! What if he's already in a relationship with the doctor he mentioned? What will that woman say to Ares? She might think I'm trying to steal him!
I shook my head at my own thoughts. It doesn't matter; everything is just fake, no one is taking anyone away.
Just as I heaved a sigh, Olivia and Ares came out of their rooms. Olivia was pushing Ares in a wheelchair. That must be why they took a bit longer; Olivia was waiting for Ares.
I've known Olivia for quite some time now since I've been friends with Ares for a long time. But Olivia and I didn't become close friends; I don't know why, maybe we just have different tastes. She prefers elegant and sophisticated women, while I'm just a bit cocky. Just kidding, I'm just an ordinary girl, not elegant or anything like that.Most of my friends are guys, and I also often hang out with female colleagues at work. There's one close female friend with a similar style to Olivia's, my older sister Ate Mavis. She's actually one of the renowned designers under the Armendarez Apparel Company, a company well-known nationwide and internationally, so she rarely comes home.
Anyway, even with her busy life, we're still close because, of course, we're siblings.
"Verania?" Olivia said in surprise, glancing at Ares and their father, Tito Stanley.
"What is she doing here?" Ares asked coldly, making me blink a few times.
"You explain," Tita Charlotte said with a smile to her husband.
"Because of what happened to you, I thought of something that could really help you deal with that kind of thing," Tito Stan began, raising Olivia's eyebrows.
"I think you will need someone who can help or guide you anywhere. Verania will be your temporary driver and bodyguard," Tito Stan continued.
"Is that all?" Olivia said rudely, looking at her father, then immediately shifting her gaze to me, raising an eyebrow.
"Olivia, manners," her mother warned, causing her to sigh.
"Verania will also be your in-house nurse," Tito Stan said, glancing at Ares' injured foot.
"Nurse? I don't need her. I know someone, and she's actually a doctor. You can hire her," Ares straightforwardly rejected his father's suggestion.
"Be content with what's in front of you, Ares. Verania has almost everything you need right now, and one of the best things she has is my trust," Tito Stan calmly replied, making Ares furrow his brow and glare at me.
What the heck did I do? I can feel his resentment towards me. As far as I remember, we didn't argue the last time we talked, which was a week ago, before his accident.
"Is that all, Dad? I have loads of things to be busy with," Ares said softly, causing his father to sigh.
"There's another thing you need to know," Tito Stan added, glancing back at Ares.
"I want you and Verania to know more of each other and be also fond of each other, because I am arranging a marriage for the two of you," Tito Stan announced, causing silence to envelop the surroundings.Ares turned his gaze towards me, his eyebrows furrowing in surprise and anger. I could feel his resentment towards the idea of being arranged in marriage, especially after having someone he was already pursuing, and then an accident happened, and now he's being told he's going to marry me.
"Marriage? Oh, funny. I think I don't need to be here," Olivia remarked, glaring at me before leaving. Tita Charlotte was about to call her back, but Tito Stan stopped her, telling her to let their daughter go for the moment.
"Dad, marriage? Since when did you agree to an arranged marriage? I thought you didn't like this? Why are you doing this to me?" Ares asked with frustration.
"Ares, this is for your own sake," Tita Charlotte calmly replied, and Ares closed his eyes, probably trying to contain his anger due to his mother's words.
When he opened his eyes, they immediately locked onto mine. "You agreed to this? I thought you didn't want to get married?" he questioned boldly, causing me to lower my gaze. There's nothing I can say; this is the plan, and it's temporary.
"Ares? Is that how you behave towards your friend, who is soon to be your wife?" Tita Charlotte asked calmly, but Ares seemed to ignore her.
"You never visited me even once in the hospital, and now you're saying we're getting married?" he snapped, causing me to raise my head.
"Wait, Ares, are you angry because I didn't visit you in the hospital?" I asked, but his eyebrows remained furrowed.
"Tsk, it's none of your business!" he grumbled, maneuvering his wheelchair on his own until a maid came to assist him, which he allowed.
"Vera, do you think you can make my son like this arrangement?" Tito Stan asked with concern. I shifted my gaze to Tita Charlotte, who looked at me seriously.
"I will try my best," I replied, and they both smiled at me before pointing towards Ares. I understood what they meant, so I quickly followed Ares.
Ares... I will do everything to make you like this arrangement, even if it's just a job.
I smiled as I thought about it. Let the game begin.
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Verania's Point of ViewSince I was pushed into the pool by Clara's sibling, I had no choice but to join that child in frolicking in the water. Fortunately, I had double cycling shorts on, or else I'd be splashing around in my jogging pants."It's good that you know how to swim," I complimented Sandra, who was expertly floating in the water."Ate Vera, do you live around here?" she asked me in a snarky tone."Yes, why?" I raised an eyebrow as I threw back my slightly annoyed response. Why is she acting so sassy..."You're not going to steal a boyfriend, right?" she asked, dropping a bombshell.Well, she's quite young to know about such things!"No, of course not!" I quickly defended myself, making her gasp."Really? Are you sure? Ares is my sister’s boyfriend and you seem to be quite close. Are you really sure?" she added, causing my jaw to drop that a fly could enter my mouth freely. "Yes, of course, what would I want with Ares? I'm just working here, a nurse, driver, bodyguard..."
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Verania's Point of View"It's Archer's birthday today, he's our cousin. There's a party at their resort. We're all going, are you coming?" Olivia asked me straightforwardly with her snobbish tone."Of course, Vera would join us. She's going to be a part of this family soon, so she should get used to being with us..." Uncle Stanley chimed in, patting me on the shoulder.I was caught off guard by what I heard and simply smiled faintly."Tsk, it's a swimming birthday party, maybe you'd like to bring a swimsuit," Olivia said in a pretentious tone when she mentioned that.I was about to ignore it when Ares spoke up."She won't wear a swimsuit. There will be a lot of people there, she won't like it," Ares stated, causing my eyebrow to raise and I had to suppress my laughter, especially when I exchanged a glance with Uncle Stanley.He shrugged and got into his car with many bodyguards."Ares, don't be like that. Ask Verania what she wants too," Aunt Charlotte said before following Uncle Stan
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Verania's Point of ViewShe's crazy! When she's close to me, she really shows me how much she dislikes me! Most likely she'll hate me even more when she finds out that Ares and I are getting married (which is not true since it's all just a show)."So what about this dress of mine? Am I going to wear this for a whole day? I hope I won't start smelling like dirt?" I remarked, hearing Ares's faint laughter."Probably not... and don't you plan on going home to get your clothes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow."Do you think I'd leave you? Do you think I will leave you out of my sight just when right now, you're in a wheelchair and will be unable to move once someone comes to you and threatens your life? Do you want me to lose my job?" I went on with a string of statements, only to hear him sigh."There's a night market later, you can buy some clothes there," he suggested after a brief pause."Oh yeah, might check it out later," I replied lazily, as I sighed and rubbed my temples. We finall
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Third Person’s Point of View "Glad you asked me that, First Lieutenant," Sid said happily as he turned to Gustavo beside him. "Can I be the one to shoot one of them?" Sid said goodbye with a broad smile, while Gustavo grimaced at Sid's question. "Who among them?" Is Ares there? The tone of the Congressman’s question is lazy. "Oh, I wish it were possible." "Go ahead, before I change my mind," Gustavo responded lazily as he lowered his gun. Meanwhile, Sid tightly gripped the gun and cocked it. He slowly raised his arm and aimed the gun at Ares, startling Verania. Verania's eyes widened and her heart began to race. She didn't know what to do to stop Sid from going through with what he was about to do to the young man next to her. She wanted to run and approach Sid to snatch the gun from him, but with Ares's tight grip on her hand, she hesitated whether to leave his side. That's why, when she saw that Sid was ready to pull the trigger, she blocked her body in front of the young man
Just A Job (English) CHAPTER 78
Third Person's Point of View"You are so many!" Gabriella's complaint is that she has already tied up and brought down quite a number of their opponents."Miss Gab, we still can't find First Lieutenant Sir Ares, and the same goes for Greg," Tristan said as he approached Gab, who was currently stretching."Search carefully, I know this place is big and has many twists and turns, but you will find them, just hurry up, it's exhausting to avoid the attacks from the enemies here!" The young woman complained, and Tristan quickly saluted and followed Gab's instructions; he informed his colleagues of the young woman's orders to speed things up."Second Lieutenant," called Josefa, one of Verania's group, to Gabriella, who immediately turned around. "Where is Captain Vic?" Ask him about this further."Maybe she was dealing with something more important, perhaps the alleged mastermind has escaped and that's what she's following now," Gabriella replied, forcefully bringing down a man rushing towa
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Third Person's Point of View"You're being released," he replied curtly, Verania released a sarcastic laugh that echoed throughout the room."Are you kidding me?" Verania asked angrily, her sarcasm still evident."I'm kidding if I said I'm letting you go and then I tighten the bonds on you." Verania fell silent when she heard Cristoforo's reply, as if she had been doused with cold ice by what he said to her.She couldn't believe it, she didn't know why he would want to let her go when her father, Gustavo Donatelli, was on his side?Verania's mind started to think that maybe Cristoforo was going crazy."Why are you doing this?" Verania asked without restraint when he finally removed the chain from her foot. There were many padlocks there, so it was no wonder it took so long to remove."I'm a double agent," he stopped removing the chain to look up at Verania. "I am under my father but, I am also under someone from your side and I am more loyal to him than to Dad, who I know has only a f
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Third Person's Point of View"Boss, someone found us!" a man shouted loudly to Gustavo, causing Verania's face to brighten, as whoever it was could surely save Ares."And how did they find us? Only we know about this place!" Gustavo held his grip firmly as he spoke, his eyes shifting back to the man who informed him of the situation outside."Create a distraction, block whoever they are!" Gustavo shouted again, and the man who had just been there quickly disappeared from sight."Don't let them get here!" he added, prompting the others who were just inside to quickly rush out of the room they were in, likely to confront the people outside.Now, Gustavo's gaze fell on his son, Cristoforo, so Vera did the same. She directed her eyes to Cristoforo."Ares and Vera, we'll take them to the other headquarters where our other comrades are," Gustavo calmly instructed his son Cristoforo, who quickly went to where Verania was sitting.The noise o
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Third Person's Point of ViewHe nodded at her, indicating his confidence had eased Ares' heart, so he slowly approached them and attempted to listen to their conversation, for in the eyes of the young Ares, there seemed to be something peculiar there, and like something he delighted in doing, he took out a small notebook from his pocket and a recording pen."What are you doing?" Tirso whispered, but instead of answering, he just gave his friend a very wicked look.He sharpened his ears and earnestly listened to the conversation. Though he couldn't understand it internally, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed this kind of conversation, as many things were revealed.Another dream of the boy's heart was to become a detective like he had read in his mother's book.Indeed, Ares started listing down the things he heard, but instead of using the Filipino Alphabet, he used a code that only he could crack for sure, of course, because he was the only one who knew it since he made it himself.Never
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Third Person's Point of View "Why are you doing this?" Vera's voice trembled with anxiety as she asked Gustavo, who was smiling.One by one, more members of the enemy's group entered the room, increasing the pounding in Vera's chest. She didn't know what could be done about them."Why?" Vera's question came out weakly."I've really wanted to tell you everything since earlier, I just waited for my surprises to arrive," Gustavo said, and Verania remained nervously attentive."Because you seem very interested, I expect you to listen eagerly to every detail I'll say," Gustavo added sincerely, and Vera took a deep breath and nodded, prompting Gustavo to start.This thing happened years ago.It all began with a boy named Ares, nine years old and currently in the third grade.That day was one of the happiest events in his life, perhaps the day he made a friend at school who wasn't his cousin.The boy who became his friend was named Alder, and he was even happier when he found out that their
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Verania’s Point of ViewI noticed Cristoforo's eyes on me, as if pitying my current situation. I ignored it and waited for Gustavo, his father, to respond."Ah, don't worry, he's not here," he replied with a smirk, which somehow calmed me down a bit."And I want to tell you something..." Gustavo paused to glance at Cristoforo, whose eyes were still fixed on me."What? What do you want to say?" I asked, not breaking eye contact with Cristoforo."Cristoforo is the gunner of Ares' car. Cris told me you saw his eyes that night."My blood boiled upon hearing what he said.He did what?He's the one who shot? No wonder I felt something off when I saw him. I also tried to analyze his eyes now and that night of Ares' accident. Why didn't I notice? Why didn't I notice they were the same? Why did I blame Alder for this?I'm so stupid!Even though tightly bound, I tried to break free while glaring intensely at Cristoforo."Calm down, Vera. I didn't bring you here to hurt anyone," Gustavo said wit
