“Miss Sco- sorry, Miss Fray, how does it feel returning to the cinema? Particularly now that you’re gaining more and more support from the people,” Taylor, a reporter from the Castrana Exclusive, asked the actress.Andrea tilted her head to the side, not fully understanding the question. The journalist took it as an indication to explain further, “Since last year, people have brought up how the public has been favoring your mother’s side when it was clear as day how abusive she was.”Another reporter chimed in, “That’s true. What do you say now that people across social media say that you didn’t deserve the hate you’ve received over the years? And that it should be aimed at your mother instead?”To say that Andrea was utterly flabbergasted was an understatement. Where was this coming from? She replied, “I must say that aside from acting, I’ve also refrained from social media, so I’m not entirely sure how to respond.”She noticed their faces drop at her answer, expecting a juicy detail
The foamed chair felt like rough concrete as Sebastian sat on it in discomfort. He swallowed every now and then, wishing that he had a glass of whiskey in his hand right now. He looked around the office space. The only items that gave it off that it was owned by a doctor were the human anatomy poster and the examination table on the corner.Sebastian told himself, “There’s still time. You could leave right now before he comes to prove that your feelings for Lilith are not shallow.” Because what he just asked Doctor Abel to do was hypocritic of what he told Edgar Quinn.But it was too late. Doctor Abel opened the door to his office with a file in hand. “You rich folks are something else, I’ll tell you that.”“W-what did you find?” Sebastian choked out.When he returned to Hopedale Hospital, he didn’t let Lilith know. Sebastian went straight to Madeline’s previous doctor and asked him for a favor. “Could you please check Lilith Quinn’s medical reports? I have to know if she really is si
The high that Andrea got from the press release was still present even if it had been a day already. It was a good decision on Ren’s part to block all interviews and questions, seeing that they already had amassed great interest in the movie, which was all she cared about. She was happy that in the end, people talked not only about her but the others involved in the film as well.Also, it was fun reading the comments.“Star-studded cast for ‘Devotion of the Past’, looking forward to it.”“I never in my life wished for anything other than Andrea’s return.”“I didn’t know Elian was this handsome without the cape and long hair.”“Did you see the director? Did you see his face? He had no business hiding that face from all of us!”“When I hear Darren Harris, I used to just imagine the golden face of the Oscar award. When I actually saw him, I went through the five stages of grief because I know I can never marry him. How could God be this cruel, making all these accomplished, handsome men
Sebastian’s demeanor had stayed the same even days after his last visit to the hospital. “But at least he’s easier to talk to this time,” Robert thought. The CEO still had the dark, baggy eyes and messy hair, but he had ceased his threats of terminating his assistant.He set the stacks of documents on Sebastian’s table as the latter scribbled on some papers and looked up at his computer screen from time to time. “Hmm, make sure the executives don’t cancel the meeting at 3. I just know that they’re trying to evade me,” Sebastian said without looking at him, still preoccupied with reading a report.Robert didn’t remember the last time he fetched the CEO from his home. Had he been staying here the whole time? The CEO’s office did have a living space akin to a luxury condominium hidden in one of its doors. Sebastian only used them when he was extremely busy during the last merger.He only let work occupy the majority of his time. No attending social gatherings, no meals with his grandfath
Andrea kept wiping her hands in her pants as she waited outside her home for a specific black, premium sedan to arrive. She checked Anastasia’s cottage swing dress for the tenth time, adjusting her braid once more.“What will you say if Grandpa arrives?”“Good mowning, Gwandpa!” The toddler raised her arms in a welcoming fashion.Madeline laughed behind her. “Relax, Mama. I don’t think Edmond will mind if Ana says something else.” She gave a comforting pat on the back. “What about you? Do you know what you’re going to say when he’s here?”Andrea groaned, “Mom! I’m already nervous as it is. You’re making it worse!”“I know, I’m sorry,” Madeline’s hushed tone soothed her as the older woman chuckled, “I’m just teasing.”“Ugh, I have a speech drilled into my head. But I’m sure that I won’t be able to say one line,” Andrea admitted. She looked to her mother and took both her hands, eyes begging. “Can’t you just be the one to show him Ana? Tell him I had to be somewhere or I’m sick and I we
Christmas was coming up in the Fray household and it collectively being the family’s favorite holiday meant that a grand celebration was to be expected.Andrea was checking her list of groceries for the meals they were going to cook. She muttered to herself, “We still need butter and pecans for the pie. Dad and Robert like prime rib so I’ll have to drop by the deli. Great timing cause Ren also wants a ham all of a sudden. And lastly, sweet potato and marshmallows for Mom’s casserole. I think that’s it. Gosh, I just hope that this is enough for everyone.” Having invited Darren, the Simons, and other family friends, her concerns began to grow.“I think I’ll just double everything. My team is also coming and I want everyone to take something home.” Andrea sighed. True to their words, her team from even when she was still Andrea Scout kept their promise and chose to work for her again. It even made Ren tear up a little. She smiled fondly and hugged the piece of paper.“I think you forgot
The chatter inside the Fray house had little to alleviate the awkwardness between the family as guests arrived one by one. It was only pointed out when the Simons arrived, with Ren saying, “Where’s the family that goes wild when it’s Christmas? Halloween’s more than a month ago, but it’s so gloomy here!”She noted how far apart they were with their gazes avoiding each other. Andrea replied, giving her a fake laugh, “What are you talking about, Ren? Maybe you just need some wine. I’ll help you find it.” She gave Robert a short peck on the cheeks before veering her best friend away to the kitchen.But little, dear Anastasia chose to answer for them. “Mama and Pop-pop fighting because of me,” she said with crossed arms and pouty lips. It turned out the toddler was following the two women closely as she anticipated the box with a thick, red ribbon enclosing it that Ren had in her hands.Again, Andrea tried to wave it off with a laugh, but her manager stopped her this time. “Andy, you bett
All heads turned towards where the sound came from. “Oh, must be carolers!” Madeline eagerly clasped her hands together. Having only little contact with Castrana before moving to America, she was open to experiencing all sorts of things over again. Even something as simple as listening to a bunch of kids sings out of sync and tune.“Quick, Anastasia! Wear your coat!” She urged her granddaughter which the latter happily followed.“Okay, calm down, Grandma. I’ll check who it is first,” Andrea chuckled as she walked to the door. The doorbell rang for the second time. She looked at the video intercom and with a sulky face, she said, “Sorry, Mom. It’s a delivery man.” Both Madeline and Anastasia pouted and wailed, “Aww.”“What is it?” She asked through the speaker.The other line crackled before the man could speak. “Delivery for Miss Andy F.”“Must be from any of my friends,” she thought. People who knew her well would always put Andy F. when they wanted to send her something without rev
“This, so far, is what I’ve decided to put in my book. If you’re reading this right now, then that means that I finally chose to let the world know my story. You may or may not have heard of me. I’ve been introduced to many names. Cobbett, Scout, Adams, and Fray. But I don’t want to let any of those affiliations define who I am. What I choose to do after everything that happened to me is what I believe determines me.” “Andy! Darren just texted. He and his wife are almost here. We can't miss your second Oscar nomination together!” Sebastian called out from outside the study. It was funny how in the end, Darren became much closer to Sebastian that it made Andrea jealous rather than the other way around. “Coming!” Andrea answered as she contentedly sealed the paper and placed it on top of a hardbound, azure book. She looked at it for a few seconds, getting lost in every letter. “Momma! Auntie Wen said to come quick!” A small boy with curly hair and brown eyes with golden flecks grapple
They couldn’t fully put everything behind them as Lilith was still nowhere to be found, but Sebastian and Andrea knew that it was time to move on. Maybe it was true what other people said about her. Maybe Lilith had found a reason that made her leave her life.After more than a year of coming to terms with their tragic past, Sebastian once again popped the question. He had flown everyone to the private island in the Maldives that he had rented before.“You bought it?” Andrea almost screamed when she learned that Sebastian didn’t rent the island for their honeymoon. Instead, he made it seem like he just leased it.“Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything because you were so judgemental of rich people. I didn’t want your first impression of me as your husband to be that of someone who buys things excessively,” Sebastian fibbed.He had already talked to everyone about his proposal except of course with Andrea. Eugene immediately agreed while Madeline gave him a stern warning and advice.So t
Weeks turned to months and no sign of the wanted criminal had emerged. Despite all their efforts, she was too slick in evading and hiding from authorities.But finally, the Adams, Frays, and their loved ones had slowly started to build a semblance of a normal life.After her warrant was sent out, Sebastian had also released his statement regarding the matter. He explained to the public how and why this all went down. They decided to keep it vague, not wanting to share every small detail. But enough for the people to understand what happened.And in this duration, the same people who hurled hateful comments at the actress now give her support. As they began to understand that the information they’d been fed was lies, they turned against the source of these. Lilith Quinn.And now, Andrea Fray had the opportunity to tell her story in her own words.Sat on a powder blue couch and facing a whole group of lights and cameras from all angles, the actress recounted the stories that she chose t
“He’s a good man, Harris,” Sebastian told Andrea who was cuddling against his chest. The two sat in her yard, enjoying the light sea breeze that passed by.“I know, that’s why he became my friend, “ she replied. “Look at you, getting all warmed up with Darren.” He didn’t know but Andrea was ecstatic that her partner and her closest male friend would be on good terms.“I’m not,” Sebastian tried to deny. “It’s only because he told me about you going to Clayton by yourself and the other stuff he did for you.”“That’s why I wish he could find his own happiness.” Andrea looked up at the sky and coincidentally, found a shooting star. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and made the exact wish.“Why didn’t you wish for yourself or for me?” Sebastian questioned her with a sulky expression.“Are you kidding? I’ve already found my happiness.” Andrea gestured at where they were and who they were with.In front of them was Anastasia. The toddler was so engrossed with the film that was playing
“You are not your fear, Andrea. You are not your trauma,” Andrea said her usual chant as she got out of her car and faced the menacing high, concrete walls of Fort Havenshaw.“I can do this, I chose to do this,” she whispered with eyes shut. The dread had finally caught up to her. Andrea’s bravado had waned the nearer she was to that person.When she told the hesitant Darren that she could do it, Andrea thought that she could. But now, she’s convinced that it was just false toughness.Andrea couldn’t feel the tip of her fingertips as her whole body had turned rigid. As opposed to the bright, sunny day that graced them, an unknown source of penetrating cold had entered her body. It didn’t plan to leave anytime soon.A part of her said, “It’s not too late to turn back. You still haven’t gotten inside the prison.”Andrea’s eyes went back and forth, from the fort entrance to her car handle. A drop of sweat had begun to roll down the side of her face. “Shit!” She exclaimed as Andrea reache
“You heard what Monique said. We can only secure Lilith’s conviction if we get a confession. I know it’s a shot in the dark. But if there’s a possibility of Alvis having a recording of Lilith, then it’s worth it,” Andrea firmly said.It made Darren sigh heavily. He scratched his nape, daunted by Andrea’s strategy. He asked, “And you’re not having any second thoughts about this?”She nodded her head sharply. “I’m a hundred percent sure. Sebastian could only hold off Lilith’s scheme on the wedding for so long.”“What does he think about this?”He noticed her flinch when he asked the question. “He doesn’t know,” Darren answered for himself.Andrea grimaced at the fact and said, “I’ll tell him once it’s done. That way, we could save ourselves the trouble.” She only confided with Darren about her plan because he was the most understanding of all her friends.“I’ll go with you,” Darren insisted. These past days of hanging out with just the two of them brought him back to the past. Back when
“The evidence you gave us is very good. But a confession from Quinn would solidify this case so that the jury doesn’t find reasonable doubt to convict her,” the counselors and detective working on Lilith’s case told Andrea’s group.“We can arrest her now on these grounds, but we’re very sure that she would clam up and call the best lawyers their money could buy. And we all know how that will turn out.”They became familiar with the process. Lilith’s lawyers would talk directly with the court that she was not being lawfully held despite the mounting evidence against her. She wouldn’t even spend a night in jail because of who she was. A millionaire heiress so of course, the judge would favor her. Then she’d get out and wreak havoc into their lives as if nothing happened.Their hearts sank after hearing that all their efforts could do was a small dent in Lilith's case.“There’s a possibility that we can win this case,” the lead prosecutor, Monique Perrin, informed them. “But her admittin
When Sebastian heard Andrea yell out, he was ready to attack the person and run amok in her house. But when she turned to see who it was, Andrea was already squeezing the guy with a bear hug. “Oh, it’s you! Gosh, I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t!” She blurted out, her chest still heaving at high speed. “I’m sorry, Andy. I was rushing because I thought I was late. They told me to be here hours ago, that’s why I just barged in like that. Sorry,” Darren replied, giving her a light, comforting pat on the back. Sebastian’s posture stiffened as the Simon couple eyed the three of them cautiously. Robert was about to get up from the couch to be beside his boss, in case worse came to worst. But Ren quickly pulled her down. “You disrupt this drama, I will go on a rampage,” she warned him. Still oblivious to the brittle atmosphere that was created by Darren’s sudden arrival, Andrea continued to face her friend while holding both his hands. She began to bombard him with apolog
“So I’m guessing you two are on good terms now, huh?” Ren mused after seeing Andrea and Sebastian share another glance that could only be described as coy. The billionaire was visiting the Fray house and at the moment was spending his after-work time with his daughter.“Put it on top. There. Not the owange one! It has to be bwue!“ Anastasia pointed and ordered Sebastian and Robert where to place the blocks as they assembled a building that replicated her father’s company.Andrea giggled at her daughter’s bossiness. Who else but her father would she get that kind of attitude from?She scoffed at her best friend, “Of course, we should be for Ana’s sake.” It had been days since they got back together again. Though the two chose to keep their relationship hidden for a while, at least until they’ve sorted out the Lilith issue.Ren rolled her eyes and sighed, “Oh please, Andy. Even a blind person would easily know that you two are on more than good terms. If you know what I’m saying.” She w