Knowing the fact that Maureen was affiliated with Ghino behind my back, her involvement in the case might not only jeopardize our plan but put Judas at risk. So, before the tension between them got extended, I removed Maureen's hands from me. "We know you have a good intention, Maureen. But I'm afraid we cannot get you involved with it. Even Judas didn't want me to know his whereabouts..." "But she knew about his whereabouts, right, Elaine?" Maureen insisted before she crossed her arms around her chest and slightly rested the side of her shoulder on Dylan. "So, what's the point of having this conversation if you didn't know the entire story? How are you going to protect Judas if that would be the case?" Elaine and I exchanged bothered glances, to the point that we ignored the awkward feeling that happened between us before Maureen interrupted our conversation. After reading each other's minds, Elaine nodded at me, still skeptical, but Maureen left us with no other
And I started to get worried when we had nothing with us to defend ourselves, not even a dagger or gun. The worst part of our situation was that we were surrounded by utter darkness. "Do you think we were in the right place, Elaine? Judas was supposed to be meeting us twenty minutes ago. Do you think he changed his mind?" I broke the deafening silence of the junk shop. "Don't worry, Dylan, everything went according to my plan..." Before Elaine could finish her sentence a man with his face entirely covered in a black mask slowly approached us. I pulled Elaine behind me before anything bad happened. "If you are Judas, stay right there!" I exclaimed. Luckily, the man in the black mask heard my furious remarks as he stopped lifting his foot five meters away from us. He then turned his head sideways as though he was scanning the entire place, thinking we brought someone with us. It means to me that he was indeed Judas. But what's with the mask? And why was not saying a
Despite my eyes being fixed on the table across from me, the first thing that I noticed was that Noah and Elaine exchanged glances, especially when Judas avoided making eye-to-eye contact with any of us right after asking him that. Elaine's bothered eyes were telling me that they agreed to my confrontation. We could have done something for them if he or his Mom already told us something from our first time visiting their squatter residence. Needless to say, his Mom also died at the hands of the person behind my dad's death. "You were supposed to be cooperating with us instead of playing hard to get. After all, we have one thing in common. Our loved ones fall into the hands of the same person. So, I'll cut these nonsense demands, Mr. Nacua. Tell us the name of the person who gave your family half a million dollars." The heavy tension that hung in the air overwhelmed the entire room when all of us were put into profound silence. Judas must tell us about his truth and li
Judas' friendly piece of advice shoved an unreachable and unfathomable hole deeply into my heart as he stated nothing but a fact. I don't know if Elaine was aware of this but Maureen can sue us for having an affair. Everyone, not just our employees, but those who recognize the empire will judge us. They will humiliate Elaine, and people will blame her if something bad happens to the company. Our hidden relationship will be investigated by the cops and the board. Everyone would ask me if the rumors about us having an affair were true. And if I made a cover-up, Elaine would get hurt. On the other hand, if I tell them the truth, I may not feel guilty about it, but both of us would be imprisoned. My conscience cannot afford that to happen either. "So you mean I should stop loving Elaine?" I could not help but ask Judas. My heart, despite he hadn't answered yet, sunk into the bottom of the ocean. Elaine and I confessed both our feelings not long ago. That day was
Elaine caressed my shoulders for a few seconds before she removed them from me. Then she turned around, carrying her serious expression. "I'm afraid I can't cancel my schedule with Ghino, Dylan." she hissed. "But we already had our plan, Elaine! Have you forgotten about helping me know the truth behind Dad's death, huh?" I frowned before I insisted. "Can you just skip that part in your marriage? Maureen and I did not do that." We agreed to face all the odds together to make the impossible possible - to follow what our hearts speak - to fight for our love. But from the way I understand her case, she chose Ghino over me. Before Elaine could say a word, she lifted the corners of her lips and turned them into a half smile. Then she reached out to my cheeks and uttered, "I know, Dylan. And I love you. But, have you forgotten I am Ghino's fiancee now?" My heart could not understand and fathom Elaine's upfront response. She loves me yet she cannot be with me was what I un
"Thank you. Just give me a second, am gonna have to answer this outside." I stealth a kiss on Ghino's cheek to make sure he could not afford to get mad at me, especially when the call came from his rival. Then I looked for a perfect place outside where Ghino or anyone from the boutique store could not give attention to me talking to Dylan. "What's up? I can't talk much right now. Ghino gave me three minutes at most." "Hey? It's me, Elaine," Brother Noah's trembling voice rumbled in my ears instead of Dylan's. "Why do you have his phone, Brother Noah? Where's Dylan?" While letting out those words, my anxiety started to burst out. Several thoughts, negative ones, were recreated in my wildest brain. Dylan Spencer, either as the CEO of the Spencer Group and Companies or as my best friend for eight years, barely let anyone touch his phone unless he was on the verge of an emergency. We have been friends as far as my brain can remember, but I can only use his privat
Seeing Ghino with his eyes burning in turmoil was the first time in our four months of being in a relationship. The weird and suffocating sensation felt like he choked me hard in the neck. For some reason, I wasn't expecting someone as calm and understanding as Ghino to get mad to the point that the veins in his neck popped out. What I was about to do was simply check on Dylan but he already threatened me. Even if we have shared the same feelings, after all, I am still his secretary. And part of my job was to take good care of him. "Elaine, are you all right?" Brother Noah contorted his face while looking at me with curiosity and confusion. He slowly dragged his gaze to Ghino who shared the same expression as him. "Aren't you supposed to check on Dylan?" Ghino added, his voice was calm without a trace of his turmoil five seconds ago. Wait, everything that happened five seconds ago was simply part of my helpless daydreaming? "Is everything all right, Elaine?" B
The moment he rested his back on the bed, he cleared his throat and continued, "I mean, considering the commitments we both had. You getting married to my stepbrother soon. And I who already tied the knot with Maureen. Do you think it would be possible for us to be happy without even hurting any of them?" Those lines already popped out of my brain the second Dylan and I expressed and confessed our love for each other. Are we certainly gonna be living in peace once we break up with them? I highly doubt that. Maureen and Ghino will never forgive us. None of them will ever give us a break unless and until they get the justice they deserve for betraying them. From brothers by blood, their relationship would turn into strangers. Ghino would probably reclaim everything Dylan had including the empire, leaving him nothing but Don Romualdo's surname. Probably, I get fired from being Dylan's secretary. Ghino would turn our lives into a living hell. His undying love and care