Phyllis silently listened to him. Hearing him show his displeasure with his mother is a first for her. Though she knows that he doesn't have a good relationship with his mother, she did not realize it was this bad because he never speaks about her. She can see that he is upset, just because his mother is trying to involve herself in his life. As far as she knows, she doesn't have any reason to visit GEM Entertainment. She is a virtuous wife of a senator, who stayed away from the entertainment industry. She never had any connection with showbiz aside from Zacharias, who's a famous singer. “I don't understand her now, babe… All my life she told me not to speak of her because she doesn't want to be involved in the dirty entertainment industry…” “And yet, she's here. Getting involved with our company. What am I supposed to think?!” “Yes, it was not a secret that I'm her son. But she doesn't want to be involved with me…” he opened up. It was difficult for him to open up about his di
[All About Victoria Emory's Charity Event For St. Mary's Orphanage] [Victoria Emory Shares Joyous Moments With Children In St. Mary's Orphanage] In the lifestyle magazine, Centriona Metro Life, articles about Victoria Emory's charity work were published. Details about her kindness and compassion were noted in the magazine's article. As the wife of Arthur Emory, she helped maintain his image to the citizens. They were a loving couple in politics who were never involved in any controversy. They kept a low profile, but still, opened up enough for the people to know what they were up to. “Victoria Emory involved herself with various charity works with children as they have a special place in her heart. As a mother and a wife who supports the Emory household, it was important for her to stand by the causes that are special for her and for her husband.” Leila read a passage aloud from the magazine article for Victoria Emory. Who is famous for being a charitable woman. She casually si
Phyllis sighed. Exhaustion is evident in her eyes as she leans back on the couch. “I don't know…” “I mean, you've always been so involved with Luna, so I thought you'd do something about it. My dear, let's not play dumb. This article insinuates something more, and you know that.” Phyllis completely understands Leila's point. It's just that, now that his mother is involved, she cannot do things like before. She has to take into consideration that she is her husband's mother. So, even if Zacharias has bad blood with his mother, she cannot make a move on her own. At the very least, she has to consult him first. 'As much as I want to help, it's not like Aias will ask for my help…' 'Even if he knows I'm capable of solving his problem, I don't think he will ask.' “I'm sure Zacharias has a plan for that.” She briefly answered her friend to end their questions about his mother and the mayor's daughter. She'll wait and see what will happen next. For now. … Weeks passed and Phylli
Zacharias went home late after a busy day in the office and went straight to their bedroom. His tired body immediately climbed the bed and embraced Phyllis’ body. “Tired from work?” Phyllis softly asked. “Hmmm…” he hummed in response as he snuggled in tightly. Phyllis turned around to hug him back. “Did something happen at work?”“No… Nothing special happened. It was just a normal tiring day…”“I see…”Phyllis remained silent for a minute or two, pondering about Tiffany’s visit to her husband’s office. Of course, she was perfectly assured. In her mind, she was alright, she was fine. But something about that girl makes her feel kind of… unsettled… “Did you eat already?” He kissed her forehead. “Yep, I did, babe…”“Then, let’s sleep?”“Hmm…”…The next day, Phyllis went to visit GEM Entertainment’s office with her friend Ellianna. She has no business agenda or anything, she just wanted to see the situation. “Why did you ask me to come when you can go yourself?” Ellianna whispered
Zacharias greeted his wife, Phyllis with a warm embrace and a soft peck on the cheek. “I heard from Taylor that you're visiting that's why I'm here.” In an instant, she felt all the frustrations fly away with his touch. But still, her expression remained the same. “Yeah, I'm just visiting with my friend, Ellianna.” Zacharias then turned to Ellianna and smiled. He offered his hand politely. “Hi, nice to finally meet you.” Ellianna shook his hand amiably and said, “It's a pleasure of mine to meet the famous Zacharias Lohr from Luna.” Zacharias chuckled and placed his arms around Phyllis' shoulders. “I hope I'm famous in a good way.” Ellianna smiled downward and shrugged her shoulders. “Well…” Zacharias took a quick glance at Phyllis and apologetically smiled. “I know, I know… A lot has been going on in the media right now…” “Well, yeah… I think you have another problem you need to settle.” He paused, reminding him of Tiffany's visit. Of course, he got the gist of what was happe
“...Phyllis and I? We are so close, closer than—well—let's just leave it at that.” “We're close friends!” Aster insisted. “Am I dating Phyllis?” “Oh guys, guys you're going to get me in trouble! I won't confirm something without her permission!” He chuckled and quickly added, “I'm kidding!” Phyllis watched the live show be filled with a flurry of comments about what Aster said. 'I really hope it's true! LisTer shipper here!' 'AAAAAHHHHH NO MY HUSBAND IS MINE!' 'I heard she's from the Lu family who owns many businesses! Our Aster really got an heiress as a girlfriend!' 'I think it's only right for him to date someone who could match his dancing techniques!' 'Phyllis, Aster is OUR boyfriend, okay? In our fandom, we share!' Reading the comments instantly made her blood boil. There were a bunch of comments about her relationship with Aster. “No, you guys! Stop with the comments, Phyllis will get mad,” he said in a light tone. He appears to be stopping them but his tone
“I heard you're dating the boy from Muse's family.” The brigadier general, Lorenzo Clemens, casually continued eating as if the news of granddaughter did not bother him. “Grandpa, we're just friends!” Alisha reasoned with a scowl. She hated it when she was being interrogated about her personal affairs. “Honey, let Alisha be. She's just tired from her work,” Emilia gently backed her granddaughter up as she pats her husband's arm. Lorenzo glanced at Emilia and seriously said, “That's why my grandchildren are all useless. It's because you spoil them!” “Grandpa, you know I'm not useless. I'm an internet celebrity with thousands of followers! You just—“ CLANG! Lorenzo angrily placed his utensils on his glass plate causing it to silence Alisha. “That's not a real job! you're already twenty-six years old and yet you can't find a real job!” “Yes, it is!” THUD! With a slam on the wooden dining table, Alisha froze. “Grandpa…” “Emilia set up a meeting with Muse's family,” he firmly
Emilia entered the Muse's mansion with a graceful smile. Her granddaughter, Alisha, followed her while carrying a paper bag full of gifts. “Welcome, welcome,” Elise Muse, Aster's mother, greeted them in a warm tone. “Auntie, good afternoon,” Alisha smiled. Elise embraced Alisha and gave her a cheek kiss. She has already got a good look at the granddaughter of the military general. She was a famous internet celebrity with a good fashion sense. She was petite and pretty. However, if she was being honest, she did not like Alisha. She knew her son could bring in a more outstanding woman than her. Considering the number of issues that Aster was getting because of the leaked photos, she needed Alisha to clear out her son's name. Overall, she's not that bad. With her grandfather as the respectable brigadier general, she's not a bad choice for her son. They have many clients from the military, so having her in their family is a wise move. Arranging marriages is not the norm in to
Zacharias remembered the moment when his childhood playmate, Phyllis, developed a fear of blood because of an incident when they were young. After that incident, he limited his visits to her as she was attending therapy. He felt guilty for what happened to her. If they did not play in their house on that day, then perhaps, none of it would have happened. Now that 15 years have passed since that incident, the memories still remain vivid. But thankfully, it's only him that remembered, not Phyllis. Seated comfortably in a coffee shop in East City, he sipped his coffee as he waited for Hill, his online friend that he impulsively invited for a coffee. 'He said he'll wear the Grand Monster hoodie that we bought online…' He looked around and saw no one who wore the same hoodie that he was wearing. Cling-ring! The sound of the door chime ringing prompted Zacharias to look at the entrance. There he saw a person wearing the Grand Monster hoodie. But… That person is not someone who
On a sunny day in the Lohr family's mansion, two little kids were playing in the garden. Zacharias was happily playing with the three years old Phyllis, who was the daughter of the family next door. “Aiash, hide and sheek! Hide and sheek!” The little Phyllis yelled as she ran around the garden with Zacharias chasing behind her. “I'm coming to get you!” he teased as he grabbed her arms. Phyllis playfully giggled as she shook her arms away from Zacharias. “Hahaha! No more tag! Hide and sheek now!” she requested from her playmate. “Okay, okay. Let's rest first.” He then led her to lean against the tree. “Aiash, let's play more games when Lian gets home!” CRASH! The loud sound startled the little girl which prompted her to hold onto Zacharias' shirt. “Aiash, Aiash,” she nervously gripped his shirt. “WINSTON I HATE YOU!” CRASH! CRASH! “Stop it Victoria! Zach will hear you!” Screams from the inside of the house can be heard from the garden. Zacharias, who was so us
“You…” her voice quivered as her hands started to loosen her grip on the handle.She lightly opened the door, enough for him to enter. But because of her fear of confrontation, she still hid behind the door. Her eyes were shut, still nervous about meeting him again after how many days. She knows it’s him. She knows him by his voice. She knows him by his scent. She knows him by heart. THUMPTHUMPTHUMPHis clean scent smelled like home is getting stronger. ‘He’s near…’‘He’s here…’Her heart thumped violently as the excitement, happiness, guilt, fear, sadness, and anxiety fill her in. She felt everything all at once. But it did not feel suffocating for her. Rather, she felt so comfortable, like she was in her safest place.“I’m here now,” he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. ‘I… I’m home…’She gripped his shirt tightly as she guiltily shed tears. “I’m sorry…”“I’m sorry for leaving, Aias… I’m sorry…” she said in between her cries. Zacharias hugged her tightly and said
“Phyllis, where are you?! Your husband went here and told us what happened! Why did you suddenly leave?!” The moment that Phyllis settled in her hotel room, the loud voice of her mom reached her ears. “Mom, calm down…” “Calm down?! You did not tell us that you're going out of the country and you expect me to calm down?! You did not even answer all of my calls earlier! We were so worried!” “Zacharias told me you wanted to get away from the press and we understand that… But you have to at least inform us so we can make necessary arrangements for you!” Phyllis held her phone tightly as she braced herself for her mother's scolding. “Mom…” “You're not a teenager anymore, you're an adult! You don't have to tell us everything that you do but you have to at least not make us worry!” Phyllis sat at the edge of the bed and quietly listened to her mom speak. She did not have the heart to respond to her, especially if she knows that she was in the wrong. “Phyllis, I know you're stres
"Sir, we've already cleared them off.” Zacharias peeked through the window to see if there were still some people from the press. They were quite easy to spot. They're usually wearing face masks and caps with huge cameras in tow. Seeing that there was none, he turned to Phyllis, who was busy packing his stuff. “Good. Please get the car ready, we're going down now,” he said on the phone. He then tucked his phone inside his pocket and approached Phyllis. “Is there anything else we need to pack, babe?” Phyllis just shook her head and said, “Nope, I got it, babe.” Just as she was about to head out while carrying the tote bag, she was hugged by Zacharias from her back. His strong arms embraced her dainty shoulders and whispered, “I miss you…” Phyllis, who was still not over with the commotion from earlier, dismissed him with a tap on his arms. “Don't be ridiculous, we're literally together. How can you miss me?” He inched his body closer to hers, letting her feel the warmth of
With all the controversy about the Klein family, they were completely mobbed by reporters, trying to get a statement from them. In just a matter of two days, the kind-hearted mayor disappeared from the public. Soon after the various documents that were reported, another video went viral. It was a video of Mayor Klein mocking the poor victims of a fire that destroyed a small neighborhood in the city. The area was small and a little cramped and so firetrucks had a hard time killing the fire until it ate the majority of the houses. In the video, the mayor was smiling to the public and promised to help them as much as he can as he helped with the distribution of basic necessities like food and clothing. But the next clip showed him mocking the victims because they were dirtying his beautiful city. His statement instantly gained critics. His image as the kind and caring mayor of Lieren City was crushed in a matter of seconds. No one likes a politician who looks down on his people. “
A large amount of Rohypnol content was found in his lab results. And contrary to what Phyllis suspected, the drug was not laced in the microchip but on the needle itself. Zacharias woke up after three long hours and is currently resting. He's just waiting for the drug to leave his body. The microchip was also taken out of his arm per his request and Phyllis' insistence. “Babe, please stop crying… The chip is already taken out…” Zacharias consoled Phyllis, who was sitting beside his bed. She has been taking care of him earnestly and has not taken a good sleep since the incident. He gently patted her back to comfort her. “I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry… We were researching microchips, babe…” “Hick—and the person who made that was a colleague of mine… If only I did not introduce this technology to him,” she said in between her sobs. She felt incredibly guilty about what happened to Zacharias. “Babe, it's not your fault. It's all on Tiffany who orchestrated all this, okay? It'
The ambulance rushed to the hospital with the unconscious Zacharias, Phyllis, and Leila cramped inside. Now that Phyllis got Zacharias to safety, everything that went down earlier started to finally sink in. When she attacked the bulky man with her heels, it did not cross her mind that some of the blood would squirt on her face. Her hands started to tremble at the sight of blood on her cheeks. She then tapped Leila and murmured in her shaking voice, “Blood…” Noticing the few streaks of blood on Phyllis' face, she hurriedly wiped them off with her blouse. “Shh, it's gone now…” She held Phyllis' hands and gently massaged them. “Okay, breathe with me…” “Inhale…” “Exhale…” “Inhale…” “Exhale…” Leila guided Phyllis with her breathing exercise. Rui taught everyone in their circle how to properly assist Phyllis in case she was triggered. Physical manifestations such as trembling, trouble breathing, and fainting were seen when Phyllis was last triggered. They continued with the bre
A loud thud resounded inside the men's comfort room as Zacharias fell to the floor. His consciousness slowly faded as he tried to reach out for his phone in his pocket. Soon after, a small red light blinked from his right arm. A girl inside a luxurious hotel room tapped the screen on her tablet, revealing a location in Dixon City. “Hurry and bring him up,” she said on the phone. “Got it, miss.” Satisfied with the turn of events, she took a good sip of her pink moscato. “I'll have to thank Auntie Vic for revealing the group's location for tonight.” She giggled as she browsed Phyllis' Ninstagram account. The simple photos posted made Tiffany sneer. She hated Phyllis' perfect life. She despised how Phyllis was cherished by her rich family. She envied how she was surrounded by a successful group of friends. She detested how she excelled academically and in her work. Above all, she hated how she got her crush just because she was his childhood friend. After getting humiliated