"Just Ibanez? Where is Otiz?" AJ looked upset.
Ed had just told him that from now on, Ibanez alone would be picking him up. Otiz was going to be replaced by Ibanez.
"Is Otiz really ill? Isn't he getting better? Like Abuela?"
Tears welled up in AJ’s eyes. As far as AJ knew, Jade had passed away from illness, and now he thought Otiz wouldn’t come back for the same reason.
"No." While crouching in front of AJ, Ed gently patted his head. Ed had forgotten how close AJ was to Otiz when he casually mentioned it earlier. Now he realized he had to explain it better.
"Otiz is no longer working for me. So only Ibanez will be picking you up from now on," Ed said.
"You fired him?!" AJ was ready to get mad.
"Where did you learn that word?" Ed groaned, unsure of when or how AJ had picked it up.
"Why did you fire him?! You can't!" AJ grabbed Ed’s hand, crying even more.
"I didn’t just fire him, AJ. Otiz has his o
"What do you mean?" As the furrow of confusion on his forehead deepened, Otiz's eyes squinted, nearly closing."You must be well aware that working with me comes with the high risk of a short life, right? How many times have you gotten hurt for me? As far as I can recall, it’s happened twice. I'm not even counting the minor incidents. I don’t want you to be in danger all the time."Ed could only remember two major ones. When Pedro and Marco nearly killed him in the forest and the time in New York. Two situations that, if anything had gone wrong, could've easily cost him his life."But... that's my job. I’m here to protect you. I don’t feel forced or afraid. So…"Ed smiled and raised his hand. "I'm not accusing you of being afraid or anything like that. I just want to save you. And as for your 'duty,' I already told you yesterday; that doesn't apply anymore. You don’t have to die for me. And don’t say you’re
"Otiz?!"Lori shrieked in surprise, seeing Otiz standing in the front room. She glanced around in panic. She hadn't invited Otiz, and it would be a disaster if anyone found out. She had stepped out after the servant mentioned a guest, but she didn’t expect Otiz to be the one who showed up.“What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call me first?” Lori grabbed Otiz’s hand, trying to pull him outside. But Otiz held her hand firmly.“What’s going on?” Lori was confused.“Did I leave something at your place? Why did you bring it here? Just take it to my apartment!” Lori continued.Lori was at her parents' house at the moment, but she wasn’t always there. Though she lived separately, she stayed at her parents' house whenever she was too lazy to handle any household chores, including cooking, eating, and the like.The house had servants, so Lori didn’t have to lift a finger whe
"Andreas, someone wants to talk to you, darling."In a nearly playful tone, Adela knocked on the office door. She closed it before hearing a response."Come in.""Come on." Adela gestured for Otiz to enter."Look who’s here." Adela proudly presented Otiz to her husband, who was visibly surprised."Oh...""I like this one." Adela giggled, winking at her husband."Hmm... yes. Could you leave us for a moment? You can come back later." Andreas gently dismissed her.Adela didn’t look pleased, narrowing her eyes, but she stepped back towards the door. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes clearly signaled that Andreas had better tell her everything later."Alright... alright..." Andreas agreed to the unspoken request; only then did Adela leave."I'm surprised," Andreas said as he gestured to the chair in front of his desk, inviting Otiz to sit."I'm surprised you managed to find me. You spoke wi
"You're sad." Ruby extended her hand, reaching for Ed's as he sat beside her on the sand.They were at the beach, enjoying the sunset. It had become a routine for them lately, whenever Ed was home. The sea breeze brought a refreshing feeling to Ruby, whose head easily ached."You know." Ed smiled and kissed the back of Ruby's hand. He didn’t say anything, but Ruby could feel it."It's about Otiz." Ruby wasn’t guessing; she was sure. Ed had talked about it, and so had AJ, who hadn’t stopped complaining since earlier that day. He still couldn’t accept that Otiz no longer worked for Ed."Yeah. I’ll be really busy without him." Ed sighed.He could already imagine what working without Otiz would be like. Ibanez could serve as a bodyguard, but handling desk work wouldn’t be as smooth. Ed would probably need to find someone who could replace Otiz and manage the administrative details."You wouldn’t be sad if you only needed him for work." Ruby gent
Ed smiled. "I was worried you'd be stubborn. Luckily, your love for her is strong enough to make this decision."Otiz nodded, then lowered his head. He had made his decision but still felt guilty."Sorry, I...""Nonsense. I'm the one who told you to go. Why apologize?" Ed immediately dismissed it."But I'm quitting halfway.""Did you want to see it through to the end? The end of that road might mean you're no longer alive. This is the right decision," Ed retorted."But you'll be alone. I should be looking after you." Otiz became emotional again. He still couldn’t fully let go."Come on... that job isn't yours anymore. And I won’t be alone either. Don’t exaggerate." Ed smiled and patted Otiz’s shoulder."I’ll miss you, but I’ll be thrilled to see you build a life with the woman you love. If you stayed with me and got heartbroken, I'd worry more. I don’t want to see you like that—an
“I don’t think there’s anything left to do. The police closed the case last week, and I haven’t seen any movement behind the scenes. The president seems convinced this was just an ordinary accident,” Asher said, folding his laptop shut.He had just shown Ed the official police investigation report that hadn’t been made public yet. Of course, he’d acquired it illegally.“Isn’t there any risk for Val? She met with Obrador’s house staff,” Ed asked. Val had made direct contact. She could leave a trail.“No. Val was interrogated by the police, but... I prepared some evidence.” Asher opened his laptop again and showed a video.Ed squinted, trying to make out the face in what looked like a CCTV recording. It appeared that Obrador was meeting Val. They exchanged words and then parted ways. Obrador got back into his car.The video showed a transaction before the accident, clearing
“What did you just call me?! I’m not pretending to be busy!” Liz was clearly not having it."If you're busy, why are you wasting time here? Or are you deliberately following me?” Asher teased.“Following you? For what? Don’t flatter yourself!” Liz snapped.“Well, you’re always here in the morning, just like when I’m here. What would you call that if not following?” Asher wasn’t fazed by Liz’s anger, while Liz turned redder with fury.“My boutique is right over there! You’re the one who shouldn’t be here! You have no reason to be here!” Liz pointed to a corner of the street where her boutique stood.“You’re following me!” Now Liz pointed back.“Why would I follow you? You’re not my type.” Asher sneered, eyeing Liz from head to toe.“Heh, Pig! Do you think I’d ever want you?! You’re
Liz smiled and waved at the customer who had just left her store. It was satisfying, as the customer had bought quite a few dresses and accessories, but it wasn't enough.The sales figures for the third week since her store had opened weren’t reaching what Liz had hoped for. Not big enough. She had managed to draw most of her customers from the boutique where she used to work, but not new ones. Liz couldn’t grow the boutique if there weren’t new customers.Liz got up from the cashier’s counter and stared out at the street. Many people—both tourists and locals—walked by, but not many looked at her shop.But there was nothing wrong with how it looked. Liz knew her shop was beautiful. It should have attracted buyers with pastel colors, mannequins showcasing trendy outfits, and a cozy atmosphere. But apparently, it hadn’t.Liz knew she had to be patient in order to see results, and that it would take time to grow. Liz