WINTER:“All I am saying is that your gratitude to him was already too much,” Cali insisted. “For me, it's not normal, Pumpkin. Isn't giving him a salary enough?”My nostrils flared.I will just think that he said those words out of worry for me. That he did not want anyone to abuse my kindness. “No. His salary is not enough.”“Pumpkin…I'm only trying to explain it to you.”I gritted my teeth. “How dare you say it was not normal,” I growled. “You just don't know how grateful I am for all the things Hawk did for me and the family. You were not there during those times, Calcifer. That's why it was easy for you to say that I should not be grateful to him. Here's the thing. Even if I told him a couple of times my gratitude, I could still not repay my bodyguard.”He stared at me for a long time and then heaved a sigh in resignation. “You will keep on defending him.”“Of course, I would. If not, who will? Our bond is stronger than the wind.” Cali did not know what kind of man Hawk was. A
HAWK:"Uncle Hawk, can you carry me, please?" Liam asked when we were done playing on the children's playground. “My feet are hurting now.”I guessed it was because of running so much with the other kids. This kid knew how to play and interact with the other children. Miss Winter had asked me to babysit the kid, saying she and that asshole would go somewhere else. From the way that asshole was staring at Miss Winter, it seemed the two were going on a date.Were they having a great time? Where did that jerk bring Miss Winter? Did he bring him snacks? My chest tightened.I wanted to ask Miss Winter where they would go, but held my tongue. Without verifying, I was certain that they would go on a date. And what was the assurance that Miss Winter would tell me the truth if I did ask? She won't.I was brought back to the present when Liam tugged the hem of my jacket, grabbing my attention."You're not listening, Uncle Hawk." Sweat coated his forehead and the kid smelled like the sun. I t
WINTER:My insides were boiling with anger as I continued recalling my ex-husband’s affection for his wife. Did he love her that much?Maybe their connections were that strong. I drew my knees closer as I continued watching the river. The skies had started clearing while the sun was starting to wink at us. It was clear that that woman deceived Calcifer. What I did not understand was why he kept on defending that woman as if he cared for him. Wait. What if he had lingering feelings for that woman but he was not aware of it? Probably. If not, why did he marry her? Your ex-husband had feelings for Carmela. No doubt. It was undeniable. My chest clenched as I stared at him hard. His eyes were full of mischief. Well, good for him because he was enjoying this while I was not!“Why would I feel jealous of someone who has no class?” I inquired, my voice turning sour. I hugged myself when the cold air hit my face. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Calcifer, but the moment I saw your ex-wife, I
WINTER: “W-We’re here in the Angel River,” I informed Hawk when he continued to study the background at my back as if it was a fine specimen. Recognition hit his face. Dang. I knew he would be familiar with this place. “We’ve been there a couple of times, Miss Winter. Did you forget? Why did you not tell me that you’re going there?” Hawk inquired. I forced a smile. “Yes, we did come here. Remember when someone said she liked you? That she was your super fan?”He squinted as if he no longer wanted to remember that memory. That woman saw how Hawk saved a child from drowning. “That's already part of the past, Miss Winter. I don't want to remember that scary woman." I laughed, recalling the memory. The woman became his stalker and even followed him on social media. She even found out about the house that we were living in and would always come here, on the same spot just to check if he was also with me. Because of that woman, Hawk rarely opened his account for fear that the woma
WINTER:You know that reaction where you were busted doing evil things? It was like that in the case of Miss Nathalia. She forze, and slowly glanced over her shoulder to see his half-brother staring down at her.I did not have any idea if Calciferol was talking as her half-brother or his boss as of the moment,"Daddy! Mommy!" Liam called the moment he saw us. Nathalia sighed in relief at the adlib of the awkward situation she was in. Liam jumped over the sofa and ran towards me and Cali. He hugged me tightly while I ruffled his hair and embraced him.Inhaling deeply, I could smell the bar of soap and shampoo from his hair and body. Hawk never failed to take care of him. “Did you have a great time while we were away, Liam?”He nodded. “Yes, Mommy. I had a great time with Uncle Hawk.”“Good.” My eyes shifted to the three. The tense atmosphere was still present in the room and with Liam present, I did not think that would be a nice sight to see. "Miss Nathalia. Would you mind answerin
WINTER:“I’m not saying they are siblings, Miss Winter. I don’t see any similarities at all,” Hawk retorted. “But there is something between them which I could not pinpoint.” He completely turned his focus on me. “Is there something you are hiding, Miss Winter?”My mouth felt dry while my heart hammered against my chest. “W- What are you trying to say? Besides, why did the attention shift to me when I don't have anything to do with this drama?”I bit the inside of my cheeks as they continued watching me. Hawk's eyes were full of suspicion but he was not voicing them. “You're acting suspicious, Miss Winter.”“I’m not! Why would I be suspicious?”Dang it.Why did I sound as if I was defensive? And why did I care if Hawk would find out that the two were half-siblings? I admitted that it was based on impulse so I suddenly butted in. For crying out loud, I was merely an expectation among the three. Simple…You don’t want Hawk to hate Nathalia just because of her relationship with your ex
WINTER:I was left speechless at Cali’s statement.I was not expecting what he would say.Me rejecting Hawk? There were times when I did think about that. That I should follow what my heart dictated, but then my mind would go back to Hawk and how the rejection would hurt him.I could not do it. I did not want to hurt him. "Pumpkin? Despite the revelations I found now, of Nathalia liking your bodyguard, can I still say that I have a higher chance now that my secretary wanted your bodyguard for herself?"My mouth opened and closed. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. It was only a yes or a no answer, but why did it seem like it was difficult to answer? "Pumpkin? Please tell me if I have a better chance now?"He always had a higher probability of being accepted as my boyfriend. But then, what about Hawk?I instantly pulled my hand away and distanced myself away from him. "I did not say anything like that, Cali. All I am saying is that you don't have the right to dictate to Nat
HAWK:I breathed deeply, seeing the scenery ahead of me. It felt like my chest was being stabbed a couple of times and it seemed like the pain was a million times worse than being burned alive.The rain continued pouring outside. The air felt colder. “Oh, what a lovely couple we have here,” Natalia murmured. “They looked so much together, right?”She was watching my reaction. And right now, I did not care what she would see. “You're speechless,” she commented and pinched my cheeks. Seeing the direction of my eyes, she continued, "Do you see them right now? They looked so sweet, right?" Nathalia whispered in my ears watching Miss Winter, cuddled next to her ex-husband. Someone killed me now. The more I watched them, the pain intensified even more. I could not see their faces since their backs were against us, but I could feel that Miss Winter was happy. If she was not, she would be pushing that bastard away.She thought Nathalia had gone home…Was that the reason why she lowered