Cecile and I locked eyes for a few minutes. She still hadn't let go of Miguel. "You're not the one making decisions for Miguel, Caroline," Cecile said sharply, pulling Miguel towards her. "Wait, wait," Miguel said, removing our hands that were holding onto him. "Are you coming with me tonight, or will you be a servant to my sister?" Cecile asked. My eyes widened as she suddenly produced money. "One night in exchange for the money I have right now," she added, giving Miguel a significant look. I glanced at Miguel. I knew he needed the money. I felt anxious that he might agree to Cecile's offer. "Sorry, Ma'am Cecile. I can't accept your offer," Miguel replied. I secretly smiled and raised my eyebrows at Cecile. Cecile grinned. "What? So you'd rather be a servant to my sister than come with me for one night, even if I'm willing to pay you? You're something else, aren't you?" "I'm not being a servant to Ma'am Caroline. She's kind," Miguel replied. This only annoyed Cecile even more
I waited for a few minutes for them to finish their smoking and coffee before we left for the Italian restaurant Alexander had booked.Mommy and Daddy walked ahead, while Alexander walked beside me. Cecile was busy chatting with Miguel about random things. I heard her asking him about his life. He only answered with "yes" or "no."As we arrived at the parking lot, I turned to Miguel. He was my driver, so I should be the one getting in his car, but Alexander pulled me towards his vehicle."You're getting in my car," Alexander said before opening the door for me. When I turned back to look at Miguel, I saw my sister happily getting into the car. "Are you getting in or are you going to get in the other car?" he asked irritably, slamming the door shut.I was surprised when he pulled me towards the car driven by Miguel. I noticed my parents turn around as well."Oh, aren't you going to use your car, Alexander?" Cecile asked as she opened her window."We're getting in this car. It seems lik
MIGUEL'S POV We had been standing outside the VIP Room of this Italian restaurant, where the Brooks and Mercedez families were dining, for an hour now. I was with Rene, one of Sir Samson's trusted men, and the other men from Mr. Mercedez's team. We were instructed by both families to keep watch because Mr. Mercedez's wife had been restless all evening. "How's your job as a bodyguard for Sir Samson's daughter?" Rene suddenly asked. I turned to him. "It's fine, sir," I replied. "Isn't she difficult to deal with? Many people say she has a bad temper. Does Ma'am Caroline make your life difficult?" I quickly shook my head. "Not at all. Ma'am Caroline is kind to me. Sometimes she yells at me, but I'm used to it. I think she's tired from work." "That's good to hear. Hopefully, you'll stay with her, especially since you were the first person Sir Samson hired to guard his daughter." "Didn't she have a bodyguard or someone to watch over her before, Rene?" I asked curiously. Rene leaned
I dropped my gun and fell to the ground. I looked up at the armed men and then back at Dom. I checked his pulse. My eyes closed as I realized he was gone."I'm so sorry, Dom. I didn't mean to. I didn't know this was your line of work," I whispered, taking his hand. "I'm so sorry...""Miguel!"I turned when I heard Rene's voice. I quickly wiped the tears forming in my eyes and picked up my gun."Did you see who took Ma'am Caroline?" Rene asked, his eyes falling on Dom. He checked if he was still alive. "He's dead."I gripped my gun tighter. "I shot him, Rene.""Don't think about it, whether you killed someone or not. We need to save Ma'am Caroline, Miguel."I looked around. "Where are they? Why aren't you with them?"I fell to the ground when the enemy suddenly fired. Rene pulled me down and we took cover behind a large pillar. "Sir Samson ordered me to follow you after I dropped them off at the parking lot," he replied, firing back at the enemy."Why are there so many of them? We only
"Rest in peace, Rene," I whispered.I picked up my gun and chased after the enemy. Exiting the restaurant, I saw them putting Caroline into a black van. I hid behind a pillar when they started firing at me.I cursed as they started the engine. I looked around. I hid behind the parked cars and tried to shoot the other enemies."Holy shit!" I cursed loudly when I saw the enemy driving away.I ran to the parking lot, quickly got into the car, and started the engine. I sped up when I noticed the enemy's car was getting away. They started firing at me again when they saw I was following them. I ducked to avoid the bullets.My eyes fell on my phone when I saw Sir Samson calling. I quickly picked it up and answered the call."Did you get my daughter?" he asked directly."Not yet, Sir. There are too many of them. I'm following them now. I don't know where they're taking Ma'am Caroline.""Where's Rene? I've been calling him, but he's not answering!" Sir Samson shouted angrily.I sighed before
CAROLINE'S POV I slowly opened my eyes when I felt a cold hand touch my face. My vision was still blurry. "You're awake," I heard a familiar voice. My eyes widened when I saw Ken Salazar's face. "Good morning, Baby." I sat up abruptly and quickly got out of bed. I hugged myself. "Where am I? Where did you take me?" I asked anxiously. I looked at myself. I was wearing different clothes. "I brought you to my house, Caroline." He answered coldly. He tried to touch me, but I quickly stood up and got off the bed. "Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" I shouted at him. He smirked and stood up. He fixed my bed. "What's wrong, Caroline? I just took you away from your boyfriend. We both know he's a bad guy." "Do you want me to thank you for what you did? You're doing the wrong thing, Ken. Take me back to my family!" "No! I can't take you back there. Stay here, Caroline. You're mine!" His voice suddenly became louder. I stepped back. "You're mine. I won't let you go to any other man!"
I slapped Ken hard when he tried to kiss me. "I'll never be your bride!" I shouted angrily, and I was about to slap him again, but he caught my hand. "You're my bride, Caroline! Three days left, and we'll get married!" Ken said, tightening his grip on my hand. "Let me go!" I complained, trying to pull my hand away from him. "I don't love you! We can't get married! Marriage is for two people who love each other, Ken! You're not the one I love!" "That's not possible! You should only love me..." He stroked my cheek. "I won't let any other man have your heart!" "Let me go, Ken! I don't love you! You're crazy!" "No!" he yelled angrily and pushed me roughly onto the bed. My heart raced when he suddenly took off his long white white sleeve. "You're mine. I own you, Caroline." I quickly stood up as he approached me. I was about to run, but he grabbed my dress. I hugged myself when I heard the ripping sound of my dress. I fell face-first on the floor when I tripped. When I looked up, Ke
I nervously stepped out of the bathroom, seeing the phone's owner. She was taking down the dirty curtains in the room. I clutched my chest. "Are you okay?" Ken asked me. He helped me walk to the soft bed. "I was worried when I heard you were feeling unwell. Did you eat something you didn't like?" I looked at him. His eyes were full of concern. If I hadn't experienced trauma with him, I would have thought he was sincere. I removed his hand from my waist. "I-I'm fine, Ken. I'm feeling a little better." "Does anything hurt? Do you want me to call our family doctor for—" I put my two fingers on his lips to silence him. "No need. I'm fine. Don't overreact." I looked back at the old maid. My eyes widened when I saw her fumbling in her pocket where she put the phone. I just focused my attention on Ken. "I'm going to rest for a while, Ken," I said, pretending to be weak. "Are you sure you're okay? I'll call Dr. Whale to check on you." I grabbed Ken's hand as he was about to leave. He
I looked at Alexander’s parents who were stopping their son from hitting Miguel when he saw me.“You’ve never contributed anything good to this family!” Cecile was furious. She stood up and walked towards me. “You’re nothing but a disgrace! You’re even embarrassing Alexander’s family!”“Shut up, Cecile!” Daddy folded his hands. He couldn’t look at me because his eyes were on Miguel. “It’s not right if we scold your sister. We need to calm down and listen to her complaints about the news circulating in the media that she and Miguel are in a relationship!”“If I’m flirty, this kid outside is even flirtier!” Cecile stormed back to her seat next to Mommy.Cristy gave me my own chair and placed it in front of me. I carefully put down my bag before looking at them. I closed my eyes for a few seconds after glancing at Miguel.“Miguel has already told us about you, hija. We also want to hear from you if there is any truth to all the things he confessed to us.” Daddy’s voice calmed down.I was
I was frozen in my seat. I couldn't move. I didn't know how to react."Caroline Anastasia Brooks is dating his bodyguard," Violeta repeated while showing me her phone."W-What does this mean, Caroline?" Julia asked while her eyes were on Violeta's phone. "You were on the news, but they didn't put a picture of your so-called bodyguard.""T-That's not true. I'm not dating my bodyguard," I defended. I stood up to check the news they were saying about me. "Where did this news come from? And who is spreading false information?"I bit my lip so hard when I remembered Miguel. I had no plans to deny our relationship but I couldn't help but worry for him when I also remembered what Miguel said last night. I don't want his life to be in danger just because of me. For now, I'll try my best to keep our relationship. It was too early for the public to know about us.I looked at my phone when a series of messages arrived. My heart beat faster when I saw Daddy's name calling me on the screen. Everyo
I was locked in my room all day. My other cousins always teased me to go out and play with them because the sunlight wasn't so painful. I just watched them while they happily played in the sea."Caroline, give me a break. I'm getting married and you don't want to play with us," Julia said as she entered my room."I want to rest first. I'll come out later," I said as I adjusted my clothes."Promise? I'll be mad at you if you don't come out."I smiled and nodded. "Promise."I lay down on the bed when Julia left my room. Honestly, I've been too lazy to go out and hang out with my cousins ever since I found out I was an illegitimate child. I was afraid of what they might say when they found out the truth.I downloaded video games on my phone to keep me busy. It wasn't long before I got bored of playing games. I watched shows and other trending videos on the internet.I looked at my phone when its screen lit up. I looked to see who had texted me, and I smiled when I saw Miguel's name.From
I turned around and saw Julia walking towards me. She was sipping her coffee.“Are you okay? Is there a problem? I’ve noticed you’ve been quiet for a while.” She put the glass of coffee on the table.I smiled and shook my head. “I’m just tired from the trip,” I excused myself. She raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t have a problem, Jul. I’m just really tired.”To be honest, I didn’t sleep well last night after Mommy called. I don’t know why she called and asked for forgiveness for everything she did to me. It was the first time I heard the word sorry from her.“How are you? I haven’t heard from you. Aunt Glenda said you were busy with your company. You didn’t tell us that Alexander is your boyfriend.” She sipped her coffee again. “I thought you didn’t like that guy. You know, his life background is ugly.”“I had no choice, Jul. I wasn’t the one who decided to answer Alexander either.”“W-Wait, wait. You didn’t accept that man?”I nodded. “That was her decision. And worst, she even went
I stood up and picked up my bag from the floor. I carefully placed it on the small table."What if I'm an illegitimate child? I'm grateful that I found out the truth." I adjusted my clothes. "Wow! You're different." Cecile clapped her hands. "You must be so proud when you found out that you were the child of Daddy's mistress," she added.My fists clenched. I wanted to tug at her hair but I just held myself back. I needed to calm down because I owned the condo."Jay, let my sister out," I ordered. I looked at Jay and noticed that she wasn't moving from where she was standing. "Are you going to let her out or do you want to lose your job?" I threatened."Hey, Caroline! You can't let me out because I own this too!" Cecile shouted angrily when Jay grabbed her."Caroline, are you that angry with Cecile? She wants to stay here for one night -""Don't get involved in this, Alexander!" I shouted angrily.Alexander frowned. "Don't talk to me like that. Maybe you forgot that your family's comp
"I'm just thinking about your well-being, Miguel. I'm your friend. It's not that I'm interested in your relationship. But it's wrong for you to love your boss's daughter!"I wanted to scold Love Rein but not a single word came out of my mouth. I let go of Miguel's hand and faced him."Isn't what you're doing now a nuisance, Love Rein? Why was it such a big deal when you discovered our relationship? I know you don't like me. I'm not blind enough to not notice the way your eyes dart around whenever you see me.""Think about it, Caroline! You're putting my friend's life in danger. You're ruining his life!" Love Rein hissed at me."She's not ruining my life!" Miguel shouted.We both looked at Miguel. His jaw tightened and he looked straight at Love Rein."She's not ruining my life, Love Rein," he repeated in a calm voice. "If you have nothing else to say, it's best to just go home."Love Rein sighed. "You're going to take me home? You'd choose that girl over me?""Yes. I will choose her o
"Stop it, Miguel!" I whispered to him while looking away.He took my hand and kissed it. I looked around in case anyone had seen us and recognized me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed that there were only a few people eating and they were only looking at their food.It wasn't long before I finished eating. I just ignored his lingering stares at me. This was nothing new to me, but it felt like something new to me. Is it because we both have feelings for each other?"You seem to be thinking deeply," Miguel suddenly asked as we walked towards his Mom's room."Nothing. I'm just happy," I said. I wrapped one of my arms around his waist and leaned my head on his shoulder."Is there a problem?" Miguel asked.I stopped walking. "I might be gone for a week. My cousin's wedding. I'm going to Cebu. Daddy gave me a one-week vacation. It's a shame because I can't be with you. Your family needs you here.""When are you going to Cebu?""Tomorrow morning. Don't worry. We have body guards th
I held the steering wheel of the car while looking out the window. I wanted to cry again after admitting to him that I also had feelings for Miguel. I was so embarrassed. He thought I had rejected him, but now I was admitting to him face to face that I liked him."I have to go," I said to break the silence. You can get out if you want. I've said everything I wanted to say. I don't care if you laugh at me because I admitted that I liked you."“Do you mean it?" he asked.I didn't know if I should be happy with his question or be shocked. He was hard to talk to. It took him a while to understand what I was saying. I pulled his collar and pressed a kiss to his lips."Yes, Miguel," I whispered after I kissed him."Does it mean -"I kissed him again. "Stop courting me. You're my boyfriend starting today.""The real one?" he clarified.I nodded. "You don't want to?""No, no. I like it. I'm just ... speechless. I don't know how much you make me happy, Caroline." He hugged me.I couldn't help
I wiped my face and looked away from him. I tried to hold back my tears but they wouldn’t stop falling. He opened the door and got in. He sat in the passenger seat while his gaze was on me.“D-Do you need something?” I asked.“Am I the one you’re asking like that?” he asked in his cold voice.“I just want to apologize for whatever I did and said to you last night. That’s it.” I smiled.“Is that all?”I nodded. “Yes, Miguel.” I picked up my phone when someone suddenly called me. I quickly turned it off when I saw Mommy’s name. “Why are you here? You’re watching over your mother, right?” I asked him.“Why are you crying?” he asked.I swallowed, fumbling for an answer to him. “Why are you asking? Do you even bother me every time I cry?”“Yes, Caroline. I’m concerned about why you’re crying. I care for you. You know that.”I smirked. “You care for me? Even for Love Rein?”“What? Why did Love Rein join our conversation?”“You said you like me. That’s why you’re flirting because you like me