"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
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 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 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 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 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
My lips parted and I looked at Cecile.“She can’t bear a child?” I asked hoarsely.“Yes, Caroline. I can’t have children,” Cecile said while sipping her coffee.“Your sister has many issues. We don’t want trouble. We also don’t care if you’re Samson’s illegitimate child, hija,” Tita Portia added.“You’ll just give us a grandson, hija. You can file a divorce after giving birth,” said Tito Rafael.“Are you crazy? You will get us both married because you want to have a grandson?” I sighed. “I will never marry your son!”“Caroline, watch your words!” Mommy scolded.“Why don’t you stop me from forcing that marriage? You can find someone to take care of your grandson. Why me?” I turned to Daddy. “I will not marry him. I don’t care if I lose my inheritance, lose my job, and you reject me as your daughter! This is not the life I dream of. I want to have freedom in who I love and marry, Dad!”I looked into Daddy’s eyes, hoping he would change his mind. I was still his daughter. I wiped the tea
“Miguel, where are we going if you let me go?”I opened my eyes and held my chest as I felt my heart beating rapidly. I looked at the wall clock—it was past ten in the morning. I glanced around the room, searching for Miguel, but he was nowhere to be found. I sighed upon realizing that it had all been just a dream.I got out of bed and put on my clothes. After drinking some water, I attempted to go back to sleep, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep wouldn’t come to me anymore. I grabbed my cellphone and checked messages from friends and coworkers. They were all shocked and couldn’t believe the news spreading about us. They kept asking if there was any truth to it.I stared at Miguel’s number, debating whether to call him to see how he was. I wanted to go to his room, but I couldn’t. If I went there without a valid reason, people in the mansion would surely start speculating—especially my family, who would be even more surprised if they found out that I had gone to his room.A sudden
He was kissing my neck while cupping my breasts with both hands, squeezing and massaging them. I couldn’t help but moan as he did so. His hands traveled from my belly down to the most private part of my body. He held it while sucking on my breasts.“Miguel…” I said hoarsely, my knees weak from what he was doing.He picked me up and gently lowered me into the bathtub, still continuing to kiss me. He claimed my lips as if it were his last day on earth. I closed my eyes when I felt his hand on my womanhood again.“Ah!” I cried out when he suddenly inserted two fingers into my hole. My lips felt like they were going to tear from how hard I was biting them, and my nails dug into his back.I noticed the water in the bathtub slowly draining—he must have pulled the plug. I held onto the back of his neck when he suddenly sped up the movement of his fingers inside me. My eyes felt like they were about to pop.I was gasping for breath when he pulled his fingers out. He licked them before helping
"Caroline?" Mommy said as she knocked on the door.Miguel grinned as he stopped kissing me. "Why are you hiding?" he whispered, laughing.I pushed him away. "Shut up!" I couldn't hide the irritation I was feeling—or the fear that we might get caught."Tita Roxy, Caroline isn't here," Miguel said, pretending to have just woken up."Miguel? You're there? Sorry for the disturbance, hijo," Mommy said in disbelief. She was probably surprised because she came home early."Can we continue whatever we started?" he teased, wrapping his arms around my waist.My gaze dropped to his erection, which was still standing stiff. "You're still hard!" I muttered, removing his hands from my waist.When I opened the door, I glanced around outside, making sure Mommy wouldn’t see me leaving Miguel's room.I saw her entering my room. I quickened my pace toward the front door and walked out. I counted to five before re-entering the condo."Good morning, Mom," I greeted as I saw her tidying herself up."Good m
I felt his lips touch mine, and suddenly, all the anger I had been feeling started to fade.He held the back of my neck, but he stopped kissing me when he noticed I wasn’t moving. I just stared at him—like I was watching a movie, completely dazed. I only snapped back to reality when he suddenly picked me up and set me on the table, his lips never leaving mine.A soft moan escaped my lips as his kisses trailed down to my chest, his hands caressing my breasts. I wanted to stop him—to resist what he was planning to do—but with every touch of his lips on my skin, my strength slipped away.His hands trembled slightly as he touched my breasts, and I couldn’t help but moan with every firm squeeze he gave.When he kissed my lips again, something inside me snapped. I found myself chasing the movement of his lips, unable to stop. He kissed me like a man starved, desperate, and hungry. My mind was in a haze—I could barely move my lips properly, especially when I felt his hand slip inside my bra.
I was jolted awake by a knock outside. I glanced at the wall clock—it was just past six in the morning. Kalix and Mommy were still sound asleep beside me. I kissed Kalix’s forehead before carefully getting up, making sure not to disturb their sleep."Belen? Norma?" I called as I walked toward the kitchen. I instinctively held my stomach when the rich aroma of food filled the air. "You two are up early, even on a weekend—Miguel?"I stopped in my tracks when I saw him standing in the kitchen, wearing an apron and a hairnet."What are you doing here?" I asked, my arms crossing over my chest."Isn't there a good morning kiss for me?" He raised an eyebrow.I rolled my eyes. "Your face deserves a good morning kiss—if I dip your lips in that marinated chicken you're cooking!" I teased."You're not even joking," he said, shaking his head. "Here I am, cooking your favorite dish, and you're still acting mad.""I didn’t ask you to cook for me or for us. I have two helpers here in the condo. You’
It was almost nighttime, yet they were still here at my condo. Mommy and I had talked a lot. She told me how Miguel had saved her before. At first, she thought Miguel was working for her brother, so she ran away in fear of being beaten.Miguel was in Kalix's room, playing with him. I didn’t want to allow it, but Mommy herself insisted that I should let father and son bond."Why did you keep the truth from him?" Mommy suddenly asked while I was cooking Kalix’s favorite pasta.I let out a deep breath. "I got scared. He used to get into trouble because of me. I thought that as long as I was with him, I was safe—but he was always the one in danger. It became even more complicated when I found out he was dating Glenda’s daughter.""He’s not dating her. He’s using her," Mommy corrected.I stopped what I was doing and turned to her. "What do you mean?""When I regained consciousness and slowly recovered, he told me he wouldn’t stop until he found you. But he never told me about your past rel
I felt like a statue for a few minutes. My mouth hung open, and my knees trembled. I didn’t know if I was dreaming or hallucinating. The memory of being told that she was gone—that it had been two years—was still fresh in my mind.I only snapped back to reality when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I reached for it and checked the caller ID. My forehead creased when I saw Miguel’s name. How did I get his number? I don’t remember asking for it."Has my gift arrived?" he asked the moment I answered."G-Gift?""Yes. A gift. Has Aunt Roxanne arrived?"My breath hitched. "What do you mean?""I'm on my way to your condo.""Miguel—"I flinched as arms suddenly wrapped around me."M-Mommy?"Her embrace tightened. My heart clenched when I heard her sob. I couldn’t stop myself from hugging her back. If this was just a dream, I never wanted to wake up.I led her inside the condo, barely able to leave her side, afraid she would disappear if I looked away. I kept my eyes on her, studying ever
I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and tried to open the door, but it was locked.“Open this damn door!” I shouted.“Are you really not going to talk to me properly? We’re talking about our son here, Caroline.”“You said we were just going to talk! Why did you kiss me?”“To shut your mouth.”I caught him looking at me again, licking his lips. My annoyance grew when I saw him smirk.“What? Why are you looking at me like that again? Do you miss my kiss?”“Open this door, or I’ll break your damn lips,” I threatened.“What if I don’t want to?” he challenged, his smirk deepening. “It’s fun watching you struggle to beg.”“And you’re struggling to understand,” I snapped. “What do you really want from me? What are we supposed to be talking about?”“Don’t leave the country.”I scoffed. “Why? Even though you know about Kalix’s condition, we’re still leaving. My mind is made up, Miguel. We’re not staying here.”“I’m coming with you.”“What?!” My eyes widened. “You’re coming? Are you crazy?
I tore up the marriage contract right in front of them and took Kalix away from Miguel. I didn’t care if his father was here. Miguel’s jaw dropped.“This is unfair, Miguel! Why did I even sign that marriage contract? You told me I was signing that paper just so you could be sure I would follow through on our conversation. But why—”“Caroline, we have something to tell you—”“Leave. Whatever you have to say, I don’t care.” I walked toward the door and opened it. “Go away. Don’t worry—I’ll follow through on whatever we discussed. After Lena’s funeral, we’re leaving. Just leave us alone. I want to give my daughter a quiet and peaceful life.”Don Ernesto stood up, and Miguel immediately supported him. “Hijo, let’s go home first. Caroline is still mourning. Maybe you can talk after the funeral.”Miguel sighed. “Fine. But I want to talk to my son. I won’t let her take the child away from me.”“Caroline, you and my son need to talk first. Discuss my grandson. I’ll watch over him for now,” Do
We didn’t continue on to Portugal. I prioritized Lena’s condition. She died upon arrival—she had lost too much blood.My eyes were swollen from crying. I had been staring at Lena’s cold body for over two hours. I blamed myself for her sudden death. I couldn’t even protect her.“Ma’am, we’ll watch over her if no one else will, so you can get dressed,” the nurse said. This was the third time she had urged me to change.I still ignored them. It was as if I had gone deaf and mute after what happened. I couldn’t open my mouth. My whole body felt weak, and I struggled to move. I glanced at my daughter. She had cried herself to sleep. She refused to believe that Lena was gone—the sister figure who had always been there whenever I wasn’t.My eyes flickered to the door when it opened. I immediately looked away when I saw Miguel enter with Don Ernesto. The nurses who had been with us quietly left.“Caroline...” Don Ernesto called out, walking toward me.His gaze dropped to Kalix. Maybe he alrea