"What exactly did you say?"Ella's eyes widened, and she was taken aback when she heard Edward mention her name. Time appears to be slowing down, and she is unsure whether this is real or a hallucination. She pushes him away from her, hastily gets up, and sits on the bed. She immediately took the pillow beside her and covered herself."Did you happen to know who I was?" Ella asked herself, perplexed, while she was disoriented.Edward immediately stood up and sat in front of her, placing his hands on his face and covering his mouth. His face was ashen as the colors drained from his skin. His pupils were dilated as he too was shocked by the whole thing."I'm truly sorry. That was not my intention," Edward said, his voice trembling. "How come I said her name?" he wonders to himself."Did I hear you correctly, Edward? You mentioned the name, Ella." Ella wants to con
Corazon Madrigal is renowned for having a contemptuous attitude toward persons who belong to lesser social classes or are not on the same level. She doesn't want to be surrounded by people who will not be beneficial for their family. Fortunately, she has children that are the complete opposite of her, especially Bernard and Edward. The majority of their characteristics are inherited from Margaux, their grandmother.When she learns that Edward is interacting with someone from a lower social class, she employs a private investigator right away to find out more about the waitress and the masked female that Edward is seeing. Corazon would go to any lengths to eliminate those she believes are merely out to ruin the family reputation, which she has been protecting for a very long time. Corazon constantly succeeds in getting what she wants.On the other hand, Mateo makes every effort to avoid interfering in their children's lives. He wants them to
When he learned that his mother was on campus, Edward's face turned ashen, and all the colors in his skin faded. Memories from the previous masquerade ball are returning to him. Sweat beads the size of peas are forming on his temples. Edward's heart had almost stopped beating, and he had become immobile. His eyes were wide with shock as he looked at Joaquin.Joaquin became concerned when he noticed a sudden change in his friend's behavior. He knew Edward's mother, Corazon, would not go to university without a reason, and he believes she is up to no good."How come your mother is on campus?" Joaquin exclaimed frantically."I may have forgotten to mention that my mother witnessed my interactions with Ella and the masked girl. She warned me to stay away from them," Edward said nervously in a trembling voice.A quick flash of a frown showed on Joaquin's face as his eyes were left wide open. He took a dee
Joaquin and Ella were on their way back to campus when one of Joaquin's nerdy friends called. He answered the phone right away because he knew they would not call him unless there was an emergency that required immediate attention."Wait a minute, what?" Joaquin shockingly said he was so taken aback that he slammed the brake pedal, bringing their vehicle to a complete stop.Ella was startled and nearly collided with the dashboard, but thankfully she was wearing a seatbelt."What exactly is going on?" Ella inquired, concerned.Ella noticed a ghastly whiteness spreading over Joaquin's face. She feared that Edward could be in trouble, so she kept asking him what was going on. Joaquin immediately started the engine and drove hurriedly back to the campus."Edward was taken by Corazon's men," he said panickyto her.Joaquin tries to concentrate on driving; he
"Come on, Ella, hurry up!"Joaquin expressed concern to Ella while scanning the area. His head moves from left to right, checking to see if anyone is nearby. He noticed a flashing light coming from a vehicle's headlight not far away."Sir, that's Madam Corazon's service vehicle," Hermann said, panicking.When Joaquin heard Corazon was on his way, he became agitated and began to move back and forth, nervously waiting for Ella to come down the ladder."Hurry up, Ella! Edward's mother is on her way!" Joaquin had forewarned her.He began to sweat profusely because he couldn't bear the thought of being caught in the act. He is concerned that Hermann will lose his job as a result of his efforts to assist them. Ella climbed down the ladder quickly, and when she reached the ground, Hermann and Joaquin quickly hid the ladder in the bushes. They dashed over to Joaquin's vehicle and opened
It was a beautiful Saturday morning at the costume shop. Ella arrived early to set up the new gowns for display as well as the recently delivered items for sale. After what happened last night at the Madrigal mansion, she was extremely motivated and inspired.Ella was still weak after she regained consciousness. When she felt that the rescue breath that Edward was giving her had turned into a kiss, she pretended to be asleep. Ella somehow pretended to be hallucinating or dreaming of kissing in her sleep. Being kissed by Edward as Ella and not the masked woman was the best thing that had happened to her. She wanted to savor every moment she had with Edward and feel his touch once again."Someone is overly cheerful today," Bruce said to Ella. "My dear, you are blossoming. Did you apply any beauty regiments to your face?" He noticed she had a different glow."Nothing. I just got a good night's sleep." With a smile on her fa
Ella's eyes begin to well up with tears as Edward envelops her in a loving embrace. She gradually got over her worries when she realized Edward had been following her. She wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly, wanting to ensure that Edward is truly in front of her and that she is not hallucinating or dreaming."Where have you been? Everyone is searching for you," Ella asked worriedly."Not here, Ella," Edward whispered to her.Edward's head keeps turning left and right over his agitation. He is showing unusual behavior such as wringing of the hands, and he frequently paces back and forth."Edward, what is going on?" Ella inquired, perplexed. "Why are you acting so weird?"Edward grabbed Ella's hand and took her to a very secluded and dark part of the alley. He continues to scan the area, and after confirming that the coast is clear, he then continues his conversat
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, perfect for spending time outside with friends and family. Ella couldn't sleep last night when Edward invited her to spend the day with him. She spent the entire night contemplating whether the invitation was for a friendly or romantic date. Ella dozed off near dawn, and when she awoke, Edward was no longer by her side.Ella stood up quickly and made her bed before leaving her room. She was worried Edward would leave without saying goodbye. She dashed into the living room, but he was nowhere to be found. Then she smelled the fresh aroma of coffee emanating from the kitchen. Ella entered the kitchen and noticed Edward standing in front of the counter, preparing coffee while on the phone."Yes, I'll do anything you want. All I asked for was a day free of interference from them," he said firmly to the person on the other end of the phone.When Edward saw Ella walk into the kitchen, he imme
Edward was frozen and stuck in place. His breathing is shallow and heavy. He had the feeling that his heart was stopping or skipping a beat. As he stared at nothingness, his eye went round with a blank expression. He couldn't believe what Salome had just told him, and he was keen to know whether she was telling the truth or joking. "Gone where?" he asked Salome, looking at her in disbelief. "Where is Ella?" he asked her once more. His eyes welled with tears. "What happened to her?" Edward has placed his trembling hands over Salome's shoulder and is shaking her back and forth while trying to get answers out of her. "She was happy and excited to go to this party when she came into the shop earlier. Then your brother visited her and spoke to her. The next thing we knew, she was preparing to travel abroad," Salome quickly replied. Edward was taken aback by what Salome just told him. He had no idea his brother would be involved in this. "My brother?" His voice was breaking. "Yes, he s
Days passed since the day Edward asked Ella to be his date at the masquerade ball; Ella couldn't get proper sleep, and she couldn't eat normally. She's been stressing so much about the invitation and is still deciding whether to accept it or not. Lucas became worried because he always sees his sister disoriented and spacing out. Ella was sometimes seen pacing back and forth, thinking to herself. But, unlike in the past, Lucas noticed that she was happier than she had ever been. Ella has a more radiant complexion and smiles more frequently. Her mood is upbeat and creative. She is more productive, and he would suspect she is in love if he didn't know her sister.Lucas had just finished making breakfast when he noticed Ella was still in her room. Ella usually wakes up early and waits at the kitchen counter before he finishes making breakfast, so her absence worried him. He went into her room, but when he tried to open the door, it was locked, which Ella never does.
It's been a long, excruciating week for Ella and Edward's family. As the sole heir to Margaux's fortune, Edward became preoccupied with his new duties and responsibilities. He had to go through numerous briefings and corporate meetings before meeting with the board members of the corporations and businesses that his grandmother used to own.On the other hand, Ella was busy with the cases filed against Luis for kidnapping, violence against women and children, physical injury, and attempted murder. Ella's family filed a forgery claim against Enrique Santibanez.When Enrique falsely accused Fernando Cristobal of corruption, he was investigated and his assets were frozen by the government. Enrique filed numerous cases against Fernando, but they were ineffective due to a lack of evidence against him. Enrique was able to tarnish Fernando's reputation due to his strong connections to corrupt officials at the time, which led to his depression. Ferna
Ella's vision was still fuzzy, and she still feels light-headed. She was not able to move on her own, and all she could hear was the sound of the siren coming from the ambulance and police cars. She heard people walking around in a hurry, and some were screaming as they were dragging the suspects to the police vehicles. She could feel the paramedics putting an oxygen mask on her face, carrying her to the stretcher, and placing her inside the ambulance.She was about to get up on the stretcher to see where Edward and Joaquin had gone when she felt a warm hand over her shoulder, gently pushing her back to the stretcher."Don't worry, Ella. You're in good hands." Edward spoke to her in hushed tones."Edward, I thought you'd leave me," Ella said worriedly, her eyes welling up with tears."I'm right here, but there's something I need to do, so I have to go for now," he explained calmly. "Your family is wa
After walking out of the family dinner, Edward locked himself in one of the rooms to prevent a family member from barging in. He knew that some of his family members would try to persuade him to return to the family meeting or persuade him to consider marrying Lydia. Even though he wanted to leave the mansion and go home, his grandmother Margaux wouldn't let him and instead requested a private audience with him after dinner.Edward lay on the bed and rested. He was about to fall asleep when he received a call from an unexpected person."Edward, Ella has been kidnapped!" Lucas said, crying. His voice had a fearful tone to it.Edward felt a twinge of melancholy and perplexity. He tried to process and assess what he had just heard from Lucas, hoping it was a joke."What happened? Who took her?" Edward inquired worriedly."A group of men took her to the hospital, and they are all arm
Ella's eyes widened, and she stared at Joaquin in disbelief. As Ella's anger overpowered her, rage pulsed through her veins and quickened her blood. Ella gave Joaquin a knuckle punch as if her hand had a mind of its own."Ouch! Ella, that hurts." Joaquin cried out."I'm not gay, douchebag!" She said it with gritted teeth and a clenched jaw. "Edward mistook me for a boy!""Thank Goodness!" Joaquin breathed a sigh of relief. "For a brief moment, I thought you were gay. I can't imagine how Edward would react if he found out." Joaquin burst out laughing."I'm not kidding, dumbass! We were young back then, and I was wearing my brother's clothes, plus my hair was too short; that's why I can't blame him for mistaking me for a boy," Ella explained to Joaquin."You were still wearing baggy man's clothes," Joaquin said while looking at her. "But, at the very least, your hair is long, you h
Ella felt confused and disoriented when she woke up. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting to sharpen the blurry images in front of her. She scanned her surroundings and noticed dull gray walls with a pungent smell of disinfectant. Her heart races and her breathing becomes shallow when he learns where she is.Ella attempted to stand, but she immediately felt dizzy, and her head feels heavy. She was suffering from a severe headache and had no choice but to go back to bed. Before she even had a panic attack, her mother entered the room."Ella, baby, I'm here." Lucita rushed over to Ella and embraced her. Lucita helped Ella back to bed and wrapped a blanket around her. "Hush now, my baby; mommy's here, and I'm not going anywhere," she softly speaks.After a few moments, Lucas entered the room with a bag containing Ella's clothes and other necessities. He set the bag on the couch, walked over to Ella, and sat beside her bed.
Daniel's men immediately placed Edward, Joaquin, and Luis in custody. They were taken to one of the headquarters near the plaza. Edward and Joaquin were placed in the same room, and Luis was in a separate room. Joaquin was sitting on one of the couches, while Edward was agitatedly walking around the room and pacing back and forth. They are waiting for Daniel to punish them.Edward wasn't afraid of Daniel's wrath; he was anxious to get out of the isolation room because he was worried about Ella. He knew that Lydia was still out there, and he is afraid that something bad will happen to Ella if Lydia and her run into each other."Dude, please relax. Have a seat and calm down." Joaquin tries to comfort Edward."How do you stay calm in this situation?" Edward exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief. "Ella was still out there by herself. Who knew what Lydia would do to her if they crossed paths?" He said it hysterically.
Ella had a bad mood on Tuesday morning. She is tired from not getting enough sleep the night before. Her eyelids were drooping. Her limbs were cumbersome. Her head is heavy, as is her spirit. She couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of having normal eyesight and a normal life ever since she learned that there is a cure for her eyes.Her mind is filled with what-if scenarios. Like the idea of being with Edward when he realized she was the woman he'd been looking for and the thought of not being bullied because of her thick glasses. She hadn't decided whether to accept Joaquin's offer to help her with the cost of her surgery until today. Her desire to be beautiful has been at odds with her ego and pride.Ella was busy handing out goody bags to people passing through the plaza's entrance gate when she was tapped on the shoulder. She was startled and screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly dropping the sack of goody bags she was holding