While going down the stairs, I furrowed my brows when I noticed Daddy by the front door. He was facing away from me, talking on the phone. I watched him. Did he just get home? What time is it? How long was their meeting? And who is he talking to at this hour? He’s been coming home late a lot lately. It seems like Daddy is working himself too hard. As far as I know, Kuya Vince is the one managing the company now, so Daddy could be resting and visiting us more.I quickly went down the stairs and headed towards him. Daddy's voice was too low. Who is he talking to? I stopped not far from where he was, and he looked really stressed.“Vanessa, I have documents to take care of at the office tomorrow. Yes, I know, Vince will be with me when we go to the site. Yes, of course, tell Loraine that if I have some free time, I'll take her to the site. You know that it’s not just—” “Dad.” I called softly, and he immediately turned to me, clearly surprised. His face went pale as if he had seen
When we arrived at the condo, Kuya helped me organize things. He stacked my shoes and bags in the glass cabinet while I replaced the old cover on the bed with a new one. I also brought my favorite comforter. After finishing with the bed, I turned to my suitcases. The clothes inside were already folded, so I just needed to move them to the cabinet.“Lil sis, what do you want to eat? I ordered food,” Kuya asked as he faced me.“Is it okay with you, Kuya, if we eat fast food? I’d like to have Chickenjoy, Spaghetti, and Sundae from Jabee?” I said with a smile.“Of course, we grew up with Jabee. I missed eating that too. Wait, I’ll just order,” he replied, and I nodded, returning to organizing my clothes. After thirty minutes, Kuya’s order arrived. We went down to the lobby to get the order. There was a problem because the pineapple drinks and one of the sundaes got spilled. The Grab driver almost had an accident because some young motorcyclists were rushing due to a checkpoint. They
**R18** I went straight to my room to take a shower and rest. It’s only now that I’m feeling exhausted. As I stepped out of the bathroom, my phone beeped. I glanced at it and saw a text from my brother.**Kuya Vince:** "I'm home. Get some rest. Goodnight, lil sis. Your kuya loves you."I smiled. I’m really lucky to have such a sweet and supportive brother. I typed out my reply.**Me to Kuya Vince:** "I love you too, kuya. Get some rest, you're more tired than I am. Thank you again and goodnight! Mwah." I put down my phone and turned to head to the vanity mirror to brush my hair. I hadn’t even taken a step when my phone rang again. I grabbed it, thinking my brother might have forgotten to tell me something, but I was overjoyed when I saw the caller. It’s Xander! I quickly answered the call.“Hello?” I answered, frowning when I heard noise in the background. Where is he? Is he outside?“Where are you?” he immediately asked. Shouldn’t I be the one asking where he is? It’s la
I woke up when my phone alarm went off at 6:45 am. I set the alarm early to avoid rushing, as the meeting time with my manager was set for 8:30. I gently removed Xander’s arm from around my waist and slowly got up to avoid waking him. When I stood up, I looked at him and smiled at how peacefully he was sleeping; it seemed like he finally caught up on his rest. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and change clothes. Gosh, my sleepwear set was ruined because of Xander; I wish he had taken it off properly instead of tearing it. Shaking my head, I left the bathroom, being careful with each movement until I reached the door of the room. I opened and closed it quietly, then walked to the kitchen. I grimaced upon seeing my torn clothes scattered on the floor. I picked them up and threw them in the trash. I quickly cooked breakfast and ate, not bothering to wake Xander. I knew he was exhausted and needed more rest. Since no one was visiting my condo today, it was safe. I just needed
It seems the saying is true that someone inexperienced in love falls quickly. In the past three weeks, I don't know if my heart is still normal. Every time I talk to or video call Xander, my heart races so fast it feels like I'm always being chased by a horse. Since the night Xander got a bit upset with me, even though I’m extremely busy, I still update him, even with just two or three texts. It’s important that he knows where I am, especially since I’ve been even busier in the past few days. The last time we met was on my first day at work. He kept his promise to leave when I fell asleep. We still haven’t seen each other since; we’re both busy, especially me. At night, we can text even briefly, but sometimes I fall asleep while texting him. He understands that I’m tired. Today, my schedule is a bit lighter. I finished my shoot early this morning, so I’m free now, and I texted Penelope to meet at a restaurant. It’s been a while since we last saw each other because she’s also bu
Am I really so out of touch with him? Have I neglected him? Is he angry with me because it’s been almost a month since we last met? Is that why I haven’t received any texts from him? I explained everything to him. “Hays, anyway, it’s good that you’re with me now. I don’t want to go to Daddy’s office; I’ll just see Vivian there.” My eyes widened. Vivian? My eyebrows furrowed. That’s my mommy’s name—what the? But calm down, Vivien; maybe it’s just a coincidence. There are many people named Vivian in the world. “It’s Aunt Vivian, Lor. She’s kind to you; she doesn’t show you anything bad, so respect her,” Xander said firmly. “Tsk, why do I feel like you’re on her side instead of mine? We don’t know, Alex; maybe that woman is just pretending to be nice to me.” “Lor, I can judge people well. And what Aunt Vivian shows you is genuine.” “Tsk, whatever. Anyway, how are you and your fake girlfriend? Have you met her yet?” I raised an eyebrow. Fake girl? What the heck?“She’s not my fa
“I said leave, Mr. Montenegro. I can’t face you now. I’m tired and hurt.” Pain and fear flickered in his eyes, and his earlier pallor hadn’t faded. It seems he’s been here for a while; he probably thought I’d come straight here. It’s a good thing I was called to the agency. “Are you really mad?” he asked softly. I couldn’t believe he was asking me that, and I almost laughed at his ridiculous question. Isn’t it obvious? What reaction does he want from me? To be happy because I found out something? Of course, I’m angry because I feel deceived, made to look foolish, and there’s also a woman with him whose relationship with him I don’t understand. But since my friend advised me, I’ll follow Annie’s advice. I’ll hear Xander’s side, even if it hurts me. At least I’ll let him explain; I won’t regret it in the end. “What kind of question is that, Xander?” I said coldly. My irritation and anger had intensified. “What do you think I’m feeling right now? Happy? You didn’t even text me s
**Vivien** The day went by quickly, and now Xander and I were heading to Bulacan. I had already said goodbye to Mom and my brother, and I even texted Dad, but he didn't reply at all. “Ready?”Xander asked as I came out of my room. He had been here for a while, too excited as if I were going to run away from him. I wanted to relax a bit; my work schedule for the past weeks had been hectic. I was piled up with tasks, but they said it would be more relaxed when I returned. Since the day we had a misunderstanding, Xander had become more clingy. He sent me quite a few texts each day, and he seemed to update me on everything he was doing. He was a bit excessive with the updates, but I just let him be; that’s what he wanted.“Yeah, let’s go?” He came closer to take my bag and then gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead. I smiled; he had gotten used to that routine. I walked out of the unit first, with Xander following me. We headed to the elevator together. While we waited for it to ope