NEXT DAY… I woke up early with excitement, I sent a text to Mom and Dad, updated them so they wouldn't worry. Also messaged Xander as promised, though no replies yet – maybe they're busy or still asleep. I put my phone down to pick out for today's outfit, I chose a blue bikini and denim shorts. Headed to the bathroom for a quick wash, toothbrushing, and a change of clothes. No need for a full shower since Penelope and I will get wet later. Speaking of Penelope, where is she? She said she'd be right back after going out for a bit. We decided on an island-hopping adventure today and picked a package tour last night. includes snorkeling, Kawa bath, paddleboarding, and a Disco boat. Tomorrow, we'll tackle package two with Jet Ski, Flyboard, banana boat, flying fish, and kayaking. Penelope has a visitor coming, so she wants to save some activities for tomorrow. I asked her who it was, but she responded with a sly grin. Well, it's fine, Xander will join us too, just wondering w
Vivien When Xander and Chad returned, we walked together towards the kwek-kwek stall, and I was startled when Xander held my hand. Even though I felt awkward, I glanced up at him. “Why didn't you even text that you're coming now?” He lowered his gaze and smiled cautiously. Finally, he smiled; he had been serious earlier. “I wanted to surprise you. And I'm glad you followed what I told you not to wear a bikini; it's much better that you're wearing shorts and a crop top.” I winced; if only he knew I was wearing a bikini earlier. It's a good thing I decided to wear a crop top and shorts over my white bikini now. I felt guilty. I stayed silent as we arrived in front of the stall, letting go of Xander. I happily scanned what else they were selling. They had almost all types of street foods, including chicken skin, which made my mouth water. Smiling, I took two large plastic cups and handed one to Xander, who promptly accepted it. I grabbed the tong hanging there and placed five
“Let's go, let's rent a jet ski.” I smiled and nodded at Xander, holding onto his arm. I was feeling better and had rested. We rented a jet ski, and they handed us life vests. I was about to grab mine when Xander took it and seriously helped me put it on. I tried to hold back my smile because he'd been taking care of me all day. He was the first to get on the jet ski, then he helped me get on as well. He even placed my hands on his waist. “Hold tight,” he said, and I followed his instruction. I screamed at first when he suddenly sped up the jet ski, and I lightly hit him because of it. He chuckled softly at my reaction. We went around and around, and when he got tired, he turned to me and asked with a smile, “Want to try?” Like a kid, I nodded eagerly because I really wanted to try. We switched places, and now he was sitting behind me. When he wrapped his arms around my waist, it felt like an electric current ran through my body. Damn, what was that? Tsk, never mind. I composed
Vivien Our vacation is over, back to reality now. Today, we're heading back to Manila. Time flew by so quickly, and our vacation is already over. In the remaining days we had with Xander and Chad, we made sure to finish the package activities. It would have been a waste not to, considering what Penelope and I paid. Chad and Penelope are doing well now; they've cleared things up between them. Now, Chad is officially courting my friend, and finally, they'll have a proper label. And as for the night Xander stayed in our room, I'm glad he was a good boy. We just ate and chatted on the terrace, then slept next to each other. I appreciated that because he probably sensed that I felt a bit awkward. During the few days I spent with Xander, I got to know him a little better. Now that we're heading back to Manila, we'll both be busy, and we’ll rarely see each other, which is fine by me so that we don't get tired of each other. Penelope and I are on the road now. Since Chad brought a car
I was looking at condos to avoid the hassle of traveling and for any sudden shoots. If I were coming from home, I'd always be stuck in traffic, and I really don’t like being late for work. I was hoping for a place at Sandoval Condominium since Penelope owns it, and a friend of mine also has a condo there. I don’t need a large condo—just two rooms would be enough so Penelope would have a place to sleep when she visits. Actually, my parents and brother don’t know about this yet. But I need to be close to the agency, and they’ll understand. I’ve saved up a lot, including money I received for birthdays, Christmas, New Year, my allowance while studying, from modeling, being an ambassador, and my debut. I’m not a lavish person; I saved all the money my parents gave me, so I can afford to buy a condo and my own car. I don’t want to keep borrowing my brother’s car, even though he’s fine with it. I want to have my own. It’s also a good thing I wasn’t costly before, so I can now buy my ow
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
“You are so beautiful, Ms. Vivien. I only did a simple makeup look on you, but your beauty truly stands out.” I gave a sweet smile to the makeup artist assigned to me today. She was just doing a quick touch-up on my makeup before I headed out onto the runway. Today is the fashion show where I was invited by a very famous designer. I actually just found that out now. I'm here with my supportive boyfriend. I know he's sitting in the VIP section along with the other guests. I took a deep breath before walking backstage. Once I saw that my fellow model had returned, I held my head high and strutted onto the runway. A loud cheer erupted as soon as I stepped out. All the photographers turned their attention to me, scrambling to take shots. But I paid them no mind. I focused on my walk, wanting to bring life to the outfit I was wearing. I gave it my best. My face remained serious as I walked, and when I reached the end of the runway, my eyes immediately searched for Xander. It didn’t
Mics answered the call. “Hello, Love?”I grinned at the endearment he used for Mics. So cheesy! I signaled Mics to respond. “Yes, Love?”We heard my brother sigh on the other line. “I'm sorry for earlier, for our argument. I didn’t mean it, I was just tired… and I miss you… I miss you so much, and I just want to see you.” Mics blushed at what my brother said, while I was grinning like crazy but also feeling giddy! His voice was so tender! Is this really my brother talking? “Hey. Love. Still there? Why aren’t you answering? Are you still mad at me?”I signaled Mics not to say anything. She nodded. “Love? I’m sorry, okay? Wait, it’s already lunchtime—have you eaten? Where’s Vi?” “Love, talk to me, please?” “Don't be like this, Love. It won't make me feel better. I can’t work properly when we're like this. I'm sorry, don’t be mad at me. Okay, how about this? I'll pick you up later for dinner. I’ll make it up to you. And I miss you so, so much.” The redness on Mics’
My brother is really something else. Unbelievable… Geez! How did we not notice? They’re really good at hiding things. “Oh my gosh! You’ve been together for almost a year? Why did you hide it from us?” I asked in shock. Mics just gave me an embarrassed smile. “I don’t know why your brother doesn’t want to tell all of you. It’s hard to keep it a secret, you know. I don’t get what’s up with him.”Oh, so it was my brilliant brother who decided to keep it from us, huh? “Argh! I can’t believe he hid it from us! And we didn’t even notice. I had no idea my brother had a talent for acting.”I slumped back in my chair, crossing my arms. I’m not okay—I got played by my own brother! “I’m sorry, Vivi. Honestly, I wanted to tell you, but he didn’t want me to. That’s something we argue about sometimes.” I could see in Mics' eyes that she was telling the truth. She wanted to admit it to me, but my brother ruined it. He probably didn’t want us teasing him. “It’s okay. If I hadn’t caug
I dragged Xander along until we reached the front of the elevator. He remained silent while waiting for the elevator to open. I sighed before taking my phone out of my bag. I don’t think I’ll go to the office today. I’ll just text Mics and let her handle things for now. There aren’t any meetings scheduled anyway. Xander is tired. I want to take care of him. After texting Mics, I put my phone back in my bag and looked up. “Hey, you okay? Have you eaten?”I asked gently. He lifted his gaze and gave me a small smile. “Honestly, I haven't eaten since last night. I have no appetite. I miss you and Alexis. I can't leave because your dad doesn’t want to go home. He told me to stay and watch over Loraine. If you hadn’t come to me, I might still be there right now.” His voice was tired. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, let out a deep sigh, and spoke again. “She did it again. She tried to take her own life—just so I’d notice her and take her back. I'm tired of this, Daw
When the car stopped, I started to feel nervous. I put on my mask and blazer before entering the hospital. I went straight to the front desk to ask where Loraine's room was. They kindly told me the directions. I started walking and took the elevator. 5th floor, room 206B. It was a private room.When I got out of the elevator, I turned right and immediately saw the room. It wasn’t hard to find because the name was on the wall next to the door.Patient name: Loraine Herrera.I smiled. Herrera, huh? I stared at the door for a few seconds before deciding to turn the doorknob. Luckily, it wasn’t locked.As I entered, I kept a casual expression on my face. The people I didn’t want to see were there, and they were all looking at me. Vanessa raised an eyebrow while staring at me. Dad was just staring emotionlessly. Xander stood up in shock and greeted me. Meanwhile, Xander’s parents quietly observed.I looked at Loraine, clearly tired and sleep-deprived. She seemed okay, though? Tsk. “Baby,
The next day, I woke up again in Xander's arms, a smile forming on my lips. Last night, after a hot kiss, we returned to the room to rest. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.I hugged him until he woke up, and we had a short conversation while still holding each other. Then we both got up to start the day. He wasn’t going to work again today; he said he’d be watching over our son. Just like yesterday, we happily had our breakfast together. “Bye, Mom! See you later! I love you.” “Bye, Baby, I love you too. See you later.” I kissed him on the cheek before turning to Xander. “Bye, I’ll just text you later.” I stepped a little closer to him to give him a kiss on the lips. “Alright. I love you.” “I love you too. Be careful on your way home. Text me when you get to the condo, okay?”"Yes, ma’am!" Both Xander and Alexis said as they saluted me. I chuckled and shook my head before getting out of the car. I didn’t let them out because we’d be the center of attention again.When I e
It turns out we’re doing a sexy photoshoot today. I wasn’t informed—I thought it would just be a regular one.After getting my makeup and styling done, I went straight to the set to start the shoot.The photoshoot began, and I struck fierce poses since it was a sexy concept. I followed all the photographer’s instructions, making sure every pose was perfect so we wouldn’t have to redo anything. I didn’t want to waste time.The makeup artist met me afterward to retouch my makeup. Then, I changed into another sexy dress for the next shoot.I sent Xander a text, letting him know I had just one more shoot left and they could pick me up at the agency. Then I went back to continue the session.A wide smile spread across my face as soon as the shoot was over. I immediately headed to the dressing room to grab my things and change. I couldn’t wait to see my boys—I missed them so much.As I entered the room, I walked straight ahead, unable to wipe the smile off my face despite feeling tired. J
After an exhausting morning of playing around, we decided to leave the room. I still had to go to the office today—I couldn’t afford to skip work because of all the tasks waiting for me. Plus, I needed to stop by the agency later for a shoot.When we stepped out, breakfast was already prepared. As soon as we sat down, Xander took charge of serving food onto Alexis’ plate and mine. Alexis was absolutely thrilled that his dad was the one taking care of him today.“You’re going to work today?” Xander asked as we ate.“Yeah, I have to. I’ve got a pile of tasks at the office, and I have a shoot later at the agency.”He nodded thoughtfully.“Alright. I won’t go to Batangas today. I’ll postpone it until tomorrow. I’ll stay here to bond with our son. I’ll take care of him today, and we’ll drop you off and pick you up from work. Is that okay with you, son?”He turned to our son with a smile. Alexis eagerly nodded in agreement.“Yes, Dad! That’s a great idea! Let’s pick up Mom later. She’ll p
When I was done, I walked to the living room to call my husband and son, who were playing PS5.“Boys, stop playing now. Dinner is ready.”They both turned to me, nodded, and put down their controllers.Cute.Holding hands, they walked toward me. Xander gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead before wrapping an arm around me and guiding me to the dining area.“Wow! My favorite! Mom, did you cook this?”I nodded with a smile before serving Alexis some rice and caldereta. Then I filled Xander’s plate with rice, adding caldereta on one side and chop suey on the other.“Thank you, baby.”I simply smiled in response and served myself some rice. Manang Fe and Len watched us happily from the side.The dinner table was filled with laughter and stories. I mostly just listened as Xander and Manang Fe quickly bonded.After eating, I offered to clear the table and wash the dishes. I told Manang Fe to rest since her back suddenly started aching. Alexis went to clean herself up, leaving just Xander