Chapter 24"It's so beautiful..." I said in disbelief, and I reached for the wooden terrace that had been painted white. There was a sliding back door connected to the inside of the house. There was a white beach umbrella, a sun lounger beside it, and not far away were two single gray couches. On the opposite side, there was an empty sun lounger and a circular table. Everything matched the colors of the items and even the tiles in the swimming pool, which were a mix of pewter gray and white.In the front, there was a large swimming pool, although the water wasn't very clear anymore. Overall, it still looked beautiful; it just needed a little cleaning. I sat down on one of the couches to feel the ambiance of the place, but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder,"Who could be the owner of this house? Why does it seem like it's slowly being abandoned when it's still so beautiful? With just a little cleaning, it can be as good as new! Where could the owner be?" I had consecutive qu
Chapter 25"Hello, Ma'am," she greeted me with a shy smile, and I smiled back, not used to someone noticing me and being so friendly."Uhmm..." I didn't know how to respond! It seemed like a wrong idea to make Kuya Cardo wait at the parking lot!"I noticed, Ma'am, that your eyeglass lenses are thick, and I'm sure they get heavy when you wear them." I nodded because she was right. She smiled at me again."You don't have to worry, Ma'am, if that's the case!" She said energetically."I'm from IU," she added, pointing to a shop just behind us."We're currently promoting contact lenses. Maybe you'd like to upgrade!" Contact lenses... I said to myself. Actually, my mom has told me several times to switch to contact lenses, but I didn't want to because I'm afraid I might make a mistake when putting them on and end up blinding myself! Okay, I'm being overly dramatic, Amber, overthink much! But to be honest, that's the main reason I don't want to wear contact lenses, and I'm not interested any
Chapter 26"So if you're a nerd, bullying automatically becomes your name's partner! But if you're beautiful, it's fine even if you're dumb as a rock?! As long as you're pretty, physical appearance is really the basis?!" I said in frustration. I wiped away my tears harshly.I reached for my phone at the back of my bag, and as I swiped the screen, I immediately saw the notifications from people who messaged me.The latest one was from Arden.No assignment today. Good thing. I said to myself, feeling unmotivated to do anything if ever.But I took down notes to have an idea for our lesson today. That was the continuation of Arden's message, so it wouldn't seem like I was ignoring his message since he messaged me earlier. When I sent my response, I apologized for replying late and told him that I would check his notes on Sunday.Next, I saw a message from Aiden. The frustration I felt earlier, especially in my chest area, seemed to disappear like magic when I read his simple message.How
Chapter 27"Amber, Baby, when you wake up, please don't forget to eat. I won't go to your room tonight, Babe. I don't want to disturb you. Goodnight, Amber. Dream of me, 'okay?" There was a winking emoji at the end of his message.As I read his message, I couldn't help but smile and catch my breath. Why was Aiden so sweet today? What's going on? What did he eat? Damn! Whatever he ate, I hope he keeps eating it, so he'll always be sweet to me.Of course, to make him think that I was really asleep, I didn't reply. Until Kuya Cardo came back, the smile didn't leave my lips because of Aiden's message."Too bad about your hair, Ma'am. It still has its natural telephone curls..." Ate told me while using a hair straightener to straighten my hair."It's okay... I wanted to try having straight hair." That way, they wouldn't tease me as Betty La Fea. I told myself.The next day, I woke up a bit late. Kuya Cardo and I arrived home before 10 PM. When I entered the house, Mom and Dad were in the l
Chapter 28I decided to lie down on the sofa bed and punched my pillow in frustration, annoyed at myself for feeling regret. Even though Aiden didn't invite me to the barbecue, I felt a sense of sadness as I ended the phone call with him.I flopped onto the sofa bed and punched my pillow in frustration, annoyed at myself. That's when I happened to glance at the mirror on my vanity table.That's when I remembered that aside from the household staff, no one else knew about my makeover! I had planned to surprise Aiden the next day, so in the end, even though I was upset, I pretended to be asleep and decided to come down only during dinner."I can't believe you were able to finish three dozen barbecues, Amber!" Ate Rose said, laughing. I drank the soft drinks I had requested earlier because I felt so full from the barbecue that Aiden gave me."Oh, Aiden would be happy to know that you finished everything he gave you," Ate Rose said with wide eyes."Ate, please don't tell him!" I said, fee
Chapter 29 - End of Book 1 As I descended the stairs in our house, I made sure not to make any noise, even with my simple footsteps. I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't allow me to leave this early if they were to see me.We agreed to meet in front of our gate, but when I went out, he wasn't there yet. So, I looked at my watch again and saw that he still had 10 minutes before 3 AM.He probably wouldn't notice how excited I am for our adventure today, which is why I arrived at the meeting place earlier.It's quite cold at this time. I bit my lower lip when I felt the coldness on my exposed legs due to what I was wearing.Choosing this outfit was a wrong decision; I forgot that we were meeting in the early morning, and there's a high chance that it would be cold since we're already in the "ber" months."Amber?" I turned my head to the side when I heard Aiden's baritone voice. Luckily, there were streetlights in front of the adjacent street, and the light reached the front of our gate, so Aid
Beginning of Book 2"I'll see you later, Hon," I said to Jacobo as I tiptoed to give him a kiss on the lips. I pressed my lips against his and smiled, and he pressed his on my forehead in return."I love you," he said, holding my left cheek with his right hand. "I'll be waiting for you at dinner," he nodded and kissed the back of my hands. "I love you too, Babe. I'll see you later," I said, and he released my hands and walked towards his car.Sigh, it's just another boring day without him around. I wish I could graduate so I could apply to his company as his secretary and be with him the whole day.He can't sleep over at my house because he has his wife and child waiting for him. I should stop thinking about his wife and son. I should only think about him and us, our relationship."Is that Jacobo Smith?" I furrowed my brows and looked at the neighboring house where the voice came from, but quickly averted my gaze when I saw him.He's smirking towards me. He's sweaty, topless, wearing
Chapter 1Should I call Jacobo and ask for help? Ero is blackmailing me! I can sense it, but Jacobo is too busy today. He mentioned that he would be tied up with back-to-back meetings.And what if I tell Jacobo about this? What would he do? Will he help me silence Ero, or will he leave me and go back to his wife? God! That can't happen! I won't be able to survive without Jacobo by my side.I am really into him, and I love him so much. He's the only one I have. My mom and dad left me because they have their own families to care about. Jacobo promised me that he will leave his wife and child someday and marry me, and we'll spend the rest of our lives together. So I am holding onto that.I sighed and decided to call Ero again. After five rings, he finally answered. "Yes, Babe?" he said. I really wanted to tell him, "Yes, Babe, that's what your face looks like!" but he might get annoyed and show the picture to Mrs. Smith.For sure, she would cause a scene, and the news of me being the oth
Special Chapter 6"Love is not love if you're not going to feel the pain. After all, it's not all about love. It's about Jiro and Kylie. No third parties." Mommy added. It felt like they were scolding Aria and me, or maybe it was just me, since they knew Aria's side."So why are we here?" I changed the topic. I want all of this to end so I can look for Kylie and Jiro. Who knows what they've done already. Fuck!"I want, rather we want, you and Aria to get married tonight." This time it's Daddy who spoke."What?!" I felt like my soul wanted to leave my body at what Daddy said."But Aria is not Tita Celine's daughter! If you want our families to become one, why don't you just marry me and Kylie?!""Kent, please, don't make this complicated! I love you, that's all that matters.""Stop being so desperate, Aria! I'm not going to marry you!""But I love you.""And I love Kylie!" I shouted at her, and suddenly I found myself sitting on the floor, stunned. It was Dad who hit me. I glared at hi
Special Chapter 5Every fvcking time she says that she's lifeless without Jiro, I want to shut her up. Shut her up until her lips are sore from my kisses, so she has no choice but to stay silent. It's so fvcking irritating! Especially when we both know that Jiro is cheating on her, and the worst part?! He's cheating on her with her step-sister!Sometimes, I even want to knock some sense into her head and make her realize that she doesn't really love Jiro. D amn! She's only fvcking blinded by her thoughts! Thoughts of being a hopeless romantic because Jiro is her first boyfriend. The guy who taught her how to love. Her first love, and now she hopes that Jiro will be her last too.But no, that will never fvcking happen. I love Kylie from the start, and she doesn't deserve Jiro at all. She doesn't deserve the pain and betrayal. I don't know Jiro's reason for doing all of this, but I'm sure Aria's reason is all about envy and jealousy.Aria was left behind. Her mom died, and her dad had n
Special Chapter 4The day of our departure arrived and Kylie still hadn't arrived! It was frustrating! Two weeks before we left for the USA, Kuya introduced me to her, even though I had been pestering him about her for a long time. Kuya was busy with school since he was graduating, and Kylie found out that she's only four years older than me. "See you soon, bro," Kuya said to me and gave me a hug.He moved away from me and answered a call on his phone, and when I looked at him, he was already in front of the van, talking to Mom. I sighed, took a few steps back so that what I was about to say to him wouldn't be overheard, and spoke to Kylie again."It's okay... don't cry there, I'll come back." I heard her continuous sobbing, and then she answered me."I'll miss you so much! I forgot that you're leaving today, it's Sam's birthday yesterday. I'm sorry..." And she started sobbing again."Kylie...""Kent...""Why are you crying there? I'll come back!" 'And when I come back, I'll make sure
Special Chapter 3She sat on the swing next to me and rested there until her breathing returned to normal, then she looked at me."They've been looking for you, Jiro and our parents! And here you are!" I didn't respond to her. "We were worried about you. You didn't go to school today because they thought you couldn't breathe properly this morning, and they assumed you were just in your room."I didn't answer again. "Are you feeling alright? Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" He asked me gently."Why do you care?" I answered him coldly. I caught the fall of his face and the sadness in his eyes, I just looked away to get rid of the guilt I feel."It's not?! You're really my crush Baby Kent? Wee! You're going through puberty!" OA said Kylie.I made him suffer. It's the first Saturday of June and our first vacation. I am also in my first year of high school.Kuya Jiro is still proud when I told him my girl got my attention at school, but I didn't say anything that I had a crush on
Special Chapter 2And because he was strong with them, he was able to let them go. As for me, it's fine.. I don't care where we live as long as the important thing is that we are together. Wow! Wow!Earlier, I was focused on the anime, but now I can't seem to take my eyes off Kylie. I wonder where she lives? Could I ask Kuya to take me along when he visits her? Surely Kuya won't suspect that I want to see his girlfriend in person, right?Besides, I'm still young. It's probably just a crush, and I'm not going to snatch his girlfriend away from him. But she's older than me! Kuya is four years older than me, so if Kylie is his age, she's also four years older than me.Would a guy like someone younger than him? I heard Kuya's phone ringing non-stop. I immediately looked for it, and it turned out to be under his pillow, right behind me. I grabbed it, about to leave when I saw the caller ID.Kylie Rivera, BabeIt's Kuya's girlfriend! So I quickly went downstairs to give him his phone, prete
Special Chapter 1Nothing lasts forever. People come and go, and no one stays permanently. Just like her. I lit a candle as I sat beside her grave."Hey... It's been a while. How are you?" I asked, and as usual, a strong gust of wind was the response. I smiled as I reached for a pack of cigarettes in my pocket. I lit one and looked up at the clear blue sky."You know what, it's going to be a very long day for all of us. I really wish you were here with us. It's their wedding day, and I'm one of their best men..." There was no emotion in my voice as I spoke to her."I'm sure you're watching me right now, so... Do I look good in this suit and tie?" I took another puff of my cigarette."I hope so." I glanced at my wristwatch. "I'm sorry, but I need to go or I'll be late." I stood up and walked away from her grave.This is it! There's no turning back. I told myself as I looked at everyone. They were all busy with the wedding, and it was about to start any minute."I've been looking for yo
EndingI didn't know what to say to Aiden. I was happy and hurting at the same time. Happy because I could feel and hear Aiden's endless love for me, and hurting because I needed to be with Arden."I'm sorry, Aiden, you can't change my mind. Arden... Arden needs me more than you do."When I looked at the left side of my body, I noticed there was a cast from my fingers down to my arm. That's why I was in so much pain earlier; I had broken a bone! What's going to happen now? How am I going to go to school? How will I manage my daily routine with a broken left hand? And I'm left-handed!"But when I received Mia's call, I also left the site immediately to see you," Ero said without pause."This is nothing... just a small accident," I replied. I noticed Ero's eyebrows furrow and a hint of annoyance in his response, as if he was about to explode in anger."If it was just a small accident, why are you here in the hospital? Have you seen your hand? Why is it in a cast? Why didn't Manang Ameli
Chapter 31"These are Mr. Steinfield's collection." I nodded in response. Who wouldn't be speechless? It seemed like he was just buying toys.The only thing I remember was wearing a party dress and going to Baby Trigger's hotel. I drank wine, but I didn't like the taste. It was because of my annoyance towards the two women - urgh! I shouldn't have let their insults affect me, they weren't true anyway!Then it was my turn to be interviewed by Baby Trigger. My eyes widened when I remembered what he asked me and what I did. I swallowed hard, sat down on the spot, and covered myself with a blanket."I just took off my clothes in front of him, and he saw my chest. It was like an automatic reaction for me to cover my chest. I could feel the warmth on my cheeks, ears, and neck as I remembered my reaction to his massage on my chest. His lower lip dropped, and I could still feel his hand on my chest, massaging it even now.Is my contract with Mr. Steinfield? Does that mean I'm the one chosen b
Chapter 30"What are you doing, Kendall? Why are you pulling your hair?" Ero asked irritably as he took hold of my hand, which was tugging at my hair, and held it in his own."I really can't remember!" I complained in frustration. He tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer to him."Let's not dwell on it because what happened last night isn't that important," Ero said mischievously."What happened? Why don't you want to tell me?!" I asked inquisitively before the waiter arrived. He brought finger foods, fries, and nachos. He also brought a bottle of whiskey and..."Put the shake here," Ero instructed the waiter, who nodded and promptly placed the shake in front of me."Thanks," I said to the waiter, smiling at him. "You're welcome, ma'am," he replied with a smile before leaving. I felt Ero's hand tighten around my waist as he leaned closer to me."What did you order?" I immediately asked him as soon as the waiter left. He raised an eyebrow."Whiskey for me and a strawberry sh