THIRD POVThe long-awaited night for Ana has finally arrived…“Chloe, Mateo, please do not fight at Ana’s party,” Caridad said seriously, as they still avoided eye contact.“Show your Villalobos pride. Don’t embarrass us. There will be many guests at Ana’s party,” Don Levi added, adjusting his necktie.Chloe just rolled her eyes and gave Mateo a dirty look, who still couldn’t speak properly after coming home completely drunk.“Mateo, show everyone your love for your wife,” Caridad said seriously.Mateo paused and looked at his mother. “Ana is the only wife I have.”Chloe’s eyes widened as she heard her husband’s voice for the first time since he came home, as he had been silent ever since.Don Levi cleared his throat and put his hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “Son, you will take over for me when I retire. And Ana? She’s no longer your wife, okay? She’s our enemy,” Don Levi said softly to his son, who just brushed his hand away and adjusted his outfit.Don Levi sighed at his daughter’s acti
Ana finished playing the song, and a moment of silence followed. The audience was captivated, and familiar music filled the room. Ana’s fingers danced across the piano keys, and the audience, both familiar and foreign, rose to their feet to applaud her performance.Ana wiped away tears from her eyes and looked around in disbelief. “Martin, we thought… Ana didn’t know how to play the piano,” one of her friends said.“Yeah, I remember that. We taught her because she said she didn’t know how to play any instruments, right?”“She’s outstanding!”Ignoring his friends’ comments, Martin continued to stare at Ana, who was still staring blankly at the piano.The host coughed and quickly made his way to the stage to praise Ana. “Wow! That was an outstanding performance, Lady Ana!”Ana blinked and smiled at the host before standing up to face the audience. “How did you learn to play the piano, Lady Ana?” the host asked.Ana smiled and took a deep breath. “I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t kno
It has been months since the party ended, and they returned to their respective activities. Ana went back to work and resumed her investigation of the Montes family, but they were still struggling to get information because Levi strictly prohibited discussing what happened 28 years ago.Despite their efforts, they were still unable to gather information, making it difficult for them to identify the other wrongdoings of the Villalobos family aside from their abuse of the townspeople.Ana visited the municipal office several times to discuss the upcoming events. With Martin’s help, her work became easier.“Yeah! I’m done!” Ana exclaimed with a smile, stretching her arms after working all morning in her office at the mansion.Martin also returned to Manila to attend to the work he left behind, along with their friends, except for Maximiliano, who had not yet returned to Spain. Ana was also intrigued by his personality.She shook her head and tried to avoid thinking about him, fearing tha
Ana has been busy for the past few days due to her work, so she has been focusing on her tasks and the evidence they have. She still hasn’t found any loopholes that would further incriminate the Villalobos.She also needs to be careful because she knows Levi Villalobos may be taking action to get her out of the town of San Alfonso.Furthermore, she cannot afford to lose the battle. She has been preparing for all her plans against the Villalobos for a long time. She doesn’t want to go back to the past where she had no chance and was considered a coward, as her opponent is not to be taken lightly. But as long as she is by Martin’s side, she will be at ease.Tyron continues to serve under the Villalobos to find out their every move. Ana no longer trusts the people she is with at the hacienda, as Levi might bribe them to betray her and reveal his plans for her.Ana thought her work would be quiet, but she heard some bad news from Tyron.“Ana, Grandma Tasing is dead. She was found lifeless
That's what they thought that they would be able to go to Levi’s office, but… There were many people outside the mansion, seemingly protesting to drive Ana out of the town of San Alfonso. Ana’s men were scattered throughout the mansion to stop the people. Ana was just staring out her window when she saw the angry mob protesting the death of Tasing.“You can’t leave, Ana. There are too many people protesting. Our men can’t stop them,” Paris said irritably.Ana furrowed her brow. “Tell our men not to hurt anyone. I’ll let them do as they please,” she said seriously, watching the protesters in front of the hacienda.“Ana?”Ana looked at Paris and smiled. “I’ll let them be angry at me, so Levi will know he succeeded in trying to destroy me.”Paris sighed and left Ana’s office. She couldn’t read her mind, but she also felt sorry for her.“It’s terrifying out there!”“What’s Ana’s plan? The protesters are increasing. If Martin arrives, we’re all in trouble,” Klein said, frustrated that the
“Why is this happening?!” Everyone looked at Martin, who had just arrived from Manila. It took him a few days to get back to San Alfonso due to his work. He was worried about Ana when he heard what had happened, so he rushed to finish his work, but he still couldn’t come home right away because he had a lot of business to take care of.Martin looked at Ana, trying to calm himself. “Ana, what did I tell you?” he asked.Ana turned to Martin, looking at him emotionlessly, but she sighed. “Martin, I just wanted to go around the whole area of San Alfonso and help the people who are struggling because of their low wages under the Villalobos,” Ana explained in a calm voice. “I know you're just worried about me, but I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry about me anymore.” She smiled and held Martin's arm to calm him down.Martin took a deep breath and just shook his head, as it seemed that Ana had plans that he didn't know about. “Who’s Tasing?” he asked Ana, who paused but just
They were interrupted by someone rushing into the conference room.“Someone is causing trouble outside, Don Levi! The town lunatic! The window is broken!” the person said frantically, causing them to stand up and go outside to see what was happening.Ana frowned as she recognized the familiar town lunatic causing a commotion outside. She approached the door, and Levi followed her out.“You will die, Levi Villalobos!” the town lunatic shouted, grabbing rocks from a sack and throwing them in front of the office. Levi’s men quickly shielded them from the rocks.“Arrest that lunatic!” Levi ordered his men, who followed, but they couldn’t get close to the town lunatic, who continued to throw rocks at them.“You will pay, Levi Villalobos!”Chloe screamed as the town lunatic threw large rocks at them. She was unable to get close because she was afraid of being hit by a large rock.“Let’s go, Ana,” Martin said, pulling Ana, who didn’t follow and suddenly stood in front of the Villalobos; she
Ana couldn’t sleep because of her conversation with Detective. She was still thinking about everything she had heard and learned. She took a deep breath and paced in front of the bed, trying to piece everything together, but there was still missing information. Furthermore, she didn’t find what she was looking for.“Can’t sleep?” Martin asked as he woke up and noticed Ana wasn't beside him.“You can sleep more,” Ana replied. Martin furrowed his brow when he saw Ana couldn't sit still.“What did he tell you?” Martin asked seriously. Ana stopped pacing and scratched her hand, then shook her head at Martin. “Did he hurt you?”Ana looked at Martin and shook her head. “No. He will never hurt me.”Martin furrowed his brow even more because Ana seemed sure that the man wouldn't hurt her. “Then, what is it? What’s bothering you?”Ana sighed, crossed her arms, and turned away from Martin. “I-I don’t know…? That old man… He’s not crazy,” Ana said with her eyes closed, then turned to look at Mar
CHLOE’S POV“Where are you going again, Mateo?”“You don’t care!”I fell silent because I didn’t want to ask any more questions that might hurt me.“We need you here! The election is coming soon!”He glared at me and pointed at my head. “I don’t care whether Dad wins or not!”“Come on, Mateo!”He ignored me and just went down the stairs. He seemed rushing. I looked at my watch and grabbed the keys to my car because I was going to follow him, maybe because of Ana again, why he was rushing.I bit my lip as I followed Mateo’s car and wondered why he was going to the falls. Damn. Perhaps he’s with another girl again?He parked the car, so I stopped mine not far away. I got out of the car and took heavy steps to make sure that girl knew she could fight for Mateo.When I reached the falls, I could hear the water flowing.“Ana! Sorry, I’m late!”Ana? My eyes widened when I saw Ana in a two-piece bathing suit bathing in the falls. I stepped back a bit behind the bushes so they wouldn’t know I
“Martin, please?” I pleaded with him on the other line because he is currently in Spain but will be coming home tomorrow.(“I said no. We already discussed this,”) he replied.I kicked in frustration because he would rather not agree to my plan.“I have to do this, Martin… Please, babe?”I didn’t know how to persuade him. I might have to kneel and unzip his zipper. Annoying!(“Shut up. You can’t manipulate me like that, Ana,”) he said.I rolled my eyes and let out a deep sigh. “Fine! I hate you!”(“What the hell—”) he didn’t finish his sentence because I’ve been annoyed with him since earlier. He’s the one flirting with others. Damn you, Martin.I glanced at my phone, and he was calling again, but I ignored his call and turned off my phone to make him feel my annoyance. He’s the one stressing me out, not Mateo.“We’re here,” Alexis said.I just nodded to Alexis and got out of the car. It’s been a long time since I last visited them.I placed the flowers I prepared for Alexis and lit a
Ana locked herself in her room for days after learning the truth from Detective Paul. Her anger towards the Villalobos only intensified.The election was approaching, and she couldn’t wait to bring down the family responsible for her parents' death. She was determined to get back what was rightfully hers.Standing up from her bed, she pulled back the curtain and noticed that the guards outside the mansion had doubled.She grabbed her shawl and wallet and descended from the terrace of her room because she had somewhere she needed to go. When she left the mansion, she quickly hailed a tricycle and told the driver where she wanted to go.The tricycle driver hesitated because they needed permission from the mayor to go to the Montes' hacienda, but Ana insisted and offered to pay a large sum.They arrived at the entrance of the hacienda de Montes, and Ana paid the driver all the cash she had before signaling for him to leave, fearing that Levi might still be watching her every move…***“Y
I couldn’t speak when he said that. I don’t know why, but I faced him and saw his smile.“That was made by Don Ignacio, made for his wife, and when they passed away, Don Martinez took it because he knew how important Lady Stella was to his wife and his close friend. I just never expected him to display it at their hacienda. It seems like Don Martinez already knew this would happen,” he said with a shrug, looking back at me. It surprised me to see a tear welling up in his eyes.“D-Detective…”He just shook his head at me. “I’m sorry, okay? I looked for you, believe me. But I found out that the orphanage where I left you was already burned down.”I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening.W-what does he mean?“W-what…” I stopped and looked at his hand holding mine.“Ana… Anastasia Montes is your real name. You are the missing child of Don Ignacio and Lady Stella. You are their child.”I pulled my hand away from him in shock. I-I couldn't understand what he was saying. I shook my head.“H
“We’re here.”The sight of the vast Montes from the hilltop left me speechless. I couldn’t help but notice the two stones that were in front of us.“This is where I buried Don Ignacio and Lady Stella.”I couldn’t speak and just stared at the two stones with their names.“Are you ready to hear what I have to say, Ana?”I looked at the Detective who was gazing into the distance. The wind picked up, so I held on to my hair. I didn’t know why, but my heart was pounding so hard.I knew I was ready, but… why did I feel like I wanted to go back to the hacienda?“Ana.”I blinked and turned to the Detective who was looking at me.“I want to tell you the truth about the tragedy that happened 28 years ago. When they removed the Montes family.”I just stared at the Detective as the wind blew.“Tell me everything,” I said. He just smiled and looked back at the town.“In 1980, Don Ignacio Montes became the town’s second leader because Don Martinez selected him to follow in his footsteps. Don Ignaci
I woke up because of the noise of my phone. I glanced at the person next to me and Martin still seemed asleep. Furthermore, I smiled and got out of bed to reach for my phone, but I was stopped when I saw a message from an unregistered number.“Let’s meet at my hut, Miss Ana.”I glanced at Martin and slowly got up from the bed to grab my robe. And I just replied to Detective agreeing to meet, in case he had further information or evidence that could further incriminate the Villalobos.I went through my routine and got dressed, in case Martin woke up and found out where I was going. When I came out of the bathroom, I noticed that Martin was still fast asleep, so I quickly grabbed my bag and left the room. And I also noticed that Martin’s whole squad was here.F·ck. I didn’t know how to get past them, especially since Alexis had the keys to our car.“Oh, Ana! Good morning!” they greeted me with a smile. Paris pulled me to the dining area to eat. I sighed in relief, hoping they wouldn’t n
I finished the remaining alcohol and went back to my room to sleep, but I forgot that Martin was there.I stumbled onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling, feeling the effects of the alcohol. Furthermore, I must have had too much to drink. Maybe that’s why Rio and the others were drinking it, to give them energy for whatever they were planning to do. TSK.It startled me when Martin hugged me and widened my eyes when he put his hand inside my lingerie. “M-Martin…!” I covered my mouth as he touched my chest.Isn’t he sleeping? Is he dreaming? Fuck.I looked at Martin and was surprised to see his eyes wide open, staring blankly. I couldn’t deny that women fall for Martin. His gaze seemed to dig deep into your soul.“Martin?”He didn’t speak and continued to touch my chest. I wasn’t even wearing a bra! Damn it, Martin! He was asleep earlier!He continued to touch my chest, and I couldn't help but moan. “Aghn… M-Martin… T-that’s my weakness!” I struggled to say as I pushed his hand away.
I woke up and was surprised by the scenario because it seemed like I no longer had a car.“My husband.”“Stella…”My eyes widened when I saw Lady Stella and Don Ignacio. I knew them from the old newspapers.Is this a dream?“What are we going to do? The Montes are not guilty of what they are accusing them of.”“I don’t know, my love. I don’t know what to do anymore. Don Martinez left the town to me.”I just covered my mouth and cried when I saw their situation. If this is just a dream, please… Wake me up. It hurts to see them like this.I was then transferred to another scenario where chaos was happening at the Montes' hacienda.W-what’s happening?“No! Not my husband! He's innocent!”Oh my god. No… Please!“Stella, take care of our future child. Remember, the truth is on my side.”“N-no…! Ignacio!”***“Ana, wake up!”I woke up and noticed that I was in Martin’s car.“Hey,”I held my chest because it was tight. I didn't know why, but I ended up crying in front of Martin, who I knew w
ANA’s POV“Hey,” I blinked and looked around, realizing that we were at the town hall. I stifled a yawn, as I hadn't had a proper sleep in a week. I tried to read Lady Stella’s diary again, but I couldn't focus due to my business responsibilities and the upcoming election.“Martin,” I called out softly to Martin, who was listening intently to the conversation. “Martin,” I tugged at his sleeve, causing him to turn towards me. “What are you discussing?” I asked.He glared at me, so I just smiled, as I hadn’t really been paying attention, my mind preoccupied with Lady Stella’s diary.“About business and the funds for the citizens,” he replied.I fell silent and leaned back in my chair. I glanced at the Villalobos, who were acting as if they were saints in front of the investors. Furthermore, I couldn’t believe that they could still carry themselves so confidently after what they had done to me, as if they had nothing to do with what happened to me. It was obvious that they were hiding ev