Ivy’s face immediately turned red—hindi dahil sa galit kundi sa kahihiyan.“Mr. Villafuerte, please respect yourself. I don’t know you well, don’t try to get close to me,” masungit na sinabi ni Ivy kay Seymour na ikinagulat ng huli.Nasa harapan sila ngayon ni Cornelia—ang future mother-in-law niya kaya hindi maaaring magbago ang tingin nito sa kanya at magbigay ng duda dahil sa sinabi ni Seymour sa kanya.Agad na napansin iyon ni Reniella kaya mabilis siyang tumayo sa gilid ng kanyang anak at matalim na tiningnana si Seymour.“With all due respect, Mr. Villafuerte, my daughter is pure and our family is good. Don’t talk nonsense and affect her reputation.”Nangunot ang noo ni Seymour nang makilala ang matandang babae. Dalawang beses pa lamang nakakapunta si Seymour sa bahay ng mga Samaniego, at sa dalawang beses na iyon ay si Reniella lamang ang palagi niyang naabutan. Hindi niya maunawaan kung bakit tila bigla itong nagbago.Sa tuwing pumupunta siya sa bahay ng mga ito noon ay inaasi
It was more than an hour after dinner time. The butler put food on the table while explaining why he was late.“Pasensya na, Young Master. Bigla hong dumating ang mommy niyo kaya hindi kaagad kami nakakilos.”Napaawang ang bibig ni Sebastian nang marinig ngunit agad ding tinanguan ang butler na may dala ng mga pagkain nila.“It’s fine.”Ni hindi na niya tinanong kung bakit nagpunta ang kanyang ina dahil alam na niya ang posibleng dahilan. Marahil ay tungkol ito sa totoong kalagayan ng kanyang mga mata at gagamitin na naman nitong dahilan iyon upang maging mapagmataas sa iba.Or maybe her purpose is the same as those uninvited guests, who just want to find him his next wife. Maybe she has already found one and is here to take credit. In any case, it’s definitely not good news.The meal was the same as at noon, and the table was again full of food, but there was an extra dish of spicy crab!Nang makita iyon ni Sebastian ay agad siyang nagtaka.“Why did you put this in as well?” tanong
Sebastian suddenly pulled Spectra out and pushed the door open. Agad niyang nilock ang pintuan mula sa loob, leaving the woman outside. Agad na nakaramdam ng kaba at takot si Rosie dahil roon.It's completely dark outside. The lake in front was flashing with a faint light, and the shadows of the trees beside the road were swaying like monsters. Nang biglang umihip ang malakas na hangin ay tuluyan nang niyakap ni Rosie ang kanyang sarili dahil sa lamig na dala ng malakas na hangin.Although her body was cold, the fire in her heart was burning brightly.Naiinis na binalingan niya ang pintuan at kinalabog iyon nang marahas.“Open the door, Sebastian! What do you think you’re doing leaving me here outside?! Nakikituloy ka na nga lang dito at ngayon ay iiwan mo ako rito sa labas? You’re going too far!” Hiyaw niya mula sa labas habang patuloy ang takot na nararamdaman niya sa kanyang puso.Muli niyang kinalabog ang pintuan ngunit wala siyang nakuhang sagot kahit isa. Seryoso ba ang lalaking
This woman always manages to surprise him.Ivy looked like a lady, but she really made him happy just now. The woman was very open-minded, much better than the 18th-tier actress he just hooked up with.“I can’t,” Ivy replied to him directly. Nilapitan lamang niya si Seymour at mabilis na hinalikan ang pisngi nito saka lumayo rin. “Hindi ako puwedeng matulog kasama mo. May 8 p.m curfew ako. Kung gusto mong maging madalas ito ay huwag ka nang kumontra, pero kung gusto mo akong makasama nang matagal…”Ivy left her words half-finished and stopped talking on purpose.Batid ni Seymour na tinutuya lamang siya ng babae kaya napako ang atensyon niya rito.“What is it?”“Come to my house and propose to me. Pakasalan mo ako,” ani Ivy at sinundan niya ito ng malutong na halakhak.Ivy’s laugh echoed through the room. It was just a joke and she didn't take it seriously. From the moment she agreed to go on a date with Seymour at the hotel, she knew what would happen, and she also knew that the close
Rosie held back her laughter and walked up to Sebastian."I'm going to do the laundry in a bit. May mga labahan ka ba? Isasabay ko na sana ang mga damit mo,” paanyaya niya sa lalaki.Tumaas ang kilay ni Sebastian sa narinig. Spectra suddenly became upright? No. Sebastian wouldn’t fall for it so easily. Sa saglit na panahong nakasama niya ang babae sa iisang lugar ay kilala na niya ito. She might not be planning anything bad, but there’s still a possibility.Umiling na lamang si Sebastian. “No, thanks. I have a servant. Anita can wash them.”“Edi ‘wag,” simpleng sagot ni Rosie at pumanhik na kaagad.Hindi pa man tumatagal ang ilang minuto nang makaakyat ang babae ay may narinig nang sigaw si Sebastian kaya tinanaw niya ang pangalawang palapag. Maya-maya pa ay nagmamadaling bumaba si Rosie habang tila problemado ang ekspresyon nito. “Mr. Villafuerte, I'm sorry, I wanted to clean your bed cover, but I accidentally knocked over the water cup, and the cover got wet…” paghingi ng paumanhi
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the housekeeper couldn't bring them food, so they had to make their own lunch. There is everything in the refrigerator, but no one knows how to cook.Nagdesisyon si Rosie na magtimpla na lamang ng gatas saka kumuha ng tinapay at nilagay iyon sa toaster. Matapos niyang gawin iyon ay bumalik siya sa sala at binigay kay Sebastian ang isang tasa ng gatas pati na ang tinapay. Fortunately, Sebastian was not picky about food, so he was fine with anything he could eat. After lunch, the rain continued to fall, with no sign of stopping!"Will there be a flood?" Rosie said, and what she said came true.The artificial lake between the two villas is originally a depression, and the water level would rise when it rains, but it’s not a big problem. The rainfall was heavy and rapid this time, and all the rainwater from the mountains flowed into the artificial lake, and the water level rose at a speed almost visible to the naked eye. Although ther
Rosie turned off the computer, covered her head with the quilt, and kept mumbling to herself.“Ano naman ngayon kung nilalamig siya? Hindi ko na iyon problema. Kasalanan niya dahil pumunta pa siya rito. I didn’t even invite him here. Bahala siyang mamatay sa lamig doon—!”Ngunit hindi iyon tinanggap ng kanyang sarili. Naiinis na binalibag niya ang kumot at nagdadabog na tumayo mula sa kama. Kinuha niya ang flashlight at naghanap ng mga makakapal niyang damit. There was only one bar of battery left on the phone, which would soon be used up. Nang makita ni Rosie ang mga jacket niya ay agad na sinuot niya iyon saka lumabas patungo sa silid ni Sebastian. Dahan-dahan siyang kumatok.“Open the door. May ibibigay lang ako sayo…” tawag niya sa lalaki.Ilang segundo pa siyang naghintay roon ngunit hindi bumukas ang pinto, sa halip ay narinig niya ang boses ni Sebastian mula sa baba.“I’m here.”Rosie went downstairs quickly. Nang ilawan niya ang sala ay doon niya nadatnan si Sebastian na naka
Inaamin ni Rosie na totoong gwapo si Sebastian. Ngayon lamang niya ito natitigan nang maayos at malapit at masasabi niyang mas gwapo pa ito kaysa sa mga artistang lalaki na kilala niya ngayon. Kahit laging masungit ang ekspresyon nito ay nananatiling malamlam ang mga mata nito. Bukod sa gwapo ay mayaman din ito. Hindi na siya magtataka kung bakit napakaraming bumisita sa lalaki noong kumalat ang balitang may iniligtas itong bata sa sunog.Rosie smiled bitterly while still staring at Sebastian. If he didn’t have Ayanna in his heart, she felt that it would be okay to spend her whole life with him… Wait! No, what was she thinking?Agad na tinapik ni Rosie ang kanyang pisngi na nagsisimula na namang mag init dahil sa isiping iyon. Ramdam na ramdam niya ang matinding kalabog ng kanyang puso, ngunit hindi lang siya iyon—kundi pati si Sebastian.Nangunot ang noo ni Rosie nang mapansin ang mabigat na paghinga ng lalaki at tila hirap na hirap ito. She reached out and touched his forehead. Mun
Rosie quickly sent the link to them, and they clicked on it. Nakita nila ang mga litrato na ipinost ng isang milyonaryong celebrity, ipinapakita ang tatlo sa kanilang kumakain nang magkasama. Sebastian at Elton ay nag-uunahan sa pagsilbi ng pagkain kay Spectra, parehong sobrang maasikaso.Kasunod nito, may isang litrato ng tatlo habang papasok sa villa. Kahit hindi masyadong pasabog ang pamagat, malinaw na nagpapa-isip ito ng kung anu-ano."When three people are together, there must be a love rivalry!"Mukhang normal lang ang mga litrato, pero ang mga komento sa ilalim nito ay halatang nagpapaligoy-ligoy, gumagawa ng maling kahulugan. Habang tumatagal, nagiging mas outrageous at sobra na ang mga sinasabi ng mga tao..."Master, your uncle!" sigaw ni Elton sa galit.“Bang—”Hinampas ni Elton ang computer sa sobrang inis.Matapos niyang mabasag ito, napagtanto niya na hindi pala ito ang computer niya. Nakita niyang nakatitig si Spectra sa kanya nang may galit, kaya dali-dali siyang humin
After buying things, Spectra suggested, "Let’s have lunch outside? How about going home after eating?"The food in the restaurant outside was delicious. Every time she went out, she would indulge in a full meal before heading home.Noon pa man sa pamilya Samaniego, hindi pinapayagan ang pagkain sa labas. Ang mga kinakain lang ay ang mga niluluto ng mga katulong. Sina Reniella at Armando ay mas pinipili ang mga pagkaing may magaan na lasa, kaya karamihan sa mga pagkain sa pamilya nila ay nilalaga lamang na may kaunting asin, bihirang may seafood.Rosie always thought food was supposed to taste that way. But when she was sixteen, she tried seafood and spicy dishes for the first time and immediately fell in love with the flavors, never forgetting them.Nang tumira siya sa villa ng pamilya Villafuerte, masarap din ang mga luto ng chef doon. Ngunit nang pinalayas siya ni Cornelia matapos ang maikling panahon, doon lang siya nagsimulang makatikim ng iba’t ibang luto mula sa labas.Doon lang
Hawak ni Elton ang ilang kahon ng seafood sa kaliwang kamay at mga fast food snacks, prutas, atbp. sa kanan. Dinala niya talaga ang mga ito para kay Spectra, pero nang makita niya si Sebastian, agad na nawala ang kanyang ngiti.Sebastian pointed to the other side and said, "It's too noisy over there. I have no choice but to come to your place for peace and quiet."Ibinaba ni Elton ang mga dala niya sa coffee table at hindi na pinansin si Sebastian. Tumalikod siya at sinabi kay Spectra, "Spectra, siya na ang nakatira dito. Bakit hindi ka nalang sumama sa akin? Gustong-gusto ka ng nanay ko. Nitong mga nakaraang araw, reklamo siya nang reklamo kung bakit hindi ka pa bumibisita. Nakakabagot sa bahay, wala man lang makausap... Halika na, sumama ka na sa akin?"Hindi naman siya talaga madaling mairita, pero sa pagkakataong ito, parang hindi siya mapakali. Pagkatapos niyang sabihin iyon, hindi na siya naghintay ng sagot mula kay Spectra at agad na hinila siya.Ayaw talagang sumama ni Spectra
Elton was puzzled. He had to ask, "Did you just say that Samuel is the chairman of Alpha? Who told you that? Not many people know about such a confidential matter. How did you find out?"Seymour, thinking he had uncovered an incredible secret about Alpha, wanted to show off.Mataas ang pagtingin ni Seymour sa sarili, kaya itinuro niya ang kanyang baba at nagsalita nang may kayabangan, "I can't tell you that. Of course, I have my ways of knowing these things. Don’t think your internal affairs are that tight. If I want to know something, I’ll find out."Matapos niyang sabihin iyon, umalis siya nang taas-noo, mayabang na naglalakad palayo. Elton, though initially confused, quickly pieced everything together after exchanging glances with the others. Hindi inasahan ni Lucas na ang kanyang simpleng komento ay magiging "inside information" na ipinagmamalaki ni Seymour. Bigla siyang nabilaukan sa tsaa at halos naidura ito kay Elton.Nagtawanan ang grupo, bagaman tila pilit ang ngiti ni Samuel
Spectra deadpanned, "Oh, I was just busy talking and didn’t have time to introduce myself." She ignored the man beside her and turned to the crowd, "Hello everyone, my name is Spectra, and I am the chairman of Nexus Ventures. I’m very happy you could attend this party today. I hope you all have a pleasant and unforgettable evening!"Walang nakakasiguro kung magiging masaya nga ba ang gabi, pero isang bagay ang sigurado—ito’y hindi malilimutan!Sa sandaling iyon, biglang tumahimik ang buong kwarto. Kadarating lang ni Baltazar at bago pa niya mapaalalahanan ang kanyang anak, napansin niya agad ang nangyari. Wala nang kailangang paalala—nangyari na ang kinakatakutan niya!After a brief silence, a voice spoke up."Hello, hello! I’m the general manager of Rising Sun Company. I’ve heard so much about you. Seeing is believing! I didn’t expect you to be so young and beautiful…"Sobra naman ang pambobola niya. Pero ito pa lang ang simula—at siguradong hindi ito ang huli.Bago pa matapos mags
Since so many people could think of it, Elton naturally considered it too. He wasn’t going to show up now and make himself a target. Let them guess all they want. The higher their expectations, the greater their shock will be when they finally see who’s really behind everything!Hayaan silang maliitin ang iba.Many people attending tonight’s event had received favors from Mr. Hugo Villafuerte and Sebastian in the past.But during the old man’s funeral, none of these people showed up, afraid to offend Seymour. Sising-sisi sila mamaya.…The car pulled up in front of the hotel.Sebastian and Spectra stepped out. Their attire was so plain that it seemed almost inappropriate for such a grand event. They handed over their invitation at the entrance and made their way inside the hotel.Before they even reached the gate, someone with sharp eyes noticed Sebastian. The person who saw him first quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.Pero mabilis niya ring binulungan ang mga kasama.“Si
Seymour hesitated.Frances looked at her son and said, “Pumunta ka na sa itaas at magpahinga ka muna. Ako na ang bahala dito.”“Okay, pero huwag mo siyang masyadong pahirapan,” sagot ni Seymour.Seymour could never harden his heart towards women, not just Ivy, but any other woman he had had physical contact with.“Naintindihan ko. Sige na, umakyat ka na,” Frances insisted as she gently pushed her son away.Once her son was gone, Frances went to the gatehouse to meet Ivy.The young woman was curled up on the narrow bed, her face pale and her lips blue and purple from the cold. Her entire body trembled as she tried to warm herself.Mukhang kaawa-awa ang batang ito.Frances thought to herself that it was a good decision not to let her son see Ivy like this. If he did, he would definitely be soft-hearted.Without wasting any time, Frances took out a bank card and handed it to Ivy. “Here’s ten million. Iwanan mo ang anak ko.”Ivy shook her head vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears. “No
Spectra's shoulders started shaking, and tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t control herself anymore and ran out of the room.“I’ll go see her.” Elton chased after her.Siya lang ang nakakaalam ng tunay na pagkatao ni Spectra, at alam din niyang naantig ito sa nakita kanina.Nang lumabas siya para sundan ito, hindi naman lumayo si Spectra. Nagtago lang ito sa isang sulok at humahagulgol nang tahimik. Agad na nilapitan siya ni Elton at inabutan ng tissue. “Here, wipe your tears. Don’t cry. You have to control your emotions—baka mapansin ka.”Tumango si Spectra at sinabi habang humihikbi, “Yeah, I know. I won’t cry.”Sinabi niyang hindi na iiyak, pero bakas pa rin ang labis na kalungkutan.Napabuntong-hininga si Elton at pabirong sinabi, “I’ll lend you my shoulder. Lean on it whenever you want.”Biglang sumubsob si Spectra sa balikat ni Elton at humagulgol nang walang pakundangan. Bago niya makita si Armando, pakiramdam niya ay matapang siya, at malaya kahit papaano sa labas.Bei
Baltazar rolled his eyes and leaned back heavily on his chair with a loud thud!“Honey!” Frances ran over immediately.“Dad, Dad, what’s wrong?” Pumunta rin agad sina Seymour at Samuel para alamin ang nangyari. Agad na naging magulo ang buong conference room.Kumikibot-kibot ang talukap ng mata ni Baltazar, at agad itong naintindihan ni Frances. Mabilis niyang pinaalis ang bunsong anak, saka mabilis na sinabi kay Seymour, “Stop saying nonsense. Kung magkamali ka na naman ng salita, ni mga diyos hindi ka na kayang iligtas.”Mabilis na tumango si Seymour bilang senyales na naintindihan niya.Kahit hindi siya kumbinsido, napagtanto niyang bawat salita ni Sebastian ay puro patibong, at kusa siyang nahulog sa bawat isa. Marami na siyang natutunang leksyon. Hindi na siya magpapadala muli!Habang binibigyan ng oras ang anak para makapag-isip, unti-unting “nagising” si Baltazar mula sa kanyang kunwaring pagkakahimatay. Hindi siya maaaring pumunta sa ospital sa oras na ito. Kapag umalis siya a