**Meriam's Perspective** "Mommy, what should I do if Daddy wants to pass the company to Sister Jen?" I asked hesitantly. My sister Jen is capable of running the company. She's intelligent and strategic, and she hasn't relied on being a Villanueva to succeed in business. I don't resent my sister, but Mommy always scolds me when I'm kind to her, so I've grown distant. While I was abroad, Mommy insisted I return to the Philippines because Daddy was retiring, and I was supposed to take over. Sister May isn't interested in the business, and Mommy can't control her either. Mommy always tells Ken and me that one of us should step up to run the company. Even if I don't want to, I can't refuse because Mommy will just give in, which frustrates me. Also, there's a secret that only Ken and I know. Ken warned me not to reveal it to protect Ate Jen from being hurt. We love Sister Jen, which is why we've kept the secret until now. Mommy threatened us that if Sister Jen takes over from Daddy, sh
"Daddy, everyone knows you're pregnant now. Do you think Mom will be happy about this accident?" Daddy asked me as soon as Aira returned to their mansion. Despite my attempts to reach her, she didn't answer. I turned to Raven for help, but he advised me to give Aira space. This morning, while entering my office, Daddy and I overheard discussions in the cubicles about an article that had been released. It mentioned that one of the Villanueva brothers was expecting a child, causing a stir and negative comments among colleagues who didn't even know him. Daddy was so intrigued that he didn't let me go to my desk. Instead, he made me sit in his office and instructed his secretary to find out more. Although the article didn't reveal the man's identity, Daddy knew it referred to me because I was the only one involved with the Villanueva family. "I'm not 100% certain I'm pregnant," I said cautiously. "So you admit it?" Daddy pressed. "Whether I admit it or not, I'm unsure myself," I
Feeling anxious and unsettled, Miguel returned to the mansion, his mind racing with decisions he needed to make. He desperately wanted to create a complete family for Aira and their baby, especially after what he had recently discovered. "I'm from Villanueva's building. Do you have a moment?" his father's voice interrupted as he entered through the main door. "I'll talk to you once I've sorted things out," Miguel replied, trying to gather his thoughts. His immediate priority was reaching Aira to discuss their future and the baby, but his calls went unanswered. Turning to Raven for information, he found even Raven hadn't been in touch with Aira. Seeking advice, he dialed his mother, hoping for her calming influence, but she too didn't pick up. Confusion overwhelmed him, unsure of what steps to take next. His mother's support had always been a constant in tough times like these. "Sir, you're needed," a voice interrupted, knocking on his door. Straightening himself, Miguel followed h
"I'm the one you want to take your place?" Aira asked her father in surprise. The old man nodded and walked over to help Aira up from where she knelt on the floor. "Dad, I have my own business. I'll expand it as much as I can. Even though I'm pregnant, I'll raise my child with my own efforts," Aira replied politely. "Another thing, Dad, I can't compete with my brother for things like this. It's better to give them what they deserve. Thank you for the offer, but I can't accept it," she added, walking towards the door. "I need to rest. I'm feeling unwell," she bid her father goodbye. Inside, the old man was troubled. He knew Aira was the only one capable of running their vast company. However, there was nothing he could do. He respected his son's ability to live life on his own terms, which was why he admired him. From his office, he glanced at his son, feeling sorry for what he had to endure. Lost in thought, he was surprised by his wife's sudden entrance. "What right do you have
"Hello, Raven. Where's Aira? Do you know where she is? Who's with her?" Miguel asked Aira's friend Raven, sounding confused. Miguel drove to the airport, trying to stop Aira. He didn't know why he was doing it, but his mind was filled with problems and doubts. He hadn't expected his father to act so quickly, and he wasn't prepared for any of this. "He's gone to where he belongs. Don't try to find him and don't go after them unless you want to make things worse. I didn't know it would come to this if he loved you. If only I'd known sooner, maybe this wouldn't have happened, and he wouldn't have turned away from the life he's used to," Miguel's conversation partner advised. "I didn't expect any of this. I wasn't ready. I didn't think it would turn out like this," Miguel said tearfully to his companion. "You've met your father. You know what he's capable of, but you let him control you and the future of your family. You have no right over Aira's future child," Raven yelled at Miguel.
"Dyson!" I called out to him. "Why are you making so much noise?" Dyson asked as he approached. "Where did Mom go?" I asked him, getting no direct answer. "Just grocery shopping," he replied simply. "Make sure you eat everything he cooks. Don't be too picky; not everything you like is unhealthy," he added. "I don't like it," I grumbled. "It's healthy. Get used to it. He's been cooking for you for two months now; you should be accustomed to the taste. Don't complain," Dyson said, flicking my forehead lightly. We've been living here in Korea for five months now, in a quiet countryside where we're relatively unknown. We live a simple but happy life. The "Mom" I mentioned is Miguel's mom. Three months after learning that Miguel wasn't actually ill, we discovered that Miguel's father had orchestrated everything. Mr. Martin values pride, wealth, and power above all else. Due to his influence, Mom had no choice but to give up her only child and the life she had built. We witnessed M
"Mom!" I cried out softly. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, surprised. "Ken and Dyson called me ugly," I reported. "Let them think whatever they want. You're beautiful, don't believe them," she said, gently stroking my hair. I nodded in agreement and released the hug, heading upstairs to rest. I often feel drained, easily tired even when doing nothing. "Raven!" I called out to him. Unable to sleep, I lay there scrolling through my phone. "Why are you shouting?" he asked. "Dyson and Ken said I'm ugly," I said tearfully. "Hahahaha, they said that?" he chuckled. "Yes. Am I really ugly?" I grumbled. "Hahaha, they're just joking. Let me talk to them. You're beautiful," Raven reassured me. "Your husband called!" I informed him. "Yeah, hahaha, we're together. He wants to see how you handle things," he chuckled again. I frowned even more hearing them laugh at me. Am I truly so unattractive? Alone, I stood before the full-length mirror. My body had grown larger, my cheeks a
"What the hell, Ice? How long are you going to stay drunk like this?" Meriam sermonized to Miguel. Since their engagement was announced, they've been living in the same house. Whether they like it or not, there's nothing they can do. They canceled the wedding because Meriam didn't like the man she didn't know well, so the solution was to live together as husband and wife. Since Miguel doesn't see Aira, he gets drunk, spends four hours in the office finishing all his work, then heads to his ex-boyfriend's bar. There, he drinks excessively and sleeps with multiple women. If he has three in one night, he forgets about it the next day. As soon as he approaches one and touches her, he immediately takes her to the VIP room. He returns home to their house and ignores his housemate. "Can you see yourself? You have bruises and mixed lipstick on your lips," Meriam whispered. "Why you? Do you want it too?" Miguel offered to the interlocutor. Meriam slapped him. "Your face is thick. You hur
**Miguel’s Point of View**I don't know if I should be happy that Aira agreed to marry me, even though we won't be getting married this year. Her parents want a grand wedding since it’s also a celebration of the merging of two major companies, the Villanueva Group of Companies and Santiago Enterprises. What can I do if that’s what they want? They also don’t want any negative comments about our wedding because of Abby’s post about our supposed wedding. That would get more attention than our actual wedding.“Don’t be sad! We’ll still get married, not now but I’m sure I’ll marry you and no one else,” Aira cheered me up.I smiled at her. “Just promise me you'll marry me and no one else, okay?” I reassured her.She raised her hand with the ring. “This is not just a simple ring. This is a promise ring. This symbolizes our promised wedding.” She kissed me, probably to stop me from worrying.Aira and I are currently at a resort in Palawan. We have the island to ourselves, so we have plenty of
**Miguel's Point of View**Aira and I were lying on my bed. She was resting her head on my arm as I gently stroked her hair. I never imagined I would feel this way again. I never thought we would reach this point in our lives again, where we could be together without worrying about other problems.Some people might say our relationship is too typical. Coming from feuding families, both products of broken homes, and both children born out of wedlock, but none of that became a hindrance. Instead, it allowed us to understand each other better."How many children do you want?" Aira asked me while looking at me.I smiled at her and thought for a moment. "I want more than four, I think. I want them to have many siblings so they won't feel lonely and will have playmates. I want them to be each other's best friends," I answered happily.She frowned, making me raise an eyebrow. "I already told you that I don't want to have many children. Besides not being sure if my womb can handle it, I don't
**Miguel's Point of View**I was happy to go home after bringing Abby to a facility. I took her child to her mom. I didn't tell Aira what was happening because I wanted to surprise her.Auntie was shocked when I arrived with Abby's child. They thought I had taken the child without permission, so they immediately went to check on her. Auntie was very thankful because, finally, her daughter came to her senses. She chose to get better and free herself and others.Even though it was a bit difficult, I was always thankful that it was finally over. Now, all I need to focus on is my dad's company. I don't know what's going on within his family. The only thing Cheska told me was the frequent fighting between Daddy and his wife, and even she doesn't know the reason.Dad prepared everything before he surrendered to the police. He also arranged to transfer his shares to my name. Cheska was also left with some shares. Dad's buildings, farms, and small businesses were divided among us. Dad left ma
**Miguel Ice's Point of View**"Finish that later, eat first," Abby said as she entered my office at her house.I didn't want to, but for my mother's peace of mind, I did what she wanted. Mama has a soft heart, especially for children who beg."I'm not hungry." Since I started living here, I couldn't even look at her. She could touch me, but I wanted to push her away, yet I couldn't because of pity.She's fine at home, attentive, and caring for her child. I used to enjoy playing with her child, who she introduced to me as "Tito-Daddy." Playing with the child made me happy, but when I married her because of her threats, their affection for me disappeared. Let's just say the child shouldn't be involved, but he's a significant reason why Mama pleaded with me."How long will you be like this? I'm your wife, but you treat me like a mere pawn!" She started arguing again.She's often like this, but I ignored her. I let her say whatever she wanted."You won't talk to me again, and then what?
**Aira Jane’s Point of View**After what happened between Miguel and me, we haven't seen each other again. I left that night while he was asleep and didn't say goodbye to Mama."What if your half-sister finds out? It'll just cause more trouble, Aira!" Raven told me. I had a headache when I arrived at work; it's tough pretending everything is okay."How would she know if no one tells her? Miguel probably won't say anything either," I replied, resting my head on the table."Oh, come on! You never learn! If you're not going to fight for Miguel, then stop giving in to your feelings. Honestly, you're being unfair.""Why me? Why am I the one being unfair? Isn't it him?" I asked her, surprised."Tsk." Raven rolled her eyes, leaving me confused about what she meant."Imagine, you just accept their explanations without expressing how you feel inside! Do you think that's right? Do you think that's not unfair to Miguel? He's fighting and doing what he can to solve the problems. While you, you ju
**Aira Jane’s Point of View**I didn't go back to the mansion. They wouldn't look for me anyway. I'll sleep here at Mama's house. She doesn't have anyone with her, and besides, we were both tired from shopping and wandering around the mall. It was already 11 PM when we got home."Sigh, this is my third day in this room, the second time I'll sleep here," I whispered to myself as I flopped onto the soft bed."Aira, dear?" Mama knocked on the door of the room. I got up, but Mama had already entered the room. "I just want to know if you're going to eat. If you are, I'll cook something for you. What do you want? Miguel is coming home, and I cooked some soup since he called drunk." I quickly sat up."Ma, can I go home?" I asked Mama."Why? Are you avoiding Miguel?" Mama's question left me speechless. I didn't know, but I couldn't be with Miguel when someone else was watching. I felt like Miguel and I were using them to deceive Abby, which I didn't want. I didn't want to use others just to b
Aira Jane’s Point of View“What time is it?” I heard Miguel ask.“It’s afternoon, almost five. How did you sleep? Are you hungry?” I asked with concern.I dozed off while watching him, but the heat made it hard to sleep again. Miguel, on the other hand, was deeply asleep; he looked exhausted. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” he said, asking for my forgiveness.“It’s nothing, just make sure this doesn’t happen again.” I stood up from the tent, but he stopped me. “Sit down first; let’s talk.” I looked at him and started to sit back down.“Can you go home and stay with Mom?” He surprised me with that question.“Why? Did something happen to Mom?” I asked worriedly.“Nothing happened; I’m just worried she’s alone there. I’m always at work, and when I come home, it’s usually to Abby's house. You know her, right? She always exhausts herself.”“Sounds like you.” I whispered, raising an eyebrow at him. “Alright, I’ll try to bring her to the condo. I’ll do my best.” I replied simply.“Thank you
**Aira Jane’s Point of View**“It looks like you’re in a good mood today. Have you and Miguel reconciled?” Meriam asked me with enthusiasm.I continued walking towards the dining area, ignoring her because I didn’t want any commotion to disturb my beautiful morning. I woke up feeling light, as if all my worries had vanished. I wasn’t sure if it was because I realized Miguel truly loves me and I’m still his safe haven, or if it was because I had spent almost the entire night with him.“Did you know you’re trending again? Ever since you started dating Miguel, you’ve never left social media. You’re always the topic of conversation.” She followed me while saying all this. I turned to her and replied, “You know, Meriam, after all this time we’ve been living, aren’t you used to being talked about by others? Their opinions don’t matter to me, unlike yours.” I said it sharply without even looking at her.“Really? What if the topic now is your boyfriend marrying his fling? Doesn’t that matter
**Aira’s Point of View**Three weeks later,"What did you say?" I asked Ken again. He had shared some news that I could hardly believe."Yes. My brother-in-law left the company to help his sister Cheska run their own business because their father surrendered to the police. I don't know the other reasons, but one thing is certain: my brother-in-law has left us," Ken said sadly."I can't do anything about that. If he wants to go, then let him be. It might even be good for him; he knows a lot about our company that he could use for theirs or to undermine us.""That's not how my brother-in-law is, ate. You know that!" I shrugged and walked out of the mansion.He has no gratitude. After being fully accepted by Dad, he just leaves for the person who caused our problems before. I might be trying to forget what happened, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him. They say you can’t truly forget until you learn to forgive."Here you are again," Raven commented when she saw me in the bar."As far