Johannes finally stood up when he felt his headache from all the alcohol he intakes. Clinton is on his way to the bar when he receives a message from Johannes asking him to drive him home. Like he used to do when he was out drinking before... *** "Are you going to keep following me?" Johannes asked the man. "Stop it. You are annoying. Don't worry. I won't ask you to pay for all that you drank. You're a heavy drinker for someone who drank for the first time," he was not sure if it came as a compliment or what, but he simply wanted the kid to go away. "I have nowhere to go, though," he shrugged. Johannes arched a brow, "So? Why does that need to concern me? Look, kid. You're underage, aren't you? This country might be liberal, but you need to go home now. Your parents must be looking for you," "I don't have parents. They died when I was young, " he told him. Johannes was taken aback. He would not have said to him that had he known, but how could he even learn about a stranger's life
Nathalie rushed out of her room when she heard of her brother's condition. Her heart is beating like crazy as her hands tremble in fear. A nurse from the hospital had informed her that Nathan had been brought to the hospital unconscious. She's nervous. Nathalie feared that something must have happened to her little brother while she was busy doing things for herself. Did she neglect him by any chance? Nathalie could not understand how frustrated she feels like. She could even vomit at any moment as her stomach twirled up and her heart thumped as if it was trying to get out of her chest. Tears started pouring down her face as she looked for her keys. Nathalie is in chaos. She did not even notice that Paxton had been calling her since she got off the elevator. "Nathalie Taylor! Damn it, can you not hear me at all? Wait up!" He finally caught onto her when she stopped in front of her car. Nathalie faced Paxton, and he was slightly taken aback. He knew she was in a hurry when she left h
The following day, Paxton gives Nathalie a cup of hot coffee. She stared at the cup for a while before she decided to reach it, "Thank you, Sir Paxton," Paxton sighed, not really trying to correct her now. After the encounter with the doctor, he realizes that Nathalie still knows him and that she must be pretending not to know him. The reason being he got no idea at all. He just let her be. "Erm... Why," Nathalie started talking, she was not looking at Paxton, and her eyes were still glued to her brother, who was still asleep. "Why are you still here?" She asked, looking up at the man who had waited for her to finish her question. Paxton stared back at those blue eyes though Nathalie was the first to look away. She could not stare into his eyes for a long time. Paxton smiled and stared at the coffee in his hand; she was asking why he was still there? He chuckled, "You kept on clinging onto my hand last night that I could not just leave you and your brother," he kidded. Nathalie bo
"I am really sorry for laughing earlier. You just," Paxton smiled. "You simply look so cute whenever I tease you. I swear I'm not gonna do it again," he said. Nathalie did not respond. They are currently walking out of the hospital right now to have some breakfast since Paxton insisted on it. Nathalie has yet to eat her dinner, so he thinks she must be starving at the moment. But contrary to that, Nathalie could not feel her hunger at all. Her mind is too busy to think about her brother's condition that it has no time to remind her that she's not eating yet. "Where do you want to eat?" "Anywhere will do, Sir Paxton," Nathalie replied, not looking at him. Paxton stared at her from the side. "Are you really going to keep with that title? Sir Paxton, this and that? You are hurting my feelings, Nathalie Taylor," He kidded. The air between them was too serious that he wanted to lighten it a little bit, but contrary to what he expected, it became heavier. Nathalie stopped walking, so P
Nathalie simply stared at his back as Johannes walked away and drove his car. He left. Johannes left without hearing her out. It brought her so much confusion and fear. No. No. Johannes said that he still loved her. It's fine. Everything's gonna be fine. "Nathalie," Paxton called her. Nathalie simply gave him a small smile, "You don't have to explain further, Paxton... and," she faced him. "You can stop now. I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to me anymore. My boyfriend, Johannes dislikes it, and I don't want that," she said. "Do you love him?" Paxton asked. "Yes," she replied. Paxton sighed and smiled, "Then he finally has a serious relationship, huh?" He remembered the news he had received about that cousin of his. Paxton is not that familiar with Via, but he knows who she is. He's glad. Paxton is happy that finally, Johannes is moving on with that cunning woman. "I will be going then," he said. He was about to leave, but he turned around, "Ahm, you can keep the sweater or
Johannes woke up with a heavy body. He must have exhausted himself last night. Johannes winced in pain when his head felt like cracking. It was no surprise after he drowned himself in some heavy wine last night. He looked around his room, and it was a mess. It reeks of alcohol and a woman's disgusting perfume. It sickened him. He looked at the bedside and recalled that he had brought the woman, whom he forgot the name was, into his condo unit last night. It was not the same woman he spent time with within the office. The woman moved and opened her eyes. She immediately let out a flirty chuckle, "Good morning, handsome," she said, almost whispering as her hands snaked their way to Johannes's legs. He removed the blanket and saw her in her nudity. "Wilder in the morning, aren't we?" She got up and hugged the man. Placing her body on top of him, but Johannes pushed her to the floor. He looked at her with disgusted eyes as he massaged his head. It seems like a fever is coming. He did n
Continuation of yesterday... (At Johannes's unit) Nathalie received a call from Clinton that Johannes would not be coming to the mansion and instead to his condominium unit near the company. She glanced at her watch and then at Nathan, who was currently being checked by the nurse. "Nathan," she called him. He had awoken later this afternoon. He looked at him and raised his brows. He's actually waiting for Nathalie to scold him because he ran away, but Nathan has not heard a word from her since he woke up. "I'm gonna go to Johannes. Eat when the nurses told you, and do not wait for me, okay?" She told him. Nathan stared at her and nodded. He had a grasp of what kind of man Johannes was, and he somehow liked him for his sister. "But did you not fight with him?" He asked. "Oh, we met in the bar, and he's the one who brought me to the hospital when I had an attack," he chuckled when Nathalie looked at him with confusion. She furrowed her brows, "And you find that funny? Seriously, Nat
Nathalie stared at her ceiling. She does not even want to move from the bed. All she did last night was cry and ask why she does need to hear those things from Johannes. And worse... they are over now. He broke up with her. Johannes had given up on her. She felt her body weak, as if the bed could devour her at any moment. It's heavy. She was about to cover herself with a blanket when her doorbell rang. It was just a moment, and she found herself in front of the door, opening it with a light heart. Hoping that it's Johannes who's sober and who would take back what he said last night. Nathalie does not care whether he has hurt her. She would gladly embrace him back if he'd ask her to. Nathalie had fallen for the man that deeply in the past months. Come to think of it, it had been half a year since they became official, and even some of the employees in the company had gotten a hint because of how Johannes treated Nathalie inside the office. "Hey-- Paxton?" She was surprised to see th
“Where are we going, Dad?” Julian asked his father while still yawning. He had just woken up from his afternoon nap when his father picked him up from his grandparent’s mansion. Julian Nathaniel Alejandro, Johannes felt proud while staring at his son’s ocean-blue eyes. “We’re going to the cemetery,” “Is Mom there?” Johannes looked at him with sad eyes and smiled, “Yes, Julian. We’re going to see Mom there,” Johannes fixed his son’s seatbelt and started the car’s engine. It had been seven years since Nathalie birthed Julian. He’s a big boy now who hates it when Johannes kisses him on the cheek. He used to giggle when his father did it, but now that he turned seven, he would glare at Johannes whenever he did that, especially when they were in a public place. Julian looked like Johannes, but his eyes took after Nathalie. Those deep blues of ocean that always enchanted Johannes. He could not help but stare at them whenever he had the chance. “Are we going to visit Abuelo too?” the
“Uncle Ken,” Yohan sat beside him. Johannes was still staring at the door where the woman had left. The harsh sound of the rain was worrying him. ‘Nathalie hates the rain,’ he thought to himself. He furrowed his brows and realized that the fact that the woman hated the rain popped up out of his head out of nowhere. Was it a memory? Did he remember that from the past? “Uncle Ken?” Yohan called him again since Johannes did not respond the first time. Johannes then looked at him and messed up his hair. “Come here, bud,” Yohan sat on Johannes’s lap and lowered his face. Yohan rubbed his hands against each other and then looked at Johannes with teary eyes. “Did Mama make a mistake to Uncle Ken?” he asked, crying now. “Yohan is the bad boy because I lied,” “What?” Johannes asked, furrowing his brows now since he could not understand him all too well. Yohan jumped from his seat and took something from his pocket. “Yohan was mad when he learned that you were getting married. I thought
One week had passed since Nathalie and Johannes had a check-up. Nathalie is fine now, but the latter seemed different. Johannes stared at her sleeping figure. He had been doing this for almost a week now. After what he witnessed last time, Johannes always found himself inside her bedroom. Staying beside her while Nathalie cries in her sleep. Johannes could not understand what it was that pulled him to the woman he had lost memories of. Should he open himself for her, or should he cut every string connected to her? Johannes could not decide. "Nathalie... Nathalie Taylor," he muttered *** The chairman handed over the folder to General Smith. He’s a companion he had when he was just starting out, thus, confirming the trust between them. “We had been trying to figure out these cases before... I can’t believe such a young woman could do all these evil things,” “She’s crazy, Smith,” “Are you sure you want to hand it over to us?” General Smith asked the chairman. Miraflores Alej
"You're here again," Yael tried to get up but gave up when she felt an exhausting pain inside her stomach. It was so painful that her eyes teared up. Johannes panicked and ran to her. Worrying, he told Yael, "This is why I always come here. I told you you don't have to get up when I come here. How could you be so stubborn!?" He shouted to the poor woman. Yarl stared at his enraged face and then averted her gaze, "I told you you don't have to come here... you... you found your home, Johannes," "Ken. You gave me that name. Use that," "Johannes—" "Are you really trying to make me mad? Johannes here, Johannes that! I fucking cannot remember anything related to that name, so damn it, just treat me as that penniless Ken before!" Johannes frustratedly told her. Yael had realized her mistake. She stared into his eyes and tried to read his confused emotion. Yael had met Johannes when he was still in the hospital. She assisted Johannes back then, and he had felt indebted to her kindness.
Nathalie’s POV I was about to get inside the mansion when I saw a familiar figure, but I doubt it was him. It would be impossible to see him out of his cave. “Nathalie Taylor!” I turned around and saw Harries waving at me. It had been so long since we last saw each other. She even nagged me because I was behaving unlike myself these past few months. “Harries!” I hugged her, and she kissed me on the cheek. Harries still treats me like a child, really. I motioned her to sit on the chair and asked a waiter to serve us food. “How was your trip?” “Terrible,” I furrowed my brows; this woman loves traveling like how she loves medicine. To hear her condemn her last trio like this, something must have had occurred. She rolled her eyes when a man greeted her with a kiss. Now I get it. Harries must have felt upset with her husband, Loki. He’s a businessman like Johannes though he majored in the medicine industry, the reason why he eventually met my best friend through the same acquaintanc
Cohen’s POV I could swear I never intended to attend this fucking party. There were a lot of familiar faces though I am sure that they didn’t know who I was. Sebastian is doing his thing of introducing me to everyone he knows, which is practically everyone at this event. “Sebastian,” “Hmm? Wait. Mr. Alfredo! Hey! Long time no see. How is it going with the firm?” he chatted with yet another man in a suit. Sebastian seems friendlier than the last time I saw him. I distanced myself a little since it would be a nuisance if he asked me to talk to his acquaintances. I sat by the bar, and the bartender gave me a tequila. I smirked and greeted him with proud eyes. He dares challenge me? Well, I have a pretty high tolerance when it comes to these types of drinks. I was enjoying myself when the host announced that the party was about to start. I could vomit at the sight of the host of this event. What the hell? Is this party about them? Sebastian, you idiot. I should not have mentioned Nath
Cohen’s POV It felt strange waking up on a soft mattress. It had been a long since I last slept in one. I don’t know why it feels empty though this room is not even that big, to begin with. It’s cold, really. Winter is knocking on the corner of this house. I stood up after lazily staring at my ceiling for hours, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me today. It should be another day when I should visit the eatery and cook for them, but for some reason, I picked up my phone and told them I’d have to take a leave for today. When I went to the kitchen, Caleb was already there, cooking breakfast. He glanced at me and smirked, “Fancy seeing you wake up late,” I ignored him and went to make my coffee. He seemed to be in the mood today that he irritated me this early. “Where’s mom?” I sat on the edge of the table as I looked at him over my cup of coffee. Caleb turned around and shrugged his shoulders. I furrowed my brows with that. “You don’t know?” “No, I mean, she asked me
"A party?" Ken just reached home after visiting Yael in the hospital. He did not want to leave her, but his family insisted that he stays at home. Yohan was with a nanny since he wanted to stay beside his mother. Johannes stared at his parents with a confused expression, "What party? Do I have to participate in one?" he asked again, removing his coat. It was snowing outside. The first snow was last night, and the whole city was covered in white the following day. Joaquin and Beatrice smiled at Johannes, "This is to celebrate your return, son," Joaquin said. Ken furrowed his brows and sat on the couch. He stretched his neck. When he opened his eyes, he looked at his parents and shook his head. "I hate parties." "You don't even remember that," Clinton, who came from the entrance, interrupted his cousin's refusal. Clinton gave Beatrice a box of a new set of tea from China. The woman smiled at him and then turned to her son again. "Clinton is right, Johannes," "Ken. I told you to call
Nathalie visited the orphanage again when she felt well. She brought a lot of toys and food that she bought from the market. The kids were happy to see her, chanting the fairy song they had made to dedicate it to her. Nathalie was looking around, and Olivia noticed that she was looking for something, “Are you looking for something, Nathalie?” “Oh, ahm... I... I was just wondering where Yael and Johannes—I mean Ken are,” she shyly replied. She had heard from the nurse that Yael had been discharged, so she assumed that the woman was already feeling better. Nathalie thought they would be here since it seemed like Johannes liked being around the children, but afternoon came, and there was no shadow of him, Yael, or her son. “Yael? Oh dear, you haven’t heard the news yet? She was brought to the city to have medications, her illness relapsed, and she needed better treatment,” Olivia told her. Nathalie was shocked. She could not utter a reply and just forced herself to smile. Nathalie we