ElaineWhen the call ended, I went to the closet room. I remembered what Mommy Hacel said about the clothes she was sure I would need.I opened the door, and I was greeted by cabinets connected around the entire room. Right next to this room was the one Louis and I used to share, but now it was only his.I didn’t know what to choose first, but I opened the closet closest to me.I looked for something to wear. I didn’t want to embarrass myself at the party, especially since Louis would be there and possibly have another woman as his partner. It would also be awkward for Kaizer if I didn’t at least make an effort to look good.I was glad Mommy Hacel thought of putting together a closet room with various types of clothes. She said it was for occasions like this so I wouldn’t have to buy clothes every time there’s an event. She also mentioned that the Montemayor family values their reputation, so they always wear designer brands. They wanted to be the center of attention at every event, so
ElaineSilence filled the car. I was about to ask Kaizer what the problem was, but I was interrupted when the driver spoke, “We’re almost there.”I felt a mix of emotions because, in just a few minutes, I would see Louis.What would his reaction be when he sees me and Kaizer as partners at the party? Would he be a little bit jealous? But with how things were now, it seemed unlikely.“K-Kai, are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while,” I stammered. Finally, I found a chance to speak. He had been facing away from me, and I was worried that I might have said something that had upset him.“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t mind me,” he replied coldly.I was speechless. I gathered the courage to speak, and that was all I got in return.In frustration, I turned away from him. “Okay,” I said, annoyed. He probably thought that only he could be stubborn. If he could act like that, then I could, too.“Ely?” I felt his gaze on me. Well, he was the one who didn’t give me attention at first, so I’d just cont
ElaineI tried to stand up and go inside because I was sure Kaizer had been waiting for me. My feet hurt so much that I ended up sitting in front of the plants and cried my eyes out.What did I do wrong for Louis to treat me this way?What I couldn’t fully accept was how he uttered such hurtful words to me, as if we never shared anything between us. But why couldn’t I get fully angry with him?I was startled when I heard a familiar voice from behind, clearly furious at the person on the phone, as their voice was shaking with anger.“Like what I told you, Dad. I don’t want to marry Lea, she’s definitely not my type.”It was Tyron. Until now, he still hadn’t noticed that we were just turned away from each other, and there was a small square space in between the plants.“You’ll learn to love her soon.”Tyron was starting to get frustrated, and I could see him clenching his fist.“I have someone I like. Can you at least understand that?” he retorted, clearly trying not to be rude to his da
Elaine I woke up when I felt something cold touch my skin, a damp cloth. I immediately opened my eyes to see who was with me. The last thing I remembered was being in Kaizer’s arms while we were leaving the venue at Desire Island. If my hunch was correct, I was here in his mansion. I also remembered what I said to Louis. I was sure he got upset with what I said, but what could I do? I was too carried away by what he did to me, which was why I said that. When I opened my eyes, I saw Kaizer gently wiping my cheek with the cloth. He was looking at me seriously, but when he noticed that I opened my eyes, a smile appeared crept in his lips. “I’m glad you're awake, Ely.” It felt like my tongue was tied in embarrassment. I didn’t know how to respond. I had been giving him so much trouble. I noticed his black eye from when Louis punched him. I couldn’t help but feel shy around him. My eyes widened when he kissed my forehead. “I thought something had happened to you. I won’t forgive myse
“Louis, baby. Leave that woman alone,” Penelope said. She grabbed Louis by the arm, but she was started when he shoved her forcefully, causing her to fall to the floor. “How dare you!” He simply gave her a scornful look before throwing money at her. “Get out of my sight, I don’t like whores,” Louis replied. Penelope’s eyes widened in anger. Before standing up to face him, she picked up the money he threw at her. “Look at how thick-skinned you are to say that to me!” Penelope screamed. She was about to slap Louis when he blocked her with his right hand. “Do you really think a whore like you can lay your hand on my face?” Louis asked with a grin. He probably thought the young man wouldn’t notice that she spiked his drink with sleeping pills to rob him. When Louis went to the bar feeling restless, Penelope immediately learned about his situation. She planned to seduce him so she could go to his mansion where Louis lives. “Fuck you, Louis Montemayor!” Penelope screamed. Louis pointe
Elaine Several days had passed since I tried to run away from Louis’ mansion with Blaire's help, but all of that was ruined when we were caught. “And where do you think you’re going?” asked a familiar male voice. I immediately closed my eyes tightly. I felt Blaire squeeze my hand, and all I could do was gulp nervously. “I said, where are you two going? Care to explain?” I had no choice but to turn around to see who was speaking. Blaire and I would surely be in trouble if this was Louis. When I turned around, my jaw almost dropped when I saw Tyron frowning. His face showed confusion as he wondered why Blaire and I were leaving. “Tyron?” I asked in surprise. His expression immediately changed when he saw Blaire staring at him. “Hello, love,” Tyron said. He was so vulnerable when it came to Blaire. Just a moment ago, his face was all furrowed, but now he was smiling so widely it looked like his lips were about to come off. “Okay, I’m still here,” I teased, waving my hand in fro
Elaine My eyes widened in surprise upon knowing that he would be my partner in the competition. I was expecting someone totally nerdy, just like me, but it looks like the rumors were true—he definitely had a strong presence. He even looked really hot, even in a uniform. “We can just be partners, baby,” Elena teased, grabbing Noah’s hand that he offered to me. “Are you stupid? What will you answer in the competition? If you join, our campus will lose,” Venice teased. Elena raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, I always win in any gay pageant. You can even ask me tough questions, like Catriona-level questions!” Elena said while pretending to wave at the audience. I saw Noah frown when Elena went to him and gently squeezed his arm. “I think Noah’s got it going on!” Elena said. You could see the annoyance on Noah’s face from what Elena was doing. “Can you fucking get lost? Your existence is making me mad,” Noah snapped, his jaw clenched in anger. “Oh, I like that, rawr!” Elena said. I co
It had been hours since Elaine locked herself in the room after Louis left her alone. She couldn’t quite grasp what she had done wrong for Louis not to reciprocate her feelings for him. Elaine’s tears flowed endlessly as she tried to find Venice’s name in her contact list, hoping to release her frustrations about what Louis had said to her. Elaine had always thought that she would fall for Kaizer alone, so she had prepared herself to get hurt because she was sure he only saw her as a friend. But it turned out that what she would experience with Louis was even worse. She wanted to go somewhere to relax her mind, even just for tonight. “Hello, Ela, you called?” Venice asked, her face showing concern for Elaine, since it was rare for her to call. “I-I’m sorry for calling at this hour,” Elaine stammered, still sobbing. Venice sensed that something was wrong on the other line and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her friend’s situation. “It’s okay, it’s not a big deal. I haven’t even
ElaineThe days passed quickly, and we learned the news that Zap had escaped, so our security doubled as we searched for leads on who helped Zap escape and where my real father was.I let out a deep sigh before leaning my head against the chair. I thought the evilness of the Valencias was over, but we were back to square one."Everything will be fine, wife. As long as we are together, we can do anything. I’ll dispatch more people to look for leads," Louis said. He held my hand. I smiled."Thank you, hubby, for always being by my side. Even when I’m still looking for a part of my past identity, you're patient," I said and kissed him on the cheek.That evening, while I was working on paperwork that the wedding organizer gave me, Mace suddenly started crying.I quickly stood up and went to the nursery room, "Wah, Mama." I picked her up and saw Louis enter, holding Caliber in his arms.He asked, "What happened?""Hubby, can you grab the diapers? I think she’s crying because it's already fu
LouisI’ve always thought of myself as the man who knew everything. Someone who was calculated, cold, and efficient—that’s who I am. Or rather, who I was before Elaine. She wasn’t just a woman I was ordered to marry; she was the reason I started questioning everything about my carefully constructed world.It all started when I saw her for the first time walking with her friends down the street. I was in the backseat of my car, flipping through meaningless reports about the family’s business, when I caught sight of her. She wasn’t extraordinary by any conventional standard. She had oversized glasses perched on her nose, braces, and hair that seemed to have a life of its own. Yet, there was something about her laugh. It was carefree. It was pure.“Who’s that woman?” I blurted out, startling Brennon.His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, confused. “I—I don’t know, sir. Should I find out?”I stayed quiet. My heart clenched for reasons I didn’t understand. Why did I care? She wasn’t the
ElaineThe breeze was cold today at the cemetery. The sun was high, but it didn’t hurt my skin because it was already late afternoon. It was quiet, but I still felt the heaviness in my heart as I walked the path to my father’s grave. Everything that happened was still fresh in my mind, and in the blink of an eye, all the evil deeds of the Valencias were over. But I knew that this wasn’t the end because there were still organizations that wanted to get their hands on the ledger, which I still couldn’t remember.In the end, Zap was imprisoned with multiple charges while Mariella was taken by Lucas to a psychiatrist because she almost lost her sanity with everything that happened.I read the inscription on the tombstone that said Raymond Natividad. I placed the bouquet of white roses down and lit a candle.He was such a good father to me, doing everything to protect me.“In a few months, I’ll be giving birth. I’ll make sure to bring them here so you can see them,” I said. My heart ached,
ElaineWhen I opened my eyes, I felt the pain from the restraints tied to my hands. They were tight and cold, as if purposely tightened to cause severe pain. I trembled as I looked around. It seemed like we were in a storage room, and aside from me, there were two others—Kaizer and Dad, both tied to chairs.“Ely . . . .” Kai’s voice was weak but filled with concern. “Are you okay?”I nodded, even though my heart contradicted the words. It was racing in fear and anxiety over what might happen to us.“Do you know where we are?” I asked, my voice cracking.He shook his head. “All I know is that we’ve been kidnapped by the Valencia Organization. I don’t know how they found us, but I’ll make sure we escape.”I was scared for the baby in my womb. It had nothing to do with this.“Everything will be fine, Ely, trust me,” Kaizer said. It seemed like he had a plan in mind.“Ugh,” Dad groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.When he saw Kaizer and me, his brows furrowed immediately. “What are you tw
ElaineLouis and I stayed in Florida for two more weeks. When Louis saw me that night, he always comforted me. We rarely went out again, and when we did, we always had a bodyguard with us. He didn’t ask me what happened, it seemed like he was waiting for me to tell him on my own.Today, Valerian will pick us up to take us back to the Philippines.“I want to stay here for a while,” I said while organizing the clothes and souvenirs we bought.“We will come back here again. This is one of our houses now, I just need to finish all my work,” Louis answered and pecked a kiss on my cheek.When we got in the car, Valerian smiled at me. “Looks like the newlyweds enjoyed their honeymoon that much. Aunt Hacel said to get both of you after three days, but someone wants to stay longer.”“Shut up, dickhead,” Louis said and I laughed. So, he was the one who planned for us to stay here for a month.“You really hurt my feelings with that greeting, man. A gift for your godchild?” Valerian asked. Louis t
ElaineIt had been a week, and Louis and I had fallen into a routine. We were like a real married couple. Every morning, he cooked for me, and we spent our days exploring different places. Almost every night, something would happen between us. Honestly, it all felt like a dream, and I never wanted to wake up.“Wife, are you still mad at me? I didn’t mean to be rough last night,” Louis asked while trying to feed me some rice.“No. I’m not mad,” I answered briefly.“Then why are you so quiet, hmm?” he asked again. The truth was, I wished we could just stay here because I was afraid that once we went back home, things between us would change again.“I’m just thinking,” I said.His face turned serious. “What is it? You can tell me.”I forced a small smile. It was better to keep what I saw to myself for now. He might think I was involved with Zap.“I’m just thinking about where we should go today. There are so many beautiful places here. I’ll take a quick shower so we can leave,” I said, ki
ElaineI woke up with the sunlight hitting my face. Louis was still not back. I slowly got up, my head still hurting a little, and my eyes were swollen. My fingers still had cuts from picking up the broken picture frame.I went to the kitchen and took the photo. I stared at it once more before crumpling it and putting it inside my pocket. Louis must not see this. I was sure that only Dad can answer all the questions I have about the true identity of this man.I opened the fridge, but it contained nothing except water. I sighed and took a shower so I could go out. I needed to find a grocery store.“Wife, where are you going?”My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw Louis. His hair was messy, and he had deep circles under his eyes. His clothes had traces of blood, and there was a scratch on his forehead.“Are you okay?” I asked, touching the wound on his forehead.I quickly realized what I was doing. Why should I care? I shouldn’t, but my heart couldn’t help but worry. This dam
ElaineI was jolted awake when I heard a loud ringtone coming from Louis’ phone."Answer your call," I ordered.Louis declined the call and returned his gaze to me. "I'm sorry for waking you up."I rubbed my eyes to see his face more clearly since the room was dim. "It's okay, I was just startled. But why are you still awake?" I was about to get up to get a drink from the kitchen, but my eyes shut tightly when I felt a sharp pain in my lower body. The same thing happened to me after our first time. It felt like my body was being split in two.Noticing that I seemed to be in pain, Louis helped me up. "Are you okay, wife? Should I call a doctor?" he asked with concern, making me stare at him.Was he really concerned about me?I smiled in amusement, but Ashton’s words suddenly echoed in my mind.Louis was just using me. That was all. I shouldn’t fall for his actions anymore."I'm fine, it's just that my lower part is sore. Someone here was too rough," I hinted while pointing at my womanho
ElaineAs soon as I returned inside the venue, Venice approached me.“Good thing you’re finally here, bestie. Everyone is waiting for you so that you and Louis can receive Aunt Hacel’s gift,” she said. I couldn’t help but gulp due to nervousness.What was the Montemayor family up to this time?I quickly forced a smile when I saw Venice still looking at me. She had no idea about what was going on between Louis and me. I couldn’t blame her because I was sure Volstrige kept it a secret from her.“Sorry, I was late again. I just went to the restroom for a bit,” I explained and was about to step forward when Venice grabbed my arm, stopping me.“Wait a moment. I was really waiting for you here because I have something to give you. Also, are you spacing out? That’s not the way to the balcony. Is that the effect of alcohol?” She burst into laughter.When I realized she was right, I couldn’t help but close my eyes in embarrassment.“I wasn’t going there, duh!” I replied and was about to walk aw