Ethan and April were seated in his car, parked in front of the Lontoc home, as he tried to pacify her.“My father is throwing a fit. I just need you to stay in the penthouse for a bit while we sort things out.”April wasn’t having it. “You expect me to stay alone in the penthouse?” she fumed. “I think it’s best I get rid of this baby while it’s still at a tender age. If you are already ditching me so early in this pregnancy, then what’s to say that I won’t end up like my stupid sister?!”Ethan’s heart broke at her words. “Baby, please stop saying that. You know I love you. I can never do that to you. I just need you to exercise a bit of patience.”“Till when?! I have had enough of waiting for you, Ethan! Is it a crime for me to love you? Do you know the amount of hate and shame that I have faced because I chose to make you a father? When will you man up and take responsibility for me?”April’s voice broke as she cried, holding her stomach delicately. “I was willing to do anything to h
June stepped out of the restaurant’s kitchen, balancing a tray of orders as she headed toward a table that held a group of men.“Here you go,” she said with a moderate smile, cheeks strained from the number of smiles she had to wear in order to appear friendly. “Please enjoy your meal.”She made to leave but was stopped by an older man’s hand placed on her wrist. “Don’t be so quick to leave, beautiful. Sit.”It wasn’t the first time such a thing was happening. Three days working here, and she somehow managed to meet one of these dirtbags every single day.The worst part of it was the fact she couldn’t do anything about it. They were all bloody rich, and the last thing she needed was to get fired from a job that both fed and housed her.“I apologize, sir, but I have to go,” she spoke with a strained smile, attempting to make her way out, but he held her tightly.“It wasn’t a request, girl.” He pulled her to his side, shamelessly staring at her form. “I want you for the night. How much
June was walking along the busy roads of South City, absolutely dejected and tired of life. She stood by the sidewalk, ready to cross, hail a cab, and return to her ex-husband’s home.There was no way she was going to continue living her life in such a manner, not when the cheating bastard owed her a lot of money. She needed to get on her feet, and with her inability to get another job, she could only rely on the money that she had worked for over the years without pay.Lost in thought, June stumbled into the road, forgetting the traffic lights as she walked into the street. The next moment, she heard horn blares and saw a black vehicle screech to a halt in front of her.Taken aback with shock, she felt her heart stop, and a migraine headache flogged her senses. Although she had not been hit, she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.A crowd had gathered at the near-accident, and just then, Rafael stepped out of his car with a swear on his lips. He rushed to the lady who was now
June felt her breath seize as the little one rushed towards her with a smile and hugged her leg tightly.“Auntie! I’m so sorry! I wanted to come see you, but my father stopped me! He locked me up and forbade me from seeing you!” Luis managed to say in one breath while the entire house watched with shocked expressions.Auntie? Who was this woman, and how did they relate?“My baby!” June soon recovered from her initial shock around him and reciprocated the hug, holding him tightly. “My sweet boy! I missed you so much! Have you been well?” she asked with a smile, gazing into his eyes.He shook his head, and her heart fell.“I’m hungry. Come eat with me,” he said in a childish tone, refusing to leave her side.June smiled, then looked around. Only then did she realize they were the center of attention. “What?” She didn’t know when the word fell from her lips.Rafael soon recovered from the drastic change in the little one’s actions, and a frown marred his face as he took in the damage cau
June remained frozen in her seat long after the story was aired and they moved on to other topics.She could feel Rafael’s gaze upon her, but she couldn’t bring herself to face him.“You are divorced,” he stated more than asked.“Thank you for your hospitality. I have to leave,” she said, getting up on her feet.She needed to get to the Lontoc household and find out what bullshit they were spewing, see if they could say it to her face.Rafael shook his head. “You are not to leave this house until you are well-rested.”“Well-rested?” June spoke in disbelief. “That cheating ex-husband of mine just slandered my name on national TV, and you expect me to rest? To act like he didn’t just destroy my image and flaunt his cheating partner to the world like some darned saint? I think not!”By now, she was on her feet, ready to leave when Rafael held her back.“So what if he is lying? What could you possibly do to show that you are innocent? As it is, you will only endanger yourself by going out
“Marry you?” June repeated in an incredulous tone and picked up the documents.Rafael remained still, watching her go through the documents as her eyes widened with every page.The agreement was arranged like a business proposal. She was going to get married to him for a period of six months. She would get to be Luis’s nanny and live in their home with a generous pay of fifty million dollars.It all seemed too absurd and too fast.“What the hell?” She threw the document on the table. “What the hell is this?”“I know that you have been wronged by your ex-husband and betrayed by your family. You have nowhere to go, no money to your name, and are desperately in need of a job,” Rafael stated.“If you become my son’s nanny, you automatically have a job, which would also provide you with accommodation in my home. Killing two birds with one stone.”June looked at Rafael like he had grown a second head.“And the part about being my wife? It’s nothing serious. I just happen to need a wife to s
If Rafael was shocked, he didn’t show it.“May I ask why?” he said after some moments of silence.June cleared her throat, having expected this question.“I thought of the entire deal and figured if I was going to have a clear shot at clearing my name, I needed to become powerful. I need to become someone important enough that people care to hear my side of the story.”“And?”“I want to start a company of my own.” She bared it all, and that took him by surprise.“A company?” He relaxed on the chair. “What kind?”“That is for me to know.” She adjusted in her seat. “Finally, I want you to stay out of my business.”Rafael couldn’t help but feel attacked by the coldness in her tone.“We are about as close as the contract allows us, which means you are not to interfere in my matters or do anything that crosses the boundaries of our contractual relationship.”“Also, I will not be receiving any salary from you as Luis’s nanny.” An unconscious smile dropped by her lips. “I have no problems ke
“We are going out,” Rafael said as soon as the contract was signed.June sported a confused look. “What? Where?”He gave a blank look. “You are my wife. The last thing I need is another woman dying on me because of my negligence. We are going to the hospital.”“Another woman?” she said, but he didn’t give her the time of day.“I reckon that you will need a lot more outfits in your closet, so we might as well tackle that in our outing today. Go get ready. We leave in five.”Rafael’s tone left no room for negotiations, but June wasn’t about to let him run her life.“I don’t need to visit the hospital, and I think I can handle my wardrobe well on my own,” she huffed. “When do I expect the down payment?” she asked without mincing words.“A card will be provided to you. But first, I need to ensure that you are in good health. You will be going for a body check-up. That is non-negotiable.“Afterward, your card will be handed over to you. The full money has been deposited, but you are only a
Mrs Evelyn left the house a few hours after June left for work. It was past noon when she finally left the house with some money to aid her journey. She dressed in a black assemble and boarded a cab that headed to the Rivera family house. When she reached the neighbourhood, she put on her face mask and sneaked her way into the estate where her home stood in majesty. Her entry was swift and painless. The house seemed nearly deserted, and it was easy for her to manoeuvre her way into the place she had lived for most of her life. As soon as she got in, she headed right for her bedroom with her heart in her mouth. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in breaking into her own home, or worse, April finding out she was in the house. Evelyn was sure it wouldn’t end well if April met her in the house or got to know she had been anywhere near the parameters of the house. Nostalgic feelings attacked her upon entering her bedroom, and she was immediately reminded of who she had lost.
Rafael left the sitting room when Mrs Evelyn’s tears grew heavy. June’s heart broke at the sight of her mother looking so distraught and grieved. “Mother...” Her eyes glassed with unshed tears. “I don’t deserve your kindness,” Evelyn said and stood on your feet. “It's preposterous of me to accept anything from you after all I did to you.” “Mother..”“No.” Evelyn shook her head and wiped her tears. “What I did is unforgivable. I maltreated and let you suffer because I couldn’t deal with my grief.”Tears pooled June’s eyes as she listened to her mother. “All these years, I blamed you. I blamed you for getting lost as a child in that hospital. I blamed you for putting our family through tough times, I blamed you for my husband’s death. Anytime something evil came to me, I found a way to blame you for it.” “I hated the fact I lost you and couldn’t bear the guilt of losing you as a child in that hospital, so I decided to bring in someone who could replace you. I brought in the devil a
The entire house was silent as eyes turned to April with shock. “It’s a lie! She isn’t alright! The doctors are coming to pick her up! I already told you all she lost her mind! Why...why can’t you see it?” April cried but this time no one bought her facade. People who were once on her side, having pity and empathy for her suddenly stepped aside in shock as they watched her lie repeatedly. “Mother! Please, stop this.” April moved towards Evelyn who stepped back in fear. “Please! I know you are hurting from father’s death but I promise, things will be fine. I will take care of you and your doctor will soon be here.”“Just-”“Do not take one more step,” June said in a tone that brought goosebumps to the skin of her hearers. “One more step and I promise, you would be taken to the hospital yourself.” When April found that no one believed her act and everything was out in the open, she wiped her face clean and put a stern look on her face. “Enough, June. Congratulations! You found a mad
“Sister! Why are you so bent on slandering me? Why are you so-” April fell to the floor, tears streaming down her eyes. “The past few days have been hell for me since father’s untimely death, and mother’s insanity.”“I tried calling you for the longest time but you refused to pick my calls.” She wept, “Now you show up here and try to pin this on me? Why do you hate me so much, sister? What did I ever do?” The visitors were moved by compassion for April and scorn for her sister. “That woman is such a wicked person!” One said in anger.“She doesn’t care for her mother! She is just here to cause a scene!” Another said, “Why are they letting crap like her come into this house? Mrs Evelyn had already told us about this daughter of hers before she lost her mind. She should not be allowed to come into this house!”“Such a shameless woman! Bullying her younger sister for trying to carry the family name while she whores about! Despicable!”Soon enough, the entire house turned against June w
The news of Anthonio’s death spread like wildfire and soon, the Rivera family was the talk of the town. According to the news, Anthonio had returned from a vacation and slipped from the stairs of the Rivera mansion. An accident that led to his untimely demise. Condolences poured from various parts of South City as the Rivera family experienced the loss of yet another family member. Things had gone out of hand and some netizens went as far as pointing out the alarming rate of deaths and misfortunes that seemed to visit the Rivera family and their inlaws. When June heard the news, she was in her office. Things strained around the house after the tiff with her mother-in-law, especially her relationship with Rafael. She knew that most of the strain was because she felt guilty about her unsettled case with his mother but she planned to do everything she could to make things work. April was in the Rivera family house with Colton when her mother attacked her in tears. “You killed him! Y
“Sir! The young miss has been involved in an accident at the site!”Rafael was in his office when his assistant told him the distressing news. His face froze, and he abandoned everything he had at hand. “Cancel the meetings and ready the car. We leave immediately!” Rafael hit the road to a private hospital where his wife was held. He couldn’t understand why she wasn’t taken to the South City Hospital where Carson could take proper care of his wife but when he found that his mother was around at the time of the accident, he let himself relax a bit. Meanwhile, June had undergone all sorts of tests which she deemed useless as not a single hair on her head needed to be put in the right place. She felt like it was all a waste of time seeing she was not hurt but to avoid upsetting her dear mother-in-law, she submitted herself to the process.Mrs Beatrice sat in the doctor’s office while June sat on her hospital bed, waiting for her mother-in-law’s verdict. “What did you find? Does she ha
June returned home from a long day of work at the site. The building project was on course after her designs were approved. Joel Patel and some men were assigned to ensure the building was a physical representation of the design while she handled the job of ensuring everything was under control. “There you are!” June jolted at the sound of her mother-in-law who approached her with a smile. “How are you doing?”“Mother!” She greeted me with a smile. “I’ve missed you!” “Oh dear, I missed you too. You and my sweet boys.” She cooed. “Have you eaten? I brought some food from home. Let’s have an early dinner. Just the two of us.” Mrs Beatrice had left the house a week ago to attend to pressing needs in the Ambrose family home. She didn’t specify how long she would stay but June was happy to have her. “Sure!” June took to her room, freshened up and joined her mother-in-law for an early dinner. The atmosphere was light as they spoke on light topics until Mrs Beatrice said, “I know my so
“You’ve got to be joking,” Evelyn said with a small smile but was met with bone-serious looks from her daughter and her strange man. When she saw that this was not a joke, she lost it. “Are you crazy? Have you gone mad?! Do not for one moment think you can intimidate me into giving away my company because you will be in for a rude awakening.”“Read my lips. I am not Ethan. Neither am I any of his godforsaken parents, if you try to mess with me, I will bring you down without a moment's thought.”April and Colton shared gazes and burst into a round of mocking laughter together. “You didn’t tell me she was this feisty, darling,” Colton said and kissed the space between her neck and body. “Oh pay her no mind. She is all bark and no bite.” April said, closing her eyes as she leaned into the kiss. “I have her on leech.” Evelyn's eyes reddened and she shook with anger. “Just try me. I beg you. Test me this time and see if I don’t bite you. I am done playing your silly games, child.”She s
June and her team were seated in one of Ambrose Corporation's meeting rooms, where they were set to present the final design of the new office project. While they waited for Rafael, June felt her nerves twist. She wanted her husband to like this design. With every project she embarked on, she aimed for perfection but with her husband in the picture, she was reaching for the stars. The last thing she wanted was to get this deal solely because she was his wife. Hence, when Rafael delayed to show up, her nerves twisted all over the place. Soon enough, Rafael came into the meeting, and they all stood up to welcome him. “I am sorry for my lateness.” He said with his eyes fixated on June. Lucy and Joel smiled awkwardly. They could wait a lifetime if it meant meeting with such a royalty-personified human! They must have done something right in their former lives to be blessed with such an opportunity! “It’s no problem,” June said and they all had their seats. Throughout the viewing, Ra