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
June made her way around the doctor’s office with a formidable look on her face. Her mood was ruined by her run-in with her sister in the lobby.Thankfully, the tests didn’t take much time as she only needed to get some blood drawn and a few other things that were easily rectified.Ready to leave, June stepped out of the doctor’s office, a doctor she soon found to be the Ambrose Family 's personal doctor who had been briefed on exactly what he was to run on her.As though once wasn’t enough, April was seated right outside the door, waiting for her to come outside. Unable to stomach another outburst from her, June decided to make her way out of the place, only for her to be followed by April, who dragged her into a dark storage room by the hallway and shut the door.As soon as they were out of prying eyes, April’s countenance changed from the lovely younger sister act she had displayed in the lobby.“What did you come to do? To check if our claims were right? Are you looking for eviden
The doctor moved first, rushing towards the direction of the scream while Luis and the security detail followed, hot on his trail.“What is going on?” the doctor asked the hospital worker who fell with her supplies just in front of the storage room.“B-blood...” The woman stuttered, shaking fretfully as she pointed at the shut door. “There’s b-blood!”One look towards the door and there it was. A trail of blood leaked from under the door. To make things worse, there was brown hair that also managed to find its way through the little space at the bottom of the shut door.Doctor Carson immediately flung himself at the door, trying to open it to no avail. “Someone! Break this door!” he yelled when the blood kept pouring out. “Get him out of here!”The doctor said to the guard, pointing at Luis, who refused to move. For some insane reason, Luis was stuck to his feet, eyes fixed on the small lock of hair that looked like his auntie’s.Soon enough, some security detail came with a hammer, h
It’s been three days since June was moved into the VIP ward.Luis was a mess, and Rafael was doing his best to ensure that she had all the care she needed to awaken. However, the doctors had warned that she had a bleak chance of ever getting up if she didn’t open her eyes by the end of the day.June slept soundlessly in the ICU, being watched from a glass in a hallway that was rented both to suit her needs and to supervise the situation while she fought for her life.“You have to go home,” Rafael said to his son when he returned from work. “I will watch over her until tomorrow.”His son hadn’t spoken a word since he found his auntie dragged out in a pool of her own blood. He only cried and sat in front of the glass, never letting his eyes off June, who slept too peacefully.Rafael was worried.When his son made no move to leave, he beckoned to the security official to lead the way, as it had been for the past few days. Thankfully, Luis didn’t throw a fuss and followed his security to
It’s been three weeks since the accident, and June was finally out of the woods. Her situation had been hidden from the general public to protect her while she recuperated in Rafael’s home.Every day, Doctor Carson attended to her, and today was no different. However, the details of her murder attempt were still unclear, with no evidence to prove or ascertain how she got into that situation.The Rivera mother-and-daughter duo had done a clean job, leaving no trace behind. Hence, June was needed to clarify some things.“I was at the hospital when she suddenly dragged me into the closet,” June recounted the details of her murder attempt. “She told me how she made me unable to conceive by putting some potions in my food while we lived together.”“After stabbing me multiple times, she said I would be found by some people who would make it seem like it was suicide.”A dry laugh evaporated from June as she spoke to Rafael and Doctor Carson, who listened with tight faces as she narrated the
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