Unable to take the suspense anymore, Catherine grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open, only to see her son and husband hugging. The sight took her breath away, and for a moment, the years of tension and heartache seemed to dissolve in the warmth of their embrace.Rome looked up, his eyes still wet with tears, and managed a faint smile. "Honey," he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Come here."Rene, still holding onto his father, turned to face his mother. His eyes, too, were glistening with tears. "Mother," he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of relief and sorrow.Catherine hurried across the room and wrapped her arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight, heartfelt embrace. "You guys good?" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.Rome nodded, his grip tightening around Rene and Catherine. "We're getting there," he replied softly. "It's been a long time coming."Rene pulled back slightly, looking at both his parents with a mixture of hope and satisf
Rene took the envelope, his expression firm but unreadable. He carefully opened it, pulling out the contract agreement and scanning its contents. Parblo watched him closely, curiosity mixed with a hint of apprehension."Everything good?" Parblo asked, unable to contain his curiosity.Rene didn't respond immediately, continuing to read through the contract. After a few tense moments, he finally looked up, meeting Parblo's eyes. "I just needed to make sure of a few things," he said, his tone guarded. "There's a lot at stake, and I can't afford any mistakes."Parblo nodded, though his curiosity was still piqued. "Understandable. Just remember, we've worked hard to get to this point. The plan relies on everything going smoothly."Rene nodded, folding the contract and placing it back in the envelope. "I know. And I appreciate everything you've done for me, Parblo." With that, he tapped the old man's shoulder and walked off, leaving Parblo standing in the hallway, still curious, and yet,
The atmosphere in the Rossi dining room grew even more charged as Jason Rossi stood and made his way toward Rene, eyes filled with a mix of suspicion and disdain. Rene’s expression remained calm, but Maria could sense the tension in his stance. Her heart ached, knowing that he was facing yet another challenge on her behalf.Jason reached for the bag, his movements deliberate and almost theatrical. The rest of the family watched with a mixture of curiosity and scorn. Maria held her breath as Jason unzipped the bag and upended its contents onto the polished floor, causing Rene's clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, documents, and everything else to scatter on the dirty tiles.A small stack of papers and a few personal items tumbled out. Jason glanced down, clearly unimpressed. “What is this? More useless junk?”Rene remained silent, his eyes steady on Jason. Maria felt her frustration building, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew Rene had to have had a reason for bringing the bag. Sum
The next morning, Rene woke up on the couch inside Maria's bedroom. The first night of them being a married couple, he spent it away from her, confined to the couch. His back ached, and the events of the previous day weighed heavily on his mind. He glanced over at the bed, where Maria lay sleeping, her face peaceful in repose. Despite the tension between them, seeing her like this made his heart ache.Rene quietly got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up, trying not to disturb her. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he returned to the room and saw Maria stirring awake. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and looked over at him. Their eyes met briefly before she quickly looked away, getting out of bed without a word."Good morning," Rene said softly, hoping to break the ice.Maria didn't respond. She walked past him to the bathroom, her expression cold and distant. Rene sighed, realizing that the wall between them had only grown thicker overnight. He knew better than
Jason stormed into his office at "Rossi Enterprises," his face contorted with fury. The anger from this morning's breakfast still simmered beneath his skin that Maria dare humiliated him and cause their grandfather to look down on him. He was itching to channel it into something productive... namely, ruining his cousin and Rene, two birds one stone. Slamming the folder shut, he marched directly to his secretary's desk, where Alex was diligently typing away on her computer.“Hey!” Jason’s voice cut through the hall, sharp and commanding. “I need you to handle something for me.”Immediately, Alex looked up from her screen, her fingers hovering above the keyboard. She met Jason’s fierce gaze, her eyes wide with surprise. “Yes, Mr. Rossi? What’s the matter?”Jason leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper as he spoke through clenched teeth. “I want you to start a rumor about Kia. One that will totally destroy his image in this company.”“Mr. Rossi, are you sure about this?
Rene stared at Alex, trying to process her abrupt instructions. The tension in the room was palpable, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the whole situation."Take a seat," Alex repeated, gesturing to a chair in the center of the room.Rene hesitated for a moment before complying, his mind racing with questions. "Why am I here? What's going on?"Alex remained stoic, her expression unreadable. "You're being assigned a task," she said curtly, her tone leaving no room for argument.Rene furrowed his brow, feeling a knot of unease tighten in his stomach. "A task? What kind of task?""You've been placed in the cash handling position at the financial department of the company," Alex explained matter-of-factly.Rene's eyes widened in disbelief. "Cash handling? But I... I don't have any experience in that. Why me?"Alex's lips curled into a slight smirk, though there was no warmth in her eyes. "That's not for you to question. Just follow instructions."Rene's heart
Minutes later, after the transaction was done, Rene left the bank, the receipt for the deposit tucked securely in his pocket.Everything went smoothly than he thought it would. Yet, after he hailed a cab back to Rossi Enterprises, his mind was still buzzing with thoughts of the peculiar encounter and the weight of the responsibility he had just handled.It made less sense that the Rossi who hated him to the bone would trust him with such a position. But then again, it was Maria who did, and he wasn't sure if she was doing all this to prove to her family that he could be trusted.The thought of her helping him out to gain her family's trust made Rene smile faintly, feeling less trouble the more the idea crossed his mind.When he arrived and walked into the building, he spotted Alex in the lobby, near the receptionist's desk, a look of stress on her face as she glared at her watch.Rene approached her, his expression was stern as he called out. "I have deposited the money. Here's the re
The cell grew colder as the hours passed, and Rene sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the bars in front of him as he tried to reconstruct in his mind what had happened in those chaotic hours that brought him here. His thoughts kept backtracking to Maria... her silence, her coolness, and finally, her apparent betrayal. The jingle of keys and heavy footsteps of an approaching guard drew him out of this trance."Flores," the jailer called out. "Get up. Somebody posted your bail."When Rene looked up to stare at the guard, his face held confusion, and he mumbled, "Bail? But who?""Don't ask me. Just get your stuff and be grateful that someone has 25,000 to waste on someone like you," the jailer replied and unlocked the cell door. Slowly, Rene stood to his feet, feeling both relieved and suspicious. He followed the guard back to the processing area, where they returned his clothes. Slipping out of the orange jumpsuit, he felt a strange sense of normalcy return as he put on his cloth