Marissa’s POV I could feel the discrete and watchful stares of Nica and Brylle in front of me. I was just staring at the hot coffee inside a huge mug in front of me. They made sure I ate today, even though it was not a lot. It already satisfied them that I had something in my stomach. “I know you won’t open up to us,” Nica said in the middle of the deafening silence. “But I want you to know that Brylle and I will be here for you.” My eyes slowly darted on both of them. They were beside each other and their hands underneath were obviously intertwined just by the visual of their hands together. The only thing that was separating us was the dining table. Currently, we are in the dining area in front of me. The night was still young. “I am leaving tomorrow,” I started with a lump on my throat, but my eyes are already tired from crying. “And I don’t know if I will be back.” “What?” Brylle exclaimed. “What do you mean?” “Madame Margarita was the primary reason why my contract with Di
Marissa's POVFor five years, I only wanted to take care of Lilith, my daughter, as we left the Philippines to start a new life and a new career. After my grandmother died last year, I knew that I had to be strong for the steering wheel that I had been controlling all my life to be steady. Grandma was the reason I wanted to live for a long time. Now, it was Lilith. "Mom, I told you that I wanted to play in the park with my nanny. Why would you not let me?" Lilith said as she stomped her little feet under the dining table.I turned to her while fixing the valuable things inside my bag. Her nanny, on the other hand, was helping her eat breakfast. My beautiful daughter was looking up at me while pouting her lips. Her hair was already done into ponytails and is currently wearing the dress I just bought for her in the mall."No," I said and smiled at her. "The park is too dangerous, my love. You have to understand me.""Nanny! Help me!" she said and then looked at Nanny Elisa. Nanny Elis
Third Person’s POV“Good morning, ma’am!”Marissa Dela Cruz briefly bowed her head to the employees greeting her in the lobby. She was holding her handbag while flawlessly wearing her black bodycon dress. Her dress was a huge contribution to tracing her curvy body and matched her light makeup. A call came from her cellphone, so she answered it.“Yes, this is Secretary Dela Cruz. How may I help you?” she asked with a smile.“I have been looking for Chief Executive Director Montero. This is from Gregory Corporation because our annual meeting is approaching. Can you please remind him?” the other party informed.“You do not have to worry, sir. I have all his schedules in control,” she said before she dropped the line.After that important call and a long minute of constant greeting the enthusiastic and productive employees, while walking through the lobby, she finally arrived in the elevator and rode to the sixth floor where her office is just near her boss’ office. She picked a button be
Third Person's POV“I do not know why they will turn their backs when we did not even do anything wrong!” Diego said and flew his hands in the air. “Or maybe you said or did something that discouraged them from considering the project!”"I also don’t know-“ the manager tried to explain further.“What kind of a manager are you? You only have one job and that is knowing the whole information!”“I am so sorry, sir-““You are so stu-““Mr. Montero!”It was the cue to cut what he was saying to the manager.Marissa has encountered a lot of insults from the CEO over the years. She does not want the others to take it, for she knows how it feels after being reprimanded. Both of them looked at Marissa who was approaching them. She meaningfully gazed at Diego who was squinting his eyes as if observing her. In the end, she avoided her gaze from her boss and regarded the manager whose eyes were already watering with tears.Oh… it was like the first time in her job when she was accepted as a secret
Third Person's POV At last, they arrived at the shooting range where Diego purged all the guests so that he could be alone shooting in the area. Of course, it was Marissa’s job to appease the people who left and make them understand that it was an urgent situation.“What is your problem? Do you even own the shooting range?!”“I might slap your face for evacuating us!”“You look pretty, young lady. How about you come with me and leave that man you were with? How much for one night?”If Marissa had the same anger issues as Diego, she would have punched and smacked all of the people who disrespected her. Instead, she just bestowed a calm smile and polite attitude towards them. After all, she is just the CEO’s secretary. It is a part of her job to be patient, despite being disrespected.The bullets piercing through the mannequins Diego was firing using a pistol made loud sounds even though Marissa was already wearing headsets. As usual, she is only standing beside her boss who is bursti
Third Person's POVMarissa went to their bags so they could go now to the company. She helped him prepare the things before they went to the car parked in a lot. Her boss was silent the whole time while driving, and she could sense that if she spoke up, she would be thrown out of the car. They were in the middle of an intense silence until they reached the company and the floor’s office.“Mom?” he called the moment he opened the door. “Are you here?”Mrs. Margarita Montero was sitting on a sofa in the drawing area of the office. She only stood up elegantly when she saw Diego walking towards her. The old lady wore a white branded dress that had a golden belt which she paired with black heels. She also had golden accessories, and her brown hair was also flailing. If Marissa did not know that she was the great Margarita Montero, she would have thought that the old lady was a former model or a celebrity that quit showbiz for a long time. Marissa closed the door as she watched the two hugg
Third Person's POVMarissa listened to Diego’s mother as she explained how the doctors could not do anything to her health. It was too personal and emotional to be there, listening and watching, but she could not do anything about it.She could see how Mrs. Margarita Montero seemed so kind and intelligent, not to mention how she talked angelically with her son like her child was still a kid. She could sleep just by the sound of the lady’s voice. She suddenly wonders how it would feel to have a mother. A mother who cares for you when you have problems in life. A mother who would laugh at your jokes. A mother who nurtures your well-being and teaches you how to become a great woman.Sometimes, Marissa misses her parents, but she does not know how to feel when she would have been with them – because they were never there. The bitterness went to her throat, but she swallowed it, for it was not her moment. It is her boss and his mother’s.The secretary must have roamed all of the corners of
Third Person's POVBut his mother’s sentiments did not work on him. He just smirked and kept shaking his head. “I… I can’t do that. I don’t know anything about… stupid relationships,” he explained. “I only cared about my business, and how I could prosper it. Women do not interest me.”Marissa took no offense. What Diego and her have in common is that they are more practical than being flown by emotional aspects. They have ambitions to chase; a very complicated love.“I thought you were going to do anything for me?” Mrs. Montero said using her disappointed tone. “Would you let me die without granting my final death wish?”“Mom, it is just that…” Diego muttered and played his lower lip. "It is too much. I do not even know if I could love anyone.""Then does that mean that you do not love me?""Of course, I love you so much!""You can also do that for another woman of your life!" Madame Margarita said and held the hand of his hand. "Don't you get excited that there is a woman out there w
Marissa's POVFor five years, I only wanted to take care of Lilith, my daughter, as we left the Philippines to start a new life and a new career. After my grandmother died last year, I knew that I had to be strong for the steering wheel that I had been controlling all my life to be steady. Grandma was the reason I wanted to live for a long time. Now, it was Lilith. "Mom, I told you that I wanted to play in the park with my nanny. Why would you not let me?" Lilith said as she stomped her little feet under the dining table.I turned to her while fixing the valuable things inside my bag. Her nanny, on the other hand, was helping her eat breakfast. My beautiful daughter was looking up at me while pouting her lips. Her hair was already done into ponytails and is currently wearing the dress I just bought for her in the mall."No," I said and smiled at her. "The park is too dangerous, my love. You have to understand me.""Nanny! Help me!" she said and then looked at Nanny Elisa. Nanny Elis
Marissa’s POV I could feel the discrete and watchful stares of Nica and Brylle in front of me. I was just staring at the hot coffee inside a huge mug in front of me. They made sure I ate today, even though it was not a lot. It already satisfied them that I had something in my stomach. “I know you won’t open up to us,” Nica said in the middle of the deafening silence. “But I want you to know that Brylle and I will be here for you.” My eyes slowly darted on both of them. They were beside each other and their hands underneath were obviously intertwined just by the visual of their hands together. The only thing that was separating us was the dining table. Currently, we are in the dining area in front of me. The night was still young. “I am leaving tomorrow,” I started with a lump on my throat, but my eyes are already tired from crying. “And I don’t know if I will be back.” “What?” Brylle exclaimed. “What do you mean?” “Madame Margarita was the primary reason why my contract with Di
Marissa’s POV“Brylle! Oh, my goodness! What happened to you?!” Nica exclaimed in shock.The moment I let her inside the apartment, Nica rushed to Brylle who was caressing the white plaster on his right cheek. She was pressing his wound, while he kept telling her that it was alright. I could not help but furrow my eyebrows at how they care for each other. I can see it. “Marissa,” Nica mumbled my name and stood up so he could face me. “Who did this to him?”I crossed my arms after I locked the door of the living room. “It was Diego Montero,” I answered. “I am sorry.”Her expression changed from a serious one to a concerned one. The moment she did that, I already retreated. I shook my head.“We can talk tomorrow. For now, you should rest together with Brylle. Spend the night. I already prepared everything in my grandmother’s room. You can use it,” I said. “I’ll go to my room now.”I did not let her speak anymore and turned my back on them already. I could feel her stares following me
Marissa's POV"If I could follow the contract, he would answer all of the hospital bills for my grandmother. I will also go to New York and have my dream job. In that way, I would reach my dreams and make my grandmother feel better," I explained."Marissa," he mumbled, and felt his hands on my shoulder. "Why did you not tell me? I could have helped you.""No," I said and shut my eyes. "I could never dare to involve you and Nica in my problems. You have done everything for me, and I would be ashamed to reach out to you.""Why would you even think about that? You are important to Nica and to me. If you didn't like Diego, you could have just reached out to us. How dare you think it would be shameful! Oh, goodness, Marissa. I am so sorry you have to put up with that situation."Before I could even completely react, he had already pulled me for a warm and tight embrace. The sadness and loneliness have already pent up inside my heart, making me sob against his chest as I feel his hand at th
Marissa’s POV“You said you wanted to talk to me,” I said coldly as I watched the stars above me with deadpan eyes. “I am free tomorrow. You can bring Brylle over. I will text where.”I heard Nica inhale sharply. “Brylle would be grateful to talk to you,” she mumbled from the other line. He said he wanted closure.”“I know,” I said and looked down at the pavement. “I also need that, too.”The silence stretched as we shared it through the lines of our cellphones. I bit my lower lip as I realized that I had just killed my pride by deciding to talk to Brylle and Nica. Maybe I was also too hard on both of them over the years I was friends with them. Nica maybe was right. I was selfish and self-entitled.The call briefly ended. My sightseeing through the stars prolonged and I was too drowned in them that I barely recognized how late the night was already.Or maybe because I was still recalling how Madame Margarita and I negotiated that I will have to cut my connection with Diego. Because w
Diego’s POVI played with the red wine inside my glass as Tito George and Ms. Zeana Tan were talking business in front of me. The customers inside the restaurant were filling my ears, but I barely cared about the conversations surrounding me. Only the words of Marissa were circling around my mind, repeating, again and again.She will never love me.She doesn't love me.And I should stop dreaming.Then were her smiles when she was in Palawan with me all fake? Was she just pretending that she was genuinely happy with me?“Hey, Diego…”I snapped out when I felt my uncle’s hand on my shoulder, shaking me a bit. He was furrowing his eyebrows at me and parting his lips, bestowing confusion across his face.“Are you okay? You look like you're occupied,” he concluded.“O-Oh,” I exclaimed and noticed that the both of them were just watching me thinking deeply. I had to clear my throat and straightened up while sitting on my chair. “What… Uh, I was not catching up. Where are we?”“We are talkin
Marissa’s POVMy eyes stayed on the cup of hot lemon tea being poured by the maid, but I could still sense how Madame Margarita was staring at me suspiciously. When the maid transferred to her cup, I raised my eyes to her again. She squinted her eyes, while I still instilled my deadpan stare. “I will still not believe that you intend to not marry Diego after you said yes to him,” she said. “If so, what made you change your mind? Were you scared because I did not approve of you?” “No,” I confidently said. “I was willing to win you over.”“You will not win me.”“I know,” I also agreed, making her left eyebrow raise. “That is why retreating to the marriage would also be a good thing.”“I see where you are going.”“And I also know that you are only faking your illness,” she said. “You don’t have cancer.”Because of what I revealed, she flinched a little bit and was motionless for a minute. She tried to not make it obvious, but when she tried to open her mouth, it was trembling. In the e
Marissa’s POVJust by the mention of Brylle’s name, I had to face her and slap her in the face. I heard Ms. Gonzaga gasp because of what I did. Nica ticked her jaw and held the cheek I just slapped. She glared at me. “Stop talking to me as if we are okay!” I whispered loudly. “We were not okay the moment you stabbed me in the back. And what did you say? Brylle wants to talk to me. After what the both of you has done to me?” “That is why I want to “But I cut her off again. “And would you also deny that you scattered rumors about me just because I married my boss? Did you enjoy the fact that the employees where I work are talking behind my back? Have you always been threatened by me?!”“Yes!” Nica inhaled sharply and widened her eyes hugely because of the frustration that was pent up within her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath tremblingly. When she opened them again, there were already tears pooling at its sides. “I hated the fact that the man I love was in love with my
Marissa’s POV“Thank you for your time joining me tonight, Ms. Dela Cruz,” Ms. Zeana Tan said to me when she dropped me off at the hospital. “I hope I did not waste it.”“I am even grateful towards you, ma’am, for choosing me as your company,” I said and smiled. “Is your husband not going to be mad at you for being late, ma’am?”She arched her eyebrow with a slight smile. “It is funny that you think I have a husband,” she said. “I am still single and not planning to marry anytime soon!”My eyes widened in fractions and panicked. “Oh, my god. I am so sorry. I did not know,” I said.“Don’t worry. I am not offended. Everyone, though, assumes the same.”“Who would not, ma’am? One, I think you are very beautiful, intelligent, wealthy, and successful. It is an obvious fact that many people would admire you, especially men!” I exclaimed.Ms. Zeana Tan only meaningfully smiled, like what I said was just a big deal to her. She stared at me for long. I wanted to avoid my gaze because she migh