I almost spilled the juice I was drinking, which made them laugh. "Just kidding!" she said, still chuckling. "But that's possible, right? Addy came with us because he wanted to meet Z, and Z is friends with Brandon," Margot said, shrugging her shoulders. I looked at them, raising an eyebrow as they talked about me as if I wasn’t there, while Addy just laughed at their comments. Once again, I remembered that Addy and I had kissed at the bar, and I wished I could forget it. I had hoped to be with Brandon when I revealed the truth about our relationship, but since something unexpected had happened earlier, I would have to share it alone. "I have something to tell you guys," I said, catching their attention. I glanced at Addy, smiling as I noticed they were all waiting for me to continue. I wiped my mouth and took a deep breath before speaking. "Out of respect for Addy, I need to tell you that Brandon and I are in a relationship. We’ve been dating for two weeks," I announ
"Don't worry, Ma'am. Your car is safe here," the boatman assured us as we approached the boat, leaving our car behind. Since Brandon knows them, I trust him enough to leave it there."I'm so excited, guys! Maybe I can see my afam!" Lexy joked, which made me roll my eyes."I thought you wanted someone Filipino?" I teased her.The others laughed at my jab, and Margot was busy filming as if she were vlogging, while Bettina took pictures of Jewel and Hannah. I couldn't help but glance at Addy and Brandon, who sat quietly together. I noticed how Addy looked at his twin, but Brandon was avoiding eye contact."Are you alright?" I asked Brandon.As we boarded the boat, my friends continued filming. Brandon remained quiet, not socializing with my sisters or friends, and I sensed that something was bothering him. I could understand, considering his brother was nearby.Brandon took a deep breath and stared out at the beautiful sea scene before responding. "Yeah," he replied, a bit too abruptly.
"Z!"We turned to Margot, who had just entered the hotel room as I was called. I couldn’t help but feel nervous and immediately thought of Brandon and Addy’s conversation outside."What happened?" I asked her, genuinely worried.When she smiled, I frowned as I looked at her."You need to come outside," she said, pulling me aside.I had no choice but to follow her, even though I was anxious about what was happening. I hoped that Brandon and Addy wouldn’t hurt each other.We left the hotel, and my friends followed us. My jaw almost dropped when I saw Brandon and Addy. We stopped walking, and my lips fell, but I quickly smiled and breathed a sigh of relief."I think they're okay now," Margot said.Brandon and Addy were standing at the side of the beach, still talking but now laughing. Even though Brandon was facing away from me, I could see the happiness on his face. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they were finally alright.I was glad Brandon had given his brother a chance to
We all had a fantastic night with drinks and conversations about our lives and futures. Addy also asked Brandon to come to Manila to stay with his dad, but it’s not that simple; they still need to discuss it properly.The next day, we went island hopping and participated in various activities. We took many pictures and posted them on our social media accounts. Our other friends regretted not being there with us.My mom also called to check on us, and I was surprised to see Dad with her. They were the only ones talking, as Dad couldn’t even greet me with a simple “hi.” It doesn’t bother me much because we don’t have a good relationship.The following day, we stayed home since they were heading back to the city early. We gave Brandon and Addy some personal space to bond without us.The long weekend ended quickly, but I was delighted. I’m grateful to have my friends and sister back, and I’m also happy that Brandon and Addy reunited after a long time apart.Once my friends and sister retu
"I'm really sorry, Babe. I promise I’ll make it up to you," I told Brandon while looking at the Apple Watch he had given me."I said, stop saying sorry. It's not a big deal, okay? Let's just enjoy our trip today," he replied, pulling me closer to him and kissing my forehead.I smiled and nodded. I was actually overwhelmed because it was my first time receiving such an expensive gift. I knew it was costly, but I didn’t mention it to him so we wouldn’t dwell on it.When Janna saw us, we stopped hugging, and she teased us before calling our other friends over.Once my friends had it all arranged, we left the house. We rode in two SUVs and Addy's van. We went ahead, with Bettina's car following us, because Brandon knew the way to our destination."It's safe to leave the car here since no one else is around. We need to walk to get to the falls," Brandon explained as we stopped.We were in the woods, surrounded by many trees. The sun wasn’t too hot, which made the hike to the falls enjoyabl
"Don't even think about escaping, Hijah. You’ll just waste your energy; you can’t get out of here easily," he taunted with a laugh. I kept my gaze fixed on him, allowing my fury to show. He stared back, then gestured to his companions. "Take her to the other room and call Del Real right away. I'm excited to see his reaction when he sees his favorite daughter." Favorite daughter? I couldn’t help but laugh at that, which prompted them to turn and look at me. One of the men seized me and began to drag me away. "Favorite daughter? Are you serious?" I responded sharply. They continued to lead me until we entered another room. It was spacious yet almost empty, containing only a single chair in the center. "You know what? Whoever you are that hates Daddy, you're just wasting your effort and time!" "Stop it!" the man holding me commanded. I looked at him with pleading eyes as he pushed me into the chair. "You stay there," he said, his voice laced with a threat. "What do you really
"Z!" Brandon leaned down to me, his expression filled with worry."Are you alright?" he asked.I shook my head in response, unable to speak. I grabbed my foot and saw blood oozing from it."F*ck!" Brandon cursed, and without hesitation, he lifted me into his arms like a bride."We need to leave here," he said, moving quickly.Tears streamed down my face as I realized how hard it must have been for him to carry me while we fled from Dante's men. I was terrified for both of us, knowing those men were dangerous and armed.Brandon pressed on, and I could feel his exhaustion until I suddenly heard a familiar voice."Brandon! Z!" It was Bettina.I looked in the direction where they were and realized we were at the house where we were staying."Oh my gosh!" Lexy exclaimed."What happened?! Where are Addy and the others?" I asked, panic rising in my chest."Why aren't you with them, Brandon? Where are th byey?!" My sisters and our friends sounded equally concerned. Looking at them individuall
I was worried about how Mommy would react when I told her that Brandon was my boyfriend. However, when I saw her smiling as she held my hand, I finally felt like I could breathe freely, even before she said anything. She took a deep breath and looked at me intently before speaking. “I support you on this, Z. Even though we've only just met Brandon, I could see how worried he was for you. Even without words, I could feel his love for you,” she told me. I smiled, and unexpectedly, tears started to fall. “After all, you deserve that kind of love. I won’t hinder the things that make you happy,” she continued. “Thank you, Mom,” I replied, my crying intensifying. Mommy and I hugged each other, and even though we hadn’t always shown affection, I could now really feel how much she loved me. After talking to Mommy, she let me speak to Brandon and Addy. I could see the worry in their eyes, but I just smiled to reassure them that I was okay. “How are you feeling?” Brandon asked.
I stopped eating and barely pushed my food away as I picked up my laptop again. "You haven't finished your food yet," he said. "I'm already full," I replied, even though I'd just lost my appetite. "You just ate a little bit. How can you be so satisfied?" he asked. Annoyed, I turned to face him. "I already told you that I'm not hungry. Next time, please don’t buy me lunch. I was hoping you wouldn't get me anything to eat either because I have a secretary for that. You should give all your attention to that girl who was talking to you earlier," I told him. His laughter filled the room, overwhelming me again. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on my work if I stayed there with him, so I closed my laptop and placed it on the table. "Oh, why?" he asked. I ignored him and stood up from my chair. "Are you jealous?" he probed. I smirked, returning his question with one of my own. "Of course not. Why would I be?" I replied, then let out a sarcastic laugh. If he was trying to push
"Meeting adjourned. Thank you, everyone!" Daddy said. I could finally breathe freely; our meeting was over. I immediately turned to River, who had been teasing me earlier. "I know what you were doing," I said to him. He raised both hands as if to defend himself. "I just wanted to see his reaction. He's been staring at you since our meeting started," he explained. I stared at him, unsure of how to feel. I didn't know if that would affect Brandon significantly since we had no relationship. I left River in his chair as someone approached him to talk. All our companions said their goodbyes. Some were still chatting, while others began to leave. I noticed Brandon, in my peripheral vision, engaged in conversation with someone, so I took the opportunity to approach Daddy. "Z, are you surprised?" he asked with a smile. "Surprised by what?" I replied, my forehead wrinkling in confusion. Daddy laughed and pulled me in for a hug. "About Brandon. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but when you
I turned again to go inside, but he stopped me once more. "Did you really move on from me?" he asked. My heart raced at his question. I felt speechless, and to my surprise, I realized that I hadn’t really moved on from him. He stepped closer and grabbed my elbow as he stared into my eyes. I stopped when I felt the cold wall behind me. "Do you still love me, Z?" he asked. I could almost feel the warmth of his breath on my face, mingled with the scent of the wine he had been drinking. I just stared back at him, my heartbeat quickening; I feared he might hear it. "If you asked me that question, my answer is no because I never moved on from you. Even though I thought you were gone, my love for you didn’t fade. You remained in my heart because I promised myself that you would be the last woman I ever loved. Now that you are back in my life, my love for you has only grown," he said. I could see the seriousness in his eyes as he spoke those words. I swallowed hard when he gently
I shrugged again. "Why not? Your relationship has been going on for a long time, and it's been five years since-" I stopped when he suddenly interrupted me. "Z, George and I didn't get back together. In these five years, no one has intervened between us," he explained. I hesitated to respond, unsure of whether to believe him. What if he was just denying it? "But she said that you two got back together," I insisted, feeling a slight twitch in my forehead. "You called George crazy, so why do you believe what she says?" he challenged. I took a deep breath, feeling exhausted. It seemed George wasn't just crazy; she was also delusional. "So, let's get back to you. When are you planning to settle down?" he asked. I laughed. "Me? Why is that question coming my way?" I replied. "Because why not? The river looks good, and what about your boyfriend?" he said, then glanced away. I nearly spilled my drink at his comment. Why did he think River was my boyfriend? "Come on
Tosmiled and tightened my grip on her. I couldn't forgive myself for anything that went wrong with her because of me. We released our embrace just as the bedroom door opened. We turned and saw Brandon enter. “Papa!” Sky called out. Brandon walked toward us, handed me a bottle of water, and smiled at Sky. “How are you?” he asked. “I feel better, Papa. I’m sorry for eating ice cream. I really wanted to know what it tastes like,” she explained. I watched as she spoke to her dad, her friendly demeanor shining through. Brandon sat on the other side of Sky and gently caressed her head. "It's okay, baby. Just don’t do it again, alright?" he said. He handed her some fruit, which she eagerly began to eat. Brandon and I exchanged glances, and I smiled at him. “I met your boyfriend, and he’s waiting for you outside. You can go now; let me take care of Sky,” he said. I furrowed my brow slightly. His mention of a boyfriend puzzled me. Then I remembered River, and a smile almost
Just then, Brandon returned and said, "Girls, is it okay if I leave you two for a while? I have an urgent meeting to attend." We turned to him together. "Oh, yeah, sure. So, you won’t be with us for lunch?" I asked him. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, I guess," he replied. I took a deep breath and nodded at him again. Brandon turned to us and gently held Sky's head. "Behave, okay? Don’t stress out your mom," he told Sky. "Okay, Papa! I’ll behave!" Sky replied. Brandon nodded and looked at me again, prompting me to get up from my seat. "Don’t worry about us. I’m just going to agree with Margot. They are at the mall with her kids, and it’s time for Sky to meet her cousins," I explained. "Alright. Just call me if you need anything. I have to go for now," he said. After Brandon left, I immediately called Margot. She arranged for her driver to pick us up from the park, and thankfully, the mall wasn’t far away. Sky and I waited just a few minutes, and s
pourings right. I really look like Sky," I said, smiling as I looked at the pictures. I browsed through the images and videos, and I couldn't help but smile. "How did you know Mom told you that?" Bettina asked, chuckling softly. "Mom showed me a few times in my dreams. Maybe that's what happens when you're on the brink of death," I said with a shrug. I felt happy that I could still connect with my mother in that way. Even if it was just in dreams, it felt right. I tried to be strong until, three days later, I finally left the hospital. Since I woke up, I've been searching for Dad, but I haven't seen him. Bettina told me that Dad visited me every day while I was unconscious. I want to talk to him. I'm grateful for the second chance at life that I've been given, and I want to tell Dad that I have forgiven him. Holding onto hate will serve no purpose. Now that my daughter and I are together, I want to create a good, drama-free environment for her. All I want is a peaceful li
"I was just hurt because I felt like you hadn't lost your love for that woman—" I cut her off because I didn’t have time to listen to her excuses. "I came here to tell you that the Del Real family is continuing the case against you. So if you need help, it's not from me," I told her. "No! You’re going to help me, aren’t you? You’re not going to leave me here, right, Brandon?" she insisted. I shook my head and looked straight at her. "You traumatized my daughter, and you almost killed her. Do you really think I would help you again? If you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t be in this position. Now, you need to face the consequences. You’ve made your own fate," I replied. I stood up from my seat and turned to leave. Even though I could hear her calling my name over and over, I ignored her. For five years, George and I had a strong friendship. She had always been there to help me with Sky, but when Z returned, her behavior changed. I didn’t understand her jealousy, especially s
I didn't even look at Brandon because I was in a hurry to go inside. I'm not afraid if they can catch me there because I can fight with them. Even though I heard Brandon repeatedly calling me, I ignored him. I turned around the whole house until I saw a ladder, which looked like the only way to climb there. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. The hallway above was spacious, and there were four rooms,, so I didn't know where George was, but I could hear the kid crying. A door opened, and I almost rushed to the side when I saw a man. I stood on the edge of the wall so he couldn't see me, and as he passed in front of me,, I kicked him with my foot. The man was shocked, and he immediately attacked me, but I fought back against him. His body is so big that his energy is more potent than mine. "Ahh!" I cried as he kicked me in the stomach. I could almost hold my stomach while I was in pain. Before I could recover, he kicked me again, causing me to fall down. I was al