-=Ang's Point of View=-
It wasn't until the cab driver informed me that we had arrived at our destination that I even realized we had arrived home.
My mother gave me a warm greeting as soon as I walked inside the house. I excused myself politely and headed straight for my room, locking the door behind me.
While lying in bed, I still couldn't brush off the thought of Miranda and her lover. Yes, in my mind, I knew that Miranda was betraying my brother, and some images made it hard for me to calm down.
I imagined them in a private place being all cuddly and maybe doing something more; however, it turned out that I was overthinking when I later discovered that Miranda also arrived home that night.
The following morning, I decided to head out to start my responsibilities in managing the family company. It was too early when I got there, and when my mom's husband got to the office, he appeared off guard, seeing me in the office.
"You should have told me that you would be here," he said.
"I've decided to accept your offer to work here," I said earnestly, not quite taking into account that he was married to my mother and Anthony's dad, but still not quite.
"I'm glad to hear that, but what about your work with Henry?" he asked.
"I've already talked with Henry and told him about my decision to resign, and he respected my decision. So, is the position still available?" I asked.
"Yes, it's still yours, and since you already accepted the offer, it's time for you to meet our staff," he said with a smile while I remained poker-faced.
That day, he gave me an introduction to the team, as promised. A few were acquainted with me from my prior employment with the company before I decided to go to Australia and join Henry's team.
I went directly to my office for the day after that. However, I decided to give my friend Lucas a call before learning more about the specifics of the business.
I called Lucas and requested, "Lucas, can you prepare a divorce paper for me?"
"Obviously, but I had no idea you were married," he said, sounding confused.
"It's not for me; it's for my younger brother, Anthony. If you could stop by to discuss what I need to know about his divorce from that woman, I want to make sure she doesn't get anything from our family," I stated forcefully, and after ending the call, I tried to focus on the documents and files in front of me.
I lost myself in everything on my desk, not even thinking about lunch until Andres patted my shoulder to say it was time.
Even yet, since he isn't my biological father, I couldn't picture myself calling him dad.
He smiled and said, "Join me for lunch," so I said yes. Even after being married to my mother for years, especially after living overseas, I still hadn't completely adjusted.
"How was your first day?" he asked.
"It went well."
He sighed deeply, and then I heard him say it once more. His somber inquiry, "Ang, do you still not accept me into your family?" made me feel even more uneasy.
I said, "My mom is happy because of you, and that should be more important than what I think," and shut up.
After we finished our steaks in silence, I excused myself to go back to work, which he agreed on, but even after I walked away, I could still feel his gaze.
He watched me go silently, but I disregarded him and hurried back to the office, where Lucas was waiting, after leaving the restaurant.
He grinned and said, "Long time, no see, pal. You didn't tell me you were back in the Philippines."
"Sorry for not telling you. A lot has happened," I stated, asking for my temporary assistant to bring us drinks.
"That's fine. I am aware of you and Atilla. How are you?" he queried, clearly concerned, but I refrained from requesting him to back off, knowing his intentions were good.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I told him, feeling a strange sense of reality in my words. Perhaps because I was already thinking about another woman?
"Did you bring the papers that I requested?" I cut to the chase, and he gave me a brown envelope with all the paperwork I needed.
"Getting divorced will be easier since they got married abroad, and divorce is legal in the US. We just need the couples' signatures," he said.
I asked him strongly, "What about her not getting anything from my family once they were divorced?"
He said, "The marriage is legal, so she's entitled, but we can contest it in court. It'll be a lengthy battle," and I nodded, ready to wait to make sure she received nothing.
"What if she refuses to sign the divorce papers?" I asked.
He said, "We can find variables, like psychological issues or infidelity," which made me think of the latter.
"So, if I can prove she cheated, we can move forward with my brother's divorce, ensuring she gets nothing?" I asked.
"Yes" was the response I had been hoping for. I had an idea as soon as he left the office, but when I got home, I made the decision to have Miranda sign the documents first; maybe she would say yes without me taking any drastic action.
After that, I gave my full concentration to reading everything I needed to know. I had to speak with representatives from several company departments because there were a lot of things I didn't understand.
It was finally time to head home. As I quickly got into my car and arrived home, I saw Miranda enjoying the fresh air in the garden.
She had a calm, enticing face, but I could see that underlying it was a greedy lady. The idea of her betraying my brother, who remained unconscious, hardened my heart. I could never imagine losing him or someone taking advantage of my brother.
I firmly remarked, "Miranda, we need to talk," observing her look of surprise upon hearing me.
"I don't think there's any reason for discussion now, Ang. You've already made up your mind about me, so what's the use of this chat?" she responded with a serious voice.
"It's about your divorce with my brother," I said, which was not what she expected. The arrogance of her to think I'd stand by after learning of her infidelity against my brother!
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by my divorce from Anthony?"
"You know what I mean, Miranda; you don't deserve my brother," I replied, and I tried to ignore the pain in her face after hearing my words.
"No! I'll wait for Anthony to wake up... I assured him..." she stated very seriously, but I disregarded her.
"Fine, then wait for Anthony. But what if he doesn't wake up?" I opposed a worry that was getting in as I considered the idea of losing my dear brother.
She stayed quiet in response to my question, so I tried to keep my cool so she wouldn't suspect anything.
"Okay, I understand, but I want you to be open about it. For now, I think we could have a truce since I believe nothing good would happen if we kept on having animosity with each other. We can still act civil when in front of mom and Anthony's dad," I offered, faking a smile.
She seemed unsure at first, but in the end, she agreed to my offer.
I turned aside, a deep smile slowly developing on my lips. I had a strategy in my head that I was certain would work.
I promised in silence as I walked inside, "I will make her fall for me, and I will make sure she can't deny what happens between us."
-=Ang's Point of View=-The following morning, I decided to take my plan into action, so I looked for Miranda, who happened to be in Anthony's room."Good morning!" I cheerfully greeted her, and I found her talking to the comatose Anthony.I could tell that I caught her off-guard since it hadn't been that long since I showed her animosity, but since we agreed on a truce, it wouldn't be that surprising if I tried to treat her better."Good... morning," she hesitantly replied, her confusion evident on her beautiful face.For some reason, I felt a sense of irritation inside me when I noticed her touching Anthony's hand, seemingly genuinely concerned for my brother. If she really cared for him, she wouldn't be flirting with any other man, but of course, I stopped myself from saying things that would blow up my plan.My objective was to win Miranda over and remove her from my brother. I would make sure she had no choice because she refused to voluntarily sign the divorce papers. The most c
-=Ang's Point of View=-I didn't have to get up early because it was Saturday, and I didn't have to go to the office today. Nevertheless, I got up early to carry out my scheme to win Miranda over.I saw Miranda leave Anthony's room that morning, so I approached her decisively, "Miranda, can I talk to you?""Yes," she curtly answered. To avoid Mom hearing us converse, I decided to speak with her outside in the garden.I informed her, pretending to be hesitant, "Uhm, I need your help. I'm planning to surprise Mom and her husband," and saw the joy light up in her eyes.She smiled and said, "Sure, what's your plan?" I gave her a response with a hidden smile in return.I began to tell her about my claimed "plan," and she listened intently to everything I had to say."I'm organizing to have a family dinner later, but the fact is, it's for them, and we'll leave once they're comfortable and let them enjoy their intimate meal," I added with a grin on my face.She said, "Wow, that's nice, but t
-=Ang's Point of View=-"I like her."As I lay in bed, those phrases kept going through my head. To be honest, I had no idea where that began. I've been lying in this position for some time, turning and tossing, still unsure of the emotions surging inside of me. Even though I despise her, I can't help but think about her.The scene where I was dancing with her kept appearing in my memory, making it hard for me to fall asleep.I must have fallen asleep around three because I awoke with a minor headache, unhappy that the housekeeper had woken me up, and when I opened the door, the maid told me that Mom wanted to see me.I went to the bathroom to fix myself, and after looking in the mirror and seeing that I was somehow presentable, I made my way to the dining room where the others were waiting.I forced a grin and said, "Good morning," to everyone. I avoided looking at Miranda, who had her head lowered."Good morning to you too, son. I was told that last night didn't go as planned, but f
-=Ang's Point of View=-When we arrived home later that night, Andres just excused himself and didn't even bother to look in Miranda's direction before he made his way to their room.I couldn't stop staring at him until I couldn't see him. Even in the car, he stayed silent during the trip, and I couldn't blame him.Imagine finding out that the woman your son married has a questionable background and got married not just once but several times already, which would definitely destroy someone else's mood.I knew Andres loved his son, and he wouldn't take this lying down, which is why he decided to help me make sure Miranda would leave Anthony after we had enough evidence."Please excuse him; he might just be too tired," Mom apologized to Miranda."It's alright, I understand. If you'll excuse me, I want to see Anthony first before going to bed," she said, looking directly at Mom, but when she turned around, our eyes briefly met before she continued her way to Anthony's room."I'm sorry, d
-=Ang's Point of View=-I decided to miss dinner, so when one of the maids knocked on my door, I told her to tell my mom that I wasn't hungry and just wanted to sleep, but the truth is, I just wanted to make sure that everything was ready for the fruition of my plan.Actually, everything was ready; the hidden cameras were all set, as was the computer, but I guess I was just readying myself for what was about to happen between me and Miranda.I was gazing at the ceiling of my room when I heard another knock on the door, thinking it was one of the maids. I opened it, only to be surprised to see a confused Miranda."Care to explain to me what's with the flower and your notes?" she asked sternly.I inhaled deeply to control my emotions at that very moment. I knew I should despise Miranda, but I couldn't help but feel a strong urge to embrace her and give her a passionate kiss. I resisted the urge, though."Did you like the flowers?" was what came out of my mouth instead of a reply to her
-=Ang's Point of View=-"She's a freaking virgin." That's exactly what crossed my mind when I woke up the next day. When I woke up next to Miranda sound asleep, I felt a soft warmth around me, her contented face leaning against my arm while I enjoyed the soothing sound of her breathing.Honestly, I wouldn't get tired of looking at her face—the face that gave me countless sleepless nights—but I knew I had to think, so with a heavy heart, I carefully lifted her head and laid it on the pillow.I walked to the couch and sat on it, while the thoughts of the truth kept running through my mind."She's a virgin," I thought to myself, or most correctly, was a virgin, since I had already taken her virginity last night, and my eyes automatically moved to the stain on the side of the bed, the evidence of her lost virginity.I wanted to wake her up and ask her the truth, but I didn't have the heart to disturb her slumber, considering how exhausted she must be after our repeated intimacy.After ta
-=Ang's Point of View=-To be honest, I don't even know where to begin because I really don't know much about Miranda's life."And yet you judge her as if you're absolutely sure that she's despicable and the worst person in the world." I feel even more terrible when I think about how I've depicted her from the beginning as if she's the worst person when I haven't even tried to learn who the real Miranda is."You can see that she's a good person, but your blind anger has blinded you because you thought she was only after your brother's money," the other part of my mind says. I still don't understand how she could be a virgin after being married multiple times, and one of my concerns is that Anthony will wake up and discover what I did to his wife. But for the time being, the most important thing is to find Miranda and ask her forgiveness. I'm willing to kneel in front of her simply to be forgiven."You're such a huge idiot!" I say fiercely to myself, tears streaming down both cheeks,
-=Ang's Point of View=-I tried to stop myself from shouting at Ram as he continued writing down the address and the directions to where Miranda was while looking at his phone.Apparently, the orphanage where Miranda grew up is somewhere in Batangas.I decided to move my gaze away from Ram, or else he would probably see my impatient expression, and instead looked at Atilla, who was sitting peacefully, rubbing her already big tummy.I couldn't help but smile at Atilla's glowing face as she softly massaged her belly. Despite her pregnancy, she looked even more stunning."You look great in your pregnancy," I couldn't help but say.She smiled and said, "Thank you. You don't know how challenging it is, but I'm happy and contented that I am carrying Ram's child." I could see the love in her eyes whenever she would look at Ram."You two deserve each other, Atilla. I can see how much you love each other," I said sincerely.I didn't feel any pain while seeing how happy and content Atilla was w