-=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 they've done that before," but I was prepared for that.
With a smile, I continued, "Well, that's not all because that dinner date is on a yacht," observing the excitement light up her eyes. I already had everything set for this scheme.
We started carrying out our plans—though at first, I didn't have one. It was imperative that she not realize how much of what I was doing was a set-up. I was carrying out my strategy in an attempt to win her over. We broke off our talk as Mom appeared out of nowhere.
"What are you guys talking about?" My mom asked with a wide grin on her face, and because of my mom's sudden appearance, we couldn't stop exchanging glances.
"We were just talking about something, but it's not that important. Do you need anything?"
It was Miranda who replied and asked, but Mom said that she was just checking on us and wanted to tell us that our breakfast was already served, and after telling us to follow once we were done with what we were talking about, she finally left.
Miranda and I looked at each other once more and shared a chuckle. It was genuine laughter, I must admit, but I stopped quickly when I saw how close her face was to mine. She noticed me staring at her, and I saw her smile fade as she also noticed our closeness.
Her words caught my attention, and I couldn't help but follow her stare. "Um, I'll just go see Anthony first; just see you in the dining room," she remarked.
The quickening of my heartbeat caused my hand to instinctively lift to my chest, where my heart is, but I forced myself to remember Miranda's moral character and suppress any emotions that were stirring inside of me since this was all wrong—the timing was off, and she was the wrong woman.
The breakfast meal felt a little awkward, and I could feel the tension from Miranda. Once she was done with her meal, she excused herself, saying that she would go to Anthony's room.
I could sense Miranda's anxiety during the somewhat awkward meal. After finishing her food, she left, stating she was going to Anthony's room.
"It was so nice to see that you're getting along with Miranda; she's a nice girl, and she really cares for Anthony," my mom said.
Instead of uttering a word that might ruin my plan, I decided to just nod vaguely.
Just after five minutes, I managed to finish my food and chose to go back to my room, where I went through the plans I had for the evening. I wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong. I needed this for this foolishness I was feeling would end as soon as possible.
I told myself, firmly rejecting the voice telling me that what I was doing was completely wrong and that I would live to regret it, that "the sooner Miranda is out of this family, the better."
I didn't even realize it was noon because I was so preoccupied with my plan. It wasn't until I heard one of our maids knock on the door that I noticed the time.
I went to the dining room, where Mom was waiting with her husband, and Miranda came over shortly after. She appeared to be in trepidation, as I could see her attempting to avoid my eyes.
"Are you okay?" I asked her as she took her seat.
A few moments later, the maids had already served our meal, and when we were already enjoying our food, that was when I decided to tell them about my plan for this evening.
"That sounds great! It's been so long since I've been to the sea," Mom replied with excitement.
When no one was looking, I looked in Miranda's direction, and when she felt my gaze, she forced herself to meet my eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips that made my heart beat erratically.
"This would be over, Ang," I assured myself.
The hours flew by until it was finally getting dark. We quickly got ready for our meal on a yacht that I borrowed from a friend. I also thought about getting a yacht, but I decided it wouldn't be worth it, especially because I wouldn't use it often.
I have the means to buy things I want, but I'm also a practical person. I may be wealthy, but that doesn't mean that I will just go and spend my hard-earned money.
When we got in the yacht and settled in, I signaled Miranda to get ready to leave, but before we could even get out of our seats, the yacht had already started to sail.
"What now?" She motioned with her mouth.
"Let's just enjoy the meal," I said, trying not to look disappointed. Little did she know, though, that I had arranged the entire thing, so we were stuck on the yacht.
At first, she seemed hesitant, but after noticing the distance and where we left off, she realized that my plan was ruined.
"It's fine, but are you alright?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied, and then shifted her gaze to the calm sea.
After a short while, we were informed that dinner would be served in a few minutes and brought to the exquisitely laid table that was decorated with a variety of exotic flowers.
"I'm impressed, Ang. I didn't know you could be romantic," Mom commented.
After a few more minutes, the waiter came back with each of the dishes I had requested in advance.
I asked her, observing that she was silent during her meal, "Are you thinking about Anthony?"
"No, I'm just thinking," she replied shortly.
I said to her, not sure why, "Anthony and I are close. He's actually the source of happiness in this family."
"Anthony is a good person," she said absentmindedly.
"Yes, and I'll do anything for him. But I recall when we were kids, we fought over a girl. She liked him, but I liked her." I laughed.
I couldn't help but think about that high school episode. Unfortunately, I appeared like a completely different person in my fourth year—thin with big glasses. It was therefore not surprising that the girl went for Anthony, who was already quite appealing.
As we consumed the food that had been prepared for us, we proceeded to talk about an array of matters. My hired musician and the server reappeared as we were finishing our dinner and enjoying champagne.
When the song started to play, I stood up and approached Miranda, gazing deeply into her beautiful eyes. I could tell that she was trying her best not to avert her gaze.
"May I have this dance, please?" I asked genuinely, extending out my hand to her and waiting for her to accept my request.
"I don't think..." but before she could finish, I cut her off.
"Don't think, Miranda, just go with the flow," I murmured with a smile, and she cautiously reached out to take my waiting hand.
I could feel her hands quivering as she placed them on my shoulders and mine on her waist. Our bodies were close together, and I could smell her feminine fragrance. I felt a tug on my heart again in this position.
The violinist performed Jim Brickman's "The Love I Found in You" song, and we remained caught in each other's gaze, reading many emotions in Miranda's eyes.
That particular moment was incredibly wonderful. I didn't know if I was still acting or if I was simply showing what I was feeling for her.
-=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
-=Ang's Point of View=-I felt like I lost the capability to speak after hearing Anthony's question; I couldn't stop myself from glancing back at Andres, who also appeared to be uneasy.I tried to think of a way to tell him about what happened while he was still in a coma, how I managed to seduce his wife into having sex with me in order to prove that Miranda was an awful woman, only to discover the truth when I realized she was a virgin, and how I could possibly explain to him how his righteous brother ended up falling in love with his wife.He was waiting for me to speak, and as the minute ticked by, I knew I couldn't keep telling him the truth, but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, the door swung open, revealing a still disheveled mom, who I could tell was crying outside; she probably didn't want Anthony to witness her breakdown."I've already called your doctor, and he's on his way here," Mom replied, smiling as she looked at Anthony. I sighed with relief since, somehow, the
-=Ang's Point of View=-I rushed out of the house with my heart hammering from the adrenaline I felt since, for the first time, I was free to love Miranda without guilt, which may haunt me because Miranda is my brother's wife, only to find out that their wedding wasn't real.To be honest, what I discovered about Anthony continues to surprise me. I assumed I knew my brother well, but I was mistaken. Despite the fact that I now know he's gay, my feelings for him remain unchanged. I hope our mom and his dad will also accept him. He kept his actual self buried for so long, and I understand how difficult it must have been for him. But if they don't accept him, I'll figure out how to get them to accept my brother.My mind was so preoccupied with many thoughts that I lost attention while driving."Damn!" I said as I slammed on the brakes of my car.Someone unexpectedly crossed the road; fortunately, I was quick enough to stop in time.I looked in my car's mirror and saw a child, and after en