CORBINMr. Guerrero looked bored, but JL continued telling his story. "If you had nothing to do with her death, why was she outside that night and came from your house?""I already got home and getting ready for bed when she called me and said she left her purse. That was about an hour after dropping her off. So I went to check in the car and her wallet was there. I told her I would drop it off tomorrow as I was tired, but Collette insisted that she would get it in my place instead. She said it would be a hassle for me and she also wanted to return my handkerchief. She said she already washed and dried it. When she came to the lobby that night, I gave her the purse, but someone called her and she forgot to return my handkerchief. I didn't really care much for it so I didn't remember it either. That was the last time I saw her. I swear on my wife's life, I did not touch Collette. Your daughter is a wonderful woman, Mr. Guerrero and I respected her. Please, let's not fight tonight and
SEVEN YEARS LATER | NEW YORKThe years went by quickly and now JL and I have four children. Lawrence is our oldest and now six years old. He was followed by Genevieve, Georgina, and Gaia. Yes, I was pregnant every year. So we have a six, five, four, and three-year-old in the house. You would think that because we have a lot of money, we would have one nanny for all the kids. Nope. I like being hands-on as a mother. When I don't have work at the office, I take care of them all myself. Mornings are a bit of a challenge, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. The sound of their laughter is like music to my ears, and when they bicker, it's like I want to send myself to a mental hospital and join Kim there.Kidding aside, being a wife and a mother of four kids is not an easy job. I still have to run Core and make it bigger. When the kids were still small, I took them to the office with me. Now that the first three are in school, only Gaia stays with me in the office, along with her na
PHILIPPINES | ONE MONTH LATERI am currently in a meeting when I started feeling a pang of stomach acidity. I had a bagel with cream cheese and black coffee this morning. I tried to ignore it, but it kept coming back and reached my throat. It feels like heartburn even though I don't have that condition. As a result, I developed a headache and started sweating coldly."Excuse me, everyone. I'm just going to the washroom," I said to them.When I reached the bathroom, I tried to vomit but nothing came out. I wonder what I ate that caused this stomach discomfort. Last night, we had chopsuey and grilled pork chops for dinner. I can't think of anything bad that I ate.I better visit the doctor. I have a driver, so I don't need to take a taxi. I'll just bring Gaia and her nanny to the clinic. I'm not sure about picking up the kids because I might take longer at the doctor's office. I called my husband.After a few rings, he picked up."Hon, is everything okay?" he asked."I don't feel well s
GIAAt the age of twenty-three, I still haven't had a boyfriend. Aside from not being interested in it, who would even like someone like me? As my friend Cleo once said, I look older than our housemaid, Manang Lucinda. Just like now, Cleo is here in the house and we're having a sleepover."Gia, seriously! You scared me to death. You're scarier than a ghost with that outfit. Where did you even buy that? It looks like something Miss Minchin would wear to sleep! It's a closed neck, really? Yes, I know your house and your room have air conditioning, but you could at least wear a pair of pajamas," she said, rolling her eyes. I laughed. Cleo Sta. Catalina's family isn't rich. She was my classmate in high school and even in university because of a scholarship. Her father is a clerk at the municipal office and her mother has a small variety store. She has an older brother named Corbin, who's two years older than us.She's kind to me and always gives me various foods. I jokingly tell her that
We didn't exchange a word from my office to the elevator. He didn't even open the door for me when he parked his car in front of the restaurant. I wanted to be annoyed because even though I wasn't wearing a sexy outfit, I am still a woman and deserve to have the door opened for me and be assisted while getting in. I saw stolen shots of him with various women in a magazine before. He always escorted them to the passenger seat and I could only assume that he opened the door for them like a true gentleman would.I struggled with the seatbelt as I sat down. But unfortunately, even that was stuck and couldn't be pulled! It kept clicking and until now, it refuses to cooperate — just like his attitude, irritating! I could feel his gaze on me along with his impatient breathing."Let me do it," he said irritably, furrowing his brows as he looked at me.He was so close that I could smell his aftershave and body wash. Even his cologne had a pleasant scent and wasn't overwhelming. Unlike other me
It has been two weeks since that dinner from hell. I also changed my cellphone number the next day. It wasn't difficult because only a few people knew my number. The siblings of Sta. Catalina, Attorney, Tito Alfonso, and... no one else. I haven't spoken to him since that dinner except for informing him that I changed my number.If it's business, I have a different cellphone for that. Besides, my employees know they can only call me until five o'clock, and unless the building is collapsing or there's a fire, they shouldn't disturb my rest. I don't even watch the news anymore. Often, JL's face appears on the E-news with his flavor of the day. Not flavor of the month because he changes his companion before a month is over.It's Saturday and Cleo and I are together today. We stopped by for coffee and she winced at what I was wearing. It's like she's extremely bothered by my outfit."Aren't you sweating in your long sleeves that are buttoned up to your neck? It feels like I'm suffocating j
GIAI just had a drink but I'm not drunk. It's him that's making me feel intoxicated. He's too close and I can't breathe. What was JL thinking and why is he in such a hurry? It was already fine. I'm not even hoping anymore to marry him. I'm willing to help his father. The problem is, I don't have that kind of money in the bank. All my money is in investments and if I have any, it might just be around a hundred thousand. "You're kidding, right?" I turned my back on him and made my way over to the couch. I felt dizzy with what he said about us having a baby. If only staring at each other could make someone pregnant, then let's do it right away."I'm—" I didn't let him finish his sentence, he was probably caught off guard earlier. Besides, I don't want to hear any more insults from him. He might say that he was just joking and I was falling for it. It's hard to hope."Let me call my lawyer so we can get Tito Alfonso out. What time do we need the bail?" I asked him."Before five, but I'm
WEDDING NIGHT. Well, it's not really like that. We haven't had a proper conversation with JL yet and our marriage happened hastily. It was a marriage for convenience which turned out to be a double convenience because he also needed help. When Tito Alfonso was arrested, I found out from JL that aside from freezing their bank accounts, all of their family's assets were also frozen. The only reason why JL has kept the condo is because it is under his name. Meanwhile, his mother went back to the ancestral house inherited from her parents. When I asked JL who his mother was with, he told me that the two caretakers were there. That's where we're headed right now to drop off Dad. Dad was quiet throughout the journey and lost in deep thought. JL drove us, and we were both in the front. The drive was approximately forty-five minutes south. We were heading to Batangas, and the house was quite far from the city. "Gia, can you text Mom and see if there's food in the house. If not, we can just