Catching her breath and tears swelling in her eyes, Minah's body was covered with beads of sweat. Fear and agitation were quickly creeping into her heart. It was past midnight and the fire trucks were roaring down the street, breaking their used-to-be quiet neighborhood.
Diana tried to call her on her cell phone earlier but Minah deliberately ignored her. She knew herself too well, talking to Diana right now might just end up starting another argument. It was going to be hard to force herself to speak to her Mother when she was still too upset. Minah would be staying at Lara's apartment unit in the meantime to calm herself down. She would only be coming home when she feels like it's time to come back. No one could make her come home even if Diana begged her to.Lara's unit was also located on the eighth floor of the building where they lived. Lara had been living by herself since her mother, Celestine, got accepted to work in Singapore as a domestic helper. Her mother can only visit the country every two years to spend time with her but only for a short time.Lara was down with a fever when she arrived earlier. She couldn't cook dinner for her so she decided to step out for a moment to grab her some medicine and porridge. Spending the night at Lara's house was unplanned so she needed to drop by the nearest convenience store to get herself some toothpaste and toothbrush. She could stand not taking a bath for two straight days but she could never sleep without brushing her teeth.While Minah was paying for her purchases at the cashier, she remembered to check her phone again and noticed that Diana had been calling almost every minute.She tapped the inbox folder when she saw two unread text messages. She sucked in her breath as soon as she read Diana's first text. Their apartment got caught on fire and Leigh and Diana were trapped inside. What was heartbreaking was that her mom was asking if she was safe.Minah rushed out, leaving all her purchases behind, and the cashier angrily cursed at her thinking she stole something from the shop. But damn, who cares? The bitch could curse her all she wants but she must go to her family and try to save them first. The distance between the convenience store and their apartment will take ten minutes on foot. Unfortunately, since it was already late, she could not find any public transport anymore. Left with no other choice, Minah raced down the empty street as fast as she could.She could not believe that the two firetrucks who sped past the store she was in earlier were actually headed toward their apartment. She could see the thick smoke from afar. She quickly turned to the right which led to a small alley. From there, she could see the fire trucks and a bunch of firemen trying to put out the fire.Minah was running out of breath when finally she arrived at the scene. People were all over the place, blocking her way but she tried to go through them.“Mom… Leigh…” she uttered as she continued to work her way to the crowd, clutching her cell phone in her hand. She tried calling Diana but there was no answer anymore. Her heart was racing, her throat tightening. Why wouldn't they answer now?When Minah finally made her way to the front fear spiraled through her. She froze for a moment, her face was almost color drained. It was as if she was greeted by an inferno. A blanket of black smoke covered the sky. Other parts of the complex were quickly devoured by the flame.Ashes were falling, and the air smelt of burning— whatever burnt chemicals or wires there were. She was standing a few meters away but the intense scorching heat was burning her skin. The smoke was choking her lungs. Even from afar, the severity of the fire could kill her, what more to those people who were trapped inside their homes. The thought of her mom and sister was making her insane.Those who were able to make it out of the apartment were on edge, dragging and carrying the things they were able to scoop up. Others were screaming, and crying for help while watching their homes getting wiped out.Minah could not just stand and watch there, her adrenaline to do something pushed her to go past the hazard warning line. But the fire crew was able to catch her fast, grabbing her shoulders out of the zone. She struggled to break free.“Stay the fuck out of here!” one of the men yelled at her. Her eyes landed on him. She remembered his face. He was the one she saw in the elevator. But this time, he was wearing a helmet and a face shield. She clenched her fist. Then, the worsening flames diverted her attention. The fierce yellow and orange flames filled the air. It was so intense that even the firemen were having a hard time extinguishing the blazing fire.Minah tried to picture something that would give her hope but the fear got the best of her.She needed to see her mother and sister. She needed to be with them.The fire crew got distracted a bit so she took advantage of it. Without a word, she ran off and headed toward the building. She stumbled yet got up and started running again towards the burning apartment. She was determined to enter the building and save her family…or at least die with them…Frustrated, the man who tried to stop her couldn't help but utter profanities. He noticed the thick black smoke sneaking its way to the first story of the complex where Minah was heading towards. He ran faster to catch her.It took only a few seconds when he got her into his arms when the first level of the building exploded. They were tossed on the ground and flipped toward— she had no idea where and how far.She wanted to stay awake but her eyes went blurry. She tried to blink her eyes to stay conscious. She could not see the man's face who saved her life. Too late. They were both knocked unconscious, still in each other's arms.There were too many questions Minah wanted to ask, however, her head was aching so bad. She clutched her head, almost pulling her hair out. She wanted to know what kind of connection she had with Night. Why didn't he try to contact her relatives or close friends and let them know where she was? Friends? No, she didn't have one. But why was this man keeping her? Someone opened up the door but Minah did not bother to look who it was. Mrs. Dolor and Patricia stepped in, the former was holding a tray in hand with a pitcher and an empty glass in it. Mrs. Dolor's eyes were filled with concern as she watched Minah's state. Then, she turned to face her boss. “Dra. Rosauro is on her way now,” she informed him. “Keep an eye on her,” Night told them and turned away. Minah followed him with her gaze as soon as he left the room. She was grimacing in pain but she could not look past the deep ugly scar on his right shoulder. THREE small knocks brought Night back to his senses. He was in his li
“We have our reasons,” said Nathaniel as if he was able to read the question she had in her mind. “And if you are ready, you can get all the information you need in the envelope.” Reasons. Whatever they were, she was dying to know. If they were able to recover Leigh's body, why did they hide it from her adoptive family? More so, what does her sister have to do with them or with Night? Setting aside the newspaper and magazine, Minah picked up the other picture that was flipped over. Her forehead creased when she saw a picture of two unfamiliar men. They were both wearing slacks and long sleeves. She raised her face and glanced at Nathaniel who was looking intently at her. "Who are these people?"“Those pictures were taken two months ago. The man in a white shirt was Vincent Fuego. He's the son of the businessman, Juan Miguel Fuego."Fuego. Vincent Fuego. Minah had a bad feeling about him. So, this was Juan Miguel's son to his legal wife. The woman whom her mother failed to steal he
Three years later “That was great, Vintah!” the gay designer named Dacy Santino cheered in glee. He followed her to the dressing room after waiting for her for hours to come out of the studio. The paid photoshoot wrapped up successfully. Dacy owned the store that was getting more popular since she became the brand ambassador. Vintah was Minah’s stage name. Her agency, Bold & Beautiful suggested it. A few months after her reconstructive plastic surgery three years ago, she jumped right into catwalk training. Minah took off the shawl she used during the photoshoot and placed it right in front of the mirror. Her manager Molia, who was also her personal assistant, reached for it and carefully put it inside the bag where her other belongings were being kept.Minah glanced at her own reflection as she pulled her wig off. The surgery went so damn well that she would never forget how Juan Miguel and Margaux reacted when she called them via video call as Damara. She wanted them to be the fir
Seated inside their service van and arms crossed against her chest, Minah's face was sulky and her stares were intense. She could see Jay-Dee walking out of the building's exit where the photoshoot took place. The bitch was still carrying the flowers in her arms, sniffing them like a fool. Because she was in a hurry catching up with Jay-Dee, Minah had no choice but to pair her mid-thigh length cocktail dress with her three inches red stiletto.She still could not believe that Night was in Bangkok. He did not send a word to her, and she did not even receive a simple heads-up from Nathaniel.Now, here she was, waiting for the bastard to pick up the woman she hated the most. She had been bugging Nathaniel for months, asking about Night's plan for her. It wouldn't be such a biggie if Night wasn't taking hold of her passport. But the bastard took all her belongings which makes it harder for her to leave the country.She did everything she could do including searching every corner of Innif
“Why do you have too many names?” Angel kept throwing her innocent questions as she watched Minah opening the fridge door. “Me, I only have one name. And my name is Angel.” Minah rolled her eyes. As much as she wanted to act all nice, she was already irritated at the kid's constant yapping. Choosing what to cook that could only take a minute to serve added up to her stress. She depended on that chore to Molia since she couldn't eat whatever she wants anyway. She was always on a strict diet to maintain her body. “Have you gone to London? That’s where I was conceived.” Angel continued her story telling.Minah sighed deeply. Whether her mom gave birth to her on planet Nemic or wherever, she gave zero fuck. She had more important matters to think about. Talking with this little kid here for five minutes felt like wasting her entire life.Minah never liked kids. They were irritating and talkative. This particular one was a living legend. No matter how many times she ignored her, Angel j
Minah's eyes were shut as she began to groan. A smell that seemed very familiar to her was tickling her nostrils, waking up her sleepy and lethargic spirit. The mixture of wine and pine was playing with her sense of smell. Or perhaps she was the one who smelt like wine because she had a few drinks last night. But where did that pine smell come from? She rolled over to the side and buried her face in the soft and fragrant pillows. Then her eyes flew open. She quickly sprang out of bed. Her silky soft black hair dropped to her face. She tucked them behind her ear and wandered her eyes around looking disoriented. She was expecting to see a clear blue sky and a peaceful poolside but instead, the one that greeted her was a painting of a knight hung on the wall. And instead of a couch, she was laying on a comfortable and elegant king-sized bed. Minah checked herself, she was snuggling a soft blanket and she was still in her dress. How did she ended
Just when they reached the thirty-eight-story building, Molia pulled over the van right in front of the entryway. Minah picked up her cat-shaped Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses from her purse and wore them. It was exactly seven thirty in the morning. Their meeting with Tempted Wear will start at about eight sharp. The Tempted Wear's vice president together with the creative director and art director that will hold her shoot in the Philippines will be joining in the meeting. Not only will they do the contract signing, but they will also discuss the plausible scenarios of the shoot as well as the exact location and the entire duration of the project. As per Innif, Tempted Wear became one of the largest clothing companies in the Philippines since it opened for business way back in 2016. Tempted Wear was the sister company of DM Textile which was both owned by the most affluent family in the country, the De Marco. The De Marco ranked first in the most powerful clan, followed by the Fuego.
Anger prompted Minah to yank Donald's hand off her as she rose from her seat. The jerk looked up at her, his smile turned to agitation when he saw Minah's eyes filled with fury. He tried to pull his hand back but Minah was fast to twist it, wrestled and knocked and pinned him down on the table. She quickly pressed the button of the retractable ballpoint pen she had been holding the entire time, and with no hesitation, stabbed Donald's palm with its pointed tip. The man's screams echoed in the entire corner of the room, making everyone gasp in great shock. Demi covered her mouth with her hand, while Molia squeezed her eyes shut in terror. Stamping with her feet in outrage, Minah finally let go of Donald's poor hand. Tears began to form in his eyes while veins stuck out from his neck. His eyes went to Minah. “Fuck you! Bitch! Fuck!” he screamed, contemplating whether to extract the pen off of his palm or just leave it pierced