"Dude, what happened?" One of his close friends approached and asked him. "Did you get their approval? Can we certainly use the villa?" Clark heaved an abrupt sigh, making it even more readable to everyone that he failed us, and that he was only good with words. "Guys, I think we need to have a plan B. I tried, even sought help from Dad, but it didn't work. So I guess we have to look for a new place. Do you have one in mind? I'm open to suggestions." "How about we just have a night out? Have some beer and karaoke?" One suggested right away, trying to lift everyone's mood. Everyone's expression lowered as far as I was concerned. Their overwhelming excitement five seconds ago turned into disappointment and regret. I can see that Clark was embarrassed as well. Well, he fucking deserved that for taking advantage of his Dad's connection. But I could not help but wonder though. If Mr. Cedrick and Dad could have known each other for a very long time, then why was he rejec
"Don't worry about me, dude, I already had a plan on how to make sure no information about me getting exposed," I replied. "And call me 'Young Master' again, or I'm gonna kick you out of this place myself." I looked out of the sliding glass window to make sure no one heard us. "Fine... Fine... Fine. I'm not gonna say it again." John Dave laughed wickedly. "But you did a great job defending the old woman earlier, dude. By the way, does she know about this? About you?" Then he jumped onto the bed and swam his arms and legs like an eight-year-old kid. After putting on a new shirt, I set my luggage bag beneath the bunk bed. "I guess so. Mom and I discussed this two-day vacation in the villa. This is how we got the approval to use the entire place, not because of some boastful kid who only knew how to degrade someone weak." John Dave scoffed. "And he will keep on boasting it once yours and his family get knotted by marriage. That bastard's head would probably grow bigger,
John Dave debated, this time, he was afraid that something bad might happen to me while walking alone on the seashore. He insisted on coming with me. However, his ridiculous claim didn't work. We separated ways. He went to our classmates while I walked on foot on the seashore and grabbed some fresh air. Nothing beats walking on the seashore with a can of cold beer in my hands. Truth be told, this one we have in the villa was a man-made beach, but it looks the same as the ones we imagined. Granules of white sands. Sea water. It also had access to cold air that helped me clear my mind. In the middle of walking alone, the phone in my pocket suddenly rang, breaking the deafening silence of the night. The call came from Jennie, so I answered it. "It's already a quarter before ten, Ms. Pineda. Are you still working right now?" I couldn't think of any reason she reached out to me in the middle of the night unless it was work-related. Or at least something came up in our offi
Everyone around me bent half of their bodies toward Celestine and Sebastian before they evacuated their spots at the speed of light, leaving me alone, filled with uncertainties and discomfort. I stepped back when Celestine attempted to step forward, believing she would slap me in the face in front of Sebastian. "So Sebastian was right then? You do still have feelings for me." Celestine continued. "That's a one-sided kind of love, Zachary. No matter how you express your love for me, the doors and windows of my heart were already closed as someone already occupied them. I'm afraid that person is not you." Sebastian shrugged her off, his smile was from ear to ear while looking at me, and he was enjoying the show. "What else could I say, babe?" Sebastian replied on my behalf. "You were his first love as far as I can remember. He even told me that he was going to die if he lost you." I lowered my eyes to the floor. A part of me wanted to run as fast and as far away from Ce
John Dave was about to say something, trying to defend me from them, but I stopped him before everything could go out of hand. We joined the rest of our friends in the restaurant, not because we wanted to pick a fight, but because the worms in my stomach were hungrily complaining. And I had had enough of Celestine and Sebastian's sarcasm last night. Knowing that they hadn't reached the city was already enough for me to move on. Getting away from this place as soon as possible was now my priority. So I waved at the nearest female server. Suspiciously, the server bowed before me and asked, "Good morning, sir. It's an honor to finally meet you. Can I have your orders now?" John Dave and I exchanged bothered glances as we could not believe the server appeared to have recognized me. I gradually looked at the rest of the crew of the restaurant, one by one. They all looked at me with a smile on their faces. "Does this mean they knew who I am?" I whispered to John Dave.
But everyone knows Clark inside out even if I knew a few were just pretending they don't to make sure they could be part of his high-class life. He will not let a mere restaurant manager insult him in front of his friends. I need to do something. "Are you done?" I asked John Dave, but my eyes were fixed on the manager who went back to the cashier. "Just ignore them if you have no plan on telling them the truth, dude." He replied, ignoring my question and without looking at me. "I'm already considering that idea if Clark would do something beyond our imagination, dude. Let's wait and see what he'll do next." Five seconds later, the manager went back to the table. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Cedrick, we have tried swiping your card a few times, but the result remains the same. Perhaps we can try another card, or you can pay in cash." "You're kidding me right now, aren't you?" Clark insisted. "Who on earth would bring three million dollars in cash these days, huh? That's
"They're my enemies, Mom. Not even close to friends," I confessed and stopped mimicking Noah's tiny waves of laughter. "That party was made to get back at me. To make fun of me. They achieve it. But I achieved more from it. It's a win-win." "I'm so sorry about what happened to you in the past, honey. I couldn't imagine what you have experienced at the hands of your in-laws. And during your college days." Mom said, her eyes started swelling. "Don't worry about me, Mom," I reassured her as I rested Noah on my chest. "I was bullied, humiliated, mocked, and insulted. Whatever you call it for the past eight years. But looked at me now. I'm a little stronger." "And I couldn't be more proud of you, Zach. Mom and Dad raised you more than as a parent." Mom replied. "Speaking of them, how are they? Are they still living in that small house?" I can see in Mom's eyes she also longed to see her parents. Since he got married to Dad, she was forbidden to talk and see them, not e
I quickly rose from my seat and announced my side of the agenda before Mrs. Lincoln could finish her sentence when I already knew what she was about to say - to announce about Noah. "Thank you for rejecting my dismissal but I cannot accept it. Even for the short time, I have been part of this corporation, I learned a lot of things. Unfortunately, my decision was already irrevocable." Most of them, especially those who voted for the rejection, looked me in the eye, their faces filled with dismay and confusion. As much as it pains them, I have to protect what's mine. I have to protect Noah so I gave Mrs. Lincoln what he certainly wanted - to get rid of me. "Also, I would like to clarify that Ms. Jennie Pineda had nothing to do with the investment withdrawal. I've heard that someone approached and asked her to let the investment stay in the company. I decided to withdraw my ten billion dollars because the money was mine to begin with." Celestine and Sebastian's mou
"At the count of five, you'd better leave the mansion if you dont want to see me in my beast mode!" Dad added before he slammed the surface of the table, which resulted in some of the plates and glasses nearby falling and breaking into pieces after dropping to the tiled floor. Before he could start the counting, everyone, including Mom and my cousins, evacuated the room in the blink of an eye. Their worries and fears have left marks in the air. I was about to follow them outside when Dad growled at me to stay on my spot. Dad was known for being calm and profound. Every time he gets mad about something, he prefers to address the situation in silence instead of threatening or yelling at us. Today was probably the first time that he let everyone see his wrath. "Bring that woman in an instant, Zachary!" Dad growled. "If you don't want me to kill that woman, you better bring that woman in front of me. Don't you dare trick me this time? I'm giving you ten minutes!" The ten-minute alloca
"Well, I mean..." he added, his voice calm but sharp. However, this time, his curious eyes were fixed on us in the backseat since the car had already stopped moving in the middle of the road. "Rumors in the office have it that the two of you were dating. Everything I heard was just rumors, wasn't it?" Jennie and I exchanged glances, both waiting for someone to speak up and tell the truth or lie to Mr. Randolph. "What you heard was not just rumors, Mr. Randolph. Jennie and I..." I paused for a few seconds to muster the courage to speak up. "We're married already. And we haven't told anyone about it apart from you." Mr. Randolph lowered his eyes to my hand as I reached Jennie's and rested them on my chest, showing off to him our wedding rings on our fingers. He will know about it eventually, so there's no point in hiding it. "God damn it, Zachary! What were you thinking, huh? Do you think marrying someone will solve something here?" Mr. Randolph yelled at us for the fi
The two followed and kept their distance behind me, similar to lost puppies. But I know their sharp eyes were fixed on me as if they were going to stab me with a knife. "Didn't she tell you she's going to cook dinner for all of us? Julian and Jelian will be joining, too. We hope you dont mind." Divina asked. "Not unless you two already told them about my identity, didn't you? I hope that won't be the case." I said sharply. "Because that would only fuel the rage and hatred I had for this disgusting family." "O-of co-course not, Young Master!" Roger obviously stuttered. "We may be the worst in-laws, but we already learned our lesson. Rest assured that your secret is safe with us, right, honey?" Divina nodded her head without asking further questions, making me feel at ease. As soon as we reached the kitchen, I was taken aback when someone I barely expected was helping Celestine. "Zachary, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your class right now?
And undeniably, a part of me wanted her to stay as long as she wanted. I'm not stopping her. Needless to say, I missed her so badly even if none of us could turn back time. I wanted to hug her in my arms tightly until she felt suffocated and play my lips with her just like the old days. But I was controlling every fiber of my muscle that wanted to do all that. A lot of things changed between us. I have already vowed to spend the rest of my life with Jennie, making her the happiest woman in the world. Above all that, we promised to be the best version of being parents for our son. "I dont know what the hell is going on inside your head, Celestine, but I believe your parents could have told you that we are no longer a couple, aren't they?" I replied sharply while pretending to be busy at my desk to avoid making eye-to-eye contact with her. She nodded. "Indeed, Mom and Dad told me that we were no longer a couple before I lost my memories. They were the ones who told me y
"That's enough, gentlemen!" Mom spoke up. "Someone died and yet you are blaming each other. Aren't we supposed to blame the one who killed them and find justice? Let go of him!" "We're so sorry, Mrs. Fisher." one of Dad's bodyguards replied, his voice barely audible. Without asking further questions, they let go of their clasp from me and strode to the corner. "Zachary, we are here to pay respect to Mom and Dad." Mom uttered, her eyes swelling up. "Your dad even canceled his appointments just to visit them." Right. Mom loves Grams and Gramps as far as I can remember. She was once a devoted daughter to them before she married Dad. She barely spoke every time Dad was taking over the floor. But her life turned into a living hell since they got me. There was this one night when she attempted to run away from the mansion - away from Dad, but she failed drastically. She was locked up for a few months in the dungeon similar to a prisoner. That's how wicked Dad really wa
Our uncertain journey began when Jennie and I nervously sat on the couch in front of Dad's desk while waiting for him to get back from his meeting. "There's still time for a change of heart, Mr. Fisher." Jennie broke the deafening silence and towering wall that divided us. "I'll be giving you ten seconds to evacuate the room before the chairman arrives. And before you would regret it for the rest of your life." Regret. Did she think I might regret something for the rest of my life if I tied the knot with her? Perhaps she already noticed or heard the sound of my racing heartbeats. "One." she began counting. "Two." I joined her counting inside my brain. "Three." "Four." "Five." Reaching this far, my heart skipped a beat for a few seconds, attempting to consider her proposal. I still have five more to be able to run away. If and only Noah could talk and understand the situation his confused father is going through, I could have called him and sought his
None of them even considered the fact that the statement was also applicable to me. "Someone like me, that's completely ridiculous!" I could not help but scoff inwardly in disbelief. Well. What else could I say? All my cousins were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Lucas managed to achieve his dream at a young age. He became the CEO of his own company, and his parents could be proud of his achievement. His achievements also helped his sister, Layne, to achieve her dreams. She got all kinds of support from her brother and parents, either love, financial, or even connections. My other cousins, Mark and Chris, have grown well as well. Their parents supported all their dreams. None of them experienced being in my shoes. To get humiliated, mocked, degraded, and kicked out of the family. It's easier for them to say "Someone like her" because they know nothing about Jennie. I was about to defend Jennie when one of the housemaids of the mansion approached me and whispe
I slightly crouched closer to her with the hope of having a better look at her face but to my surprise, she cracked her eyes open. Startled, with no way of escape, I closed my eyes and kissed her on the lips. "What are you doing?" she whispered to make sure Noah would not wake up. "Go-good night kiss?" I defensively uttered right after I removed my face from her face. Then I cleared my throat to avoid the stuttering of my voice when I was about to add, "Good night, Jennie. Thanks for keeping an eye on my son. You can now get back to your room." Gladly, Jennie didn't ask for further questions about the kiss even if I knew she had all the right to confront me. What I did could have startled her too. She could have bombarded me with questions but she chose to shut her mouth and evacuated the room. I guess we're even now. She kissed me before, so I was simply returning the favor. The next day, I woke up alone on the bed. Worries and fears sent shivers down my spine when
Startled, Jennie hurried to my spot and helped me up. "Zach, are you alright?" she asked before she yelled at her brother, "Julian, do you have any idea what you just do, huh? Are you out of your mind?" "Come on, sister Jennie. That bastard deserved to get beaten, not just a single punch." Jelian hissed back. "Do you even have the slightest idea what that moron did to our family? You should stay away from that monster before your life gets ruined as well." "You should leave this place in an instant, Zachary," Julian ordered. "You, of all people, should know better that most, if not all of us, hated and disagreed about you being part of the outing." "As much as it pains you, Julian, but you can't just shoo Zachary out of this place." Jennie defended me, her voice sharp and sounded scary for the first time. "To begin with, he was not here to join your class outing. We also had our company outing in the same place and time as yours. In fact, we are in the middle of playin