A month after our meeting with LHI, Luna gave me the good news.
We got the project!
I can't believe we got this project! Many companies applied for this project, and I can’t think that among all the companies, we got chosen!
I can’t stop myself from thinking about the things that Ulie said to me while we were eating in the Korean-Japanese restaurant a few weeks ago.
I grabbed my phone and started to call him. I need to ask him for my peace of mind.
"Have you heard of the good news?" He said upon picking up my call.
I want to stay positive as possible. I keep on battling with myself that we won this project fair and square. Even if Ulie and I didn't happen, I'm still sure that we will get this project, that's how good my company is. But Ulie's tone on the phone right now made me question if there is no bias in their decision.
"Yes. But I want to ask something." It was evident from my voice that I’m suspicious of him.
"Let me guess? You would ask me if I declined the two companies I was supposed to meet." He said.
I nodded though I know that he can’t see me doing it.
"Yes." I honestly said.
I heard him chuckle. "Didn't I tell you that I would not do that because you want me to be fair?"
"Yes, I did. So you are saying that you were able to meet the remaining two companies?" I asked to confirm.
"Yes, I did. And even if you ask Jace, no favoritism happened. It's LHI's first resort here in the Philippines. We need to take this project seriously, so there's no room for favoritism. Also, I asked you guys to send a draft design for LHI resorts.” He explained in a serious tone.
His answer gave me tremendous relief, and now I can continue with my excitement and gratefulness because of this great news.
I finally got one of my dreams! The LHI project. I can now imagine what will happen next to CIC. All the opportunities that we will be getting once we finished the project. We will finally have a solid portfolio to conquer the international project!
Our company’s vision is to dominate not just here in the Philippines but all over the world. It lives by its name, Cabello International Corporation.
"Okay, thanks. I want to clear my conscience before we celebrate." I said, feeling a bit ashamed.
"I understand. It was my fault for you to question me because I was the one who gave you the idea. But rest assured that you got this project because you are the best among all the companies that presented." He said in a gentle and genuine voice.
His words touched me.
Twins, I think your dad was not bad after all.
"Thank you for the compliment, and thank you for choosing CIC. We will not let you regret your decision." I said to end the call.
After the call, I asked Luna to call the teams that will be handling the LHI project. As much as I want to be hands-on on this project, I can't.
Right now, my baby bumps are pretty visible. If I join the meeting LHI, I am very sure that Ulie will take notice of my baby bumps, and he will find out the truth. This time I know that I will not convince him that I am not pregnant with his child.
Even if I think that he was a good guy, my decision will never change. I want my twins only for myself, and I will raise them alone. I will not ask him to take responsibility because I can do it by myself.
I know I'm selfish, but I want to make our lives less complicated.
With the kind of lifestyle that Ulie has, I know that he was not ready to be a father yet. And I don't want to oblige him to take responsibility because I planned this baby.
I first informed them that I would not join them in their upcoming meetings with LHI. I already assigned someone to lead this project, but I will still be with them. They will serve as CIC’s face, and I work internally.
After a few weeks, I can see the curiosity in the eyes of my employee every time they saw me.
I'm 14 weeks pregnant now. My baby bumps were now visible. I never plan to explain to them my situation because my pregnancy has nothing to do with the company.
When I went inside my office, Luna went to me, and she looks distraught.
My forehead creased.
“Luna, is there a problem?” I asked her.
“Yes! We have a huge problem!! Your pregnancy already leaks in the media!” She said worriedly.
My eyes widen! Oh no! It can’t be!
Luna gave me her iPad to show me the articles that reveal my pregnancy.
I clenched my fist. “Do you have any idea about the source of that columnist?”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t have any idea who did this, but there is a strong possibility that their source was one of our employees.”
I heaved a heavy sigh.
I knew that I couldn’t hide my pregnancy forever and people will find out, but I did not expect that it will reveal this soon. Why does it have to be now? We are working on a big project currently!
My eyes widened when I thought of LHI. Oh, shoot!
I am very sure that they already heard the news. I knew that Ulie already found out that I was pregnant and he was the father.
And speaking of Ulie...
My phone rang, and Ulie is calling.
I swallowed hard. It made me feel nervous.
“Are you answering the phone or not?” Luna asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
"Do you think he has an idea?"
I nodded. "Ulie is always teasing me. We coincidentally often met whenever I went out. He took notice of my mood swings, cravings, and my body changes.”
“If that’s the case, you have no other choice but to answer his call and tell him the truth.”
She has a point. I don’t have a choice now.
I felt so weak when I answered his call.
"H-hello?" I said, stammering.
"Let's talk."
I gave Ulie my penthouse address. This is the safest place to talk. I need to be careful, especially now that my pregnancy is the hottest issue now. The media are eager to get some scoop.If the media found out about my meeting with Ulie, they will surely assume that he is the father of my child. Though it's true, I want to keep it a secret for as long as I could.Everything is a mess. I was planning to go to the US, but because of the LHI project, that plan of mine slipped my mind.My initial plan was to stay in the US until I gave birth to my twins so that it will not be an issue.When I’m done giving birth, I will go back to the Philippines and let the media assume that my twins are adopted, though I won’t confirm or deny their assumption. I will just let them be. My plan was perfect, but I wasn’t able to execute it because of the LHI project.Now I'm starting to regret why did I choose Ulie. Now things got more complicated. I should have just picked another guy instead of him. But
Ulie’s parents will be here in the Philippines next month. He decided to introduce me and to tell our situation to them.The idea of meeting his parents makes me anxious.I don’t have any idea about Ulie’s fiance. I don't even know her name but I'm sure that whoever the girl is, she will surely come from affluent family. I may be considered a rich person but compared to Ulie’s wealth, I am nothing. I am not sure if his parents will accept me or not though I know it doesn't matter because it was not on my plan to marry Ulie. I don't know why meeting them makes me so nervous, I should be cool about it. But maybe the reason of my nervousness is because I was the reason why Ulie can't marry the girl that they chose for him. Two weeks passed after Ulie found out about my pregnancy.I must commend him because I never expected that he would support me with my pregnancy.Ulie is visiting me in my penthouse to bring all my food cravings almost everyday. No matter how late I call him to buy m
Ulie asked me to come with him to the airport to fetch his parents. Today is the scheduled arrival of his parents.I was hesitant because I want them to settle down first before we started to reveal to them about the twins, but Ulie keeps on insisting that I should go with him. I had no choice but to oblige. I chose to wear a straight-cut long sleeve dress with a busy pattern to camouflage my nearly six-month bump. I partnered it with black Balenciaga slingback ballerinas flat shoes.I wanted to hide my pregnancy first from his parents. I don't want to shock them the moment they saw me having a baby bump with Ulie.We've arrived at the airport. I told them I gave him a mask since my pregnancy was still hot news to the media.He shook his head, but he still follows what I want. He knew that I couldn't be stressed.Moments later, I saw Ulie waving at a couple. It looks like those were his parents. Now I knew why this guy beside me looks this hot. His parents' looks were exemplary.His
I don't think it's right to eavesdrop on their conversation. I decided to go back to Jace’s table. “What happened, Ms. Cabello? Why did you come back here?” Jace asked.“Ulie has a visitor, and I don't think it's right I disturb them. Also, you guys are supposed to come with me to this meeting, right?” I said instead.It's true, though. They suppose to come with me to the meeting. But these two are here busy talking with each other.I saw them blushed. I lift my right brow. Something is fishy between this two.I just shook my head. It's not my concern anymore if there's going on between them. They are both single. “Sorry, Ms. Cabello. It slips my mind that Mr. Hearst is in his office now. I will inform Mr. Escarrer that you are already here for the meeting.” Jace said instead.“No, it's okay. We can wait; we are not in a hurry. Also, who is Mr. Hearst?” I asked curiously. “Mr. Hearst is our exclusive partner. All our branches here in Asia we're exclusively tie-up with Hearst Res
Time passes very quickly. I'm in the last month of my pregnancy. I might see my twins anytime soon.Luna and Kaela (Ulie’s sister) organize a baby shower for me. I wanted to say no because I don’t want the media to find out about the father of my babies. Though my pregnancy got exposed, we were able to hide from the media that Ulie is the father of my twins. But they won’t budge. So I had no choice but to let them do whatever plan they have for the baby shower. I know that we can’t hide the twins’ father forever, but as much as possible, I want to have a safe delivery first before I face the potential crisis that I need to deal with.I formally met Ulie’s sister, Kaela Ulyssa Escarrer, a week after I met their parents. Ulie and Kaela were the ones in charge of their hotels in Asia. She had a meeting in Dubai last week, so she was not there when Ulie formally introduces me to their parents. When she arrived in the Philippines and heard the news about Ulie and me, she asks his parents
Ulie’s parents wanted us to live in Escarrer’s mansion, but I decline.I already prepared everything for my twin's arrival in my penthouse. I renovated one of the rooms in my penthouse three months ago and made it the twin’s nursery room.I love plain, simple, and minimalist design. I made a neutral shared nursery room with white furniture, open shelving, a crystal chandelier, and pink and blue linens and toys.I showed it to Ulie when he started to stay in my penthouse. He likes it, and we both decided to take care of the twins here in my penthouse. Ulie requested to let him stay here in my penthouse for the first three months of the twins. He wanted to help me to take care of the twins. He wanted to stay for a year, but I told him that three months is enough. Honestly, I can’t help myself but question his sincerity towards the twins. I can’t forget the conversation I heard from Nick and him.From what I heard, it only shows that Ulie is responsible not because he was sincere with
“Is it true that Mr. Kade Ulysses Escarrer is the father of your child?”I felt Ellie stiffen. She didn't see that coming, same with me. I don't know where did they get that information. We were always careful. We made sure that all people involved in Ellie’s pregnancy until she gave birth is a secret. She was always in the VIP section, and all the premises in the hospital were exclusively for her during her delivery and even during checkups. We know that we can’t keep it a secret forever. But we want to announce it ourselves. We even plan to do a party to tell the twins. I held Ellie’s hand and squeezed it to calm her.“I think you were all brief that all questions would only be about the LHI Resorts. Were you not informed?” I answered the press in a cold voice.“Is it true that the reason why Ms. Cabello got the project is that she seduced you and get herself pregnant?” The press asked instead. “What did you say?” Ellie said. From the tone of her voice, I’m sure that she was an
“Where are my phone and laptop?” Ellie bombarded me as soon as I enter the nursery room.“Ellie, it's best if you will focus your time with our children,” I said.She glared at me.“I’m not stupid, Ulie. I know why did you hide my phone and laptop. I am not weak as you think.” She said in a cold voice.I knew she would be angry at me. I don't want her to be hurt.“I know, but let me handle this,” I said, full of concern.“I don’t need you to fight my battles. I have been doing this alone, and I handled it perfectly well.” “But I want to. Just let me deal with them, please, Ellie.” I know she's strong and independent because she has no choice. Her parents died when she just graduated from college. She needs to take over the company at the age of 21. It's not easy for a 21-year-old girl to take that enormous responsibility. She was alone then, but not anymore. I am here for her to fight with her battles. “Ulie, let us make this clear. You are only allowed to make decisions for the k
I thought that life is so unfair. I even hated God for letting all of this happen. I only loved one woman in my life, but why did God allow me to be the reason for her sufferings? I hated God so much that I tried to kill myself. I feel like, my mere existence is the cause of the suffering of many people. The suffering of the people I love. They said when you don’t understand, you just need to trust God. I failed to do this. I failed to trust Him. One thing God has proved to me was, that He is still in control. He did not let me die, instead, He gave me what I longed desire, and that is Ellie. I can’t believe that she asked me to marry her. It felt like a dream. I can’t believe that I am here on the altar waiting for her to walk down the aisle. Today is our wedding day. Our family and friends were delighted when they found out that Ellie and I will get married. The twins cried with happiness. They have been praying for this to happen, day and night. I can’t stop my tears from f
“Ellie, my brother committed suicide.”“W-what?!” Kaela didn’t say anything. She just kept on crying. My heart was beating so fast. “Kaela please tell me you are kidding. Ulie did what?” I said a bit shaking. But again Kaela did not answer and just kept on crying. My children started to ask me what happened because my tears are flowing again.I took a deep breath. I need to gather myself together because my children are with me. I can’t tell them about what happened. I shake my head and smiled at them. “Nothing. Your Aunt Kaela just wanted me to see your dad.”They just nodded but I know that they are not convinced by my answer. We went straight to the hospital. I called Luna and asked her to go to the hospital because I needed her to take care of my children.When we reached the hospital Luna was already there. “I heard what happen. How is he?” She said upon seeing me. “I don’t know yet. I need to talk to Kaela first. Can you get the kids and take care of them?” I asked. Luna
I was so devastated after my daughter pushed me away. I talked to my son and asked him to stay with her sister tonight. I know that Amelia needed her brother right now. Even though Amelia bullies her twin brother most of the time, Alistair is still her confidant. I am planning to go to my parent’s mausoleum tonight. I needed to see them with all the things happening now. This is what I always do whenever I feel down and lonely. Just being with my parents comforts me, especially when I start praying to God with them. It is just like when they are still alive, we pray and worship God together. It’s a good thing that I made this mausoleum exactly like our home, especially in times like this. I can stay here for as long as I want. When I went inside and saw my parent's grave, tears start to fall again. Losing them only seems like yesterday. “Mom,” My voice broke. “My daughter hates me. She doesn’t want to listen to my explanation. She thought that I will take them away from their fa
“What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I’m not fine. My daughter hates me now. It’s all your fault.”Ellie hates me and I can’t blame her. It was my mistake who took away the lives of the people close to her... Ellie’s only family.Because of me, Ellie became an orphan. She needs to take on difficulties and responsibilities at an early age. I am proud of how strong she became but I am also mad at myself because she could have avoided this kind of loneliness and hardship if it wasn’t for me. I keep on questioning myself why did I do that?! Why did I try to beat the red light?! I should have waited! I was able to wait for her for five years, but why can’t I wait for a minute or two? If I stop and wait for the green signal then her parents will be able to attend their only daughter’s graduation and still be alive until now.I wish I could turn back the time but I know I can’t. All I can do right now is to support Ellie and help her as much as I could. I will no longer dream
“What’s there to explain about? We heard about your plan with her loud and clear! You are so selfish, mom! I hate you!” Amelia shouted then she went out of my office.I glared at Hadley. She covers her mouth. “Oppps, I’m sorry! But don't worry everything will be alright after I execute my plan. Bye!” Then she went out of my office as if she won a lottery. I felt so weak. My daughter hates me more now. But what is she doing here? I was about to go to Luna and ask her why Amelia was in my office when I saw Alistair looking at me. I went to him and hold his hand. “Alistair I will explain.” Alistair nodded which gave me a huge relief. “Before that, we need to find your sister,” I told him then we both went out and look for Amelia. One of my employees told us that they saw Amelia going down the elevator. When we reach the lobby, one of the guards told us that Amelia already left. Just a second after the guard informed me about Amelia, my phone receives a call from the bodyguard I a
“Hi, Ellie. Amelia called me and she wants me to take her to the mansion.” Karma explained when I was the one who opened the door for her.I just nodded and I open the door widely for her to come in. I showed her to the twins’ room. I saw both of them sitting on their respective bed. But Amelia has a bag with her, looking determined to leave me. I controlled my tears from falling. I know I messed up big time. I guess they are better to stay in Escarrer mansion than be with me. I was still mourning for my parents. I was not able to mourn for them before because things happened so quickly that I find it hard to absorb everything. I was in denial for years. I don’t want to accept the reality. I pretended that everything is alright and nothing has changed. I took over the company as soon as the funeral was over. I took as many workloads as I could so that when I went home I don't have time to think of anything and just sleep. I have been doing that for many years until one day my de
“Come back home. The kids are waiting for you.”I was stunned for a moment. We often believe that everything happens for a reason. But I can’t seem to figure out why all these things happened. Why did God let me fall for someone responsible for my parents’ death? Why did God let me have children with him? I even let myself believe that Ulie was the one for me. “Are you okay?” I did not notice Luna’s presence. I was so consumed by my emotion. “I would be lying if I told you that I am okay because it’s so obvious that I am not,” I told Luna. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. That was insensitive of me.” Luna said looking apologetic. I shook my head. “That’s nothing. I know you mean well.” “So what’s your decision? Are you going back to your penthouse?” Luna asked. I nodded. “If Ulie will leave the penthouse then I need to go back home. No one will take care of the twins in our home. Also, I already miss them and I know they miss me too.” One thing I’m grateful about is
I woke up with a heavy heart. I look at myself in the mirror. My eyes were swollen from crying all night. I still can’t believe that this is all happening. I can’t believe the person I entrusted my heart to broke it again for the second time. I regret meeting him. My phone rang. It's the phone we gave to the twins. “Hello?” “Mommy! Where are you? Why are you not staying in the house? Are you with dad?” Amelia asked. My eyes started to well up again. “I... I was at your grandparents’ mausoleum. I dream of them and they said that they miss me. So I might stay here for a while.”“What will happen to us then? Dad is still in the hospital. And you are staying at grandma and grandpa’s mausoleum.” Amelia asked. Her voice sounds so sad. I bit my lower lips. I’m sorry my children. I can’t meet you right now. I’m feeling devastated and I might not be able to hide it in front of you. I may hate your dad but I don't want you guys to know what happened in the past. I don't want to pass this
“I was the one who killed your parents. I was the one who causes the accident.”“What are you saying?” I was so worried when Ulie suddenly passed out after he was shouting for pain. I immediately call the ambulance. Flashback The first person that came out of my mind was Quen. I called him and told him about what happened. “How is he?” Queen said as soon as he arrived at the hospital. “The doctor said that he is stable now. But they will run some tests to find out why he was suddenly in pain.” I said. “What happened? Where were you again when Ulysses was suddenly in pain?” Quen asked.My hand was still trembling from fear. Thoughts came through my mind. Is Ulie sick? If yes, is he aware of his sickness? Is he going to be okay?I was back from deep thinking when I felt Quen’s hand on mine. “Ellie relax. Ulysses will be okay. Can you tell me now what happened?” Quen asked me again. I heaved a sigh before I answered him. “We were in my parents’ mausoleum. He was fine when he arri