LOGINLucas POV I didn’t expect rejection to feel this quiet. Not from her. Not from someone like Joanna Wilson. She had looked at me like I was just another disruption in her carefully built system something temporary, something manageable, something that could be removed if handled correctly. And I let her believe that. Because forcing anything from her would have been pointless. Joanna doesn’t bend under pressure. She resists it. She organizes it out of existence. So I stopped pushing. I started observing instead. Flowers first. Then chocolates. Small things. Controlled things. Nothing invasive. Nothing loud enough to be mistaken for desperation. Just presence. Consistent presence. But she rejected all of it. Everything I sent disappeared from her space within hours, sometimes minutes. Like she could erase intention just by refusing to acknowledge it long enough. And still, I didn’t stop. Because I wasn’t trying to win her attention. I was trying to understand what s
Days passed. And with them, something subtle but persistent began to change in her routine. It did not arrive loudly. It did not announce itself with disruption or chaos, the way most problems in her life usually did. Instead, it came quietly precisely, consistently, and without permission. The first bouquet showed up on a Tuesday morning. She had already been at the site office for an hour, reviewing vendor confirmations and adjusting seating charts for her next event when one of her assistants walked in holding a large arrangement of white lilies and pale pink roses. “Ms. Wilson,” the assistant said carefully, “this was delivered for you.” She didn’t look up immediately. “From who?” she asked, still writing. There was a brief hesitation. “No sender listed. Just your name.” That made her pause. She finally looked up. The bouquet was placed on the edge of her desk like it belonged there. Clean. Elegant. Intentional. Nothing excessive. Nothing loud. Just… deliberate. Sh
Joanna POV My name is Joanna Wilson. Twenty-six years old. The eldest of two siblings. A daughter who grew up believing that discipline was not just a habit it was a responsibility. My life has always been built on structure, on order, on the quiet understanding that if I didn’t hold things together, no one else would. At home, I am not just “Joanna the event coordinator.” I am Ate Joanna. The one my younger brother looks up to when decisions feel too heavy. The one my parents trust to keep things steady when life becomes uncertain. We are not a loud family. We are not extravagant. But we are close in a way that doesn’t need constant explanation. Every Sunday, no matter how exhausting the week has been, we go to church together. It is our tradition. Our reset. Our way of reminding ourselves that life is not just deadlines and responsibilities. That there is something higher than stress, than pressure, than the constant need to perform. After service, we eat together. Sometimes si
I don’t chase. Not because I can’t. But because I’ve never had to. Everything in my life has always come easy money, power, attention… women. They gravitate, linger, wait. All I ever needed to do was choose. So standing there, watching Joanna Wilson walk away from me for the second time that night I should’ve taken the hint. I should’ve walked in the opposite direction, found someone else, and forgotten her before the night even ended. That’s how it always worked. Except… I didn’t. Instead, I stayed exactly where I was, my eyes following her like she was the only thing in a room full of distractions. Annoying. Interesting. Dangerous. I downed the rest of my drink and set the glass aside. “Sir, would you like another—” “No.” My answer came too quickly, too distracted. Because at that moment, she laughed. It wasn’t loud. Not the kind that demanded attention. But it was real. And it caught me off guard. I hadn’t seen that side of her yet. Acros
Lucas POV I’ve been to more weddings than I can count. Some I remember because of the food. Some are because of the guest list. Most because of the woman I left with. This one? I knew from the moment I stepped into the venue that it was going to be like all the others. Expensive. Perfect. Forgettable. The kind of event my family loves is where every detail screams money, status, and control. I adjusted the cuff of my suit as I walked through the entrance, ignoring the polite greetings being thrown my way. Smiles, I didn’t bother returning. Hands I didn’t bother shaking for too long. That was the thing about being a Villarreal. People didn’t expect warmth. They expected presence. And I gave them just enough of it to keep them satisfied. “Lucas!” I barely turned before I felt an arm wrap around mine. Sapphire. Of course. My sister looked stunning in her wedding glow eyes bright, hair perfectly styled, the kind of happiness that made people believe in love even if they
To everyone who stayed until the very last page… Hindi ko alam kung paano sisimulan, pero siguro magsisimula ako sa pinaka-simple salamat. Salamat dahil pinili ninyong buksan ang kwentong ito. Salamat dahil hindi ninyo ito binitawan kahit minsan naging magulo, masakit, at puno ng hindi inaasahang pangyayari At higit sa lahat, salamat dahil hinayaan ninyong maging bahagi kayo ng mundo nina Ezekiel at Amethyst. Hindi lang ito basta kwento para sa akin. Bawat eksena, bawat dialogue, bawat emosyon pinagdaanan ko rin habang sinusulat ko sila. May mga pagkakataon na ako mismo ang nahirapan sa mga desisyon nila. May mga gabi na hindi ko alam kung saan ko sila dadalhin. At may mga sandali rin na ako mismo ang kinilig, nasaktan, at umasa para sa kanila. Kaya nang makarating tayo sa dulo… hindi lang ito pagtatapos ng isang kwento. Para sa akin, isa itong paalam at isang pasasalamat. Sa mga readers na sinamahan sila mula umpisa yung mga nakaabang sa bawat update, yung mga n
Sunlight stretched through the glass windows of my condo, painting geometric patterns across the polished floors. The hum of the city below reminded me of life moving forward, indifferent to personal upheavals. Yet inside, an unsettling quiet pressed against me, heavier than any early morning exh
AMETHYST POV The night after that dinner with Ezekiel’s parents lingered in my mind longer than I expected. Not because of the mansion. Not because of the luxurious table or the elegant chandeliers hanging above us like frozen stars. But because of his mother. “You really don’t have a relation
The Thompson estate had hosted presidents, billionaires, and royalty. But tonight, it felt like a battlefield. And I had brought the one woman who could destroy every wall I had ever built. Amethyst Laurent. I glanced at her as the car slowed before the towering gates of my family home. She sa
The first rule of power was simple. Control the board. The second rule was more complicated. Control the people watching the game. But there was one group of people no amount of influence could completely control. Family. Especially mothers. Thompson Holdings Late Afternoon The city skyline







