“Mommy!” agad na sigaw nia Atlas pagkadating na pagkadating ni Tala sa high-end apartment niya. Her son stood and ran towards her. She quickly caught her 4-year old son in her arms and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I miss you, sweetheart,” aniya bago pinupog ng halik ang pisngi ng kanyang anak. Her son’s giggle quickly filled the four corners of the house. Pakiramdam niya nawala ang pagod niya sa maghapon nang narinig niya ang taw ang anak niya. She kissed him some more before she finally let him go. “Tell me what did you do? Are you a good boy today?” tanong niya habang karga-karga ito patungo sa upuan. “I learned about integers today and I wrote until 500. Ms. Agatha said I’m good and gave me this.” Ipinakita nito sa kanya ang star sticker sa damit nito na may nakasulat na very good. Napangiti siya. Mukhang nage-enjoy talaga ang anak niya sa homeschool sessions nito. Mabuti na lang nahanap niya agad si Ms. Agatha, her son’s homeschool teacher who specializes in teaching gifted chi
Kanina pa pinagmamasdan ni Tala ang tasa ng kape na nakasilbi sa kanyang harapan. Subalit wala roon ang isip niya. Nasa biyahe niya mamaya patungong Maritria.Ilanga raw na siyang hindi pinapatulog ng biyahe niyang iyon. If only Elle did not bombard her with questions she cannot and will not dare answer when she expressed her intent to withdraw from the said project, hindi na sana siya tutuloy.Maritria is a small place as per her research. At hindi malabong magkita sila ni Knoxx doon lalo na kung ang magiging kliyente niya ay ang mismong pinsan nito!Again, she groaned inwardly. Maisip pa lang niya ang posibleng pagkikitang iyon, parang gusto na niyang h’wag ulit tumuloy at magtago na lang sa kung saan kasama ng anak niya. Kaya lang, naka-oo na si Elle kay Princess Olivia. Ang pangalan na ng kumpanya nila ang nakataya. At hindi niya pwedeng sirain ang pangalan ng brand niya dahil lang natatakot siyang muling makita ang ama ng anak niya.This is the first time that she’ll be working
Tala slowly took in a lungful of breath as she anxiously watched Princess Olivia study the wedding gown designs she made based on the demands of the princess. She made three gown designs last night as soon as she arrived at her hotel in Maritria.The exhausting 9-hour trip to the country did not make her sleeping easy. Lalo kasing tumindi ang pagte-tensyon niya nang lumapag ang private airplane ng Star Airlines sa Maritria. If she was anxious when she left New York, she was more anxious and fidgety now.Heck! She’s always on the look-out if Knoxx was anywhere near. Paranoia was getting the better of her and it instantly messed up with her psyche. She was even contemplating on going back home to her son the minute she arrived at the hotel. Her emotions went haywire last night. Mabuti na lang at naisipan niyang mag-sketch.The tasked helped her to calm down and focus on the task at hand. That’s how she managed to make three wedding gown styles for Princess Olivia to see today, their fi
Hindi malaman ni Tala kung ano ang uunahing gawin, ang magtanong o ang tumakbo. She had been staring at Knoxx for a while now, confused and so damn ready to run.Why was he there? How did he find her? Did the royals had a background check on her before she go there? If they did, they how far did their search go? Do they know everything about her now? Do they know her real name? Do they know…Napasinghap siya, lalong tinambol ng kaba ang dibdib at nanginig.What about her son? Do the royals know about Atlas now?“N-no… N-no!” she whispered, distraught, panic now racing in her veins. Without second thoughts, she took a few steps back before she tried to dash her way out of the room. Subalit bigo siya. Knoxx quickly caught her in his arms and carried her back to the room, which, she’s more convinced now more than ever, her place of doom.“Not so fast, Tala. You’re not running away from me again until you settle the mess you’ve made five years ago,” anito, habang idinideposito siya sa k
"What? Are you freakin' kidding me?!" bulalas ni Tala, hindi na niya napigilan.She wanted to keep her composure but she cannot anymore. She was more than shocked, she was incredulous! La Belle and Stella are doing well but she can't just pull money out of her companies just like that. Besides that's too much.Kung kanina nakukunsensya pa siya na siya ang dahilan kaya hindi nito mapakasalan ang fiancée nito, ngayon hindi na. Bakit? Ganoon na lang ba ang kahalaga ang mga napanis na semilya nito sa nakalipas na ilang taon na hindi ito nakagawa ng tagapagmana?A friggin’ billion dollars! Heck!Isa pa, technically speaking, may tagapagmana na ito sa katauhan ng anak niya. Kung tagapagmana ang prinoproblema nito, meron na.But even if hell would freeze over, she’ll never tell him about Atlas. She doesn’t want her son to be caught up in a life as a spare in leading a country. Her son might be a genius but she wants him to live a full life. Her son deserves a peaceful life.“I am being con
"What do you mean they are not coming? I'm being held here against my will and you don't care?" mataas ang boses na reklamo ni Tala sa manager ng hotel na tinutuluyan niya. Anger and desperation now pulsing in her veins. At kahit na anong gawin niyang pagtitimpi, hindi na niya magawa. She needs to get out of there. she needs to go home to her son!Kanina, kinausap niya ang hotel staff na naghatid ng pagkain niya, binilinan niya ito na gusto niyang makausap ang manager ng hotel. She would've not resorted to that if only the two royal guards guarding her room would listen to her reasons. Kaya lang, kahit na siguro umiyak siya ng dugo, tila bingi ang mga royal guards sa pakiusap niya. Kaya naman sa manager na siya ng hotel nakiusap. Subalit gaya ng mga guards, ayaw din siya nitong tulungan. She was then forced to use the phone directory sitting at the corner of the suite and called the cops through the landline. Agad siyang nabuhayan ng loob nang sabihin sa kanya ng pulis na nakausap
Tala froze at Ander's question. Now that she realized that the royal assistant was near, she cannot help to think kung gaano karami sa usapan nila ng anak niya ang narinig nito.Napalunok siya sa naisip, lalong tumitig sa lalaki. She cannot tell him about Atlas. She cannot tell anyone related to the royal family about her son. Who knows what would the royal family do when they learned about Atlas? She's not being selfish. She just wants to protect his son.Mabilis niyang hinamig ang sarili. Kumurap siya, tumikhim. "T-thank you. H-here's your phone," aniya bago iniabot pabalik sa lalaki ang cellphone nito.Tumango ito, muling isinuksok ang cellphone sa bulsa nito. “So, again, who’s Atlas?” tanong ulit nito.Dammit! He just won’t let it go, naisip niya.She lifted her head a fraction, trying to look unfazed by the man’s question. “I don’t to want answer your question, Sir. I guess even prisoners have the right to remain silent, don’t we?”Tipid na ngumiti ang lalaki. “Very well, I won’t
Knoxx released a slow breath as he watched the children's choir of the orphanage he was visiting sing their special number prepared for the day. That's the third event he had to attend to for the day in replacement of his brother Ares. His father and mother will attend the benefit ball tonight. And Olivia was with him the whole day, working on their royal duties. If he'd be honest, royal duties bore him. Not that he doesn't want to help his people. He really does with all his heart. He is a Stavropolous. Nakamulatan na niya ang tumulong sa kapwa dahil ang pamilya niya ang itinuturing na leader ng kanilang bansa. But should he had a choice, he'd rather spend his time in other things that interest him, like that car prototype his team from Nebueluse had emailed last night. He could also study that proposal from another car parts manufacturer that was willing to work with all his specifications. Or probably, he could go back to the hotel and visit her feisty prisoner, his wife, Tala Eloi