I did nothing but stare at my child for hours. I couldn’t take my eyes off him because it was my last chance. Zayne and I spent the whole day together after that, and Zekiel allowed it—probably because he knew it was my last day. It was almost time to go home, and we were just sitting at my table playing online games. I didn’t even finish my work; Hero could handle it tomorrow since he’d be back anyway. “Tita-Mommy, we’re about to take you home!” He was grinning widely at me, but I could only manage a sad smile in return. “I’d love to, but your dad would never allow it. So I’ll have to go ahead without you.” I saw his face fall at my words. “But I want you to stay, Tita-Mommy! Why are you taking all your things?! I don’t want you to leave!” He started crying again, so I immediately knelt to his level. Seeing him cry hurt me twice as much. “Zayne, stop crying. Listen to me. I won’t be coming back tomorrow—I got a text saying your Tito Hero is returning. But that doesn’t
I’m now walking down the street. I’ve already thrown away the things I was carrying—they were just props anyway. I decided to walk to clear my mind. I texted Quinn that I’d be home tomorrow and that we’d return to Paris the next day. Knowing she’d question me, I turned off my phone. The sun had set by the time I reached a park, so I sat down to gaze at the sky. The stars were bright, and the moon was a half-crescent. What does it feel like to have no worries? No problems? I wish I could be like that. I wish my children and I were whole. I couldn’t stop crying. I’d been crying earlier, and now, tears still fell. I still couldn’t accept what was happening. Amid my sobbing, I suddenly sensed other people nearby. My eyes snapped open—I wasn’t mistaken. Six men in leather jackets surrounded me. How did I even sense them? My instincts had sharpened inexplicably. “Who are you?!” I asked nervously, standing up. Their menacing looks screamed danger. “Who we are doesn’t matter. Wh
I was running frantically toward my apartment, constantly glancing behind me. My heart was still pounding fast, terrified of what might happen—especially since there were goons who had just tried to kill me. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder how I managed to fight them off—let alone defeat them. How did that even happen? I was nearly at my apartment when I gradually slowed down, spotting a car parked right in front of it. It was red, and I could tell it was expensive. I stopped in front of the house and stared at the car. Suddenly, I remembered what happened earlier at the park. I was about to rush inside when someone called out to me, forcing me to halt. “Claire, it’s you! Claire!” I froze at the name he called me. Claire? How did he know my real name? I turned toward the car and was met by a woman who looked middle-aged but still strikingly beautiful. Her elegance was undeniable, radiating grace. But the question was—who was she? “Claire, it really is you,” I saw t
Like mother and daughter, Claire and her mother, Erin—or rather, her real name, Amanda—were their closest friends, so being separated from them was painful. “Mom, stop crying. Even if Claire doesn’t remember that she was my dearest friend and that she’s a princess, it’s okay. We can remind her of that.” Timothy’s mother couldn’t respond anymore as she broke into tears. He let her cry and comforted her. Shortly after she finished crying, Claire woke up. “Claire!” Claire turned to the person who called her and was shocked to see them—especially since they were inside her room. “W-what are you doing here, Kuya? Tita? How did you find me?” Claire sat up from where she had been lying, and Timothy immediately helped her as she asked. “Are you feeling better now, hija?” Claire looked at Kaithy upon hearing her question and nodded. “I’m fine now, Ms. Kaithy.” Kaithy was startled by how Claire addressed her. “W-what did you just call me?” Claire was confused by her reacti
Claire cried as she said, “Tita, who?! Where are dad and kuya?! Where are they, Tita? I want to see them!” Her voice was filled with excitement, making Kaithy shake her head in response. “You can’t, Claire. That’s all you can know for now. It’s not the right time yet—everything is still too complicated. So if you really want to meet them, stop hiding from us, okay?” Claire suddenly felt saddened by her words. “Why, Tita? I want to meet them already.” Timothy held her hand, making her look at him. “Claire, trust us. We’ll tell you eventually, but now is not the right time, okay?” Claire had no choice but to nod. As much as she wanted to meet her father and brother, she couldn’t—not yet. She had to trust them. “You promise? I’ll wait until you tell me who they are.” The two smiled and nodded at her, easing Claire’s heart. She knew she had to wait for the truth because if she pushed them, they might never tell her. “Let’s go back to talking about your children.” Claire sm
“We’re together? How?” Claire asked Timothy in confusion. “It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand in time. Right now, your body is already reflecting danger—it means you can defend yourself because we were trained for combat.” Claire still couldn’t process it. She wondered how this could have happened when she had no memory of it. She didn’t want to force the issue, fearing it might make things worse. “Okay, I get it. But I don’t like this. What if I hurt someone? I’m scared. What if something happens to me? How?” Seeing her distress, Timothy held her hand and looked into her eyes. “I won’t leave you. We won’t leave you. So stop hiding, especially now that someone’s after your life. You need to stay with us at all times.” “My son is right, Claire. You’re not safe walking alone,” Kaithy added. Claire nodded at their words. “Alright. So, tomorrow, we’re going out—our family, Zoey, Mom, and Quinn. If you want, you can come with us. Then the next day, we’re leaving for
The onlookers were also smiling at the scene between the mother and daughter. Timothy was happy for his friend because he could clearly see the sadness in her eyes as she told her story the night before. Meanwhile, his mother understood the pain of being separated from one’s child, which made her wonder where Claire found the strength to leave her daughter behind. “Mommy, why are you already here?! I mean, I’m happy that you’re here, but why so sudden? You said one month, right?” Claire smiled at her daughter’s words and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Because Mommy missed you so much, so I finished my work early.” Zoey was about to speak when they heard a voice from upstairs. “Claire, my child?” “Mom!” Claire quickly ran up the stairs and hugged her tightly. “What’s wrong with you, Claire? What if you tripped? You’re grown up now, yet you still don’t think straight!” Claire could only laugh at her mother’s words. No matter what, she had always been so careful wi
On one side, as Hero was driving to the mall to accompany Zayne, his thoughts were deep. He still couldn’t believe what he had witnessed last night—he saw firsthand how Claire defeated her enemies. “How did Claire do that?” Hero whispered to himself, replaying the events of last night in his mind. Hero was Zekiel’s primary “eyes” against those who wanted to bring him down—gangsters, mafia, or rival organizations. As Zekiel was the wealthiest businessman in the world, many wanted to take his position and all his money. Countless had tried to outsmart him in business, but none succeeded. The only solution they saw was to eliminate him. They knew Zekiel didn’t belong to any organization or group. What they didn’t know was that behind his massive company and prestigious name, Gray had trained operatives skilled in combat. Zekiel was one of them. Since childhood, his father had trained him to fight, knowing the day would come when enemies would rise against them—and he was ce
He was Timothy’s father and Kaithy’s husband. The right hand of the King, his own father. He was the one who taught them how to fight back then, so he could never forget the man—he had played such a huge part in his life. “I miss you so much, Tito!” She pulled away from the hug, and the man held her cheeks. “I couldn’t believe you’d grow up into such a beautiful lady.” Claire smiled even wider at his words. “Mama took good care of me, Tito.” The man’s smile faded at what she said. “I’m sorry about your mother.” “It’s okay, Tito. I’ve accepted it. It’s Papa I’m worried about.” Timothy’s father understood Tagalog but couldn’t speak it fluently since he didn’t grow up in the Philippines, unlike his wife and son, who had spent many years there. “I’ll go ahead now, Tito. I’ll see you later.” She smiled at him, and the man nodded. The news of the princess’s arrival spread quickly throughout the palace, and many wanted to catch a glimpse of her. Some even secretly positioned
Clark bowed his head at her question. “The doctor said your body is completely exhausted, especially after you were hit by a bullet in the shoulder,” Claire touched her shoulder but felt no pain there. No wonder it didn’t hurt—she had been asleep for a week. “The twins, Kuya?! What happened to my children?!” she exclaimed in shock as she remembered her kids. “Calm down, Claire. They’re fine. I had our people watch over them, so everything’s alright.” Claire stopped her hysterics upon hearing this and let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Kuya Clark. I’m just scared something bad might happen to my family.” Clark nodded in understanding at his sister’s words. Even though he didn’t have his own family yet, he felt the same way about theirs. “Oh, by the way, Kuya, does Papa know I’m here?” Clark shook his head at her question. “Papa doesn’t know. I hid you, Claire, because I want you to be the one to talk to him about what happened to Mama.” Claire couldn’t help but feel
After Zekiel said that, he immediately shot the enemies, causing the other two to join in, each firing at the opponents trying to advance. Since there were three of them, they quickly defeated them, much to the delight of the other two. “Finally!” Hero exclaimed. “We can go home now! Kiel, come on, hurry!” Dylan was the first to run, making the other two shake their heads before following. Dylan stopped at a door where they knew Louise was. “You go first, Kiel, hehe,” Dylan said, scratching his head sheepishly. “See? Acting all tough but actually a coward,” Hero teased, earning him a glare from Dylan. Meanwhile, Zekiel didn’t hesitate—he kicked the door open. But he froze when he saw Louise and Camille lifeless, drenched in their own blood on the floor. “D-Daddy!” He turned toward the voice and immediately ran to the twins. “Zoey! Zayne!” He hugged them tightly as the twins cried into his chest. When an explosion echoed in the distance, Zoey started crying again, b
“IN the count of three,” Zekiel said seriously as they stood at the edge of the garden of the building where Timothy was hiding, holding his family hostage. “One... Two... Three... NOW!” Zekiel’s men quickly scrambled into action at his signal. When they reached the underground passage, two people opened it, and as soon as it was unlocked, they rushed inside one after another. “Go! Go! Go!” Dylan whispered urgently to their teammates leading the way inside. “Make sure to keep it quiet,” Hero muttered to one of the men, who nodded in response. Once everyone else was in, the three of them followed. They had only brought a few men underground since the others were on lookout and would join them once the trap was set. When they entered, they found themselves in an open space that was clearly abandoned. “Start setting things up as planned.” The men nodded and began working on their assigned tasks. They had agreed to place long, sharp metal rods so that when their enemies
Claire glanced at her trembling hands, the pain and fear of losing the child in her womb overwhelming her. Then, she saw the crown in front of her, picked it up, and placed it on her head before aiming the gun at them again. “A p-princess fears nothing.” Claire moved swiftly and pulled the trigger, but the two dodged. Camille quickly grabbed another gun and fired at Claire, hitting her shoulder, making Zayne cry even harder. “Mommy!!!” He desperately wanted to escape but couldn’t. The noise woke Zoey, and as her mind processed what was happening, she began to cry, drawing Zayne’s attention. “Z-Zoey, close your eyes!” No matter how much Zayne pleaded, the twin couldn’t stop crying. He looked at his mom, now lying unconscious on the floor with blood on her leg, and shut his eyes—he couldn’t bear to see her like that. He prayed that someone would save them when, moments later, he heard gunshots. His eyes snapped open, and he saw tall men in palace guard uniforms swiftly surroun
Her body and hands were tied to the chair, so she couldn’t move. She tried to turn her face away, but Camille grabbed it again, gripping even tighter than before. “Look at me!” Camille shouted angrily, leaving her no choice but to obey. “Do you see this scar?!” Camille hissed. “Yeah, it makes you even uglier.” Claire’s words only infuriated Camille further, who then slapped her hard, forcing her face to the side. “Btch! When someone talks to you properly, answer properly! I’ll make you feel what I went through! I’ll ruin your face because you don’t deserve this!” Camille snatched the crown Claire was wearing, making Claire’s eyes widen in shock—that crown was sacred, and their laws forbade anyone else from touching it. “This suits me better.” “Give that back! It doesn’t belong to you!” But Camille ignored her, placing it on her own head while Claire could only watch helplessly. “See? It looks better on me.” Camille admired herself in a mirror. “Wow, this must be expe
When I said no, it’s a no. No buts, Timothy—take her to the room and don’t let her out. Timothy nodded at the man’s command and grabbed Claire, who immediately tried to pull away. “No! You can’t do this, Zekiel! My child is in there! I won’t rest until they’re safe! Zekiel!” Zekiel ignored Claire’s screams as Timothy dragged her away, continuing with their planning. “Why did you send Claire away? She could’ve helped us too,” Zekiel shot Hero a sharp look for his remark. “Oh, so you’d be fine if I included your wife in this?” Hero fell silent at that and they resumed their planning. Meanwhile, Claire, furious, struggled against Timothy as he forced her toward their room. She was already thinking of ways to escape and save the children. “Don’t even try. I won’t take my eyes off you,” Timothy said flatly, which only made Claire glare harder. But her anger turned to shock when a man suddenly appeared in front of Timothy, holding a baton. “Behind you!” Her warning came to
”We can go back to the palace after we rescue the twins,” Timothy said to Claire, who was fixing herself up after changing clothes. She couldn’t wear that dress anymore because it would hinder their plan to infiltrate Louise’s hideout. At first, she couldn’t believe that Louise was the one who kidnapped her children—especially since she had trusted her—but she was wrong. “I won’t leave until the twins are safe, Kuya,” After saying that, Claire walked out to head to the hideout, where they would plan their assault on Louise’s lair. Timothy could only sigh at his friend’s words—he knew her well. When someone she loved was in danger, she would do everything to save them. “Wait, why did you disappear earlier, Kuya Timothy? And Aunt Kaithy was gone too,” The man looked at her and smiled. “I still have a duty to fulfill, Princess.” “And what is that?” Claire asked curiously. “To report on your brother. As for Mom, she went back home. She said she’d only return to the Philipp
After Claire ordered the twins to be taken to their room, the bodyguards immediately covered their mouths with handkerchiefs laced with sedatives, causing Zayne’s eyes to widen in shock as the twins desperately tried to call for their parents. But it was too late—they had already inhaled the sedative. The bodyguards acted swiftly, slipping out through the back of the kitchen and into a waiting car outside. Since they were recognized as the Gray family’s guards, they were let through without issue. Their journey was smooth, and soon they were greeted by their employer. “Very good, boys,” the woman said with a smile. “Thank you, ma’am. Where should we take the twins?” they asked, addressing none other than Camille. “Take them to my beloved’s room. He’ll reward you for this,” she replied, grinning. The men smiled widely and immediately carried the twins upstairs. Camille watched them go, her gaze lingering as they carried the unconscious children. “Now I’ll finally get my rev