“CHILD, are you sure this is where we’re going to live?” I looked at Nanay after she said that. She was holding Zoey while I held Zayne. I glanced around our new place. It was small compared to our old house, but it had a kitchen and a bedroom. The bedroom was tiny—just enough for a bed and a little space. The kitchen was also very small. “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay? I just want to make sure you’re fine with this. You didn’t grow up in a place like this,” Nanay said. After her words, I looked outside the house. A squatter area. No, I didn’t grow up like this, and I wasn’t used to it—but what else could I do? We had just been forcibly kicked out of our house earlier. There was nothing I could do—we were drowning in debt, and I never expected this to happen. I let out a deep sigh and looked at the baby in my arms and the one Nanay was holding. “I’m sure, Nanay. I can handle this. We’ll get through this,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely confident in my last words.
TODAY is my first day at work, and I’m excited to start. I left home early to avoid being late—the twins were still asleep when I left. I made sure to leave money for Nanay to cover their expenses for the day since I won’t be off until seven in the evening. Getting to work wasn’t hard—just one jeepney ride and a short walk, and I was already at the restaurant. I wore a fitted skirt and a fitted blouse, layered with a black blazer to look formal since I’m a manager. When I arrived, the restaurant was still empty because I came an hour before opening—better early than late. As I stepped inside, I was amazed by what I saw. The place was huge and beautifully designed, with many tables adorned with flower centerpieces. The tablecloths were white, and menus were placed on top, probably so customers could easily see the offerings. There weren’t many staff members around yet. I hadn’t seen the inside of the restaurant before because my interview with the former manager was held in the
“Y-YES, you were little when we last met,” but that made me smile because at least Mom had some friends. It made me happy—I thought all she knew was work. “I’m glad to meet you, Ms., but Mom’s gone. She just passed away one month ago.” Both Talia and Ms. Kaithy gasped at what I said. But what surprised me more was Ms. Kaithy breaking down in tears. “Miss! Talia, Miss is crying!” We helped Ms. Kaithy sit on a nearby chair and got her water because she couldn’t stop sobbing. She must have been really close to my mom. She cried for several minutes before finally calming down. I was impressed her makeup stayed intact—it must’ve been waterproof. “Are you okay now?” I asked worriedly, making her look at me. “T-take me to Erin Claire, please. I want to see her,” she said tearfully, making me avert my gaze. I was done with that—done with crying. “Don’t worry, I’ll come with you.” After that, we immediately went to my mother’s grave. I guided her while we sat in silence in the
CLAIRE quickly left her job after saying goodbye. Carrying her bag, she headed straight to the hospital her mother, Lucing, had told her about. Her heart pounded with fear during those moments because her child was in danger. She would never forgive herself if anything bad happened to Zayne. Upon arriving at the hospital, she immediately asked the front desk for her child’s room number. Once she got it, she rushed there and saw her mother, Lucing, sitting on a chair across the room’s door, crying. “Nay, what happened?” Lucing immediately looked up at her and stood. “C-Claire, it’s Zayne…” Claire quickly took Zoey from her mother’s arms and held her close. “Nay, calm down. Nothing bad will happen to Zayne, okay? What exactly happened?” Claire spoke with forced bravery. Even though she was also terrified and worried for her child, she had to stay strong—she was her mother’s only source of strength, and she couldn’t let Zoey down. “Zayne had a fever earlier, child. I tr
THE NEXT DAY, Claire arrived early at her former workplace, expecting a joyful return to work. However, her happiness vanished when she received devastating news. “Ms. Claire! You’re back! How have you been?!” the guard greeted her cheerfully. “I’m fine, Kuya. How about you? I was gone for a while, but I’m back now,” she replied with a smile, only to notice the sudden shift in his expression. “You came back? Didn’t you know, Ms. Claire? There’s a new manager now—Ms. Kathy replaced you two days ago.” Claire’s smile faded as if she had been punched in the gut. The realization that someone else had taken her job hit her hard. She closed her eyes, remembering how she had left without proper notice. “Ms. Kathy even mentioned—well, I overheard—that she was disappointed in you because of your sudden disappearance. They couldn’t find you for so long.” Claire felt even weaker hearing those words. She knew Ms. Kathy was close to her mother, and now she had let her down too. Tear
CLAIRE “Ma’am, here are the clothes you can change into. Please get dressed so you don’t get sick,” I looked at the paper bag she handed me. Just by its appearance, I could tell whatever was inside was expensive. My gaze shifted to the woman, who was smiling at me curiously. Slowly, I nodded and took the bag before stepping into the bathroom. Everything I needed was inside—even undergarments—so I changed out of my wet clothes completely. It was a floral dress that reached my knees, long-sleeved, making me look formal. A pair of black flat shoes was also included. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror. For a moment, I saw Claire again—the Claire who had a stable life when Mom was still alive. Back when everything was still okay. “You look beautiful, ma’am,” I turned toward the voice and saw the woman who had given me the paper bag. I forced a smile. “Thank you for your help, but I need to go now.” Without waiting for a response, I wa
THE next day, I left the house early to look for a new place to stay, and by God’s mercy, I found one quickly, so we moved in right away. The landlord was surprised by our sudden move, especially since they adored the twins. They even offered to let us pay the rent anytime, but I refused. We couldn’t afford the five thousand rent anymore, so we settled for a place that cost only one thousand, excluding water and electricity. It was much smaller than our previous home—the kitchen was visible right away, resembling the living room of our old place. There wasn’t even a proper bedroom, so Nanay and I made one ourselves using wooden dividers, placing it right in front of our sleeping area. There was no extra space—just enough to separate the beds. Nanay said she would just sleep in the living room. I apologized to her for our situation, but she said as long as we were together, she didn’t mind. We spent the whole day fixing up the house. By afternoon, we finally finished, and Nanay
TWO MONTHS HAVE PASSED—the first month of my strong earnings at work was gone when my hours were reduced to just five. I really thought my ten-hour shifts would continue, but they didn’t. The more employees they hire, the more my hours shrink. Now, I’m only working five hours. The restaurant still gets a lot of customers, so they need more staff, and we take turns on shifts. I never expected to reach this point again—where we’d struggle financially. Nanay noticed how often I was at home instead of work, and I explained that my hours had been cut. She was saddened by it, but I was even more devastated. A few more weeks passed, and my earnings were no longer enough to support the twins. They’re now three months old, with big appetites for milk and other needs. Sometimes, I even have to skimp on their milk because I can’t afford it. I didn’t know where else to get money, so I decided to look for another job. I walked around searching, but without realizing it, I stopped. I saw
“Oh my God, Zoey, it’s really you! I miss you, my daughter. Mommy misses you so much!” Claire showered her daughter’s cheeks with kisses, overwhelmed with longing. It had been almost two months since she had last held her child under Zekiel’s care. “I miss you too, Mommy!” “Zoey? Is this my grandchild?” The mother and daughter turned at the voice, and Zoey saw an elderly man wearing a crown—someone she recognized from TV, where she had seen him with her mother. “Grandpa!” Zoey immediately ran toward the King, who smiled warmly and scooped her up into his arms. In return, Zoey covered her grandfather’s face with kisses. “Wow, Grandpa, I can’t believe it’s really you! You’re the King? That’s so amazing!” Claire laughed, wiping tears from her cheeks as she watched them. “Haha, my dear, Grandpa’s getting tickled. That’s enough,” the King chuckled as the child finally stopped covering him in kisses and beamed up at him. “You’re so beautiful, my grandchild. You look just
“She’s terrifying!” Hero said. “That doesn’t seem like Zayne! He’s possessed by his father’s spirit!” Dylan exclaimed, earning a smack from Hero. “Damn! Bloodline really makes a difference! Look at him—Gray lineage, the sharpest in business, while Claire’s lineage carries noble blood and excels in combat!” The two fell silent when Zekiel shot them a glare, so they quietly followed him to the hideout. When they arrived, the child reached up to his father. “Daddy, can you trust me?” “Of course I trust you, son,” Zekiel said with a smile, pinching his nose. “Thank you, Dad. Now, here’s the plan...” “WE NEED to act now,” Clark said seriously. “Why does Claire have to come? Just your brother and I should go. Claire, you’re pregnant—you can’t,” the King insisted. They were in the main room, a day after the chaos had unfolded. They had released a statement claiming that a Mafia group had attempted to assassinate the princess and that they would fight back, urging the publ
“Are you okay, Claire?” Clark asked his sister worriedly as she drank something to calm herself. “I-I’m fine now, Kuya. I was just shocked by the sudden gunshot—I didn’t expect that,” Claire said, making Clark nod in response. “Me neither. It’s your day, Claire. But they did this on purpose to kill you. Thankfully, the shooter had bad aim and missed,” Clark replied. If this were any other situation and not so serious, Claire might have laughed at the thought of the shooter missing. But right now, her life was on the line. “What are you two talking about? What’s really going on?! I thought the Mafia was gone, Clark?!” They both turned to their father, having forgotten he was there—and that he had heard everything. “I-I’m sorry, Papa. I lied. I needed to keep your mind at ease after what happened to Mama, but the truth is… the Mafia isn’t gone. They’ve been lying low for a month, waiting for today—this is when they’re starting their war.” The King still couldn’t process wh
“No, YOU are being rude.” The man suddenly sat back down at her words, and the room fell silent. “May I remind all of you? We hired you to be the BALANCERS of this country, not the RULERS. WE are the rulers, and YOU are the balancers. So you have NO right to decide whether to accept me or my late mother as Princess and Queen of this country!” Claire held her head high as she spoke, leaving them speechless. Timothy grinned widely, almost clapping at his friend’s words. “I, the Princess of Spain, declare that the current council will be REPLACED with a new one!” Everyone stood up in protest, but Timothy acted swiftly, slamming his long gun on the table, silencing them. “The princess has given an order, so you MUST obey. Royal blood can make decisions without consulting the king.” Claire smiled as she saw the defeated looks on the men’s faces, then glanced at Timothy, who nodded back. Finally, she had avenged her mother. ’Mama, I know this is what you wanted. We miss you so
Breaking News: After a decade and a half of searching for the Queen and Princess of Spain, they have finally been found. Unfortunately, the Queen has passed away, and only the Princess, Princess Claire, has survived. Reports have also spread that the two royals had been staying in the Philippines, where they lived as ordinary citizens. --- Zekiel turned off the TV after seeing the news. A few days had passed since Timothy went with him to retrieve the body of the late Queen. He desperately wanted to see Claire, but he couldn’t—he had no right to ask about her. Especially now that she was known worldwide, with the strange circumstances surrounding her and her mother spreading everywhere. “Daddy!” He turned to the door and saw the twins running toward him. “Is there any news about Mommy yet?” Zoey asked with a hopeful smile. “Not yet, sweetheart,” Zekiel replied sadly. “Don’t worry, Daddy! Mommy will come back! Uncle Clark promised us!” Zoey said cheerfully. “Zoey’s ri
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